Since I have multiple chronic illnesses, I use the internet quite often to get information on health issues. This is not only for myself but for this blog so that I can help educate others on treatments, research and any health related news.

Scrubs is an online magazine for Nurses, but has many interesting articles for anyone interested in health, medical issues and patient care. The magazine is focused toward all stages of nursing, i.e. student nurses, novice nurses and experienced nurses. The posts also provide information on current events, like the Swine Flu, health issues, like weight loss, fashion, like beauty tips and news and entertainment, like movies and books.

The article, The Cafeteria Eater’s Guide, under the category Health and then Nutrition, gave me some tips on eating healthy when eating out when you’re in a rush. Some of the tips are: drinking water instead of soda, eating a real salad made up of a lot of vegetables and not much lettuce, with dressing on the side, and not getting a large order of anything unless it’s vegetables.

I especially enjoyed the article, Would You Accept an RN on a Scooter?, which described a nurse who began a non-profit agency to help other nurses with disabilities either return to nursing or find ways to continue nursing. Since I am a disability advocate, this post was my favorite.

If you take immunosuppressant drugs or are immune compromised due to chronic illness or cancer, should you be concerned about the Swine Flu? If you live in the US, right now the answer seems to be no. This flu is hitting healthy people. It is hitting people who have visited Mexico or have had contact with someone who were in Mexico recently. (This may change quickly though.)

Stay informed with the CDC Swine Flu website. The What’s New section is updated minute by minute. You can also follow CDCemergency on Twitter for instant updates.

Now, we know to take precautions all the time any way. We use good hand washing, avoid people who are sick and avoid large crowds. I am not ashamed to move away from someone who is coughing or sneezing. If it’s someone I know, I explain myself. If it’s a stranger, I may just move away quietly or I may say something like, “I’m coming down with something so I need to be careful.” Do what feels comfortable for you. If you think that you need to wear a protective mask, do so. If you feel like you’re not well and need to stay home, stay home. No need to stress over this.

As I continue to encourage anyone with a chronic illness, a disability or any type of health issue to blog in order to earn money, my next lesson is about webhosting. Although you can get a free blog on Google, if you want to be able to work with more companies that pay you to blog, it is in your best interest to own your own domain and then host your blog.

This allows you to have the name of your domain the same as your blog and gives you much more flexibility in how you design your blog. Paid blogging companies look for domain names and hosted blogs more favorably. This will open up more opportunities for you as a blogger and as an advertiser on your blog.

Having your blog hosted gives you support from the webhosting company too. If your blog goes down (God forbid!) or you are having any kind of issues, you can call the company and get the assistance you need.

Finding a host is not difficult. You can find a list of Wordpress hosts. Wordpress is a main type of blog. I use Wordpress for all four of my blogs. It is easy to use and get information about. Plugins which help you blog better are always available and there are multitudes of free themes available too.

There is in-depth information for each of the hosts, discounts and coupons offered too.

Since April is Sjogren’s Syndrome Awareness Month, I thought I’d write a little about what it’s like to live with this disease.

• My Diagnosis: I began complaining of dry eyes and a very dry mouth to my Rheumatologist shortly after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I was having other health problems at the time but although my blood work showed a high ANA, nothing could be determined. I also was already diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, Ulcerative Colitis and Anemia at that time. When he say my tongue he was shocked.  He recommended that I visit an ENT to get a diagnosis and an Opthamologist. The ENT refused to do a lip biopsy because he was concerned about my healing. The Opthamologist saw how  dry my eyes were. We tried OTC artificial tears first. When they did nothing to relieve the dryness, he inserted tear duct plugs. Within 2 months both doctors decided to diagnos me with Sjogren’s without the blood work because I had the hallmark symptoms of this disease.
• My Treatment: I am now using Restastis, have two tear duct plugs in each eye (this varies as my dry eyes can get better at times), use OTC artificial tears, gel at night and take prescription form of Folic Acid. I can’t eat spicy foods at all and drink a lot of water every day. I see the dental hygienist 3 times per year and the dentist twice. I go to a dermatologist 3 times a year partly because of my severely dry skin. I wear sunglasses when ever I am outdoors (even if it is cloudy). And I see my Rheumatologist every 2 weeks for B12 shots. (please note that this is also due to my other diagnoses)
• How I Feel: Sometimes my eyes hurt because they are so dry that they feel like I have sand in them. I am frequently tired. My mouth is always dry, along with my lips. I have bad gums and cavaties even though I brush my teeth 3 times per day. My skin is dry and flaky and I sunburn easily.  I have other symptoms but because I have other diseases it is hard to distinguish what causes what.
• What I Do To Help Myself: I laugh a lot, especially about myself. I try to think positively and surround myself with positive people. I do things that I enjoy. I sleep when I need to and try not to overwork. I keep updated on all of the new information about Sjogren’s.
• What I Do To Help Others: I try to educate people about Sjogren’s and about all autoimmune diseases. Please share that this month is special to me and a lot of other people too!

April is Sjogren’s Syndrome Awareness Month. What is Sjogren’s Syndrome? Sjogren’s is pronounced show-grins and is a disease that affects the moisture producing glands in your body. It is an autoimmune disease and has many symptoms which mimic other diseases like arthritis, fibromyalgia and even Multiple Sclerosis, making it difficult to diagnosis.

The main symptoms though, are dry eyes and dry mouth which can be very uncomfortable and even painful. The eye dryness can cause infections, ulcers and other problems with the eyes. Dry mouth can cause cavities, problems with taste and ulcers of the mouth.

Sjogren’s can also affect other parts of the body too which can cause serious health issues. For example, autoimmune pancreatitis, peripheral neuropathy and autoimmune hepatitis. Having Sjogren’s doesn’t mean that you will be affected in this manner, but that you are more likely to be diagnosed with one or more of these diseases.

It is important to be treated by a doctor who is knowledgeable about Sjogren’s Syndrome. Most often a Rhuematologist is your primary doctor. You will probably need an Opthamologist (not an Optometrist) and a Dentist. Then depending on what other types of illnesses you have, you may need an ENT, Pulmonologist and a Gastroenterologist.

Please visit the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation for more information on this disease. I have written a Squidoo lens about Sjogren’s where I write about how my life has been affected by this disease. I include information about SS and some products that can help you live more comfortably with the side effects. You can also learn how to advocate and inform others about Sjogren’s.

I caved in and called my doctor for the second mammogram and ultrasound results. I was surprised that I didn’t get a call from them because they call with results of all tests, positive or negative. Even though I figured everything was fine I didn’t want to take a chance to find out that my tests slipped through the cracks.

I was told that all that was found was cysts but that I need to go back for more testing in six months. I am not sure why but I’ll follow through with her request. I will see her before the six months so I can ask for more details.

No matter how much I said, thought and wrote that I wasn’t worried, I actually was. Breast cancer can scare the heck out of you.