ITS A NEW YEAR BOUNCE BACK!

I got a phone call this morning from an old friend who is always a pleasure to talk to. Before we ended the conversation she asked me why I hadn't been updating my blog. My immediate response was that since my operation and the ensuing dramas, I had lost the will and the urge to write. I was surprised and a little worried that I sounded so dramatic, but surprisingly she understood. She reminded me how seriously ill I had been and how that sort of stuff can mess with you. It felt good to hear someone voice how I was feeling and to acknowledge that I was allowed to feel out of sorts. I am usually so good at bouncing back from medical procedures that I put pressure on myself to always " bounce back". This time it wasn't happening as quickly as I wanted to and I felt frustrated.

And this is not surprising. My new stomach is still getting used to food and life has become eat, eat, vom, vom (vomit for my Dad who no doubt will ring me to check the validity of the word ). I never realised the repercussions of my surgery would be so hard. It's actually exhausting to eat! Furthermore, my house is still in chaos thanks to a burst water pipe before Christmas, which destroyed my bedroom, bathroom and more. We are waiting for tradesmen to start work but two months later they are still in no hurry. It's getting depressing. We are still sleeping in our lounge room and still have our bedroom strewn around the rest of the house. Neither the husband nor I have a clue where our belongings are!

So there you have it. Those are the main reasons I haven't been writing.  It is what it is. I've been feeling terrible and that's ok.The fact that I'm writing today is a good sign I think.

Just one final thing. People often think that if you are upright and standing, if you are dressed, if you wear makeup, if you have a smile on your face...then you must now be ok. This is not necessarily so and especially not so for people with chronic conditions. They have to be like that because otherwise the condition wins. But that doesn't necessarily make everything ok. Far from it some days.

What can you do? Never feel that you can't ask someone how they are. Always be willing to chat if you are willing to listen. Don't ever tell someone to " move on". People move on when they are ready to move on. And most importantly be the sort of person who cares about others as well as themself.

Looking forward to a great year and bouncing back to my old self.


Till next time...xxx ST