Hi
I have not really talked about this before and don't really like to to be honest but I felt if it can help you in anyway
I read your post and can sympathise with you but I must also say something and want to just pass on some advice.
When you have your health and those that are close to you that you care about then you have EVERYTHING. Nothing more you can ask for in life, everything else is a just bonus. How do i know?
Well, 5 years go I was doing so well, phd, VERY HIGH paid job, unbeatable work prospects, ect ect and i was not happy. I always wanted to push myself and wanted more. I paid no attention to those around me and so it just went on. Then out the blue, i got hit with an illness and turned my life into hell. Living became a misery, i could not walk, i could not move, i could not eat anything, i could not breath, i could not sit ,constant asthma attacks, i lost 70% of my hair and it all turned white, child labor like pain 24/7 month after month, year after year and with no pain relief in sight and doctors could do nothing. I tried over 10 different types of pain mediation and several nerve block operations. I used to love going out and meeting with friends, partying, going gym since i was 14, it all came crashing down. Laying on the ambulance just to go to hospital appointment. Being looked at strange. Having gone being independent to relying on those around me was the hardest part, mentally i broke apart many times, over and over i kept crashing. I lost 40kg in weight and at one point weights 54kg for a 6ft person that had 6pac and lots of muscle at one point. I really was a mess and this is only half the story and the other half is even worse than this.
i used to be get upset and frustrated if things never went my way, i was in way mentally weak and let things affect me that should not of. Starting again or failing scared the hell out of but surviving with this illness made me hard as rock mental eventually. I am not going to lie its far from easy but I just get on with it. I got a military survival attitude to things now. I just get on with it and don't think how hard or daunting things are. I enjoy challenge and found out that your attitude and how you approach things is key in life, it truly is and I never ever realised this. Self pity was killing me slowly and it took a while to realise that, oh why me, my life was so good how can this be me, how can this happen to me ect ect.
anyway it made me realise how lucky I was before and how fortunate i was to have my health and I abused it, with smoking, drinking and so on. The sad story is there are people out there even worse and more unfortunate than me and my heart is with them. To suffer is a horrible thing and many times I wanted to just call it a day be done with it, i really was ready to drink my whole morphine bottle and be done with it, the constant pain was SOULE DRAINING really was, i was willing to not exist but to make it stop. But I refused to give up without trying as life is too precious mate you are only here once and your time is so unbelievably limited and then that's it.
Really mate, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING. I am a great believer in that if you become ungrateful life will punish your for it.
I think you need children if you don't have one, it will give you a sense of purpose. Having my brothers baby around when i was ill was a joy for me. Every time i saw him he gave me energy and hope to go on and often when i was in lots of pain he would come and cuddle me, bless his little soul.
sorry for the wall of txt
all the best.