It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.
- from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
This Blog is about my life and my lived experience of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), an auto-immune disease which causes the immune system to attack its own tissues and organs. Before you click away in search of something more entertaining, I want to assure you that my Blog will not be a poor me pity party. There will be no woeful soliloquies to tug on your heart-strings and extract your sympathy. The reason I want to write about my illness is to help people understand auto-immune diseases better. I want to explain how Lupus affects me and describe the various medicines and lifestyle changes that I have tried to combat the symptoms. Most of all, I want my Blog to provide the sort of information that I needed before and after I was diagnosed with Lupus. I want my posts to be informative, practical and entertaining.
As I set out on my first Blogging expedition, I do feel a little bit like Frodo at the beginning of his journey with the Ring - I have no idea where I might be swept off to! I don't have clear picture of what this Blog will look like, how often I will be able to post, or what topics I might explore. I am also unsure who my audience might be. Will anybody be interested in reading about an ordinary Scottish Lass with Lupus? Perhaps not!
I first toyed with the idea of starting a Blog back in the early 2000s. I was already in the habit of keeping a daily diary and I thought it might be interesting to start Blogging instead. I knew that I had the writing skills required but unfortunately I also had very low self-esteem and no confidence. In the end, I convinced myself that I didn't have anything interesting to say and that my life experience wasn't worthy of anyone's attention.
And so life went on...Between the year 2000 and 2012, I completed my PhD, built a really rewarding career, fell in love, got married, had a baby, got divorced and moved to England. In fact, there were a lot of interesting life experiences that I could have blogged about!
So what has changed? Why do I now feel ready to write a blog? Strangely, the answer is Lupus. Having a chronic illness has given me a completely different perspective on life. My body doesn't allow me to do the things that I used to be able to do and I have been forced to slow down and reign in my perfectionist tendencies. My illness has also made me comfortable living in my own skin. My facial rash and sores are very visible, I wear compression bandages, and I often cry out in pain (severe pain in my kidneys). If I am am out in public, I am very aware of the fact that people stare at me. I have had to learn not to worry about what other people think of me. I am who I am, you can take me or leave me.
And finally, I have found a really worthwhile topic to write about. I hope that you will "step onto the road" with me - let's see where this journey sweeps us.
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