amber rahim

Chronic illness: the parts we don't talk about

Tag Archives: Chronic illness


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my burn out story

When I burnt out I was traveling at 100 mph being batman; saving my business world from the bad guys and crooks who appeared disguised as project managers and stakeholders; and in my private life, fighting off the evil villain of my daughter’s chronic illness.  I was working harder and harder and doing it with a smile and sometimes a snarl.

Finally, a message came through.  My body finally broke through the wall I had put up in my mind to avoid the truth.  My body is a dirty fighter and hit me hard  with aches and pains and finally, took my mind.  I was tired, cranky and short tempered.  I was forgetful, I couldn’t even remember how to spell forgetful.  I couldn’t sleep.  I was exhausted, worn out.

I had an epiphany. ” I need to stop, take a break before I break”.  I thought I was so smart and that I had realized in time.  Ha! Could I have been more wrong?

So I parked my bat mobile, got ready for a 4 week timeout and …… just stopped.  Everything just shut down.  I could barely function.  I had used up all my reserves and was empty.

It took a long time to start back up again, 1 step forward, 1 step back, a step sideways etc.  I started making progress, recovering, to function.  However I realized that there were some things that I couldn’t do anymore and I feared I was broken.  I felt broken.

You see, I thought that people are like elastic bands; when you stretch them too much, they break and they stay broken.

With my burn out, these are the “elastic bands” that broke:

– multitasking.  It took all my concentration to make a cup of tea.  I couldn’t have a chat with you at the same time.

– being able to take on the intensive 24 hour care of a critically ill baby with just my husband and I to split the shifts over.  (Of course I had been trying to do this perfectly).  A lot more work fell on my husband’s shoulders (sorry dear) because I wasn’t able to do my part.

– Being a superhero. Batman was gone, suit back in the cupboard.  I just didn’t care to fight the bad guys anymore

– Being helpful: saying yes, I’ll fix that / take care of it, you can count on me.  Gone.  I just wanted to tell people to, well, insert your own swear word here.

I really thought I had lost a lot but something strange happened during this mega timeout. I started to see things in a new light.  Those things I mentioned just now?  This is what I like to call them now:

– ” tolerating being overworked”

– ” being taken advantage of”

And

-“not asking for help”

Now that I see these “elastic bands” for what they really are; negative, destructive behaviours.  I am glad they are broken.

Who actually wants to be a superhero, working non stop, taking care of everything? (Never mind having to wear your underpants over your tights).

Who wants to do it all alone?

It was with relief that I realized that people are not like elastic bands, we are organic.  We grow, adapt, learn new things.

New things have taken the place of the things I lost.  These are my new things:

The ability to

– say no.  Or “not now” and fit it into a time when I can do it without adding stress.

– recognize if I am becoming overloaded and getting cranky

– take action if that happens and get myself back to feeling good: look after myself

And these two are my favourite:

– letting go

– asking for help

Whatever I am doing, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

I can let someone else do it.  I still think there are a lot of things that I can do better than anyone else – I’m not humble, I admit it!.   But if it means that I can take a break, get other tasks done, just breathe, then it’s worth letting someone else do an average job.  I can live with imperfection if I can just breathe.

So did burn out leave me broken?

Actually, it set me free.  Those restrictive bands have burnt away, leaving me covered in a fertile ash where things can grow. I have grown, improved, become a better me.

I can get more done than ever before because I delegate and share the load.  I accept and ask for help.  I focus on what is important and I’m mindful and do one thing at a time (well, ok, I’m not living a zen life but I do it a lot more!).

I feel happy again, I laugh and I experience joy.  I dream and I expect to make some of those dreams come true.

So people, remember this: we are creative, we are resourceful and we are whole.


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Planting the seeds of confidence

This post is going to be a bit different.  It’s not about chronic illness and it’s not about struggle.  Something happened this week that made me happy and I want to share it.

In my first ever post I talked about my journey to finding my daughter, seeing the child behind the illness.  Ever since, I have been doing something more consciously and deliberately.

I have been acknowledging my daughter.  It’s kind of like a compliment but I don’t praise what she has done, I acknowledge who she is.  It goes something like this:

” You know, you are smart, you figure things out.”

“You are funny and cheeky”.

“You are intelligent”.

“Even when you are scared and nervous, you try new things”.

“You know what you want”.

When I first started doing this I was met with shyness, a shake of the head and often an embarrassed “stop! why are you saying this?”

It seemed too much for her and she got embarrassed.  I think this is something we all do when the attention is turned to us and who we are.  It’s so personal and we are not used to it.

As time went by she starting getting used to me doing this.  Then she started to ask me, shyly, to “do that thing, when you say stuff”.  She would smile, my heart would melt and I would oblige.  I was happy, she was happy.

I have been working a lot lately so this last Sunday when I was helping her get ready for the day I took the opportunity to acknowledge her.  It’s been a while.

I started talking and she started smiling.  Confidently.

The she spoke and blew me away.

“I know” she said.

We both grinned and hugged.

I thought “this is beautiful”.

So I have new definitions of beauty (to add to my collection).  Beauty is someone glowing with the confidence of knowing who they are.  Beauty is the connection created between two people when they share this knowing.

And I know that with a simple acknowledgement, by saying “you are …” you can help build self worth.

Yes of course she gets insecure or disappointed in herself but she also knows that she is smart, funny and brave.


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3 important lessons for happiness in 2014

Happy New Year everyone!  A sincere and heartfelt wish for good health to you all.

I did not expect to write a “new years” themed post but life is full of surprises.

It wasn’t a good start to the year.  By last Thursday (only the 2nd day of the year) it had already become too much for me.

Normally I don’t like to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve.  I’m tired most of the time anyway and it just takes me too long to recover these days.  Plus, there’s something about having to stay up that I rebel against.

I stayed up this year as we were with family (it was a lovely evening) but by Thursday morning I was still recovering.  My daughter woke up around 9am feeling ill.  With terrible stomach pains, she was crying and throwing up.  As I tried to comfort her my mind ran through all the things it could be:

  • Stomach bug
  • Bleeding ulcers
  • All that Piri Piri sauce she ate yesterday
  • Bleeding ulcers!
  • Gastritis …. and bleeding ulcers!!!

I have a bit of a paranoia about bleeding ulcers.  You see, she is on a combination of meds that can cause ulcers.  She has already had severe gastritis because of her meds (age 6 months) and she is on an NSAID that is only for short term use (read weeks) because it causes ulcers and she has been on it for 6 years.  Yikes!

It’s a calculated and managed risk.  It saved her life in the early months, kept her out of hospital in the first couple of years and allows her to have a good quality of life now.

However, it is a ticking bomb that may or may not go off.  If she gets an ulcer she won’t be able to take this or any other NSAID for the rest of her life.  Muscle pain and need Ibuprofen?  No can do.  Quality of life?  Seriously affected.

So while all this is going on in my crazy, tired head, and I am trying to comfort her, my poor little girl is crying and asking for Dad (who was temporarily unavailable).

Brimming with frustration and impatience I just wanted to tell her to “stop it, just be quiet”.  (Well, I wanted to shout it actually and there were quite a few exclamations marks in my head too).

I took a breath, explained that her dad would be back in 2 minutes and that I needed to go to the toilet.  Then I left the room.

I stayed in the bathroom for a long time, much longer than necessary.  I put myself in timeout.  Her dad was brilliant with her; kind, patient, loving.  Just what she needed. I am so grateful to him because last Thursday I just couldn’t do it.

So these are my 3 important lessons for happiness in 2014

  1. It’s good to share the load.
  2. It’s better to walk away than say something you would regret
  3. Accept that Mummy time is never at a civilised time of the day (like 9am on a Thursday).  Kids want their mums at stupid o’clock times like 4am on Friday morning.  That’s when they want you to sit with them and hold their hand.  So I did.


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What’s different about chronic illness? No.1: Sickness scale

It’s coming up to Christmas and I am taking 2 weeks off from everything.  My next post will be in January so with heartfelt gratitude I thank you for reading my blog and sharing this with me.

I invite you read my first blog https://amberrahim.com/2013/08/28/finding-my-daughter-behind-the-illness/ and with that spirit, enjoy the beauty of those in your life.  See them for who they are and cherish them.

Enjoy these last 2 weeks of the year and wishing you good health.

Sickness Scale.

My mother once gave me some advice for when your child is ill.  “Sometimes you just need to sit up all night with your children and hold them”.

I have found it to be true.  Sometimes your children are so ill that it comforts you both to do this: your child finally sleeps in your warm embrace and as a parent you are soothed by being able to give comfort.

But how long can you keep this up? One day, two?  Maybe even a week, if you take turns with your partner.  But what if they are sick for weeks, months and you just don’t know how long it will be before they are better?  You want to keep on holding them for as long as they need but when chronic illness is involved, your children are really ill, really often.  Their need for comfort is high and our desire to provide it is strong.

So you try to keep it up, you get tired and eventually a shift starts to happen.  They need to be more sick before you stay up all night.  It gets easier to go back to bed.

Your assessment scale for illness adjusts.

In the beginning they need to be on a 7-8 on the sickness scale to warrant an all nighter.  With a chronically ill child you will do the same.  Sickness level is 7-8?  Ok, stay up all night with them.  It’s the definition of that 7-8 on the sickness scale that changes, not the number.

If they normally throw up about 4 times a day, you notice when they do it 6 times a day and start to get worried at 8.  When they stop playing you know it’s really bad and maybe it’s time to go to the hospital.

(side note: yes, kids can throw up regularly and still carry on playing and having fun. My little champ has been doing it for years.  Well you can’t spend your entire childhood not playing!  Seriously though, I do not know how she does it.)

Your whole view of the world changes.  What’s normal?  What’s worth worrying about?  What’s serious?

From the outside we can seem callous.  “What, your daughter has just been sick and you don’t ask her how she is and give her a hug?”.  No, but I do teach her how to keep it out of her hair and off her clothes and shoes.   This is normal for her.  Do you pick up your toddler every time she stumbles? Or is that just normal?

When people don’t understand, and it is really easy of them to misunderstand, it can isolate you.  I don’t blame them.  When it comes to illness, there is little common ground between you.  With parents who also have a child with a chronic illness or people who themselves are ill, it is different.  It’s why we get on so well, even when we live on other sides of the world.  We share something that many of those around us don’t even know about.  We have a different sickness scale.

So next time you wonder “don’t they care?” or hear me say “she’s doing well”, remember: yes we do care and she is doing well, for her.

Our world is just a little bit different and you need to understand the context: our normal is not the same as your normal.  Take time to see us, really see.  You will see someone who says they are ok but is in pain.  That’s because they are ALWAYS in pain like this.  So yes, they are ok, but they are still in pain.

Take time to understand and let us in.  We want to connect with you.  We want to be understood.  We want to be seen.

So my mother is right.   Yes, I have just admitted that to the world, will I ever hear the end of it? (actually, I am proud to do so).  Sometimes you just need to sit up all night with your children and hold them.


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Tragedy separates, talking connects

When I started this blog I had intended to write about living with my daughter’s and my own chronic illnesses but something happened recently that is so enormously sad that I have been flitting between desperate, immense sorrow and numbness.  It’s been 6 weeks and I have moved out of that now to a more dull place, where feelings are not so sharp.

When I got the news I pulled back from life, sank into myself.  I was with my children all day but I could barely acknowledge their existence.  It hurt to look at them so I didn’t.

Now I can look at my children again and it is with a bitter sweetness that I count my blessings.

Although it is still too raw for me to share in my blog I find I cannot stop thinking about the impact of tragedy, so I will write about mine.  Time does heal and this healing in me makes writing this post possible.

In tragedy, in losing one person, it hurts so much that it is easy to lose the people around you too.

Our daughter almost died at birth and fought for her life for 5 weeks.  For the next two years a cold would lead to a trip to the hospital and random life threatening fevers plagued our winters.  We did not lose her but there is a lot of grief from this incredibly bumpy ride of “will she, wont she (die)?” and tragedy exists.

We each deal with our grief in our own way, often alone, and the distance between us grows.

Before you know it, years have gone by and you look at your husband and think “who are you?”

You see that they have the same look in their eyes.  Two strangers who have shared so much, but not together.

Each walking their path alone, side by side, only looking inwards, never at each other because it hurts too much.

How do you find your way to each other again?

For us we followed the usual routine: spend some time together.  We went out to dinner.  We went for walks through Amsterdam, exploring new neighbourhoods and chatting.  We had a nice time, we rested and it helped us get energy to face the next day with a smile but it didn’t really bring us closer together.

The real connecting happened when we talked about our experiences of our tragedy.

For example, my husband’s experience of the birth was very different to mine (apart from the obvious “he was not giving birth” one).

He was standing up watching a bunch of people cut me open.

I was lying on the table calmly, not feeling anything.

Oh yes, important detail: it was a cesarean, not just random butchery.

I had a wonderful view of the ceiling lights and was sheltered from the horror movie blood and guts (or should I say blood and uterus) by a green curtain.  They don’t let you see your own cesarean and I’m really glad! It’s definitely not something I ever want to see.

So he told me what it was like for him to watch his wife and child in danger, not knowing what was going to happen.

We told each other our thoughts, hopes and fears.  Each different, each equally real.

Something lit up between us.  It’s like there is a thread holding us together which had become very fine and barely visible, fragile.

As we shared, the thread grew thicker, stronger.  It started to glow as if sunshine and warmth were pulsing through it.  I felt a warmth, connection, love that I had not felt for a long time.

Through sharing our tragedy with each other, through putting our experiences into words for the purpose of explaining to the other:

“this is what is was like for me”.

We connected again.  No longer shift workers but friends, partners, husband and wife.


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Husband and wife or shift workers?

A friend of mine noticed what I guess you could call a freudian slip.  She noticed that in my “about me” page I listed that I am a mother, daughter, sister etc but not wife or partner. (Don’t bother looking now, I have already updated it)

It was not consciously done (and I’m sure Freud would have a field day with that) but it did remind me of something else that happened when I became a carer.

You see, both my husband and I became carers all of a sudden.  We have no medical training but all of a sudden we needed to use needles, figure out how to use a feeding tube without drowning our little baby by accidentally accessing her lungs instead of her stomach, do a physical exam to assess how dehydrated our daughter was etc.  We were thrust into the roles of carer and nurse dividing up the days tasks between us.

In the beginning I was at home so I had the day shift.  My husband would come home from work and I would hand over, which would go something like this:

“Here, you take her.  She’s had her 4 o’clock potassium and needs her next sodium dose at 6 o’clock”.  I’m going to the loo then I’m going to get dinner ready”.

I might even have said, “Hi, how was your day?”  Far too often I was frazzled, covered in vomit and in desperate need of 5 minutes to myself and just said “your turn”.

I would go to bed early and get up for the 3 am rounds.  John would do the midnight and 6 am rounds.  We would both get a bit of sleep.

We were like shift workers, doing our bit then handing over the work load to our colleague.

This doesn’t leave a lot of room for a relationship.  You just don’t have the time or the energy.

It’s not surprising that so many relationships break down in these circumstances.  You need to feed and look after a relationship.  Spend time on it, put some energy into it.  When your every waking moment is consumed with worry, care and a million things that actually do have to be done otherwise someone will become (more) ill, then it is hard to look after your relationships too.

I was barely putting energy into showering.  I really didn’t care what I looked like and dressed in baggy puke stained clothes most of the time (there was a lot of vomiting going on).  Did I take an interest in what he was doing?  Erm, no.

My focus was: how long can we keep her out of hospital this time? and why did we buy a sofa with a fabric cover?  I need wipe clean surfaces – on everything.  I’m never going to get that vomit out.

Let me also clarify – did it matter what I looked like?  Not to my husband, but it is more a reflection of my state of mind.  I didn’t care about a lot of things, I was preoccupied.  I didn’t notice me and I didn’t notice him.

We were barely parents, let alone partners in life.

This has changed.  It has taken a lot of work and I am thankful that my husband is so stubborn that even when I told him to get lost, he didn’t.  It pissed me off no end at the time but I am grateful that he stayed.  I calmed down, we agreed we needed to do something about it.  That was not what we wanted but we needed to make changes.  We needed to remember why we got together in the first place.  We need to reconnect as people who loved each other, who had made this beautiful girl together and who were terrified of losing her.

Stress really tests a relationship.  Sometimes it is too much.   For those of you for whom this has happened, I share your sadness.  It hurts.

Sometimes we hang on, clutching desperately, until we start to get closer together again.

So I don’t know what it means, that I didn’t add that I am a wife or partner.  Maybe writing that first post just took me into the past where I didn’t feel like a wife anymore.  Maybe it’s a sign to myself that it’s getting busy again and that I miss my husband.

Whatever it is, thank you dear friend for mentioning it.  I think I’ll go and make a date with John.

Important note: this post is published with the full knowledge and consent of my husband.  It’s kind of like the EU – if I mention him, he gets veto rights on the blog.