PARENTING WITH HCM - THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

Being a parent is by far one of the hardest and challenging things a person will do. Being a Parent with HCM or any other Chronic illness is extremely difficult & stressful to say the least.  THE STRUGGLE IS REAL my friends!  

I am 41 years old, married with two children ages 2 & 6. My 2 y.o. daughter is in full on terrible two's, lol. Into everything! We are also in the process of potty training her. My 6 Y.O. boy has ADHD and his nick name should be "Flash",lol. They are Great kids and I love them more than anything.  My wife and I are one of those couples that had kids later in life, not from lack of trying, but it is just the way life happened.

I was diagnosed with HOCM in Dec. 2015, but looking back I have been symptomatic for many years.  But it seems like Dec. 2015 was when I went down hill with HOCM.  Almost like flipping a switch.  Since then, Parenting has become more and more difficult. This is truly one of the hardest things to deal with and accept mentally and physically.  

When your child is crying and wants their Daddy to pick them up and comfort them & little things like giving them a bath, No or Not right now is not an option. This is not only difficult when you are having Chest Pain, Shortness of Breath, Heart pounding so hard it feels like it is screaming "Let me out!", & extreme Fatigue, it is damn near impossible. But sometimes, I have to push through it and do it. Then my symptoms get worse. My wife of coarse helps a lot!  I really don't know if I could do it with out her.  

So I have had to find ways to make things a little easier and to cope mentally. Do they help A Lot? No, HCM is what it is, but they do help a little.  See the links below, maybe they can help you as well.

Parents Magazine - "Parents and Chronic Illness"  http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/parents-and-chronic-illness/ 

The Health Sessions -  Parenting with Chronic Illness: How to Take Care of Your Baby and Yourself

WEBMD - PARENTING WITH CHRONIC PAIN - http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/chronic-pain-11/parenting-children