My neurologist initially scheduled me to have a blood test at three-month intervals. In the first four years of my ALS, that computed to a total of sixteen visits that I've made to our local lab collection site - - BUT lately, they have become rather pleasant experiences. How so?
Because now, they are on my terms. Let me
explain.
The same old routine
Originally, I followed the traditional routine of getting
up super early in the morning, followed by a shower, getting dressed, and then having to strap on my ankle braces. Skipping my usual coffee and breakfast, I would then
trundle across town only to push my walker into an already full waiting room; lined
with equally tired, caffeine-deprived, cranky individuals. Occasionally a lab
tech appeared, and over the low growl of our stomachs, called (or rather, woke
up!) the next patient. For me, the rest of the day was shot and I never seemed
to get my rhythm going.
One day, a light bulb went off in my head. “Wait a
minute!” I thought, “The whole point of this is to show up fasting. Who says it
has to be in the morning?” So, I checked out the lab’s hours and discovered they indeed
were open all afternoon!
My new routine
My NEW routine
still requires me to get up super early, but now I can indulge myself with hot coffee
and breakfast. Then, I spend the rest of the day in low-key activities, sip
water and skip lunch. By late afternoon I've met the official requirements of a
“fast” and can report into the lab where the waiting room is almost always
empty and - - I’m checked right in. My neurologist even confirmed that in my case,
the shift in time didn't affect the results at all.
It’s simply a matter of seeing a problem in a new light.
According to Martin Seligman, Ph.D., author of the
best-selling book, Learned Optimism, I’m
exhibiting resilience; that is, a belief that setbacks or problems are
temporary and that I have the capacity to exert some control over the
situation. He identifies the opposite attitude as being the pessimist; a person
who relinquishes control to other people or to fate. The core of pessimistic thinking
is a feeling of helplessness.
Dr. Segliman has studied optimists and pessimists for
over 25 years and writes that these two attitudes are not necessarily ingrained
within us; they are simply thinking habits
that we've learned throughout our lives. If, as children, we weren't brought up
by or were exposed to optimistic thinkers, Dr. Segliman’s research proves that
these skills can be learned.
He uses the model of ABC (Adversity
–Beliefs-Consequences) to describe how we all process a problem. Meaning, when
faced with adversity we form a set
of beliefs that have consequences. The optimistic thinker challenges their set
beliefs to ultimately change the consequences or outcome. My own example of
going to the lab challenged the belief that all fasting blood tests needed to
be done in the morning.
Even though I do possess a good dose of optimism, I found
it helps to understand Dr. Segliman’s theory on exactly how and why it works
along with how to apply it to more situations - - especially now that I’ve managed to live many years with ALS.
The natural progression of ALS (and fibromyalgia,
MS or any other chronic condition) results in ongoing changes and setbacks that
soon become the “new normal.” But as we know, not all setbacks are due to the disease
itself!
Look how others pALS find the silver lining
Take, for example, Richard McBride, a 59-year-old resident
of Calgary, Canada, who blogs about his daily challenges living with ALS. Last
month he shared this:
“My name is Richard McBride and I have ALS, also known as
Lou Gehrig's disease or Motor Neuron Disease. It has destroyed my legs and I am
now confined to a wheelchair. As life would have it, my condominium board has
decided that now is a good time to replace the elevator in our building. It
will be out of service for up to three months, and I live on the third floor!”
“I have two choices; stay home, essentially a prisoner in
my own home, or get out. I want to be free of this prison, this prison of ALS , and this prison that will soon be my home. I want to do a road trip, an amazing
road trip that could last the whole 8 to 10 weeks of the elevator replacement.”
What happened?
Richard decided to explore the scenic United States. He
created a GoFundMe page on the Internet and through the generous donations of
friends and Facebook acquaintances he raised $3,750 (almost half his goal number) within
18 days. Richard left the page up and took off. He’s currently in
Texas; blogging and posting daily photos of his adventures. Soon he’ll reach
his furthest destination of Key West, Florida, with plans to return to Calgary, just around the time the elevator renovations are to be completed.
Now that’s what I call, “taking Life’s lemons and making
lemonade!”
Optimism is good for you; it’s been shown to improve
physical health, improve how we handle stress, and even increases our ability to
get things done - - it’s fun to use and easy to learn.
So, go ahead. Find out how YOU can make your own
lemonade.
____________________________________
If you want to follow Richard McBride’s blogs:
If you want to learn more about the book, “Learned
Optimism.” LINK HERE:
Or, Dr. Segliman: http://www.positivepsychology.org
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| Dagmar Munn ALS and Wellness Blogger |
Dagmar, your writing inspires me! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMany appreciations, Jennifer!
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