Originally posted March 14, 2012…I had my remicade infusion yesterday for my Rheumatoid Arthritis. The treatment wears me out but normally after some good rest, I am back in full swing the next day. However, today was very difficult for me, I could hardly walk at work, I wrote slowly, I even drove slowly! All my joints were stiff and painful, they would just not move. It gave me flashbacks to my low point before my diagnosis when I cried from the pain walking down the halls at work and an elderly coworker asked me if I was ok as she passed me.
I am usually attuned to what causes my RA to flare, but today I couldn’t pinpoint the reason. I came home from work and lied in bed for almost an hour until it was time to pick up the kids. I was feeling quite depressed and having a grand ‘ole pity party for one.
That is, until I drove up, parked in my handicapped spot outside Superstar’s classroom and saw this….
It may be a dark picture but you can see his bright white smile as he sees my car which is reflected in the window. Superstar’s genuine excitement to see me after a long, hard, painful day erased my sadness instantly.
As if that wasn’t heartwarming enough, we walked to Daredevil’s classroom. Since he was 1, I have diligently been trying to teach him animal sounds. As the kids’ bathroom is a jungle theme, after their bath we (well, really just I) make monkey noises and Daredevil laughs at me, not making a sound himself. Low and behold, Daredevil walks up to me in his class today, stuffed monkey in hand, and does the best monkey impression! It was music to my ears. Really, I do just cherish these small precious moments that make me happy and proud to be a mom, RA and all. We call these kids our mood boosters, when they are happy, it is simply contagious.
I was inspired today by a post at Click it up a Notch today that talked about lighting and capturing the catchlights in the subjects eyes. I love taking pictures of my kids and since I wanted to capture the memory of Daredevil’s first monkey sounds, I wanted to take a picture for this post. Of course, the child who normally says “cheese” when a camera is pointed in his direction, suddenly got feisty and didn’t want me to take his picture. He also would not do the adorable “ooo ooo” face that accompanied the monkey sounds. With the car door open and phone ready, him looking into the light behind me, I captured the naughty little devil with catchlights in his eyes. I love that! I did it!
Small victories all over the place for me this evening, just from focusing on the joy and light in my little guys’ eyes! Let’s hope tomorrow is a brighter day!
I feel for you and I am so happy that you are sharing your experiances!
I am from SITS…follow back XOX
brooke recently posted..Every Day is Earth Day!
Thanks very much Brooke, it is rather cathartic to get these thoughts and little celebrations down in the blogosphere. Thanks for liking my Facebook page and I am a new follower on your site too. I love the up cycled frame for the kids art you did. Tanya.
Hi. Thanks for visiting my SITS forum.
I feel for you. It’s not easy raising kids while dealing with a chronic illness. I’ve been in remission from Crohn’s Disease for many years, but it was tough and depressing. My sister also has Crohn’s and gets Remicade every 6 weeks.
I’m glad you’re finding silver linings and small victories. That’s how we get through life!
Cynthia M recently posted..Alison’s Baby Bash
Hi Cynthia, thanks for commenting and I am so glad to hear your Chrons is in remission. I didn’t know it could go into remission but I have a friend who battles it and I hear how difficult it can be. I also didn’t know Remicade is be used to treat Chrons also. I hope it’s a miracle drug for your sister the way it is for me. Thanks for visiting and I’m sure I will be seeing you around the SITS forum, I have lots to learn! Tanya.
I think you’re bang on in celebrating small victories. The big ones are rare and hard to come by, but learning to recognize the little ones (which happen frequently, if we just take the time to look for them!) can really lighten our load.
I work as a personal trainer and am constantly pointing out the small victories that my client’s are making. Lots to celebrate!
Tamara recently posted..Fitness and nutrition challenges: you tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine
Thanks Tamara. I am glad to hear you do that with your clients too. Have a great weekend!