Hello, everyone! Welcome to my blog! I know I have not been on here as much as I probably should. I’m sorry. Just gonna say life has been cray.
I’m coming to you with the AuthorTube Chronic Illness tag created by my friend Megan McCarthy. Megan is a lovely person and she has been battling lupus for 10 years so she created this tag to help others share their story and how their conditions impact writing life. I am also going to be recording a video but I wanted to share my thoughts here first before I sat in front of the camera.
((Also, my office is a mess and I have no place to really sit and record))
So, if you would like to do this tag, either on your vlog or in a video, go ahead! And share the link in the comments so we can all support one another.
- What chronic illness or disability do you have? Do you have multiple? I have hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, possibly osteoarthritis, lymphadema, a blood clotting disorder, anxiety, and back pain from being rear ended.
- Have you had these conditions your whole life? No but for a good majority at this point and it’s just piling on. Looking back, I think I had anxiety when I was a kid but I didn’t know that’s what it was. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism just before high school. RA mid 20s, blood clotting just after I turned 30. The lymphadema is the most recent diagnosis.
- What are some healthy coping skills you’ve learned? Listening to my body saying “I need a break!” Stopping an activity when I have joint pain, stepping away when my anxiety starts to ramp up. I’ve tried changing my eating habits to avoid trigger foods. And, taking my medication.
- Do you apply your experiences to your writing? So far not so much in my fiction. But, in stuff like this when I’m sharing I think is important.
- How does your chronic illness alter your writing routine? I’m not supposed to sit for too long or I stiffen like a rusted tin man. I have to make myself get up and move around. I also have compression gloves for my wrists.
- How does it impact your writing style, topics, characters, etc.? Like I said, it’s not so prominent in my fiction. But, I talk a lot about it here on my blog and on a project I have going on Patreon. And, I think that’s important. When I was first diagnosed with the RA, I felt helpless and alone and that “why me” feeling. But, then I started finding blogs and groups and other writers sharing about having similar situations with their health and we’ve all banded together in a support network.
- What about your illness/disability has surprised you? Jeez, Megan. Coming in with the tough questions. Ha! I have had to think about this one for a while. It’s not a surprise any more but at first it was how many people thought I was faking what was wrong with me. The thing about chronic pain, it’s called an invisible illness. It’s not like when a cancer patient loses their hair or someone breaks a bone or has burns and there are signs of it visible to everyone. Everything happens inside. (I don’t even know if I’m explaining this right but hey, here you go.) Also, people don’t think arthritis and see someone under, like, 60? So, when I had a pain flare up back when I worked retail, I worked so hard to hide what I was dealing with. One person saw through my tough girl act. She was one of my managers. I called her Work Mom and she was amazingly wonderful! She would argue with me to go home. And when she overheard another coworker making snide comments about me “faking to get out of work” she told this person to basically back the eff off.
And the stigma about mental health, too. I was seeing a counselor for a while for my anxiety. However, it’s expensive and I had to stop. But, I have friends who are in therapy and are on medication and people give them crap for it. “It’s all in your head.” Yes, actually. My brain is an ass hole andsometimes, a lot of times, people need treatment. If you have a cold, you take medication. Having a mental illness sometimes requires medication to help the brain heal or at least manage. - How did your family react? I have been lucky to have a super supportive family. I know that is not always the case for some people. In fact, it was such a concern, my dad had a talk with Hubby before he proposed to make sure he knew I’d need extra care sometimes. And, he’s been great. He makes sure I keep up with my meds and can tell when I need to step away from a situation. He has learned to read when my anxiety is ramping up and calms me down and steps up with household things when I’m in too much pain and/or too exhausted. And, he still works full time. So, in return, I make sure he doesn’t burn himself out, too. We can’t have both of us out of commission. Not until Peanut is a bit more self sufficient, ha!
- What do you celebrate about your illness/disability? Some people may see this question and think “there’s nothing to celebrate.” But, after some though, I think there is. I celebrate how I’ve grown as a person, especially since my RA diagnosis. I feel like I can push through more things. (Even though sometimes I shouldn’t but I’m stubborn) I celebrate the friends and family who have stuck by me and don’t give unsolicited medical advice. (“Have you tried cutting out carbs?” “You should go vegan?” “Go gluten free.” “Just exercise more.”) I celebrate the AuthorTube friends I’ve made, especially in the past year, sharing their stories and support. And, Megan for encouraging us to do so with this tag!
WOW, that got sappy fast, ha! - What is your favorite form of self care? Swimming! I want a pool and a hot tub one day. We’d have to move because we don’t have the yard space for anything but a kiddie pool for Peanut and our deck needs to be rebuilt. But, swimming is one of my favorite forms of self care. It’s relaxing, it can be a workout and it doesn’t send me into a pain flare. I wish gyms with pool access weren’t so ungodly expensive because I would be there every day in the water. When I was living at my parents’, I had a membership to their local rec center and they had a water Zumba class that was so much fun! Once I’m further along in my compression therapy, and I have my stockings that I don’t have to wear 24/7, I may look into a pass at our rec center so I can take Peanut. They have an outdoor pool. I think she would enjoy it a lot.
So, that’s the AuthorTube chronic illness tag! Whoever wants to do this is welcome to. As I said, link the blog post or video in the comments so I can check it out and share. And, check out Megan’s channel. She’s awesome.
Thank you for reading and I’ll be back next week.