3 Years ago I learned the true power of a little kindness

Technically 3 years and 1 week ago I was finally admitted to hospital after suffering back pain for 10 days.

The admission was for 2 infected DVTs, Sepsis (for which I was pumped with antibiotics in A&E) and back trouble.  It was one week later than an MRI discovered an infection in my spine and we knew what we were battling against.

After a bunch of antibiotics, blood thinners and an endoscopy following a bloody explosion in a bathroom evidenced a burst ulcer, I was sent home mid August with some heavy duty pain relief and a daily visit from nurses for a further 3 months.

The long term results of this was a painful spine, weakened circulation in my right lower leg and a successful PIP award and LCWRA.

This period saw me do nothing but sleep and take medication for 3 weeks and not much more for a few months.  I disappeared online and from all games.  It was in this time where a little kindness goes a huge way to lift my mood.  One from someone in one of the games who noticed my absence and asked if I was ok for the entire period of my illness and one from our very own @kezo who noticed my absence and said as much after my first response to a post here.

I really can’t say just how much these little things mean while you’re struggling.  It wasn’t much from either person, just a ‘I noticed you’d not posted in a while and was worried’ or a ‘you’ve been too quiet, all ok?’ but from my perspective at that time when all I’d been seeing was the nurses, fellow patients and the same walls of the ward for weeks on end, it was such a boost to think someone thought enough to notice I’d gone quiet.

I learned at that time that a little kindness goes much further than the little effort put in or it doesn’t take much to make a vast difference to someone who is struggling both physically and mentally.

From then on, I’ve been a little better at how I treat others.  It really does mean a lot for a little kindness.