Knowing you have progressed

Today the nurse from the hospital called me.  He is a wonderful guy – he calls me every so often to see how I am doing.  He has been an invaluable source of support for me, not only because he understands this disorder, but because he has seen so many people recover from it.  It has also been great to have someone to ask questions of for those times when I have become really anxious about how I have been feeling.

Anyway I was telling him about this website and what I have been writing about.  It has become so clear to me in the course of producing this website just how far I have come with this.  It can be so hard at times to remain objective about your recovery when you are dealing with so many troubling symptoms for a long period of time.  Doing this website has allowed me to take stock, in a way, and I now realize just how much better I am feeling.  If you aren’t doing this, I highly recommend you keep a journal or some sort, whether written or in a blog, as looking back can be a really useful way of seeing how you have progressed.  I have also seen how important it is to have someone objective who can reflect your progress back at you.  Family, are not so good at this, partly because they see you so often.  It actually helps, I think have contact with someone that you only see every so often.  Improvements seem easier for them to notice then, and you can get a more objective view of your recovery through their feedback!