Yesterday, I referred to RSD as a roller coaster ride and I still stand by that assessment. I have also said, in the past, how much a good mood, a sincere smile, an honest laugh can turn a "bad pain day" into a "good pain day". It's all a matter of perspective. The ups and downs of the last 5 days (physical and emotional) have left me a little nauseous ... literally. The Skank (my nickname for Mother Nature) has returned to the front range with all of her winter joys ... cold, snow, and ... wind!!! My Advanced Warning System kicked into full gear at 4:08 this morning as I was catapulted out of bed by the overwhelming urge to vomit. (seriously, bile is not my favorite flavor) Whenever this warning kicks up, I know something is coming. Something not good. Something called "a flare"!! I know that there is always 1 time a month that is guaranteed to set off my AWS alarm (I'll let the adults in the room attempt to decode that one) but it's still too early yet ... so something else is coming. Remember that robot from Lost in Space?? "Danger!! Danger, Will Robinson!! Danger!!"?? That's what my alarm sounds like in my head. Luckily, (hahahaha ... i said "luckily" while referring to puke!! haha ... i kill me sometimes) ... anyway, luckily, I have a small stash of blue cylindrical barf bags that I amass after my bi-annual Ketamine nerve blocks. NO!! I don't re-use them!! EW!!! But I do ask for extras as they're wheeling me out of Day Surgery. (i'm still waiting for a few of you, you know who you are, to put together the color scheme and come up with the old slogan for Ziplock Baggies. ... hey!! i warned y'all that this one was gonna be gross!!) On with my story... I usually have to carry one of these bags around with me for an hour or two until my gag reflex settles down, but today I didn't. Why?? I DON'T KNOW!! Oh wait ... yes I do!! I smiled. I still puked, but once I was able to smile, the nausea vanished. I don't know if this will happen every time, or if I could consciously make it happen if I tried, but it happened today and I'm grateful.
Am I going to tell you what it was that made me smile? Nope!! ;) Each of us has a different happiness catalyst, and it's up to each and every one of us to find out what our own triggers are. The uncontrollable laughter of a child, the smell of comfort food in the crock pot, goofy pet tricks, a silly song, the realistic prospect of loving and being loved, knowing that Ziggi's is in your near future, crazy family memories, money, vacations, raising awareness, helping a friend, a cure ... whatever it takes to make you smile and forget about the pain for even a moment, FIND IT!! Whether you're an RSDer, a RSD caregiver, a normy, or a schmuck, you can still find something to make you smile!! That is your challenge today!! Find out what it is that makes you smile, regardless of your mood or your health. If you need help finding one of your own, feel free to ask me for more suggestions. I'm full of it!! ... um ... I mean "them" ... I'm full of them!!
I know that I will have many more visits from my AWS, it's just a fact of my life that I've accepted, but I have faith that I can overcome each of them with a smile.
6 DAYS UNTIL THE 2nd ANNUAL CRAZY SOCK DAY!! Got yours yet??
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