I hear what people are saying. I'm not deaf, nor am I blind. I see those Facebook posts, hear conversations that weren't supposed to reach my ears. It hurts to know people think I'm faking this or worse, blowing it out of proportion for the "benefits." What's beneficial about getting certified letters from your mortgage company because you're so far behind on payments? What's so great about knowing you have no money for even the Tiny Timmest of Christmases? Not having an income and being locked in your home day after day gets old fast.
No one but Phil sees my reality, so the grumbling is understandable. I went from independent, hard working, and ambitious to withdrawn, irritable, and contrary. They don't see my days are filled with anger, my nights are filled with fear.
Hiding my negative emotions was a necessity during high school and over the years that's been my default mode. It's hard to open up about my struggles but I'm trying. When this started, I thought I would find a doctor, have my decompression surgery, and be back to finish school and build up my business in a couple of months. The longer this goes on - and the more I get rejected by neurosurgeons - the more I see my dreams slip away, the more I lose the will to keep fighting.
I'm in pain, all day, every day. I don't get a break from feeling this way. And I'm not just losing the obvious things like graduating and starting my business. I'm afraid the longer we wait to find a doctor and get this surgery done, the greater risk there is that the damage done to my body is permanent. I'm afraid there's something more wrong with me and I'm going to lose my ability to ever be independent or worse. I know our chances of having a baby, slim to begin with, are all but gone, and who would let a woman who can barely get out of bed each day adopt a child? Especially now that we're drowning in medical bills. My home, my prison and my safe place, is no longer mine, either. I don't see my mother-in-law making plans to move into a place of her own and I worry the longer she stays, the more she settles in, and the harder it will be for her to move on.
The worst thing, though, is the fear. I've been having issues with anxiety over the last couple of years. Now the further the sun sets, the more I'm afraid. It's so weird. Sometimes I can't put a name to it - I am terrified and either I don't want to or can't explain why. Sometimes I know why but I can't figure out how to NOT be afraid of it. There are times when I want to let my old addict self drown that fear in pills, booze, whatever I can to stop, stop, STOP feeling it. There are times when I wonder if dying wouldn't be such a bad idea. (Don't call the cops. It's a visceral reaction to all this BS.)
That's my life now. Pain, anger, fear. There are some high points - when someone picks me up and takes me out for a few hours. Phil doing everything he can to make me comfortable while we wait for answers. My PCP's constant encouragement. Mostly, though, it's me and my thoughts and my broken body. Things no one can relate to and that's okay. I'll keep living day by day and hope things'll eventually get better, even though positive thinking is not my strong suit at the moment.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
What happened Tuesday morning...
In the waiting room of Dr. L's office, I told Phil I was scared. I had gotten my hopes up, thinking this time, finally, we would get some answers. Four months of bouncing from doctor to doctor, four months of pain and fatigue, four months of financial hell, four months of my life wasted because of my rebellious body. I thought for sure this was the doctor who would lead me down the path toward getting my life back. In the waiting room anxiety overwhelmed me... I was suddenly unsure. I didn't want to be let down again.
Prescience or coincidence?
The nurse came in and did all the familiar tests: blood pressure (normal), reflexes and muscle tone (slow on the left side), eye movement (jittery). She went over my history, meds list, MRI results. Then she left to fetch the doctor.
When he came in to the room he seemed nice enough. The first thing that pinged my alarm system was the fact that he didn't examine me at all. He didn't even have my information in front of him. That made me feel like he had already come to a conclusion without bothering to SEE me. He told me lately he had been having bad luck doing decompression surgeries - someone lost vision in one eye, two others were in a near coma for days after the surgery, others had problems with spinal fluid leaks at the surgery site. In my frustrated mind I thought, "Well maybe you're just a shitty surgeon."
The second alarm bell came when we discussed why I've had three MRIs in the last four months. I told him I had the first after my urgent care visit, the second was Dr. Hahn's idea, and the third was ordered by the neurologist because Dr. Hahn wouldn't order a spinal fluid flow MRI. Dr. L asked why I needed a spinal fluid flow MRI and I explained how Chiari Malformations can cause a blockage of spinal fluid flow from the spine to the brain and back. He said, "Oh, I didn't know there was a test for that." I'm sorry, you didn't know when a CINE MRI would be appropriate??
Then the bombs began to drop.
"You would never forgive yourself if you had the surgery and the complications were worse than the benefits." (I have been clear with every single doctor: if there is another way to feel better and get my life back, I'm all for it. I do NOT want to jump into surgery unless it's necessary. Yes, I'm aware it's brain surgery. I'm not stupid.)
"Not to be flippant about it, but have you thought about having gastric bypass surgery?" (I'm sorry, what? What does my weight have to do with my brain falling out of my skull? And I thought you just said I'm a poor candidate for surgery... Isn't gastric bypass surgery a major surgery?)
"I am feeling gunshy about decompression surgeries, lately." (Your problem, not mine. If you knew I was coming in because of a Chiari issue, you should not have taken me on as a patient.)
"I can only evaluate your anatomy and I would call your Chiari mild at best." (Excuse me? I'm having crippling headaches multiple times a day, dizziness, my vision is still fucked... If it's not the Chiari, in your opinion, what is it and how do we fix it?)
"Oh, I have NEVER written someone off as permanently disabled because of a Chiari Malformation." (...so I'm making up all my symptoms? My family is in financial ruin because I'm making this shit up? I've lost amazing opportunities because I'm blowing this out of proportion? And I'm not asking about permanent disability - just long enough to figure out what this is, fix it, and get back to work as soon as I can.)
And after saying I'm not a good candidate for surgery, that my Chiari is mild, that he wouldn't do surgery on me because of the risk of complications being greater than the benefit, THE KICKER: "It would be different if you were a hundred, a hundred and fifty pounds lighter. Then you would be a great candidate for surgery."
Oh, okay. I see. You're fat shaming me. You're covering your ass because you're afraid that because of my weight I'm incredibly unhealthy, eat like a pig, laze about because I can... Then he told me, "There's nothing wrong with seeking a third opinion. Have you gone to Seattle yet?"
SERIOUSLY!? Just come out and say it. You don't want me as a patient because of my weight.
I cried and asked him what I'm supposed to do. I can't drive, I can't work, I am in incredible pain every single day and yet I'm "not a candidate for disability." I can have the surgery and possibly have complications, or I can not have the surgery and be sick for the rest of my life, or until someone takes the time to find out definitively what this is and finds a way to make it stop. No one is willing to step up and take action simply because I'm fat.
Dr. L was my last hope and he's sending me back to my primary care physician because he's a chickenshit bastard. I can't afford to go to Seattle. I can't drive (what if my leg stops moving in the car?!) so I can't work. My headaches are off the scale. I'm depressed. I'm tired all the time. No one will fill out my disability paperwork (not state disability, my work's long term disability program) because they don't want to be held accountable for it, and they don't want me to be their patient.
As we left the office I let out a howl of despair and slumped against the wall. I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. I cried and cried and cried, through the halls of the hospital, out to the car, all the way home. We got home, I kicked off my shoes, and Phil tucked me into bed. He sat there silently squeezing my hand as I cried. After a few minutes he said, "I don't know where we're going from here but you need to know I'm going with you. We're going to get through this together."
I know he's trying. It's a lovely thing for him to say. I just don't see how we can move forward. We've gone through all our viable options. There's nowhere to go from here. I can't keep going from doctor to doctor to doctor only to be told they're not comfortable with having me as a patient. I can't afford the copays, Phil can't afford to take the time off of work.
The only thing I can do is wait until my next PCP visit, tell her what happened, and pray she's got some idea of what to do next. Until then, I'm going to be holed up in my room. There's nothing left to say.
Prescience or coincidence?
The nurse came in and did all the familiar tests: blood pressure (normal), reflexes and muscle tone (slow on the left side), eye movement (jittery). She went over my history, meds list, MRI results. Then she left to fetch the doctor.
When he came in to the room he seemed nice enough. The first thing that pinged my alarm system was the fact that he didn't examine me at all. He didn't even have my information in front of him. That made me feel like he had already come to a conclusion without bothering to SEE me. He told me lately he had been having bad luck doing decompression surgeries - someone lost vision in one eye, two others were in a near coma for days after the surgery, others had problems with spinal fluid leaks at the surgery site. In my frustrated mind I thought, "Well maybe you're just a shitty surgeon."
The second alarm bell came when we discussed why I've had three MRIs in the last four months. I told him I had the first after my urgent care visit, the second was Dr. Hahn's idea, and the third was ordered by the neurologist because Dr. Hahn wouldn't order a spinal fluid flow MRI. Dr. L asked why I needed a spinal fluid flow MRI and I explained how Chiari Malformations can cause a blockage of spinal fluid flow from the spine to the brain and back. He said, "Oh, I didn't know there was a test for that." I'm sorry, you didn't know when a CINE MRI would be appropriate??
Then the bombs began to drop.
"You would never forgive yourself if you had the surgery and the complications were worse than the benefits." (I have been clear with every single doctor: if there is another way to feel better and get my life back, I'm all for it. I do NOT want to jump into surgery unless it's necessary. Yes, I'm aware it's brain surgery. I'm not stupid.)
"Not to be flippant about it, but have you thought about having gastric bypass surgery?" (I'm sorry, what? What does my weight have to do with my brain falling out of my skull? And I thought you just said I'm a poor candidate for surgery... Isn't gastric bypass surgery a major surgery?)
"I am feeling gunshy about decompression surgeries, lately." (Your problem, not mine. If you knew I was coming in because of a Chiari issue, you should not have taken me on as a patient.)
"I can only evaluate your anatomy and I would call your Chiari mild at best." (Excuse me? I'm having crippling headaches multiple times a day, dizziness, my vision is still fucked... If it's not the Chiari, in your opinion, what is it and how do we fix it?)
"Oh, I have NEVER written someone off as permanently disabled because of a Chiari Malformation." (...so I'm making up all my symptoms? My family is in financial ruin because I'm making this shit up? I've lost amazing opportunities because I'm blowing this out of proportion? And I'm not asking about permanent disability - just long enough to figure out what this is, fix it, and get back to work as soon as I can.)
And after saying I'm not a good candidate for surgery, that my Chiari is mild, that he wouldn't do surgery on me because of the risk of complications being greater than the benefit, THE KICKER: "It would be different if you were a hundred, a hundred and fifty pounds lighter. Then you would be a great candidate for surgery."
Oh, okay. I see. You're fat shaming me. You're covering your ass because you're afraid that because of my weight I'm incredibly unhealthy, eat like a pig, laze about because I can... Then he told me, "There's nothing wrong with seeking a third opinion. Have you gone to Seattle yet?"
SERIOUSLY!? Just come out and say it. You don't want me as a patient because of my weight.
I cried and asked him what I'm supposed to do. I can't drive, I can't work, I am in incredible pain every single day and yet I'm "not a candidate for disability." I can have the surgery and possibly have complications, or I can not have the surgery and be sick for the rest of my life, or until someone takes the time to find out definitively what this is and finds a way to make it stop. No one is willing to step up and take action simply because I'm fat.
Dr. L was my last hope and he's sending me back to my primary care physician because he's a chickenshit bastard. I can't afford to go to Seattle. I can't drive (what if my leg stops moving in the car?!) so I can't work. My headaches are off the scale. I'm depressed. I'm tired all the time. No one will fill out my disability paperwork (not state disability, my work's long term disability program) because they don't want to be held accountable for it, and they don't want me to be their patient.
As we left the office I let out a howl of despair and slumped against the wall. I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. I cried and cried and cried, through the halls of the hospital, out to the car, all the way home. We got home, I kicked off my shoes, and Phil tucked me into bed. He sat there silently squeezing my hand as I cried. After a few minutes he said, "I don't know where we're going from here but you need to know I'm going with you. We're going to get through this together."
I know he's trying. It's a lovely thing for him to say. I just don't see how we can move forward. We've gone through all our viable options. There's nowhere to go from here. I can't keep going from doctor to doctor to doctor only to be told they're not comfortable with having me as a patient. I can't afford the copays, Phil can't afford to take the time off of work.
The only thing I can do is wait until my next PCP visit, tell her what happened, and pray she's got some idea of what to do next. Until then, I'm going to be holed up in my room. There's nothing left to say.
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Stars... Are Just Old Light
Every fear, every disappointment, every angry thought... They get heaped on my heart one after another until I'm staggering under their weight. Until recently I think there was still an element of disbelief. This couldn't be happening to ME. Not me. This is someone else's life, not mine. Through all the tests, diagnoses, misdiagnoses, arguments, concessions... I was determined to grit my teeth and get back to living my REAL life as soon as possible.
The thing that brought me to my knees was the internet bill.
Phil casually mentioned the internet was going to be shut off for lack of payment. It threw me off guard: what do you mean, lack of payment? Why don't you pay it? That would keep it from being shut off, right? It didn't sink in that what he meant was we couldn't afford to pay it. We can't pay for my prescriptions, mortgage, utilities, food and gas, let alone doctor's bills... And his decision was to let the internet go and get caught up with his next pay check.
No. I couldn't accept it, fought the implications. We are not the family who has to choose between medicine and food, doctors bills or phone service. That happens to poor people, old people. We both have good jobs with decent medical insurance! How on earth could my hard-working family have to choose which services get shut off because we can't afford to pay them? This isn't right!
I have noticed I'm withdrawing more and more from everyone, everything. Stopped reaching out to support systems. Stopped painting. Stopped leaving the bedroom for long periods of time. Phil asked if I was depressed. My response was, "Are you crazy? Of course not!"
Now I'm resigned. Everything is out of my control. I keep asking Phil if things will ever get better. He says they will, we just have to keep going.
How long? Someone said to me, "At least it's only been four months, not four years."
That's the problem. I don't know if it will be a few more months, or a few years, or a few decades... Or if I'll never get better.
It's no wonder I'm depressed.
The thing that brought me to my knees was the internet bill.
Phil casually mentioned the internet was going to be shut off for lack of payment. It threw me off guard: what do you mean, lack of payment? Why don't you pay it? That would keep it from being shut off, right? It didn't sink in that what he meant was we couldn't afford to pay it. We can't pay for my prescriptions, mortgage, utilities, food and gas, let alone doctor's bills... And his decision was to let the internet go and get caught up with his next pay check.
No. I couldn't accept it, fought the implications. We are not the family who has to choose between medicine and food, doctors bills or phone service. That happens to poor people, old people. We both have good jobs with decent medical insurance! How on earth could my hard-working family have to choose which services get shut off because we can't afford to pay them? This isn't right!
I have noticed I'm withdrawing more and more from everyone, everything. Stopped reaching out to support systems. Stopped painting. Stopped leaving the bedroom for long periods of time. Phil asked if I was depressed. My response was, "Are you crazy? Of course not!"
Now I'm resigned. Everything is out of my control. I keep asking Phil if things will ever get better. He says they will, we just have to keep going.
How long? Someone said to me, "At least it's only been four months, not four years."
That's the problem. I don't know if it will be a few more months, or a few years, or a few decades... Or if I'll never get better.
It's no wonder I'm depressed.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
...or not.
So. News. Per the radiology report:
My herniation (listed this time as 6 mm when previously 5 mm - chalking that up to human error) is more consistent with cerebellar tonsillar ectopia than with Chiari. According to what I've read though, the only difference is the ectopia is smaller and asymptomatic, while Chiari is larger and sometimes symptomatic. I guess I don't understand the difference.
Very mild disc degeneration that has nothing to do with anything.
The study showed no abnormal CSF flow BUT my posterior CSF space is visibly narrowed and there is an isolated "foci" (hah, big words) of hyperintensity in my left side brain. According to the report this could be from migraines (possibly), diabetes (don't have it), hypertension (not sure if they're talking blood or brain, but I don't have high blood pressure), or vasculitis (not a clue).
They also noticed my thyroid gland was odd: "parenchymal volume loss" is the term they used. Hashimoto's came to mind but I haven't researched it enough to know if that's a possibility for me.
Back to square one. Again. There is *something* neurological going on, but my PCP is just as clueless as I am now. She doesn't think it's something surgical, I can drop Dr. Hahn (hooray!). Multiple Sclerosis was suggested but I refuse to let myself think about it. Next step: call neurologist and make another appointment to be poked, prodded, and squinted at once more. Square one. I hate square one.
My herniation (listed this time as 6 mm when previously 5 mm - chalking that up to human error) is more consistent with cerebellar tonsillar ectopia than with Chiari. According to what I've read though, the only difference is the ectopia is smaller and asymptomatic, while Chiari is larger and sometimes symptomatic. I guess I don't understand the difference.
Very mild disc degeneration that has nothing to do with anything.
The study showed no abnormal CSF flow BUT my posterior CSF space is visibly narrowed and there is an isolated "foci" (hah, big words) of hyperintensity in my left side brain. According to the report this could be from migraines (possibly), diabetes (don't have it), hypertension (not sure if they're talking blood or brain, but I don't have high blood pressure), or vasculitis (not a clue).
They also noticed my thyroid gland was odd: "parenchymal volume loss" is the term they used. Hashimoto's came to mind but I haven't researched it enough to know if that's a possibility for me.
Back to square one. Again. There is *something* neurological going on, but my PCP is just as clueless as I am now. She doesn't think it's something surgical, I can drop Dr. Hahn (hooray!). Multiple Sclerosis was suggested but I refuse to let myself think about it. Next step: call neurologist and make another appointment to be poked, prodded, and squinted at once more. Square one. I hate square one.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Some answers?
Tomorrow morning I have an appointment to find out what the results of my spinal fluid flow MRI was. Thinking about it leaves me breathless: what if they find something abnormal? What if they don't?
If my spinal fluid flow is blocked, it likely means I'll be heading to surgery soon. Brain surgery. If there's not a blockage, we are back to square one. All of my symptoms appeared mysteriously out of nowhere, with no explanation, and no way to resolve them.
The past week has been stressful. Personal issues, relationship issues, living space issues, not to mention my mystery symptoms worsening. A couple of days ago my left foot stopped moving. Just stopped, for no reason. I could feel my foot - it wasn't "asleep." There were no pins and needles. My foot felt a little cold, but that was it. I tried to move my muscles and they simply did not respond. It lasted about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. I lifted my leg to the couch and gently rotated my foot and pushed on my toes. Ever so slowly, my foot remembered how to work. My toes still have trouble wiggling but at least it's not permanently paralyzed. I'm so, so afraid that it's going to happen again but next time it'll be my whole leg. Then my body. Then my respiratory system... Sleep comes hard when you're afraid you'll quit breathing and never wake up.
Today my perception of temperature wigged out. I felt like I was burning up, then suddenly felt I was taking an ice bath. The thermometer read a constant 96.0 degrees. I felt dizzy, my head was pounding, my heart was pounding... Not a great day, all in all.
I just want answers. That's all. Some hope that this isn't permanent. Some day I will feel like a normal person again. Where I can go grocery shopping without my back feeling like it's on fire after a few minutes. Days when I can go a full day without a headache, or napping because the pain is too overwhelming to stay conscious one more minute.
Hopefully tomorrow there will be answers... I don't know if I have the energy to hope much longer.
If my spinal fluid flow is blocked, it likely means I'll be heading to surgery soon. Brain surgery. If there's not a blockage, we are back to square one. All of my symptoms appeared mysteriously out of nowhere, with no explanation, and no way to resolve them.
The past week has been stressful. Personal issues, relationship issues, living space issues, not to mention my mystery symptoms worsening. A couple of days ago my left foot stopped moving. Just stopped, for no reason. I could feel my foot - it wasn't "asleep." There were no pins and needles. My foot felt a little cold, but that was it. I tried to move my muscles and they simply did not respond. It lasted about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. I lifted my leg to the couch and gently rotated my foot and pushed on my toes. Ever so slowly, my foot remembered how to work. My toes still have trouble wiggling but at least it's not permanently paralyzed. I'm so, so afraid that it's going to happen again but next time it'll be my whole leg. Then my body. Then my respiratory system... Sleep comes hard when you're afraid you'll quit breathing and never wake up.
Today my perception of temperature wigged out. I felt like I was burning up, then suddenly felt I was taking an ice bath. The thermometer read a constant 96.0 degrees. I felt dizzy, my head was pounding, my heart was pounding... Not a great day, all in all.
I just want answers. That's all. Some hope that this isn't permanent. Some day I will feel like a normal person again. Where I can go grocery shopping without my back feeling like it's on fire after a few minutes. Days when I can go a full day without a headache, or napping because the pain is too overwhelming to stay conscious one more minute.
Hopefully tomorrow there will be answers... I don't know if I have the energy to hope much longer.
Friday, September 14, 2012
The changing dynamic...
There was a death in our family yesterday. For reasons I won't go into, this means my mother-in-law is going to move in with us.
Don't get me wrong, I love this woman. She has made me feel so welcome in her family. Even if I wasn't married to her son she would be someone I look up to. This whole situation though... Me being sick and out of work, struggling to pay our bills, Phil thinking of getting a second job, our marriage on the rocks... And now my mother-in-law is coming to live with us indefinitely.
The one thing I could always count on was the peace I feel when at home. It's so calm here, there's always this air of tranquility, Now the whole dynamic of our home - hell, our LIVES - is changing and I don't know what it's going to look like when the dust settles.
And the poor woman who passed away. I'm going to miss her. She was so kind to me. The first time I met her she made me feel right at home. She was so thrilled when she found out Phil and I were getting married and I would be joining their family permanently.
How am I doing? I don't know. There's so much work to be done and my body is too weak to do it alone. I am afraid I am going to feel obligated to play hostess when Phil's mom moves in, even though it will cost me spoons I can't afford to lose. (Spoon Theory, look it up.) I told someone my world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with the Arnold-Chiari Malformation. Now it's being turned inside out for good measure.
When I moved back to Spokane from Montana in 2007 I was at rock bottom. I used that opportunity to rebuild my life and more importantly my SELF from the ground up. I became the person I always wanted to be: courageous, successful, loving, kind and happy. My hard work paid off and I ended up working toward an amazing career, Phil went from being a dear friend to my boyfriend to my husband, we bought a home and built a little furry family... I was on top of the world. Then I got sick. Things started falling apart. I see rock bottom looming again and I don't know how to stop this downward spiral. I don't want all my hard work to go to waste. I don't want to bust my ass yet again, build up my life to the way I want it, and see it crumble to ruin yet again. I'm tired of fighting to be happy when it seems to come so easily to everyone around me. Life keeps pulling the rug out from under me and I don't know if I have the strength or desire to stand up again.
Don't get me wrong, I love this woman. She has made me feel so welcome in her family. Even if I wasn't married to her son she would be someone I look up to. This whole situation though... Me being sick and out of work, struggling to pay our bills, Phil thinking of getting a second job, our marriage on the rocks... And now my mother-in-law is coming to live with us indefinitely.
The one thing I could always count on was the peace I feel when at home. It's so calm here, there's always this air of tranquility, Now the whole dynamic of our home - hell, our LIVES - is changing and I don't know what it's going to look like when the dust settles.
And the poor woman who passed away. I'm going to miss her. She was so kind to me. The first time I met her she made me feel right at home. She was so thrilled when she found out Phil and I were getting married and I would be joining their family permanently.
How am I doing? I don't know. There's so much work to be done and my body is too weak to do it alone. I am afraid I am going to feel obligated to play hostess when Phil's mom moves in, even though it will cost me spoons I can't afford to lose. (Spoon Theory, look it up.) I told someone my world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with the Arnold-Chiari Malformation. Now it's being turned inside out for good measure.
When I moved back to Spokane from Montana in 2007 I was at rock bottom. I used that opportunity to rebuild my life and more importantly my SELF from the ground up. I became the person I always wanted to be: courageous, successful, loving, kind and happy. My hard work paid off and I ended up working toward an amazing career, Phil went from being a dear friend to my boyfriend to my husband, we bought a home and built a little furry family... I was on top of the world. Then I got sick. Things started falling apart. I see rock bottom looming again and I don't know how to stop this downward spiral. I don't want all my hard work to go to waste. I don't want to bust my ass yet again, build up my life to the way I want it, and see it crumble to ruin yet again. I'm tired of fighting to be happy when it seems to come so easily to everyone around me. Life keeps pulling the rug out from under me and I don't know if I have the strength or desire to stand up again.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Like a ghost...
Days like these are the worst. Days when I can't get comfortable, and I wander from the bedroom to the living room to the office. Days where I'm not in enough pain to take extra medicine (and deal with the side effects they inevitably cause), but I'm uncomfortable enough to put aside my books, paintings and various craft projects that typically keep my mind busy. Instead, I wander, like a ghost, biting back bitter thoughts toward people who are out there living their lives fearlessly and happily. I'm the ghost of this house, a faded reflection of the woman who used to live here.
Oh, of course, there's that small voice everyone seems to have, crying out, "This isn't me!" The pain and fear smother her and I continue my circuit around the house: bedroom, living room, office. Bedroom, living room, office.
Bedroom, living room, office.
I didn't choose this limbo. I didn't choose this broken body. I didn't choose this story. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to choose an ending.
Bedroom, living room, office.
Sometimes I find myself gasping for air; a reminder that I'm still bound to this mortal coil. I'm not a ghost, no matter how faded and defeated I feel. I just can't find it in me, sometimes, to want to breathe. I'm tired of the mask I wear, the appearance of strength and happiness. Leave me alone, I want to tend this bitter garden, eat this bitter fruit, and watch my Self shrivel up into a bitter shell.
Oh, of course, there's that small voice everyone seems to have, crying out, "This isn't me!" The pain and fear smother her and I continue my circuit around the house: bedroom, living room, office. Bedroom, living room, office.
Bedroom, living room, office.
I didn't choose this limbo. I didn't choose this broken body. I didn't choose this story. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to choose an ending.
Bedroom, living room, office.
Sometimes I find myself gasping for air; a reminder that I'm still bound to this mortal coil. I'm not a ghost, no matter how faded and defeated I feel. I just can't find it in me, sometimes, to want to breathe. I'm tired of the mask I wear, the appearance of strength and happiness. Leave me alone, I want to tend this bitter garden, eat this bitter fruit, and watch my Self shrivel up into a bitter shell.
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