I’ve had to go for weekly blood tests since being diagnosed with Gitelman’s Syndrome. Not only are my veins having a tough time of it, my wallet is too. Usually I have no problem with blood tests. I go in the Phlebotomist does her stuff and I’m outta there. Lately though they can’t find a vein to work. I’ve been poked and prodded so much that my arms are bruised.
Then there’s the financial part of it all. It’s bad enough that if we didn’t have good health insurance we’d meet our credit card limit. Thank goodness my husband’s insurance covers most of this. Plus I go once a month for another kidney blood test, once every two months for a CBC and once every three months for blood work for the Rhuematology issues I have.
I just got a card from the blood lab so I don’t have to show my Driver’s License and Insurance Cards any more, kind of like a frequent blood letter card!
No not McDonald’s, though I do love those burgers and fries! I’m loving the fun I’m having planning my Chronic Illness Support Group meeting. We stopped meeting over the summer so Sept. 8th will be our first meeting back again.
I’m working on keeping the group much more positive. So I’m looking for some games to get us started. Not anything embarassing like those games from jewelery parties, but something to get people smiling and laughing.
I also have some uplifting music to play while we eat a bit and socialize. There will be a new tone for the group and I’ll be the one to set it. So to keep this going I need to be pumped up!
To continue with my posts about working as a blogger, you’ll need a web site for your blog. This is one of the most important decisions you’ll make about blogging and earning money. Having an impartial site to check out the various hosting companies helps a great deal.
You can compare on the costs, ratings, reviews, speed, cost of domain names, and packages all on one site. There’s a specific review of best blog hosting too. Consider that you may want a web site also later on to promote your blogs as you grown and have more than one blog. So learning about web hosting for other than blogging is something to begin to look into.
Whether you’re beginning to blog or a seasoned blogger like me finding the best web hosting is a way to make your sure your blog is always available and a way to be sure that you save money too. For me that’s very important. For other people with chronic illnesses I know it is important too.
It’s hard for me to accept small changes like moving things on my desk, changing my personal schedule or doing my chores in a different manner. But when you’re sick like me you have to learn to go with the flow. Your life is full of unexpected surprises and some of them are not good.
I can feel fine one day and the next end up being unable to do a thing. I can go to the doctor for a checkup thinking everything is fine to find out that my bloodwork showed problems.
When you have a chronic illness that’s how life goes. Some people end up with a lot of hospitalizations. In that case I’m blessed now (not so about 2 years ago). Some people have a lot of flare ups, include me there. These kind of things throw me for a loop still. I hate the uncertainty, the unknown. I’m still working on learning how to accept change, but I think I’ll be working for a long time.
Laurie Edwards has written Life Disrupted, Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties. There is really no age limit for people who read this book. If you have any type of chronic illness this book is for you.
As I read Life Disrupted I found myself nodding my head in agreement. Laurie “gets it” and has challenged me to work harder as an advocate for people with chronic illnesses.
Laurie lives with PCD (primary ciliary dyskinesia), a rare illness, which was wrongly diagnosed as a child. She understands many of us living in limbo land with either a wrong diagnosis or no diagnosis.
She writes about life with a chronic illness, from being in the medical forum as a patient, to being a member of society to being a family member. Along the way you’ll learn how to stand up for yourself, how to be seen as person not a sick person, how to make decisions about your medical care and how to live a fulfilling life.
This is a personal and moving book. Laurie shares her life, good and bad. This is an informative book. Read about how to cope in the emergency room and in hospitals, what and who to tell about your health issues and, what you can teach the medical community about people with chronic illnesses. You’ll laugh too, because after all that’s part of life, and Laurie Edwards shows us that you can have a full life even with a difficult diagnosis.
I have added this book to my small list of “must have” books as I have multiple chronic illnesses. I know I’ll be re-reading it and looking over certain items again when I need some reassurance.
I just wrote a post about not having an appetite. Well just this evening that all changed and fast! I don’t know if it was the food or that I haven’t been eating well for a while, but I about scarfed down my dinner tonight.
I think the Greek Salad had a lot to do with it. I just love salads. The feta cheese and tomatoes looked so good that I dove right in. Then I went to town on the chicken and noodles with cheese. I ate every drop. I’m hoping this means that my stomach is going to be back to normal. I’m ready to feel better and to go back to enjoying my food.
Now I don’t want to get to the point where I’ll need diet pills like Apidexin because that would be awful. But just to get my regular appetite back would be perfect!
No not McDonald’s, though I do love those burgers and fries! I’m loving the fun I’m having planning my Chronic Illness Support Group meeting. We stopped meeting over the summer so Sept. 8th will be our first meeting back again.
