Not It!!!

There are so many fun games. As a kid, one of my favorites was tag. I remember playing it at recesses and racing around the slide or the monkey bars, avoiding the person who was it. Before the game of tag would start, we would stand in a group and someone would count to three and everyone in the group would say "Not it!" loud enough so that we could all hear each other. The last person to say it would be it. Who knows if it was the fairest way to decide, but it helped make the decision of who would be chased and who would do the chasing in the beginning.

I am still a kid at heart, even though I have grown up since those playground days. Dealing with chronic illnesses and pain is kind of like playing a childhood game. We do everything we can to avoid the struggles and pains, the feelings of sickness, and the other things that prevent us from living the "normal life", if there is such a thing. We understand though, that when the hard times hit or when we are "it", we have to do our best to work through it. Sometimes we are "it" for a long time and we get tired. We want to yell "Not it!" and want our time to be done.

With gastroparesis, many people experience flare ups, when the stomach is very sensitive to anything and everything. There is pain. You are tired. There is not much that you can eat without your stomach protesting. These flare ups can lasts for a few hours, a day, a week, or more. During those times, some of those suffering want to get up and say "Not it!".

We all struggle with hard times. No one is excluded from pain or trials. For myself, it started with the gastroparesis, then I struggled with hypokalemia. After that, I was really focused on learning how to deal with and maintain proper nutrition and weight with the gastroparesis. There were other struggles. Then, last year, I lost my voice and it never came back. After lots of therapy, it started coming back. However, when it started coming back strong, pain started. I had a kidney stone that wasn't causing pain at that point. After a month and a half, I found out it was gall bladder disease and potentially appendicitis. During this time, I threw my hands up in the air and said to myself, "I'm done. Not it!". 

We can only do so much to control our circumstances, especially when dealing with chronic illnesses. We do the best we can. The part that seems to be the most difficult is hiding the discouragement when you remain "it" longer than you ever wanted to. As a kid, when this happened, I would stop chasing for a while. I'm sure it made those I was chasing frustrated, but I needed a break. Others may be frustrated that we are not doing what they want or expect us to do, but we need the break. What we do on that break and how long that break lasts is completely up to you. Here are a few ideas of things to do on that break:

Self Reflection (Finding ways to get better or ways to prevent it in the future)

Find a Positive Song (Sing and dance to it. This can be done in public or private.)

Take "Me Time" (Do something that makes you happy and even if others want to be around, politely tell  them you need to be alone for a little while.)

Memorize and Recite a Favorite Quote

Look For Something That Makes You Happy (This could be something completely unrelated to the pain.)

Watch a Funny Movie. (Avoid sad movies or dramatic ones. This is to help you forget your woes.)

Indulge in a Favorite Treat (If you can)

Find a Hobby (You should at least have one you can do while battling through the pain or struggles.)

I'm sure there are more, but this is just a beginning to help you get started. Feel free to share any ideas you have.

Unfortunately, the "Not it!" doesn't work to well anymore. None of us are immune from trials, but we can find ways to make the trials easier.