My Chronic Life

May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. May 6th was the 10th year anniversary of World Asthma Day.

May is peak allergy season for most of the United States and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is again leading the country in this month’s education, outreach and attempts to gain funding for its programs. You can use their site to download educational material, to get a pollen count according to your zip code, find a support group, learn how to set up a plan for your child at school if she or he has asthma or allergies, including food allergies and make a donation.

If you have a severe allergy that can lead to anaphylactic shock please wear some type of medical alert bracelet or necklace. Be sure to inform all doctors, your local EMS and family and friends. Carry injectable epinephrine which is available by prescription. You can go into shock in minutes and not be able to speak.

My husband and his brother and sister are all highly allergic to bee and wasp stings. They have a severe reaction. My husband always carries an Epi-Pen. My older daughter is hypersensitive to dairy. She cannot eat anything that contains dairy and has to eat specially prepared food if eating in a restaurant. My youngest daughter is allergic to mold, pollen, dust, many trees and plants. Both of my daughters had asthma, but grew out of it.

My youngest has a follow-up appointment with her Allergist as she is not responding well to her current medications. I wish that I could use gps fleet tracking for all of the things she’s allergic to and help her to avoid them!

Asthma and Allergies are very serious health conditions that can be deadly. My children were very fortunate to outgrow asthma. Many children do not.

I’ve been very weak and sleepy for over a week now, but it’s been much worse these last few days. I call it feeling like a rag doll. These are the symptoms I get from Myasthenia Gravis. I can’t tell you how many hours I sleep, or even how when I wake up I end up falling asleep again. I can’t even fight it.

It is a terrible feeling. The thing that upsets me the most is not being aware of what’s going on around me. My poor daughter has been pretty much without a mother for the last few weeks. I drive her to and from school, barely. But as for anything else, she’s on her own. My husband of course has his full time job and then another one when he gets home. He feels as if he’s going round and round on fitness equipment, like a treadmill and not getting anywhere.

I’m hoping that these symptoms get better soon so I can get back to living the somewhat normal life I’ve been.

Skin cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Don’t tan, don’t use tanning beds, wear sunscreen when outdoors and see your doctor right away when you see any suspicious moles. Get skin cancer screenings.

These type of screenings are like vehicle tracking. A dermatologist will check your body over for any unusual lesions. It takes about 2-3 minutes and your whole body including your scalp will be checked. Your doctor will determine how often you need screenings depending on your age, sun exposure, family history of skin cancers, your own history of skin cancers, etc.

When you see a mole, remember ABCD:

A = Asymmetry—One side of the lesion does not look like the other.

B = Border irregularity—Margins may be notched or irregular.

C = Color—Melanomas are often a mixture of black, tan, brown, blue, red, or white.

D = Cancerous lesions are usually larger than 6 mm across (about the size of a pencil eraser), but any change in size may be significant.

I recently stood on a scale and got weighed. It wasn’t my choice. I was at the doctor’s office and it was pretty much mandatory. But guess what? I was pleasantly surprised! I ended up weighing less than I did a month ago, even 6 months ago. My blood pressure was normal too. I’m in shock but very, very happy.

With the hot weather upon us already I can actually picture myself tying on swimsuits without freaking out. I can even think about buying some new shorts and capris too. How a few minutes on a scale can make me feel a bit light headed is quite funny to me.

I guess the short time I ate junk food while stressing out over the Single Mothers ministry at church didn’t really affect my weight. And adding some easy exercise is helping me out too.

If you’ve been thinking about blogging, already have a blog but desperately need another one because you’re so addicted that one isn’t enough, or you want a blog on your own domain, get ready for some important info.

Go on over to my other blog, Brain Foggles and check out my contest.

You have a chance to win an SEO optimized Wordpress Blog with one year of hosting, a customized header, your choice of theme, support and technical assistance, plugins, keyword search and help creating a niche. The value is about $125. This is open to everyone, not just those in the USA. The end date for this is May 30th. Don’t wait!

This is a perfect way for anyone with health issues to earn money from home.

I’ve been in a real brain fog lately. I found out that my potassium is still low after increasing my dosage. I’m going to have to take a new form of it so that I can absorb it correctly. It’s an tablet that dissolves in water like Alka-Seltzer. So feeling weak from the lower potassium has me doing all sorts of crazy things or should I say crazier than I normally do?

Today I had an appointment with my cardiologist. I had just been there the day before with my Mom who was having high blood pressure in the 170’s. I left the house in plenty of time but I kept thinking I had missed the medical building. In actuality I hadn’t even drove near it yet. So here I was doing U-Turns, driving into parking lots so I could make turns, and asking myself where was I?

That’s a scary thought when you’re in your own neighborhood. I could understand asking myself about things I don’t know about like what type of brake pads my car needs, or what HDMI cables are, or how to ftp a plugin to my blog.

I finally arrived for my appointment. I was about 10 minutes late. I thought my blood pressure would be hight but it was very good. I am scheduled for an echocardiogram next week because I have mitral valve prolapse and rheumatoid arthritis. So add another doctor’s appointment to my “to do” list.

I know many chronically ill people who are unable to leave their homes whenever they want due to pain, medication side effects, being unable to drive and just not feeling well. When this happens loneliness can set in. If you are young and your peers are working and have a family of their own it can be difficult for them to make time to visit you. You may not feel well enough for visitors. You may be embarrassed of how your house looks because you’re not able to keep it clean.

Whatever the reasons, being almost homebound or totally homebound is quite common. In the Chronic Illness Support Group I run, this is a very big issue for our members. We have members who are no longer able to come to meetings because of their health issues. I try to keep in touch with them though.

There’s a trend now of people with disABILITIES and chronic illnesses using a computer and the internet to connect with the outside world. Just look around and see how many blogs are authored by people with medical conditions, how many websites and message boards are made for us too.

Having the right equipment for your computer is a must. If you have arthritis you may need an ergonomic keyboard. If you are paralyzed, you may need a head pointer to type. There are so many examples of technology that make using your computer easier or even open up the means of computer usage.

Many of these products are expensive. Some government agencies and non-profit groups provide the technology. If you are looking to buy something for yourself shop around and even tried refurbished. You may be able to find something among used cisco parts, or other companies that sell used equipment if new is too expensive. Be sure to check for a warranty, the company’s customer service ability to work with you and other types of feedback from buyers.

Being online can help you feel that you are a part of society, especially a section of society that understands you.

It was one of those brain foggy days yesterday and so I forgot to post about Fibromyagia Awareness Day. It was held on May 12th. There were many different ways people took part in this event.

Some used the suggestion from the National Fibromyalgia Association to ask people to take on the Clothespin Challenge. That’s where you put a clothespin on your finger and leave it on as long as you can. When you are feeling the pain of that clothespin, think of the pain that people with Fibro go through every day. You can take that pin off but those of us with this chronic illness can’t. Some asked people to donate a set amount of money for each minute they kept the pin on.

Others took part in the Walk of FAME (Fibromayagia Awareness Means Everything).

You can still do something! You can help spread the word about this disease, make a donation  to the NFA or place a link to the NFA on your blog or website.

If you are doing any type of fundraiser for Fibromyalgia please let me know and I’ll be happy to post your links here.

Sjogren’s Syndrome is a very expensive illness. Although I am on a prescription medication for my dry eyes called Restasis, I still use artificial tears without preservatives in individual ampules. They are over the counter so our health insurance doesn’t cover them. I also use ointment for my eyes at night and a special toothpaste. Another thing I have to do is go to the dentist every 4 months as Sjogren’s causes me to have a dry mouth.

When you have to spend money on medical supplies and medical procedures on a constant basis you are always trying to find the best buy possible. I scour the newspapers and online for coupons. I get a lot of health information through snail mail and sometimes I get rebates or coupons that way.

I can’t look for cheap products, but the ones that work. That changes every so often. So one brand is “my brand” for a while. That brand becomes a household name so my family knows to look for sales and coupons.

I’d much rather be trying to save money on shoes but that’s life!

I will be doing something that I dread, something that I fear, something that makes me very anxious. I’ll be a guest on Blog Talk Radio on May 9th at 8 PM EST. I’m the type of person that likes to hide behind my blog and my computer. It’s easy for me to write. It’s difficult for me to get out from the curtains and show another side of me.

I don’t like to be in the spotlight and doing anything that makes me feel that way gets me nervous. I do know that my friend Danna Crawford, The Power Selling Mom will make the radio show easy for me though. She’s very professional and is not only a store owner on eBay, a Power Seller and a marketing genius, she’s an eBay Education Specialist too. She teaches classes in her home, online and and at Central Florida Community College too. I know that she’ll ease my fears and make me feel welcome.

Please join us to learn about eBay, blogging, how I’ve become a disability advocate and much more!