Life Over the Edge

This is a continuation of the post “Back in the Swing.1,”  from March 3, 2009, on how to recover your strength when recovering from an illness and/or a flare-up.

You’re feeling better after an illness or flare-up, now you’re ready to get back in the swing of things–you’re ready to get your life, work and home back to normal!  That’s how we typically feel after being sick!  But we have to be careful and work gradually into resuming our normal lives and activities.  It’s important to adapt and pace ourselves according to how our body is feeling–and how far along we are in the recovery process!

Here are some guidelines to follow in order to help you recoup and recover strength and get back in the swing once more: 

1.  Continue to take all medications that have been prescribed for your illness and your chronic illness and conditions.  Often, we become frustrated by the amount of medication we have to take to control and manage the chronic illness, and are very unhappy at the thought of having to take more medications!  The temptation, when we’re on the road to recovery, is to stop taking medications that were prescribed for that specific round of illness.  Doing so, however, might lead to a relapse and/or a worsening of the illness or flare-up–and making our chronic illness more unmanageable.  Be sure to continue all medications for the time they have been prescribed, and continue taking all the medications you normally have to take for your chronic illness–unless your doctor has stated otherwise.

2.  As you start back in to your daily routine, be sure to listen to your body and rest when you need it.  If you need a nap, don’t hesitate to take one.  Your body is signaling that rest is needed to help you recoup your strength.  Ignoring this signal could cause you to slide back into illness once again.  So, listen to your body, and rest when you need it.

3.  Eat a healthy diet filled with vitamins and minerals to aid your body in regaining strength.  Also be sure to stay hydrated.  Take a multivitamin, too, if your doctor thinks this might be helpful.  Sometimes our appetites take a longer time to recover, and taking a multivitamin would help provide the necessary nutrients we need during the recovery period.

4.  Take an inventory of things that need to be done–laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.  Then go through that list and prioritize the tasks according to what needs to be done now and what can wait till later.  This will help you to focus your attention on the necessary tasks, saving your energy and helping you to continue your recovery process without overdoing.

5.  Be sure to ask for help from your family and friends.  We all need help from time-to-time, but especially after having an illness or flare-up.  Sometimes we need to ask our husbands and kids to pitch in for a few days while we gain back our strength.  Do the tasks you feel up to doing, and don’t hesitate to seek help from family and friends.  There’s no shame in seeking a helping hand…when we’re feeling better, we can return the favor!

I hope these guidelines will help you to get back into the swing of things after you’ve suffered an illness or flare-up.  The guidelines give some direction to follow to keep us moving forward during the recovery phase, without having a relapse, while relieving the stress of facing our list of to-do’s.  As long as we listen to our bodies and use our common sense, we can get back to normal much faster and get back into the swing of things once again!  

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