Month: June 2023

A Day In The Life Of Someone With Chronic Illness | Part 2 | Afternoons

On By Windy J Cumberbatch, CPCLeave a comment

I hope my last post gave some clear insight to what my mornings typically look like. It’s a struggle to get my day started each day as I slowly get moving and assess how my body feels. So, that being said, let’s talk about my afternoons shall we?

AFTERTOON

Most days my aftertoons start with a nap. The morning takes so much energy that it leaves me completely worn out. I love napping with all of the blinds closed and the room slightly cooler than normal so I can snuggle with my favorite blanket and comfy pillow. Just before falling asleep I let my husband know that I’m going down for a nap so that he doesn’t call or text me so I can sleep. This is important because at times it’s difficult for me to fall asleep no matter how exhausted I am. I try hard to give myself every opportunity to rest…well. My naps can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, it just depends on the day. My favorite day for naps is Sunday! Everyone in my family knows that Sundays after church I will be down for the count for no less than 3-4 hours. The best nap ever….does anyone else love a Sunday afternoon nap? #dontwakemeimsleeping

After I wake up from my nap, it’s time to for my afternoon RX doses. That can mean about 4 additional pills. At this time I may take a look around the house to see if there’s anything pressing that needs to be picked up or cleaned, I will also assess how I’m feeling to see if I’m physically able to complete anything additional. Most likely I won’t have the needed strength to do anything more which means I get to crawl back into bed and watch some TV (or let the TV watch me-whichever comes first). If I don’t sleep I may call or text a few friends to see how they are doing and let them know I’m thinking of them. Catching up with my sisters is really important to me…I am truly blessed! I love you ladies so much and I am so thankful that I get to do life with you.

During the afternoon my husband is often out working. He started his own business this year and is doing such a great job of networking and generating new business and gaining new clients. This means that I am home alone most afternoons unless my daughter is home. She has been keeping busy with basketball. With the two of them being out of the house that gives me time to spend reflecting, ready my bible and just getting quiet. I love being by myself. I will turn the TV off and lay in bed and just be. This has proven to be great for my overall mental health. My peace is important to me and do whatever I can to remove anything that brings negativity or stress to my life. I have no time or energy for things that are not drawing me closer to God, not adding value to my life, not putting a smile on my face, not getting me closer to my purpose and not benefiting me in any way. As my son would say…”You can miss me with all of that”! As someone with chronic illness, I’ve had to learn to set healthy boundaries in order for me to have the best health outcome…that has been a game changer for me. Not being mean, but I must prioritize my well being above all else. So when I’m alone at thome I am able to hear from God and put things into perspective and be at peace.

As the day draws closer to late afternoon/early evening I prepare from my husband and daughter to come home after being busy most of the day. This time of day is my favorite as I anticipate hearing all about their day. I’m thankful for my afternoons as they are typically filled with a few naps,catching up with family and friends and talking with God.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe to our blog so you’re in the know when we have a new blogpost. You can also find Windy’s Journey podcast now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, AmazonMusic and Spotify! 

We need your support to help increase awareness about chronic illness and the negative impact it has on individuals and their families. Share this with someone who is chronically ill as it is my life’s goal to Empower | Encourage | Inspire others who are on this journey with me.

XO- Windy

And if not, He is still good!  Daniel 3:18

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A Day In The Life Of Someone With Chronic Illness | Part 1

On By Windy J Cumberbatch, CPC2 Comments

I don’t even know where to begin. The title alone intimidates me. Mainly because I’m wondering how in the world could I ever capture a day in the life of me? I may need to come at this in multiple posts I suppose, I mean this post could get quite lengthy and who has time for that? Let see how it goes and if I need to break this up over several posts I will. Let’s get started with what my mornings look like.

MORNINGS

Every morning I wake up with so much gratitude in my heart to be allowed to see a new day. I thank God for watching over me and ask for grace to make it through the day. For the most part, once I wake up I stay in bed for at least an hour to fully wake up and to get a sense of how I’m feeling that day. This can and often does look different for me every single day. I mean, I can wake up on Monday and be in pain from head to toe, Tuesday in a lot of pain but dealing with lots of brain fog, Wednesday lots of pain and vision problems (unable to see clearly for the first hour or longer), Thursday a ton of pain along with a ton of inflammation and swelling, Friday a ton of pain with a very raspy voice, Saturday a ton of pain and stiff joints, and Sunday a ton of pain with dizziness and balance issues making it difficult for me to walk. That’s just an example of some of the symptoms I deal with. Any day can also include: (List is not all inclusive)

  • Widespread pain
  • Hand tremors
  • Memory loss
  • Brain fog
  • Balance issues
  • Dizziness
  • Laryngitis
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Swollen hands, face & feet
  • Sole pain
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Vision problems
  • Poor apetitie
  • Rapid heartbeat (POTS)
  • Congestion
  • Migraine headache (15-20 per month)
  • Rash on my face (Mold toxicity)
  • Stiff joints and back
  • Cognitive issues (trouble finding words)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis

It truly depends on the day…I can wake up feeling one way and by the afternoon I could feel completely different. If I’m honest, it can be quite frustrating going on this rollercoaster of symptoms every day. If I wasn’t the one going through this I wouldn’t believe it myself. It’s hard on the emotions and equally hard on my spirit. My emotions run from high to low in a matter of seconds. It’s a lot to handle even for the strongest person. When I finally get enough strength to get out of bed I stand up only to be greeted by intense pain in the soles of my feet which makes it difficult for me to walk. I also notice the stiffness in my joints and back that is so intense it can bring me to tears. I often have to hold onto the bed for the first few steps of the day. Such a humbling experience.

After stumbling to take my first steps of the day I eventually make it to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Due to the Fibromyalgia, I face will appear swollen and puffy and my gums sensitive and sore. Normal brushing of my teeth can be so painful at times. While brushing my teeth I will notice the tremor in my right hand. This can add to an already difficult situation, but I take my time and eventually get it done. Mission accomplished! It’s at this time that I am usually worn out and feel like I need to lay back down, but first I need to take my morning meds which consists of about 8-10 pills and detox drops. It’s not easy for me to get all the medicine down, I sometimes feel nauseous while trying to get them all down. A few of them have a funny taste that it quite unpleasant. Eventually I do get them all down and grab a cup of coffee and get into my morning prayer and devotion. Once that is complete I take a look at what needs to get done around the house and make a plan for which tasks I will try and tackle. This usually looks like one room per day in small segments. It may take me a little while to pick up around the living room as I tend to get lightheaded, out of breath and tired so I have to pace myself and take as many breaks as I need to until it gets done. I have to extend grace to myself and realize that I can’t rush through things, doing so will lead to a Fibromyalgia flare up and nobody wants that. While taking a quick break I try to stay hydrated, though I must admit I don’t like water so it’s something that I have to force myself to do because I know it’s good for me. I can often be found lying on my couch or in my bed resting until about early afternoon…

Not everything on my morning to do list gets done but I have to be ok with that. At times I get upset at things that used to come easy for me that now take an hour or longer to do because of my chronic illness. It’s a constant battle between what I want to do and what I can do but somehow I make it through the morning one baby step at a time.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Please be sure to like, share and subscribe to our blog so you’re in the know when we have a new blogpost. You can also find Windy’s Journey podcast now streaming on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, AmazonMusic and Spotify! 

We need your support to help increase awareness about chronic illness and the negative impact it has on individuals and their families. Share this with someone who is chronically ill as it is my life’s goal to Empower | Encourage | Inspire others who are on this journey with me.

XO- Windy

And if not, He is still good!  Daniel 3:18

Follow me on social media:

IG: @windysjourney

FB: @windysjourney

T: @windysjourney