Guess what?! It's all rather last minute - I'm getting five days away here next week - heavily subsidised! One of the facilitators of the Neuro-Immune Program is a dear friend, and she's been asking me to come along for ages; it's time I put away my qualms and just listened to her.
It is a tad too New Agey for me (been there, did that, got the whole f**king wardrobe during my 14 years in a cult - hence my current Mega Skeptic Atheist stance*), but I figure I can still enjoy my time away (hey, look Ma, NO FAMILY), and gain some valuable information, improve my coping skills, and generally chill out. Bundanoon is a seriously nice place, about 2 hours' drive from Canberra.
There is a lot of CFS and fibromyalgia in our family, including poor Hubby who is basically bedridden now, as well as Dotter's diabetes and other mystery auto-immune disease (Lupus? Sjögren's? Something else?), and I'm pretty bloody sick of it - both as a sufferer and Carer x 3. We're ALL sick of it, of course, but I'm the one who makes the family work; you know what that entails. No other fully functioning adult on the horizon... and it is really wearing thin.
Hell, if nothing else, I'll have five days away - no mobiles, no computer, no e-mail - but YES knitting!
* PS No posts on 'miracle cures' for CFS / FM / T1D / Lupus please. We have really excellent doctors who think "outside the box", and are doing all they can. Thank you :-)
Have you heard any of Petrea's sessions on ABC radio? She comes across as not at all culty! Embrace those few days to yourself.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy you time away. You need some down time. Take an mp3 player if you need to tune out. I have FMS and offer nada.
ReplyDeleteOh, how fantastic for you, Jejune! You thoroughly deserve some time out and I think you'll really enjoy this!
ReplyDeleteI want to hear all about it when you get back home.
Have a great time: Enjoy every moment!! I have nothing to offer: the drugs I take are not even meant to work for what I have. It's all a conundrum!!!
ReplyDeleteoooh lucky duck - have a great time!!!
ReplyDelete(and try not to worry too much!)
xo
Yay Jejune! Days and days when you are responsible for no one but yourself. You are going to feel better regardless of the efficacy of the program.
ReplyDeleteBundanoon sounds fabulous - if nothing else you will get time to focus on just yourself as well as time to relax and de-stress - and maybe you'll come back and see that the family can make themselves work without you (one can always hope!!)
ReplyDeletefunny picture! i cant imagine how you cope with everything you have happening around you - i hope its a great 5 days and gives you the energy you need to keep going.
ReplyDeletethat's great news, I'm sure you'll get something out of it - a good rest (five jejune days in a row!) and anything else is a bonus.
ReplyDeleteYay! a holiday and God lknows you need one. 14 years in a cult?!? V. interssting storis you'd have to tell. As for miracle cures for that family of diseases - Hah! I've friends who've suffered F and CFS for >10years and if there was a cure they would have found it by now. Take care : )
ReplyDeleteOlivia beat me to it but I was thinking "five jejeune days in a row". Enjoy being unplugged!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful enjoy it to the hilt!! (and take LOTS of knitting!_
ReplyDeleteWell it isn't a cure, but some time away to relax and recharge should certainly make you feel better. Hope it works for you. At the least a couple nights of uninterrupted sleep should be nice.
ReplyDeleteMy only miracle cure is chocolate. It doesn't fix anything, but I'm a little happier after I eat some.
And beer. And silk. Oh, and funny movies and books.
Don't worry, no magic cures from me - my mom was (is) a Christian Scientist. Me, I'm an amateur naturalist! ;)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading your post/s about your week away and hoping it was a dream. You deserve a break!
ReplyDelete