What's the most challenging event you ever experienced and...

[AV_]

This was a big trial @Bonfire ! ,((( I hope you will write a line or two about how things are. I can only immagine that the serious sacrifice must work out.

 

[alpha238]

Wishing you well and sending you healing dust Bonfire.

 

[Gussie]

@Bonfire, I am so sorry to hear of this. Prayers for healing and strength. Hugs too.

 

[Calliecake]

I’m so sorry Bonfire. Sending buckets of healing dust to you. Please reach out if you need support or if there is anything we can do to help. Hugs

 

[violet3]

I just went through a double mastectomy 3 days ago for breast cancer.
Definitely a physical and emotional challenge, but that is what life can throw at you. I will persevere.

Sending many prayers and love your way!!!

 

[Begonia]

Bonfire...big hug. Very gently in the front tho.
You got this girl. You got this.

 

[Bonfire]

@missy, @junebug17, @Mamabean, @AV_ , @alpha238, @ceg, @Calliecake, @violet3, @Begonia,

Thank you all so much for your very kind and supportive encouragement. It means a lot!

 

[MamaBee]

@missy, @junebug17, @Mamabean, @AV_ , @alpha238, @ceg, @Calliecake, @violet3, @Begonia,

Thank you all so much for your very kind and supportive encouragement. It means a lot!

 

[House Cat]

@Bonfire Sending you love and healing. I’m so sorry you are facing this big trial. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[Austina]

I’m so sorry @Bonfire, what an ordeal. Sending lots of positive healing vibes that you’ll make a complete & speedy recovery.

 

[LLJsmom]

I just went through a double mastectomy 3 days ago for breast cancer.
Definitely a physical and emotional challenge, but that is what life can throw at you. I will persevere.

My heart is with you @Bonfire blessings and healing to you.

 

[LLJsmom]

For me, it's a tie. The death of my mother was pretty rough, and not being able to have children. I think the two are equally hard to endure - not having a mother and not being a mother either, leaves me feeling sort of lost in this world.

My mother suffered great depression and anxiety after we all left for college, and she became an alcoholic late in life (compared to most others I know). She basically killed herself over a very painful decade, for both of us, during which time I was her caretaker on a regular basis. It was truly awful to watch, and I still have terrible anger over the whole thing.

The childless thing is usually bearable, but my youngest brother just had a baby, so now I'm the only one of us 4 siblings without children, and it opened up the wound pretty deeply, so I cry a lot these days. Any other people on here have this trouble? If so, I'd love to hear how you deal with it. I wish I could handle it a little more gracefully than I have been able to so far.

The best thing that happened to me was marrying my sweet husband, for whom I am grateful every day.

I’m so sorry @violet3 it must be so hard. Hugs to you.

 

[LLJsmom]

This isn't the most challenging event I've ever been through - but it's certainly the most recent and is sitting highest in my experience at the moment.

When I was 14, I pulled a drowning girl out of a swimming pool. As I lifted her out of the water, being unaware of general good practice for my back, I herniated 10 discs - 8 in my back and 2 in my neck. As a result, my spine is slightly cork-screwed (no, I don't look like a twisted tree trunk! The effects are inside my body - not outside!). As a result, this situation has damaged my vagus nerve and one of the problems I've had for the last 8 years is vagal nerve a-fib. My a-fib is posturally induced, and it throws my heart into chaotic rhythm (most common potential risk - stroke. Second most common potential risk - heart attack). As a result, I was put on a drug called amiodorone - a brutal, very, very strong drug with more side effects than I care to mention. But it kept my heart in sinus rhythm, so that was....ok....

But then, 6 weeks ago, I had to have my annual thyroid test. My thyroid readings to date have been pretty reasonable, but suddenly they went haywire. Amiodorone will destroy your thyroid, and can send you into a cycle of hypothyroidism AND hyperthyroidism - which was my experience. So.....

My doctors recommended I have a cardiac ablation. Pronto. This involves burning away tiny spots in your heart that receive the messages from your pulmonary nerves to beat incorrectly. They burn away those reception sites, and your heart (ideally) loses its ability to go into a-fib.

So I had this on Wednesday (I was lucky - at worst, it can take up to 7 or 8 hours, but mine was done in 4) and - while I wouldn't change this for the world, as the opportunity to be both a-fib AND amiodorone free is precious beyond belief - can I just say - just this once......

IT HUUUUUUURTSSSSS!

My heart is very swollen and I have huge lungs - partly genetically and partly from having my voice trained (opera) for a number of years. I only take about 6 breaths per minute, and they're big and deep. At the moment, tho, I can't do that, so I'm doing that 'sick puppy' breathing thing - fast and shallow - where every one bounces my lungs off my heart and hurts like Hades! I've had multiple surgeries in my life and cannot remember anything that hurt as much as this. I also have small veins, and they struggled to find an insertion point for my IV. When I woke up after the surgery, I had 3 different IVs hanging out my arms (none of them connected to anything - so why didn't they remove 2 of them, for Pete's sake??) - and three more points where they'd tried and couldn't get an access point at all. So all in all - ow! ow! ow! ow! OOOWWWW!!

On the other hand.....

I have already gone off amiodorone - last dose pre surgery - so I have a chance of getting out of both hyper and hypothyroidism! ENERGY BACK! HAIR!! WEIGHT STABILIZING!!! And a heart that beats regularly and reliably. And in getting rid of the a-fib, my increased risk of stroke and heart attack may well disappear. So after this hideous experience, what I might be left with is hope.

And I haven't had that for a long time.

I’m so sorry @mrs-b I hope having your friend has brightened your days and that you are on the road to recovery. Sending you healing vibes.

 

[LLJsmom]

@FlashyFlamingo im so sorry for everything you’ve gone through. You are one strong lady to keep doing good things for yourself and moving ahead. My heart is with you.

 

[LLJsmom]

Sorry late to this thread. @missy and all wonderful PSers that have shared. I applaud your courage and resilience and honesty. It’s hard for me to share because there are some places I cannot go, with anyone. One thing that was a big personal blip was my first pregnancy and first year of motherhood. I was depressed for a long while. But now my children are my reason for living, for good or for bad. I guess we’ll just see where that takes me.

 

[MissGotRocks]

@Bonfire - just now reading this. Had no idea! Lots of good wishes and healing dust coming your way - I admire your spirit and tenacity!!

 

[Bonfire]

@Bonfire - just now reading this. Had no idea! Lots of good wishes and healing dust coming your way - I admire your spirit and tenacity!!

Thank you MGR! I’m a tough cookie We are all much stronger than we may realize. Anyone who has a smooth path in life isn’t learning the lessons along the way!

 

[Calliecake]

Thank you MGR! I’m a tough cookie We are all much stronger than we may realize. Anyone who has a smooth path in life isn’t learning the lessons along the way!

So true Bonfire! I hope you are feeling well.