So, yes, I am still alive! When I first found out I had shingles last March, I googled it to try to find out how long it would take to recover. The resident doctor laughed when she came into my hospital room and found my laptop propped on its side on my pillow as I tried to educate myself. Most articles I read said it would last about six weeks. In reality, it was very painful for about two months, and still made it hard for me to sleep for about two more months after that. By the end of July I finally felt that I could say I was totally normal again.
Lessons learned? I think I can be more compassionate toward those who are dealing with chronic pain. I remember in the early days, when the pain was very severe, crying to God that I couldn't see any purpose in it. I was reminded of Romans 8:28, where God promises that He will cause EVERYTHING in our lives to work together for good somehow. So I told God, "Okay, I don't understand what your purpose is. But I believe that you have a purpose, so I will just cling to that. It will be enough." And it was.
Lessons learned? I think I can be more compassionate toward those who are dealing with chronic pain. I remember in the early days, when the pain was very severe, crying to God that I couldn't see any purpose in it. I was reminded of Romans 8:28, where God promises that He will cause EVERYTHING in our lives to work together for good somehow. So I told God, "Okay, I don't understand what your purpose is. But I believe that you have a purpose, so I will just cling to that. It will be enough." And it was.
