Dear 16-year-old-me - #HAWMC Day 10

Dear 16-year-old-me. Write a letter to yourself at age 16. What would you tell yourself? What would you make your younger self aware of?

Dear 16 year old Adrienne,


Be kinder to yourself.  Don't be so hard on yourself.  Laugh more.  Don't take yourself so seriously. 


Life is a marathon and not a sprint.  Take your time with life.  You have a great spirit.  Go have fun!  


Love,
More Mature Adrienne

I really don't have much to say to my 16 year old self.  I don't have any regrets from my younger years.  All the things that happened to me are what made me who I am today.  All the bad and the good.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Keep calm and carry on - #HAWMC Day 9

Keep calm and carry on. Write (and create) your own Keep Calm and Carry On poster. Can you make it about your condition? Then go to (http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/) and actually make an image to post to your blog.

This was really cool.  I thought that with all that is going on in my life right now, keeping calm is really important.  They always say stay calm and walk to the nearest exit. 



So much going on, today I called to change a doctor's appointment that I already changed a week ago.  Too much going on! 

Until tomorrow...


If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Best Conversation I Had This Week - #HAWMC Day 8

Best conversation I had this week. Try writing script-style (or with dialogue) today to recap an awesome conversation you had this week.

The best conversation I had this week was when my friend told us she was pregnant.  It was a complete surprise. It came out of the blue.  She was with us for over an hour before she broke the news.  I can't believe she waited so long to tell us.  I don't think I would have been able to wait so long.  She gave us a box with a little pink onesy in it that said "I love my aunties".  We opened it and we screamed!  It is so exciting! 

Until tomorrow...

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Health Activist Choice! - #HAWMC Day 7

Health Activist Choice! Write about whatever you want today.  (Maybe try a bonus prompt!)

Months ago my foot slipped off the clutch in my car when the car was off and sitting still. The car rolled forward and touched the car in front if me. It felt at the time like my ankle gave way. I asked my doctor if that could happen. He said he didn't know how. Now I see it all clearly: the torn ligament in my ankle made my ankle give out when I pressed on the clutch. I am not crazy.
Happy Easter!
Until tomorrow...
 If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Ekphrasis Post - #HAWMC Day 5

Ekphrasis Post. Go to flickr.com/explore and write a post inspired by the image. Can you link it to your health focus? Don’t forget to post the image!

It is that time of the year.  Some call it Easter.  I call it Cadbury Mini Egg time.  My second favorite time of the year.  Christmas being my favorite.  At our house we call Cadbury Mini Eggs "Crack Eggs".  Why you may ask?  If you are asking you have never had one.  ONE?! You can't have just one.  Once you open the bag, you can't stop eating them.  We call them Crack Eggs because they are as addictive as any substance.  We are convinced there is something other than chocolate in those eggs.  It has to do with the hard shell coating.

These eggs are the perfect combination of hard, crunchy shell and sweet, melty chocolate.  They also don't melt in your hand which makes them almost the perfect candy snack.  I can easily put away one-half of a bag in one sitting.  I like to put the egg in my mouth and then break it in half and crunch each half and let the chocolate melt in my mouth.

Go out and have a great Easter and if you are so inclined, get yourself some Cadbury Mini Eggs, if there are any left on the shelves.  I know I will.  Honestly, we have already gone through two bags of the Crack Eggs.  I know I have to avoid the Easter candy aisle of our local Walgreens.  Okay, maybe one more bag for this weekend...

Update on my surgery: Met with the surgeon today and we went over the steps of my surgery.  There are a few things wrong with my ankle/foot but we can't fix them all in one surgery.  I will get the ligament fixed first and then see where things are.  If I still have pain, another smaller surgery will be in my future.  I just want her to stop pressing on the points that hurt so much! 

Until tomorrow...

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Health Haiku - #HAWMC Day 6

i Health haiku. Write a haiku about your health focus. 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables. Write as many as you like.

My knee surgery Stop the pain in my ankle Delayed for a month
Will be on crutches Getting around won't be easy For six weeks or more
Once it is all over Able to walk much better Walk the dogs again

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

I Write About My Health Because… #HAWMC - Day 4

Day 4 - I write about my health because… Reflect on why you write about your health for 15-20 minutes without stopping. 

I write about my health because after being a member of the RA Club, I realized that many of the people in my life (friends, family, yes, even doctors) don't know much about rheumatoid arthritis.  That is why this started.  I wanted to educate, be an advocate and share stories about having arthritis.

Why do I write on my blog now?  I still like to do all of those things but the focus has changed a bit.  In just the short time that I have been writing, I have had two other diagnoses.  I now have Sjogren's and Crohn's disease.  So I still write about RA but I write about my other autoimmune diseases also.

When I started writing this blog I thought I would spend more time writing about advocacy but that has not happened.  Not because I don't want to but because there aren't enough advocacy opportunities to do to keep up a blog that I write on almost every day.  I put in as many advocacy opportunities as I can.

This blog has morphed into a place where I write about what it is like to live a life with multiple autoimmune complications.  From my feet up to my scalp. (oh, I haven't written about my scalp yet have I?  Well, that is coming to a blog soon!)  As some of my friends have said, they had no idea that so many things can go wrong.  I like to think that I had no idea that so many things can stay right!  (Life is good! I just got my Enbrel Support Card.  If you have no idea what that is, it helps to pay for the co-payment for Enbrel.  It is a life line!)   

So, I write about my health because people want and need to know about autoimmune diseases.  Education, with a healthy dose of humor, is so important.  Of course for no other reason, it makes me feel better knowing there are others out there (does that sound selfish?) and I get support from the comments they leave. 

Until tomorrow...

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Superpower Day - #HAWMC Day 3

Day 3 - Superpower Day. If you had a superpower – what would it be? How would you use it?
My superpower would be to be in more than one place at a time. I am so busy these days I don't have a minute to do anything. If I had two of me, I could do my work with one of me and have doctors appointments and make appointments and return phone calls and have with the other me. That sounds fabulous!

This is written after a full day of running around with clients, spending a few minutes with a friend returning to Europe, gulping down dinner and going to a play. Maybe my superpower would make it so I could get some down time.

What would be your superpower? What would you do with it?


If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Inspirational Quote - #HAWMC Day 2

Day 2 - Quotation Inspiration. Find a quote that inspires you (either positively or negatively) and free write about it for 15 minutes. 

"You don't realize how strong a person really is until you see them at their weakest moment."

It is so true. Have you ever seen someone giving birth or someone getting chemo? They are the strongest people you will ever see. Lifting weights is easy compared to pushing a 12 pound baby out of your body. Running a marathon is a piece of cake compared to a round of chemo. Seeing people rise up to do what seems impossible, those are the miracles. Seeing people face challenges knowing those challenges are not going to be pleasant but they face them anyway.

Sometimes the challenges are not so life altering. Sometimes the challenge is getting out of bed in the morning or being able to walk across the floor. Sometimes it is being able to hold a hairbrush or a toothbrush in the morning. Or maybe it is swallowing those pills just one more time when you really don't want to.

These people are just as strong. It takes strength to get out of bed when you know your feet are going to hurt like the devil. It takes strength to stick yourself with needles each week. It takes strength to exercise when it may send you into a flare. It takes strength to keep going. We have strength!

Until tomorrow...

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (#HAWMC) during the month of April, sign up here.

Given An Award & Health Time Capsule #HAWMC - Day 1

I was given this award a few days ago!  I am so honored!  I have been so busy with this silly little surgery thing that I didn't find time to say thank you!  I have been awarded The Liebster Blog Award by Deb aka ABC's of RA.  Deb has been writing about her life with RA.  She has such an interesting and uplifting writing style (especially those kitty photo montages!)


From Deb's blog: For over thirteen years I have been traveling my ra journey.  I have taken claim to it.  I have carried it in silence at times, I have carried it in pain at times, I have tried to hide it at other times, and I have acknowledged that it will be with me for the rest of my life.  And today, I try desperately to celebrate it the best I can.

This award is given to bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes its name from the German word meaning ‘Beloved, Dearest or Favorite’. I’m humbled and honored to receive this award.

As part of the tradition it is passed along to 5 bloggers that have motivated and inspired.

To accept the award you must:
1. Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them.
2. Post the award to your blog.
3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you appreciate and value.
4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have been offered this award.

I am honoring the following bloggers for their wonderful contributions to the health community. 

Wren, at RheumaBlog.  Wren writes the most poetic posts.  I always feel like I am there when she writes about a situation.  Her blog is "about rheuma and how it affects those of us who live with it every day."  

Megan, at Objects in Mirror are Closer than They Appear.  Megan is participating in the Health Activist Writers Month Challenge.  Her profiles states: I read and write like it's an addiction. I teach. I design objects and interfaces. I laugh often, though rarely early. I also happen to have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Lana, at Living Life as I See Fit.   Lana is also participating in the Health Activist Writers Month Challenge.  Her profile states: From the day that I received my first diagnosis, rheumatoid arthritis, I promised myself that RA would not win. A couple months later, I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia. In beginning, I went through a variety of emotions: Fear, denial, optimism, frustration, numbness, and skepticism. My emotions would change several times day and hope and acceptance were a long ways down the road. My blog is about who I am, my struggle for answers, and how I have made lemonade.

Courtney, at Age Does Not Bring Wisdom, But It Does Give Perspective.  Courtney is my sister-in-law and dealing with two young children.  She is also currently trying to lose weight.  From her blog: One thing I plan on adding at the end of every entry is a bit about what the children have done or are doing.  You think you're going to remember everything as they grow up, and then you realize you can't even remember what was happening this time last year. 

Socks, at Itis.  Warm Socks profile states: This blog is where I record my experiences with autoimmune disease, doctors, and my interactions with the healthcare system.  In this autoimmune war, I intend to win.  You can, too.

___________________________________________________________________

 Day 1 #HAWMC  Health Time Capsule


Okay, here is the beginning of the Writer's Challenge.  I have to think of things to write about.   A time capsule to be opened in 2112.  What would I put in it?  I would put copies of my health tests just so I could see how far things have changed in the next ten years.  I am always interested in how much things have changed over time.  I find it hard to remember when I think back.  Did my feet hurt five years ago?  Did my hands hurt this much ten years ago?  Maybe I should put this blog in the time capsule since this is the closest thing I have to a medical journal.  I am not sure what personal things I would put in a time capsule.  Maybe photos to see what I looked like, what my hands and feet looked like.  What my weight was so I can see if by getting off steroids I could lose the weight. 

If people found it, they would think I am a fairly ill person but that I am a person who is optimistic for the future.


Until tomorrow...