Snowflakes and Spoons

2016: From Wheelchair to first place This year has been one of   miracles   and hard work. In January 2016 I went on a family holiday to Dullstroom. I was so physically weak, my husband had to push me around this tiny tranquil town in a wheelchair. For short distances, I was able to use my walking cane, but facing a set of stairs felt like trying to climb a cliff face. I didn't know how I was going to keep on going much less working. Flash forward to December 2016. I am working 27 hours a week. I am independent in driving and all my self-care.  Even better than that, I have been able to not just start competing in dog agility but, win a few first places! What was my secret potion, you may ask? Honestly, there was no one specific thing, but a combination that worked for me. Just like replacing the blocks of my Jenga Tower . 1)      Having the right medical team I am privileged to work within the medical field and always have a...

I love Christmas time. All the festive gatherings, carols, putting up the Christmas tree with its twinkling lights and the wonder of our Saviors birth. One of the traditions when I grew up also included a MASS baking (and eating) of mince pies and cookies! Since going on a clean eating diet this has made this task somewhat more difficult. Below is my adapted recipe for my husbands favorite Ginger Cookies. It's egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and non-artificial sugar-free. Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour 1 cup coconut blossom sugar ¾ cup coconut oil ¼ cup molasses 1 egg worth of no egg powder 1 teaspoon of apricot jam 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ginger 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cloves Coconut blossom Sugar, a sprinkle of ginger and cinnamon to coat Steps : 1) In large bowl, place one cup of flour. 2) Add brown sugar, oil, molasses, no egg mix, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. 3) Mix well and add ...

One of my pet peeves is when I hear “Your chronic illness is caused by your negative emotions” This implies that: 1)     If you can change your emotions you will recover 2)     It was a single event that caused the illness 3)     That chronic illness is not an illness but a state of mind I agree that stress, trauma, and negative emotions can make symptoms of chronic illness worse, but this is not the root cause. Often there is no one root cause but a build of multiple factors. Think of your health as a tower of stacking blocks i.e. Jenga.  The bricks act as stressors / vulnerability factors. And the table it stands on and its environment as external factors. When no blocks are removed, your tower is stable. Its internal structure provides the support it needs. If there is a slight breeze, your tower will not collapse. As the blocks get removed your towers internal structure gets more and more unstable. If too many bl...

My experiences with Cyclosporin 2016 At the end of 2015 I reached my lowest point with my battle with MG thus far. I agreed to my Neurologists recommendation that I start a new immunueosupressent, Cyclosporin. In South Africa, it is dispensed through Novartis, under the trade name Neural. It is recommended for MG warriors that have severe and resistant MG. 1   Here are the five most important facts I have learned over the regarding Cyclosporin over the last year.  1) It takes time to start working Once I started Cyclosporin, I did not feel an immediate change. After approximately two months I started to feel some positive spin-offs. I was no longer struggling to swallow and I was strong enough to walk short distances with a cane. After 4 months I felt strong enough start driving short distances and walking independently. Every week since, I could feel my strength improving. I still have flares and bad days, but with pacing, lifestyle changes and res...

Mestinon: Storage and Shelf-life http://www.meda.co.za/ Mestinon (pyridostigmine)  is a lifeline for Myasthenia Gravis Warriors such as myself. I rely on it to keep my muscles functioning and take it every 4 hours. Without it, I can feel my eyes drooping and my muscles slowly turning to mush. When we had a postal strike in South Africa, I ran out of Mestinon. ‘Perhaps in three weeks’ I would receive my medication was their verdict. I had to go from pharmacy to pharmacy trying to source Mestinon at my own cost. After this, I vowed to always have some spare. So on a good day, I would stretch out my doses. I now have about a month’s supply extra. My concern was:  What is the shelf life of Mestinon and can I take it if it says it’s expired. Firstly Storage of Mestinon is essential as to maintain the drug's potency. -          Keep your tablets in the bottle until it is time to take them. I pack my medication out weekly in a medication...

My favorite fluffy chocolate cake! After many Drs visit, decisions and future plans, I needed a break. When starting a clean eating diet the one thing I missed the most was a fluffy piece of chocolate cake! After trial and error, I now have an adapted recipe of my mom's chocolate cake that I can proudly serve to guests. Dairy free, gluten free, sugar-free fluffy chocolate cake Recipe: 250ml gluten free  Cake flour 15ml Baking powder 2ml salt 60ml cocoa 4 eggs - separated 125ml oil 125ml boiling water 5ml vanilla essence 250ml coconut sugar * please note: I added an extra 5ml of Psyllium Husks as my gluten free cake mix did not contain any. Method: 1) Sieve together the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa into large bowl 2) Separate the eggs 3) Beat the egg whites with a very clean beater until they form stiff white peaks 4 ) Beat the egg yolks 5) In a medium bowl mix the oil, boiling water and vanilla essence and coconut sugar 6) Add the b...

Occupational therapy strives to use a holistic treatment approach to improve a person's day to day functioning. Balancing life and engaging in work, leisure and personal management by teaching new skills or adapting task or environment is a high priority for OTs. By using meaningful activities we encourage clients to live their life to their personal best. This can be done in a group setting or on an individual either on hospital or on an outpatient basis. So what services can an Occupational Therapist offer an adult client with a chronic illness? “As much as 90% of the management of a chronic condition must be performed, not by health care providers, but by the person who has the condition.” ‐ California Healthcare Foundation, 2008 whether it's managing your medication, putting on your own socks or remembering where you left the keys OT is the profession to help you. Here are 10 other topics that an OT can include in your treatment:       1)  ...