I asked myself today what would be the best advice I could offer someone with chronic illness or disabilities? Instantly my mind fumbled over a millions things while I blindly tried to pick through and sift some wisdom from it all.

So many thoughts and feelings came to mind.

Is it diet? Is it exercise? Is it attitude? Is it hobbies? … the list can be endless and ranges from good medical professionals to self care (and everything in between). But is there one or two special bits of advice that could be most useful? I kept turning it over in my mind.

After 12 years and countless roads I have been down it becomes clearer to me now that there are no definitive answers. Perhaps that’s the hardest answer of all!

We are all so different and if there were one answer or cure it would have been discovered by now, and by someone else I am sure.

When we are thrown into these difficult health situations and challenges we have to do whatever we have to and whatever we feel we need to try in order to find the best tools we can.

If you were looking for a lost item you would look everywhere, right? And that’s what it has been like for me. I have looked everywhere and I am glad I have, even though it has been exhausting, frustrating and at times downright heartbreaking. At least I can say I tried.

I am at the point where I can honestly say to anyone out there .. yep! I tried that! And I have.

Each of us must travel our own path to find the things that work to help us and also discover the things that do not help. It is our duty to ourselves.

Sometimes we meet a kindred spirit who finds similar comfort and assistance in the same things, but we have to be prepared to accept that this may not happen and we may have to continue the search alone, in our own way and in our own time.

Just as Edison tried 100s of times to invent the electric light bulb we must also be prepared to try and fail as many times as it takes to satisfy ourselves that we are doing all we can to have a life.

At this stage of my battle I am encouraging myself to not focus on the the things that didn’t work, the people who didn’t care and the answers I haven’t found. I am reminding myself that I have continued to look and search no matter how hard it has been.

That’s probably the only advice I feel able to give and feel the proudest to give.

Gentle hugs,

Trish