**EDIT: I just started taking my two week run of prednisone. I am on 10mg once daily for the 14 days. No biggie. :-) I just hope it doesn't make me feel as bad as those first two patches!
Illness, especially chronic pain, has an uncanny way of making individuals feel hopeless and out of control, and if you are isolated and without a solid support system, it is understandable... for a certain amount of time...
Although many of us did not do anything willingly or choose to be in the sick role, there are a number of individuals with disease who choose to stay put, rather stubbornly, in the victim role, rendering themselves helpless and draining the energy of those who surround them. If you transform yourself momentarily into a detective and look back into their past years, you will see a pattern of playing the victim in several areas of these individuals' lives. These persons often believe they have no control over their lives and often wait for someone to rescue them rather than do the work required to succeed themselves, but in believing they are powerless, they have truly become powerless. This negative outlook often, understandably so, drives away whatever support system, if any, that was in place and becomes a breeding ground for clinical depression and substance abuse.
The truth is, each of us has access to an incredible amount of power, wealth, success, and creative energy that we can choose to tap into and live our lives on purpose, or we can choose to ignore and stay stagnant in a role that becomes very lonely and predictable into the bitter end. Only us as individuals can convince ourselves, and then continue to believe, that our inner and outer resources are lacking, and in doing so, we become powerless. Some choose to stay in this role because negativity is predictable and acknowledging that we each have the power to create the lives we desire means these individuals have to put in some constantly avoided effort. This means they have to change, and change ain't easy!
Our outer worlds are reflections of and identical to our inner worlds, which is a powerful statement considering only we have control over what our inner worlds look like.
7 comments:
This can totally be applied to anyone. It's great advice to be strong and make things happen for ourselves =)
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Thanks!
Very true, Maria. I've found that, even with all I've learned so far, that during a recent really severe pain flare, I still was having such trouble getting my point across to the clinic doctor and others... it's hard to not let it weigh down on you.
However, I persevered and have the doc's agreement with my assessment of things (as far as I understand at least!) and we're working together on my pain med changes.
I likened it to feeling as though I was wrecked at sea, treading water just to stay alive. But after so long of doing that - and it's ALL you can do to keep your head above water - you begin to despair and eventually to sink... it's easy to drown in that sea of hopelessness... but I have hope and I stubbornly cling to it, tempering it with a healthy dose of what I call 'cautious optimism'; in other words, yes, hoping for and believing in the best, while also preparing and dealing with reality, here and NOW. Not the worst, just reality.
Great post, Maria; very well stated.
Hi Maria,
How are things going with the prednisone? I am still holding out hope that it provides you a little relief since it was almost like a miracle for me when I was on it.
Howdy! I've been catching up on your blog, what a rollercoaster of a month! All those extra pains and setbacks and yet your attitude is still amazing, you inspire me!
I am flaring all over today, but after a month of goodness I can't complain...although I'm always hoping the good weeks won't give way to bad ones they always do..oh, life!
xx
YES!
Girl, you are wise beyond your years! this was a fantastic post.
I have to put you in my reader so I can keep up with you. Miss bumping into you over at CSL :)
take care honey bunny xoxo
I have had CRPS >15 years. I went through all the standard treatments with little success. I was not diagnosed soon enough. 1 year after the injury. By chance I had an asthma attack and was treated with 40 mg of prednisone and for the first time in years my arm improved for a few hours. I have been on40 mg of prednisone a day for 2 months and feel the best I have in years.
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