Gill is back with a health update. Here’s her original post if you need to catch up. As always, we’re wishing her the best.
When people ask “how are you?” what do you normally tell them? My standard response is “not bad.” But have you considered that those three simple words could force a not so simple answer?
Coloring In The picture
When you are asked how you are doing, you often want to give a short answer. Many times you don’t like letting others inside your world, so you answer something standard like, “Not bad.” Or “I’m fine.”. But this only creates an outline of a sometimes very complex picture. You also may not feel comfortable coloring in the picture and allowing for vulnerability to tell the story even if the person with whom you speak is a trusted friend or family member, but it’s ok to share stuff.
My Honesty
To fully understand where things stand for me at this moment we must go back five months to a July night where I experienced serious pain. I have revealed much of my mental health struggles, but this was a different kind of pain.
Thinking I was passing a kidney stone, I went to the emergency room. This near constant thrum of abdominal pain has lead to an ultrasound, colonoscopy, gastroscopy, CT scan, and results I had never imagined. I found out just over three weeks ago that I have a cyst on my adrenal gland, which is located above the kidney. To add to the discomfort, this cyst had been growing from barely half a centimeter in 2017 to now an inch. I now will see a specialist on January 17 to look at treatment options.
Honest Answer
If you really would like to know how I’m doing, truthfully, it depends on the day. Some days I don’t feel sick at all, others are frustrating, and I feel sick and tired of being sick and tired. Thankfully I have people around me to cheer me on and up, people to pray for and with me, and I still take pleasure in going for “sanity walks” when I need to sort things.
Question
How are you really doing?
