Skip to main content

My Thorn :: A Guest Post by Ashley

I don’t talk about it much online, and I really don’t have a true reason, other than, I honestly don’t think about it much anymore.

But, a dear friend (Oh how much more she has gone through) sparked the inspiration to talk about my thorn.


I have Knee Bursitis.

Bursitis is a condition where the padding in your joints (called Bursea) becomes inflamed. It’s pretty painful at times. Thankfully, it isn’t an all the time ache (Thank the Lord) but when it does, it can get pretty crippling.   I’m not going to go into much detail over it, except, that when you can’t run, or be terribly active because otherwise, your knees feel like they are about to crumble, and make you fall, you feel....awkward.  It’s no fun having to sit out at your brother’s 5K races, and tell everyone “I don’t like running” when, there is nothing you;d like more then being able to try at least once.  When all your friends try goading you into running on Thursday nights with them, and you can’t, because you know all to well how your knees will put up with that, it hurts.

I try not talking about it too much, because, the less I talk about it, the less I notice it. I might get my times when I seem to do nothing except complain about the pain (Thank the Lord for a Mum who listens to my sniveling), but I’d rather not have to pain to complain about.

I also get phantom pains in my neck and back (We have no idea why. It just hurts bad enough to make me wish I was bedridden).  And I can’t remember when I ever got a normal headache instead of a migraine.

My point is, I hurt a lot. I hurt and don’t notice it. And, sometimes, the pain is comforting, sometimes I use it as a crutch.  ’I can’t exercise, If I put to much pressure on my knees, I might push them to hard, and end up sitting in a ball, clutching them and crying’ I’ve thought. It’s true, I have to be careful on how I deal with my knees, I need to be careful to only wear high heels when I HAVE to (Or, when I am prepared to be in serious pain during and afterward. Does anybody realize how BAD heeled shoes are for your knees?!?!) and I have to be careful not to overdo it, but there is nothing keeping me from taking a brisk walk. A 5K, not so much, but a walk isn’t going to kill me.

I’ve wondered about surgery for my knees, but my family changed our diet, and it helps. It hasn’t cured, there is no cure, but it helps. I don’t spend as many nights crying and wishing my legs could just be cut off.  And, I’ve learned how to deal with and block out most pain.  There have been some times, I’ve taken so many pain meds, I’ve scared my EMT Daddy, but I’m able to block most pain out.

Through it all, I’ve learned a couple things I never would have learned.

One) I can deal with a lot more than I thought I could. I’m a wimp when it comes to pain. Always have been, probably always will. But, when I hurt the most, I always end up thinking, "It’s not so bad. It could be worse" It’s taught me to be a little bit tougher then I was before.

Two) It’s taught me to sympathize. When you are in pain, nothing is more comforting then someone who has ‘been there before’. Sure, comfort from anybody is welcome, but it always means more when someone knows how you feel, I can do that now. Even if I don’t have it as bad as others.

And Three) It’s taught me, strangely, that someone always has it worse then you. I don’t know how, or why I’ve learned this, but it has. I’ve learned that I might hurt, but I never have it the worst. Even when I’m crying and complaining to you, I know this. It IS in fact possible to complain without meaning the complaints. XD

And, of course, it’s taught me simple stuff, like, which Pain reliever my body excepts best, the best way to lay flat on your back, how much neck elevation will give me a killer neck ache come morning, which shoes are best on your knees, and other stuff like that.

Again, I don’t have it as bad as others, I won’t claim to have any great and terrible illness. I know how to sorta control mine, and it can be kept under wraps as long as I eat well, and don’t put any strain on my knees (I don’t know how to control my migraines and neck/back aches...but they don’t hurt all the time anyway). But, each person has their own battle. Just because ours isn’t as big as someone else’s doesn’t mean it still isn’t our own battle and thorn.  We each have the weakness of body, and we each have the ability to kick that weakness’ butt.

I might have Bursitis, but I won’t let Bursitis have me.



copied with permission from here
please do stop by Ashley’s blog, Cheery-O,
and leave her some pleasant notes & virtual cookies,
because she’s awesome.

Comments

  1. oh my gosh you inspire me so much you made me realize how important my knees are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was actually pondering things I took and take for granted this morning. ^.^ If nothing else, I've learned to cherish everything I have. I never know when I won't have it.

      Delete
  2. oh and is that a picture of if it is your VERY beautiful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's me. ^.^ Thank you muches, dearie. <3

      Delete
    2. Your welcome but really your Very pretty

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Which I Spill the Beans :: My Life Story

Pain. It’s a warning. A flash of red against your eyelids, a stabbing sensation in your thigh. It’s what you feel when you stub your toe or when you hit your head on the doorway because you’re a 6’7” basketball player. Pain is what your body does when there’s something wrong. And it’s what I experience every day. But first, let me back up sixteen years. I was born. (Duh.) But the circumstances leading up to it are… intense, to say the least. If you were watching a movie of my life, I think you’d most likely be on the edge of your seat. At least, I’ve been on the edge of my seat for my life. My parents almost lost me twice; the first when my mom started bleeding during the pregnancy, and the second time happened when I was (trying) to come out and be born into the world. Oh, and there was actually a third time, which happened when I had to have heart surgery at only two days old. But I made it through. Fast forward to the present day. Remember my lovely metaphors for pain at the beginni...

My Story

Pain is a warning. It’s what you feel when you stub your toe or when you hit your head on the doorway because you’re a 6’7” basketball player. Pain is what your body does when there’s something wrong. And it’s what I experience every day. But first, let me back up nineteen years. I was born. (Duh.) But the circumstances leading up to it are… intense, to say the least. If you were watching a movie of my life, I think you’d most likely be on the edge of your seat. At least, I’ve been on the edge of my seat for my life. My parents almost lost me twice; the first when my mom started bleeding during the pregnancy, and the second time happened when I was (trying) to come out and be born into the world. Oh, and there was actually a third time, which happened when I had to have heart surgery at only two days old. But I made it through. Fast forward to the present-day. Remember my lovely metaphors for pain at the beginning of this post? Well, it just so happens that I’m well acquainted with the...

The Thing About Sleep

"When you feel so tired but you can't sleep..." - Fix You by Coldplay I mean, did Chris Martin nail insomnia or what? One of the big things about having fibromyalgia (or CFS, Lupus, or anything in that family) is that insomnia is a major symptom. Sometimes we can't get to sleep for no reason. Other times we do sleep, but we wake up feeling even more exhausted. (Yes. I know. It's not fair. Also, the irony is that I was falling asleep while working on this post a couple of days ago.) For a while, my sleep schedule has been pretty good. I go to bed around 1 or 2 am and wake up at 11 am. Yes, I know that this isn't a typical sleep schedule for most people, but trust me, this is one of the best sleep schedules I have ever been on. For about a year in 2012, I was going to bed in the early morning and waking up in the evening. It was about 7 am to 5 pm. Some days I woke up at midnight. The reason for this was unknown, but my sleep schedule just couldn't regulate ...