HAWMC Day 30: How'd it go?

Today's Day 30 WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge task is to recap the whole challenge for the month.

I think this was a great way to keep me moving in the blog world and be more aware of what I am writing about.

My favorite topics were the ones that were probably the hardest to get going on. Yesterday's about what do I love about myself was one of them. I also really enjoyed writing a letter to lymphoma. I liked the wordless wednesdays with the exception of the fact that they almost needed the words to explain. I also thought it was a nice touch when we got to explore other people's blogs that were part of the challenge, leave them a comment and help spread awareness of their blog through our blogs.

I will admit that there were a few things I didn't like. I was ok with the first topic in regards to social media and such but the topic became very redundant. It seemed to come up a few other times but worded differently. I wasn't too into the whole aspiration topic either I find this to be a little to broad of a subject to cover in a blog post. I didn't really like the Acrostic Poem, I tried to have each letter represent how I felt about lymphoma but it was hard to find one word.

I have learned a lot though. We often get so caught up in what we perceive to be the main focus. It was great to be able to explore lots of different blogs and see what other people are writing about for their focus of health activism. I learned a lot about diabetes, hemophilia, other cancers, and depression.

To describe my WEGO health experience in one word I would have to say: Unique!

HAWMC Day 29: Kudos To Me!

Today's Day 29 task for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to talk about three things that I love about...myself!

This is very difficult I think I am not alone in the group of people that don't really know what they like never mind love about themselves. This took some time to come up with.

1.) Kindness: I will admit that my true nature takes a while to come out. I have a hard time being out going to people I don't really know so I am sure there are many people out there who probably think that I am (for lack of a better word) a bitch. But probably more due to my lack of interaction as apposed to just not being very nice. But once you get to know me I would basically do just about anything to help other people. Even if that is just to simply brighten their day. I take pride in just plain being kind and doing things for other people so that is one thing I love about myself.

2.) Stubbornness: This one probably takes people by surprise but I love that I am stubborn. But for good reason, it usually means that I don't give up on things. I know it can have it's negative side but I try to keep it positive. My own stubbornness is what keeps me moving forward with all my health adventures (eating healthy, exercising, pushing myself to try new things and try new races).

3.) Cook/Bake: I love that I love to cook & bake! And it helps that I am good at it. I like to find new recipes and  try them out or make my own adaptations to old recipes. This also happens to fall under my kindness cause I usually bake for other people. Often those who are a large part of my life. But It also helps me by giving them to people because then they are not around my house for me to eat!

Hopefully this will help others find what they like or love about themselves. This was quite the topic to write about.

HAWMC Day 28: Followers

I feel that today's task is very redundant. We have discussed the topic of social media repeatedly as well as promote those that are our favorites. But given I have only done a select few I will share my top 10 follows on twitter for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge Day 28!


@MGHcancercenter
@DanaFarberYAP
@UlmanCancerFnd
@LIVESTRONGCEO
@AKPfoundation
@marleneruns
@FirstDescents
@LeanGrnBeanBlog
@runaroundsara
@JonnyImerman

These are in no particular order but they are all ones you should check out and follow for yourself!

HAWMC Day 27: How to title my life?

Today's Day 27 task for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to think about 5 working book titles for my life.

I have to say that the first one that came to mind was a title that is already being used 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' but since that is already taken I will have to go back to the drawing board.

1.) Aforetime - Ironically enough a friend of mine has been sick and we started writing a word of the day on the board in her hospital room. Today's word is Aforetime which I find would be a very fitting title for a book. It means in earlier times, which let's face it if you are writing a biography it will always be about past experiences.

2.)Cancerology - Since pretty much any word including "ology" means to study something this would be very fitting to depict the lymphoma part of my life. It has honestly made me learn and study things that I never thought I would ever want to or need to. It would be a good way to share information as well as experiences.

3.)Skinny person stuck inside a fat persons body - This would be useful to talk about both my pre-cancer self as well as my post-cancer self. Not to mention all the things I wanted to do but that my body just wouldn't let me. It would be more of a comparison in lifestyle. But again would be a great way to share information and hopefully motivate and inspire others in similar situations.

4.)Is There Life After Cancer? - I think this would be a good way to share my life of recovery after lymphoma. There are so many aspects involved instead of having it's own chapter in a book it really does need it's own book. Through self realizations, services offered through many different organizations, friend and family support/influences. etc

I tried to think of one more but I can only think of four. As much as I would love to some day write one of these into a real book but I am a terrible writer if you all haven't figured that out from reading my blog!

HAWMC Day 26: Pain Free Pass

Today's Day 26 task for WEGO Healths Health Activist writer's Challenge is to imagine a day either past or present that could be pain/worry free.

It's funny because when ever I think about pain I think about physical pain. When I thought about today's task I thought well sure I wish I was not in pain when it related to my lymphoma but had I not been in pain there is an extremely real chance that I would not be here to write this. Being in pain is what got me diagnosed so as far as that goes I would not change that at all. But then they asked about being worry free which is an entirely different kind of pain.

I would say that worry is probably what I suffer from the most. Worry about returning cancer or even developing a secondary cancer. Worrying about my fertility and if/when I will have children. Worrying about making sure I stay healthy and keep physically active. The list I am sure could go on and each one very generalized could be broken into many different sub categories.

But if I had to choose one day to be entirely pain/worry free I would choose...well in all honesty I would choose more than a day. You see my FAVORITE time of any year is Christmas time. I love the atmosphere, the general kindness of humankind, spending time with my family and friends, etc. So I would have to say that I would choose that during 2010. I had just finished my treatment mid November and although the worst part was over there was a long road ahead of me that I was not prepared for. There was worry about pending tests to see if I was cancer free, constant frustration of fatigue and no strength, and missing out on events because of these things. It is odd because I imagine what that would have been like to be pain/worry and know how great it would have been to really get into the spirit. But then again all these past events are what made me who I am today so I also don't want to give them up.

As for the future there is one thing I would like to be able to do and be worry free. I would like to leave my lymphoma in the past and not have it haunt me in every other medical issue I have. I would like to be able to have a test done and have to bother my oncologist because something abnormal came up (which is normal for me). I imagine it would be much easier to get through any other medical issue I have if this was not always a factor.

I guess I didn't really do this task the exact way it was intended but that is about the best I can do with it at this point.

HAWMC Day 25: Learning from other health activists

Who I consider health activists may not consider themselves health activists or other people may not. I look at a health activist as someone who shares their own knowledge and experience to help promote healthy living. It might be in relation to a specific medical condition or exercise focused or just plain healthy living.

Here are few of my favorites!

Round Around Sara! She hasn't been posting much lately but she is a very good friend of mine and I basically owe my own health success to her. She was the driving force behind getting my butt moving! Through her sharing of her experiences and pushing me to try I was inspired and motivated to do it myself. I have learned so much from her and I continue to!

Healthy Melissa I met Melissa last summer, ironically enough because of round around Sara! Sara's post about the Chunky Dunk motivated Melissa to give it a shot last summer. Melissa is a great weath of knowledge and she shares it freely! She also have a Facebook page. I actually get more information from that because it comes up directly to my news feed. Fantastic recipe info, workouts, etc.

The Lean Green Bean I found her blog be accident one day. And I have loved it ever since! She has a little bit of everything in relation to healthy living, recipes, exercises, contests/challenges, social interactions, but of course my favorite thing is Foodie Penpals (be sure to go to her blog and check it out)! I love that she had a twitter account and uses it to promote her blog because that gives my little reminders to go and check it out when I see her post about a new post, or a new exercise routine, etc.

Those are my top 3 for now. I hope I was able to introduce some people to some new social media outlets of writer's I consider to be health activists! Enjoy!

HAWMC: Day 24 - Health on Pinterest

Today's Day 24 task of WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to create a pinterest board that focused on health.

It is actually supposed to be a picture of the board however I figure it is just as easy to put the link to my board. It is not only about lymphoma but also about other things I use to keep myself on the healthy track.

Health and Wellness

HAWMC Day 23: Technology

I am slightly behind but it has been a long couple of weeks. I have a little time to catch up so here goes...

Today's Day 23 task for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to talk about technology. How do I use it? How does it fit into my life? How does it help deal with lymphoma? and How would my life change if there were more or less social media involved?

This is actually something I have been thinking a lot about recently. There is always a pros and cons list to everything. Which makes it difficult to decide if technology is a good thing or a bad thing.

How do I use technology and social media?

Well I use it to get information. Information all kinds, I might need some ideas of projects to do in my classroom or looking for a new restaurant to try. In relation to lymphoma I used it during treatment to gain information about the different drugs, and after to connect with others through forums/chats. For my general health I use technology to keep track of my activities through facebook and daily mile. I also use it to be connected to others as a mean of support for both them and myself. As for my daily life I will fully admit I am a technology addict! I can't tell you how many times a day I check my email or how times I am on facebook or twitter. There are some days where I think about disconnecting myself but I some how am never able to do it.

How does technology and social media fit into my life?

All too easily I must admit. I have noticed that I have very little patients for things. Our world is so fast paced that we all seem to be conditioned to that instant gratification. I know for myself I communicate largely through email and waiting for a response is often the most annoying part of my day. But then again I also know people may not have the kind of access to their email as I do. This is something I am actively trying to work on, delaying my instant gratification for sure!

How does technology help deal with lymphoma?

I find it funny that this topic comes up this week because this has been one hell of week. I had just been complaining about how frustrating it is for my past lymphoma to constantly be coming back to haunt me. I know that sounds like something that should be expected but for some reason it was not for me. It seems every time I have to see a doctor (specifically if it happens to be a specialist) for something entirely unrelated to cancer/lymphoma it some how always seems to come back around to it anyway. But as far as technology is concerned it is usually very helpful in this aspect because rather than waiting a significant amount of time to get results or be able to consult my oncologist I am able to do that a lot faster. I recently had an MRI of my hip done for some pain I had been having. I wasn't able to get an appointment until three weeks after the MRI. Luckily I was able to not only get a copy of the MRI and radiology report but the doctor also emailed me his interpretations. Which then of course lead to me having to consult my oncologist based on some abnormality they found (which is not an abnormality for me). When come to dealing directly with lymphoma technology and social media are extremely helpful because they not only give me realitivly quick access to my doctors and medical record/test results but it also gives me access to people. I can communicate updates with friends and family a lot easier through facebook/twitter/email. I can reach more people by using my blog and then of course there are all the ways to get support through forums, websites as well as the hospital. Technology really does put the world at your finger tips.

How would my life changes if there were more or less social media involved?

Hhhmmm this is a hard one to answer. There are times were the current status of social media often makes me feel overwhelmed. Like I can't keep up with everything I would like to accomplish through social media in addition to everyday life. But I think less social media would take some time to get used to but in the end wouldn't necessarily be an overly bad thing. At first it would be like going though withdrawal but we would all adjust. I am sure I would fill the time I use currently on social media with other things which may or may not be good choices. Either way it would be an adjustment.

HAWMC Day 22: Day to Day Inspiration!

Today's task for Day 22 of WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to write about the day to day ordinary things that inspire you.

There are so many things on a day to day basis that inspire me. Because I am heavily involved in large cancer community people that I come into contact inspire mostly more than they will ever know. Tonight is prime example, I went down to current LIVESTRONG at the YMCA session to see how the class was doing, sharing some info with them about other existing programs out there that they may be interested and just generally see how I could help them. While there I was speaking to someone who is still currently going through treatment and is far to hard on himself for not being able to do what he thinks he should be able to do. We had a very long conversation about life obligations as well as his goals. He was inspiring to me because although he is in the midst of fighting for his life that isn't his focus he still wants to live his life! That was extremely motivating and inspiring to me to make sure I keep doing what I am doing so that I can help others achieve their goals!

There are so many other little things too that inspire me...
- Whenever I see someone doing any kind of exercise; running, walking, biking, etc. they inspire me because I know what it takes to put those things into motion.
-People that stand up for what they believe in. Even if it happens to be something that I don't necessarily agree with. Standing behind what you believe takes a lot of work.
-Waking up to the birds chirping letting me know a new has begun, it's like a clean slate waiting for what I want to put on it.
-The children in my class. Just seeing how much progress they have made and how much their brains absorb.

One thing recently that has been extremely inspiring is the overall human generosity in Boston. I have lived just outside of Boston my entire life but the ties I have to that city are strong. More memories then I have time to share here. So the recent attack was really personal. However to see so many people running to the aide of other despite their own safety with even the slightest hope of helping/saving them is astounding. Seeing not only the people in Boston/New England rallying around and supporting the city but support across the world is inspiring. Knowing how much support all these bombing survivors will have is inspiring. The survivors themselves are inspiring, telling their stories in addition to providing comfort and support each other.

There are so many small things in the world that are inspiring you just have to know where to look and be willing to accept them. I have also learned that you have to be willing to offer inspiration as well it's like one big complete circle.

So my advice is to live in the moment and take the inspiration where you can get!

HAWMC Day 21 - Adversity

Today's task for Day 21 of WEGO Health Activist Writer's Challenge was to decided if the saying "The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all." is true or false and when do I bloom best.

I think that the flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all is absolutely true! Unfortunately it seems that when you are faced with misfortune or distress that is when the best usually comes out in people.

If you think about everything that just happened this past week in Boston that is a prime example of what happens in adversity. All the people that ran in to help those hurt, all the law enforcement agents putting their lives on the line to keep so many people safe. The way everyone is supporting Boston and all those hurt or that lost their lives. My point is that the events were beyond horrific but it brought out the best, most caring side of humanity. It is just sad that it usually takes adversity to get to that point.

For me personally my cancer was my adversity. It changed my life forever. It made me realize there are so many things in life that just aren't worth worrying about or being involved in. Life is way to short to sweat the small stuff! I am a much happier and helpful person now and I love it.

As far as when do I blossom I would have to say when I can use my experience with my cancer adversity to help others that are facing a similar situation. It brings me so much joy knowing I can help others hopefully get through their journey and end up with a similar outlook when theirs is all over too.

I try to remember what I felt when facing lymphoma so that I am that helpful, happy, compassionate person that I so badly want to make sure I am.

HAWMC Day 19: Vintage Photo

Today's task for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge Day 19 was to find a vintage photo and write a caption about it in regards to my lymphoma. So here goes...

This was taken the last week of July in 2010. My husband, friends and I all decided that we wanted to change up our normal night to hang out. So we decided to have a formal night. Ironically enough this was only a few days before my entire life changed with a large tumor. This was an amazing night, we took pictures as if it were prom night each as "couple" and then group shots. We did a nice formal one and then did a fun one. Of course the fun one was the one I picked. Despite the fact that during this time I was in constant pain, this is night that I haven't forgotten. Only two weeks later I was diagnosed, started treatment and was on my journey. But this was a night filled with fun!

HAWMC Day 17: Word Cloud

Today's task for Day 17 for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to create a word cloud in relation to your condition.

It was fun once I got the final product but was difficult to use wordle.net because of the JAVA aspect of it but I did none the less so here it is...

HAWMC Day 16: Misinformation

Today's task for Day 16 of WEGO Health's Health Activists Writers challenge is to tell you three things that are true about me, my condition or my health activism. and then tell one lie and see who can figure out which one is which...this should be interesting so here goes!

1.) Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma is curable

2.) Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma can be prevented by taking vitamin C

3.) Exercise plays a key role in getting through both treatment and recovery

4.) It is important to spread the word about donating blood as many cancer patients end up needing transfusions.

Now it's your turn to see if you can figure out which one is the lie and which ones are true...GO!

HAWMC Day 15: Sharing

Today's Day 15 task from WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge is to Comment! Pick someone else’s blog post and write a comment to them. Write that comment as your post for today and link back to them to let them know you were inspired.

At first I wasn't sure what to pick because something I think of might not have been health activits but then again I also think it is more based on your own interpretation of what that means. I decided I wanted to pick something new to me so I started looking at some of my fellow HAWMC bloggers. I have to tell you I was quite impressed with many of them, but one in particular stuck out. That would be Ann Marie at Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer! I read a lot of her posts so it was hard for me to choose just one. I think the one thing about it is exactly what she says in the her post about why she became a blogger to keep people informed but that she wasn't going to censor herself which I love! It is so nice to see someone blogging that just post whatever they want, however they want! She is fantastically sassy and feisty!! You rock Ann Marie!

Be sure to check out her post Wow I am a "blogger" she in great!

HAWMC Day 13: Acrostic Poem

Today's task for WEGO Health's Day 13 Health Activist Writer's Challenge is Write a health acrostic for your condition.

Nervous
Offensive
Nauseous

Hell
Omnipotent
Dreadful
Gauche
Knowledgeable
Intrathecal
Neutropenic
Support

Lewis
Young
Mother
Perspective
Hematology
Optimistic
Massive
Alive

HAWMC Day 12: Hindsight

Today's task for WEGO Health's Day 12 Health Activist Writer's Challenge was to think about if you could go back in time and talk to yourself on the day you were diagnosed what would say? Also what have learned about being a patient that has surprised you?

I seem to be starting off most of these the same way that I have a hard time when thinking about the topics. I guess that is a good sign that they are making me really think about my experience with cancer.

I have to say that as far as my "choice" in cancer center, medical team, out look on treatment, and general attitude I would not change a thing. Despite the fact that my chemotherapy regimen was incredibly intense and draining on my body I actually went through it quite well with very little side effects that couldn't be controlled and were really just more annoyances than anything. My medical team was and continues to be fantastic! So I guess the only thing that I would tell myself is to take advantage of the services out there. I found out much later that my cancer center has amazing programs like music and art therapy, various exercises, social workers, support groups, etc. I never took advantage of them and wish that I had. Also I would have loved to have been given the LIVESTRONG guidebook at the beginning of my treatment cause it would be useful for all the reasons I mentioned in my post from yesterday about their app. So I guess the one thing I would really tell myself is don't think you have to go it alone, get involved in your environment because I know it would have helped me and probably would have made some new friends too.

As for what have a learned about being a patient that surprised me is just how vulnerable I was and still am. Having this experience has made me unsure about my health. I think I know what's going on with me and then I find myself and then seem to always second guess myself. It is often find it frustrating just how much it effects me emotionally, it is still a roller coaster ride. I am hoping with time I will develop more confidence in myself and medical knowledge so that I second guess myself less. Luckily I have an amazing oncologist who always makes sure I feel good about what is going on and reassures that I do know what's going on and I am right!

HAWMC Day 11: Favorites

Today's task for WEGO Health's Health Activist Writer's Challenge was to talk about my favorite health apps and/or my favorite social network.

I had a hard time trying to figure out what my favorite health app is. I originally was thinking health as is being healthy (food, exercise, etc). But then I read in the challenge that it should be an app that helps with your condition or your interactions with your doctors. After some careful thought I decided that my favorite app that deals specifically with cancer is LIVESTRONG's app. It is fantastic!! It has a digital version of their guidebook which is instrumental during your cancer journey. It also allows you to keep a journal, keep a medications record, helps you with keeping track of your symptoms and has a tracker to help keep track of your appointments. It also gives you ways to get to their navigation services which offers so many different services I can't even begin to write about them all.

I had the misfortune of becoming acquianted with this app after I had already completed my treatment but I still use it none the less. It actually does help me communicate with my doctors because I have accurate records of my medications, how I have been feeling, etc. I highly recommend this app. The great thing too is that if you are an apple user it is available for not only the iphone but also the ipad and ipad mini!

Now to think about my favorite social network is difficult. I decided I would take this a different way. I have to say at the moment my favorite would be pinterest. I chose pinterest because it is the one place I can go that will give me ideas for just about anything not just health related. We focus so much on what we need to work on that pinterest caters to a part of my health that is often overlooked. It helps me just get lost in something fun! I can contribute to it as well take from it which is great! I would say I am definitely addicted to pinterest!

HAWMC Day 10: A picture that I LOVE!

Today's topic was to pick a picture of myself that I LOVE! I went through many pictures and had a hard time deciding. Although I still have that shallow side of me, these days I tend to find more meaning behind the picture than what is actually in the picture. I chose this one because it is a great representative of just how far I have come. This was me running to the finish line of my first ever Triathlon in September 2012. I survived cancer, I survived turning my life style into a healthier one and I survived my first triathlon. It is a nice reminder of just how strong I really am because I often think that we forget just what is really inside us. 

Hope this motivates some of you!

HAWMC Day 9: Patients Point Of View

I have thought a lot about this mainly because I had many people that I consider to be my caregivers. I have had the good fortune to be able to talk to them at length about what it was like to be on the other side of my illness. What they told me was to some extent quite shocking because I never saw most of it.

So for my advice to any caregiver not just someone dealing cancer but any major illness would include a number of things.

1.) I know that most people believe that only showing their strong side and being the "strong" one who will be the best. However I can't tell you how reassuring it was when I could share a cry with my family. Yes there is a time to be strong but it is also nice to see that this is affecting them as much as it is affecting me.

2.) Think about how you would want to be treated if it were you in the situation. I think this helps with not only your perception but also how you talk and act towards whomever you are caring for. I know from a cancer point of view there were some severe side effects that often I couldn't control and some of them affected my mood, actions, etc. So it helped when my family and friends were understanding about things like that.

3.) Offer support in the way that you are comfortable with. I had a variety of caregivers that each one was better at something than the other. A really good friend of mine happens to be someone who doesn't know a whole lot about the medical world so she was more helpful by just keeping me company, sharing stories, and even helping by bringing meals.

4.) One thing that really helped me was when people wouldn't treat me as though I was sick. There were sometimes when that wasn't an option but for the most part it was nice to be treated "normal". It gave me that small little moment to forget what was going on and often just have fun.

5.) The last thing I would recommend would be that as much as it is important to take care of the patient you must also take care of yourself. Most often dealing with any illness it is an emotional rollercoaster for the caregivers as well as the patients. There are many resources out there that offer help in these areas for caregivers. But this can also mean taking some time for yourself. Often I think as people we get so wrapped up in putting others before ourselves that sometimes it can back fire on us. Take a little you time, go to a movie, out to dinner with friends, get a manicure or massage. Have a little time to forget what you are currently going through and have a little fun.

I have to also mention that I consider my medical team as part of my caregivers as well. I am not really sure if there is anyway to give them advice because they are most often trying to be as professional and reassuring as they can. The only thing that I can say to them is that as a patient it is a very personal experience. It helped me to be able to get to know my doctors and such on a more personal level. So don't be too caught up in sticking to straight and narrow share a little about yourself with your patients.

Anyway those are just my thoughts hope they were helpful to some.

HAWMC Day 8 - It's a bird, It's a plane, no it's a...Bull?!

So todays topic is if my lymphoma was an animal what would it be? At first glance I had no idea what kind of animal it would be. Then I started to think about my day today.

I have been actively training for a triathlon and been running a lot more. The more running I do I start to get a pain inside my hip joint. Not something like the IT band this is entirely different. In an effort to make sure something wasn't drastically wrong with my hip I got a referral to see an orthopedic doctor. Well I went to see him today. I had done x-rays and he mentioned some things on there (not about my hip) that were concerning to him. I was sure I knew what they were but when someone in the medical field is concerned about something no matter how much you know you still get nervous. Especially with my medical history. As I understand it and have been confirmed by my oncologist what they are seeing is scarring from where the lymphoma used to be and not be concerned about it. Made me feel a lot better!!

So this leads me to what kind of animal my lymphoma is. After today's unsettling experience the first thing I thought of was the saying "Like a bull in a china shop." So I decided my lymphoma is a bull. and as it turns out I feel is very fitting. Bulls are large, agressive and sometimes not so easily controlled. If you think about a bull being in a china shop they leave their mark everywhere. Breaking things, trampling things, basically you definitely know they were there. I feel like that is exactly what lymphoma has done.

While I had it it was large, aggressive and took a lot to get rid of it. Now that it's gone the damage that it had done to my body still tells you that it was once there. I couldn't think of a better analogy than that for my experience.

Maybe some day I can do a an extensive remodeling project and you will never even know it was there but I am thinking probably not.

Just for kicks I will call my bull, Edgar!