Coping With Chronic Illness - When I Have No Brain and No Body

Coping With Chronic Illness - When I have no brain or  body

Sometimes my whole body feels as though it has been run over by a semi truck.  Even my brain hurts terribly, like it has been used as a basketball and is swollen and bruised all over.  The slightest rollover of thought is excruciating.  I become very sensitive to light, touch, and sound.  This may last from a day to several weeks or months before I get relief.  

During these time periods I may be bed-ridden.  And I am physically, emotionally, and mentally in a very low state.  I can’t really function.  At the same time, I am not able to sleep all of the time.  So, I just need to be distracted by something completely undemanding, requiring no strain on my emotions or mental faculties.  

So, I listen to books or magazines that I have heard before – because I can’t follow plot lines when I am this low.  I watch video’s and TV shows that I have already seen for the same reason.  And pretty much everything has to be light.  My emotions cannot be engaged.  I shop eBay and Etsy for things I do not plan on buying.  I blindly browse pinterest.  And I sleep a lot.  

I have just recently learned to stop feeling guilty about these time periods.  There is absolutely nothing I can do about them that I am not already doing.  And if I try to push it things truly can become worse and the inability to think or comprehend or function lasts even longer.  So, I just go with it.

You may not have the same sort of symptoms.  But generally, with many chronic illnesses, you will have times when you are very, very low or depleted.  Just give yourself a break.  Let yourself rest.  Don’t push.  Later, when we have regained some strength, we will be able to engage in life again.

Here are some of the books I listen to when I can tolerate very little. 

·         Jeeves and Wooster books – by P.G. Wodehouse.  Set in the 50’s (I think), these books are about a young (mentally negligible) gentleman who is constantly getting into scrapes, and his well- read butler, who constantly saves him.  They are hilarious.

·         Nero Wolf books – by Rex Stout.  Nero Wolf is a genius, reclusive, corpulent detective.  He solves crimes without leaving his house with the help of his right hand man Archie Goodwin.  These books are dry and witty.

·         Flavia de Luce books – by Alan Bradley.  Flavia is a 13 year old scientific genius with a first class logical brain which she uses to solve crimes and get the better of her older sisters.  These books are funny and gently touching.

Here are some of the movies/shows on Netflix that I watch when I can tolerate very little.

·         Wives and Daughters  (I know it’s a drama.  But over the years I have watched it so many times that it doesn’t have a great impact on my emotions anymore.)

·         All Creatures Great and Small – Set in the 40’s – 50’s.  A veterinary practice filled with eccentric characters.  Based on the novels by James Harriet.  

And now it’s your turn.  Do you ever have time periods when you are very depleted?  What do you do to give yourself a break?

Other Coping With Chronic Illness posts: 

It's OK to grieve your losses
Knowledge is power
Do not eat, breathe, and sleep your illness
Part 1 - Friendship is a basic human need (the dilemma)
Part 2 - Friendship is a basic human need (who can be a friend?)
Part 3 - Friendship is a basic human need (10 ways to be a good friend while chronically ill)
Part 4 - Friendship is a basic human need (How to be a friend to a friend who is chronically ill)
2 Reasons why lying keeps you sick
Let go of the dream, accept reality, and be happy (it breaks your heart and then rebuilds it)
Accepting reality - what it does NOT mean
3 Ways to advance in a new direction
18 Ways to ward off sadness
I Can't Do It Alone
Talk.  And Talk Some More.
You Do Not Need To Justify Your Existence
Coping with Chronic Illness - Dealing with Its Unpredictable Nature

Coping With Chronic Illness - Other People Have Problems Too


Energy Economy posts:

How to get food into our mouths while chronically ill part 1
Food part 2
Food part 3
Grocery shopping and chronic illness
Wardrobe considerations for the chronically ill - part 1
Wardrobe considerations for the chronically ill - part 2
15 suggestions for Leaving the house while chronically ill
14 suggestions for cleaning the house while chronically ill
Personal hygiene and chronic illness
Dealing with people while chronically ill
12 Ways to simplify your grooming and dressing routines
10 Ways to COPE with Cognitive Dysfunction (Brain Fog, Fibro Fog)  
10 Ways to COMBAT Cognitive Dysfunction (Brain Fog, Fibro Fog) 

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