Stress Overload

I am completely and 100% in stress overload mode. If there was something to go wrong, it has in the past few days.

The biggest problem, is, of course related to my medical care. My insurance copays are going up, like ridiculously. Some of my medications are going to be $75! My doctor copays are going up a lot too, different amounts depending on what type of doctor/specialist they are.

I have finally started to get a network of doctors/specialists and medications to get me feeling at least a bit better, and now I may lose all of that because I can't afford the huge copays. I already owe hundreds of dollars to various medical places.

I can not get any kind of assistance because I am a college student. (Apparently that makes you ineligible for anything and everything here in Maine.) I can not seem to find a job that I can physically handle.

This is just too upsetting. I've been depressed, stressed, and anxious since finding this out. I don't know what to do, and all I feel like doing lately is crying. It just isn't fair.

This is probably a crappy explanation of it all, but I just don't have enough in me right now to write a proper post. Feel free to ask questions. Or give advice, I'd greatly appreciate that!

The Wolf Story

A man told his grandson, “A terrible fight, between two wolves, is going on inside of us. One is evil & represents hate, anger, arrogance, intolerance & superiority. The other is good and represents joy, peace, love, tolerance, understanding, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity & compassion.”

“Which wolf will win?”, the grandson asked.

The old man replied, “The one you feed.”

ER Trip and Another Worry

So last night, after dinner, I had trouble breathing. It felt like my throat was swollen. I kept feeling like I had to swallow, and if I didn't, I felt like I was suffocating. But when I did swallow, it was nearly impossible to gain my breath back. After awhile, I was pretty much hyperventilating. So off to the ER we had to go. We get there and tell them what is going on. The ER was a madhouse and so I still had to wait for ages. I was getting dizzy and lightheaded. Eventually, (and seriously I had to wait longer then I should of when I couldn't freakin' breathe!) they got me back and into a bed. The visit was horrible and they were slower then ever before. But to make a long story short, there was some inflammation in my throat but nothing overly major. They gave me two days worth of Prednisone in order to bring the swelling down. They also gave me a nebulizer treatment which helped my breathing. Lastly, they gave me an albuterol inhaler to go home with, in case something like that happened again. (Of course, it took about 45 minutes to get the albuterol from their pharmacy.)

It feels better today. Swallowing is still a tiny but difficult, but much better then last night, and I can breathe normal again, which is obviously a good sign. Here's the funny thing though. I feel so much better in general. (With the exception of not much sleep last night, which they told me might happen due to the medicine in the nebulizer and the prednisone.) But I feel less pain, more energy, I feel less heat sensitive, etc. This actually scares me. The only connection I see is the prednisone, and that worries me that maybe I have something autoimmune. But then again, it's probably too soon to tell and it could just be a coincidence. Who knows.

On the good news side, I am seeing a new PNP on Monday, who is going to help me find a new PCP. Although I do still feel guilty about doing it, it's what I need to do for myself. It has just gotten to the point where I don't see any other options.

Well, that's it for now.

Hope everyone is having a spoonful day :)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Hey everyone,

I've updated this blog a lot, including adding some pages! I also have a new template. Would you all mind checking it out and letting me know what you think? I also would love ideas/suggestions for new/different things!

Actual blog post coming soon.

Thanks,
Sarah

"healKick: Support and Friendship" - Guest Post by Rachael

First of all, I want to thank Sarah for letting me hijack her blog today. My name is Rachael and I met Sarah at healKick.com which just so happens to be exactly what I want to talk to you about today! It’s a social network for young people who have neuro-immune illnesses like Fibromyalgia, it’s like a support group but it’s so much more.

Have you ever felt alone, like no one understands what you’re going through? Have you lost friends since becoming sick? Do you struggle to find peers you can relate to? This used to be the story of my life. I have been at least marginally sick for the majority of my life but the symptoms didn’t interfere with my life until I was 14. After being diagnosed with Fibro (and other conditions) it was hard not to feel completely different than my peers. After all, they could seemingly do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. They didn’t seem to suffer after a late night or ache for days after overdoing physical activity. I tried my hardest to fit in, to suck it up, to do what they did. In the end I had to take a step back and realize that in order to heal I had to take time off and let my body have a break. The hardest part for me was that this break involved giving up work and school, two things that previously defined me. Without them, I didn’t know who I was. Without them, I didn’t relate anymore and I lost the close friendships that I previously had.

I didn’t know if I was ever going to have close friends again until the day that I stumbled across healKick. I had tried other online groups before but never felt a connection to the usernames and comments. I wanted more human connection and I especially wanted to connect with people my own age on levels other than a shared medical problem. This site is so special to me because for the first time I feel like I am being validated as an entire person, not just a syndrome or condition. The site allows people to go beyond a conversation about shared symptoms or a new treatment and develop genuine friendships.

At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, I want to mention a few of the things that make healKick unique and wonderful. We have an instant messaging chat bar that allows you to talk to anyone on the site in a group chat or private chat. Recently we added a group voice/video chat feature that accommodates up to 20 members at the same time. You can choose the site’s language which allows users around the world to connect with one another. There is a member map you can search to find people in your area. Also there is a points system so you can earn prizes just by being an active member of the site. And every Friday we host a virtual movie night where everyone watches the same movie and then uses the IM feature to chat about it.

Like I said before, healKick is a social network for young adults 18 to 40 with neuro-immune illnesses. There are many people on the site with Fibro, but we also have members with ME/CFS, Chronic Lyme, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Sarcoidosis, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and Mold-related Illness.

It’s a place that goes above and beyond a traditional support group by encouraging members to share about their lives beyond their illness and their personality rather than just their symptoms. Regular support group’s members are from all stages of life but have the same condition. HealKick is different because it brings together people with different but similar conditions who all are in the same stage of life.

If you have ever felt isolated because of your illness, you don’t have to anymore. Come join us today at healKick. It helped me and I hope it will help you just as much.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Rachael

Love This Quote.

"You know as well as I do it's not about what you look like, or your job, or how successful you are. It's about having people in your life that you love and who love you... that's all that matters." ~ Grey's Anatomy