illness Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Five Chronic Illness Lessons I Have Learned.

Paula — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 11:08:00 +0000

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how having a childhood illness shaped me, as a person, as a teen and an adult. I’ve asked myself often what, if any chronic illness lessons, I got out of that experience. Some of you know I have Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, also now thought to be an autoimmune disease, without a known cause or cure. I was diagnosed at 14 after a period of months when pounds melted off my frame faster than you can even imagine. My abdomen hurt all of the time, as in so much cramping that I thought I would pass out. Sometimes I still get that pain, which comes out of nowhere and blindsides me. Crohn’s Disease Symptoms There were more symptoms of course, like chronic diarrhea, bloody stools and vomiting. Weight loss, exhaustion. Inability to eat. Anemia, cramps and more. There is nothing pretty about Crohn’s disease, not that any disease is pretty, but bowel disease can be particularly gross. The year of my diagnosis I spent a zillion hours in bathrooms all over Guelph, Toronto, Collingwood and Wasaga Beach. Then I spent weeks in and out of hospitals and emergency rooms. Here’s How Crohn’s disease Changed Me Listen, having Crohn’s sucks. There’s no need to mince words. Missing weeks of school and being in hospital a dozen times in your teens is not fun. Nor is it a path anyone would choose on purpose. There’s nothing redeeming about having your body opened up over ten times to remove bits, like large sections of gut, repeatedly. Also, it feels awful missing out on life when you are too sick to be out of hospital or out working. Missing school and being in hospital for birthdays, Christmases and other holidays is a hard pill to swallow. Relearning Reconfiguring all the systems so that you can walk and eat and function again outside a hospital. Relearning how to do everything and stopping and starting school, or jobs over and over, sucks, period. Society has a lot more to do in order to build equality and support for people with disabilities. But I think that’s another post entirely. It is dead exhausting and it hurts, both physically and mentally. But at the same time, now two decades after all of the surgeries and diagnosis, I have enough distance from that initial round of brutal treatment and surgery to recognize how this changed me dramatically as a human. Five Chronic Illness Lessons Resilience Having Crohn’s oddly shaped me into a resilient person. How did it do that? How did having a chronic incurable illness make me resilient? In a nutshell, I know I am a survivor. Listen, when your abdomen has been opened up and parts removed and you are expected to stand the next day and walk around the room so your body begins to heal, or you need to resume eating after your gut has been attacking you internally for months, and you do it, you know you have got this. Acute flares of Crohn’s followed by long hospital stays and seemingly barbaric treatments, simply showed me I was resilient. Maybe that was the lesson. Bright Side Somehow, I still always look for the bright side. If I didn’t, I’d wallow in self pity and pain far too many days. So, there is a bright side, in my opinion, to this story. But here’s the thing. Lately, when I pause to reflect on how that experience shaped my life I think well there was some good that came out of that pain and this horrible digestive disease. And there’s typically always a positive. You might need to dig for it, but it’s there. I’m an Advocate I didn’t have a voice for years in the health care system as a child. Instead, I blindly accepted what doctors told me. Now, I know the questions to ask and how to ask them. In fact, I found my voice late in my journey. While I’d love to tell you it was some big internal aha moment, it was actually a new young surgeon who spoke to me as an equal in my mid to late 20s and engaged me as a patient. That simple approach pulled me out of the passive state. Sometimes it makes me nuts thinking how many doctors and surgeons were completely ableist and patronizing prior to that one experience. By the way, he still practices here in London Ontario. His patients are blessed to have him. The Lesson The chronic illness lesson there was speak up, educate yourself on your condition or illness and ask the right questions. Don’t be afraid to seek second opinions and ask about the medication side effects. As so many people on TikTok say: You ARE THE MAIN CHARACTER. Adoption I adopted my children and likely wouldn’t have otherwise. Had I not struggled with a chronic illness, pain and Crohn’s disease, I probably never would have sought out domestic adoption as the means to becoming a parent. True story. Adoption is such a rewarding way to start a family, but it is also often not the standard or first choice. The love I have for my family is immense and overwhelming and I would never ever change my family. My kids are amazing and they teach me new facts and skills every single day. The adoption community I have found is such an incredibly supportive and diverse resourceful group of parents. So very grateful that my path led us here. I wrote about Parenting and Crohn’s disease for CBC Parents in early 2020. Read that post here – > https://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/im-a-parent-with-crohns-disease-heres-how-thats-worked-out-for-me Strength This could be related to optimism and resilience, but it is a lesson that I hold close. I know I am strong. There’s little else that matters really. Like, for instance, I can do hard things. Physically, I know I am capable of doing the heavy emotional lifting even in times of crisis and that I will get through whatever comes my way. Life is All About Learning Every person, every experience, is a lesson or a gift. While it might not seem like it at the time and it’s often excruciatingly hard to fight your way through the dark times, having a childhood illness can sometimes just show you who you are. That’s a huge gift, especially when so many others spend lifetimes trying to explore that very concept.

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Healthy Habits to Get You Through the Winter #ChurchandDwight

Paula — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 12:17:42 +0000

Healthy habits are important all year long, but I have to say, they’re even more important during the winter. Winter is when all the worst germs come out to play. By now everyone I know has had the colds, the flu bugs and even pink eye (TWICE in my case). However, if you practice healthy habits, you can help stave off the onslaught of all those nasty bugs and feel as good as possible all season long. Simple Healthy Habits You can Start Today These healthy habits can be started immediately and can help you feel better now and later. When you make healthier choices, your body gets stronger, and when your body gets stronger, you can fight off illnesses and bugs more easily! Exercise – Exercise doesn’t end just because it gets cold. Bundle up for a walk, jump on your treadmill, hit the gym – do anything to get in your exercise. It makes your body stronger and healthier. Water – Be sure you get in ALL your water in a day. Go for those full 8 glasses. A well hydrated body is a healthy body that can fight of bugs and the flu. Me Time – Stress is a killer – literally. Stress shortens your life. It also makes you more susceptible to illness. Take time for yourself to decompress. Maybe that’s a vacation, or a weekend away. It might also be exercise. Clean – It’s a pain, and it’s boring, but it’s also essential to being healthy. Take a little time to hit the carpets with the vacuum and do a little dusting. It removes particulates that can irritate your sinuses and lungs. Humidifier – A humidifier is your friend in the winter. Dry sinuses are more easily infected by germs. Run a humidifier to keep your sinuses nice and moist. Oral Health – A healthy mouth is key to a healthy life. Periodontal health is linked to heart disease, so oral health should always be on your healthy habits radar. Arm & Hammer™ Truly Radiant™ Clean & Fresh Toothpaste keeps your mouth clean and your teeth whiter in 5 days. Get teeth even cleaner when you use their Clean & Fresh Battery-Powered Toothbrush for 100% more plaque removal versus a manual toothbrush. Don’t Neglect Your Skin – Healthy habits include taking care of your skin. Moisturize often to keep the winter weather from making your skin chalky and sand papery. And make hair removal easier on yourself with Nair™ Was Ready-Strips. They make hair removal easy with their ready to use formula that requires no warming or rubbing. Nice. Healthy Habits to Make Life Better Although these healthy habits are showcased to help you survive the winter, they’re really year round things you can do to feel good every day. So remember, start these healthy habits for the winter and continue with them all year long for better health every day. I am a Church and Dwight ambassador and as such I am compensated. My opinion is all my own.

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Mesothelioma Awareness Day 2016 #ENDMESO

Paula — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 09:39:40 +0000

Until very recently I had never even heard of Mesothelioma. It was one of those extremely sad rare cancers that didn’t seem to generate a lot of stories or news. In 2015 and 2016 I heard a lot more about mesothelioma when a good friend’s father passed away of the disease. Recently, a survivor reached out to me with her moving story and I thought I’d share a few facts for Mesothelioma Awareness Day. This week September 26th marks Mesothelioma Awareness Day (MAD). Heather’s Story Heather Von St James is a survivor of ten years. She was a brand new Mom, whose newborn daughter was just three months old when she was diagnosed with this rare cancer. Von St. James lives just outside Minneapolis and devotes her time towards being an advocate for those affected. She also works to educate on the dangers of asbestos as it’s the only scientifically proven cause of mesothelioma – tragically still commonly found in homes, schools and commercial spaces built before 1980. This cancer is not unlike lung cancer and is sometimes lumped in with lung cancer. BUT, unlike lung cancer this asbestos caused cancer affects the pleura and occurs in lungs, lining of the abdomen and the heart. Certain professions have historically been more at risk of developing this rare asbestos cancer because of exposure on the job. For instance, men and women from all four branches (Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines) of the United States military are at higher risk…than the rest of the population. In fact, the veteran population has been affected the most. Asbestos, the only known cause of mesothelioma, was used by the U.S. military in literally hundreds of applications. Read Heather’s blog series here Mesothelioma Facts: A few facts about the type of cancer: Caused by asbestos exposure. Sometimes thought of as asbestos cancer. There are now many alternatives to building with asbestos. Asbestos is Now Banned in Many Countries Many countries (55) have banned asbestos, because it is so toxic. In the 1980s asbestos was mined, exported and imported all over the world. Read Heather’s incredible story of how she was exposed as a child simply from her father’s work clothes. (That’s frightening.) Learn More: You can learn more now – (http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/) is a comprehensive site about this cancer. You can also donate and participate in the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. This resource page has more on how to get involved. Follow Heather on Facebook /HeatherVonStJames and Twitter @HeatherVSJ I was moved by Heather’s story and wanted to share the facts. I think it’s time people understood more about this horrible cancer.

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Managing Your Medicine Cabinet To Stay on Top of Health

Paula — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:32:10 +0000

Your medicine cabinet. If you’re anything like me, it’s a mess of bottles, outdated vitamin supplements and children’s products. I hate to say it, but my medicine cabinet is where old prescriptions sometimes go to die. This post contains affiliate links. Organizing our medications and our medicine cabinet could be a full time job here almost. As a Mom with complex health care needs, and a parent to kids with some unique needs and diagnoses I find the task of staying on top of everyone’s medication extremely challenging! I have forgotten to renew meds, which is bad considering that everyone in the family is on one medication or another. Well, no more! This spring I’m on a mission to get my refill schedule in order, and I think my idea can help other people too. Making the Most of My Medicine Cabinet Rather than having a medicine cabinet disaster area, I’m going to use my medication storage to my advantage. Because seriously, I need to get it under control. That’s why I’ve put together a game plan to get me back on track with keeping all of my family’s meds organized and make sure they all stay filled on time. Pill Box Ah, the old pill organizer. These can be useful for anyone and especially for people who travel. Recently I got one pill box for each family member who takes meds. That way, I can keep a running tab on who’s had their medications, who hasn’t, and how many days are left in the box. This is going to be a big help, because pill boxes hold a week, or even a month’s worth of medication. Which just so happens to be what most prescriptions are. There are also blister packs available from some pharmacies. That can be extremely useful if you are forgetful. A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place My medicine cabinet is about to be one super organized area. My cabinet has a few shelves, and I plan on organizing my family’s medications into supplements, prescriptions, and occasional use drugs like NSAIDS, nasal sprays, and the like. Getting my medicine cabinet organized will allow me to more easily spot which medications are getting low as well as which supplements I need to reorder. The Great Purge While I’m on the subject of organizing my medicine cabinet, I should remind everyone to do something I haven’t done in quite some time. Purge. I am pretty sure that I have at least a couple of bottles of medications that are at least a year old. That’s not good. Not only do older medications lose potency, making them less effective, they also clutter up my medicine cabinet and give me an opportunity to self medicate conditions rather than seeing the doctor. By the way there are many safe disposal options. Often pharmacies will run a safe disposal option or a medicine cabinet cleanup day. Look for one now and then ditch the old outdated and unsafe prescriptions and vitamins. Desktop Calendar My final strategy to staying on top of my meds and keeping my medicine cabinet in order is using my desktop calendar to my advantage. I’m going to go through all of my family’s current medications and use my desktop calendar to mark when I need to reorder each one. My calendar features the ability to color code, so I’m going to use that to keep track of who’s medication is who’s. BY the way I also have a handy free printable that will help both me and you to stay on top of prescription renewals. MedicationTracker4 My Medicine Cabinet Will Work for Me, Not Against Me I’m on a mission. Last week we almost ran out of one of the kid’s prescriptions again, so I’m making a change. By keeping my medicine cabinet more organized, purging old medications, and using my desktop calendar, I’m going to have a medicine cabinet that works for me, not against me. Give these tips a try, and let me know if they work for you. Download this printable To download the above printable just click on the Medication Tracker highlighted link and you can print it out for your family. Also if you need more printables here’s the link to an Easter word search printable and Don’t forget to pop by my free printables Pinterest board. Suggested Tools: This is the pill organizer I love for several reasons. It is transparent. It is compact and discreet and also the zip case means the pills won’t fall into the bottom of your purse. Buy One Now – > LeanTravel Pill Organizer

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