Is Time Passing Faster Or Slower Since Dyautonomia Onset?

[spinner]

How do you experience time now that you're dealing with a chronic illness? For me its weird.

I work much fewer hours so I have a lot of time space to fill and that can seem to drag.

Also, just dealing with the doctors, records, supplements, lifestyle can be laborious and boring

and infuriating which slows things down.

On the other hand, giant chunks of time can seem to fly by because I dont mark the days and weeks the same way i used to according to holidays, trips, and schedules. Sometimes I forget what day it is. It all blends together.

I had sudden onset 2.5 years ago and I cant tell you if the time has gone by faster or slower than normal.

Just different.

Its almost like I measure my days by how effectively Im preventing flares as much as anything else. Also obviously

theres no such thing as a wild stresful day anymore because i just cant live that way. I cant run from one thing to the next. I deal with one thing at a time. No multitasking. Ive learned to appreciate the simple things in life a lot more. A cool fall day. Being able

to do a 3 mile hike at a slow pace. A much quieter life because loud noises drive me nuts. And much less time in crowds at places like malls, busy restaurants, or big family gatherings because i avoid them. I prefer to hang out with 1 person at a time.

[angelloz]

I would say that time flows for me in a very similar way as that which you describe. It all feels sort of strange almost unreal at times.It's getting hard to remember what a normal pace of time felt like.

[brethor9]

yep I couldn't have said it better......you describe what life is like for me now so perfectly.... especially managing the flares part! I think that's why I go back and forth with the grieving process because of this illness....have had to give up so many things I enjoyed.....on the other hand I have also gotten rid of a lot of things that were toxic ie unsupportive friends, incredibly stressful job (but I loved it at the same time!), and have strengthened relationships that were being neglected because I was so caught up in my previous whirlwind life....so maybe there is a bit of a plus side......I just have to keep it in perspective

Bren

[spinner]

Yeah, there are plus sides. One is not taking our health for granted any more. And like

you said you weed out the superficial so called friends real quick.

I dont know how many times ive been told BUT YOU LOOK FINE.

For those idiots to be honest the only way they'll ever understand is if they

get struck down in the prime of life and then realize what total **** they made

of themselves making snap judgements regarding other peoples misfortunes.

[Katybug]

Yes, time has been warped for me, too. Just as you all describe it. And, I find that no matter how many times I look at a calendar each day, I often can't remember which day of the week it is without going back to the calendar one more time. It's very strange and disconcerting. My 30's seem to have past me by in a blur of doctors, pain, and sleep with vague memories of a few things in between.

[cberau]

Yeah time has definitely slowed down for me. It seems like an eternity since I started developing symptoms, let alone since I got to University. The last 5 years (4 years at school trying to be a pilot) and a year since still flying and working as an aircraft refueler have been the most grueling, miserable, most drawn out years of my life. My POTS was an insidious onset, and progressively getting worse, which means I probably can't expect it to go away. The time between doctors appointments and lost hope of new treatments to hopefully make me feel better (both before and after I was diagnosed) seem to feel longer every day. The drive home from work is 7 miles but it seems to feel as if that mileage is multiplying exponentially. I wish I had something more positive to say.

[looneymom]

To me, time seems to drag by. Last year, I quit a full time teaching job to stay home with my son. It has been a real adjustment for my son and I. I mark the days off on a calendar to help my son and me remember what day it is. I also write in appointment times for physical therapy and doctors appointment. I do appreciate the fact that I have more time to research to look for underlying causes that may be causing the POTS. I think the worst part is waiting for test results to come back. Just some more ran and they won't be back for 3 weeks. The best thing for us is to take one day at a time.