I’ve written 76 WordPress post on Chronic Lyme, rarely acknowledging the other Chronic Illnesses I have. When I started treatment for Lyme someone said to me, just wait you’ll get all types of other illnesses. I thought I was dying, having IV Therapy treatment seven days a week, Sunday bandage change, and do it all over again.
I flew to D.C. every month for three years to see my Lyme Literate Doctor. After a few months, I could barely walk, the airport was the worst. The medicine protocol would change every month to prevent me from getting resistant to antibiotics.
I received a progress report after each trip, included was the concerns, actions needed, or illnesses to deal with. I felt like death, everything felt the same, there was no way to know what Fibromyalgia felt like because of the chronic pain I felt already didn’t change when diagnosed.
I’ve continued to lump my Chronic Illnesses together, not sure if denial or it didn’t matter, all I felt has unrelenting chronic pain. I haven’t had a Lyme flare up in several months and now I feel Fibromyalgia pain. It’s damn sure chronic but not every day, all day, the worst.
My husband has been a great caregiver since the beginning but he doesn’t know what I feel. He copes with the things I can’t do now. Tries to make me feel better when I’m full of guilt. I get tired of feeling pain and more guilty of telling my husband.
WordPress has brought so many great people into my life that have experienced my trauma’s, Mental Illness, Dementia, Chronic Lyme, Fibromyalgia, and daily neuropathy. Thank you for writing, I learn from you every day. Thank you for reading, maybe I’ve helped someone along the way.
Melinda
Looking for the Light 
Hi Melinda x There is no ‘maybe I’ve helped someone along the way’ every time you write a post you are helping so many people. I had no idea what it was like to live with a chronic illness until I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The temptation is always there to isolate yourself rather than explain to another person how you are feeling. It’s especially difficult when the chronic illness is invisible, and people just don’t understand. By being brave enough to write your blog you are telling everyone how ‘it really is’ and people will resonate and find support in your words. xx
Thank you very much for the comments and the follow, I’m following you back. I look forward to getting to know you, helping each other. The only way to know you’ve made a difference to one person is comments, I’m thrilled you took the time to share your thoughts. I look forward to reading your post. 🙂
the online community has been awesome for me too!
It’s always nice to know you’re not alone. 🙂
You have helped, Melinda, every time you post or share you experience or offer support. You’ve written so much about Lyme, that’s amazing! When coupled with other chronic illnesses, that makes things even more challenging. Fibromyalgia is hard enough to deal with, I’m sorry you’ve been doing it so rough with it all, but I’m glad your husband is there for you. I don’t think others can understand these things fully unless they’ve experienced it all themselves, which is why I’m also so grateful for the blogging community who know what these things are like, and where we’re not alone. ♥
Caz xx
Thank you for the kind words Caz,
Blogging has helped me, even when at my worst I blogged. Reading those today I should not have posted them but that was where I was in the moment. So many people know I have Lyme and associate me with Lyme knowledge so I go to default instead of breaking things down. I had one group leader tell me she didn’t see why she should let me write since I have Lyme not Fibro. I can’t write every post as Fibro like you I have more. I don’t have the challenges you have and you inspire me everytime I see you post. You’ve been thru hell lately. Hugs.
I find your openness and honesty in what you share refreshing, relatable, so down to earth. I think we should all feel able to write what we’re feeling, and not hold back on the bad stuff too much either because that’s just as important, to show what real life is like and it’s not always easy and we can’t always try to be positive. I’m shocked someone said to you that you shouldn’t be writing as you have lyme, what group was that in? When people think of me they probably think ‘stoma’, and forget everything else I deal with (a bit like all the surgeons and docs do in hospital, expecting you to get up and about and be fine when you’re never normally ‘fine’ to begin with!) It’s hard managing different illnesses and also deciding how to show those, sometimes we do have to choose a focus just to be practical when it comes to blogging. xxxx
When I diognosed with Lyme not many people knew about on WordPress, or least not in my side of the blogging space. I wrote every post trying to educated people on how hard it is and how they can completely avoid by doing a couple of simple steps. People were very thankful I was able to teach about the illness and share the bad parts including photos. People don’t ask me much about Lyme anymore but I’m committed to write the Progress reports. Flares are a bitch, that when people usually get interested again. I’ve written in my Lyme Progress post about the other illneses I have but have not broken them down. Not sure why. I do know why, I’ve just come out of an eight month depression that had me by the throat. I write for myself and hope that someone can benefit. I don’t want to say the name of group…you might be in it. I just started to branch out and look at groups, so far I’ve chosen the fun ones except for Fibro Friday. Have a great weekend. 🙂
Reblogged this on Survivors Blog Here.