There comes a time in everyones life when being strong isn't an option. When you reach your breaking point and you feel like you just can't deal with anything else. You may feel pretty fragile at that moment in time. Fragile doesn't equal weakness. Some of the most fragile things in world are stronger than steel.
I do not consider myself a fragile person, I'm a fighter and very strong-willed. I hold my feelings in and I rarely shed tears. Having dealt with a lot in the first 17 years of my life, I excel at being strong under pressure. I always expect the unexpected. However the day I was officially diagnosed with Lupus I cried like a little girl. Lupus didn't have a physical manifestation for me to hit, kick, or bite. So I cried instead. Those tears helped me get it out of my system.
The next time I shed tears over Lupus was in Oct. 1998, when I couldn't walk. My first trip to the Cardiothoracic Surgeon he didn't have an answer for me, other than I needed to lose weight. These tears were from frustration. I couldn't WALK! How in the heck was I going to lose weight? After a venous doppler was done later that day; a clot was found. Then I shed tears of joy because there was a real answer!
In May 2000, I went to my rheumatology appointment alone, it was supposed to be just a follow-up. My doctor told my I had nephritis. I didn't cry for me this time, I cried for my family. Everything had been going so well and now I had to tell them that we were in for another long hard road.
We all deal with adversity differently. Some of us quietly. Some need support from family and friends. There is not wrong or right way, just the way that works for you.
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