Update / / / health status, recovery (Patreon)

Hi everyone! I'm trying to improve my communication, even if it isn't always good news. 

October of last year, my health was worsening more than usual. It can be hard to tell when it's my "chronic illness normal sick" or something more. I won't go into details--basically, imagine if you had a bad flu for an entire year. It was intense physical pain symptoms, and I was struggling mentally. It was honestly scary--as if I had dementia.

My friends talked enough sense into me to at least go to an urgent clinic. The doctor reasoned I have Myofascial Pain Syndrome. This can often go hand-in-hand with other illnesses: Fibromyalgia, Narcolepsy, Severe Depression, others. Looking back, it's horrifying to realize how much pain I've been in. It's been figured I developed this syndrome throughout all of last year or more. It explained a lot of incidents and struggles.

But I cannot express the sheer relief that something was found. This was out of my control. Since a teen, I have always had a bad habit of blaming myself for my sickness. I wasn't trying hard enough, I was lazy, so forth. I think it's been the product of battling vague health issues for over 15 years. It would often take months or years to find relief or treatments. It's exhausting. Not a good mindset! and I've been working on this. But some weight is off my shoulders.

I had temporary solace for almost a week when they prescribed me some pain medication for my condition. It was NIGHT AND DAY with how much better I felt! It's hard to explain or express; I'm still processing the sheer contrasts. But the prescription is not approved long-term, and the clinic doesn't have much say on refills. Understandably, but I immediately fell back into my sick state within a few days.

I've been struggling to set up doctor appointments, readjust medication, work with health insurance, etc. Anything to find relief, be it therapy, meds, or other forms of treatment.

I've been unable to sleep, work, draw, eat--it's crippled me, and I'm trying to get myself to slow down and focus on my health first. All the same, I sincerely apologize for all of this.

I likely will be unable to post much for March. However, I can try to muster the energy to at least show a variety of sketches, doodles, and WIPs I've done this year.

Thank you all so much for supporting me. You have no idea how much it has helped me through my battles with chronic illnesses.

Thank you for reading; I will be back soon.

Susannah Livengood / SueDraws