"My emotions were everywhere"
Marilyn went through bouts of anxiety and depression with her vision loss and still grieves the loss several years into her journey. She also decided to do something for herself which has helped tremendously.
Hadley
My emotions were everywhere
Presented by Douglas Walker
Marilyn: My emotions were everywhere. I guess, my thing is you have to go to the grieving process. Sometimes even now after, four years? I still, grieve sometimes.
Douglas: Hello, and welcome to Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites podcast, where people facing vision loss share insights about what has helped them cope and adjust.
Marilyn: My name is Marilyn Bohm and I got diagnosed with, retinitis pigmentosa when I was 46. And I had vision up until, Covid hit and when it hit, it hit hard. I was very depressed. I had to go on medication, and I felt very lost. My emotions were everywhere.
And, I guess, my thing is you have to go to the grieving process. Sometimes even now after, what, four years? I still, grieve sometimes.
The other thing is the anxiety. You have to get help for that sometimes. And I have and, I have learned different techniques breathing. But it's a hard thing too. You not only get hit with depression, but some people get hit with anxiety.
I think it's the path. I believe it's a path we go on but it's in a different direction, depending on what you're looking for, for everyone with vision loss. And I, I have reached out and got help. I'm still on my journey. I turned 70 in March, and, I just keep one foot in front of the other and keep walking and facing challenges and living my life, because that is what you have to do. One of my retina specialists in Chicago tell me, I go, “what do I do now?” He goes “go and live your life.” And that's when I'm still doing.
And so, I decided to do something for myself. I put one foot in front of the other, and I always wanted to learn how to swim. And, I did. I went to the YMCA, and I can now swim four football fields, and I'm learning backstroke.
And the one thing that helped me was, I belong to a group at the center for Sight and Hearing in Rockford, Illinois, and we meet twice a month, one for a fellowship and one for Fun Friday.
And they're different eye problems. And we have people here in our group who have hearing problems. And when you're there, you feel normal. You know, you just feel really good.
Douglas: You never know who might need to hear your story. If you’d like to share with us, just leave us a message on our Insights & Sound Bites voicemail. By calling, 847-512-4867. Or, you can use your smartphone or computer and email us a recording to [email protected].
All Episodes
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Episode 56
When Emma lost her sight in just a few months, she struggled to cope. She felt alone, her insecurities grew, and self-esteem plummeted. With time, she came to a new understanding and that helped her tremendously.
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Episode 55
Dave calls his experience with vision loss a slow torture. In the face of this, however, he has found a sense of inspiration in explorers, history, and an activity you wouldn't typically connect with vision loss, sightseeing.
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Episode 54
When Albert's vision decreased to the point that he could no longer read print anymore, he found it stressful. But he's found a new source of comfort that helps him quite a bit.
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Episode 53
Jayne can feel isolated living with her eye disease, spending much of her days forcing herself to focus on things that have become blurry. The stress can be overwhelming, causing her to shut down. But there's one area of life that now brings her more joy than ever before.
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Episode 52
When Jeffry lost his sight, he felt a loss of control, a loss of dignity. Then, he began his long road to empowerment, one small goal at a time.
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Episode 50
Learning to live with vision loss wasn't always easy for Pam. But with time, her bad days are fewer.
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Episode 49
Jennifer didn't know what to do or who to go to for help as her vision was fading. Then, by chance, she found some help. She found some direction.
The book referenced in this episode is "Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight"
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Episode 48
When Carmel heard a Hadley podcast, it helped her understand what had been happening to her along with her vision loss—something she had nicknamed her "phantom vision."
Carmel mentions an episode of our sister podcast, Hadley Presents. Here's a link to that episode on Vision Loss and Charles Bonnet Syndrome.
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Episode 47
It was tough for Linda to give up driving and she was heartbroken when reading became difficult. She felt her world was shrinking. But then she asked for help.
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Episode 46
Ashia felt all alone in her vision loss. No one around her knew what she was going through. Then she found something that gave her hope.
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Episode 45
Dennis found that many aspects of life with vision loss can be a struggle. Then he found something that turned that around.
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Episode 44
Judy has lived with progressive vision loss for many years. She's found a way that helps her cope and adjust.