I didn't get an updated e-mail about the topics we health activists were suppose to write this week, so I'll just share a few things.
This week end was Easter week end and a busy one. I haven't been at 100% these last few days. I am not relapsing with my MS, but my symptoms have been in full swing (come and go, but don't stay; which tells me no true relapse). I think the crazy Indiana weather is definitely playing a big role in this. One day it will be 80 degrees, the next day 58 and raining. This week we are dropping back into the mid 50s with the lows in the 30s; go figure. It's no wonder my MS symptoms are all over the place.
I'd love to take a survey of other MSers and see if the drastic changes in weather affect their MS as well. Would be interesting to know for sure. I know in the past when I have relapsed (which it will be two years next month since I've had a relapse...woohoo!), it has been during seasonal changes. When I would call my neurologists office, his nurse would tell me it has been a very busy week/month of MSers relapsing. Based on that, I'd say the weather does play a big role.
Today is the first day in almost two weeks I have woke up and didn't feel the need to go back to bed, which is a good sign. I have been burning the candle at both ends again, so truly it is my own fault for feeling crummy. I need to listen to my body and rest when it says to; otherwise I know I will bring on a relapse and I'm sure it will be a doozy since I truly haven't had one in almost two years.
So starting today, I will do my best to listen to my body and rest when it is telling me to. One day at a time....
Monday, April 9, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Day 6
Todays challenge:
Health haiku. Write a haiku about your health focus.
MS, just two little letters
Meaning much more
Without great research, oh my!
Health haiku. Write a haiku about your health focus.
MS, just two little letters
Meaning much more
Without great research, oh my!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Day 5
Ekphrasis Post. Go to flickr.com/explore and write a post inspired by the image. Can you link it to your health focus? Don’t forget to post the image!
I chose this image because it is the artists version of what MS is doing to her on the inside that we cannot always see from the outside. It is very inspiring to me because of how the artist has captured what probably a lot of us MSers feel; wanting to show what MS can do to our inner self that we try so hard to hide on the outside.
For me, I hide a lot of my daily symptoms because I don't want that "look". Only those that have ever gotten that "look" know what I am talking about. I don't like to explain to people why I am walking funny, why I can't always get my hands to cooperate, or why I am holding a certain area of my body due to MS symptoms. Yes, I have multiple sclerosis, but this disease DOES NOT define me. If I could express myself in a way to show others how I truly feel about this disease, it would be like the artist did in the painting above. This is what my MS looks like on the inside and how it has taken over my body, but I am still me despite the disease.
I chose this image because it is the artists version of what MS is doing to her on the inside that we cannot always see from the outside. It is very inspiring to me because of how the artist has captured what probably a lot of us MSers feel; wanting to show what MS can do to our inner self that we try so hard to hide on the outside.
For me, I hide a lot of my daily symptoms because I don't want that "look". Only those that have ever gotten that "look" know what I am talking about. I don't like to explain to people why I am walking funny, why I can't always get my hands to cooperate, or why I am holding a certain area of my body due to MS symptoms. Yes, I have multiple sclerosis, but this disease DOES NOT define me. If I could express myself in a way to show others how I truly feel about this disease, it would be like the artist did in the painting above. This is what my MS looks like on the inside and how it has taken over my body, but I am still me despite the disease.
Day Four - a day late
I was having a "bad MS day" yesterday, so I didn't get around to writing Day 4 of the health activist blog challenge. But here is the day 4 challenge topic:
I write about my health because… Reflect on why you write about your health for 15-20 minutes without stopping.
No 15-20 minutes of writing about a topic I don't tend to write about. I suppose I don't write much about my health because I don't like to dwell on the negative things about MS. Yes, I have a horrible debilitating disease that can and has taken a lot from me, but I also am very grateful for being able to mostly recover from those MS attacks and being able to adjust to the "new" me after what those MS attacks have taken away. I am grateful for a drug company making a therapy that works by keeping my disease under control - FINALLY!
I write about my health because… Reflect on why you write about your health for 15-20 minutes without stopping.
No 15-20 minutes of writing about a topic I don't tend to write about. I suppose I don't write much about my health because I don't like to dwell on the negative things about MS. Yes, I have a horrible debilitating disease that can and has taken a lot from me, but I also am very grateful for being able to mostly recover from those MS attacks and being able to adjust to the "new" me after what those MS attacks have taken away. I am grateful for a drug company making a therapy that works by keeping my disease under control - FINALLY!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Super Powers
Day 3: Superpower Day. If you had a superpower – what would it be? How would you use it?
For the life of me, I can't recall any cool superpowers that aren't cliché'. I do remember as a young girl being fascinated with wonder woman and the bionic man, but truly can't recall them having cool superpowers. Of course, wonder woman had a cool outfit and the bionic man had great stunts.
Although, if I could have one superpower I think it would be the ability to heal. Is that even a superpower? If I could heal all those who are suffering from any kind of illness, whether it is an incurable disease, depression or addiction that would be an awesome ability/superpower to have.
In the meantime, I will allow my inner wonder woman to shine.....
For the life of me, I can't recall any cool superpowers that aren't cliché'. I do remember as a young girl being fascinated with wonder woman and the bionic man, but truly can't recall them having cool superpowers. Of course, wonder woman had a cool outfit and the bionic man had great stunts.
Although, if I could have one superpower I think it would be the ability to heal. Is that even a superpower? If I could heal all those who are suffering from any kind of illness, whether it is an incurable disease, depression or addiction that would be an awesome ability/superpower to have.
In the meantime, I will allow my inner wonder woman to shine.....
Monday, April 2, 2012
Favorite Quote
Day two of the health activist month. This truly was a tough one for me, because I actually keep a journal of quotes I read that truly inspire me. Here is the challenge today:
Quotation Inspiration: Find a quote that inspires you (either positively or negatively) and free write about it for 15 minutes.
I finally decided on this quote:
"Everyday is a choice. Your attitude decides your day, and nobody can decide your attitude but you". ~ Ryan Moran
Really soak in those words and if you were like me, you truly get that "aha" moment. How true is that quote? If I am having a bad day and choose not to change my outlook/attitude then my entire day will revolve around that bad day. Unfortunately, others around me may succumb to my crappy attitude as well. We all will be handed a curve ball from time to time and some of us may get more curve balls then we'd like, but it is what we choose to do with it. Do we say, "screw you curve ball, I'm going to smack the shit out of you" or do we allow ourselves to get hit with it and let it smack the shit out of us instead? It is all about free will and choice.
Don't get me wrong, there are days when I have allowed that curve ball to smack the shit out me; I feel that is just human nature. However, the majority of the time, I will allow myself to have my little five minute pity party and then get up smack that curve ball way out to left field and make the most of my day. In other words, get on with the day at hand. I am grateful that I am up and moving, have an able body and mind, because I know how quickly it can be taken from me.
So next time you are having one of those curve ball days, what are you going to do? Remember it is YOU that decides your attitude and YOU alone.
Quotation Inspiration: Find a quote that inspires you (either positively or negatively) and free write about it for 15 minutes.
I finally decided on this quote:
"Everyday is a choice. Your attitude decides your day, and nobody can decide your attitude but you". ~ Ryan Moran
Really soak in those words and if you were like me, you truly get that "aha" moment. How true is that quote? If I am having a bad day and choose not to change my outlook/attitude then my entire day will revolve around that bad day. Unfortunately, others around me may succumb to my crappy attitude as well. We all will be handed a curve ball from time to time and some of us may get more curve balls then we'd like, but it is what we choose to do with it. Do we say, "screw you curve ball, I'm going to smack the shit out of you" or do we allow ourselves to get hit with it and let it smack the shit out of us instead? It is all about free will and choice.
Don't get me wrong, there are days when I have allowed that curve ball to smack the shit out me; I feel that is just human nature. However, the majority of the time, I will allow myself to have my little five minute pity party and then get up smack that curve ball way out to left field and make the most of my day. In other words, get on with the day at hand. I am grateful that I am up and moving, have an able body and mind, because I know how quickly it can be taken from me.
So next time you are having one of those curve ball days, what are you going to do? Remember it is YOU that decides your attitude and YOU alone.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Health Activists Writer's Month-Challenge
I decided to sign up for the WEGO Health Activists Writer's Month to try and jump start my blog again, but also because I am an advocate for my own disease; Multiple Sclerosis. I actually go around parts of the USA and tell my story to other MSers or their family members and how a little tiny pill has made such a difference in my life (but we'll talk more about that at another time). I have been given a topic for each day this week and they will follow for the entire month of April. I am not a very good writer, but will do my best. So here goes the first topic:
Health Time Capsule. Pretend you’re making a time capsule of you & your health focus that won’t be opened until 2112. What’s in it? What would people think of it when they found it?
Of course, I could truly dive so far into this because not only have I been affected by my own chronic disease, but I am also a very passionate advocate for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. I lost two very important men in my life to those diseases; my father to cancer and my great grandfather to Alzheimer’s disease.
My time capsule would consist of a flash drive (which they'd probably have to track down a device to actually open it up) of what my life was like living with a chronic disease. Pictures of me before my diagnosis, after my diagnosis and in chronological order of what the disease can do; along with publications about the disease and all the research and dedication put in to find a cure. When the time capsule is opened, I hope the person/people who find it is in awe and fascinated that millions of people use to actually live with this horrid disease and be grateful that it no longer exists. (Naturally, I'd love for this to be true for all incurable diseases, but I'd have to start out with the one I deal with day to day).
Of course, it wouldn't be my true blog unless I add a little funny to the "it can only happen to me category". I did our taxes through a computer program way back in early February and indicated I'd like our tiny refund direct deposited into our bank account. After about a month and still no deposit I thought to myself, "hmmm, I wonder why our refund hasn't been deposited yet?". I went on-line to check the "where's my refund" site and typed in all the information; which indicated it could not find our information. I went back into the program on our computer and after going through the ENTIRE process again, discovered I had forgotten to hit submit. All I can say is....."WHEW"!! Thank goodness I decided to check that site; otherwise we would have been super late in submitting our federal taxes. I could blame it on my MS and who knows maybe the MS did play a role, but not likely....only me, only me!!!
Until tomorrow.....
Health Time Capsule. Pretend you’re making a time capsule of you & your health focus that won’t be opened until 2112. What’s in it? What would people think of it when they found it?
Of course, I could truly dive so far into this because not only have I been affected by my own chronic disease, but I am also a very passionate advocate for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. I lost two very important men in my life to those diseases; my father to cancer and my great grandfather to Alzheimer’s disease.
My time capsule would consist of a flash drive (which they'd probably have to track down a device to actually open it up) of what my life was like living with a chronic disease. Pictures of me before my diagnosis, after my diagnosis and in chronological order of what the disease can do; along with publications about the disease and all the research and dedication put in to find a cure. When the time capsule is opened, I hope the person/people who find it is in awe and fascinated that millions of people use to actually live with this horrid disease and be grateful that it no longer exists. (Naturally, I'd love for this to be true for all incurable diseases, but I'd have to start out with the one I deal with day to day).
Of course, it wouldn't be my true blog unless I add a little funny to the "it can only happen to me category". I did our taxes through a computer program way back in early February and indicated I'd like our tiny refund direct deposited into our bank account. After about a month and still no deposit I thought to myself, "hmmm, I wonder why our refund hasn't been deposited yet?". I went on-line to check the "where's my refund" site and typed in all the information; which indicated it could not find our information. I went back into the program on our computer and after going through the ENTIRE process again, discovered I had forgotten to hit submit. All I can say is....."WHEW"!! Thank goodness I decided to check that site; otherwise we would have been super late in submitting our federal taxes. I could blame it on my MS and who knows maybe the MS did play a role, but not likely....only me, only me!!!
Until tomorrow.....
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