syndromes
So, I just found out that I have Rosacea and IBS. The Rosacea is turning up as disgusting acne looking pustules as well as a sunburn appearance after I drink red wine. The IBS is showing up as abdominal pain and colon spasms. Delightfully, there is no known cause or cure for either, but they are both exacerbated by -- you guessed it -- stress.
I don't feel stressed. I knit and I go do A Christmas Carol -- not exactly the most stressful time in my life. There's a lot of living going on, but there's not exactly anything I can cut back on. It's not as if I'm an ER doctor, for petesake. My years of stress and anxiety feel like they are in the far past. Am I carrying my anxiety with me like layers of coats, as my old office mate said? I thought I'd been getting better peeling the coats off and hanging them up for later.
On the other hand, the very fact that I now have a full handful of "syndromes" with no known cause or cure stresses me out. And, I suppose, Per and I are going through a transition that all families with lay-offs go through. But, really, I spend lots of hours knitting with a kitty curled up in my lap.
