Saturday WEGO Blog challenge - November 19th - How to Pull yourself out of a "rut" when things seem to just not fall in place? Health, skills, writing tools, life. being sick, other problems

WEGO HEALTH BLOG CHALLENGE FOR SATURDAY NOVEMBER #19! YES, I AM BEHIND!

I believe I've been pulling myself out of a rut so many years, I have to find MANY WAYS to try and continue to move on day to day, week to week, month to month... and hope the years continue to come also.

I used to gripe about birthdays, now that I've been so chronically ill, I am THANKFUL for them when they happen.


I have to admit, one of my "ways" I remain half "sane" is to talk to myself! I know that sounds more nuts than I will admit, BUT, I've found if I "talk" to myself, through a bad day, lousy situation, too many irons in the fire, I tend to be able to "move forward" past whatever is giving me too much hell at that time.

My advocacy work helps, and the blogging, and friends on Facebook (those that Truly LISTEN) that also gives me a way to purge whatever may be going on. There is ONE HUGE problem with purging online, especially Facebook! "Some" people that may not know why I write some of what I do, or they take is ALL LITERALLY, then I have "issues" to deal with. The true friends that know what is going on with my life, AND they know that my writing, is usually my #1 (first) to getting rid of whatever is eating me up inside.

I am the type of person, who can be totally upset, distraught, and appearing as if I am going to come apart a the seams, BUT once I can "say" it, whether Social Media, my blog, or talking to myself or my two fur-kids, it is gone. I don't harbor over problems that are in the past. Life is worth trying not to feel frustrated, upset and alone. As the years go on, I really have come to realize we are only here for a brief time, and allowing STUFF that we usually cannot do a thing about disrupt even an hour of a day, is an hour lost, that I can never get back.

So, I FUSS about it, throw it out with the bathwater, LOL, and for me it is usually over and done. You could ask me in a couple of hours what I was bummed about, and I probably will say honestly, I don't recall.

WEGO Health

#HAWMC

Day 4 - #HAWMC WEGO Health Writer's Blog Challenge - for the Month of November 2016

Day 4 - #HAWMC - A Letter to "Myself" at the time I was diagnosed knowing now what I did not know then....

 

 

Dear Rhia (self),


You had already "figured out" that something must be wrong with your immune system. You had been through enough doctors, tests, had so many symptoms resembling Lupus, RA, and several others like Sjogren's and Raynaud's that you really did not know much about.

When the 1st round of labs came back, from my own PCP (who diagnosed me at first), he knew that you needed to see a specialist. Although you come to find out your PCP has been more beneficial with the Lupus and Lupus Flares, that the Rheumatologist, who concentrates more on the RA than the other Autoimmune diseases.

You now can recall the first Rheumatologist, even though he was quite elderly, had just came back to work after a stroke himself, but his diagnosis, just after a thorough examination gave proof enough to show not only did I show signs of Lupus, RA, Raynaud's, Sjogren's, but had findings of probable MCTD, and that was almost more frightening than the Lupus and the others.

My moments that now I wished I had realized that ALL RHEUMY"S are NOT THE SAME, is something I wished I knew when I was first diagnosed. That caused me going through at least 7 specialists, each of which had a different "edge" and look on my diseases, or lack thereof. Most of them were only "blood work" driven. Not anything to do with all of the symptoms I had for years and years.

I could have saved myself a great deal of stress, worry, and getting nowhere, had I known to search for the "proper" Rheumatologist from the beginning. I've also come to find out my doctors here at my local Urgent Care know more about my conditions, than my Rheumy's for the most part. Plus if I am in a severe flare, there is no way I could get into my Rheumy in Dallas quickly. With those at Urgent Care I can be in and out, have the medications I need, and be hopefully on the road to curving the flare, without having to drive 40 miles each way, and maybe not getting what I need.


When I found out that I had 2 or 3 other 1st cousins, all on my Mom's side with RA, then we each began to piece together that this could very well be "genetic".

I wished I had known more about Sjogren's, for one. Maybe had one doctor done more about the Sjogrnen's I would not have lost ALL OF MY TEETH WITHIN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, requiring severe pain, and many dentists visits, to have all of them pulled that were left, and then try to deal with dentures, and the expense of over 15,000.00! Now I am still left with "pretty straight" teeth, BUT "fake" in nature.

So, I also wished I had more knowledge of how I could have been a volunteer and advocate before I myself had been diagnosed. I think had I been involved in some ways with the organizations who help us I may have felt "better" about myself, and not so ashamed of what these illnesses can do to us, our minds, bodies and souls... plus relationships, friendships, and the way people "see" us after we are ill.


#HAWMC

WEGO HEALTH

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