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Dealing With Endless Testing
Different types of testing go along with any type of chronic or acute illness. From blood tests to MRI’s, I have gone through the ringer with testing. Every test comes with different emotions. Some tests are painful, like the different injections I had to get in my hip. Other tests are emotionally taxing, like a three hour MRI of your brain and spine. All testing comes at a price whether it be physical or emotional. The more you try to escape it, the worse your experience will be. Here’s how I deal with endless testing. Radical Acceptance There will be tests that suck. Painful, traumatizing, and horrible tests will occur.…
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Making Progress With My Hip
After my hip surgery, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. For the most part, everyone is excited to see the progress I’ve made. I’m ahead of schedule and my hip is recovering nicely. I was ecstatic to get off crutches but it came with a price. I started to have extra pain in my hip when walking, something I didn’t experience with crutches. This brought me to a difficult fork in the road. Suddenly, I had to scale back what I was doing to accommodate this new change. Even with that set back, I’ve started physical therapy and we can see new results everyday. Choosing to get this…
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Tips for Having FUN at Home
Some or most of us are pretty much stuck at home during this coronavirus pandemic. It’s important not to let yourself wallow in the fear and anger that has come about with being stuck. Most people are not aware of what it is like to have to spend extended periods of time in the house. For those of us with chronic illness, we often have to spend extended periods of time in the house. Either way, it’s a good idea to keep your mind occupied and stimulated. Here are my best ideas for staying busy and HAVING FUN while at home. Play Games If you have others around your house,…
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My Issue With the Coronavirus
I know that this is the topic that everyone and no one wants to address. You’ve probably heard about it too much in the past month. I don’t want to talk about the virus itself but rather the conversation around it. Recently, I got into a conversation about the hype the media has brought to the virus. The people I was conversing with believe it’s talked about too much and there is no reason to panic. I don’t think people should panic. People should be concerned and prepared. Having a parent that works in the medical field, I know how serious this is for hospitals. This is cause for concern.…
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6 Ways to get into a Spring Mindset
I am so excited! Minnesota just had the warmest weekend since the winter started. I am ready for Spring. I am ready for flowers and warmer weather. I am ready for sunshine and walking outside. I am already preparing for Spring in so many ways. Now that we’ve gained an hour of sunshine during the day, I’m excited to jump into longer days. I dislike winter. If I had it my way, I would live in a moderate climate all year round. That’s not possible right now so I’m taking the opportunity to be grateful and prepare for Spring! Here are six ways to get in the Spring spirit. Start…
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Dealing With Ignorance
It’s interesting to me that I have to address this topic. After this week, frustrated. I have noticed that people have started to treat me differently since getting Crush. Most people are very accommodating or overly nice but there are others that are not. I recently watched a video on Youtube. A blind woman described her experience with her guide dog. She recalls times of being denied by a Lyft or Uber drivers, simply because of her dog. I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced this. I can’t imagine. I’m sure it will happen eventually but the Twin Cities is very accommodating. Let me preface this with the fact that…
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Cultivating a Healing Atmosphere
Healing is something sacred to me. It comes in many forms. Physically, healing is rarely able to take full effect, although it does show up here and there. In a mental sense, healing is all around me. I try to surround myself with an ora of peace. It’s much easier said than done. Starting off on this journey was very difficult. How do you go from frustration, anger, and confusion to healing? It starts with what you immerse yourself in. Anything from pop culture to your environment; it comes into play when cultivating a healing atmosphere. So you’re likely thinking, “Where do I start?” Excellent question! Here’s how I started…
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We Graduated!
Last Saturday Crush and I graduated from our program! Although Crush has had the official title of service dog for sometime, this event marked a special occasion in our journey together. Getting Crush was such a journey. From when the idea sparked in my mind to meeting him for the first time was a process, to say the least. There is so much to know before you get a service dog but nothing can prepare you for the beautiful reality of it. I’ve been brought into a community of people that is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Everyone is kind and loving. I had the joy of meeting the people…
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Creating a Healthy Lifestyle
Although most of us don’t have control over our health, we have control over our lifestyle. I put a large emphasis on the choices I make. This is due to my inability to control other aspects of life. This is a coping strategy but also very helpful. I don’t have frustrating conversations about diet and exercise. I surpass difficult lectures on lifestyle choices altogether. For me, these decisions came quite easily, when considering the alternative. I understand that they’re challenging for most people. I’ve created a short guide on how to create a healthy lifestyle. I hope you enjoy it! Focus on Key Areas When first starting off, I’d analyze…
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Tips and Tricks for Dealing with OCD
Dealing with OCD is an interesting experience. For most of my life, I was unaware of the fact that my anxiety was obsessive compulsive disorder. Having intrusive thoughts is a normal part of life but for individuals with OCD there’s a hyper focus on them. I can spend literal hours doing mental gymnastics. I repeat phrases to myself and try to ensure my own or others safety. The reality of living with OCD can be somewhat harsh. The only way to truly beat or overcome OCD is to endure. This is a therapy known as Exposure and Response Prevention. The therapy consists of exposing yourself to your fear. Then you…
