I Never Thought That...

I visited a family member in the hospital very recently. He’s a few years younger than me and he became quite ill a few weeks ago. They were having a difficult time fully diagnosing his problems, but we were told today that they finally figured out what was wrong with him. He’ll have to endure some treatments and a few things in his lifestyle will have to change, but it’s nothing even close to terminal and for that I’m thankful.

Seeing him in the hospital waiting to figure out what was wrong while he endured pain and suffering made me think about the road that we travel when dealing with a hospital, a diagnosis, and all of the aftermath. When I was in the hospital, and for many months after I came home, I honestly thought that I would overcome my injuries to the extent that my body would be the same in its function as it was before the accident. I thought that the process would involve me going home, recovering fully, and moving on with life. I have indeed moved on with life in a good way, but things are not as I once thought they would be. The thing is that in its own way, and by its own measure, the accident and its effects on my body will always be with me. Consequently, it seems as though it will always be a part of my human psyche. Welcome to the machine.