A New Kind of Normal

Apr 24, 2013

Pinterest & Chronic Illness

April 24, 2013 By Jamee 4 Comments

Day 24 prompt: Create a Pinterest board for your health focus & share!

It is no secret that I am a complete Pinterest addict and I have found it to be especially helpful in organizing ways to benefit my life with chronic illness! Today’s prompt was a needed kick-in-the-tail to get it organized and I actually split my board into multiple boards so that I can better find my pins in relation to category such as Advice, Encouragement, & Support or Products That Make Life Easier. I hate searching through fifty pins to find the one I’m looking for so I’ve found that reorganizing my boards into more specific categories has made things much easier!

Three of my favorite latest pins are:

10 Ways to Stay Organized with Chronic Illness

image via the Novel Patient

Romantic Ideas for a Chronically Ill Wife to Romance Her Husband

image via Rest Ministries

Get-Well Cookies in Jar

image via Sugar Dot Cookies

Do you have chronic illness or health-related boards on Pinterest? Leave a link! I’d love to follow you!

Filed Under: chronic illness, health Tagged With: awareness, community, HAWMC, Pinterest, social media, support

Apr 22, 2013

8 Things I Am Loving Right Now

April 22, 2013 By Jamee 4 Comments

WeGo Health 2013

Day 22 prompt: Write about the things you couldn’t live without – list things you love or need the most.

1.Jesus – There is absolutely no way I could make it every day living with chronic illness without the knowledge that my Creator was right there with me in the midst of it. I am thankful to serve a personal Savior who does not stand off at a distance but right beside me and knowing that gives me the strength to press on. Knowing that I can hold tight to the promise that the Lord has plans for me beyond the pain gives me hope beyond what I can express in words.

2. My family – I could not ask for a more wonderful and supportive family. My husband is my biggest advocate and support. I know it is difficult as there are times where he feels helpless to do anything to make me feel better but just knowing that he is there fighting alongside of me means so much. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to have to see your spouse wheeled back to surgery yet he has had to go through it six times already and every time he is right there with me. My entire family is extremely supportive and for that I am very lucky. I think my dad spent more time researching gluten-free options at Disney than I did and it really touches my heart.

3. Coke - Hi, my name is Jamee and I am a Coca-Cola addict. I don’t know what it is about the stuff but I am addicted. I know its bad for me (have you seen the pin on Pinterest where Coke can clean a toilet overnight? why hasn’t that scared me?!) but I just haven’t been able to quit. There are worse addictions out there right? (humor me)

4. Leroy Jethro Gibbs - I’ll be the first to admit that this hasn’t been my favorite season so far but I still need my Gibbs fix. I mean, who doesn’t want to look at this:

Tumblr source

5. My TENS Unit – I have sang its praises before but let me just remind you of how awesome it is. It is worth every penny. I had a vicious migraine last evening and using my TENs and an ice pack worked great. I’ve always just used it mostly for lower back and pelvic pain until my chiropractor’s office showed me how to use it for migraines. Magic. Pure magic.

6. Hard Candy Correction Creme - It seems that BB cremes are all the rage these days so when I went shopping last week I browsed the beauty section and came across this brand’s creme. I have always been pleased with Hard Candy products in the past and for $8 it was hard to beat. I was not disappointed! It helps even my skin tone and brighten my complexion when I don’t feel like wearing makeup (which is often these days). I also love that it has SPF! I can put this one and a quick coat of mascara and feel much more put together which I have learned makes a big difference!

7. Zofran - Another miracle. It works so much better for controlling nausea. Why does insurance not want to cover it though? Anyone else have experience getting insurance to want to pay for it?

8. My Blog Planner – I have tried various ways to try to stay organized and this Blog Planner by Click It Up A Notch has been the best by far at helping me stay on top of my game. Simply amazing and steal at $12.

Those are eight of the things I am loving right now – what are some of yours? What should I be checking out?

Filed Under: chronic illness, health, just for fun Tagged With: about me, awareness, community, HAWMC, just for fun, support

Apr 20, 2013

Burnout

April 20, 2013 By Jamee 1 Comment

WeGo Health HAWMC 2013

Day 20: Write about burnout. What does it feel like? What are your triggers? What gets you OUT of the pit of despair when nothing is going your way?

This prompt came at the perfect time as I have really been struggling with burnout the last couple days. Blogging every day for a month is hard y’all! But more than blogging burnout, it is difficult to not get burned out living every day with chronic illness. The pain is not only physically taxing but is also a major drain on you mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

The last two days I have just been maxed out and needed to take a step back. I sat in front of the computer screen on Thursday for what seemed like eternity and just watched the cursor blink on the screen. I stared at the prompt given by WeGo and as much as I tried to come up with something, I just had nothing to offer.

Physically, I am still trying to adjust to life without work. My first week off was spent running after Abby with Lysol and a bucket as she struggled with a stomach virus. Thankfully she is doing much better which has allowed me to focus more time on resting, especially since my endometriosis has seemed to be flaring more than usual. Sleep has been fleeting so I feel more fatigued which seems to exacerbate my pain (which makes it harder to sleep and the cycle continues).

Mentally and emotionally, I feel checked out. The reality of not working hasn’t fully set in and I’m still working on not feeling guilty for spending most of my day resting. I feel like I should be doing something else. I question the reality of my pain. I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. I worry that the pain will become too much to carry.

To escape the burnout, I had to take a step back from writing for the challenge and take a breather. I really wanted to achieve 30 posts in 30 days but I had to give myself permission to step away. I needed to not think about life with chronic illness for while. I don’t have a choice about living with it so I allowed myself some time where I didn’t have to focus on it. Instead I watched some Ghost Hunters, browsed Pinterest, caught up on my blog reading, and worked on plans for Abby’s birthday party. I did some behind the scenes work on the blog (have you checked out my updated About Me page?) which helped me feel like I was being productive without focusing on illness.

Taking a step back and working on some self-care has definitely made a difference and I feel more refreshed mentally and emotionally. When I sat down to write, I felt much more at ease and have a better perspective on my life and my goals with writing in the WeGo Health challenge. Through some of my seminary classes, I feel like I have been able to learn about burnout and steps to take to both prevent it and recover from it as well as learning to be more in tune with my body and my own personal triggers throughout my journey with illness.

What are your signs of burnout? What are some ways that you practice self-care to either prevent it or recover from it?