Snowflakes and Spoons

Help I'm growing a moustache! And the other wonders of medication side effects. The handful of drugs I take daily cause me both joy and pain. My success that can be seen externally is often compromised by the hardships I suffer personally. Juggling this is my daily warrior mission. After 4 months of being on my new immune suppression drugs, I am starting to feel less like a rag doll and more like a functional human. I can once again climb steps, drive and shop independently. My brain fog has slowly slipped away and I'm coping better at work. I can smile and my eyes don't fatigue as quickly. Best of all I'm wobbling around the agility field (can't call it running just yet). I wanted to write this post about helpful hints on how to deal with common side effects. I realised that many of the strategies I use are band-aids. Prevention when dealing with side effects seems almost nonexistent. It's a game of let's see what your body reacts to and t...

Colouring in: Therapeutic tool, soul food or nonsense? I have fond memories of sitting with my Aunty Karen at Grandma’s house and colouring in. I used to be amazed how she could turn a set of black and white lines into a kaleidoscope of colour with just 12 coloured pencils. I enjoyed the time I spent with her and the treats that Grandma was sure to bring.   Today colouring in has become the next best self-help tool. I too own a new set of pencils and colouring book. Many web pages and blogs claim to colour in can have a positive effect on mood, increased self-expression, increased focus, help you engage in meditation and spark creativity by embracing your inner child.   But yet when researching this topic I struggled to find journals or peer-reviewed articles. Could this be because adult colouring is a new topic or are the above claims false? Also, why don't I experience this positive kick? Why when I coloured in gift tags for Christmas I was so proud to stick t...

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me Then why do I tend to remember the hurtful, insensitive comment so much clearer than the positive motivating ones? Why is forgiving and forgetting much easier to say than to put into practice?  I expect a level of empathy, compassion and knowledge from other health professionals as I value these qualities in my own practice. My boss is continually reminding us to find the benefit in the situation.  I admit I can only reflectively do this at the best of times and often still feel charged and irritated about the moment. Here are my top insensitive quotes*, I have ingrained in my memory, by health professionals: *please note this is how I remember them.  ‘Maybe it's your faith making you sick’ – Anesthesiologist before going in for my thymectomy. ‘You will never get better unless you stop all your medication and follow my advice’ - GP when I refused to take unknown antibioti...

To follow this blog on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/snowflakesandspoons/  Reality TV vs. staying connected I love watching reality TV.  From the adventures of the Amazing Race to Survivor as well as to Say Yes to the Dress, I love it all! From the drama of Dance Moms to the triumphs of the Biggest Loser, I cheer on the characters and share in their heartbreak. It is one way I can experience it. I can imagine cooking on Master Chef and being the one picked in the final rose ceremony of the Bachelor. It's a great distractor and opportunity to disconnect from reality.   The downfall is that this is not my life. These are not my traumas or joys, and while I would love to travel to Norway and see the Northern lights, my reality is slightly different. I don't have enough spoons to do everything that I want to do. The important question I asked myself was how can I live an authentic life when I am so tempted by these fairy tales? How do I enjoy other pe...