My Chronic Life

I learned about the Wear Red campaign from my new friend Rae. She wrote a post about Campbell’s Soup being a supporter of American Heart’s Association goal to reduce heart disease and stroke in women by 25% by the year 2010.

One of the ways to promote this campaign is to wear red tomorrow Friday, February 1, 2008. So take out that red shirt, scarf or hat and wear it to tell others that heart disease and I stroke affect women, in fact it’s the number one killer of women as well as men.

Campbell’s Soup is donating one dollar for every click on this year’s winning dress created by designer Lisa Perry.

From Dr. Larry Weinrauch:

Some warning signs for women. Very few pre-menopausal women have heart attacks, unless they smoke, have diabetes, or are on birth control pills for a long period of time. Smoking seems to be the biggest risk factor:

• Nausea and vomiting that won’t stop

• Breathlessness (but not sighing) with exertion or especially if it wakes you up at night

• Chest discomfort that starts behind the breast bone and radiates to either shoulder or arm, neck, or to the lower (but not upper) jaw

• Discomfort in the lower jaw especially if it occurs only with exertion or will not go away

• Discomfort in the upper back especially if it occurs only with exertion or will not go away

• Discomfort in the chest or back that occurs when doing usual chores after a large meal

• Sudden onset of weakness that won’t go away

• Sudden racing heart sensation with a very fast pulse

• Sudden loss of consciousness

• Physical inability to perform usual household chores

From Women’s Health.Gov:

A stroke happens fast. Most people have two or more signs.

The most common signs are:

* Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm, or leg (mainly on one side of the body)
* Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance
* Sudden confusion or trouble talking or understanding speech
* Sudden bad headache with no known cause

Women may have unique symptoms:

* Sudden face and arm or leg pain
* Sudden hiccups
* Sudden nausea (feeling sick to your stomach)
* Sudden tiredness
* Sudden chest pain
* Sudden shortness of breath (feeling like you can’t get enough air)
* Sudden pounding or racing heartbeat

My family has been affected by cardiac problems on both my mother’s and father’s sides. There’s high blood pressure, high cholesterol and mini-strokes or TIA’s. This means that all of us including me must be careful about our diet, get regular checkups and exercise.

I don’t eat much sodium, eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, limit red meat and saturated fats. Since I’m limited in my ability to exercise I do stretching and walk as much as I’m able even if it’s just around my house. I know that because I’m not healthy to begin with it’s extremely important for me to as much as I can to prevent health conditions that I can.

Peanut’s school will soon be taking part in Jump Rope for Heart. I’ll be sure to post about that when the time comes as we go all out for that event.

Did you know that you don’t have to take preventative antibiotics any more if you have mitral valve prolapse before you go to the dentist?

No more worrying about about missed appointments because you forgot to take that pill before your dental cleaning, no more stomach aches from these meds and no more extra prescriptions that sit there just for the few times you visit your dentist.

In April, 2007 The American Heart Association changed the recommendations regarding the use of antibiotics by Mitral Valve Prolapse patients prior to dental procedures. Preventive antibiotics before a dental procedure are advised for patients with:

- artificial heart valves
- a history of having had infective endocarditis
- certain specific, serious congenital (present from birth) heart conditions, including:
- unrepaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, including those with palliative shunts and conduits
- a completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by catheter intervention, during the first six months after the procedure
- any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or a prosthetic device
- a cardiac transplant which develops a problem in a heart valve.

“Except for the conditions listed above, antibiotic prophylaxis is no longer recommended for any other form of congenital heart disease,” the statement said.

From The Autonomic Disorders and Mitral Valve Prolapse Centers

I’ve had a difficult time with my dental appointments because of the need for antibiotics. You see I not only have MVP (Mitral Valve Prolapse) buy (MG) Myasthenia Gravis. With MG there are many medications including antibiotics that can make this condition worsen. My dentist had to call my neurologist to find an antibiotic that I could take. To make it even worse I have problems with my colon (Ulcerative Colitis) so there’s even more medications that I can’t take. Luckily for me my dentist didn’t kick me out the door! He was willing to go the extra mile to find the right med I could take. And when this news came out that I no longer needed to premedicate, my dental hygienist told me. Kudos to them!

There’s always new findings in the medical field. If your doctors or health care providers are not keeping up with important things that effect you I would suggest first speaking to them about this. If it doesn’t improve perhaps looking for another doctor is in your best interest.

Of course if you are able to do so reading the news, searching the internet, reading blogs, maintaining membership in groups that provide up to date information about a particular disease or health condition is very important. An informed patient is one that can be a partner in your care with your doctor.

I never rely one hundred percent on my doctors, although I trust them. They are human and can make mistakes, leave out information, etc. For example when I’m prescribed a new drug I always read all of the information provided with it. Taking charge of your health or that of a loved one is a step in the right direction.

Now that I am the proud writer of two blogs with one more on the way I had to think about the directions of my blogs. My older blog Brain Foggles began as a health blog focusing on being an advocate for people with disABILITIES and chronic illnesses. As I wrote though it has become more of a personal diary, family blog. I still write about my health. It’s a huge part of my life that can’t be ignored but I found myself opening up about my children, my husband, my church, my life in general. There’s more humor in that blog too as it’s become a comfort zone for me.

So what does this have to do with My Chronic Life? Well it has a lot to do with it! The goals I once held for my other blog will now become the goals of this one. I hope to focus more on health issues, chronic illness, advocacy, education, support, medical equipment and supplies, etc.

I will do my best not to make this a dry, boring blog, but pray that through my posts my personality will shine through and make it a good read. Please check out my new About Me page and stay along for the journey!

I’d also love to hear any comments on what you, my readers want to get from this blog. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions. Just be kind.

You’ve heard how stress can affect your health about a thousand times but have you ever tried to find ways to reduce your stress? If so have you worked at it and kept the commitment?

I suffer from anxiety and am on medication for it, but that doesn’t completely control stress and how I handle it. I’ve learned many techniques even before I was diagnosed with chronic illnesses. But I didn’t put the work into them, instead I would give one or two a try and give up when it didn’t do the trick.

Immediate gratification shouldn’t be the goal when learning how to control stress. It’s a process that can take months. And what works for one person may never work for another.

Here’s some things I’ve tried. Some of them have worked. I won’t say which ones. I’ll leave that up to your imagination:

• Listening to music. Depending on my mood it can vary from old time Rock and Roll, tear jerking chick songs, Contemporary Christian music to School House Rock.
• Housework and organizing. I’m not physically able to do a lot of things but if I’m stressed out I can find some chores that help me not to feel angry or upset.
• Playing games with my daughter - board games, puzzles, even tic-tack-toe.
• Reading blogs, using stumble upon, just having fun on the internet. This has to be with out any purpose, just wandering.
• Reading my Bible, reading devotionals, praying. Having quiet time with God is sometimes difficult when I can’t focus. I’ve learned that I don’t need to use words to pray though. I can pray by crying out to God, by moaning from pain or by asking Him to help me to quiet my mind.
• Blogging. I’ve become so comfortable about writing about my feelings that it’s like therapy for me now.
• Talking on the phone or IM. Hearing a human voice can be soothing even if I don’t discuss what’s bothering me.
• Volunteering. When my mind is busy it’s not thinking about what’s bothering me. Also knowing that there are people out there that are worse off than me helps me to be grateful and feel blessed.

I’d love to hear about some things you’ve tried to relieve stress. Share them here. You may end up helping someone.

I wonder how in this day and age people with disABILITIES still have to fight for the normal service that people without health concerns or physical conditions don’t. I was shocked and saddened to read about a woman who is deaf was denied service from the drive through at her local Steak and Shake. I read about this story from Lori and am still incensed today.

Karen who blogs about her life as a deaf wife and mother to three deaf and hard of hearing children posted about her experience at Steak and Shake when she tried to order two milkshakes at an empty drive through. What she encountered is unbelievable but true.

She bypassed the speakers as she normally does, went to the window and honked her horn. When an employee came to the window Karen explained that she can’t hear and can’t use the speaker. She then went ahead and ordered her two shakes. The employee told her to drive around and use the speaker. Again she explained about being not being able to hear to use the speaker. She even mentioned the Americans With Disabilities Act.

But that employee wouldn’t budge. Rules are rules and she had to order from the speaker. It didn’t matter that she told him about her problems with hearing, that she was right there to place her order, and that she even has a law to back her up. That employee became angry and rude. Even after telling him she is deaf and showing him her hearing aids (which she did not have to do, he closed the drive through window on her. Not only that he threated to call the police on her because another car had pulled up behind hers while she was attempting to get service that she is entitled to.

The ADA isn’t a law that provides people with disabilities “extras” as some people believe. It is a law that attempts to even the playing field. I am disABLED and don’t want pity or something for nothing. But I do expect to be able to use a restroom when I’m using my scooter. I expect to be able to get into the courthouse, my daughter’s school, my church, a chain restaurant, etc.

You see people with disABILITIES just want to live their lives. We have enough problems with our health, with taking care of ourselves, with taking care of our children. We have enough obstacles. Don’t put any more in front of us.

photo by Piez
I am not a happy camper. I don’t like being taken taken advantage of. I don’t like being told to do work and I’ll get paid for it but then the promised payment doesn’t come. I don’t like unanswered emails and contacts with customer service.

I wrote a post for Bloggerwave which was approved. The payment was $10 for the post. I wrote this post on November 2, 2007. Bloggerwave’s TOS states that payment will be made in 30 days.

As of today I have not been paid. I’m wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Post a comment if you’ve been scammed by them too. Maybe we can shame them into paying us for our work.

photo from kusine

The thyroid gland is one of the most important in our bodies. It controls almost every organ and when not working properly can cause hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Problems with the thyroid gland can lead to heart disease, infertility,kidney disease, liver disease, osteoporosis and other health problems.

There is a strong link between thyroid disease and autoimmune diseases like diabetes, arthritis, lupus, etc. If you or your family members have been diagnosed with any autoimmune disease be sure to talk to your doctor about getting your thyroid checked. One of the most common forms of thyroid disease and of autoimmune disease is Hashimoto’s Disease.

Here’s a link to an assessment tool for your thyroid health. This will give you more information on your risks for thyroid disease and information on the different types of thyroid disease.

If you feel a lump on your neck, have trouble swallowing or breathing, feel hoarse or feel pain in your throat tell your doctor right away. These are some of the symptoms of thyroid cancer.

Get the information that is available to you and speak to your doctor about having your thyroid testing done.

Some of you know that I’m a native New Yorker. Not the upstate New York, the real NYC, New York. I was born and raised in the Bronx. I know very little about the outdoors. I don’t even like being outside (well unless it’s the beach, or Disney World). I’m used to city things like the subway, sidewalks, cabs that you can hail, parallel parking, etc.

Imagine my surprise when I learned about hunting blinds. I’ve never heard of them, didn’t know what they were or what they’re used for. When I first saw the words I thought they were window blinds.

Now I understand that they are used when hunting to hide in. They’re like huts in a way, in a city girl’s way. Finding ones that are made of quality material is important because when you hunt you’re outside in the elements. Maybe this New Yorker can learn some more about the big bad outdoors.

Blood donors are always needed but January is a very difficult month to keep up with the blood supply needed. So January has been named National Blood Donor Month. With the holidays, the cold weather and sometimes dangerous conditions, and an increase in illnesses like the flu, colds, pneumonia, etc. December through January blood donations are down.

This is not only a local problem but a national one too. If you donate blood regularly try to do so more often this month. If you donate once in a while, make this month your “while”. If you’ve never donated before, contact your local Blood Bank to see if you qualify and then go ahead and start donating!

From the American Association of Blood Banks:

Every day in our country, approximately 39,000 units of blood are required in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities for patients with cancer and other diseases, for organ transplant recipients, and to help save the lives of accident victims. Our goal is to help ensure that blood is available to patients whenever and wherever it is needed because it is the blood on the shelves that helps saves lives.

Please use this search to locate a Blood Bank near you.

Time is really flying by too fast. I can’t believe that it’s 2008. I’m still making mistakes and writing 2007! I went shopping recently and saw the Valentine’s Day display up. My goodness, that’s coming up in a few weeks.

I am not prepared as usual. Hubby and I don’t go overboard on Valentine’s Day gifts but like to do something small for our daughters and for each other. We’re trying to stretch our money as usual so finding a site that offers coupons is helpful.

For our daughters I was thinking of giving them a photo I took of them together. I found a site that has Snapfish deals so I can have the photo printed. I can even have one sent to Lady Ali from Snapfish so there’s no need for me to get the photo from them and then send it again.

There’s not many romantic things that Hubby would like so I think I’ll look for something that he collects instead. His sports collection hasn’t had any new additions in a while. I found some MLB.com discount coupons. This will work perfectly.