In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center (God) and one entrance (birth). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth)
As I sit here today, reminiscing on the past week with my family, I can relate to and visualize me maneuvering through a combination of intricate and complicated paths. Determining which paths are worth traveling and which are not worth the risk can be difficult. So much of our life, whether plagued with chronic illness or not, is left up to chance. No one knows what the future holds. No one knows how or when the road will end abruptly or twist in another direction. All we can do sometimes, is hold our breath and continue forward the best way we know how, which is exactly what I did this past week. My dad, husband, kids and I headed off for a meaningful low-key vacation. Besides having a destination in mind, we allowed the trip to unfold naturally. We knew that traveling would be physically tough on my body and that I would need to spend the majority of my time at the hotel. That being so, we stopped half-way there and half-way home to spend the night and rest. We also reserved rooms right in middle of the downtown action, allowing my family to come and go as they pleased, in walking distance from all of the restaurants and attractions. This also provided me an opportunity to rest or infuse my IV fluids without feeling guilty or left-out. In addition, I was able to relax on the garden bench right outside our hotel while watching the pedestrians walk up and down the street, and close enough that I could walk across the street to sit with my family at dinner. I was even able to make it inside the multi-level mall, where my family pushed me around in a wheelchair. At first, I didn't want to resort to using a wheelchair, but I accepted that it was not only reasonable, but necessary, if I wanted to see the mall in it's entirety. Mentally, this vacation was definitely worthwhile. Timeless and treasured memories were created with my dad and kids, I was able to actually meet and chat with a very dear friend and her family, and I survived! Physically, well that's a different story. While my muscles were fatigued, I was so engrossed with what I was doing or wanting to do that I ignored or simply lost track of what my body was telling me. Even though I was only away from the actual hotel for a max of a couple of hours total each day, my muscles were maxed out in no time at all. Each night, I was in bed before sunset, however, I had very little sleep due to muscle tightness and spasms. Each morning, I was in worse shape than the day before, but was mentally strong enough and interested enough to use my "masks" and not let on to others how much I was physically struggling. On the 2nd night there, I literally spent the majority of the night praying to God that this trip would be successful and that I would survive without any medical attention. (At this point, I already felt as if I was walking a thin and dangerous line with my health.) Thankfully, God heard my prayers and carried me through the next couple of days, never leaving me stranded. All in all my family and I were blessed with an amazing vacation together that we will remember forever. Our family planned as wisely as we could, minimized the risks as much as possible, and maximized our quality of time together. Did I still have symptoms to deal with? Yes, especially fatigue and nausea. Did I have much pain? Muscular pain, yes, stomach or intestinal pain, not so much being that I strictly limited my intake to fluids only and even that was kept at a very bare minimum. (In the days prior to leaving, I had absolutely nothing to eat or drink to help "prepare" my body with an attempt to "prevent" any symptoms.) While my body has massively paid physical consequences from this low-key, yet highly meaningful vacation, I absolutely have no regrets. I'm not sure how long it will take for me to fully recover, but I'm willing to be patient with my body. How could I not be after successfully accomplishing a great feat during this section of my chronic illness labyrinth?
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Trisha BundyA proud mother, educator, Gastroparesis & GI Motility Disorder Advocate, Like my content? Want to thank me with a small token of appreciation? https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1LH7R639ORBML?ref_=wl_share
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