Pay it forward

It feels great to be on the other side of my recovery from Cushing’s syndrome. I think I can safely say the worst is behind me (I say that with two fingers crossed behind my back). I’m not completely out of the woods just yet and I’m sure there’ll be more ups and downs in the coming months. Now that I can see the light at the end of my tunnel, I’ve been thinking about how I will continue to share my story in a more meaningful way.

This got me thinking back to the reason why I started this blog - I wanted to share my story, my journey with Cushing’s publicly so that others may find comfort in knowing they’re not alone. When I was first diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, I had a hard time, really hard time finding information from the patients perspective. I found article after article filled medical jargon that I couldn’t begin to understand. Most of all, I wanted to know what to expect in my recovery. My doctor didn’t give me much insight to what my life was going to be like after surgery. In fact, I thought I’d be able to return to work 2 weeks from the date of my surgery. Boy was I wrong - it took me 10 weeks. And when I did return, I worked from home part-time for the first couple of weeks. The list goes on and on about what I wasn’t prepared for in recovery.

I’ve been sharing my story on this blog for over a year now and I can’t begin to tell you how much it’s helped me get through my darkest moments. It’s been therapeutic to share my experiences with others who understand what I’m going through.

What has been most surprising and rewarding is the number of friends I’ve made because we’ve shared a unique experience that few understand. And it’s these connections that give me strength to continue day after day in my recovery.

I’ve received numerous messages from women who feel alone, who are struggling to figure out what’s wrong with their body, who deserve to have a doctor who listens and will order the right tests. Their messages are so personal and our stories are much the same. Because they found my blog, along with other Cushie blogs, they don’t feel alone anymore. They look at the pictures I’ve shared of myself and say, that looks like me, I have those symptoms too! And they take that information and bring it to their doctor. I can’t tell you how good that feels to know that sharing my story may have helped someone in their own struggle.

Looking forward, I want to take what I’ve learned in my experience with Cushing’s and use it to help others. The biggest problem I had was not having the information I needed from the beginning. I didn’t have the resources or support network. Most of all, I didn’t know how to be my own health advocate. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it’s true, knowledge is power.

In the coming months, I’m going to explore, research and show others how to become your own health advocate and learn how to take charge of your health care.

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