I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:13
Talk About It Tuesday: How’s the weather?
Can your body tell you when bad weather is on its way? I know mine can! And we ARE NOT crazy!
The skies can still be blue but the achiness starts as soon as the barometric pressure in the environments starts to drop. Why does that happen? Does anyone believe you when you tell them “Bad weather is on its way.” They should listen to you!
Talk About It Tuesday: Doctors that Listen are a Heaven-Send
Happy Talk About It Tuesday!
Today I want to talk about the importance of having a doctor that you can talk to and that will take the time to listen. I recently needed to see an Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) specialist and he was the worst listener of all time.
In order to ask a question, I had to interrupt him because he would not stop talking to listen. He literally told me to tough it out and if I wasn’t any better in 6 weeks then he would stick a needle in my head and check for cancer. Wow! Really? Guess what I did?
I NEVER went back. In fact, I went back to my family practitioner and told him what happened too. He was very apologetic and I told him :”No need to apologize. You have great listening skills.”
A doctor that listens is truly a blessing, especially when you are living with chronic pain. When they listen, they can pick up on a new condition that is developing, or know if the meds you are on are not working properly. When they don’t listen… well… that is how I ended up on 20 medications that were doing more harm than good.
If you go to the doctor and they are not listening, you are within your rights to demand that they do listen to you and let you ask questions. If they get all moody about it, then it may be time to start looking for a new doctor. Doctors cannot be effective if they do not listen to their patients. More often than not, it is the patient’s symptom complaints, NOT the medical tests, that end up being the true indicator of their condition as well as their quality of life.
So, next time you go to the doctor, remember to talk about it… and make sure he or she is listening. 🙂
Be well today and always!
Alicia
Image credit: transcribable.com
Talk About It Tuesday: Rest When You Need To
When my children were infants, I remember the wise advice from some veteran moms saying “Rest when the baby rests.” Thinking back on that time when they were so little and so needy, that was THE best new mom advice I ever got.
So, here is my “veteran” advice to you: When living with chronic pain, rest when YOUR BODY tells you to rest.
I know it is not always a good time when you feel the need to rest and if you can’t rest right when you need it the most, rest as soon as possible afterwards. Our bodies need to rest, that is why we are supposed to sleep every night for 8ish hours – our bodies are not deigned to keep going like robots on no sleep. Sleep is restorative and healing and we need to do it when our bodies say “enough”.
I am not advocating napping for everyone every day because naps can disturb your ability to sleep at night. HOWEVER, if you are not sleeping at night – which is common for those in chronic pain, a nap may be just what you need to recoup and restore your energy so you can make it through the day.
Even if you don’t want to nap, take some time to lay down and rest your muscles and joints when you are feeling the strain on your body. Every little bit of rest can help you with your energy management so you can make it through your day.
Be well my friends and may your day be a little less filled with pain!
Alicia
Image credit: blog.bufferapp.com
Talk About It – The Power of Sharing Your Struggles
Welcome to Talk About It Tuesday – my blogging day to remind myself (and hopefully you as well 🙂 ) that talking about your chronic pain struggles is not complaining — It is THERAPY!
I know for some out there that it is difficult to talk to family about your struggles, sometimes even your closest real-life friends just don’t understand. Even though your pain might not be able to be seen physically, it does take its toll. That is where talking about your struggles comes in…
When I was battling RA, my husband who is usually very compassionate and understanding was not so understanding of my pain at first. Even this wonderfully caring man did not think that the pain I said I was in was a true representation of what I really was dealing with. In the first year after my diagnosis, there were times he thought that the pain was “all in my head” and there were times I know he thought I was exaggerating when I could not get out of bed. However, I kept talking to him about it – the struggles I dealt with each day, as well as the little triumphs (Hey, I was able to get out of bed on my own today!! type of things). And eventually, he began to understand what I was going through although it was not until about year 3 after diagnosis. Thank GOD that hubby finally understood.
However, I know there are those out there whose loved ones NEVER understand, accuse you of just being lazy, or exaggerating and my heart hurts for you – living with chronic pain is not a choice and you certainly are not exaggerating or being lazy – I know because I have been there (even my doctor accused me of over-exaggerating my pain descriptions 🙁 Ugh!)
So, if you can’t talk to your loved ones, I urge you to find someone you can talk to – even if it is online in a Facebook group. There are many people out there struggling with am “invisible” illness and they DO know what you are going through… they will listen and they will understand and they may even pray for you. Being able to talk about your struggles and triumphs with chronic pain is so very therapeutic – to find someone or even a group of someones that FULLY understand your struggles and can confirm that you are NOT crazy, lazy, or exaggerating – well, that makes all the difference in the world!
Feel free to comment below and Iwill answer. 🙂 You can also connect with me online by clicking one of the social media buttons to your right.
Talk to you soon!
Alicia
Image credit: andreyutzo at sxc.hu