“I think it’s a constant juggle between looking after yourself, life, everyone else and guilt for what you can’t do and feel you should, no matter your age.”- Michelle Roger, bobisdysautonomia.blogspot.com

Michelle, you took the words right out of mouth.  This is exactly how I feel as I am trying to make it as a freshman in college with dysautonomia.  This is exactly how I felt as a high school student, but unfortunately as you grow older life becomes more complicated and you are forced to become more independent.  It’s inevitable, life goes on and things change.  We move, change jobs, get girlfriends or boyfriends, and get married.  Changes in life can be stressful for anyone, but the stress of change can be extremely tough for people with a chronic disorder such as dysautonomia.

While life may change, I find a great deal of comfort in understanding that literally everyone else with dysautonomia is going through the same ordeal.  We may not all have the same symptoms, we may not all be the same age or gender, but all of our lives are changing constantly.  We must deal with looking out for ourselves and others.  We must deal with the guilt of what we should and shouldn’t do and the activities in life we may not be able to take part in anymore.

This quote has really helped me deal with this past week.  All my friends are rushing fraternities, and by no means do I have the energy to rush on top of school.  It may really stink that the dorm may be empty at night for the next few weeks, but I find comfort in knowing that everyone out there is making compromises.  I’m not in this alone.  We may not all have the same symptoms or backgrounds, but the issues we face everyday unite us and that in itself is an extremely powerful bond.  I can’t thank Michelle enough for her wisdom and her friendship to our organization 12 More Pages.   Hope everyone is feeling well!

-Tyler