Shoutout to Caregivers

This blog short was originally written for Instagram. Follow me at @disabledinthewild7

Shout out to the caregivers: severe illness can be traumatic, both for the person experiencing it, and the person who is forced to watch their loved one suffer.

My husband is an example of this. He watched his once happy/active/vibrant wife become bedridden from severe illness and unbearable pain, and he couldn't fix it. The fear and helplessness was overwhelming, and the pressure on his shoulders to make sure he kept his job and made enough money to pay for treatment was immense. He coped by throwing himself at his work, traveling up to 75% of the time, and when he was home, he was not home. It was too painful to see me so sick, and to not be able to help me. He made sure I had what I needed- food, meds, etc, and blocked out the rest. We dealt with the trauma of this illness separately.

We are both in a much better place now. Shortly after I started making progress in treatment, Dave realized that he had been using nonstop work as an escape from reality, and that it was becoming a very unhealthy coping mechanism. He began to slow down. And then, because he had spent so much time working and getting promotions and bonuses, we were able to afford a pickup camper that made adventuring possible for us! We started getting out more and exploring more, and spending time together outside of what meds needed to be picked up from the pharmacy. It was a relief to us both to find our way back to each other.

We have lots of plans for future travel and adventures, and Dave will be starting a new job in 2 weeks. It's nice to see a little bit of that weight of the world off his shoulders, and to see him so excited about trying something new. He's still learning to trust my recovery, but overall we are both healing from the whiplash that is CIRS, and now, we are doing this healing together.

Illness is not easy for anyone involved. Caregivers (partners, parents, children) need support too ❤️

-ADL