It has been a little over 3 months since I underwent 2 additional surgeries for abscesses in my pelvic area due to complications from my surgery in September 2017. Recovering from these surgeries was challenging and probably one of my more painful surgeries.
3 months out and I had hoped I would be able to report that my wound was healed and I was on my merry way, but unfortunately that is not the case. My wound is still open, painful, and requires packing multiples times a day. It should be closed at this point, so the slow healing is concerning. Normally, I would not be concerned and chalk this up as simply a slow-healing wound, but this is exactly what the original wound did for almost a year before causing abscesses. Naturally, I am extra-cautious this time around, but also hopeful that with time my wound will close.
Despite my wound woes, I have continued to work hard to grow stronger, healthier, and pursue my goals further. I have began running again (slowly) and with each week, I can feel my body growing stronger. Honestly, it is a bit of a surreal feeling for me. I came from barely being able to lift my own foot from the floor and not having the lung capacity to climb a couples of stairs, so to feel genuine strength in my legs and lungs that feel full and strong is indescribable. Two years ago, I never thought I would run again, but I have fought tirelessly to get to this point. Last weekend, I was even able to enjoy a short hike at Cooper's Rock State Park to take in the beautiful fall views. It is the small victories such as these that motivate me to keep going.
On the career front, I recently took one step closer towards a long-term goal that I have set for myself. I am so excited to announce that I am currently enrolled in a program to become a nationally certified Wellness Coach. My first course is 6 weeks, followed by an additional 12 weeks and a national exam. Since my diagnosis, I knew I wanted to help patients and give back in some way. As a certified Wellness Coach, I will have the ability to open my own practice in which I would love to focus on patients with chronic illnesses. I have seen first hand just how life-changing, challenging, and lonely having a chronic illness can be and if I can help others going through the same thing, I will truly feel fulfilled. This is such an incredible opportunity and I am so thankful.
The other day, in the midst of juggling two jobs and my Wellness Coach certification course, I realized something that caught me a bit off guard. I realized that everything I am currently doing is exactly what I used to wish for before I got sick. I have two jobs that I love, I have built a platform that allows me to communicate with hundreds of patients all over the world, I have begun my journey to a profession that will allow me to help even more individuals, and I am happy- genuinely happy. I always struggled with finding my passion and direction before I got sick and when I first was diagnosed, I felt like I had lost my way even further. But slowly, as I journeyed through my illness, I met incredible individuals that each carried a special message with them and one by one, their messages led me to exactly where I was always meant to be. Somewhere in the chaos and devastation, I found my direction. It was not the direction I would have ever envisioned, but it was the one I had been searching for my entire life. I remember thinking so many times, "how is anything beautiful going to come from such devastation?" But it did. My life may not be how I ever expected it to be, but somehow, I feel more myself than ever before. Whether we realize it or not, the universe has a plan for each of us that we may not understand at first, but that reveals itself when the time is right.
The next several months are already lining up to be quite busy, but as we come into the holiday season, I cannot help but feel immense gratitude for everything I have in my life currently. I encourage you to find moments among busyness of the season and remind yourself of all of the wonderful things in your life- including your health. Our health is something that we often forget to acknowledge until it is gone.
I will be visiting with my GI in the next couple of weeks to discuss my wound and my struggle with dehydration as well. I have been heavily relying on DripDrop ORS to keep me from becoming severely dehydrated this month. Being more active and working more hours, I have been unable to drink as much as I should to keep up with my ostomy, so when I do drink, I drink DripDrop ORS because it has the electrolytes that I need to hang on. I am remaining optimistic that my wound simply needs more time to close and may benefit from a visit to the wound clinic for options greater than packing with plain guaze. I will keep you updated on how everything progresses, but in the meantime, I will continue working towards what I am so passionate about.
Until next time. -Kristen
