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I'm Getting My Wisdom Teeth Removed
I’ve chosen to get my wisdom teeth removed. For me, this is a big decision. Any procedure can cause stress to my nervous system. This could increase my daily symptoms making it difficult for me to function. So why now? It’s very simple, they’ve finally become a problem for me. I was told two or three years ago they’d have to be removed. My mouth doesn’t have the space for four extra teeth. I blew it off at the time, thinking I didn’t have the time or it wasn’t worth the hassle. Now, it’s clear that they were right. As my teeth are growing in, it’s causing a lot of…
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Stop Saying These 5 Things to People With Chronic Illness
I have had lots of poor experiences with people sharing their opinions on my chronic illness. The majority of people I’ve met with health issues experience this same problem. Everyone wants to help but unfortunately, it’s often more hurtful than helpful. I know that most people mean well. I know that everyone wants to come up with a solution. I know that it comes from a place of love. That said, if someone is sharing their experience, ask before giving advice. In my experience, I need to explain that I’m venting and don’t need any help. I just need to state how I’m feeling. If you can’t fight the urge…
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Dealing With OCD Spikes
My OCD has been calm lately. I knock on wood when I say that. Really, how well I manage my OCD is completely dependent on me. That’s not to say that I don’t have random spikes of anxiety. Some days I feel more anxious than others. Some days I see a million triggers, other days I see none. Some days, I automatically start compulsions and other days I don’t. The other day, my therapist wanted me to do research on a topic. I started to get anxious about this rather quickly. I didn’t know why she wanted me to research this. I started having a lot of automatic thoughts, “Does…
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My Experience With PTNS
Last Friday, I had my first experience with PTNS. For those who don’t know what that is it’s “Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation.” It’s used for those who suffer with incontinence. It controls the messages the bladder receives by stimulating a nerve. There’s a lot of science behind it but I don’t fully understand it all. I’m using it to help my bladder leakage. If you’ve read my post “A Long Road That Ends With Surgery” you know that this is the second to last intervention. After this, I get a nerve stimulator placed in my back. The hope is that this therapy will give the doctors a better idea of…
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10 Quotes That Keep Me Moving
I love inspirational quotes. On hard days it can put things into perspective and help you move on. On good days it can remind you that things are constantly getting better. On any day, it can be a nice boost to your mood and just keep you motivated. I have the app Motivation on my phone and I love the little reminders they send me throughout the day. Here are my top ten! Let it hurt. Let it heal. Let it go. Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on hard days you know that there are better things coming Nobody’s…
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I'm Getting A Dietitian
In the past three years, my body has changed a lot. During the winter and spring of my senior year in high school, I started working out a ton. This was the first time in my life I had ever chosen to exercise and stuck with it regularly. The results were extremely pleasing to me both mentally and physically. My brain was clearer and my body started to drop a lot of fat. After leaving for my first year in Connecticut, I started focusing more on diet than exercise. With new friends, a new course load, and new experiences to be had, I didn’t take the time to exercise. This…
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Tips For Running Successfully
Running is one of the simple joys in life. At least it is for me. Running has not always come easy for me. When I first started out, I hated it. I mean, I really hated it. As it became easier, it was a quick way to release a lot of energy. When I was anxious, excited, angry, or all of the above my first instinct became running. How did I get to this place? I followed the simple and easy steps that I’m sharing with you! One Foot In Front Of The Other Keep going. If you don’t like it, keep running. It’s one foot at a time. When…
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How to Prepare for a Tilt Table Test
If you have any form of Dysautonomia, the tilt table test is likely your worst nightmare. It’s minimally invasive but it’s not a fun experience. If you don’t know how to prepare for this test, consider this your how-to guide. I have had three of these tests in a year span. That is WAY too many but every new specialist wants their own confirmation. This is how to prepare: Stop Your Medication: I choose to stop my medication a week beforehand. Every lab has different rules on the exact number of days that you have to be off of medication. Check with your doctor to confirm but this is my…
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I Still Get Nervous…
Let me start off by saying, bringing Crush places, in general, doesn’t make me nervous. It makes me feel safe. He provides a lot of mitigation for my symptoms. He also helps take care of me when those symptoms are too much. I had a situation come up last week that made me question my own stigma. I needed to go car shopping. Out of respect for the dealers, I chose not to bring Crush. Although it is legal for Crush to be with me, I know how annoying it is to clean dog hair out of cars. Since Crush didn’t go with me to shop, I felt awkward bringing…
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A Review of Zenni
This year, instead of going to the Target optical, I decided to try Zenni’s. I was hesitant to pick out glasses online because I didn’t know what the end result would be. After talking to someone who had used the website before I decided to go for it and take a leap of faith. So here are my impressions of buying prescription glasses from Zenni: The Shopping Experience There are so many options. I spent a collective 7-8 looking for glasses over several days. I took the face shape quiz twice and got two different answers. That wasn’t very helpful. Then I shopped by color, thinking I would be adventurous…
