When People Can't Accept You Sick.
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Day 561-The Final Road To Survival

A great therapist of mine once said or more like said more than once to me over the past four years, "If people can't accept you sick then they are not worth having in your life. If people have nothing to offer you as far as support is concerned with a chronic condition then what do they really offer to your life?"

GREAT PHILOSOPHY!

So another HUGE light bulb has gone off in my head the past few weeks. Honestly I have even questioned the advice of others who are not sick nor ill with a chronic medical condition on how they would treat others when they themselves are treated unkindly. Their answer, "Show respect when respect is shown." And a few others said, "If someone treats you badly why would anyone owe it to treat them kindly?" One even said, "I was raised to show respect and in return demand nothing but respect."

WOW! GREAT ADVICE!

So today I was puzzled by someone questioning why anyone would hold a walk for awareness whether cancer, Gastroparesis or any other serious medical condition. Clearly unless someone walks in your shoes or along side with you in your own unique journey you will never, ever be able to persuade them to understand. You can't change the opinions of others. OK, so I do agree that if they really put all the money that is being raised for cancer over many decades wouldn't we all by now have some sort of cure? YES. What really people need to ask themselves is, "If we didn't raise money then there wouldn't be money. Maybe there is already a cure but if there was then no one would be raising money."

RIGHT? RIGHT.

Its surely not fair for anyone to suffer by the hands of any terminal condition and that holds true for those who suffer from Gastroparesis or any other medical condition. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO SUFFER. NO ONE. On the same note NO ONE should have to suffer alone and not have support. NO ONE.

Another part I have dealt with for many years being an Idiopathic Gastroparesis patient is dealing with the hard core facts of those around me not accepting me as sick. They refuse to get out of the boat in the sea of denial. Not THE NILE. DENIAL. The worse my condition becomes the more out of sight, out of mind they become. Not only is it very hurtful to myself but others who experience it around me. Honestly if someone can't accept you for who are you whether yesterday, today or tomorrow then you need to question first of all what the heck their problem is and second of all if it is fair to continue having them in your life. My own physicians say, "You must put limits to those type of relationships and not place any form of expectations on the individuals. If you do so you are only setting yourself up for hurt and additional stress you don't need."

 I SADLY AGREE.

So today I had another light bulb go off in my head and POOF! I am once again a changed gal.

Raising awareness for any condition is extremely important. With Gastroparesis and being a GP patient with a terminal diagnosis I take what I do to raise international awareness very seriously!

WITH OR WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OTHERS. AMEN.