Listen my friend, you have a job to do on this site, and that is to stop other women from following in our footsteps, or help others who have gone further realise what they are doing is making things worse. Just by visiting this site each day, answering a few of the posts we are not only helping others mt dear friend... we are helping ourselves!
I know you read the story I posted about Dad's roses, but I didn't tell you all his problems....
Dad has little to no circulation in his legs, we are waiting for gangreen to set in, not they can't be amputated because he wouldn't survive the operation because of his heart condition. His spine is disintergrating and he has to wear a neck brace, he is confined to a motorised wheel chair and takes oxycodone & oxycontin which has little affect on his pain. He has diabetes, high blood pressure, high colesterol and he is overweight! He has stomach acid problems from all the medications and takes medicine to counteract the side affects which were prescribed to counteract the side affects.... have you got the picture?
Yet, when Shane & I visited him the other day, he got pleasure from our visit, laughed at our gentle teasing and enjoyed a joke that I printed... it was one that one of the girls here on the board sent me. He told me about the beauty of the vase of roses sitting on the chest of drawers in his bedroom, my youngest daughter had put them there, so he would have something beautiful to look at.
He isn't perfect Helen, he has his warts, and we have our "problems" BUT he is my dad & I love him despite it all, I also admire him because no matter how bad his pain is, or how sick he is, he is looking for a joke, a moment of laughter & this stubborn old bugger isn't going to give up his wavering grip on life.
He says it's ok to feel sorry for ourselves, to feel that we haven't improved at all, it's ok to feel like we have let the kids down, haven't managed to get the house cleaned the way we wanted it, he said just be proud of your kids, and look at the beauty in this vase of flowers, this is living....
I read all of your posts here Helen, I can see the beautiful glow around your soul, you have achieved something this year, you are a little better and do you know why? Because you have shown your fellow adhesions sufferers compassion, you have hugged and loved us, laughed and cried with us... you have achieved much this year Helen and most of all you have earned my respect, and I know that many of us here on the board feel the same way :-)
So huge hugs, cuddles and chocolate filled love to you my friend,
from Joey, the shorty from Oz! LOL
-- P.S. I'm not a doctor or medical person, just a fellow adhesions sufferer who really wants better treatment for us all.