Hi ~Christina and All,

~Christina, I have a similar experience to yours, with many of the same dx.

I, too, find the physically painful illnesses both more limiting and , thus, cause me more grief.

I, too, mourn the changes in various abilities.

I was often "Female Athlete of the Year," and had served in various appointments and positions my entire life.

For example, one of my appointments was that of a Human Rights Officer within a large inpatient psychiatric hospital. Another was an as a member of a Judical Review Board, where we gave those with various types law violations opportunities to perform community service in place of serving time or paying extremely high fines.

I have thoroughly enjoyed serving my community. Community service has been incredibly important to me. I am deeply saddened to not be able to serve in those types of appointments as my conditions have progressed..

I have worked very hard to change regulations and laws to benefit both people and animals, with great success. Some of these were achieved long after the onset of a disabilities. I mention this in hopes of encouraging everyone to identify, and to employ, the abilities/talents they do have.

I also find the physical disabilities exacerbate the psych disabilities and the reverse is true, as well.

I have been totally medically disabled for over 30 years now. I have been able to make an impact, at times, as mentioned above, despite limitations.
As time has gone on, conditions have progressed. I have found the grieving process is ongoing.

As many know, this is an especially difficult year for me. I do not understand how someone who accepted 27 years of an incredible amount of support, deep devotion and unconditional love would jump ship when needed the most. This life event reminds me of my many personal challenges. Some may not be absolute truth. Most are very real/concrete. ( I have to find help for around the house , help with errands, help getting to appts. etc. When on strong pain medications, I will not drive, for example.)

I have also been dealing with renewal/approval of disability claim(s) Yes, after 30+ years of prior disability certifaction/approval, I am again in this position for some, yet unexplained, reason. This process details every aspect of disability. This process often causes an increased awareness of limitations and is likely to cause the associated grief to surface..

The fall-out and related grief has continued throughout the entire 30+ years in my experience. At the same time, there have been some very rewarding experiences, for sure.

It's criticallyimportant to view ourselves as whole Beings with lots to offer. We often have so much to offer due to our experiences and the related insights we have gained. I have found that finding my way through this myriad of challenges has brought about a tremendous amount of growth on all levels. Most notably, these challenges have assisted me in my Spiritual growth.

I have found it's helpful to live in the Present Moment, moving forward by (mindfully, hopefully) putting one foot in front of the other.

It has been very challenging, no doubt.

Love, Comfort and Healing for All!