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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 Long Road That Ends With Surgery
I’m facing another surgery. This seems insane to me since I’ve already had two in the past six months. The reality is, my doctors have run out of options. I have struggled with urinary incontinence for eight months. It’s something I don’t talk about often because frankly, it’s difficult to admit. Such a basic human function is not working in my body. It’s not as simple as that. I don’t have a sense of my bladder. I don’t know when it’s empty or full. The only indication I have that my bladder is full is pelvic pressure which isn’t always there either. This is a complicated and confusing problem. This…
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The Spoon Theory Explained and Why It's Important
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have seen #spoonie or #spooniesister. So what does that mean? The spoon theory is used to explain our energy throughout the day. When you have a chronic illness, you may start with spoon depletion. Say you have 20 spoons at the start of the day. You choose to shower (5 spoons). You cook lunch or dinner from scratch (5 spoons). Then you go to work (10 spoons), by the end of the day, you’re completely out of spoons. All your energy is gone. This may impact the number of spoons you start with tomorrow. You may choose to borrow…
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My Interview with the Invisible Wave Movement
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Jessica from the Invisible Wave Movement. Their mission is to: “Raise awareness, foster community, and advocate for policy for young adults with chronic conditions all around the world!” Being able to do this gave me a lot of joy. My goal, being a theatre major, has always been to share the voices of those who are waiting to be heard. I didn’t anticipate being part of a community where my own voice was silenced. For a while, I was stifled by the realities of my condition. Getting the opportunity to speak about my journey with chronic illness was a…
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Vera Bradley "ReActive Large Travel Cosmetic" Review
So it might seem weird to review a cosmetic case right? Well, I actually use this for my medications. Having gone through a lot of different experiences with medication bags, I find it helpful to see reviews of what works for other people. So let’s dive right in. I got the Vera Bradley “ReActive Large Travel Cosmetic” My first impression was overall good. I knew that it would be bigger than my previous case, that’s why I got it. I will warn you, it is pretty big. Luckily, since getting Crush, I carry around a decent sized backpack otherwise it wouldn’t fit. It has lots of pockets. The one in…
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I'm Running a Marathon
I’m ecstatic to share that I finally got the approval to run! It has been a long journey back. It’s been eight months since I last ran and these first few times have felt absolutely amazing. As I observe my body in its various states, it’s clear I have work to do to train my heart once again. I assumed when I started running again my biggest obstacle would be my hip. Unfortunately, my heart is having to work in overdrive to keep my body upright. My heart has never adjusted to exercise the way it’s supposed to. Even when I was at my peak of fitness, my heart would…
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Creating a Vision Board
This week I was discussing with my therapist goals and self-care. Both are important in achieving what you want out of life. Finding self-care has been difficult for me lately. I’ve been in and out of appointments, along with school and other obligations self-care falls away. I always keep up my healthy patterns but during the day, I do very little to let myself take a breath. My therapist brought up a lot of various ideas but one that stuck with me was a vision board. Since I’m creating a new one, I figured I would outline what I’m doing. If you need a boost, I’d suggest you build one…
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Spoonie Essentials I Carry With Me
I have always been a planner. I am usually prepared for almost every situation I’m in or at least I try to be. Having a chronic illness changed what I carry with me. My bag is now packed full of “just in case” items. Since we’re in quarantine, it’s the perfect time to stock up and fill your bag. That way, when quarantine is over, you won’t have to give it another thought. Here are the essentials I carry with me… My Medications This is a no brainer but believe it or not, this was not always on my list. I used to carry only the amount of medications I…
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It's Not All or Nothing
Too often, I get stuck in the mindset of all or nothing. I’m going to do a hard workout or no workout at all. I’m going to get everything on my checklist done or procrastinate everything. The reality is, life doesn’t work like that. As much as my brain tells me it does, life is not all or nothing. This is a stumbling block for me. I associate productivity and happiness with accomplishing all of my goals. I may not be able to do that on a daily basis and that creates anger. Once again, I’m back to acceptance. We must accept what we cannot change and focus on what…
