Quince flowers forced indoors in FebruaryHi Folks:
I don’t know if I mentioned that I want this site to cover more than just the writing articles and advice it was designed for, but to address more personal issues.
With that in mind, I hope you’ll go on over to Bevoya.com to read my essay: “You Mean, I’m Vulnerable Too?”
Please leave a comment to let me know if you’ve ever experienced anything like this—an illness that showed you something new about yourself and transformed you, even in small ways.
PS That’s my husband at the edge of the photo above, wrapping Valentine’s Day gifts for the kids in our lives.
Hi Lynette—-I’m a two-time breast cancer survivor, once in 1991 and then again in 2014. The impact those had on me, however, was small compared to the impact my recent struggles with atrial fibrillation have had on me. No one dies instantly from breast cancer. But paroxysmal atrial fibrillation can cause a stroke, which of course can kill you instantly. My first a-fib attack was in 2014, a couple of hours after a flu shot. Eventually my doctor agreed that it was a rare, but severe, reaction to that particular shot, but he advised me against having a flu shot again. Almost four years passed, and out of the blue I had another one in August, 2018, then a month later in September, and then three months later on New Year’s Day, 2019. I know you don’t like cliches, Lynette, but I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Before my second episode last August my lifelong friend, Freda, said that I was the healthiest old lady she knew. Now I know how vulnerable I am, and it is not a good feeling. I think I will explore this in a personal essay. It could be therapeutic for me in helping me deal with my daily battle with anxiety.
Joyce, this is one time I’ll accept a cliche, as waiting for the other shoe to drop is completely apt. I really hope you’ll apply your extraordinary writing ability to putting your experience in a personal essay. And if you’re game, I know just where you should publish it! Thanks for sharing this information.
My dad has diverticulitis, and it was bad enough one time they thought he had appendicitis – and wound up doing surgery for diverticulitis. He still has flareups sometimes, but never to that extent. For me, dealing with adrenal fatigue has given me more compassion toward those with fatigue and other “invisible” conditions. It’s also made me take charge of my health by taking vitamins and supplements, and modifying my diet (much less sugar, primarily). It’s helped a lot, but took several years. Thanks for sharing your vulnerability with us!
Thank you so much for this comment, Jennette. I so hope your father (and I) have no more diverticulitis flare ups. They’re brutal.
With your chronic adrenal fatigue I know you have to manage it all the time. It becomes a part of your life, which isn’t always easy especially if you do everything you’re supposed to do and still have a recurrence of the symptoms. Good luck to all of us with these invisible illnesses!