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Five Businesses That Spread Dysautonomia Awareness
It’s still Dysautonomia awareness month!! I wanted to highlight a couple businesses that are run by those living with Dysautonomia. This is a great way to spread the word about Dysautonomia. It also supports those who live with a chronic condition. I really hope you find something you like, if you don’t go over and support their social media. All of their links are below! Spoonie Sister Shop This Etsy store is tailored to spreading awareness about rare chronic conditions. All of their items are cute, fashionable and affordable. Personally, I’m a big fan of the “Pumpkin Spice and No Unsolicited Medical Advice” shirt! Grace and Brace I bought my…
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How to Prepare for Removing Your Wisdom Teeth
I only recently got my wisdom teeth removed. I will be the first to say that I didn’t prepare super well. Unlike most surgeries, I assumed this one would be easy to recover from. I wasn’t wrong but I wasn’t right either. It still took a tremendous toll on my body. I forgot to stock up on everything that would’ve helped me recover. In an attempt to save you from my own mistakes, here’s how to prepare for your wisdom teeth surgery. Buy Soft Foods I’m sure that your oral surgeon will warn you about this but I missed the memo. It didn’t even cross my mind. Luckily, I bought…
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How to Stay Consistent with a Busy Schedule
The Fall semester is in full swing. I’ve already had multiple papers due. I’m filled with to-do lists. Throughout this semester, it’s been difficult to be consistent with my schedule. This has caused me to be living in a reaction state rather than a proactive state. It has been a trial and error process of finding ways to keep consistency. I have not mastered this but I’ve found what works. More importantly, I have found what doesn’t work. Know How You’re Motivated This is really important. I am a self starter. If I tell myself I’ll do something, there’s a 90% chance I’ll do it. Knowing that about myself, I…
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Four Ways to Stay Warm in Fall
The weather is changing and whether you’re a fellow spoonie or not, you may be feeling the effects. I always struggle with the changing weather. For me, my circulation becomes a big problem with cooler temperatures. Having Raynaud’s phenomenon, if I don’t stay warm enough, my limbs will turn purple. That’s the best case scenario because once they start going numb, I know there’s a problem. Here are five ways to stay warm in the fall! Layer Up! This is obvious but there are lots of options you may not know about. When I started having issues, I’d end up sweating through clothes. I layered too much. Then when I…
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How to Prepare for Interstim Surgery
Recently, I had surgery to implant a battery into my back. This connects to a wire that stimulates my sacral nerve. This process of getting to this point was extensive. I started with PTNS, which is nerve stimulation that goes through your foot. After having success with a few trials, my best option was to move forward with Interstim surgery. I had no idea how to prepare for this. I decided to jot down a few ideas here. I hope you find them helpful. Track Symptoms I saw my surgeon only a day or two before surgery. At that point, they asked how my symptom tracking was going. I don’t…
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Dysautonomia Awareness Month
It’s Dysautonomia awareness month! October is dedicated to spreading the word about Dysautonomia. My personal journey with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome has been extremely turbulent. At its worst, it took away my ability to walk and function properly. I am grateful for the tremendous amounts of help I received from doctors, family, and friends. Everyday I am symptomatic in one way or another. Despite this, I continue to thrive as I learn to work with my disability, rather than against it. Unfortunately, not everyone has had a journey parallel to mine. Millions of people live with Dysautonomia. POTS specifically has a significant diagnostic delay. This leaves patients struggling to find…
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How to Confront Perfectionism
My OCD continues to improve with ERP therapy. Lately, my perfectionism has been my most difficult challenge. I started to strip away habits and compulsions. Now there’s an underlying anxiety to ensure things are perfect. Even if you don’t have OCD, perfectionism is very common. Our society has trained us that we need to always be at our best. For me, when you factor in chronic illness, that’s just not possible. I have some days where I struggle to function. It’s taken me my entire chronic illness journey to realize that it’s not a weakness to ask for help. In battling perfectionism, I’ve found some tricks in daily life. These…
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How to Stay Focused in Zoom Classes
I have discovered that Zoom lectures are extremely difficult to focus in. I know that I’m not the only one with this problem. I’ve come up with a few ways to keep myself focused. They aren’t always 100% effective, depending on the lecturer. Although, they can definitely help when I’m struggling to stay away or off my phone. Take Notes This is huge. My professors will post their lecture notes in the class. It’s easy to just avoid taking notes and keep their power points for reference. Avoid doing that. Take notes in class. It will help keep you present and focused on what is being taught. Even if it’s…
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Five Ways to Destress
When the semester started, I was extremely overwhelmed. The first week is always a challenge. It feels like there are a million things to do and no time to get it done. The first few weeks of school remind me of the importance of being mindful. I also prioritize time to destress. This looks different to everyone but here are five ways I destress. Watching Bloopers For me, laughing is key. Whenever I can get out of my head and laugh, I can feel stress melt away. I tend to look up bloopers from my favorite shows as a go to. The Office and Schitt’s Creek are my go to…
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Books That Brought Me to Buddhism
In high school, I learned about Buddhism briefly. At the time, I related to it and enjoyed reading the philosophies but didn’t give it much thought. After getting sick, I sought out meditation and beliefs to cope with what was happening. In learning more about Buddhism as a religion, I chose it as a lifestyle. Since then, I do my best to live a compassion based life. These are the books that brought to Buddhism. No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners: Clear Answers to Burning Questions About Core Buddhist Teachings by Noah Rasheta I had to start somewhere. I started with the basics. I figured learning what Buddhism is and isn’t was…
