Sorry for the Silence

It's been a while since I blogged and I don't really have a very good excuse. Mostly my online time has been filled with working on the genealogy project so Lizzie would have it available for her Human Genetics project. I got everything that she needed ready for her to have time to prepare her presentation.  We worked on it together over Thanksgiving weekend.

Speaking of Thanksgiving weekend, we had a lovely time. We checked into the Homewood Suites hotel on Wednesday night and were greeted with a complimentary Thanksgiving meal for dinner. It definitely wasn't home cooked, but very tasty. And our room was lovely. It was a one bedroom suite with a separate living area and kitchenette. Very, very nice and comfortable. As a bonus they served a hot breakfast every morning and a hot dinner every evening, and the rate I paid for this was only $56 a night. What a deal. I will be staying with them again and soon. Lizzie and I slept in on Thursday, but not so late as to miss their breakfast. Then we went back to our suite to watch Macy's parade on TV and of course the dog show for Lizzie. She has been fascinated by that since she was 2 years old. After a morning of television gluttony we headed out to Buca Beppo for an Italian feast of antipasto salad, baked rigatoni and pumpkin cheesecake. It was absolutely delicious. Then we went to the theater and saw The Muppet Movie. So Thanksgiving was filled with balloons, puppies and muppets. What a day. We spent the evening resting in the room and got up to hit the mall at 11:00 for black Friday people watching. It was seriously hysterical. I decided that black Friday shoppers, unlike what I had imagined, are for the most part too young to have graduated from high school and decidedly male. We got back to the room around 3:30 am and boy did I sleep. I didn't wake up until almost 4:00 pm. Lizzie had gone to breakfast alone and brought me back a plate. For lunch she had the antipasto salad and some of the rigatoni. We did some more shopping and worked on her genetics project for a while, but I was too tired to do much of anything. The next morning I took her to her dorm and spent Saturday alone watching Christmas movies. I didn't go home until Sunday evening and I was surprised that I was home alone for quite a while. Ken was out at a friends house and Cheryl didn't come home until late that night.

Now for the bad part of the weekend, part of the reason that I was needing so much sleep was that about a week before this I was hit with a flare-up of IBS and Orthostatic Hypotension. Both IBS and Orthostatic Hypotension are part of a group of conditions that make up Dysautonomia. Dysautonomia is an imbalance in the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems that regulate the automatic functions of the body. Dr. K officially diagnosed me with Neurally Mediated Cardiogenic Dysautonomia with Orthostatic Hypotension in 2005 when he did the complete cardiac work-up after I fainted driving my car. But being an electrophysiologist he didn't mention the other conditions that are caused by Dysautonomia, like IBS. IBS I generally figured out on my own. I can go months or years and not have a problem with any of these, and then something happens to throw things out of balance and I'm having trouble with one or more of them. When I have a flare, I feel as if the plug on my energy level has been pulled, and I have trouble regulating my body temperature. I'm sweating or having chills when I am in a comfortable room. All of this is a nuisance, but other than it's over dramatic presentation, it is unlikely to be harmful. The only thing I can do is treat the symptoms, BRAT diet and probiotics for IBS and salt and fluids for OH. It's just that I hate that I missed so much time on Thanksgiving weekend with Lizzie because I was so tired. Here's to hoping that this resolves itself soon.

The other issue that I've been concerned about over the past few weeks is that while showering in the hotel, because the light was so much better than what I have at home I noticed that a small area of fat necrosis in the scar area of my reconstructed breast has started growing. It has me wondering if it is really fat necrosis. Again, if I left it completely alone, and it is cancer, it could get ugly. But as long as I get it looked into, treatment is really simple. I have an appointment after the holidays with Dr. SH and I don't think it's necessary to try to move the appointment ahead. It just kind of bugs me that it's there again. Even if she still thinks that it's still fat necrosis, I think I'm going to ask her to remove it. At the size it is now, it would be a small procedure that could be closed with a stitch and I wouldn't even need to be anesthetized. I would rather that it be gone and not worried about.

So, health wise, I'm being pecked to death by ducks. But otherwise, I'm having a nice holiday season.

Almost there

Every year in the fall I carry around two calendars. The reason: I start collecting appointments and I need to write them down somewhere or I will simply forget to go. This one really threatens to be forgotten. How am I supposed to remember the appointment in August that was made a year ago if I can't write it down somewhere where I will look at it? In my new calendar, I already have nine scheduled appointments with reminders to schedule others. This is the only way I know how to keep it organized. But it makes me a little crazy when I'm juggling two calendars at the end of every year. I have tried two year calendars, but that only postpones the agony. At some point I still end up with two calendars. I have also tried to use the electronic calendar in my cell phone, but I don't have a constant visual of it. The days I have appointments are merely boldend but with no explanation until the instant reminder is set to go off. That makes for some sad last minute planning. And it leaves me nowhere to tuck things like appointment cards, lab requests and updated prescriptions. So, here I am in the two calendar time of the year thinking about how great it will be to ditch the old calendar in a few days.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all

I was on the phone with Sophie, a co-worker in France. Because of the up-coming Olympic Games in London I talk to her quite a bit. She's wonderful to work with and I wish I could meet her face to face. So as we were concluding our conversation I said to her "Have a wonderful Thanksgiving". Then it struck me that she probably had no idea what I was talking about. Thanksgiving is a unique holiday to the United States. In my family we were always encouraged to contemplate on what we were thankful to God for, I grew up with the idea that it is a religious holiday. But that perception is wrong. It is actually a governmental holiday, a day that was supposedly set aside to say thank you to the native Americans who helped the pilgrims survive. In a day and time where separation of church and state  (which is not in the constitution) is more appreciated than freedom of speech (which is), I find it ironic that one of the most celebrated governmental holidays piggy backs as a religious one. So have a wonderful Thanksgiving y'all. Think about all the things in your life that you are absolutely grateful for.

Karaoke tonight

Not a high quality picture, but still a great picture. It shows the beautifulness of the Karaoke group that we found. It is a picture of my daughter Lizzie and Jay. Jay is an obese 30-40 something year old. Mollie is a sometimes anorexic teen that understands his worth and is thrilled to see him. I love our karaoke group. As we were coming in Abby saw us and ran up to hug me. I'm like a surrogate grandmother to her. I love her. But then, karaoke is not fun to me unless Lizzie is there. But the truth is that I miss the group from high school. When Lizzie was in high school the group included the Scrivens and the Branums. The Scrivens moved to Dallas and the Branums got divorced and quit karaoke. The teens went to college and now if I go, I will be mostly by myself. Not so fun. I'm sure I could adjust, but I'm not sure I want to expend the effort.

Conflict Conflicted

I got a Facebook message from my niece. She wanted to know why her aunt, my sister, hates her. She told me of something despicable that my sister had done to her that amounted to online bullying. I was mortified. My sister can be down right mean and expect everyone to be OK with it. I wasn't OK. After spending the day trying to let my niece know that she should just so totally disavow the actions of my sister and not let them tear into her fragile self esteem, I did something stupid. In the same cyber-bullying way I let my sister know that what she had done was wrong. Well, to tell you the truth my sister, who doesn't ever see herself as being wrong, only wronged, decided that I was wrong to "attack" her. I ignored her first phone call because I knew that she'd be angry and spewing. I wanted to give the situation some time to diffuse. She called me a week later and I took the call. I explained to her that what she'd done was mean and had deeply hurt my niece. She tried to lie to me and tell me that she hadn't done it, but it is obvious that she did, and this is always her first defense mechanism. I didn't buy it. I pressed her and she fell back on her second defense mechanism which is to become a profane name caller...real mature, I know. My therapist calls it emotional backmail. She was trying to dissolve my high ground by making me seem less. She is very good at it. This time I took my therapists advice and cut her off. I sternly told her that the conversation was over. The truth is that I am unwilling to hold another one with her. I know that as a Christian I am supposed to forgive as Christ forgave me, but does that mean that I have to continue to expose myself to her toxicity. We all cut one of our brothers out of our lives because he was so very toxic no one was able to withstand his toxicity. My sisters is minor compared to his, but she tears down my self esteem with her meanness. I really do not want this to be in my life any more. It's not that I don't want her in my life. I just don't want her meanness and blackmail in my life. But cutting her out of my life feels like unforgiveness to me. In Christ we are called to forgive, and this seems like the antithesis. I am conflicted.

A word to the wise

"Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."

Unknown 

  If you wouldn't say it to a friend or a co-worker, or even a stranger, you should never ever consider saying it to a loved one. Familialarity is no excuse for verbal or emotional abuse. Just sayin'...

Monkeying Around

I know this doesn't count as writing a post. But I'm kind of busy today.

Thank You Veterans

For everything you do and everything you have sacrificed, we are grateful.

Happy Veterans Day

Dr. B Update

I saw Dr. B on Tuesday. She has been pleased with my progress, but thinks that after a year I need a short break from strict diets. So for the time being I can eat what I want. The odd thing is that I didn't immediately get the urge to eat a bag of Dove Chocolates. The worst I've done is Grilled Cheese on low carb bread. I just have a huge desire not to undo the good that I have done over the past year. So I'm sitting here eating crudites and cheese and feel like I'm cheating because I'm not pigging out on the pizza.

I'm getting really excited about Thanksgiving, mainly because I have almost nothing going on. I just sent Matt a message to see if he wants to hang out with me that weekend. Otherwise Lizzie and I are going to celebrate together on Friday, because she has to work on Thursday. It makes me wonder who eats at Hooters on Thanksgiving. So if I'm alone I will do all the geeky things that drive my kids crazy, like watch Macy's Parade and marathon Christmas movies. I will be going to Dadeville to spend time with Tim and Jack this weekend, so that will be my celebration with him. Matt says that he'll be up in Maine, so I guess I won't be hanging with him. Down time won't be bad.

Invite the Devil

I'm taking yesterday as one of my miss days for November. It was just not a great day for me. I had planned on writing a follow-up to Monday Monday. It seems that if you invite the devil, he shows up. I arrived home Monday night to find a letter from Dr. S. It told me that his NP was changing clinic days and that my appointment had been rescheduled for 12/28. That is a big problem for me. I dislike and distrust his NP. She doesn't answer questions, blows off my concerns and doesn't get back with me regarding my test results. When I made the appointment I asked specifically to have an appointment with Dr. S, not with C. The scheduler assured me that my appointment would be with Dr. S. Yesterday I called and asked why my appointment with Dr. S had been changed to C and then rescheduled. D, who answered the phone told me that C's clinic day had been changed, which I already knew, but not why my appointment had been changed to C. After about ten minutes of going around and around with it, she finally gave me an appointment with Dr. S on the same day that it was originally scheduled, but not the same time. I'm almost certain that when I get there my appointment will be with someone else other than Dr. S. So, less than a day after sending HR the email designating my appointment times, it had changed. I am beginning to wonder about the purpose of making appointments at all.

Monday, Monday

"Case of the Mondays. Write about something that gets you down, burns you out, or makes you sad. Purge it in a blog post. Turn it around at the end. Tell Tuesday why you’re ready for it."

Now this is the perfect prompt for today. When I originally read it last night I was thinking about coming up with something on my own. But after today, it's looking pretty spot on.  It started this morning when I got this e-mail:

____________________________________________From: M  Sent: Monday, November 07, 2011 11:26 AMTo: EmmyCc: N Subject: Request for FMLA Approved - EmmyYou submitted an FMLA medical certification for intermittent time off work for Emmy. Your medical certification was approved and an approval letter has been mailed to you. You are eligible for up to twelve weeks of FMLA leave for each calendar year, at this time starting November 4, 2011 through December 31, 2012. The estimated time off for FMLA is up to two times every three months, five days per episode.FMLA Requirements:So that there is the least disruption to the workplace you are expected to provide your management team with a 30-day notice of your FMLA leave time off work if your leave is foreseeable, or as soon as you become aware. Please also forward us a copy of your upcoming appointments for our records.
In addition you are expected to plan your scheduled appointments before your shift start time, during lunch or at the end of your work shift. However, we do understand that there may be minimal notice with some symptoms related to the serious health conditions noted on your medical certifications.
No other medical documentation is required at this time. For example, we do not need medical documentation to substantiate your medical appointments. However, we will seek clarification from your health services provider if there is a pattern of absenteeism not previously noted on your medical certifications on file.
Time Card Management:If you miss a portion of the day for FMLA purposes, then please enter the hours you worked and discretionary time (accrued vacation time if no discretionary remaining) for the FMLA time off for that day. In addition please note in the comments section the amount of time off that day for the FMLA related reason. If you miss the entire day from work and have exhausted both your discretionary and vacation time, then please code your timecard as FMLA - "36".
Please use the attached worksheet to keep track of your FMLA time. Your management will also track your time off work. At the end of each month your management will forward us a copy of the worksheet for review. Please let me know if you have questions or need to discuss the above information is detail. In addition you are expected to plan your scheduled appointments before your shift start time, during lunch or at the end of your work shift. However, we do understand that there may be minimal notice with some symptoms related to the serious health conditions noted on your medical certifications.No other medical documentation is required at this time. For example, we do not need medical documentation to substantiate your medical appointments. However, we will seek clarification from your health services provider if there is a pattern of absenteeism not previously noted on your medical certifications on file.

I took out the names and added a highlight to point out to you the part that I'm going to talk about. I had to pull out my new calendar and come up with a list of expected appointments. I sent M this:

From: Emmy
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2011 11:57 AMTo: MCc: NSubject: RE: Request for FMLA Approved - Emmy 

M:

At present I have the following medical appointments pending:

Thursday Dec. 22, 2011 12:30 – 2:30

Friday Dec. 23, 2011 1:00 – 2:30

2 unscheduled around Jan. 12, 2012

Friday March 2, 2012 8:30 – 10:00

Tuesday April 24, 2012 8:30 – 10:00

2 unscheduled around May 15, 2012

Unscheduled around June 24, 2012

3 unscheduled appointments around July 16, 2012

Unscheduled around Aug. 2, 2012

Monday Aug. 20, 2012 9:30 – 11:00

Unscheduled around Sept. 12, 2012

Unscheduled around Oct. 24, 2012

2 Unscheduled around Dec. 19, 2012

These are regularly scheduled follow-up appointments. If I have a medical issue that would require added attention then some of the follow-up appointments may be scheduled more frequently. In addition to the appointments listed above, I have weekly physical therapy sessions that take place before work on Tuesday mornings and a bi-monthly appointment that either takes place after hours on Tuesdays or Saturday mornings. From time to time a few of these appointments will be rescheduled either by the doctor or me due to scheduling conflicts. I do generally try to get the first available morning appointment or one that takes place near lunch. That is not always possible.

I hate that I made out that list. I know that I see doctors often, but this gave me a number. 44 visits for regularly scheduled appointments and 52 physical therapy sessions.  96 office visits (the equivalent of one every 3.8 days) every year and this is if I don't get sick. If I do get sick the number goes higher and I haven't had a year in the last 8 that I haven't faced some sort of medical situation.   This exercise in futility has left me really bummed out. No wonder I spend so much time trying to figure out which medical expert I can write off. Yeah, I'm kind of burned out on my health right now.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Sorry about the formatting. Blogger changed it when it published and I can't undo it.
Emmy

Who is your family?

"If I could do anything as a Health Activist… Get aspirational. Money is no longer an option. What is your biggest goal that is now possible? How could you get there?"
Now bring it back down to size. How much of this can you accomplish now, in a year, in five years?"

It's an interesting prompt, and I will use it on one of the days when I'm not so excited about the prompt for the day. Today has had a lot of things going on that I need to process.  Daylight Savings Time has thrown me off a bit and I woke up early. I had time to lurk the web and went to Facebook. There was a message from my niece that said: 

"How are you doing. It is awesome that you need new clothes. I am so proud of you. I have a question you may not know the answer too. Why does Brenda not like me? She wouldn't talk to me at Steve's funeral and she just asked to be my friend on facebook then unfriended me. I am just curious. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week end. ILY"

 The question was the equivalent of asking "Hey, did you notice the elephant in the room?"  My sister blames my niece for poor decisions that her parents made. That and the fact that we all knew that Cindy wasn't a blood relative, but that was another elephant. I personally am tired of all the elephants my family ignores so I decided to out it. I gave Cindy the awful truthful answer emphasizing that she is not responsible or to blame for any of this. It wasn't surprising to me that I was only confirming what Cindy already knew.  My sister can be a royal bitch. I hate it. 

So with this background, I went to church. These are the people that I truly appreciate as family. Only one of them is actually related to me, and that is a distant relationship. But we care about and for each other. And we care about people around us. It doesn't matter that we aren't blood, we treat each other as family. I sat in the middle of this thinking about Cindy and Brenda and realized that it is better to just choose your family sometimes. 

After church I went to a restaurant and there was a large multi-generational family sitting near me. As I watched them I realized that I really miss this. And it's hard that I don't have this, and it's attitudes like Brenda's and actions like Ex's that I don't have it, can't have it. So I have been trying to work through my anger at them and my sadness all afternoon. Why does my family have to peck each other to death?

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Five things

"5 things that changed my life. For better? For worse? List 5 things that changed your life as a patient, caregiver, or Health Activist and how."

The most important thing that changed my life for the better happened 2000 years before I was born. Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross and paid for all my sins. On April 14, 1971 I sat in a decorated garage and understood for the first time what that meant. That night my spirit was born again.

The next thing that happened that truly changed my life for the better was the birth of my two sons and my daughter.  Being a mother to them was one of the things in the world that I truly desired. Conversely, one of the things that changed my life for the worse was falling in love and marrying their father.

The next thing on the list for the good would be finding Woodstock Community Church. They are a group of wonderfully caring people who truly understand being the hands, feet and heart of Christ.

Working at UPS has been a blessing. Even though there have been some really hard people to work with, that has been offset by the majority of amazing, talented and caring friends I have made there. And when I was sick, I had wonderful insurance to use.

The fifth thing that has changed my life for the better has been the births of my three grandsons. Being a grandmother is the best thing in the world.

I really don't want to dwell on the things that changed my life for the worst. I'm having a bit of trouble with standing on the edge of depression today, and I just don't want to give the devil opportunity.


This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Dove Chocolate Advice for today

"Steal 5 minutes for yourself today"

I just love Dove Chocolates. I love that they make them sugar free even better.

Frustrating Friday

The Wego Health prompt for today is:

"What happens after you press “publish.” Write about your post-blog-writing process. Do you immediately tweet a link? Email it to everyone? Re-read it for spelling errors?"

Pretty bland really. After I hit publish I usually go to blogger's dashboard and read what my favorites have written. Then after a bunch of people have read the post I get around to reading in and find all the editing errors that I have made.

But today is frustrating me beyond measure. A few weeks ago some team members made some special requests regarding the catering order for our Friday morning status update meeting. The only thing that makes that meeting bearable is that we get breakfast, well they get breakfast anyway. Breakfast is bagels, muffins and fruit. None of it work with my diet. So, I sent a new request into Sodexho to change the order requesting to up the order from 12 to 15 and have half bagels and half muffins. Bill responded and sent me a confirmation. We didn't have the meeting last week because so many people were out. This morning I went into the room at 9:15 and there was no breakfast. I called Sodexho and Kelly told me that they were serving hot breakfasts in other rooms so they were a little behind. When I got back into the conference room the food was there, but only enough for 12, and the fruit bowl was only half full. I called Kelly back and told her the whole order was not brought up. She told me that the order she had was for 12 people, but she would send them back in with the rest of the food. They came back with three more muffins, not the bagels that I had requested and no more drinks or fruit. After the meeting I sent her the confirmation that from a few weeks ago with specific instructions on what we wanted. I still have not received a confirmation from her. After that I was working on the catering order for the yearly day long team meeting next month. I want to be specific about what we want at that meeting so today doesn't happen again, I must have been interrupted a half dozen times for things that really aren't all that important. At lunch I picked up some paperwork from my doctor and decided to go to Dickey's for lunch. I have gone there a couple of times. The food is good, even if it is a little on the expensive side. I told the first guy my order and then moved down the line. The next guy had split up an order and was asking me what I wanted on the wrong plate. I had to tell him about 100 times that it wasn't my plate. Then he finally got my plate and put the wrong sides on it. I pointed out that I had asked for the Jalapenia beans and he had given me green beans. Then he put baked beans on my plate. I felt like reaching behind the glass, grab his face and make him look at me while I told him which sides I wanted. Then when I got to the register, the cashier rang up the other plate with my plate while I was standing there repeating "That is not my plate." So then there was a big huffy fit while the took the order off the register and re-rang my plate. All that and the food wasn't the same quality as it was the last couple of times that I have eaten here. I'm sitting here feeling frustrated and I have to go back to the office and try to get the things off my desk that need to move while being pelted with trivial requests. I am so glad that at least it's Friday.

Sorry about the whiney rant. This is just where I'm at today.


This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Do Over

Finally a Wego Health prompt that I'm excited about. Today's prompt is:

"Dear 18 year old me. Write a letter to yourself when you were 18. Be sure to tell yourself what to do more of, what to do less of, and what you have to look forward to in the next few (or several) years."

Dear Me:

We have just turned 18. We have graduated from high school and we are sitting on a South Florida beach feeling lost and uncertain. We are at a pivotal point in our life and the decisions we are making right now will impact everything that comes after this point. So I need you to make some serious lifestyle changes. That feeling that we have in the pit of our stomach is dead on. We are not where we need to be. We need to back up and reconsider what where we are going.

The first thing is you need to stop putting so much stock on what is expected of us, and do what you know is what is right for us. There are two other options that we found attractive, but you are afraid that if we follow them we will make other people unhappy. I say go for what we really want to do. If you will admit that going to FBC was a mistake and go home, you will be doing us a favor that will change the course of our life for the better. The people that you are so afraid of making angry won't even be in our life in ten years. Do this for us.

So now let's talk about our health; we have some serious things that need to change. Do you remember the day in third grade when we were standing in line the day we returned to school after being sick for a week and we fainted? The teachers said that it was because we locked our knees. They were wrong. Remember when we were running in Aunt Euple's front yard and we fainted. Again it was brushed off because it was a warm day and we were running around too much. I know that we faint a lot. That is why people don't get so upset when we do it. But we need to be upset. We have an arrhythmia that can be fatal. Granddaddy did not have a massive heart attack. He had a sudden cardiac arrest that was caused by the same arrhythmia that we have. Daddy has it too, and Mike. Somehow we will manage not to pass it on to any of our children, but we need to be careful.  We can't be athletic. We have to avoid any kind of competitive sports and intensive exercise. We are walkers, not runners. We also need to turn the alarm clock to a station that plays classical music. We don't need to be startled awake by loud beeping or blaring advertisements. And there are many medications that will cause us trouble. Not many doctors know about our condition in the 70's and 80's, so getting them to not prescribe the antibiotics and antihistamines that are bad for us will be impossible. And the list is so long that there is no way I can give you the whole list. But do avoid Sudaphed and Bactrim. Also, they are going to want to start your labor with Oxytocin. Don't let them.  It will cause you to faint during labor.

Our health is highly impacted by the things that you eat. You are already having problems. The episodes of hypoglycemia that you are having is wrecking havoc with our kidneys. Anorexia is the pathological inability to maintain a normal body weight. At this point we have been doing this for years. I know that you don't feel hunger and it is easy to forget to eat. I also know that you use it as a way to stay thin, but the kidney damage that you will experience in our 40's is caused by being anorexic now. You will quit being anorexic in your 30's, but the damage that is done by it isn't reversible. Please learn to eat on a schedule. When choosing what to eat, please ignore the Food Pyramid and eat as carbohydrate free as possible. The book "The Atkins Diet" is a very good primer on how to do it. You especially need to avoid a substance that will soon replace sugar in most foods called high fructose corn syrup. A lot of the problems that we have now can be tied to the use of those products. Also avoid hydrogenated oils. They learned a few years ago that they are worse than the saturated fats that they are replacing in our diet. When you do eat carbohydrates, they really need to be whole grains. That is going to be a challenge, but they will become the fad in the 90's.

I wish I could say that this covered it as far as health problems go, but you will have a lot of problems in the future that you can't avoid. You can only control so much. So go easy on yourself when the problems do come up. But don't go easy on your doctors. There will be some who will want to brush your problems off for many different reasons. When you have a problem that won't go away push back. Ask questions, and expect answers.

The last thing I would say is readily accept the help offered you by your friends, but put off your family. It seems harsh, but things will get complicated when your family steps in. Love them from afar. It will protect your relationship with them.

So, take care of yourself and have some fun. One more thing, don't even consider marriage until you are out of college. It will keep you from making some big mistakes.

Love,
Emmy

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Free Truman!

Today's blog prompt from WEGO Health is:

"My TV Show. Your blog is being turned into a TV show! Congrats – you’ve earned it. In fact, you get to co-write it. Write about the TV show based on your life or blog."

The first thing is that I think my show wouldn't last a season. There is the "Done" factor, nobody would watch it because it has been done in a much better way. I mean, well combine House with The Office and As the World Turns and you pretty much have it. Except, most of my conditions aren't as rare as the ones on House. Though he does tend to mention LQTS and Hyperaldosteronism quite a bit. UPS is nowhere near as funny as The Office and my life definitely isn't as catty as a soap opera. So there you have it, it would be a dumbed down version of shows that are already wildly successful.  If anyone watched it at all it would be because of the train wreck factor. Even my doctors look at my list of diagnosis' and shake their head in disbelief. Really, they do. Here is the list as it stands:

Androgenic Alopecia, Breast Cancer, Chronic Kidney Disease, Depression, Diabetes, Essential Hypertension, GERD, Hyperinsulinemia, Hypertriglyceridemia, Hypothyroidism, Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, Long QT Syndrome, Lymphedema, Metabolic Syndrome, Migraines, Neuro-cardiogenic Dysautonomia, Obesity, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Osteoarthritis, Primary Hyperaldosteronism, Pure Hypercholesterolemia, Reynauds Syndrome, Tension Headaches

I could be a season of Scrubs all by myself. I guess this is what comes out of Alabama inbreeding.

Oh yeah, and my family tree would make a great episode of Who do You Think You Are.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

NaBloPoMo 2011

Happy All Saints day otherwise known as the beginning of NaBloPoMo. I have signed up at Wego Health for their list of prompts and will be checking blogher for other prompts. I probably should stick with one list, but I think that I want to do my own thing too. I'm just going to commit to writing a post a day for the next 30 days.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J