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The Stages of Grief

by 15 Comments
Oct
28
2011
grief

I'm taking a subject that wasn't what I had originally planned on writing about but the more I thought about it the more I thought that it's something that I need to share with all of you. The subject is grief. When we think of grief we usually associate that with dying, but that’s not the only time grief happens. You go through the stages of grief when you go through something traumatic, when you've lost something of value or when you've been diagnosed with a life changing disease.  Grief comes in five stages, they usually come in an order but sometimes you can be in stage 4 and revert back to stage 1 or something like that but either way you go through them. This past semester in college I had a class and we were discussing the stages of grief and my teacher pointed out that it didn't just mean for people that were dying or that had loved ones die. After I read about it in my textbook I realized that I had been through the grief stages more than once. Stage 1- … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , , ,

Silli-Shields

by 3 Comments
Oct
27
2011
Retha Buys

It actually all started with wanting to have a baby, and since the normal way is not an option for me, I had to take fertility drugs, which led to irregular menstruation, which led to being prescribed hormone replacement drugs for three months in order to correct the problem. One morning, while getting dressed, I noticed my left breast suddenly grew into this huge balloon on my chest. The difference was definately not subtle. So, knowing that you don’t play around with abnormalities in your breasts, I ran to my GP, who told me he is not worried, but to be on the safe side, let’s do a mammogram. Microcalcifications were found, and I was referred to a specialist, who said he is not too worried but to be safe let’s do a biopsy. So, one biopsy and a terrible scar later I was told that it looks like DCIS, but the specialist thought it safe to leave it for a year and see what happens. Being pro-active by nature, I went for a second opinion, since I read too many scary things regarding … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breast Cancer Tagged With: , , , , ,

Carol Anne’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Skin Cancer)

by 13 Comments
Oct
25
2011
Carol Anne's Story (Skin Cancer)

Write, he said. And so I did. I'm Carol Anne and I am pleased to be your new skin cancer writer. Beginning at the beginning, in October 2010 I walked into the emergency room with something that I believed was minor. A sore on my head had started to bleed. I woke up days later in ICU. I’d had two surgeries and had a breathing tube down my throat. The verdict was basal cell carcinoma that had invaded my skull and brain. I had a titanium plate in my head. I was still in the hospital recovering when my husband suggested that I write about my experience. I think at the time he wanted me to exercise my brain and my motor skills. I’ve been blogging for years and so it was a natural extension to write about my story. I started slow not knowing exactly what I wanted to share and what I wanted to hold back. I told the story of going to the ER, I told about waking up days later and not remembering the days in between, I shared my fears. As I collected myself and got my feet beneath me it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Skin Cancer Tagged With: , , ,

When You Feel Like Your World Has Fallen Apart

by 30 Comments
Oct
16
2011
Fighter

Hi everyone! I’m Rachel and I fight Endometriosis.  As a new Power Writer for FLAGC I thought I would just do an introduction and tell you my story so you can get to know me a little :) At age 12 I started having horrible stomach pain to the point I could be walking and suddenly drop to my knees. My mom took me to my pediatrician and she couldn’t find anything so I went on ignoring it until after a few months it went away. When I was 16, I started having the pains once again.  At this point I was finishing up my senior year of high school. My mom had just been through a thyroid storm that had lasted over a year, nearly killing her and she was still recovering. For several months I ignored it and played it down to my family.  At first it was something I felt I could handle. I figured I would just ignore it and it would go away. It didn’t and swiftly got worse. It got to the point that it would hit me so hard I would be down on my knees. My mom took me back to my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , ,

Strength

by 7 Comments
Oct
15
2011
Strength

Strength is a powerful word. Physical strength is very obvious to the human eye. Internal strength is something different and more difficult to define. Not only is it difficult to define it is hard to determine where one finds their internal strength. It varies from person to person. When I received my diagnosis last July, I did not feel strong, I felt like a weak and helpless child in the face of this disease. An anonymous quote said: “When on the edge of destiny, you must test your strength”. Breast Cancer put me on the edge of a new destiny – to survive at all costs. To ensure my survival I had to find new sources of strength. Since dying was NOT an option, I decided I would need an extraordinary amount of strength to fight the pink ribbon demon. Thank God I did not fight alone. I have the most amazing family and friends who helped me every step of the way. When my strength failed I could rely on them to push me forward. That's right – I am a thief – a strength stealer. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breast Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Surviving The Difficult Days

by 19 Comments
Sep
12
2011
Ankylosing Spondylitis

Some days it feels like there isn’t much fight left in me. Some days I want to crawl in bed and pull the covers up over my head and stop and hope the world forgets about me and just allows me to slink into my safe place and hide. I think there would be a lot of people who know me who’d be extremely surprised to hear me admit this. Jenna? The eternal optimist who smiles and laughs at life and always seems so together and happy – she wants to do what? Now, don’t worry about me I'm just allowing that little doubting voice to think about this for a minute. If I went back to a time I when wasn't following my dreams what would happen? Fighting chronic disease is hard; following your dreams at times can be even harder. I wasn’t working at much then because I was in so much pain and distress, I was merely subsisting and surviving day by day due to the ravages of my AS. Why does this seem like a good option some days to go back to that time? That horrible time. Why do we let … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ankylosing Spondylitis Tagged With: , , , ,

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!

by 4 Comments
Sep
08
2011
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!  Do you know what that means??  It's time to take action in the fight against pediatric cancer!  This month, I want to share some important statistics and resources about childhood cancer and how to become an advocate for all of the kids who have, are, and will fight.  It doesn’t take much but a heart for kids to make a difference! First, here are some major childhood cancer statistics…you can raise awareness simply by sharing these facts! -Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease in kids -46 children each school day are diagnosed with cancer -7 children die each day from cancer -40,000 children are presently being treated for cancer in the United States -2/3 of childhood cancer survivors will suffer some type of long term effect resulting from treatment -1 out of 5 children diagnosed with cancer dies and in some types of cancer, 1 out of 5 lives -When diagnosed with cancer, 80% of children are diagnosed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Childhood Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kids Interrupted – Children with Pediatric Heart Disease

by 3 Comments
Sep
04
2011
Becca Visiting Pediatric Heart Disease Patients

I went to visit two heart kids the other day at the hospital. My mom and I make an effort to go and visit the kids and their families whenever we can because we know how much it meant to us when people would come to comfort us when we were in the hospital. Both were little girls. I had met the other one before and last time I saw her she was full of energy; pulling at my necklace and jumping up and down in my lap. The day I went to visit her though she was extremely tired and she had been sleeping most of the day. It was just another reminder that one day you can be full of energy and then the next feel like you have nothing left in you; especially for heart kids when they are already so tired as it is. She celebrated her birthday on Monday and her mom got teary eyed when she said she had been hoping she wouldn't have to celebrate another one in the hospital. I gave the mom a smile and told her, "She is young and won't remember this birthday anyways. But what's even more important is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Heart Disease Tagged With: , , , , ,

Head, Shoulders, Knees…and Toes?

by 13 Comments
Aug
31
2011
girls-dancing

One Summer evening I was entertaining the kids with different games to tire them out. I came across an oldie but a goodie. We have all heard, danced & chanted along with this wonderful song as a child. Head, shoulders, knees and toes. As a child we do the movements with so much enthusiasm. The giggles that came from the kids throughout each new movement was such a beautiful sound. Each time they moved on to the next phrase the silliness would increase. I look at these words now as a person with Ankylosing Spondylitis and realize the song takes on a new meaning. It's strange how easily I can relate it to my AS. So many unrelated ailments and yet, in the end, they come back to this chronic illness I fight daily. So let's put on our dancing shoes and see how AS moves to this children's song. Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. And eyes and ears and mouth and nose. Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes. Head - Can I even move my head today? My neck is so … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ankylosing Spondylitis Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Fibromyalgia and the Change of Seasons

by 21 Comments
Aug
25
2011
Fibromyalgia and the Four Seasons

I'm positive that I am not the only one who feels pain differences depending on the weather around me. Winter is a particularly hard season, as the weather here gets terrifyingly cold.  My joints just seize up, my temperature regulation becomes a problem, and I just want to spend the entire time in bed, hibernating like a bear!  Sadly, I can't do that without feeling terribly unambitious.  The heating pad definitely plays a high role in the winter, in addition to the pain medication I own. The rain is another problem.  My body ALWAYS lets me know when rain is coming.  I can feel it everywhere - in my joints, in my muscles, and even in the slightest shift of air temperature.  There is rarely a rainy day where I feel like leaving the house; instead, my worst days are usually the rainy days.  Definitely the perfect time to curl up and zone out to a simple television show in the hopes of not moving and hurting. I wish I could say that the summer works out much better for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fibromyalgia Tagged With: , , , , , , ,