Family Dinner

I made it through the dinner with only a minimal amount of pain last night.  I found that a letter that I had written to the family about what PD was and the affects it had on me both emotionally and physically was pretty much well received by many in the family as they had no idea what I was going through on a daily basis.  I wrote the letter mainly because of one family member who would always make snide remarks or rude statements when my husband would try to explain that I was not always up to attending all the family functions.  Well this particular family member treated me as though I did not even exist last night.  In the past I would at least get a hug from him upon arrival and departure from the event but last night he just walked away from me and kept his distance.  I think he feels that the letter was directed at him and that he took offense by it.  To say the least, I did not lose any sleep over it.  I don't have the time nor the strength to play such childish games when it comes to dealing with grown ups.  He made his point last night very clear that there would be no support coming from him in my dealings with PD, which is fine.  Everyone is entitled to their feelings and if he now feels that he must ignore me over a letter that everyone got then that is just the way it has to be.
I was very proud of my accomplishment last night for getting out and attending the dinner.  I did not let others know that I was in any pain and picked foods from the Appetizer menu that were soft enough for me to chew and swallow without having any issues.  I am not sure just how many of these functions I can attend because I can't take my pain medications before going as they make me very tired and groggy.  I also have issues with constant fatigue so attending all these functions that the family has is just going to be too much for me to handle so I will attend what and when I can and once my body says it's time to go - then I will say my goodbyes and leave without feeling guilty anymore for only being able to stay a few hours before I feel the need to go home.