Yet another hospital visit this time it was in January. High fever and an unbearable headache, soothed only with my favorite, dilaudid.
February:
My lupie sister, Lilliana Guillien passed on Februrary 22, 2012 after a 12 year battle with Lupus. Liliana and I met while shooting and promoting the first National Lupus Ad Campaign to help promote lupus awareness in 2009. http://www.couldihavelupus.gov/ . We bonded through our lupus stories even after the shoot wrapped. May she truly rest in peace.
Jeff and I met Stephanie and Isaac at our friends wedding in South Carolina this past April. They were the photographers for this momentous and beautiful occasion. Both of them were welcoming, warm and professional.
This pictures below are of Stephanie and Isaac on the rare occasions the camera was turned on them. Stephanie and Isaac have been together over 10 years and have been married for 6. Isaac just turned 30 years old this past year.
On September 12, Isaac was seen at Hoag Hospital in Newport. He had been complaining of headaches that the doctors he saw before brushed off as stress related. This time it was serious. He was experiencing blurred and double vision.
Once in the ER, CT and MRI tests were done which revealed he had in fact, a brain tumor. The tumor had grown large enough to press on his optic nerves which was causing his vision issues.
Doctors rushed him to surgery but was only able to remove part of the tumor as the remaining parts were against important brain structures that would be too risky remove at the time.
The surgery went well and now began the recovery process. Within the past 2 weeks in the hospital he’s had blurred, double vision, confirmation of a brain tumor and a complicated surgery to remove the parts of the tumor.
It was time to rest and recover. But shortly after the surgery, Isaac suffered a grand mal seizure and a stroke that left his entire left side paralyzed.
As of today, doctors have found several blood clots in Isaac’s lungs and are unsure what is causing them. They are also unsure if they will find any in his brain, which may mean more surgery.
For more information and to Help Heal Isaac, please click on the badge below. Stephanie has done a great job of staying strong and keeping positive in this very tough time. She is asking for assistance by any means, whether prayers, advice or simply donating to help fund his long recovery process.
“My goal is to get him the best care from here on out and stay in a rehab program even if I have to pay out of pocket. Isaac is by far the most amazing person I have ever met – he is my soul mate, the love of my life and my best friend…”
This story hits home with me in so many ways. I’ve been to plenty of doctors whose diagnosis to my aches and pains, hair loss and arthritis, has always been “stress related.” It wasn’t until I went into the ER with a 105° fever, fell into a coma, had my 2 stokes (my right side was completely paralyzed at the time) that doctors began taking my complaints seriously. To top that off, I was finally diagnosed with a disease I had never heard of, lupus. Tumultuous ER visit? Yep!
But it was with the doctors, family and friends who rallied around me plus in inner strength to get out of this mess and to recover that I was able to rehabilitate and start living life again.
If you have or know of anyone that has gone through something similar to Isaac, please reach out to Stephanie and lend her your experience and advice.
I’ve been reading quite a bit on aromatherapy and have used a diffuser from Origins before that helps me ease my racing mind before bed. Not sure why Origins stopped carrying the diffuser, but you can get it on Amazon. I really liked the diffuser because it was compact, easy to use and there was no mess. I’d just pop it in my purse and whip it out anytime road rage hit, when I know I’ll get jitters or before bed when my mind is still ruminating from the day.
But, in all honesty, I need sensory therapy all 24 hours! I’m a stress case that’s also a worry wart, the worst kind. From the time I wake, my mind begins it’s never-ending cycles.
…What time is it? Is it too late for me to take my morning meds? What should I eat for breakfast before taking the meds? I should clean. Where should I start? Where’s the cat? Has she been fed? Maybe she’s puked again. I should definitely clean. I hope I get my magazines in the mail today. Did I pay my bills yet? I’ve got to check my bank account. Wait, I haven’t eaten anything yet or taken my meds, I should do that first. What’s that noise? Is it outside? I’ll go downstairs and check it out. I’ll take the trash out while I go down stairs. Remember to grab keys. Oh, I could get the CD from my car that I wanted to transfer to my phone and bring down those wipes I got for my dashboard too! I hope these cheap wipes don’t ruin my car. Did it rain this morning? I don’t want to go out with sandals on. I’m kind of craving those wontons again from that place. I wonder if they’re open yet. Should I just drive there or have them delivered? Wait, do I even have cash on me? I should go to the bank. CVS is right next door, I can go pick up my new prescriptions too. I still need to return that book I got from the library a few days ago…
So now you have a glimpse into oh, about the first 30 seconds of my mornings, you can clearly understand why I need products to help me focus and calm down. I’ve talked to my doctors and they’ve just said to write things I need to remember down, then forget about it. If I need to later, I can refer back to the notes. Which is actually a good idea and I’ve been using this method quite often and it has helped me stop obsessing over things. But for that extra boost to ease my mind, I use aromatherapy. I’ve found there are many different companies that produce different products for aromatherapy.
Massages, diffusers, incense sticks, candles, all can be combined with a multitude of different scents and essential oils for what’s ailing you. Learn more about essential oils here. Or just a simple google search will bring a numerous pages of the different companies which usually have the benefits of each of the different oils/scents as well.
With my research, I felt that lavender would work best for me throughout the day. So I took a trip to Whole Foods and bought a few things for the home. Lavender Aura Cacia Essential Oil and a candle by tru malange in Evening Peace. I also purchased a USB aromatherapy oil burner from thinkgeek.com a couple weeks ago that I use with the oil. It’s great and since I’m always on the computer, it’s right next to me all the time!
For on the go, I got Dr. Bronner’s organic lavender hand sanitizing spray and Bach’s Rescue Remedy drops. I found out Rescue Remedy from Whole Living magazine that I subscribe to and wanted to give it a shot.
So I’ve only posted 1 entry for July and felt the need to give stillinbed.com the same love I’ve been giving to Good, Bad and Ugly with Lupus.
Upon signing in here today, I noticed there were a bunch of comments on my trypophobia post. It seems like I only managed to reply to 1 of the comments sometime last year. For that, I’m truly sorry. I’ve reply back to the 37 other comments individually and feel a sense of accomplishment and relief in doing so. I hope all is forgiven and those who commented will continue to read my future updates.
New happenings:
I’ve started a personal journal. You know, the kind I write stuff I can’t share with the world. This all of course, in the name of personal growth and self-enlightenment. Keeping this journal has been a goal of mine for a long time, but I just wasn’t disciplined enough to start one and be consistent with it, until now. This was all brought on by a movie I saw over the weekend, Any Human Heart — which originally was a book written by William Boyd with the same title. I fell in love with the story and inspiration was sparked, then putting pen to paper began!
I found time to clean my closet and organize my shoes to donate to the Women’s Rights Information Center, which their “Career Closet” (helps low-income job seekers shop for outfits and accessories) is run by Past & Present Boutique.
Pepper normally chases after the laser pointer light, like most other cats. She’s fine with but not with It’s actually pretty funny to see her happily playing and chasing the first dot, but as soon as I change the laser to the circle, she runs and hides!
Kind Bars. I received one in a BirchBox and fell in love! I was so happy to find them at Target. They’re delicious and nutritious! “Kind’s all natural whole nut & fruit bars put an end to hunger by delivering all-natural nutrients like fiber, protein, calcium and iron.” Perfect for my anti-eating days. A bar and a multivitamin usually do the trick for me!
You can take the girl out of Little Saigon, but you can’t take Little Saigon out of the girl!
I was homesick for delicious Asian dishes like my mom’s home cooking and all that’s familiar to me in Orange County (I’ve lived there since I was 2!). The closest thing we’ve got is run-of-the-mill Chinese take out and a Mitsuwa about 20 minutes away. But getting those authentic Vietnamese dishes were out of the question. So, I decided to cook my own! I made bò lúc lắc (literally “shaking beef” – seared beef with sautéed onions), bánh xèo, (literally “sizzling cake” – crepe entree typically with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts), thịt kho (caramelized, braised pork belly with hard boiled eggs served over rice), and bánh phồng tôm (shrimp/prawn chips flash fried). Sadly, none of the dishes tasted like my mom’s, but Jeff liked it!
Almond milk. I came across this simply because I had a coupon for it and didn’t want to pay full price for the lactose-free milk I normally get. So delicious and good for you too!
I found a hobby and it’s a pretty time consuming one. But one that at least let’s me be creative and create lupus awareness all at the same time! I know I should’ve have done this a long time ago, but I guess it just wasn’t right yet, until now.
I’ve been quite busy with this new project and am sincerely happy that I’ve got supporters and subscribers.
This channel is dedicate to describing my 9.5 year journey with lupus — from unknown symptoms, diagnosis to stability.
Also, just for fun, some videos will be about the going-ons in my life and how to keep busy while unemployed. However, the focus of the channel is mainly to retell my experiences with this disease.
In 2 weeks, I have uploaded 5 videos — 3 of which detail my struggles with lupus, from beginning until now.
I’m newly inspired to share my stories with the youtube public. I’ve got a list of episode ideas lined up and am excited to film these brief glimpses of my life. Ideally, I’d like to put up 2 videos a week — 1 lupus focused and another fun focused.
There will be at least 1 new video every week, I promise.
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) gave me the rare opportunity to publicly share my personal story about Lupus in a national ad campaign in 2009 in hopes of creating awareness and helping others recognize early symptoms. I got word last week the the Lupus PSA Campaign will be renewed again for another year! That’s 3 years running!
Super ecstatic to be apart of such a great cause in 2011! Watch for me on tv and on the radio! However, it looks as though the AdCouncil is no longer overseeing this campaign, but ads and website are still up!
So it was only a few days ago that I got the info about participating in this blog, to find out that I only have a day before the deadline of the 14th to complete my entries. I’ll try my best to be detailed yet concise, kind of a contradiction – kind of like Lupus.
But before I dive into my symptoms, misdiagnosis, and eventual battle with Lupus I’ll get a bit of background on me first.
I’m 24 years old and have lived in Southern California when my parents and I moved from Milwaukee, WI when I was 2 years old. Since grade school, I was always an outgoing and happy kid. I had plenty of friends that I would ride bikes with after school, study with for exams, and hang out with during the summertime. We’d eventually go on to junior high, then high school, but managed to reconnect as if no time had past.
I was a great student throughout school, both in extra curricular activities and academically. I was very much involved in school activities. From junior high through high school, I was involved in girls’ volleyball, Spanish club, yearbook staff member, vocal ensemble, orchestra, Key club, talent shows, and our high school philanthropic club, Argos (school mascot) Against AIDS and Cancer.
But as was most teenagers, I began to slack off my senior year of high school. I guess it was a normal regression at the time for kids my age to care less about school. “Can’t wait to be done with school! No more 0 period classes, gross lunches, or parents dropping or picking me up from school!”
I had already taken my SAT tests, applied to colleges and was ready to coast for the last year of my high school career. Senior year started and I was excited and apprehensive. My boyfriend Daniel and I have been dating since sophomore year. He was a great guy, but had other ambitions that were not similar to mine after high school. We’d disagree then fight. All this began around the same time my symptoms first appeared.
The achy knuckles, shoulders and knees were mostly bearable, but very uncomfortable. There would be some days I couldn’t get out of bed and my parents attributed that to laziness or staying up too late the night before. They didn’t know or realize that fatigue was hitting me hard. I would be late for school or work other days because when I would eventually get out of bed, it would be a struggle for me to get my clothes without the help of my mom because of the painful joints.
I couldn’t take it anymore and didn’t understand what was happening. I tried remedying it myself by sleeping earlier, eating healthier and attempted to live a less stressful life. I’d take time out of each day to reflect and meditate. Daniel and I eventually broke up because we felt that the stress we were causing each might be a factor in my declining health. But nothing worked. I finally went to the doctor to check out these symptoms after my hair began falling out in clumps.
The achy joints were uncomfortable, the fatigue was manageable, but that hair loss scared me and was serious enough for my parents to take me seriously and realize that I was just being lazy all this time. There was something wrong and we were going to learn it the hard way.
We’d go to different doctors that basically all said the same thing, “Its stress.” They said stress causes your body to react differently and that’s the reason for the symptoms.
It wasn’t too much longer after we sought the advice of the doctors that I began to lose weight rapidly. I wasn’t able to keep any food in my body. With in a month’s time I had lost 35 lbs. I remember it vividly. My mom had to take in my winter formal dress because I had lost so much weight, she had to replace the lace up back with hooks otherwise the dress would slip right off my now tiny frame.
“Are you taking diet pills or drugs? Tell me the truth,” my parents would ask me. It was heartbreaking because they weren’t sure if something had changed in my happy life to make start using drugs. I assured them I wasn’t doing any drugs and that I was just as scared as they were about what was going on with my body.
My doctors were no help. Gave me prescriptions that were supposed to relax my muscles and stress balls to work out my achy joints. But that was about it.
June 2001 was my graduation. Summer came and went. The symptoms never ceased. I guess I just learned to live with them.
It was Fall now and I began my first semester at Cal State Fullerton. It was an exciting time. Drove myself to school, choose my own classes and times, no assigned classroom seating – so much independence! It was those little things in life that made me happy.
It was December now and this month would be a milestone month for me. It would be my 18th birthday and I was rounding out my finals for school. The symptoms were still lingering, but I guess I had enough going on in my life not to focus too much on the joints and fatigue.
It’s January and a visit to the emergency room showed I had severe pneumonia. It was winter and I was work late nights at a local bookstore along with studying late for finals. That combination with my prior symptoms was too much for me to handle.
I had a 105 degree temp which prompted the doctors to keep a close eye on me. The nurses and staff weren’t able to tell my parents what to expect from here except that I’d be kept in the hospital for observation since the pneumonia medicine was given to me high doses to alleviate the fever and coughing.
Everything from here is what my mom told had happened.
My parents had left for the night and promised to be back tomorrow morning. I had slipped into a coma later that night and wasn’t discovered until the next morning when a nurse had tried to wake me to draw blood. My parents arrived and thought I was still sleeping as well. The nurse came back and asked it I was a heavy sleeper and if they could wake me up so she could draw blood for tests. My mom had tried to wake me up, but soon noticed there was something wrong.
Apparently I had a stroke and slipped into a coma the night before. I finally woke up the next day to find the right side of my body completely paralyzed. My arm, my leg, my face – nothing was working.
With my parents hope, the help of the hospital staff and my courage to overcome – I slowly relearned to walk, talk, write, feed myself, and use my motor skills again.
It was Lupus, this disease I never heard of before. Was it contagious? Was it hereditary? How did I get it? I was just as confused as my parents but we listened intently to the doctors explanations and suggestions for a healthy normal life.
I was finally well enough to be released from the hospital with the doctor’s blessings.
It was only a month later I had my second stroke. This time it was more damaging and my motor functions I had just relearned were gone once again. Luckily the stroke affected the same area of my brain, instead of another area that would have debilitated another area of my body.
This time is was more serious. My mom quit her job to help me with physical therapy and watch over me once I was released from the hospital. I had to cancel my second semester of classes and would be taking off school for the rest of the year.
I felt bad for my mom, trying to stay strong for me. I knew inside she felt a sense of guilt, even though there really wasn’t anything she could do to prevent this. I guess she felt that all she could do now was to help me through this tough time and only empathize with me along the way. My dad tried to be strong too, but it was just as difficult for him seeing his only daughter go through something so heartbreaking especially at the beginning of her adult life.
Today, my 18-pills-a-day days, weekly MRIs, CAT Scans, blood tests, hospital stays are over for now. I’ve been stable and I’ve recovered from my strokes and regained about 95% use of the affected areas. I currently take multivitamins after stopping Plaquenil about 3 months ago.
It has been 6 ½ years since my diagnosis. New friends I make would never guess I had 2 strokes or even know about my condition and what I’ve gone through until I tell them. But I make an effort creating awareness about Lupus and how much it has affected my life in positive and negative ways. This experience has taught me and made me realize how strong I am. That my parents determination to help me through this is a unconditional love that comes from deep inside their hearts. I’ve had my ups and my downs, but I’m a fighter that will keep fighting until there’s a cure.
I look forward to the future and can’t wait to see whats in store for me. I’ll continue spreading the word, if not to one day find a cure, at least give solace to those recently diagnosed and are unaware of this elusive disease.
Meditations help calm my mind. When I listen to a meaningful podcast and practice deep breathing, I feel centered and aware both internally and externally. It only takes moments for me to fall into a relaxed state of ease and warmth.
I stumbled upon Stin Hansen while browsing the itunes podcast library one night. I was in need of some clarity, did a searchfor guided meditations and found my forever go-to guru!
She has a subscription site with faqs to browse at My Though Coach. Also, she has an accompanying blog she updates about once a month.
You can download and listen to her meditation podcasts here.
My all-time favorite meditation: Body Change Meditation. I listen to this podcast nightly in preparation for a restful sleep.
Hope you enjoy her soothing voice and uplifting words as much as I do!
I’m in a funk, a slump. I can’t shake this feeling that’s been taking over me for weeks now. Obviously, it has something to do with me being currently unemployed. It’s got to be, right? I hope so. Nothing to do, nothing to wake up for. I’m allowed to sleep in all day/afternoon — great right? Not for usually productive me! This has been torture!
My daily routine for the past 3 weeks can be summed up as waking up, reading (paragraphs if that and not books or even pages), cleaning and sleeping. Throw in applying for jobs, updating my facebook status and tweeting and there you have it.
It’s too cold to go outside for a walk or enjoy the outdoors. Even getting necessities like food and water are a chore when it’s 9°F outside. Plus, no job = no $ = no disposable income = no retail therapy. Sigh.
“Bored” does not even come close to how I feel during the hours of 9am-6pm (when Jeff’s at work). I’ve lost interest in watching tv, cooking and wedding planning, etc. All of these things I used to enjoy now seem more like a hassle. I sit in bed and get caught up in just…being here.
My thoughts are a mile a minute, but there’s nothing specifically I think about. I’ll start a magazine or a book then put it down a few pages into it. My short attention span’s been getting the best of me. My mind’s energized yet my body’s fatigued, I’m motivated yet unmotivated at the same time— its a such a difficult thing to accurately describe. All I know is this feeling’s not welcomed anymore.
I’ve tried to work it out using the elliptical machine, practicing yoga and meditating — nothing’s worked. I think I’m suffering from the “winter blahs,” aka Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
It’s only moving to the east coast that I’ve truly experienced different seasons of the year. Growing up in southern California it’s sunny year round so even if I was predisposed to SAD, it wouldn’t affect me because of the minimal differences between the seasons.
I don’t remember feeling this down last year, but there are many reasons for that. Starting with the fact that it was my first white winter, excited? Oh yeah! Second, I was coming off of the high I was experiencing of moving cross-country with Jeff. Third, new place so many things to see and do! And so on. I was perpetually distracted so much so the winter blues had no effect on me. But I guess this year’s different.
At the beginning of every year I make resolutions that I no doubt break within a few weeks. Without fail, my goals for the new year dissolve as my will power decreases. I start off strong. I buy a special journal to track my progress. I purchase healthy recipe cook books. I accumulate all these neat toys (weights, dvds, exercise bands, yoga cds) making sure I’ll stick to it this year and finally finishing something I started. I have every intention to better my life by making changes for good. You’d think that by accomplishing these new years goals and the benefits I’ll reap should be enough to motivate me, but sadly, each year prior it hasn’t.
Most of my resolutions are your typical run of the mill: lose weight, lead a healthy life style (physically and emotionally) save money, keep in touch with friends and family, etc. But this year I’m getting a little more specific.
Through reading about mindful meditation, I’ve learned to have a happy life, I needed to look inward. For too long I cared too much about how I was perceived by others. I used to compare myself to my family/friends/acquaintances and due of my low self esteem, I almost always didn’t come close to measuring up.
Meditations and affirmations have taught me that life is not a race to be won. Life should be about living and enjoying all there is to the fullest! Now with that said this year will be the year I will truly live my life.
Resolution 1: Take charge of my health.
Being both physically and emotionally stable have always been at the top of my to-do lists. It was only these past few months that I began taking it seriously. For the physical component, I intend to exercise weekly, if not daily. 45mins out of my day is a small price to pay for healthy heart, lungs and mindset in return. Also, I want to bounce back to my slender self after being on high doses of prednisone, which caused bloat, moon-face and a 4 pant size upgrade — seriously!
Along with exercise, I will be more aware of what I consume. A healthy diet can be mood-altering for the positive as well as contribute to the energy I’ll need for the exercise component. I resolve to cut down on sugar (this includes glucose found in breads and pasta), caffeine and nicotine. Sweets are treats, decaf coffee isn’t so bad and well, nicotine patches will have to do for now until I’m no longer dependent on it.
The emotional aspect ties in with the physical when I practice my daily yoga session. It’s amazing how quickly your frame of mind changes with you breathe deeply and mindfully. I’m able to focus on relaxing and not my never-ending to-do lists. Again, only a few minutes a day will (and has) helped me align and center myself for better mental well-being.
Specifically, my action plan for accomplishing this resolution is to practice yoga sun salutations in the morning, workout on our elliptical machine for at least 45mins a day in the afternoon and meditate nightly.
Resolution 2: Save, spend less and detox.
Hands down this has been the most difficult resolution in past years to stick to. I used to think that coupons and discounts were my friends until I realized had these “deals” not made their way to my inbox or mailbox, I wouldn’t be making unnecessary purchases in order to take advantage of the “savings.” I’d find myself scouring online sites and in-stores for something I didn’t need just to use the coupon! What a horrible way to save money! It made no sense and because of this behavior, I’ve got credit card debt — again.
I’m going to tackle this resolution this year by making only necessary purchases. Especially since I’m in between jobs aka unemployed and without income. When I eventually re-enter the workforce, I’m committing myself to the 10% rule. Basically 10% of my paychecks will go directly into my savings account, no ifs and or buts! In retrospect (20/20, remember?) I should have done this a long time ago…
Also, no more buying in bulk (because more often than not I end up paying more for what I think is the “better” deal), jump in my car or online to buy something I don’t need just because a coupon is about to expire. Spending money on clothes would be only on an as needed basis since I already own 30+ pairs of pants and countless tops. Also, accessories count towards this material checklist. I own too many purses (yes, I actually admitted to it) and over 70 pairs of shoes! Who needs that many pairs of shoes?! Apparently, I thought I did.
Which brings me to my third subtopic under this resolution — material detox.
Let me give you some more back ground on this. I’ve recently gone on this kick of “being more with less.” My reasoning behind it is simple: Clutter-free space, clutter-free mind. I have too much stuff already and I was continuing to accumulate more everyday. This had to stop!
“… about simplifying your life and really living. Here, you can learn how to create a life with more savings and less no debt, more health and less stress, more time and less stuff, and more joy with less obligation.”
Project 333: The Basics
When: January 1 – March 31, 2011
What: 33 items – clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.
What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or other sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear, and workout clothing.
How: Choose your 33 items, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of site.
What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. Remember that this is not a project in suffering.
Resolution 3: Keep in touch.
Friends and acquaintances have entered (and some exited) my life for different reasons. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for the better! It’s not only having friends, its maintaining the relationship aspect behind every good friendship that is important to me. I want to stay in touch with my friends on the west coast, especially since I’m 2,441 miles away and without any new friends here. Facebook has taken the place of the intimate and heartfelt correspondence you’d only get through a handwritten letter or card and sometimes a small surprise of a letter in the mail from a friend can make my week! However, with the prevalence of high-speed, micro- communication, its either facebook or texting nowadays. This year I resolve to keep open and thoughtful communication with friends and relatives whom I only occasionally converse with.
Not quite sure if this is true for this year or for any of the previous years for that matter. But I do know that I’ve experienced plenty of “firsts” this last year before turning the big two-seven. 2009 was 365 eventful days, to say the least.
Life
We celebrated our 1 year engagement anniversary. Still planning and saving for that fall 2011 wedding, fingers crossed!!! Things are still going strong and I really can’t complain! Strangely enough, had our first movie date out in this past year, too. Of all things, we saw Dinner with Schmucks. LOL!
Also, we renewed our lease until next November. Apartment hunting during this time was out of the question and my stress level was already at its peak. We really can’t complain about Brookchester, well, except for the hooligans puking their brains outside our office window and the inconsiderate laundry machine hog that drives her 8 loads to our nearest facility, leaving none for anyone else to use. I thought I had her schedule figured out, but she threw us a curve ball last Friday. But that’s for any other post. Another thing, still no doggies allowed. Which means another year with out the unconditional, excitable love only a dog can give. Don’t get me wrong, Pepper’s alrite… when she wants to be!
Career
Began contract work at NBC in July and sadly, this position will cease in 2 weeks. Learned quite a bit about the industry and what a powerhouse NBC really is. Although this specific position is not where I want to being my career, NBC would have been a perfect starting out company for my HR goals. But who knows, something might open up and maybe I’ll get my chance to get my foot in the door of the HR department here. Their company culture definitely made me reminisce of MRM days which had a younger workforce striving to please . Ordering take out into the late-night work hours and finally leaving the office, only to see each other again to brainstorm in a few hours.
Well, not sure where I’ll land next, but where ever it is, ideally it will be stable and a keeper. I hope it’ll be permanent and have health benefits, too! Some more fingers-crossed!
Health
A trip to CA, a trip to hospital. Totally exhausted myself trying to visit with all my friends and family. Apparently I had a vitamin K deficiency. Who knew? So some supplements and bananas every morning. But all in all, it was a much needed, worthwhile trip. However, shortly after coming back to the east coast, even after the banana breakfasts, I still felt fatigued and everything hurt. Of course, I brushed it off as the excited good stress from landing the NBC position. Yeah, not so much. It was another flare! 103 temp and nearly an ER visit. Then back on prednisone again. SIGH! 60mgs and yesterday started 2.5mg for my last 2 weeks.
Let me start with the pros of prednisone:
Less fatigued
Reduced pain
Halted alopecia
Regained my appetite for food
Reduced flares
And true to form, there are the cons:
Moon-face
Bloating
Irritability
Gained 30 pounds
Wearing 4 pants sizes larger
This too, shall pass…
Loss
My baby girl. My min pin passed away this year. She was 14 years old. Titi definitely had a good run. Mom to 12 baby pups and actually outlived a few of them. I just wish I could have been there with her in her last days. But my parents were and I knew they took just as good of care for her final hours as they have for the last year I’ve been on the east coast. She will be dearly missed.
June:
June 24, 2012
gooddeeddoer
