Today our challenge is to pick someone else's post and write a comment to them. I decided to choose a blog called Feelin' Swell: My Life with RA. The current post is titled Blog Guilt. I found this blog post to be very interesting and something I have been struggling with myself. "Squirrel" is a woman from Scotland who wrote that she had blog guilt because she had not written in her blog in a long time. She has probably written three times in six months. Not because she was feeling poorly but because she was feeling GREAT! How wonderful! Feeling great is the point.
Comment:
I understand what you are writing about. There are days when I sit down and feel like I have nothing to write. Nothing has happened that day or I can't think of anything interesting to say. There are also days when I feel great and I don't want to go on and on about how great I feel. It is sort of like survivors guilt. When others are feeling so poorly, I don't want to go on about how wonderful I feel. Just like you wrote in your blog post.
On the flip side, when I feel crappy, I don't want to go on and on about how awful I feel because that is not who I am. I don't like to complain, even though I know my audience (especially) knows it is not complaining. I just don't like to dwell on the negative. I say "I don't feel well" and move on and figure out a way to feel better. But there are days I just can't feel better but I do my best.
You wrote that when you were diagnosed you were unable to find upbeat stories of people with RA and you vowed that you would continue to write in your blog even if you were feeling better. When you started feeling better you weren't sure anyone wanted to hear about how great you were feeling. I think you should continue to write about how great you are feeling. Other people with RA need to hear those good stories. Not everyone is in constant pain and has operations all the time and takes a mound of pills and shots. Some folks go into remission or take one medication and feel better. That is great! You are lucky! I think it is important to find positive stories of the lives of RA patients. I know I have highs and lows with this disease. I think the 30 blogs in 30 days has taught me a very good lesson. It taught me how many things I can write about that are positive and upbeat and still interesting. It is so important to hear all sides of RA and Crohn's. Squirrel keep posting when you can. I am interested in hearing where life takes you.
This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J
I so agree that people with RA need to hear the success stories. Ironically one will find that people tend to focus on living life in general when they are feeling good with RA. And they tend to not spend time on Twitter, FB and even blogging because they are living life instead. So, those that are seeking experiences about RA tend to find those that have not found success with the current medications, etc. These folks still need the support and friendship that social media provides and thus why we read about those that are still struggling with chronic illness. But it is soooo important that newly diagnosed patients and even long standing patients know that there can and is success stories out there. Blog, twitter, FB on about the positives because these stories need to reach those living with chronic illness. This is what inspires hope in my humble opinion.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and one I can relate to. I think it is human instinct to want to express how we feel when we feeling pretty down right awful. We do it for two reasons because we want sympathy and also because we need to get these feelings out. I, too, have been guilty of not blogging when I am feeling well and blogging only when I feel like crap. I agree with Deb, when you feel well you are out living your life. Also, and since I have not found this yet so I maybe wrong, but maybe when we feel better, we feel guilty discussing it. Those of us with RA can commiserate with others struggling with similiar struggles so we feel their pain even when we are not in pain. Again, great post and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete