Recently, having got out of bed in the night, I felt a bit strange, and found myself flying unexpectedly across the room. My fall stopped, painfully, when my head crashed against a bookcase.
At hospital, initially I was told I may have broken my neck, but this turned out not to be the case – thankfully. The hospital decided I did have two wrist fractures and strapped me up in a splint.
This was frustrating and painful and put me right back in touch with the reality of being physically limited, whether it’s by chronic illness, autoimmune disease, injury or another factor.
Fortunately, at a review appointment, the orthopaedic surgeon decided I did not in fact have any fractures. Phew! Still some painful tendon damage to resolve, and some other knock-on effects, but thankfully no smashed bones to repair.
What can I control about this?
This whole episode highlighted yet again that we can’t control what happens to us – all we can control is our response to it. Being human, with grumpy tired moments, I didn’t always respond well.
However, it’s been a good reminder to really appreciate all my body DOES do for me even when I’m in pain. It’s a helpful prompt to really use my full range of pain control, healing visualisations and relaxation techniques which I teach clients and use myself if I need to manage symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
It’s made me even more grateful and appreciative of what I am so fortunate to have, including a loving helpful family and a safe home.
It’s pointed out to me once again that I am not superhuman, and that’s ok.
What’s going right?
If you’re living with something difficult or unexpected, it can be helpful to ask yourself the question, ‘What’s going right, right now?’
For me, some of what’s going right is:
- I had access to healthcare when I needed it, even in the midst of a pandemic.
- My neck and wrist AREN’T broken.
- Being no stranger to pain and health challenges, I already know effective ways to help myself get better.
Even though it’s caused pain and inconvenience, if I accept what happened instead of spending time being annoyed about it, I have more energy to recover.
I hope the first months of the year have been smoother for you. If you’re living with something painful or difficult, and you’d like some help, you can contact me here.
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