Hi, my name is Annette and I’ve been a Spoonie my whole life. I have several birth “uniquenesses”. I had surgery the day I was born where they removed a rib which caused scoliosis. I had open heart surgery when I was 4.
I was blessed enough to to have been able to deliver a beautiful baby boy when I was 19. I say this because after him I could not have other children. I met my wonderful hubby when I was 25, with him I also was blessed with a beautiful daughter (don’t like to use step-daughter because I raised her since she was 4). I was married for only a year when I had to have a hysterectomy, they found I had endometriosis and 2 uterus, they also diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia and found I had thyroid cancer. Was also diagnosed with migraines and cluster headaches. That was a very hard year.
Been happily married now for 20 years. Two years ago my thyroid cancer came back, had 2 surgeries to deal with that, because first surgery the results came back negative for cancer but the tumor came back. I also suffer with depression, Degenerative disc disease (DDD), Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), and sleep apnea. Was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, restrictive asthma and restrictive lung disease this past year.
With all that said, I’m a survivor. I’ve dealt with pain my whole life. I’ve always pushed through. I’m the person everyone relies on. I’m the caregiver of the family, like most moms. I’m on so many meds now and it’s starting to take its toll on me. It’s getting harder for me to walk, type, or basic things that others take for granted. I’ve had to go part time at my job and waiting on my disability.
I’m blessed with such a supportive family and friends who help me and totally understand when I have to take it easy. I have a beautiful granddaughter that is my heart, she keeps me going. I have other relatives that suffer from Fibro and arthritis including my mom and son. It’s so much harder for me to see them in pain. My faith is strong and is what really gets me through it all. At my lowest I just turn on my worship music and focus on God. I also love to color now, it’s very relaxing. I’m learning to focus on me and my health now because I want to be around for my family. I hope by sharing this others will know they are not alone.
