Embracing life with chronic pain and illnesses.

Posts tagged ‘financial stress’

Thank You, St. Jude

Jude, also known as Judas Thaddaeus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.

He preached the Gospel with great passion, often in the most difficult circumstances. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he made profound differences in people’s lives as he offered them the Word of God.

The Gospel tells us that St. Jude was a brother of St. James the Less, also one of the Apostles. They are described in Matthew as the “brethren” of Jesus, probably cousins.

St-Jude-9-205x300St. Jude is traditionally depicted carrying the image of Jesus in his hand. This recalls oneof his miracles during his work spreading the Word of God.
King Abagar of Edessa asked Jesus to cure him of leprosy and sent an artist to bring him a drawing of Jesus. Impressed with Abagar’s great faith, Jesus pressed His face on a cloth, leaving the image of His face on it. He gave the cloth to St. Jude, who took the image to Abagar and cured him.

In the Catholic Church, St. Jude is the Patron Saint of Hope and impossible causes. Those who are in despair or distraught over finances or other circumstance in life are encouraged to ask St. Jude to pray for them.

Like so many times in the past, I can be too stubborn for my own good! LOL  I finally came to my senses when we were in nasty financial situation. My husband, who is self-employed, did not have work lined up and the monthly bills looming. (I am still battling for my disability, of course! At least a Hearing date has been set!!)

I asked St. Jude to pray for our financial situation.  As soon as I finished speaking to him, I heard my husband answer his phone.  He was headed out the door for a job.  The work has continued and is continuing for him.  We will be able to pay our bills this month thanks to the prayers said on our behalf by St. Jude!

Just as our friends and family pray for us, the Saints are there to speak to and to ask for their prayers as well! I now thank St. Jude each day before asking for his continued prayers.

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Discouragement

It is inevitable during our battle with chronic pain that we face discouragement. After all, we are battling on so many fronts!

We find ourselves struggling with the guilt that our longterm illness/conditions cause…as we watch our finances depleted and debts grow…knowing that we are helpless to do anything about it!

You may be fighting for social security disability like I am…finding that each time we get close to scheduling a hearing…that the “backlog” has pushed our case out yet another two to four months…

Add another layer.. .that with insurance changes that placed me into forced withdrawal as I awaited my prescription to be approved…

I could go on and on…the important point is to understand that we we will have ups and downs…no matter how positive we try to be.  Remember that our projecting a positive front wears on us as well! Our limited “spoons” are often used before we can get out of our bedroom in the morning!

Allow yourself a time out…a day to sleep…a day to watch your favorite movies…the time will help you to “reset”. Our struggles will still be there but our spirit will have been strengthened.

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Financial Stress

I awoke from a light slumber this morning knowing that I had to try to reach out…to speak up about one of the big stressors that can weigh heavily on us. The unfortunate side of chronic illness…how it can destroy our finances. This thought was heavy on my mind  as my body craved sleep.

In my situation, it has taken me out of the workforce. My husband had struggled to find employment…always coming in second when interviewed!  Yet a door was opened for him to start his own business…which we see starting to grow.

In the meantime, as I am sure many of you can relate to, we have had to use credit more than we would normally. The medical bills (that will keep coming), groceries (especially when you add in those of us with special dietary needs), the high cost of insurance, house payments/rent, fuel costs, clothing, shoes for our ever growing kids, and on and on. Even with careful spending…being as stingy as possible…stretching every dollar as far as possible, we see our savings (if lucky enough to have any) disappearing quickly.  We are forced to look at selling our homes, taking out a second mortgage, or worse…find ourselves homeless.

It is important to take advantage of all of the programs possible. Remember, when we were “healthy”, we were working, paying into those programs.  Sign your children up for the reduced/free lunches at school if you qualify, apply for food stamps, seek out other possible assistance programs you may qualify for…this is not easy, I know. It requires a change in our mindset…to see these programs as an opportunity to receive some assistance during a rough spell. You may qualify for just a few…or you may qualify for all. Allow yourself to embrace this opportunity for some relief.

We put on a brave face for our children, our families, our friends. Yet this stress is one that we have little to no control over. It can increase our symptoms, resulting in Fibro Flares, IBS flares, bacterial infections, additional illnesses…causing us to go into a serious health spiral…as if we are not all ready dealing with enough!

Take time for yourself.  Nap if you need to…find ways to relieve your stress. I use writing as my stress relief…I also spend much time praying and reading scripture.  (Reading as best as one can with the Fibro Fog that is so variable…from a thin fog to a heavy veil.) I take advantage of the view out my window.  I find a silly science fiction movie to watch…or work a puzzle on my iPad…distractions that are a huge help!

This is a very difficult path we walk…yet…we are not alone! We can build each other up…through the many on-line communities, whether we choose illness/condition specific or more generalized chronic illness/pain sites. Remember you are not alone…even if you are primarily home bound like me.

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