Giimpse into Wellness Wednesday - week 10 2014

My tip this week for Wellness Wednesday is to keep a book tracking all your medical visits, results, symptoms, and plans.

As I wrote yesterday here, it is so important that you be your own advocate when looking for the best options and answers for your health. Professionals in the health care setting are (mostly) amazing, but they are only human. When you see multiple doctors, it is easy for things to be overlooked. If you keep track of everything that is going on, you can make sure that the required tests are ordered, the results are reviewed, relevant people know about your symptoms and so on.

Ask for copies of results and summaries, and keep an up to date record of each medical visit or new development. It doesn't need to be anything fancy; just a few sentences or dot points detailing what occurred. I know that when you are sick doing something like this is easier said than done, and I have let mine slide a few times, but trust me, you will be thankful that you took the time to keep track.

Glimpse into another diagnosis - POTS & RBBB

My health journey has taken another turn in the past fortnight. Mid February, I visited a cardiologist, after having had a tilt table test performed in December, and discovered that I have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). This explains a great deal, such as the light headedness, dizziness, palpitations, low blood pressure, nausea, brain fog and fatigue. It is mind blowing for me that this hasn't been discovered sooner. I have had the symptoms since I was a child, and although I've had other diagnosis made such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and although it is a bit like the chicken or the egg in terms of determining which symptom or condition came first, it is amazing that it has taken til I'm nearly 30 to make the diagnosis. There have been several chances for this diagnosis to be made in the past, and it took me requesting the tilt table test (the diagnostic test used to diagnose issues related to blood pressure and heart rate) to actually get it done. I really can't stress enough how important it is to be your own advocate in the health care setting.

Motivation Monday - week 10 2014

As I am nearing a monumental birthday (the big 3-0), I am aware that this is typically a time people reflect on where they are in life and what they have done. Up until the age of about 26, I was happy with everything that I'd done; I felt accomplished, well travelled, educated and happy with how life was. The second half of my 20s started to slow down, and now, I am so unwell that I do not work, can not drive, I live with my parents, and I do the bare minimum in terms of chores or social outings. Nearing my 30th birthday, I could be forgiven for seeing this as a bit of a failing. However, I know that it is absolutely not down to any fault of my own. I am motivated and enthusiastic, and I am only in this situation because of my health issues, which I am doing all in my power to improve.
The saying that I wanted to focus on for this week is, "If you stumble, make it part of the dance." I love this. I may have gone off my planned path, but I am making the most of what I have. This blog for example, was born out of the stumble that has been my bad health. Keeping this blog going is really good for me. I also have become so interested in nutrition and well being due to my health issues. I love to learn as much as I can in this area, and I hope to be well enough soon to expand on this. So if you find that something knocks you during your dance, no matter what it is, do not see it as a failure or disaster. It can be scary and disheartening, but try to incorporate it and take advantage of the new possibilities.


Glimpse into the start of the Glimpsing Gembles Book Club

It is officially the first day of our first online book club for the Glimpsing Gembles Blog :-) So, start reading Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin if you haven't already! We will discuss the book over two weeks from April 15th, online at http://glimpsing-gembles.blogspot.com.au/

For more information, read previous posts about the book club here:
http://glimpsing-gembles.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/glimpse-into-book-club-update-book.html

http://glimpsing-gembles.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/glimpse-into-community-for-health-and.html

Happy reading!

Glimpse into Motivation Monday - weel 9 2014

This week, I would like us to remember the words of Marcus Aurelius...

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

These words have helped me this past week while I have dealt with new information about my health. No matter how difficult things can seem, how unwell you feel, or how lonely you are, ultimately, you are alive and have the opportunity to be happy, no matter the obstacle. 

Glimpse into book club book for March

Hello all!

Last week, I announced our first book for the online book club so that we would all have two weeks to find a copy, and start it on March 1st. During this week, I have discovered that the book is being reprinted as a paperback currently, and will be released at the end of March. There are hardcover copies around, but I have found that it is quite difficult (and expensive) to find a copy. Therefore, I feel we will need to postpone reading "The Interestings" til later on.

So if you have by chance, found a copy, fear not! We WILL read it! However, as it seems it will prove difficult to find a copy in the next couple of weeks, no matter where in the world you are, we will be better off to postpone and select a new book for this month!

The book for March/April will now be......"Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin.

Briefly, this is what this book is about:
One night in winter, Peter Lake, orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side.
Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter Lake, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young girl, who is dying.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12967.Winter_s_Tale

There are varying reviews for this book; some not so good, some are great. I feel that this means we will have a good source of discussion then, as maybe some won't love it while others will.

It is also discouragingly large, especially if you have brain fog like me! However, we have til April 15th when discussion will start, and if we find by, say April 7th, that we are all behind, we can extend our time frame. So please don't feel pressured or intimidated! Remember, this book club is about taking your mind away from your real world, and discussing a story with other people. Just relax and have fun with it.
There is also an added bonus, that when you finish this book, you can sit back and enjoy the on screen adaptation, which is currently in cinemas!

Glimpse into Motivation Monday - week 8 2014

This week's Motivation Monday...

 

This is especially apparent in chronic illness, due to the ongoing unwell times and loneliness, and then the stressful visits to doctors, endless tests, worry about employment and your lack of independence, and how you will get your life back on track, the loss of friends, and life plans and loved activities. Sometimes it can all feel unbearable. 

What I try to tell myself when I feel like this is that this is just how life goes. This is what it is all about, and by getting through the tough times, we get to the good times. Some things are hard, and they hurt, and they are unfair, but if we can not change them we should not focus on them. It is the hard things that we do have control over which we should put our energy into. Let go of the unchangeable, accept it, and adjust to it, and work on what you can change.

And sometimes, when everything happens at once, it will be the good things. 

 

Just take each ball as it comes. Accept the strikes, and hit the others out of the ball park. We can do it.