How do you deal with “those” anniversaries?
The date you first got sick?
The time you scarily landed in the ER?
As someone who has a chronic illness, those dates are burned into my mind.
I may not know your name 35 seconds after you just told me, but you could wake me up from a coma and I’d know the exact time and place when I first started feeling the symptoms that’d become my POTS.
I’m coming up to one of those blasted anniversaries, and I’m trying to remind myself that my POTS doesn’t go by any calendar or moon. The fact that 12 months has passed doesn’t mean that it’ll have a repeat performance, or I’ll slip back to where I was one year ago.
I’ve made progress. I’ve changed many things in my life. And some arbitrary date on the Gregorian calendar doesn’t dictate my health. My rational brain knows that.
But I’m trying to calm the irrational side of me. I’m making a list on the positive life changes I’ve made since I was in the ER almost a year ago. The new doctors. The new, positive medication. The meditation. The religious wearing of the compression socks!
All the things that differentiate last year to this.
Deep breath...
How do you deal with those anniversaries?
Do they bother you? Or do you pay them no mind and I’m the psycho (joking)?
I’d love to hear how you conquer these yearly reminders!