We are all in a different place in our illness journey...seeking understanding

[Guest guest]

Good evening,

I am one of those occasional posters and I have been in a lot of

thought today about myself and my health concerns. My illnesses are

progressing and I am mostly at peace with this, but being surrounded

by people in the peak of health, for the most part, makes me feel

rather alone.

I have fibromyalgia (had it for ten years now) and I have asthma,

allergies and sensitivities (most of my life and I know how to handle

these) and I have carpal tunnel(severe on left hand, moderate on right)

and I will be having surgery on the left on Jan 21) and I have knee,

back, and neck pain; some due to car accidents and falls and some due

to getting older.

I deal with pain issues mostly and fatigue somewhat. I keep having to

give up certain activities and I do not like it. I look young for my

age, but my body feels old. I am not quite disabled yet, but I am

getting there. Originally, I hoped to make it to 62 and collect

social security, but work gets harder every year. I will be 59 in

May.

Right now I work part-time in retail (3 or 4 shifts a week) and

work part-time as a freelance photographer/reporter for a group of

weekly papers. I tend to rest a lot when I am not working and my

husband has taken on some of the household chores that were easy for

me to do prior to my illnesses.

I am trying to work on my attitude and adjust my thinking to what I

can do, not what I can't.

Penny