A dog's love

One of the hardest things about having a chronic illness is that it continues and continues and continues. There is no quick fix and there does not seem to be a cure so you are in it for the long haul. 

Nevertheless, you have to remember being chronically ill is not just hard for the patient. It is also for hard for those around us. Constantly hearing someone complaining can wear other's down. I know from an outside prospective if I constantly hear, people tell me how "sick" they are I rather get over it and loose sympathy. It is like the boy who cried wolf, in the end when it really mattered nobody was around. Although I am not trying to say that we are faking our symptoms because that is not the case, however what I am trying to say is if you are constantly complaining people begin to stop caring. 

This is why I try my best not to complain too much about my illness and try to keep some of the suffering to myself. Trust me it is not always easy not being able to tell people exactly how you really feel however sometimes it is for the best. Often when asked I will either say "I'm fine" or "I'm feeling good" to hide the fact that my condition is kicking my arse. I do not do this to help me manage my condition I do it so others around me do not feel obligated to sympathize with me. The weight of my condition should not be theirs to bare.

However, in saying all this I do have other outlets. One being ITP Facebook groups where I can communicate with fellow ITP suffers and none of my family & friends can see and two being my beautiful dogs. Number 2 is usually my go to source when I am feeling in need of some love. 

No matter what my dogs are always there for me. They are always happy to see me and do not get sick of my cuddles. My dogs do not complain if I am too tired to run around, they are just excited to see me and keen to spend some quality time even if it is just lazing around on the couch. Another great thing about dogs is that they can sense when you are sick so often they will hang off you when they know something isn't quite right which can sometimes give you an indication to slow down and listen to your body. 

I highly recommend if you have a chronic illness to get a dog. You see animals can help with one’s emotional well-being. There have even been studies that highlight the positive effects animals can have on people. They believe this reaction comes from oxytocin, which is a hormone that has many functions that include stimulating social bonding, relaxation, trust and easing stress. When a human reacts with a dog oxytocin levels increase in both the dog and the human. 

No wonder spending some quality time with my dogs always makes me feel better. 

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