It’s been a while since my last post but I had to give myself some time to rest and try and deal with all the extra pain. It’s no secret that since my last surgery I’ve been really fighting to get myself back to where I was at before. I made the decision earlier in the summer to step away from my writing for a while so I could focus on myself and my daily struggles. I haven’t given up this blog or anything like that, so don’t think I’m shutting this down. I also needed to step back and get a new perspective on how I want to write this blog. When I started all of this I always made a promise to myself that every post would have meaning, or enable the reader to take something away from it.

All summer I’ve been living out at the lake with my family taking care of myself trying to bounce back to normal for someone living with CRPS. If anything it’s allowed me to clear my head so that I can better share my experiences as I walk through this journey. When living with CRPS you never know what each day is going to bring upon you, or what path that journey is going to take. It just so happens that this summer I hit that fork in the road and I needed to choose which road to go down. Do I choose the road that has all the hills to climb and takes more effort, or the one that’s easier to navigate leaving me with more energy. As much as I wanted to write through this summer I just didn’t have the energy to keep going. Over ten years I’ve gotten really good at figuring out balance! Listening to what my body says is ok and when to just shut down!

It’s been a difficult year and with that has come decisions where I’ve had to slow a lot of things down.  The best piece of advice that I can give to people isn’t hidden in the latest research or treatments! What I can advise is listen to your body! Do what works for you, not what works for everyone else! Pay close attention to what triggers your pain. Is there something that you can do that reduces the pain? If so have you made it a routine that you do it more than once or twice? Find what works best for your body  and not someone else’s body. I’m not at all saying we shouldn’t help each other with ideas on how to manage at all. I’m just saying so often it’s easy to say well it worked for that person so it should work for me! Their body isn’t yours and what works for their pain control may not work for you. Listen to what your body is saying!

I know this post is pretty light and there isn’t much to it but I wanted to put something up and let all of you who read this know that I’ve just been taking some time for myself. Now I’m ready to get back at it and start writing again. One thing I found since becoming sick is that your body is always on high alert and being tired has just become a part of life. My way of dealing with that is just to step back and say I need a break! Summer and cottage life allows me to do that!