I am very cognizant of my stress levels because stress (physical or emotional) is a trigger for my illness. When I am too active, physically, or when I experience anxiety at high levels for whatever reason, my body reacts with an auto-immune response that includes joint pain, abdominal swelling and intestinal pain, chills, fever, skin rashes, light-headedness and (if I don’t take medication to counteract these symptoms) severe nausea, fever in the 103-104 degrees F range, vertigo, excessive vomiting and diarrhea that requires hospitalization. I’m pretty cognizant of when these flares are starting (after 15 years of dealing with them I should be) and so I take a corticosteroid, prednisone, to counteract the effects and prevent the worst case scenario from coming to pass.
Right now I’ve been taking prednisone (60 mg per day) for the past 3 days and I still fell like crap. My home life has not caused any anxiety or stress (even with a teenage daughter and my 22 year old son living at home with us). My physical activity has been within my normal range. No, the only thing stressing me out is the debt ceiling debate and the concern that if nothing is done my family’s meager life’s savings could be wiped out in a market crash and my wife could stop receiving her SSDI check, the major source of income for us. That the Tea Party faction in the House is playing Russian Roulette with my family’s future well being (and the well being of my children, and yes, even the well being of my relatives who are extremely conservative) is the only cause of stress in my life at the moment.
Right now, despite the high dose of steroids I’ve been on for three days, which usually knock out any autoimmune issues better than Manny Pacquiao destroys his opponents in the boxing ring, my skin is broken out in a rash, my left hip is extremely painful (for some reason it is that hip that always flares up when I have one of my episodes), I am experiencing chills and fever, I feel light-headed and my gut is distended and painful. and, oh yes, I am running to the john on a regular basis.
So, that’s where I’m at. How are you holding up?
I’m sorry, Steve. Your condition sounds absolutely miserable. I know I’m stressed, short-tempered, and moody. But fortunately that doesn’t cause me noticeable physical ailments beyond some muscle tension and teeth-grinding.
Denial…anger…bargaining…acceptance.
There is going to be a train wreck now or a train wreck later–like October 2012. It is going to hurt lots of people. At this point it’s unavoidable.
It is the result of a dysfunctional Congress elected by a post-2000, post-Citizens United dysfunctional election system.
Like you, I am one of the people likely to be hurt. We depend on my Social Security check and my wife’s part-time job. That’s all we have been able to cobble together even thought in principle I could work and draw Social Security.
If you have a Republican anything representing you, call them up and in a calm cool voice tell them that they are the problem, not the solution. They are the government, aren’t they? Even if it’s the Republican dogcatcher. Causing bafflement is sometimes stress-reducing. It gives you a comic sense of illusory power.
Start talking now to all of your financial counterparties to give them a heads up and to assure them that you will do your best to keep your commitments.
And then do as AG suggests. Go on media strike until August 1. Post about the environment (did you know that global climate change has been delayed by a third–by air pollution?) Or diary how folks in your neighborhood are doing in dealing with this Constitutional crisis. You notice this is a list of ideas, not a plan. You get the point; get some distance somehow from your immediate situation.
I’ve been where you are several times during this train wreck, which was visible last December. Just read my comment history.
I have one huge hope (unvalidated by any evidence)–that a train wreck now transforms the budget debate in October and opens up political space for change that neither the Great Elephant Circus Wurlitzer nor the media can suppress. What I’ve found is that all hope is groundless. It just happens in spite of your wanting to remain despairing. Or sometimes it happens and other times it doesn’t.
How am I holding up? Up and down. Showing up in each one of those stages of grief at random times.
It’s what the Chinese call, or so the cliche has it, “Interesting times”. Something to tell your grandchildren about or your great-grandchildren. “Remember the summer of 2011?…”
I agree, it is unavoidable. Boehner caved to the Tea party caucus, and he will keep caving to them.
So grab your ice tea, go sit on the verandah, an watch the robins hop on the ground by the magnolias.
No magnolias up here. Lot’s of dead brown grass though.
How about a birds and nature video?
Reading your piece I was reminded of my sis’s bout with Addison’s (adrenal failure) and how no one could dx it and so she had to go through chemo @ Stage IV bc until my onc finally figured it out. The irony of finding that fear of what’s going on in one’s life contributes to overworking adrenal function is just cruel to me.
I can’t remember such an agonizing time as this where every solution locks horns with a determined group of destroyers. I wish that Obama had been born with a silver wand of deliverance in his mouth but truth is this group of people want to cecede from our social compact and they are so ill advised that they want us to go with them.
I think this stress is about equal to waiting for a CAT scan result to pinpoint tumor growth.
Sorry to hear yours is having the impact on your physical state. my stress level is not good, but it is just making me cranky. I found these pictures on tpm helped my mood –
http://media.talkingpointsmemo.com/slideshow/gay-couples-line-up-to-get-married-in-new-york?ref=fpb
You need to read this diary which explains why the debt ceiling battle is a false battle over a logical absurdity – Rand Paul is actually right on this one, but Chris Cook explains how there is actually no such thing as a National debt at all – it is National Equity.
And if the Republican’s don’t get it, there is always the 14th Amendment. The President can order the Fed to simply create reserves to cover and cancel the debt.
Sorry Ron Paul. I’m slurring my R’s
Stress level is as usual. I stay away from media unless I really can’t avoid it. It’s better.
I can stay away from it because 1) my life is very busy and 2) my paying attention is not going to impact the outcome one way or other. So, I can meet whatever crap heads our way in a relatively good state or a relatively poor state, depending on how I’ve tortured myself so far. I believe it’s the same for us all.