I have no idea where I was going with relationships...I was also slightly drunk but whose counting right?
In all honesty I wish there was more support for couples where one or both suffer from chronic illness. Where chronic illness diverges from life-altering illnesses is that there may be an end in sight. Not an end you want, but eventually there may be a remission or God forbid the worst and I'll end this sentence there. With chronic illness, there is no end in sight which means you often sit and wonder, how am I going to take care of this person? Or for me, how am I going to live with this forever and keep my relationships?
The biggest thing as a wife has been finding ways to communicate what I needed, setting boundaries on what I am capable of doing and listening to my body so as not to end up with a huge flair up again. It sucks, so epically it's not even funny.
My kids are a different story. I started looking for ways to spend time with them that didn't involve as much movement at first. Trust me, I miss(ed) going to the zoo and parks with them. For a few years I never even got to go out for short family outings. I couldn't stand. After much time, treatment, exercise and work on my body I can now.
My children, sadly know what POTS is. They know mommy spends a lot of time going to doctors and probably will end up in the ER 2-4 times a year because my body isn't cooperating. They know I need exercise and they know that if I don't take care of myself then I will end up on my face.
I don't have a magic pill to give for relationships but I do know one of the major facets of it is appreciating each other, trying to laugh and have fun and giving and receiving comfort. We had a long hard road together and we keep trying and moving on, which is the most important thing.
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Life with Pots-Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (NANOWRIMO2019)
Non-FictionDid you ever try to stand up and feel like your heart was racing out of your chest? Get dizzy, then magically feel better when you lie down? Have you seen so many specialists and have been told to lose weight, eat more salt and exercise and still fe...