It's been a minute but I'm back and it's still 2015! LOL So, for the next 5-6 posts, I decided to tackle the 30 Day CHRONIC ILLNESS CHALLENGE I saw going on at IG last month. I decided not to partake in the daily thing because we all know I'm a fail at daily and decided to just break it down into smailler pieces. Some of the questions were really interesting and gave me a lot to think about! Hope you find it interesting too! Also wanted to let you know that my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9tp40w7NcN_FufeD8mS1Sg) has been updated with new SLICE OF LIFE and KPOP KORNER videos and if anyone has ANY questions you'd like to ask, please leave comments here or there or email me and I will answer them in the next SOL. Okay, let's get into this challenge!
Day 1. Introduce yourself. What illnesses do you have? How long have you had them?
Well, I don't think I need to say much here. You all know who I am but for anyone who is new, my name is Melissa, I'm in my mid-forties, I'm a lover of reading and writing and music. I have multiple illnesses and have had most of them since birth.
Day 2. How have these illnesses affected your life?
Wow, what a question! They have affected my life in every aspect from beginning to end. They have been a defining aspect in my whole sense of self, as they have been with me since birth. In short, I have never been NOT affected by them so I don't know that I can fairly answer this question.
Day 3. How did you get a diagnosis?
Well, each one has been different. My first diagnosis came at 3 1/2 months and was probably the most significant to my family. From there, each diagnosis has been a blow but we keep standing and we keep fighting (as well as we can). My diagnosis for MS (multiple sclerosis) came after losing my sight in my right eye, my diagnosis for fibroids came after being hospitalized for blood loss during a period, my diagnosis for GERD came after passing out coming back from class at Rutgers College and my diagnosis for Chiari came after months of declining physically (not being able to walk straight, constant dizziness, headaches, and numbness in my right arm and hand.
Day 4. How have your friends and family reacted to it?
My family and friends have been wonderful and a total blessing. Of course, there have been a few that ended up showing themselves as being the fakes they were trying to be but thankfully, I have not let that stop me from becoming close to others. My family especially has been supportive, and loving and they all do so much for me. I really don't know how I'd make it through life without any one of them! Some friends have been great, supporting and loving, while just being there for me when I need them. Others, well, let's just sickness helps you weed out the real friends from the fake right away. I've been appreciative of both because I've learned so much.
Day 5. How does being chronically ill make you feel?
This, again, is a loaded question as I don't know how NOT being chronically ill feels. I've never been "healthy". But I will say each time I've had a new diagnosis, I've felt as though weight is added to my back. The latest diagnosis of Chiari was the hardest because it brought the biggest changes to my life so far. While I am always grateful and thankful just to have life and to be with my family, this last diagnosis has threatened to break me. I've felt lost, robbed, broken and hopeless. I am doing my best to work on fighting these feelings every day with some days being better than others. But I'm keeping my head above water right now and treading. That's about all I can say.
Well, I think that's enough for one sitting. Many of these questions have been helpful to me because they help me to think outside of the box and consider the world beyond my own. I've been thinking of what kind of writing I can continue to do now that my thought function no longer works the same but I think I've come up with something. Only time will tell. Hope you all are doing well and I will write again soon!
Hugs & Blessings!
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