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A Photoshoot with Crush
It was incredibly important to me to document my first year anniversary with Crush. He has completely changed my life. If you want to read more about that, check out the “Crush” or “Service Dog” tab in the cloud below. I also have an article coming out on Friday which is a year in review with Crush by my side. Anyway, I wanted to document how important he is to me. What better way to do that than getting photos taken together? I wanted to share them here with you because they make my heart absolutely soar. I hope they make you smile! I hope your day is amazing. I…
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You Deserve Professionals Who Care
I was struck this week by how important it is to trust your healthcare professionals. I see this in all aspects of my life. It has taken me a long time to find people that will work with me based on my values and vision. Not all professionals are the same. At the end of the day, everyone is human. They all come in with their own ideas and ideals. If they’re unwilling to put their ego aside and listen to you and your needs, it’s time to move on. This thought came to me while I was at physical therapy. I LOVED my physical therapist last year. I felt…
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Signs You Are Overwhelmed
Being able to notice when you are overworked or overwhelmed can be extremely helpful. Not only can it prevent burn out but it’s a great way to keep in touch with yourself. There are some key things to notice. Our bodies may all be different but certain systems alert in similar ways. You may experience some of the following if you are overwhelmed. Tension Realizing tension can tell you a lot about what you’re feeling. If your shoulders are up to your ears, you are probably carrying a lot more than you realize. There are excellent body scans to help you analyze this. A great way to start is just…
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Five Must Haves for POTs Patients
There are a lot of things I have specifically for my medical condition. I wanted to outline a few things that I have that are for my POTs. These were helpful for both before and after I was diagnosed. If you’re new to the diagnosis or you think you might have it, considering investing in these tools. Here are five must haves for POTs patients. Pulse Ox I got my pulse Ox monitor only recently. I was relying on my apple watch to tell me my heart rate. 99% of the time my watch is accurate. The oxygen saturation component is particularly helpful and not offered on my watch. When…
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I'm Not Broken
I’m not broken. I have a chronic illness. I do things differently. I must accommodate my disability or risk having severe consequences. That doesn’t make me broken, it makes me human.This topic has come up a few different times recently. I’ve addressed in blog articles the narrative that we set for ourselves. Today I’m talking about other’s narratives about me. I want to address this because much like my language matters, your language about me matters. I can’t change my disability. It is a part of me. When you say things like, “cause you’re broken.” It’s often very hurtful. I do a lot to manage my disability. I often try…
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The Difference Between ESAs and Service Dogs
This topic has been especially relevant to me lately. Two separate times in the past month, this has come up. I want to clarify that emotional support animals and service dogs are not the same thing. In fact, they aren’t in the same realm. Emotional support animals are exactly what they sound like. They provide emotional support. The only rights they have are to live in buildings that don’t allow pets. They have absolutely no public access rights. Why is this? To qualify to be an ESA your animal requires no training. They are simply approved by your mental health professional or a medical professional. If you register them online,…
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A Year of Blogging
I can’t believe it but I’ve been blogging for a full year. I finally took the plunge last year after medically withdrawing from the semester. At the time, I was concerned about my neurological health. The possibility of a progressive disease was looming in the distance. It was an incredibly intense time and starting a blog felt like a way to regain control and speak my truth. I can’t thank my brother enough for helping me in this endeavor. Let’s look back at the past year. I found out that my form of dysautonomia is not progressive. That was a big win. I got my tonsils removed after a very…
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I'm Burnt Out
Like most people, I’m burnt out. It’s been one hell of a year. I think in general this year has been such a relief for me in so many ways. I know that it’s a pandemic and that’s challenging but in a lot of ways I’m doing great. For starters, I have not been hospitalized at all in 2020. I may have had several surgeries and ER visits but no weeks spent in the hospital. I call that a win. In conjunction, a lot of my surgeries have resolved quality of life issues I was facing. This has significantly increased my ability to be a normal person in their 20’s. …
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A Review of Thinx Underwear
If you checked out my review of the Honey Pot Company, you might’ve found your way to this article. I’m on a journey to a no waste period. Part of that journey was cutting out pads. Like most women, I have break through bleeding that requires some security. I stumbled upon Youtube videos of influencers trying out Thinx. I thought I would give it a try myself. I bought a few different products and I’m here to tell you what I thought. My Shopping Experience I went into this blind. Besides the Youtube videos I watched, I had no sense of what I wanted. I knew that I wanted a…
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My Experience With Beta Blockers and POTs
I’ve had POTs for several years now. Only one of those years was it untreated. Beta blockers were a game changer for me. I was able to have a lot of success with them. I have been on two different beta blockers, metoprolol and propranolol. Both of these had different effects and different results. One thing to keep in mind while reading is that I get both tachycardic, as well as bradycardic. This fact is really important for me in dosing and management. It changes my experience because of my significant highs and significant lows. Let me dive into the specifics of both and my experience. Propranolol I am on…
