Life's curveballs can be difficult, some you knock out of the Park.
When you were given your diagnosis of Inflammatory Arthritis-RA, CPPD, Lupus... this list is endless. For many of us, we have multiple symptoms.... Fibromyalgia, joint deterioration, redness, stiffness, restless sleep, pain and fatigue.
But that life changing event, finding out you have one of these dreaded diseases, changed the shape of your future. Sometimes, it is hard to picture the future.
My Inflammatory Arthritis, is accelerating at a faster pace than even I can keep up with. I wake up and wonder how I am going to make it through the day, the pain. And then there are those even close to you that don't have a clue.
After my virus, which I am finally recovered, I started back up at the gym. All I am really capable of doing is walking or the eliptical. I stretch and do hip extentions. I only have about 50% movement in my right hip during this flare (I hope). My right wrist flares at night and I find it hard to do strength training with weights.
I have blown off my trainer the last 3 weeks.
However! Last week I put in some effort at the gym to do some interval training after walking. But man I was tired at night.
I was a bear last week, and my wife is a saint just for putting up with the groaning. But as you know, arthritis affects her life as much as mine.
Acceptance comes in the fact that here it (your disease) is, deal with it. If you are like me, you have tried just about everything. People tell you the most ridiculous, absurd things that drive you crazy.
And then there are those who tell are fortunate, that you could have (fill in the blank awful disease here), and that would be terrible.
If they only knew.
That's what I meant about Life getting in the way of Living. You know, you are out there going about your business in the rat race.. then comes this life changing event. WHAM! A disease with no known cure or cause. It becomes debilitating. In my case, my doctor said that crutches or a wheelchair are a possibility if we can't slow the progression.
Life's curve balls.
The adjustment is hard. I am learning to cope. Spring is here, I should feel better with the warmer weather. I am hoping.
Some of that "Life" getting in the way of "Living" is for a reason, or for the good. Perhaps maybe both.
Just before my virus knocked me for a loop, I was taking my dogs, Chyna and Zippy out for our morning walk. A neighbor runs to me and says she found this dog (in her arms). It looked like a chihuahua mix, very pregnant.
My neighbor has to go to work so I took the wiggly puppy and Cheryl whisked her off to the vet.
No chip or identification. Although she had been cared for, she was malnourished, dirty and scared. The vet said take her to the pound, she was likely abandoned.
This has happened before in our dog friendly neighborhood.
So Cheryl brought her home and I bathed her. This chocolate brown puppy with adorable eyes. Why would anyone let her loose where she could get hurt.
It still boggles my mind.
So I fall ill, Cheryl has to not just walk both dogs, but now this puppy... who might have puppies! Cheryl was determined to find it's owner or someone who might want her. She posted 30 posters around Wooster Square during snowstorms. We put an ad in the paper for a week.
Told everyone we know. Let her meet a prospective family for a new forever home.
However, "Rockette" grew on Cheryl. No way we could give her up. We were going away so finding a new dog sitter was a challenge. We made it work.
Nobody claimed "Roxie". Last week we had her spayed (she never had pups or did before she was dumped). A little growth was taken off her head. Now we have a puppy (she is just over a year we suspect) in every sense of the way.
Life's curve-balls.
I guess some things happen for a reason. Roxie is head over heals in love with me, for saving her and taking her off the streets. For feeding, walking, playing and loving her.
Zippy is blind and Roxie desperately want to play with him. Torture him, might be the way Zippy sees it. Chyna tolerates Roxie, but is still queen of the pack.
All 5 pounds of Toy poodle.
So there you are, going about living, then life gets in the way. This time it is a warm cuddly puppy that has changed my life...
Maybe she is here to help me through the difficult times, or to give me reasons to get out of bed. If I don't she poops, so I have to move faster than I would normally.
There is a saying, Change is good. Sometimes change is not good, but our responses to the change is something we can control. Easier said then done. But realizing at least that you do have control to deal with the change, is somewhat empowering. Reinvent, go with the flow.
Acceptance comes hard when the change is tough.
When its a warm fuzzy puppy, well that one is easy...
"Rockette Wooster Square"
Keep up the good fight!
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to cheer you up all spring!
Bart Connors Szczarba
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