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How Crush Helps With Surgery Recovery
Crush has been incredibly helpful throughout all my surgeries. Although, most of the time after surgery he can’t perform his regular tasks, he can still help. So what does that look like? Here’s how my service dog helps me after surgery! Get Help This is a big one. Crush is trained to go and find someone in my house. I can simply say, “get help” and he’ll find someone and nudge them until they follow him back to me. This can be helpful if I’ve fallen or simply can’t get to my phone. Retrieve Crush usually has retrieving tasks. Picking stuff up off the ground is incredibly strenuous for me…
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I’m Starting a Youtube Channel
I’m in the process of trying to start a Youtube channel. After taking a poll on instagram, it’s clear that Youtube is an accessible platform. It can also reach the largest audience. I’d love to be able to grow my advocacy beyond my Instagram and blog. I love both and I am excited at the prospect of expansion. Please be patient with me while I’m in this transition phase. By no means am I accustomed to editing, filming, or technologically savvy in any way. That being said, I am trying my hardest to get it started as quickly as possible. In my ideal world, I’d love to have blog posts…
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Five Post Surgery Distractions
If you’re like me, all you want after surgery is distraction. It’s easy to wallow in the pain and get lost in napping. Although I appreciate letting my body rest, it’s helpful to have distractions when I’m all rested. So here are some ways that I like to distract myself post surgery! Writing I really enjoy writing. Whether it be journalling, writing blog articles, or working on a project, writing is a good outlet. It can be difficult to get started, especially if the pain is intense. Once I find my rhythm though it’s easy to get into a flow state of mind. Not only is that helpful to alleviate…
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I Got A Job
I’m excited to announce that I am officially employed! Finding a job has been a taxing process that I wasn’t prepared for. I thought it would be as easy as it had been in the past. Boy was I wrong. After what felt like a long journey, I finally found a good fit. The best news of all is that they chose me knowing that Crush would be by my side. I am now a receptionist. I chose to apply for reception jobs. They seemed like the most feasible option for me. Although this job strays from what my original plan was, I think we will all make a great…
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A Review of Manta Sleep Masks
I bought a new sleep mask. I have been using sleep masks for the past few years. I find that I can’t sleep without them now. My old one was getting a little gross so I decided it was time for an upgrade. Someone suggested Manta to me and so I went for it! I bought the weighted sleep mask for $39.99. That seemed pretty steep for a sleep mask, but then again my old one was $5 and I used it for three years. I’m hoping that a $40 mask lasts at least five years. So let’s talk about the good, the bad, and everything in between. The shipping…
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I Had My Second Hip Surgery
I finally did it. I went through my seventh and hopefully, my final surgery. It was worse than I anticipated. I beat my own record of the worst labral tear my surgeon had ever seen. They had to put so much fluid into my hip it was equivalent to that of a hip replacement. I woke up in intense and severe pain. It wasn’t at all what I anticipated or hoped for. Luckily, it’s day two and things are already improving. Once that fluid is absorbed by the body, the pain starts going down. Although I’m still swollen throughout my entire leg, it’s nowhere near as bad as yesterday. I’m…
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I Made $500 in 5 Days
No, I’m not kidding. Yes, I made $500 in 5 days. This isn’t a trick or a scam. I simply sold stuff I didn’t need. This is super easy. Everything I sold was through Facebook Marketplace. It came with a lot of frustration but I’m still getting orders for things daily. The best part, I haven’t used any of this stuff in YEARS. So what did my process look like? How can you make $500 in 5 days? Follow this guide and you’ll be well on your way. Start Sorting Go through everything you have. From clothes to travel gear! My biggest ticket item was a saxophone. You can sell…
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Feeling Stuck
I have felt stuck lately. Stuck not knowing what’s coming next, I feel unable to move forward. It’s difficult when so much of life hangs in the balance. I could have another move in my near future or stay in Minnesota, surrounded by friends and family. That may sound like an easy option for most people. I like being off on my own though. It’s been difficult to accept the past few years that being on my own wasn’t an option. It wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I guess maybe it was a distant dream, but a dream that was far in the distance. Now, it’s not only…
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Having a Flare
I recently had a flare of my POTS. I chose not to wear compression and didn’t drink nearly enough water. The end result was intense dizziness and a killer headache. I brought up a lot of fear for me initially. Recently, my allergies have really taken a toll on me. My skin breaks out in rashes without warning. I’m itchy and Crush alerts a few times a day now. The more I thought about how close my illness is to being out of control again, the more discouraged I felt. I sat in that for a couple hours. Now, I’m trying to reframe. I think I can border toxic positivity…
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My Response to Service Dog Questions
Every time I go out, I get questions about Crush. People ask entirely inappropriate questions. Luckily, the company that gave me Crush prepared me to answer these. I had no idea how I would respond initially. Even now, every question and person gets a variation of the same answer. Sometimes these questions leave me laughing, crying, or somewhere in between. So here are some of my pre-programmed responses to the question: Why do you have him/ What’s wrong with you? I have a disability I like this because it’s short and sweet. It also addresses how. Inappropriate it is to ask without shaming the person for asking. I like that…
