"Don't wait until everything is perfect before you decide to enjoy your life. Learn to be content where you are, while you are on your way to where you're going." - Anonymous
I came across this quote the other day. It really stuck out to me. I struggled with staying truly happy when I was first diagnosed with RSD. When I was diagnosed, I felt like I was drowning, and could not save my self.
It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that this illness may never go away. In my lifetime, there may never be a cure for RSD.
But I have decided that I am not going to live my life suffering.
It's one of these things where I may look perfectly normal on the outside. I do my schoolwork, I walk around in the hallways like a normal girl, I'm involved in numerous extracurricular activities, and I still hang with friends on a regular basis.
But the pain is always there - there's a HUGE difference between happy and healthy.
I have grown accustomed to making people think I am perfectly fine, when I am in more pain than most people can imagine. That's just how you learn to survive when diagnosed with RSD, or any chronic illness for that matter.
Though I truly believe I need to remain happy, I still have rough days. I have days where I feel helpless. When the pain gets to about 18 on the 1-10 scale, I've heard it's somewhat acceptable to be upset.
My life will always hold obstacles - everyone faces trouble. But this doesn't mean we all can't be happy. When something like chronic illness strikes you, you can't just draw a new card like in a board game. You're stuck with it. It will cause a lot of trials, but will also cause a lot of triumph.
It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that this illness may never go away. In my lifetime, there may never be a cure for RSD.
But I have decided that I am not going to live my life suffering.
It's one of these things where I may look perfectly normal on the outside. I do my schoolwork, I walk around in the hallways like a normal girl, I'm involved in numerous extracurricular activities, and I still hang with friends on a regular basis.
But the pain is always there - there's a HUGE difference between happy and healthy.
I have grown accustomed to making people think I am perfectly fine, when I am in more pain than most people can imagine. That's just how you learn to survive when diagnosed with RSD, or any chronic illness for that matter.
Though I truly believe I need to remain happy, I still have rough days. I have days where I feel helpless. When the pain gets to about 18 on the 1-10 scale, I've heard it's somewhat acceptable to be upset.
My life will always hold obstacles - everyone faces trouble. But this doesn't mean we all can't be happy. When something like chronic illness strikes you, you can't just draw a new card like in a board game. You're stuck with it. It will cause a lot of trials, but will also cause a lot of triumph.