2 steps forward, 1 step back is not a dance move – It’s just life

October 16, 2012May 14, 2018 Kelly O'Neill 2 Comments Professional patient, Profiles in courage with RA

I’m happy to share NINE new onset stories with you! People write to me all the time about how helpful it is to find these when searching for a diagnosis or trying to understand a new diagnosis. They paint a much more accurate picture than the textbooks have so far.

Andrea’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Amanda N.’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Becky Jane’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Crystal’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Mary Jo’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Donna’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Gwen’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Mellonie’s Rheumatoid Arthritis story
Tiffaney’s Psoriatic Arthritis story

There are still several more onset stories I need to finish posting, but I’m making progress!

KB's feet Elfreth's Alley Have time for a quick story of mine?

You know how sometimes it seems like things cause needless delays? Last week I was reminded that even these annoying things can work together for our good.

Last week, I went for my eye check-up. A technician dilated my eyes without asking me or telling me. That had never happened before, so at first I thought the drops were the dye the doctor uses to examine the surface of my dry eyes.

It seems we always wait there two hours – and sure enough, it was exactly two hours to see the doctor for five minutes. Roo played games on the iPad while we waited.

The doctor was nice; my eyes are still dry.

One tear-duct plug had fallen out so she replaced it; it takes her about a half a second.

They apologized for dilating my eyes unnecessarily. Unfortunately, my prescription sunglasses are lost and I had driven myself because no one had been available. They offered an antidote to the dilation, but said there are side effects so I declined it – considering it might interact with my other medicines.

I really have trouble seeing in the sunshine anyway with my dry eyes, so, I decided to take the long road home to avoid the highway. More wasted time…

A half hour later at a red light, almost home, I read a text message from Katie Beth. “Please tell me you aren’t on 95.” Turns out there was an oil tanker on fire at the highway exit I would’ve used. If my eyes weren’t dilated, I would have been stuck in the traffic still. And if I’d not had to wait those two hours, I might’ve been nearby when the truck went over.

No way to know. But I’m determined as ever to accept the things I cannot change. Like delays that are out of my control.

And, yes, I agree I should still write a letter to the practice.

Hey, I have a couple really cool surprises, coming soon! Stay tuned! Are you signed up to get each post by email? Just type your email address into the little box at the top right of this page and then click on the confirmation email that you receive.

Recommended reading

Kelly O'Neill

Kelly O'Neill (formerly Kelly Young) has worked about 12 years as an advocate helping patients to be better informed and have a greater voice in their healthcare. She is the author of the best-selling book Rheumatoid Arthritis Unmasked: 10 Dangers of Rheumatoid Disease. Kelly received national acknowledgement with the 2011 WebMD Health Hero award. She is the president of the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation. Through her writing and speaking, she builds a more accurate awareness of rheumatoid disease (RD) aka rheumatoid arthritis (RA) geared toward the public and medical community; creates ways to empower patients to advocate for improved diagnosis and treatment; and brings recognition and visibility to the RA patient journey. In addition to RA Warrior, she writes periodically for newsletters, magazines, and websites. There are over 60,000 connections of her highly interactive Facebook page. You can also connect with Kelly on Twitter or YouTube, or LinkedIn. She created the hashtag: #rheum. Kelly is a mother of five, longtime home-schooler, NASA enthusiast, and NFL fan. She has lived over fourteen years with unrelenting RD. See also https:/rawarrior.com/kelly-young-press/

2 thoughts on “2 steps forward, 1 step back is not a dance move – It’s just life”

@ilocinetweet
October 16, 2012 at 5:30 am
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“rawarrior: New Post: 2 steps forward, 1 step back is not a dance move – It’s just life #rheum ” it’s still one step forward! Go go go
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Janet Taylor
October 16, 2012 at 7:08 pm
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Hi Kelly,

I am a strong believer in fate and making the right decision at the right time. I am so glad you chose to listen to your intuition and made it home safely with your precious cargo. I have had a couple of similar situations lately (not life saving) but enough to make me be grateful that I do listen to my intuition. Gentle hugs….
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