My Chronic Life

When someone has difficulty with speech, reading, writing and understanding others they have a communication disorder called Aphasia. All symptoms do not have to be involved but the language disorder does. Most people that have Aphasia get it from a stroke. Some from a head injury or neurological disorder.

People with Aphasia have normal intelligence. There is a disruption with the part of the brain that controls speech not their ability to process information.

From the National Aphasia Association (NAA), here are some tips on how to communicate with a person who has this disorder:

* Make sure you have the person’s attention before communicating.
* During conversation, minimize or eliminate background noise (such as television, radio, other people) as much as possible.
* Keep communication simple but adult. Simplify your own sentence structure and reduce your own rate of speech. You don’t need to speak louder than normal but do emphasize key words. Don’t talk down to the person with aphasia.
* Encourage and use other modes of communication (writing, drawing, yes/no responses, choices, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions) in addition to speech.
* Give them time to talk and let them have a reasonable amount of time to respond. Avoid speaking for the person with aphasia except when necessary and ask permission before doing so.
* Praise all attempts to speak; make speaking a pleasant experience and provide stimulating conversation. Downplay errors and avoid frequent criticisms/corrections. Avoid insisting that each word be produced perfectly.
* Augment speech with gesture and visual aids whenever possible. Repeat a statement when necessary.
* Encourage them to be as independent as possible. Avoid being overprotective.
* Whenever possible continue normal activities (such as dinner with family, company, going out). Do not shield people with aphasia from family or friends or ignore them in a group conversation. Rather, try to involve them in family decision-making as much as possible. Keep them informed of events but avoid burdening them with day to day details.

The NAA is one of a number of non-profit groups that help people with Aphasia. These groups provide information, support, education for patients, family and medical personnel, and raise money for awareness and research. They can always make use of donations. People who feel strongly about these types of medical non-profit groups do many things to raise money. Some make monetary donations, seek donations from family and friends, leave money or stock in their wills to these groups, make donations on behalf of loved ones, etc. I’ve known people who have bequeathed property like Winter Park real estate to organizations that they feel do what is needed to find a cure or treatment.

Scleroderma is a chronic illness which is in the autoimmune category. The word is from the Greek words, “sclero” meaning hard and “derma” meaning skin.

Symptoms of Scleroderma vary greatly. Here are just a few:

• Thickening and swelling of the skin at the end of the fingers
• Raynaud’s phenomenon
• Heartburn and difficulty swallowing
• Shortness of breath
• Polymyositis

Scleroderma can be limited to the fingers or hands only. It can also cover large areas of skin. It can be systemic and damage organs such as the kidneys, esophagus, intestines and lungs.

Children are also affected by this disease. They have either Localized Scleroderma, which is the most common form or Systemic. There are many treatment approaches for both children and adults. This is often a team approach with various specialties treating a patient.

Please visit the Scleroderma Foundation for more information, to learn about recent research and how to donate your time or money.

Remember getting those back check ups as a child and teenager, where you bent over and a doctor would feel your spine? He or she was checking for Scoliosis. These types of screenings have helped improve the number of diagnoses of this spinal disorder allowing for treatment at an early age.

According to the National Scoliosis Foundation about 6 million people in the United States have a diagnosis of Scoliosis. Most people have a mild curvature of the spine (under 20 degrees). They do not usually require treatment expect for pain and physical therapy to learn how to strengthen the stomach and back muscles and to improve posture.

Screening should continue on a life long basis for any form of Scoliosis be it mild, moderate or severe. The amount of time between screenings depends on the many factors including the severity of the pain and the involvement of other parts of the body. For example a person who has a curvature that is less than 20 degrees and has no other problems may only require screening every five years. A person with 40% curvature who has had surgery may require yearly screening.

Many people, my daughter included have mild Scoliosis and live normal and healthy lives. They may need pain medications if they use their muscles the wrong way, sit on some hard teak furniture or stop doing their prescribed exercises. But other than that, there is normally no problem.

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.

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.

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