And when I think about all the little adjustments I have to make, I get a bit depressed. Eg, I can't put hot plates in my lap anymore while I snack/watch TV. I have to be careful about how I bend or about anything touching and ripping the bag. The fart noises the stoma makes will be a challenge when I am in boardroom meetings. I'll always have to have supplies ready and carry an emergency kit with me. In comparison to my old disease, it's really so much better that I can't even compare though I still manage to be daunted.
A fellow patient in the hospital who was going through much worse than me (his bowel cancer excision resulted in a nearly amputated leg) said the only thing he could do to manage the psychological weight of his condition was to "take one day at a time". He managed to stay upbeat and strong despite a myriad of complications. And he was only 23 years old.
I used to think that most problems need to be viewed in the larger context of life as in saying "in the long term this problem is really small". Now I see that chronic health issues require us to not think too much, to not overload the mind but to take one day at a time and block out the rest. Compartmentalization. And to just make each day count.
Too much looking ahead may actually be harmful.
