By wendy, on November 3rd, 2011%
 Image via Wikipedia
By Wendy Burnett
The Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge Prompts (#HAWMC) for day two is to write about a TV show based on my life or blog . . . I LOVE this! My mind is going wild with ideas, but they’re all based on the same theme. The only real problem right now is a name. I have absolutely no idea what to call it, and I’m hoping that by the time I hit the end of the post I’ll have come up with something.
The format is dead easy, as soon as I read the prompt I knew I wanted something like a cross between Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil (without the confrontational pseudo-therapy.) The focus is living well in spite of having chronic illnesses and educating “normals” about the difficulties we face every day.
This gives me a huge range of possible guests; life coaches and psychologists, medical doctors that specialize in pain management and various chronic illnesses, massage therapists, herbalists, aromatherapists, acupuncturists, reflexologists, chiropractors, health activists, nutritionists, specialists in ergonomics and accessibility, lawyers that specialize in disability issues and patients with different issues and combinations of illnesses.
Not only that, but the combinations are endless. Panels of patients discussing how hard it is to get adequate pain relief or trying to find doctors that don’t treat them like addicts, debates between allopathic physicians and holistic physicians, massage therapists and aromatherapists discussing how their specialties can be combined, discussions between pain management doctors who believe that opiods are a necessary tool and doctors who refuse to prescribe pain medications at all, etc., etc., etc.
So many possibilities, so many topics . . .
This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J
By wendy, on November 2nd, 2011%
 By Wendy Burnett
WEGO Health is having a month long event called “The Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge” (#HAWMC) through November. It sounded pretty interesting, and I can always use more ideas for posts, so I decided to participate even though I didn’t find out about it until I was getting ready for work yesterday. I’m already a day late with my first post, but I figure what the hell, it’s only one extra post, so here we go . . .
The prompt for the first post is “Titles of my future book. Come up with 5 working titles and a quick book jacket synopsis.” This is actually an easy one for me, since all of these books are in the process of being written, and the synopsis is just the basic premise of each book. I don’t know if they’ll ever be published through a traditional publisher, but they will all be available as both e-books and Kindle editions when I finish them.
Making Your Own Medicine: A Guide to Adding Herbs to Your Treatment Plan - The use of herbs (and other alternative treatments) can improve quality of life and reduce the need for medications, IF they are used safely and appropriately. This guide provides information about how to safely integrate alternative treatments, how-to’s for creating herbal treatments, and resources for finding more information.
Suffering is Optional: My Life with Chronic Illness - Although I have pain and fatigue (and lots of other symptoms,) I don’t suffer from them. They don’t make me miserable, or cause me psychological distress, or make me unhappy. Continue reading Current Projects: Titles of My Future Books »
By wendy, on November 2nd, 2011%
What do you pay attention to in your life? Is it the 5 people who say, “I hope your pain levels drop soon,” or the one who makes a nasty comment like, “fibromyalgia doesn’t exist, you just don’t want to have to work like the rest of us?” (Yes, I’ve actually had someone say that to me.)
I’m going to tell you something you already know, and you’re likely to think I’m sort of nuts until you read a little further.
You can only see the things you look at.
Yes, it sounds stupidly obvious, of course if you don’t look at it you can’t see it, but there’s a point to this statement that is directly related to living as well as possible with your chronic illnesses. It took me a LOT of years to make the connection (I’m a little slow,) and I’m hoping I can help you catch on a little quicker than I did. Continue reading Where is Your Attention Focused?: Positive Thinking for the Chronically Ill »
By wendy, on October 30th, 2011%
 Credit: Free images from acobox.com
By Wendy Burnett
When I was in therapy, my therapist used to tell me I was comparing my “insides” to everyone else’s “outsides.” (Thanks Ginny, it took me a while, but I finally get it.) Intellectually, I understood what she was saying, but I never really “felt” it until recently.
What gave me the push I needed was one day when I was still working fast food. One of the people I was working with said she envied me and wished she had a life like mine . . . My immediate thought was, “darlin, if you knew what my life is really like, you wouldn’t want it.” That’s when it really connected for me.
She only saw what I let her see, the cheerful, funny me with the great friends and strong marriage. Continue reading Are You Comparing Your Insides to Everyone Else’s Outsides? »
By wendy, on October 28th, 2011%
Those with chronic illness have many things in common, and one of the ones that has the biggest effect on our ability to take care of ourselves is the massive amounts of money we have to spend on medical care, prescriptions, OTC medications, and assistive devices. Even with insurance, copays and treatments/medications that aren’t covered can amount to thousands of dollars a year (at one point, I was spending about $400 a month on copays, just for medication.)
Unless you have a really good income, that doesn’t leave much for all the other necessities of life, so any opportunity to save a few dollars can make the difference between replacing that shorted out heating pad or having higher pain levels because you don’t have the money for a new one.
It can also mean that you can’t afford to replace your old glasses, leaving you to suffer headaches and vision problems caused by wearing glasses with outdated prescription lenses, wearing broken frames that have been taped or glued back together, or having to do without.
This is a big issue in our household, since all four of us need eyeglasses, and even with the sales at the “mall stores” and eye doctor’s offices, we’d never been able to find anything we liked for less than $150. A couple of years ago, one of my roommates found a solution. He purchased a pair of fashionable, flattering eyeglasses for around $50 online. He got cheap eyeglasses that look good? We were all thrilled.
So where did he find them? Zenni Optical, an online company that sells prescription glasses at affordable prices. They have a huge range of styles and lens options at prices that are a fraction of even the “big box” warehouse stores, and you can even “try them on” by uploading a photo of yourself and using their site to show you what the frame would look like on you. (The worst thing about buying new eyeglasses, for me, has always been that without my prescription lenses I can’t really tell how the frames I’m trying on actually look.)
So far, both of our roommates, and one of our neighbors, have “Zenni glasses,” and we’re about to add another pair to the family. Hubby’s frame broke a few weeks ago, so he’s going to need a new pair.
He only wears memory titanium frames because he’s so near-sighted he can’t even see well enough to find his glasses if he’s not wearing them, and he frequently falls asleep without taking them off. (Have you ever slept in wire-framed glasses, then had to take them in to be readjusted? With memory titanium, that’s not a problem any more.) He was convinced that he’d have to go to one of the high-end stores to find what he needed, but I found a frame on the Zenni site that is identical to the one we paid over $100 for at a warehouse club, for only $24. (#311615) Guess where his next pair is coming from. LOL
 Hubby's expensive frames look just like this $24 frame from Zenni Optical. One of our roommates has had his glasses for over a year now, and the other has had his for about 3 years, and neither one has ever had a problem with them. The customer service was great, the glasses got here when they were supposed to, and the fit is perfect. They’ve both said that they’ll be buying all their eyeglasses from Zenni from now on, and the neighbor who got hers there has said the same thing. The only minor thing is having to wait two weeks to get them, but she got an identical pair of glasses from one of the “mall stores,” and that took 8 days. She said that for the amount she saved, it was more than worth the wait.
By wendy, on September 15th, 2011%
 Image by bloomingdalelibrary via Flickr
By Wendy Burnett
One of my absolute favorite activities is a nice long soak in a hot bath full of some wonderful smelling bath salts, but that can be expensive if you have to go out and buy the bath salts at the store. I’ve found out I can make my own; quickly, easily, AND cheaply; with just a few simple ingredients.
Not only are they just as luxurious as the store bought ones, but I can select essential oils that help to relax me and ease my pain, or ones that will wake me up and reduce depression. I decide what effect I want, and with a little research and experimentation, I can get it.
CAUTION: Do not use pure essential oils directly on your skin. They are very strong, and can cause burns and scarring if used undiluted. If you accidentally get some on you, use olive oil or coconut oil on it immediately to dilute it, and see a doctor if there is any pain or reddening of the skin. Also, you should never use an essential oil derived from any plant you are allergic to. (If you’re allergic to ragweed, be extremely careful of chamomile oil. They are members of the same family, and an allergy to ragweed means you may also react to chamomile.) See Using Essential Oils Safely for more information.
The Recipe
- epsom salt
- a glass container with an airtight seal (you can’t use plastic or metal with essential oils, the oils will interact with the container, and could introduce toxins to your salts.)
- essential oils of your choice
- optional: unscented sea salt to mix with the epsom salt
Note: The magnesium in the epsom salt is absorbed through your skin, and helps to relieve pain and relax your muscles. If you’re using the bath to help ease the symptoms of your chronic illness, I recommend that you use no more than half sea salt if you mix it. Although sea salt also contains many trace minerals, it doesn’t work as well to ease pain; and it increases the price of your blend because it is much more expensive.
The basic recipe is simple. For each cup of salt, add 10 drops of essential oil. I like to layer it, with a cup of salt, add 10 drops of oil, another cup of salt, another 10 drops of oil until my container is about 3/4 of the way full, then seal it and shake it up really well. It just seems to mix better and infuse the scents more evenly, especially if I’m using several different oils. For the most even infusion and blending of scents, leave the jar sealed for at least 24 hours before using, shaking it several times to remix and blend.
One of my favorite essential oil blends is half lavender and half rosemary. They are both excellent for skin irritations like psoriasis, eczema or insect bites; stimulate the circulatory system; reduce stress and fatigue; help with migraines and tension headaches; open the the bronchial tubes and help with asthma and bronchitis; repel insects; and reduce pain. Lavender also helps to reduce depression and anxiety, eases the pain of sciatica, and is helpful with vertigo; and rosemary is helpful with neuralgia and “fibrog” (it’s a mental stimulant.)
Using your bath salt:
Fill the tub with water as warm as you can handle (if that’s only tepid, that’s just fine.) Add two to five cups of your bath salt under the running water, swishing it around to make sure it all dissolves, climb in and relax for at least 20 minutes (I normally end up staying at least an hour, adding warm water as needed to keep the temperature comfortable.)
For an even more relaxing, stress-relieving experience; turn off the lights, light a couple of unscented candles, and play some soothing music or a guided meditation.
This bath salt blend is also very helpful in a foot bath at the end of a long, tiring day. It will help relieve the pain of being on your feet, as well as helping to ease the fatigue. Add one cup of the bath salt to a warm foot bath, and soak for at least 20 minutes, adding warm water if needed to keep it at a comfortable temperature.
I’ve found that taking a long, hot bath with my homemade bath salts helps me manage the symptoms of my fibromyalgia, as well as being helpful with various other chronic illness issues. Stress makes my symptoms worse, and a bath not only relieves pain and reduces muscle tension, it also helps me relax and reduces my stress levels.
With the addition of a label and a pretty ribbon, homemade bath salts also make an excellent, inexpensive gift for almost any occasion. You’ll save money, and the recipient will enjoy a soothing experience that will make them feel wonderful.
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By wendy, on August 27th, 2011%
 by Tooley
By Wendy Burnett
I read this awesome post about The Loneliness of Pain and it really made me think about how isolated I feel sometimes. Even though I have people in my life that I CAN talk to about how bad I feel, I frequently choose not to for various reasons.
Have you done that? I’m betting that most of us have, either because we’re afraid that eventually these folks are going to get tired of “listening to us bitch,” or because we don’t want them to feel bad. There are more reasons, but most of them seem to boil down to one or the other of these two. Continue reading (Chronic Illness) = Loneliness + Isolation »
By wendy, on August 18th, 2011%
 Ready to Bloom?
By Wendy Burnett
There are so many websites out there preying on the chronically ill by promising cures or a better life if you just pay them for their secrets or tips or herbal products, that now we view almost everything that requires money with a jaundiced eye. The latest thing is “life coaching.” There are career coaches, health coaches, wellness coaches, life coaches, relationship coaches and chronic illness coaches, all asking for your money and making all sorts of claims about the wonderful things they can do for you.
Is this just another rip-off? Another way of getting what little money you have without giving you what you paid for? Honestly, it can be, if the coach you choose is unethical or poorly trained. Even if you choose a great coach, if you go in expecting to pay your money and get “fixed,” you’re going to end up feeling disappointed and ripped off.
A lot of coaches make it sound easy, like all you have to do is come in and talk to them, and everything will automatically get better. Well, not exactly . . .
Coaching, like psychological counseling, can make a huge difference in your life. BUT (and this is a very big but,) it is definitely not simple or easy. Like anything else in life worth having, you have to work for it. You have to be willing to make changes in your life that may be difficult or uncomfortable, to look at the things you do that may be sabotaging your progress, and to do the work necessary to get where you want to be in your life.
If you want to have less pain, but the only thing you’re willing to do to reduce your pain is take a pill, coaching is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you’re willing to look for other ways that may help, and actually try them, a coach can be a useful “tool” to help you find options and keep you accountable.
In the past I’ve often said, “I’m going to do this or that,” and then life happened and I forgot, or I got lazy halfway through and stopped before I’d given it enough time to find out if it helped or not. That is exactly what a coach is for. They’ll check in with you at your appointments and find out if you’re actually following-up on what you’ve decided to do. If you’re having trouble figuring out what’s next; they’ll provide tools that can help you decide, or find options, or decide what’s the most important; but they WON’T do the work for you.
A coach won’t tell you what to do, decide what you should try, or talk to your family for you. (If they do, run in the other direction.) They won’t do the research for you, and although they may give you a list of options to check into if you’re totally lost, they’re more likely to give you homework that involves finding those options for yourself. The entire purpose of coaching is to give you the tools you need so that you can go off and do it for yourself.
As odd as it sounds, a coach’s real job is to put themselves out of a job . . . and an ethical coach will try to get you to the point where you don’t need their services any more.
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By wendy, on August 16th, 2011%
 Image by chadly via Flickr
By Wendy Burnett
When you have a chronic invisible illness, one of the hardest things to deal with is the lack of understanding from your family, friends, and co-workers. “Normals” (those without chronic illnesses) have only had illnesses that last a few days or weeks, then go away; so when they see you on a “good” day, they think you’re “getting better.”
If your friends see you out shopping one day, and then the next day when they ask you to go to lunch, or help with something; and you can’t because the shopping wore you out, they get angry or think you’re “faking.” After all, you were fine yesterday. Continue reading 3 Ways to Explain Your Chronic Illness to Family & Friends »
By wendy, on August 11th, 2011%
By Wendy Burnett
Change is difficult for anyone to deal with, but it can be terrifying when you have a chronic illness. There are so many things to be afraid of, so many “what ifs” to overcome, that making a decision becomes almost impossible. All the unknowns are paralyzing, freezing us in place, so we refuse to do anything differently because we’re so afraid.
What if adding a new medication makes me feel worse instead of better? What if my doctor refuses to write my pain prescriptions? Will having lunch with my best friend put me in a flare? Continue reading Coping with Change, Spoonie Style »
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"The moral test of a society is how that society treats those who are in the dawn of life . . . the children; those who are in the twilight of life . . . the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life . . . the sick, the needy, and the handicapped."
---Hubert Humphrey
Welcome to the new home of Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired. I hope you'll enjoy the changes, and the new resources I'll be adding as I have time to work on the site. Things will look a bit odd while I learn where and how to modify the appearance, so please bear with me.
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