Stuck laughing.....

Not to undermine or make too light of what I know is still a serious situation, but I still maintain that laughter and a positive attitude can only be good things when it comes to serious illness.  It’s not always easy but yet again, I have had a comedy moment today that has lifted my spirits at a time when steroid reductions, a suspected ear/sinus infection and hot weather had left me a bit on the tired and moody side. 

Determined not to be beaten by the increasing tiredness, I have been pushing on but at a sensible pace. I’m sleeping a lot better at night but also find it harder to wake up properly in the mornings and I also get a lot more tired in the afternoons. The hot weather isn’t helping and I have to be careful as I can get a bit dizzy if I move too quickly. 

Today I went to work but had arranged to meet a friend for lunch. It’s good for me to get a leg stretch and especially to get away from the computer screen. We had a lovely catch up and I left to go back to work. On the way back I was lured into a clothes shop..... it’s sunny and they had a great sale on. I’ve put on so much weight with the steroids but I couldn’t resist buying a dress that had been reduced to just £12. A bargain! Sure I’ll fit into it some day......

So I arrived home from work and decided that my new dress was fairly roomie looking, a fairly flattering shape and therefore worth trying on..... What sort of a fool forces themselves into a dress that really has no ‘give’ in the material? Well, that’d be me. Peter Kay has a joke about there being no panic like the panic you feel when you’re stuck in something. This is true. As I stood in my bedroom, stuck in a dress, I could feel mild panic building..... What do I do?? I don’t have the strength in my arms to pull the damned thing over my head. I’ve tried everything and I’m exhausted from the physical exertion! I ring hubby but he’s miles away. I know my son will be home in 45 mins or so, but he’s bringing 2 mates with him. I need help! My neighbour. She’ll help. I step out of my front door and find a man in a van in my driveway. Here to fix the boiler. What can I do other than laugh?! I tell him of my predicament and we laugh at my misfortune and stupidity. Now I’m not panicking anymore. Now I’m just laughing. I go to my neighbour but she isn’t home. I laugh with her husband and we all agree that, whilst it’s hilarious, none of us want him or the boiler guy to help!

And so I go to the next next door neighbour. What an absolute star. We laughed ourselves sore and then she came straight over to the house with me. Between us and a bit of brute force and ignorance, I was free!! Free and laughing so hard I was almost in tears. People are just brilliant. 

It’s comedy moments like this that make illness so much easier. If you can’t laugh about getting stuck in a dress and having to be saved by your neighbour, then you need to really think about how you’re living your life!! 

On 6th September I will take my last steroid, all things being equal. Some day I will lose this horrible extra weight and I will wear that £12 dress. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at it without laughing though. 

Laughter. The best medicine by far! Xx