Thoughts on Recommitting, Bracing, and Pampering with a Chronic Illness Link-up

Participating in the 2026 July Writing Prompts is a fun way to reconnect with other chronic illness bloggers. A Chronic Voice started this group and after a pause, has brought us back together to share our thoughts on 5 writing prompts that can relate to our lives. Living with chronic illness can be lonely, but these get-togethers online are very encouraging.

I’ll share some thoughts on some of these prompts. The first one I’ll comment on has been on my mind urgently in the past few months. Because of this, I am noticing all the problems associated with my lack of urgency.

Recommitting

I’m definitely recommitting myself to a diet program. Although I’ve lost and regained the same ten pounds over the last few years, I never have been determined enough to fight. It’s going to take a daily commitment and fight for me to stick to a diet. I wake up in so much pain that I just have given up. Eating a healthy diet that allows for weight loss takes planning and preparation. It also takes the energy and ability to cook the food. I just haven’t been successful.

Hubby is just not able to help me prepare healthy food on a regular basis. When we’re both suffering with exhaustion and pain, eating right isn’t always possible. Because of my diet limitations, I can’t just grab some of the foods that are helpful to others. My plan is to do more research to create a menu plan that has the least amount of preparation.

Bracing

This month I’m bracing for more pain. I have at least one more dental appointment to fill or cap teeth. I dread the numerous shots it takes to get my mouth numb. I’ll need at least two rounds of numbing shots. I also have very bad TMJ when I have to hold my mouth open. My mouth is very small, so that makes it even harder to open wide. I’m also bracing for the bill. My dental insurance is already maxed out for the year. Sjogren’s disease is a very costly disease when it comes to the teeth. I wish that insurance covered Sjogren’s dental care, as it does for eye care.

Bracing for all my medical bills is overwhelming. I already have two separate hospital bills paid on a monthly basis. Our credit card bills are horribly high and will take a long time to pay off. The problem is that the medical bills keep on coming. Everything is also much more expensive with our day-to-day bills! It’s really overwhelming and something that causes great worry. We’re asking for God to provide a way to pay all of these bills.

Pampering

This month has been a month of “pampering” loved ones. We’ve had the privilege of blessing others this month. Our first overnight guests have been my youngest son’s girlfriend, who stayed with us for a week and my daughter and her two youngsters. Talk about fun!

Preparing for the pampering included a lot of last-minute home repairs and decorating. We had a long list of desired repairs. Most of these were done, thanks to Hubby. He didn’t want me to try to bend down or get on my knees. When he did it, he ended up with lots of pain in his knees and walking became hard for him. I also did chores that caused me a ton of extra pain and swelling in my bad wrists.

When our visitors arrived, we felt like we had created a clean and very homey environment. Homey is my favorite description for my cottage-style home. Turning my home into a warm, colorful grandma- home has been a fulfillment of my long-time desire. I’ve used creams, red, green, and blue colors to create a very cheerful place to live.

Our tiny guest room has a queen-full bunk bed, a small desk and nightstand. I’ve used pretty quilts with mix-and-match duvet covers, shams, and throws to welcome guests. Each grandchild found a new soft stuffy to sleep with. These were a big hit. I completed the decor with curtains, family photos and antique prints.

I had fresh, newish towels and extra toiletries. The kitchen was full of good food, healthy snacks, and of-course grandma goodies. With our son’s girlfriend, most of their activities didn’t include us. This allowed us to rest more. When our family arrived, we went with them to a great kid’s museum. I was in my wheelchair and followed them around, taking multiple pictures. Hubby found places to sit and watch.

They also wanted to ride a shuttle up to the top of our local mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The shuttle wasn’t working, but they were able to climb to the top. This was a 3 hour hike, and they had a marvelous time. Hubby and I found great chairs to wait in. There was a lovely cool breeze and we relaxed and enjoyed breathing the fresh, mountain air.

We also accompanied them to a wonderful local bookstore and bought them a book and toy. This bookstore has tons of educational toys where I used to take our children when they were growing up. I had my wheelchair for this excursion, too. The rest of the visit was filled with fun times at our home. We had a waterslide and other toys to play with in our backyard. The kids loved seeing all the deer that were visiting our yard.

The trip pampered us because of all the hugs, smiles, and cuddles. Mimi and Grandaddy will never forget the amazing memories we made in July and hope and trust that our guests will feel the same.

This next week, despite the dentist, I hope to rest and recover from all the work and movement. My wrists have been terribly swollen and painful. During the visit, I gave in and took Ibuprofen. I’m not supposed to take it, because of CKD. Since I have no alternative that works, I had to have relief for this brief period of time.

Today, I’m back to severe pain. My wrists have been too swollen to wear my braces, but I hope that with icing and rest, they’ll improve.

I hope and pray that you and I will all have a time of relaxation and pain relief this coming week. Try to pamper yourself a little this week and slow down to breathe. I will try to do this, too. Hubby will be very happy to rest with me.

I’m so thankful for the month I’ve had, so far. Even though my life has been very painful, the joy has been immense! The blessings have been priceless!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4:16-18

@2026, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical expert. This post contains my experiences and opinions and is not meant to be taken as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please consult your personal physician.