EOT...Continued

Hello Fellow Hep C-ers.
 As I mentioned in my last post I was a little dismayed by the grindingly slow return to some kind of normalcy, or at least functionality not being one to be known for "normalcy"
As of today a month has passed since my last interferon shot and I can say I am starting to feel some bits and pieces of Jenny waking up from their 11 month slumber, slowly squinting their eyes against the light, stretching our limbs and thinking about what lies ahead.
For the past week I have been out of the house at least once daily, I have done some house work at least once daily and have gotten caught up on some paperwork and correspondences that I'd been putting off for quite some time. I have gone out for coffee and on other small journeys with friends and family and I spent an entire day protesting in Madison Wisconsin.
That may not sound like a lot to most people, or to people who haven't experienced health problems, but as many of you know this is a virtual flurry of social activity compared to the past year. As I write this I feel ready to doze off. I just completed a post for my other blog and had spent the morning at my daughters house, after walking quite a distance to the bus and them came home to a delicious meal. As I mentioned in my last post this is a matter of balancing renewed activity with proper self care and rest. I can see how it would be easy to suddenly jump into action only to end up worn out or sick. as it is I've already had an ear infection and now have an abscessed tooth and am on antibiotics. But some of that is to be expected, even under "normal" conditions...and so we move forward, one day at a time, re-emerging into a new phase of life

© 2011 Jennifer Hazard

Isn't life Ironic?

Hello Everyone!

Last post I addressed the sense of Victimization that some of experience when faced with challenges. For some of us, yes me, the Victim role is like an old comfy piece of clothing. It's comfortable, but out of style and threadbare; it's no longer flattering or particularly useful. And yet, you can't bring yourself to throw it away.

When I got the news yesterday that my end of treatment date is Feb 11th naturally I was relieved. Finally an end to this crazy sick fever dream I've been living in for most of the past year. And yet I found myself feeling, well, a little afraid. I realized that when treatment ends that means I have to venture into my proverbial closet and find a new outfit and it can't be the comfy cloak of Victimhood that I have, quite honestly, donned too often throughout the past year.

After freaking out about that for a while I realized for the 100,00th time that panic has never made any situation more manageable. I don't have to have all the answers yet. I still need time to recover, to (hopefully) get my thought processes a little more clear and if I keep following my heart I will know what's right for me.

I also realized that I've been feeling a little pressured by others, some well meaning, others critical and judgmental, that there is this expectation that I will return to work and life will be normal. Frankly I don't see myself working full time, but I may have some opportunities for flexible work. Disability allows recipients a certain number of hour’s employment, and if I could supplement my fixed income a bit, feel useful and still have time for my writing and self care. I think I'd be living a pretty sweet life. It's an empty page, not empty but filled with notes, scribbles and ideas. I like to think of myself as an explorer, an adventurer seeking to discover my own passage, my own path to the next chapter. When I look at it that way, as opposed to the confused, frightened Victim I realize I can take that little girl by the hand and say "hey kid, it's gonna be ok, I'm gonna show you the world and you'll never have to be afraid again.

© 2010 Jennifer Hazard
Image Courtesy of The Graphics Fairy