It all began with one chronic illness- or did it?
At times, I wonder how this all began for me. I was never the poster child for health, but neither was I on the sidelines of life as much as I am now. I think if not all of us with multiple chronic conditions, then surely a great many of us, ask themselves the ever-looming question of: ‘How did this all start? What did I do?’ I think about this often and as I have discussed in my post On Becoming Sherlock, it feels like I am always trying to connect the dots; trying to find that Holy Grail of answers to why I am sick.
Recently, I have been more frustrated with my comorbidities than usual. It’s as though I have reached a tipping point and I am not sure when it happened or if it is more related to the symptoms of each chronic issue, rather than the issue itself. In the beginning, it was pretty easy. I grew up with asthma and allergies, which often led to chronic sinus and bronchitis. But I was a kid and I suppose, while it sucked, I assumed I’d grow out of it. Amusingly enough, I grew out of a lot of things like my allergy to chocolate and cats and dogs, but my asthma stayed and when I get sick it nearly always turns into bronchitis. As an adult, I traded more child-hood illnesses for more grown-up ones and I wish I could swap.
At first, it was manageable and there was the illusion that with each surgery, I might be cured. Bulging disc became laminectomy, which later on evolved to spinal fusion. Avascular necrosis in my left hip was treated with core decompression, which eventually turned into total hip replacement. Sacroiliac Joint Fusion became SIJD Fusion. I’ve had surgeries for carpal and cubital tunnel, surgery for tennis elbow and surgery for torn meniscus. Still not feeling well, I fought to find that magic diagnosis, the reason to why I needed so many surgeries before 40. That is when the gates were thrown open and a flood of answers came forth.
Degenerative Disc Disease, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Chronic Pain from failed surgeries. Let’s not forget that my Asthma did not go away, I also developed Chronic Migraine and in the mental health department I was diagnosed as Bipolar II when I was 22, but I also developed OCD, Anxiety and PTSD (which is more PTS these days as symptoms are generally controlled.) My point to all this, is when I am unfortunate enough to have to go the hospital, or have to venture out to a new doctor and I get that dreaded question of, “Do you have any health issues you take medication for regularly?” I freak out. I freak out because scene one is that I whip out my handy-dandy cheat-sheet, a piece of note-book paper with everything listed and hand it over, where I get the “look” from the nurse. You know that look. Or scene two, try to remember everything off the top of my head, which is probably not the best idea given my Swiss-cheese-of-a-brain, rattle off a handle full of stuff and sounding like I am trying-out for a High School play (a part I am not going to get) and still get the “look.” As though I am making stuff up, because, you know, everyone wants to have a ridiculous number of things wrong with them at a near 45 yrs. old.
However, after this deluge of diagnoses, I am no where near a cure and I feel the weight of these comorbities heavy, on my shoulders. I’m pretty sure you can relate, so I’m sharing with you my:
Top 6 Problems with Comorbities
• The Roulette Wheel: Constantly feeling like my life is the personification of a roulette wheel and every morning I wake up it’s the big spin of the wheel of symptoms to see which ones are going to act up.
• Symptom Management: The act of simply juggling my symptoms and trying to manage my pain is exhausting. I (we) are the center of our own universe and all of us have responsibilities outside our health. That never stops.
• Treatment (natural or medical): Another problem encountered when you treat one disease and it wreaks havoc on the other(s). You feel like you are constantly chasing your tail and feel as though you are destined never going to be able to get ahead of this.
• Ripple Effect: A flare here means a flare there, and there, and there, and there…ugh. It’s like a domino effect of your illnesses that make your head spin.
• New vs Old: Not knowing if a new symptom is just another symptom of an already established issue or if it is something new entirely, AND THEN, which doctor to call.
I hope this made you laugh, and even if it didn’t, I hope you know you are not alone. We’re all in this crazy, chronic life together and whether near or far, we’re connected because of it. As always, thank you for reading.
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