I say "A" Dercum's Story because this one is simply mine. The stories are many and most will probably go untold or possibly even discovered. They are vast & varied yet, like deja-vu, have a sense of familiarity.. hard to describe and even more difficult to understand unless you can walk in the suffering shoes.
My story begins with Meemaw, my maternal grandmother, the most gracious, kind hearted, God loving, southern belle that has ever blessed this earth, undisputed!
She would be proud to tell you herself that today she is 87 + years of age. She has done and seen more in the last 15 years of her life than most will ever get to experience, ever. (Can you tell she makes me proud!?)
I could mearly hope to dream of becoming even half the woman of strength, character, determination and compassion.... I just wish that the part of her genetic make-up, where I most closely resemble her, Didn't Exist!!
I watched through my lifetime her subtle aches and pains that grew sometimes into bed rest others to full-on medical crisis, all the while she would try to hide her discomfort and just kept going til she simply couldn't anymore. Always plagued by arthritis, joint problems, swelling & inflammation, a lifetime of thyroid pills, angina / heart / bp issues...I could go on (and I will) but, now I walk that same mile so I have a different appreciation for how much she really has given and continues to give of herself.
An interesting fact to note at this point is that she has never received a diagnosis (other than from me, and I'm certainly no doctor) of Dercum's Disease (aka: Adiposis Dolorosa, adipose tissue disorder, Fatty Tissue Rheumatism, et al) yet has received diagnosis of nearly every other complication or symptom, associated with this rare condition!!
To be ccontinued...
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