Health- down but not out
Today I am trying yet another way to raise Awareness of Gastroparesis and other Digestive Tract Paralysis conditions...
I have entered a contest sponsored by Reader's Digest called "Your Life" on FaceBook where they ask their readers to submit in 150 words or less the story of your life and I entered with my story of living with Gastroparesis and battling to raise awareness from my bed.
You can see my entry and vote on it at by clicking here
Basically, the contest runs from Midnight August 16, 2011 until November 1, 2011 when the top 100 by votes will be judged by a panel and a Grand Prize Winner chosen as well as 10 runners up and one "popular vote" winner.
The Grand Prize Winner will have their story published in Reader's Digest and I entered because this is a great way to get Awareness in a major publication. I could care less about any cash prizes... yes, the cash would definitely come in handy since my husband is unemployed and our only income is his unemployment check, but that is not why I entered and am asking people to vote.
I desperately want to raise awareness... it is ridiculous that a condition that affects 1 out of every 25 people is virtually unknown, even in the medical field, and I would do anything to bring positive Awareness to it!
Yesterday was hard... I ate nothing at all... I drank nothing at all... I knew I didn't eat, but did not realize I had nothing to drink until 11 am when I looked at my drink bottle and realized that it still held Sunday night's beverage.
Today is hard, because I am trying to squeeze fluids in while my body protests heartily at the invasion of fluid to my stomach. It is sitting there feeling like an ice block in my stomach and piled up my throat, taunting me because I have no gag reflex so any wrong move and I will be choking as it slips down my trachea into my lungs. (The absence of a gag reflex goes hand in hand with being unable to vomit)
I have an appointment with my lawyer tomorrow, which means that I have to start preparing for it today if I want to have any energy at all during the appointment and be able to follow what he says... and I am already out of 'spoons' today and the last thing I want to do is wash my hair so I don't have to tomorrow. Showering and washing my hair at the same time is just not possible... I have to choose one or the other and schedule it all out very carefully.
7:30pm- make sure I have any needed papers
8pm- wash hair and wrap it in a towel
9pm- after I get my breath back and my heart rate calms remove towel and start to comb hair
10pm- finish combing hair
SLEEP
8am- wake up
9am- take shower
9:30am- rest and get heart rate and blood pressure back under control
10:30am- brush teeth then rest
11am- comb hair then rest
12 noon- get half dressed then rest
12:30- finish dressing and rest
1pm- put on shoes then rest
1:30pm- go out to the car for the drive there... take comb so I can comb my hair again when we get there
2:30pm- appointment
4pm- get home and lay on bed whimpering
5pm- change clothes then rest
6pm- try to blog before passing out
Yes... that is my timeline for tonight and tomorrow and yes, it takes me that long to prepare for something as simple as going to an appointment. Most people would think that for something like this they might have to start getting ready about an hour before they have to leave, but if I tried to do that I would never make it or if I did, I would be so completely drained and out of it that I would remember nothing at all and would lose any bit of productivity I have.
Right now... I have to rest before checking my papers... my abdomen is in agony from the 12 ounces I have taken in today and if I want to keep on schedule I have to start now.
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