This is present me here. The current posts and the ones scheduled are surrounding my visit to Mayo Clinic in Arizona, just in case people were curious about the process. However, those are events from 2020! I just wanted to catch you up a bit on recent events. Such as, I turned 44 earlier this month.
I remember my post on turning 40 and how monumental that was for me to hit that milestone. Well, I am a pro at being in my 40s now and I am here to tell you that I feel more settled in life. I was talking with one of my dear friends, who just turned 40, and we discussed what this new decade meant to us. We shared about having more confidence to make decisions and how we cared less about other people's expectations and what society says is normal for a 40-year-old woman. We were more focused on what was needed for us and our families. In fact, another friend of mine celebrated her 45th soon after my birthday. She said that she had expectations of things that she felt that she would have accomplished by now but didn't feel bad about not achieving them yet. This is very important because it stopped me from believing the narrative that (fill in the blank) is too late or that I am running out of time. Cue the frantic white rabbit in the waist coat.
I decided to just say, why not me? Why not now? Since I entered my 40s I didn't stop there but I went into another gear and started making changes and now, I am seeing fruits of my labor. I was able to get my finances in order and now I am in the process of buying my first home. Yea me 🥳. I am also able to focus on my day to day and I credit that to the treatment I have received from my Mayo visit. The changes that were implemented have helped me plan around my illness. Obviously, it worked! A bit of a spoiler alert. I feel like I have more of my life back due to a combination of prayer, a targeted medical approach and a focused mindset. All of these allowing me to be more present in my life. I think it is important to share because I often find young people in their teens and 20s discussing their Dysautonomia journeys. Not many my age. I just wanted to share what it is like to be in my mid 40s and living with this. More into the actual diagnosis coming in future posts.
One final thought I would like to share before going back to the regularly scheduled content is, I am so thankful to have a support system. People who are there at a moments notice. I read about people who don't have much help with their chronic issues because sometimes ones are only willing to help for a short while. The illness doesn't even have to be Dysautonomia related, it could be any chronic condition. This birthday reminds me that I am loved and it is not just from afar but right here close by as well. I don't think they truly understand what I go through, but I am thankful to have them to endure with me on my not so reasonable days.
More current events to come. Now back to the Mayco Clinic content.