The ICI Experience:

Nerve Damage on the Vaginal Cuff After Total Hysterectomy

2017-08-29T07:21:00.004-04:00

Here's the link to the actual article describing my experience: https://medium.com/@SherrilLynn/nerve-damage-to-the-vaginal-cuff-after-total-hysterectomy-6d9a2e576f15.

This has happened to me and I can find virtually NOTHING written about it, except the pain filled pleas of other women it has happened to, looking for answers as to why this has happened to them and what they can do about it.

I'm going to start a place for other women who have and are experiencing Nerve Damage to the Vaginal Cuff after a total hysterectomy (as far as I can tell there's no cure and nothing to do about it but pain management) to publish their stories here on the ICIE blog. A collection of experiences of women who have Nerve Damage to the Vaginal Cuff (I'm going to shorten it to NDVC since no one in the medical field has deigned to give a name to this diagnosis), after a total hysterectomy. I'm pretty sure there are quite a few of us out there but no one has counted so who knows?

If you want to be included in the collection, send your story to me at... ? {I'm working on it.}

Leave it in the comments if you want, and I'll let y'all know when I figure out a better way.

Blaze a new path! #uniquemonique

2017-01-19T06:20:00.000-05:00

I'm letting the inspiration come from wherever it will. I'll share some more of this lady's stuff and spell out the tie in with my blog... which will be 10 years old this year!

Blaze a new path! #uniquemonique #mayaangelou #success #inspiration #vlogger #beauty #over40 #over50 #fabulous #love #journey #path

A photo posted by Monique (@moniqueparent) on Jul 21, 2016 at 8:42am PDT

What is the "Endo Diet?"

2016-09-10T00:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Endo Warriors for putting this guide together. I was told I have "allergic sensitivities" to just about everything on this list in 1989, the same year I was diagnosed with endo. The things I wasn't allergic to, my digestive system communicated to me in no uncertain terms (Irritable Colon or IBS dx in 1993) that I was not to consume them. So I thank my body's innate intelligence for watching out for me again.

Our quick guide to foods to avoid on the Endo diet.

A photo posted by Endo Warriors (@endowarriors) on May 18, 2016 at 8:16am PDT

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFjaQgkJBID/?taken-by=endowarriors

"No Estoy Enferma." The title means "I am not sick."

2016-08-16T10:06:00.000-04:00

This is a really creative animation of one of Frida Kahlo's most famous (among the chronically ill) self portraits, The Broken Column. The originals are on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BI3ug5_jSuB/?taken-by=lacejadefridaoficial and Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/reblog/148668368448/oJ9mRBlb. So click the play arrow and if you don't understand any Spanish I will put the translation at the bottom of this picture for you.

No cheating! Watch the animation first!

No estoy enferma... 😔🍉🍃 #FridaKahlo #lacejadefrida #instadaily #picoftheday #instafrida #frida #flowers #friditis #creative #fearless #frases #quotes #frasesdefridakahlo #frasesdeamor

A video posted by Frida Kahlo (@lacejadefridaoficial) on Aug 8, 2016 at 7:12pm PDT

No cheating! Really.

The animation translates as: "I am broken but I am happy to live while I can paint." Or something to that effect.

I'd like to know more about the lacejadefrida.com artist, but the site is all about Frida.

Judgement of Others from Texas Endo Advocates

2016-08-08T17:54:00.003-04:00

Judgement of others...#nocurenochoice #endometriosis #endosisters #chronicillness #texasadvocatesforendo #endoawareness

A photo posted by TexasEndoAdvocates (@texasendoadvocate) on Jun 13, 2016 at 8:23am PDT

I've been dealing with these types of problems in my immediate family for almost exactly three years now. Last week the problem suddenly got much worse. More on that soon.

Endometriosis Foundation of America continues the awareness and education of our March Awareness Month into April with short videos by Padma Lakshmi, Allison Williams and so on.

2016-04-23T07:12:00.001-04:00

Here are a few videos from the Blossom Ball this year. Start each one individually because it really annoys me when a video starts as soon as I click on a site and won't stop. They're all short and sweet. Especially the one on the far right. Allison Williams' letter to endo for Lena Duncan. Enjoy.

Endometriosis Foundation of America from Endofound on Vimeo.

In case you don't know who Allison Williams is, like I didn't:

Allison Williams

Actress

Allison Williams is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for her role as Marnie Michaels on the HBO comedy-drama series Girls. Williams was born and raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, and is the daughter of former NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams and Jane Gillan Stoddard, a T…

Wikipedia

IMDb

Born: Apr 13, 1988 (age 28) · New Canaan, CT

Height: 5' 6" (1.67 m)

Spouse: Ricky Van Veen (m. 2015)

I would like to post more stuff from Endofound, but some of the information they are giving out is not correct, it's dated. I'll get more into that if and when I can. Right now I'm just so tired. So much more I want to do. But I'm in such terrible pain, and I'm so tired and having had endo for all these years (I'm 59), has done other damage to my body and health that I'm finding out about now. So I'll post when I can, and thanks for reading the ICIE.

Sorry, Ma

2016-04-01T18:18:00.003-04:00

My DM (Dear Mother) thinks that blogging is bad for me. Sorry, Ma. I've gotta do what I've gotta do. And I've gotta do this.

A reminder to myself:

Absolute permission: Be exactly who you are. #regramlove @ashleywilking #inspiration #iamwellandgood

A photo posted by Well+Good (@wellandgoodnyc) on Mar 29, 2016 at 5:10am PDT

Best ever: Mankoski Subjective Pain Scale for Chronic Pain

2016-03-31T20:24:00.000-04:00

P.S. The creator of this fabulous document has endometriosis. And you must upload a good document to Scribd in order to download this one.

Chronically Awesome Mankoski Subjective Pain Scale for Chronic Pain Patients by Jules Shapiro

Or you can just take this jpg version:

EndoTruths: Vital Messages to the Medical Community from Endometriosis Patients

2016-03-24T23:40:00.001-04:00

Lupron for Endometriosis - NOT!, and a little bit of my story - Endometriomas

2016-03-21T00:16:00.000-04:00

UPDATED: March 21, 2016 - also World EndoMarch 2016 day

5/23/14

I just stumbled across this article/post about the nightmare of Lupron, on Pinterest. I'm sharing it here because it is well written, factual, and it's a small sample of the insanity that has surrounded people with Endometriosis for decades. And because I'm so glad I didn't take Lupron or any of the other useless but dangerous drugs that were being promoted for endometriosis back when I was first diagnosed. (I have the Endometriosis Association, founded in 1980 by Mary Lou Ballweg, to thank for providing me with the knowledge and courage to buck the medical system from the beginning of my diagnoses.) The nightmare is that doctors are STILL prescribing Lupron for Endo.

Hidden Clinical Trial Data About Lupron

Is this what's wrong with me? Am I lost in grief? Reblogged from Then Everything Changed.

2014-10-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't been able to put out any original blog posts for several months. I'm going through something and I can't write about it yet because I'm not sure exactly what it is. I think I need to get through it and get some perspective before I can write about it. I'm not even able to read much right now (chronic migraine) but I do still occasionally come across something that I identify with strongly or am really moved by... like the post below that I'm reblogging. It's got me to thinking along the right track, I hope. And I hope it will help others also.

Lost in Grief

Originally posted on Then Everything Changed: A Glimpse of Life With and Without Invisible Illness.

Posted on June 19, 2014 by leitis23

"For the majority of people coping with chronic pain or illness it came on suddenly while we were innocently living normal lives. Whether we were nine or fifty years old chronic pain brought about devastating changes in the life we knew. These are no small changes, no small loses. Marriages end, jobs are lost, homes are lost, confidence is lost, we are limited and altered in ways we never imagined. Yet we do our best to limp along, many of us fighting like hell to find our way back to the life we once knew. The truth that none of us want to admit is that that life is gone. It’s true and it hurts, it’s a crushing conclusion and it’s an inevitable conclusion. What we need to do before we go any further is allow ourselves to grieve for what we have lost. That will take time and a…"

View original 1,197 more words

For the one year anniversary of my endo excision surgery...

2014-07-18T21:58:00.001-04:00

... I shall share with you this wonderful post about a surgery very similar to mine that happened this month. But it's from the perspective of the waiting room, by Erin's friend, Marissa. I'd say she's a very good friend. The post is hilarious AND it made me cry. It's great. Sigh.

Putting the ME in EndoMEtriosis-Part 1,

on Erin's Guide to Living Blog

If you've read my blog at all, you know I like to put pictures in my posts. This is a word picture, but I think it goes.

Erin & Marissa, I hope you're new online friends. And to all of you out there that I've met online (NOT just Facebook!) since I started blogging in 2007, I'm really, really thankful for you. Especially since I moved in 2011 and had less than a year to make face to face friends in my new city before I had to start figuring what was wrong with me this time. It's been a long hard road and I'm not at the end of it yet. But I know all of you virtual buddies will be there for me. I'm also super grateful for the closed groups I've found that deal specifically with the health conditions I have to learn about now: Nancy's Nook Facebook group for Endometriosis Discussion and Education, and happypelvis group on Yahoo. I really don't know what I'd do if I had to learn about this stuff all alone, and there's literally nothing better than being able to communicate with others who have been or are going through the same thing you are. Bless y'all and keep y'all. (Maybe I've been in the south for a decade too many...??)

Peace, out.

Sherril

Detox the Box: A parody of Justin Timberlake's parody, from Women's Voices for the Earth

2014-06-24T23:59:00.003-04:00

I found this on the Beyond Basics Physical Therapy blog. It's a great, fun post about getting mega corporations that make "feminine hygiene" products without any kind of ingredient list anywhere on the label. What's up with that? I mean really!

Fibromyalgia Study needs participants: Anti Inflammation Diet

2014-06-09T12:01:00.002-04:00

Hi All,

I'm participating in this study and I told Megan Fulsom that I know some people with FM (haha) and I would spread the word around that she's looking for participants. Megan is the person who is doing the study to complete her Master's thesis, and thereby her Masters in Dietetics at Indiana State U.

Megan is no stranger to multiple chronic illesses; she also has Fibromyalgia. If you can, please give her a hand in completing her study. Life is giving her a hard time of it.

When her study is completed it will be the only one of its kind dealing with FM and whether an anti inflammation diet helps or not.

Here's the link to her FB Advertisement: https://www.facebook.com/sherrillynn/posts/10154258273365074.

Sufferer vs.Survivor Mentality

2014-06-09T09:22:00.000-04:00

I noticed this as soon as I started reading Endo and Pelvic Pain websites and blogs, a few months after these new symptoms (yes, I'm going to write all about it; I just need to get into the swing of blogging again before jumping into the deep end) started in September of 2012: Many of the people who write about these topics call themselves "sufferers."

I started being diagnosed with ICIs in 1989 (Endo, Fibro and multiple food allergies that year) and I quickly learned that I preferred to refer to myself and others as survivors or persons with chronic illness X. Even referring to myself as a fibromyalgiac, for instance, tends to give the illness a feeling of power over me. None of the ICIs I have define ME, so I don't use terms like that either. Sufferer connotes a victim mentality to me. It's OK to wallow in the pool of being a victim for awhile, but I don't think anyone will get out of that sucky, I-feel-sorry-for-me-so-you-should too place unless we move on to thinking of ourselves in a more positive light. Even if the word sufferer doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to you, it's probable that it does have negative connotations to anyone you say it to (see definition two paragraphs down).

I've been thinking about this topic for quite awhile, but it was this post I got in my email today that inspired me to write about it: Being A Survivor Is A Choice. by DanLrene on Dare to Dream blog. Now that lady is a SURVIVOR.

~Positive Butterflies for a Positive Life

~Zero Tolerance to Negative Thinking

Butterflies have had a special meaning for me for a long time, so I'm glad to find Dr. Dave's sites about butterflies and positivity.

Unexpected help with this blog post came from the dictionary.com definition of sufferer:

Usage: It is better to avoid using the words suffer and sufferer in relation to chronic illness or disability. They may be considered demeaning and disempowering. Suitable alternatives are have (as in I have endometriosis), experience (I experience endometriosis), be (am) diagnosed with (endometriosis). http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sufferer?s=t (Examples in parenthesis added by me.)

The best alternative, IMO, is survivor. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/survivor?s=t

Search string "sufferer vs. survivor" brings lots and lots of ideas and discussions on the topic:

Bing =4,030,000 results
Google=3,490,000 results

Obviously this subject has been thoroughly discussed so I won't spend any more time on it except to note that the first result on both search engines is Sufferer VS Survivor by Tom T, on Cluster Headache blog.

Tom also calls himself a Cluster Head. Catchy. The first ideas that come to me to try to make up a catchy name like that for Endo are not family friendly. I'll keep thinking about it.

Last but definitely not least in my search engine surf on this topic is Sufferer or Survivor? Fibromyalgia from BeePhlis, I am what I am. It was the pole dancing that got me on this one.

Thanks to Deb and Tom and Dr. Dave and BeePhlis and all the others out there who have been a positive beacon for me through the fog of decades of chronic illness.

Guest Post: HOW NOT TO BE A DICK TO YOUR INFERTILE FRIEND: CONVERSATIONAL EDITION, by Laurel Wells Thompson

2014-05-30T09:53:00.000-04:00

Public Service Announcement by Laurel Wells Thompson
(feel free to share this far and wide, with attribution)

HOW NOT TO BE A DICK TO YOUR INFERTILE FRIEND: CONVERSATIONAL EDITION

About 11% of women are unable to conceive within one year of "trying," so if you are a person that breathes air, you have probably encountered one of us. It's very tempting to offer words of comfort or advice, or to ask questions, but very often there is a disconnect between what you're saying, and what your infertile friend (heretofore referred to as YIF) hears. Allow me to translate some of the most common attempts at sympathy:

You: "Just relax!"
YIF hears: This is your fault, if only you could be like everyone else you could make this happen.

You: "Everything happens for a reason/it's all in God's plan"
YIF hears: You're clearly not cut out to be a parent/God wants everyone to be happy except for you.

You: "Why don't you just adopt?"
YIF hears: Give up. You're never going to get pregnant.

You: "My friend's cousin's aunt's neighbor tried EVERYTHING to get pregnant, then they gave up and it happened.
YIF hears: Just keep on spending every red cent you can scrape together, push your body to the limits of medical possibility, destroy your marriage/partnership, hit rock bottom....and THEN you'll get pregnant.***

***and a footnote about this anecdote: People tell this story because it's EXTRAORDINARY, not because it happens all the time. You never hear someone say "my friend's cousin's aunt's neighbor wanted to get pregnant and then she did," because that story is BORING. Please stop telling this story as if it happens every day. It doesn't.

You: "At least you don't have to _________ (insert petty complaint about not being able to sleep in, watching the same Disney movie ad nausaem, etc.)"
YIF hears: Oh that thing I have that you don't? I don't even want it (because I'm a horrible ingrate with no soul).

Even mental health professionals will join in on infertility bashing:

Psychiatrist: You're not "really" infertile because you are "still young" (I was 33!) and you could always "decide to do IVF."
YIPatient: So much for helpful therapy! I kinda wanted to punch her.

This one (above) is from an anonymous YIF. She kind of explained it all like this: "I've been TTC (Trying To Conceive) for like 4.5 years, and there is nothing more hurtful than people who act like infertility is no big deal."

So there you have it. One thing about infertility (and especially many of the pharmaceutical hormone treatments involved with it) is it can make a b* cranky. Next time a friend confides that she is having a tough time getting pregnant, consider a simple hug and I guarantee the phrase "just let me know what I can do to support you" will go a lot further than you think.

*And just for fun, here's a helpful info-graphic about the causes of infertility. Believe it or not none of them is attributed to not being able to relax.

*This graph shows only female factors for infertility.

On the 7th anniversary of the ICIE... I'm back!

2014-05-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is seven years since I published my first blog post on 5/19/2007, Yay, I'm Blogging!

I haven't published a post on The ICIE since April of 2012 so it seemed fitting that I come back to blogging on my anniversary. I haven't been writing, but a lot of people have still been reading my existing blog posts; I've been getting hundreds of hits per week the whole time I've been gone! I just love those Blogger/Google stats.

I'll make a long story short as to why I've been absent from the blogging world for two years. In 2011 I started volunteering at least once a week at our local art center. I did that for about a year, then I started to work there part time as a staff member. I became the Volunteer Coordinator in July of 2012.

WEGO HAWMC Day 30: Word Cloud

2012-04-30T19:41:00.001-04:00

HAWMC Day #30: Word Cloud. Make a word cloud or tree with a list of words that come to mind when you think about your blog, health, or interests. Use a thesaurus to make the branches of your “tree” extend further. http://www.wordle.net/

There WILL be an explanation for my sudden disappearance midway through the month from this challenge. It's a good one and it came on me suddenly. Not one single thing, but a conglomeration of them. Next post, I promise.

I had hoped to do a few posts in the meantime, but I guess this is it for this month.

I cut and pasted a bunch of text and the titles from the five all-time most popular posts from my blog (since 2009 anyway, when Blogger made a big change to the way stats are kept) and this is what I came up with.

Click on the picture to see it big.

These are the five posts, in order of popularity as of right now:

The Twilight Saga books, and the first movie: Not just for teen girls!

Marisol Maldonado "comes out" of the autoimmune closet with husband Rob Thomas' hit song & video "Her Diamonds" - check it out; it's way cool

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Guest Post by Toni Marshall of The Northern Virginia (NOVA) CFS/ME, FMS, & OI Support Group: Awareness Benefits Me

Long time no blog post... (no idea why this one made the top five...?)

FINALLY - Sleep Study Results!

I've gotten over being surprised that my post about the Twilight Saga books and movies is my all time #1 most popular (by FAR), and I guess it will be #1 until well after the last movie is released.

The fact that "sleep" is the biggest word was a surprise to me, but so appropriate!

Generally speaking, I love my Wordle. I might have it enlarged and do something creative with it and make a wall hanging out of it. Someday.

Day 15: Writing with Style. My style.

2012-04-15T14:15:00.000-04:00

What’s your writing style? Do words just flow from your mind to your fingertips? Do you like handwriting first? Do you plan your posts? Title first or last? Where do you write best?

I like to think that my writing style is straight forward. In truth some people might actually think it's blunt. But that's me so there you go.

Yes, words flow from my mind to my fingertips to the keyboard. Sometimes for a complicated post I hand write it first. I've used one book so far that I like very much, Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser Rico. She uses a technique called "clustering" that I find very helpful for organizing complicated topics.

I guess I do plan my posts. Whenever I have an idea I quickly create a draft post with the gist of it or maybe just the link that inspired it and a title that I hope will help me identify it later. Because right now I have about 150 draft posts for this blog. So far I have never had any problems with writer's block. That's probably because I don't usually write unless I want to; these writer's month challenges are the only times I've ever forced myself to write. Up until this month I've never made it past Day 7 on a monthly challenge.

Like I said, I slap a title on the draft post immediately to help me identify the post quickly. The actual title usually comes to me by the middle to the end of the post. Finding a catchy title is in the back of my mind until I have one. I admit I don't always find one. That's a hard part for me.

I write best in the recliner with my laptop.

I just went through all of the pictures on WEGO's HAWMC Pinterest page. It has pictures with links to blog posts and articles about writing. I was expecting to slam them all in general with some pithy remark like 'I don't write with rules,' but instead I bookmarked and re-pinned most of them as they seem like they could be very useful. I guess I got an incorrect impression from skimming that page in the past. I've included one of the pictures below. It links to the blog that it originally came from, Copy Blogger, who was kind enough to allow others to re-post his work.

I haven't tried to make my blog "successful" or "highly effective" like Darren Rowse or Leo Babauta or Brian Clark of Copy Blogger above and below, to name a few biggies who also write a lot about how they do what they do so that others who want what they have (a blog that makes a good living for them) can give it their best shot. And I don't know that I ever will. But it's good to know that the help is out there if I ever do decide to go in that direction. I would like to have more regular readers and people who comment... and I would like for my blog to be as effective and helpful as possible. Food for thought, for sure.

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

Day 14: My Dream Day - at the beach

2012-04-15T12:14:00.000-04:00

Describe your ideal day. How would you spend your time? Who would you spend it with? Have you had this day? If not – how could you make it happen?

I'm late with this post; just couldn't seem to get it out yesterday, but I did a lot of other stuff. Then I was going to quit the challenge all together but the weekly HAWMC email from WEGO came today and I was inspired to continue. I was also reminded that I still have two "Get out of post free" days that I can use. But I liked what I thought of for yesterday's post so much that I'm going to go ahead and do it quickly.

My dream day is going to the beach. Nothing too fancy, just going to a nice white sand beach to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits of being there. I would take someone with me who would enjoy it like I do. My sister and niece come to mind.

I'd have comfortable lounge chairs, shade available if we got too hot and needed a break from the sun, good beach food like fresh fruit smoothies, and rafts for lounging in the water and just going with the flow of the tide and waves.

Here's the part of the challenge that really got me thinking:

What obstacles prevent you from enjoying your dream day? How important is achieving such a day?

Before reading the passage above and giving it a little thought, it had never occurred to me that I could have a day at the beach. The fact is that I can get to a very nice beach in an hour and a half. I would need help with the driving, but it's doable! Considering how much I love the beach and how therapeutic it is for me, achieving such a day is now on my list of Very Important Things To Do.
I have had this day before, as you can see from the pictures below taken by yours truly at Indian Rocks Beach in Florida, 2003.

Day 13: 10 Things I Couldn’t Live Without.

2012-04-13T19:49:00.000-04:00

Write a list of the 10 things you need (or love)most.

Here they are off the top of my head and in no particular order:

My cup of tea in the morning. Organic Earl Gray, green and chai are my favorites. With a teaspoon of local, organic honey and some unadulterated cream from a real farm.
My mom. Without her I don't know where (or if) I would be.
My sister. Because she really seems to get how I feel about living with ICIs, and how much I would like to be living and working without them.
Our dog Miley.
Our cat Buttons.
My adjustable bed.
U-shaped neck pillows.
The warm water therapy pool.
Water dancing.
Digital photography.

Photo courtesy of the Shabby Shoppe Blog. And it comes with a couple of lovely recipes for Chai tea.

Day 12: Stream of Consciousness Day.

2012-04-12T12:23:00.000-04:00

So we challenge you, start with this phrase: “Today I looked in the mirror and…” (Or another sentence you come across.) But sure to – Keep writing. Don’t stop for 15 minutes. Don’t edit. Post. Go!

OK. Here goes. 12:07 pm

Today I looked in the mirror and thought I knew HAWMC was going to be difficult this week because I have something extra and major to do every day this week. So here it is Thursday and I have nothing prepared for today. At all. Maybe I should just try to get to Day 15 and stop there. I have so many other things going on. Doctors appointments, lab work appointments, trying to get the reason for these daily headaches diagnosed, dental appointments, my teeth are falling apart again - four crowns have to be re-done but I just finished #3 yesterday. I also have a major special project I'm working on, I guess you could say consulting on, for a local non-profit. But I made the commitment to try to post every day this month long before I took on the special project assignment. And one of the reasons I wanted to this HAWMC is so I can get better at writing posts that are shorter and don't take so long to produce. That's never going to happen if I don't PRACTICE.

Truth be told one of the things that's weighing heavily on me is the MRI that I traveled over an hour on Monday to have done. That was enough in itself to put me in a tizzy, but they got the results to my doctor THE NEXT DAY and his office called and told me the results and said 'So you can talk to the Dr. about it when you come in for your follow up appointment.' That's never happened before. They told me that the white matter in my brain is changing. So of course I Binged the phrase "changing white matter" and only allowed myself to look at one page of results to get a general idea of what they're talking about and now I have to wait until late next week to talk to the Dr. about it. Every day that weighs a little more heavily on my mind.

12:22 pm - Stop!

Day 11: Theme song - You gotta loosen up those chains and dance!

2012-04-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

Imagine your health focus or blog is getting its own theme song. What would the lyrics be? What type of music would it be played to?

My theme song would be Some Days You Gotta Dance by the Dixie Chicks. Go ahead, crank it up and move if you want to...

I've learned to dance in mind when I can't do it in reality.

Day 10: Dear 16-year-old-me.

2012-04-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Write a letter to yourself at age 16. What would you tell yourself? What would you make your younger self aware of?

Dear 16-year-old-me,

Pretty soon you're going to meet a guy and fall in love with him. He will consistently keep you out late at night and you will have trouble keeping up with your social life and your part time job, plus going to school full time. You will be tired all of the time but you will keep going, you will keep up your work and school standards plus you will be a good-time party girl whenever possible. It will be fun.

This will be the beginning of many years of a Type A Personality lifestyle in addition to an active social life.

There's no way to tell if this lifestyle contributes to or causes the multiple chronic and autoimmune illnesses that you will begin to develop at a very early age, but if I could tell you anything it would be this:

There is nothing more important than taking care of yourself - physically, emotionally and spiritually. Fun is temporary. Your health is permanent.
Keep up the yoga practice that you will start in a few years. Don't let ANYTHING get in the way of regular practice.
When Nia comes into your life, embrace it fully. Figure out a way to get trained to teach Nia so you will never have to be without a Nia class, no matter where you live.

If you do these things, when you get older you will probably be in a much better place.

I don't know if 16-year-old-me will listen to this. She always was pretty headstrong.

Day 9: Keep calm and ...

2012-04-09T05:41:00.000-04:00

The challenge:

Keep calm and carry on. Write (and create) your own Keep Calm and Carry On poster. Can you make it about your condition? Then go to (http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/) and actually make an image to post to your blog.

I think the story of Keep Calm and Carry On is interesting. It all started with WW II propaganda posters put out by the U.K. Ministry of Information.

Here's mine.