1) I have bilateral hip dysplasia. There's no cure for this, and it means I have pain every day of my life. I am 30 and I have arthritis. Dysplasia covers a broad spectrum. Some people have it better, some much worse.
2) In my late 20s I became seriously ill due to undiagnosed endometriosis. I recently spent 9 months out of work.
So, in September I started back at work, which has been amazing. It's a job I love, with great people, and I have access to all the cups of tea I can drink and free fruit I can eat. Living the dream.
It has been a hard slog though. After 9 months more or less on the sofa, with a few stays in hospital to break it up, it's a strain to be working day after day. My brain has seemed to just wave a little flag at the sight of 5pm.
The worst thing has been not writing. I still have so much to say on the subject of disability, I literally have a page of post titles written out, just waiting for me to put my angry but well-spoken self in gear. (I'm not always angry, but I do find it a great motivator).
For all of us doing our best with less than perfect health, I think we owe it to ourselves to expect a little less. It's ok to not be making perfect meals every night, taking up extreme quilting (turns out that is a thing), writing that novel. Sometimes just living day to day is hard enough, and anything on top of that is a bonus. Yeah it would be nice if during those 9 months I had made myself a classic 50s dress out of curtains and spare doilies, but I didn't. I was ill, and I played facebook games and watched Judge Rinder. And that's ok with me.And now I'm working. I'm not writing like I used to. I can't maintain the same level of sport I used to do. Hell I can't even maintain the same level of late nights. But I'm doing my best. I'm sure you are too.
Love to all of you reading.
Lisa.
