Wear Your Medical Conditions on Your Sleeve! Literally!

Because of all the medical conditions I have & b/c of all the meds I take, I wear a medical ID bracelet 24/7, 365 (366 in a leap year!). I personally think the majority of people should wear one. Even if it's something that doesn't seem so major... like, say, an allergy to latex, you should have one of these bracelets. (a lot of vaccines have latex & of course, they use latex gloves in hospitals) Luckily, the ID bracelets you can get now days are nothing like your grandparent's ID bracelets! They make really pretty ones. There are several websites that you can get on & find a bracelet that matches your personality. I have 2 & SHOCKER, both are pink. The one I wear most often is just a thin, pink, leather bracelet. It really just looks like a ponytail holder around my wrist. My favorite thing about my bracelet tag is that it's interchangeable so I only need one tag. I can buy as many bracelets as I want w/out having to pay for a tag & engraving each time. If like me you have a ton of medical issues, you can have both sides of the tag engraved. Mine has my name, the 5 meds I'm allergic to, "adrenal insufficiency" & "bilateral amputee" so, you can get quite a bit put on one bracelet. Even if you don't think you need one of these, if you have a child w/ ANY medical issues, it's really in your best interest to get one. Here are my 2 favorite sites to bracelet shop: http://www.laurenshope.com/ (Halle Berry has at least one bracelet from them; she has Type I Diabetes) & http://www.fiddledeeids.com/. I also have a key chain from Fiddledee IDs (pink, of course) so I am extra cautious. Since I take too many medications to put on a bracelet (unless I want to wear multiple ones) I keep a list of all the medications I take in my wallet & one in my organizer. Oh, I also have "Medication List in Wallet" engraved on my bracelet! Hopefully, the majority of people who read this post will never be in a situation where a medical ID bracelet would really come in handy but I've learned the hard way that it's ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry! TRUST ME! I'm an expert on that situation!! Another good thing about these sites that specialize in medical ID bracelets is that now, most of them also carry necklaces, luggage tags, key chains & even temporary tattoos. Also, if you join either of the sites' mailing lists or FB pages, almost every week, they offer some type of discount.

Here's a couple of pictures of my "everyday" bracelet. (the other 1 I have is beaded & a bit more "flashy")



As you can see, I even got the medical symbol (whatever the thing w/ the snake is called) in pink. Fiddledee ID's allows you to get the symbol in a few different colors. I can't remember if Lauren's Hope does the same or not.



The tag comes off so you can change the bracelet. I think those are called something like "lobster claw clasps" or something having to do w/ an animal. LOL! If you have to wear one of these at all times, it's just nice to have the option of changing the bracelet.

Feel Better!

After my last post, I figured I'd do something less depressing or sad this time. I am a daily "Facebooker" & almost every single day I see at least one comment about someone not feeling well. While some of them do annoy me from time to time, (GUYS, I'm mainly talking to you! Some of y'all need to toughen up!) I usually do feel sympathy for the person. I realize not everyone gets to go through all the fun stuff I do & that what can seem minor or silly to me can be Hell for another person. Sometimes I'll comment on these statuses but a lot of the time I don't like to b/c I feel like I'm being all, "Ohhhh, sorry you feel bad but listen to what I went through.". So, I thought I'd make a list of some of the things that make me feel better. Next time you're feeling under the weather, see if one of them (or more) works for you. Hey, it's always worth a shot. And remember, if it lasts for more than a couple of days and you're running a fever, don't ignore it!! (MOM, I'M TALKING TO YOU!!) Go to your physician and get checked. Always better to be safe than sorry!

1. Heating Pad~ I don't think I could live without mine. Not only does it help out when I have an achy back or a stiff neck, I've learned it's great for phantom pain! (it's an amputee thing)
2. Take a warm/hot bath~ Soaking in the tub for 20-30 minutes always makes me feel better. It's great to relax muscles & again, it helps with my phantom pain!
3. Watch a movie or TV show that you REALLY get into~ It will help take your mind off of the uncomfortable feeling. I always love when there's a Criminal Minds or Golden Girls marathon on. They usually have Criminal Minds marathons every week on A&E and Hallmark channel shows 2 hours of the Golden Girls every week night, 10-12. Can you tell I use this method often?
4. Read a good book or a magazine~ This is something I do pretty much every single day. If you're like me & really enjoy reading, it's so easy to get lost in a great book or a favorite magazine. When you get lost in something like that, your mind gets off of the pain.
5. Do something or talk to someone who makes you laugh~ 1 of my favorite things to do when I feel down or blah is get on YouTube & watch some of the videos on there. There are some HILARIOUS videos out there in cyber world! I hate to admit that my favorites are of animals or someone getting hurt! (I know, I'm evil!) Also, I'll talk to my mom or stepdad b/c we usually laugh when we're all around each other. (think The Brady Bunch minus all of the kids except Marsha!) Laughing releases feel good chemicals in your brain and those chemicals help ease pain!
6. Do a little online shopping/window shopping~ This is something else I do almost every single day. Now, you don't want to actually buy something every single time b/c then you're going to end up with a whole new set of issues!
7. Take a nap or go to bed early~ When you're asleep, you're not feeling pain! Nuff said! (well, I'm sure on a sub-conscious level you do, but you get the point)
8. Sit outside & soak up a little sun (unless it's Summer & it's 115 degrees out like it gets in Memphis!)~ Of course, make sure you put on a little SPF if you plan on sitting outside more than 15 minutes. We don't want wrinkles or skin cancer! The sun helps our bodies make vitamin D & we definitely need it! If you're like me & don't get outside as much as you should, it's always good to take vitamin D supplements.
9. Journal/Blog~ Getting your feelings & frustrations out & onto paper helps you.  This also works if you're upset w/ someone!
10. If all else fails, you can always call or message me!!~ It's easy for me to be sympathetic towards pain... if it's real, genuine pain! (Again, men, I'm mainly speaking to you. You guys like to deny it but take it from me, you're all mainly wusses. There's a reason God decided we'd be the one to give birth! And believe me, as often as I see guys gripe about being in pain from dumb stuff, i.e. ingrown toenails, paper cuts, hangnails, bruises, etc., the majority of you guys couldn't make it in my position!)

(This picture & the 1 above are both pictures of some of my "get well" goodies from when I was in the hospital.)