HAWMC Prompt 23: Dr. Seuss Day

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to write a post with as many rhymes as I can. It can be a poem with end-rhymes or a paragraph with internal rhymes. I can't say that my writing is at all like Dr. Seuss', but here it is:

I don't know what to do,
when I feel down and blue.

I don't understand why
there are times I can't cry.

I don't know how to stop the pain,
when it feels like a freight train.

HAWMC Prompt 22: Prescribed

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to write about a wacky prescription that I wish were a treatment for my condition. So, here's the prescription I'd love for my doctor to give me:

Eat 3 chocolate chip cookies at the same time each day.

HAWMC Prompt 21: Who I Admire

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.


© 2009 David Madden Photography.

Today's challenge is to free-write about someone I admire. I'm going to use this post to write a little about my parents.

My parents are amazing individuals. They're also a shining example of true love. They've been married for almost 30 years, and they're still very much in love. It's absolutely beautiful! I'm so grateful for the sacrifices that they've made throughout my life, and I'm so proud of them for continuing to strive toward their own dreams.

My mom and I may not have always been super close, but we are now (and I'm so grateful that we are!). She has always been there for me. She's been my rock over these past few years, since my car accident - going with me to doctor appointments and meetings with the attorney, helping me with insurance company messes and disability claims, and just the general ups and downs. She's so much stronger than she thinks she is.

My dad and I have always had an indescribably strong connection. We can understand what the other is thinking and/or experiencing in an unexplainable way. We've always shared a love for old cars/car shows, art, and deep conversations. He always seems to know just the right thing to say, and his hugs make everything feel alright.

I'm so blessed to have an amazing family. I love and admire them so much!

HAWMC Prompt 20: Writing Room

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to describe my writing room. This room was originally referred to as "the study." But, for some reason, my husband and I started calling it "the dungeon." My desk is where my computer is, and there are multiple book shelves in the room (I love my books!). There's also a treadmill, a storage closet, and a TV/DVD player on a dresser. I typically have Friends playing in the background because I sometimes have trouble with complete silence (and I know all the lines, so I'm not distracted or tempted to just sit and watch it... though it still makes me laugh so much!).

Part of the challenge is to name an item in the room of each color (and my own challenge is to not use books for each color, though I have enough that I definitely could):

• Red - Kleenex box
• Orange - pad of sticky notes
• Yellow - picture of a yellow rose (my favorite flower)
• Green - Worry Stone from Ireland
• Blue - the matte around my college diploma
• Violet - some flowers on my bookshelf
• Black - picture frames (I love pictures of my family and friends)
• Brown - a marble bear bookend that a dear friend gave me (she has the other one)

I really like the dungeon because it's "away" from the rest of the apartment, where I spend much of my time. I have a corner that's all my own, where I can be surrounded by my books. I wish that I was able to read and write more... one day, these migraines will be more under control and I'll get back to work on writing more frequently.

HAWMC Prompt 19: Health Activist's Choice

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is Health Activist's choice. So, I'd like to share an action alert that I received from the American Pain Foundation regarding medication safety. It's Spring, which means that it's time for Spring cleaning. Why not take some time to clean out your medicine cabinet, too? There's a National Take Back Initiative taking place April 30th (10am to 2pm) - see below for details. Local collection sites and law enforcement agencies will be available to safely dispose of accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs.

The April Action of the Month Focuses on Medication Safety

Take stock and clean out your medication supply. Gather all of the medications in your home that have expired as they may have lost their effectiveness and/or could be harmful if taken. Collect any medications that are no longer in use, too.

Next, properly dispose of these expired or unnecessary medications by:

• Participating in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Take Back Program on Saturday, April 30, 2011, from 10 am to 2 pm in your local area. Learn more.

OR

• Properly disposing of them.
• Flushing medications: Do not flush prescription medications down the toilet unless approved by your pharmacist or included in the Food and Drug Administration’s list.
• Throwing out medications in the household trash. Throw out medications only if flushing instructions are not provided, but first:

1. Take them out of their original containers.
2. Mix the medications with used coffee grounds or kitty litter. This will make the medication less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to people who may intentionally go through your trash.
3. Pour the mixture into a sealable plastic bag, empty can, or other container to prevent it from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.
4. Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from all medication containers before recycling them or throwing them into the trash.
5. Throw them in the trash.

Share this information

 with family members and friends with a note encouraging them to take stock in their homes. Post this information in your community: church bulletin board or newsletter, grocery store, hair salon or rotary club. Tell your Facebook friends and Twitter followers about APF by sharing the following message: Take Stock of Your Medications in Your Home. Dispose of all expired and unused medications. http://bit.ly/gQ0JRd 

For additional information on safe use of pain medications and proper disposal please visit www.painsafe.org. 

Your participation in disposing of unused or unnecessary medications properly is critical to helping protect access to care and transforming pain care in America. Encourage others to become part of this effort and join APF.

REPORT BACK – click here to report back to APF that you TOOK ACTION! 

HAWMC Prompt 18: Daily Schedule

I'm participating in WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC) in April.

Today's challenge is to write a list of my daily routine from the moment I get up until the moment I go to bed.

My daily schedule depends very much on how I'm feeling. This is extremely frustrating for me! I've always been a to-do list sort of person. Before my accident, I would write out a daily and/or weekly to-do list. I still have lists (mainly because my memory seems to no longer work); but they're more open-ended, unless there's actually something scheduled (e.g., doctor appointments). It's difficult for me to gauge what I can actually accomplish versus what I want or need to accomplish in a day. I'm getting better at knowing that all tasks are going to take me longer than they used to. I can write a realistic to-do list for a day (a day with pain below migraine-level); but problems with pain interfere so often that I rarely do this anymore. 

A "good"/non-migraine day looks like this:

• Wake up; Brush teeth
• Check email; Read some articles in Google Reader
• Eat breakfast; Take meds
• Blog - read/write
• Eat lunch; Take meds
• Do a few things around the apartment (pick up, organize, etc)
• Watch TV/movie
• Eat whatever I can for dinner (poor appetite from meds)
• Blog - read/write
• Take meds; Snack
• Update health calendar/diary
• Brush teeth; Go to bed

* Jeremy and I walk together for 10-15 minutes, whenever I'm feeling well enough to (which hasn't been very frequently, lately).
** We sometimes play games (Yahtzee, Phase 10, Uno, Farkle, SkipBo, Chameleon) together.

Photo by matsuyuki

A bad/migraine day looks more like this:

• Wake up
• Brush teeth
• Eat breakfast; Take meds
• Have Jeremy give me a shot
• Lay around on the couch - watch a movie, try to rest/nap
• Eat whatever I can for lunch and dinner
• Check email and blog, if I feel up to it (definitely limited/not for very long)
• Take meds
• Update health calendar/diary
• Brush teeth
• Go to bed

I've been so blessed to have Jeremy around the apartment to help take care of me, especially since I've had trouble taking care of myself for a while. He cooks and takes care of a lot of the housework; though I love to help, when I'm able to. We enjoy doing our own thing (he plays computer games, I blog/write), but it's been nice to be able to spend so much time with him.