10 Day Sickie Challenge - Day Seven

Four Tips For Sickies
1.  Write about how you are feeling - whether good, bad, sick, angry, whatever - either in a blog, a diary, or a forum.  We all understand the emotional, mental, and physical pain of the illness but don't forget to treat your spirit too. Take the time to let some of the pain, the anger, and the frustration out and let yourself at least begin to heal. 2.  Read other Sickie's blogs.  If you allow it, life through someone else's eyes can change your perspective and also give you a better perception of your own condition. You may even pick up some good tips/tricks/treatment methods that you've never heard before that might can make a difference for your own problems - who knows, you might even make a friend along the way. 3.  For those of you who are not allergic to animals, pets can be major therapy (i.e. dogs and cats).  They help with blood pressure, anxiety, can help boost immunity, and most importantly, they love you unconditionally and they don't judge you for any decision you make - sickie related or not.  Its been my experience that my animals know when a person doesn't feel well.  They can sense it.  Mine usually stay nearer to me whenever I am feeling less than okay.  They honestly try to give me as much support as they can.  4.  Make an extra effort to say thank you to your support system. Its just as important for a Sickie as it is for a bariatric patient, if not more so for Sickies to have a strong foundation on which to stand.  

Four Tips for Bariatric/Weight Loss Surgery Patients 
1.  Go to your local support group meetings if you have any available.  Some of the best support will come from other people who are experiencing the same thing and some of those bonds you form there can last a lifetime.2.  Its okay to mourn food and grieve the part of yourself that goes away with all of the changes. 3.  Make an extra effort to say thank you to your support system.  I know at times I am a bitch, hard to deal with and can be extremely moody. My hormones are changing because of the changes in my system and my depression level goes up and down.  I may cry, I may scream, and I may be silent.  Be good to the ones that are there for you during everything.  Try to remember, they may not quite understand what you're going through, but they are trying and they would do anything to help you but just may not know where to start. 4.  Love yourself - who you were, who you are, and who you are going to be. 

10 Day Sickie Challenge - Day Six

Five Quotes that have stuck with me over the years
I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I learned that assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; and that oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak. - Booker T. Washington (UP FROM SLAVERY, published in 1901)

I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles. -  Audrey Hepburn

I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. - Helen Keller

I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.  - Marilyn Monroe

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.  - Unknown

10 Day Sickie Challenge - Day Five

Six Support Sites
For Sickies (Fibro/Lupus)1.  Fibro Of Oz2.  A Messy Happiness3.  Felicia Fibro4.  Chronically sILLy5.  But You Don't Look Sick6.  Fight Like A Girl ClubFor Bariatric Patients1.  The World According to Eggface2.  Thinner Times Forum3.  Obesity Help4.  Melting Mama5.  Renewed Reflections6.  Living After Weight Loss Surgery

10 Day Sickie Challenge - Day Four

Seven Movies I could watch over and over againagain, no particular order1.  Pretty Woman2.  My Best Friend's Wedding3.  Beauty and the Beast4.  Ratatouille5.  Dirty Dancing6.  The Great Outdoors7.  Uncle Buck
Seven movies that changed me after I saw them1.  Taking Chance2.  Million Dollar Baby3.  Philadelphia4.  The Green Mile5.  Shawshank Redemption6.  An Inconvenient Truth7.  An Unfinished Life

10 Day Sickie Challenge - Day Three

Eight Songs that inspire me or lift me when I am down

These are in NO particular order

1.  Born this way - Lady GaGa

This acapella version is somehow more powerful to me and draws me in more than her studio version.  Its a song of power and self acceptance and that you're perfect just the way you are.

2.  Just By Being You - Steel Magnolia

This song gives me hope that you don't have to give up your dreams due to chronic pain/illness.  Hope that there is a place that exists where you can remove the mask of being a sickie and just be you - whatever that "you" is: a man, a woman, a daughter, a son, a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a friend, a lover.   Even if you can only escape for 3:56. 



3.  How You Live - Point of Grace

No matter what your beliefs or your religion, sometimes you need someone to tell you to eat from your good china, take a few chances, let you hair down, and embrace every ounce that life has to give you.  This song is that for me.



4.  I'm Still Standing - Elton John

Life puts you through trials, tribulations, and obstacles and there is always pain along the way.  I have always heard "God will never put you through more than he already knows you can handle." But sometimes, I wish he didn't have so much faith in us.  With everything life entails, you have to keep your spirit, your true essence of you and don't let the pain, the illness, the past, the trauma, or anything else break you.



5.  I Hope You Dance - Leann Womack

When you dream - dream bigger.  Don't ever give up on love - not even for a second. Take every opportunity to see the beauty in yourself and in others and the wonder that surrounds us all. Thank you mom for all you've taught me as a child and for being my rock as an adult.  I love you!



6.  Say Hey - Michael Franti & Spearhead

Sometimes you need something that just makes you want to get up and dance - something that just pours sunshine into your spirit. I tried to have this as a ringtone, but I had to change because I would rather listen to it play than answer the phone.  It was almost like I would forget that someone was calling because I always just got lost in the rhythm.  Also - never pass up the opportunity to tell the people you love "I love you".



7.  A Good Friend & A Glass of Wine - Leeann Rhimes

Sometimes, you just need some girl talk with someone who understands you.  Time to share, time to vent, time to cry, time to laugh, and time to just be a girl.  Sometimes you just need your sister.  Amber this is for you! Show her some love and visit her blog Fibro Of Oz or follow her on twitter amberrlouise79. Heck, do both! :-)



8.  Live Like You Are Dying - Tim McGraw

The original song was written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, but when Tim McGraw took it on as the title track to his 2004 album, he altered it to fit his own situation and even changed the entire perspective of the song.  It was originally written from a father's perspective, giving the message to his son to embrace life and do everything you want to do before you die now - don't wait until you're given a death sentence.  Tim flipped it around and adapted the song to reflect the situation that Tim was actually experiencing.  The impact of the song was phenomenal. I still, to this day, don't know how he recorded the song without tearing up.  The pictures and video of his dad in the background is just something to treasure.  For me, I know my dad's been gone a year and I can't get through this song without feeling all flushed inside and tears uncontrollably rolling down my cheeks.  Thank you Tim, for sharing such an intimate, painful part of you and for sharing the message and giving the rest of the world this gift.

10 Day Sickie Challenge - Day Two

 Nine products that have helped me with my journey. 

1.  Baby wipes - I don't have any children so I never knew how versatile they could be.  To freshen up after a long day, to keep that "clean feeling" while PMS'ing, and to soothe your toosh on those days where you have constant diarrhea from dumping.  My daddy always said "thats the time when you pat instead of wipe" - he would've LOVED baby wipes!

2.  Protein plus shampoo - made by a local guy here in my area. His company is called "The Hair Company" out of Soddy Daisy, TN and the protein plus shampoo is medicated with Urea and is the only thing that helps me with my psoriasis on my scalp. I have to wash it twice everytime I shampoo, but its the only thing that gets my hair perfectly clean and strips the scaley crap from my scalp every time.

3.  Shower Caps - for the days when I'm hurting too bad to wash my hair.  I can protect it from the moisture of the shower and keep the natural curl from frizzing.

4.  King size heating pad - Even though I have had weight loss surgery, I am still a "big" girl. The "king size" allows me to use one heating pad instead of two or three and also helps the muscle/joint pain that comes with my size and my condition. 

5.  Blistex Mint Lip Balm or Burts Bee's Lip Balm - Either one puts all other chapstick to shame.  Being dehydrated from not being able to get my intake effects my lips more than I thought it would.  It also helps your lips not to dry out as bad if you sleep with a CPAP like I do. I put one of the two lip balms on every night.

6.  Hand-held shower head - Mine is actually a dual setup. I have the rain shower head and then a separate add-on hand-held portion that has all of the different settings (gentle, firm, massage). I can focus the hot water right where it hurts. My house is equipped with both a tub in one bathroom and a shower in the other.  The shower is a walk-in that is open and oversized, which is great for me being plus-sized.  Since we've lived in the house, I've never been able to take a bath because I couldn't get out of the tub. Sometimes in a flare up, the one thing that will help with nothing else will is a hot shower, and the addition of the hand-held with adjustable massage options just makes it that much better. 

7.  Remote-Controlled Oscillating Tower Fan - I am spoiled and I am a big girl and I get ill when I get hot and having fibro, I get sick when overheated. For some reason, since being diagnosed with FMS, when I get nauseous, about the only thing that helps is cold air in my face. So A/C with an oscillating tower fan are a must for my boudoir. The cool air circulating around me just makes me rest so much better. Having a remote control makes it so much easier to adjust for my temperature changes when feverish/breaking a fever, etc.

8.  Baby Powder - After I shower and dry off, I dust a little baby powder pretty much from my neck down. It keeps me feeling fresh and if I sweat, it helps me to not be self-conscious that I smell funky. 

9.  Anti-pull harness for walking my dogs - It helps me control my bigger dog when walking and the device itself automatically puts gentle pressure on her shoulders when she pulls too hard.  She mainly pulls because she gets too excited about getting to venture out to a new territory.  Having three dogs, it makes it almost possible for me to walk at least two by myself. On days when your muscles are aching and you need to get your excercise anyway and want some quality time with your pooch and he/she needs their exercise too, it can lend an "extra hand" and can eliminate some of the possible strain on your muscles/joints.



10 Day Sickie Challenge - Day one

I never thought I would...

1.   say... that it took my father dying for me to realize that I needed to start living.

2.   feel... like I traded in a black jack for a red jack - I ended up with a jack either way. 
explanation:  jack = the struggle; black jack - before weight loss surgery with the health problems; red jack - after gastric bypass with all the pain from the complications, the infection, the endless dumping, the depression, and inability to reach the recommended daily intake of the things I need to survive.

3.   think... that medical school was not my ultimate goal in life. That I could have other options and still enjoy my career and be successful and happy and feel I am making a difference.

4.   miss... being a child. Being a grown-up sucks sometimes. I love the carefree, no responsibility, "I can do anything", fearless spirit of being a child.

5.   touch... so many strangers who I can now call my friends - through twitter, blogging, and the weight loss surgery community around me and online.

6.   dream... so closemindedly. When I started considering the GB/WLS, I saw all of the endless opportunities and options that would open up to me. It took me a long time to realize that what I want and what I need are two different things and that my best opportunities might just be the ones right in front of me.  None of my dreams, no matter how big or how small, are unatainable - well except the one about being a petitie asian olympic gymnist. Thats definitely not happening.

7.   be angry... with myself for not seizing every opportunity I had in my life to spend time with my dad.  I was so stubborn and wrapped up in my own life to notice that I didn't include him in it as much as I could have.  We would clash a lot and argue from being so alike. I wish I would have made a better effort to get along with him while he was still here. I also wish that I would not have hit "Ignore" on some of his calls and that I could hear his voice one more time. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't get angry with him for calling me as a last resort because he was lonely and everyone else he really wanted to talk to wasn't home.  I am angry at myself for not appreciating him more; for going to every practice and soft ball game and being my biggest cheerleader when I was a child, even when I struck out; for waiting on me and my sister for after-school band practice in the hot car after working a long day on his feet in a hot factory for peanuts.

8.   feel selfish about... my husband not being able to see his family more because he moved so far away from them just to be with me.

9.   want... children. I disliked children from a young age.  At one point in my life, I wanted children and my husband and I even tried to get pregnant for five years. I think though looking back, it might have been subconsciously because I thought it would help me "keep him". I now know that my marriage is based on love and I don't have to have his children for him to love me. 

10.  enjoy... the quiet.

I never knew I could cry so much.