health activist

Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge- Day 14

Posted on by flareuphope

Oh boy. Please keep in mind that this is a rant and ramble and if you’re easily offended, just skip this entry.

Diving right into it, the atmosphere on social media, Twitter in particular, has totally bummed me out lately. I don’t know what is about having 140 characters that causes people to just complain and attack and complain some more.

It sucks the life out of me and makes me not want to be a health activist in the first place, and makes me question if I want to keep writing.

There’s a ton of false information out there, and people retweet the click bait headlines without bothering to read the actual article and then are attacked for retweeting it and it just turns into this argument of one chronic illness person who was simply trying to share some good news, or what they thought was good news, to an attack.

Or someone shares their experience and gets shamed for it.

Or someone shares their political views and gets blocked by everyone else.

Or someone complains about the way one disease gets treated over another. Or one persons treatment choice over another. Or gets attacked for not knowing something about their disease.

It’s like we’ve forgotten to be humans. We’ve forgotten how to support one another and can only compare the bad stories.

It gives me all the ill feelings.

When I first came to Twitter, I found a community, a place to relate to people who were experiencing the same disease that I had, and place for support, for laughs, for encouragement.

It’s been a while since I have felt supported out there, truthfully. I’m not saying the advocates themselves aren’t doing a good job. Most of them are and I’ve been lucky to meet some them and feel supported by them in person or on other social media outlets. What is it about twitter that has changed where this is so hard to find? Are the people who are having a good life just not sharing it because they are too busy living it? Or has Twitter just become the place to complain about your life, and it’s not a spot to find support any longer?

This might cause some ripples, and I really am not trying to point anyone out or say that Twitter isn’t helpful. I’ve met some of my favorite health advocates out there. I’m just saying what has come across my feed recently, and it makes me sad. I’ve muted a lot of people lately, and I’ve added accounts that promote positive messages.

I’m certainly not saying that everyone has to be happy all the time. It’s important to share your truth, but that doesn’t mean attacking others for their experiences and it doesn’t mean every post has to be droopy and dreary, or every post has to be sunshine and rainbows. I just miss the rawness and hopefulness of it. Where’s the encouragement and laughter?

I’m ready for Tuesday because I’m not going to get sucked in to the complaining and attacking that occurs on social media, and I’m not going to let determine my outlook anymore. I’m not going to contribute to the divide. I am going to continue to promote my own message of health and positivity, and continue to share my story authentically and offer support and encouragement to anyone who accepts it.

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Gratitude Challenge: Day 8- Hero

Posted on by flareuphope

I don’t think I could write a post that named everyone I felt was my hero.  I am constantly inspired to be a better person by my family, my inner circle of friends and my husband. For this purpose though, I’d like to take a little bit of time to talk about the people I have met the last few months.

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I’m honored and humbled to have been surrounded by these amazing and strong people at patient panels recently. At each panel, there were about 3 out of the 16-17 of us that had not had any surgery. Almost everyone else had had their colon removed and now had a jpouch or were in the process of having the surgeries. Everyone had their own ulcerative colitis story to tell, but more importantly, everyone was there because they wanted to make changes and improvements for other patients.  There were laughs, tears, hugs, debates, and a passion for improving the quality of care and treatments for this disease. There were friendships built, connections made, ideas sparked, and mostly…hope resurfaced. There are people missing from these pictures, some that weren’t at the conference and some I couldn’t get a selfie with but you all know who you are, and I’m so grateful for all of you.

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There’s only one colon in this picture, but a whole lot of love. 
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My favorite ninja, and my first IBD friend. 
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This girl is so sweet. 

Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge: Day 7

Posted on by flareuphope

Was starting your advocacy journey a hard decision? Were you anxious and hesitant or were you excited and ready to share your story? Tell us how you chose to start advocating your condition. 

I started this blog as an outlet for dealing with my condition after initial diagnosis. I was struggling with trying to find what works me for me and coming out here to find support and to share my frustrations. As my journey evolved, I started sharing more resources and sharing stories of people who inspired me. It helped me stay hopeful to connect with others who were going through similar battles, and I hoped it would help others too. I began sharing Hope Warrior stories and focusing more on the mental health aspect of how having a chronic illness changes you.

I do not claim to be an expert in IBD. I don’t provide medical or treatment advice. I just share my story and share what helps me, and hope it helps others too. It was hard at first and I was worried about people in my real life finding me out here and judging me, but after a while I stopped thinking about that. This is my life now. The more awareness I can raise about what dealing with an incurable disease is like in real life, the better. And, honestly, I’m proud to share my story, particularly when I know there’s a purpose for doing so.

 

Gratitude Challenge: Day 7-Must Haves (Sponsored Post)

Posted on by flareuphope

I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

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I have been traveling so much lately! Having a chronic illness makes it hard to leave spur of the moment so I try to always be stocked up on things I need. Here are my top items, missing from this picture is my hand sanitizer and pack of Lysol wipes because I ran out on my trip this weekend, but I ALWAYS have those with me so I don’t really consider them things to pack.

Fresh Assist- This stuff rocks. It pretty much turns any toilet paper into a wet wipe. Immediately. You just take the toilet paper like you normally would, spray 3-4 times, and wipe. Bottom-bing bottom-boom. I definitely wish that I had some when I was staying in the hospital, though I did bring my own toilet paper during my last stay there. This makes almost any toilet paper bearable. And there’s no harsh chemicals! And it’s safe for your toilet. Everyone wins. It’s really quite affordable too. Buy some for yourself here. (http://www.freshassistspray.com)

Sunscreen- Remicade makes me more sensitive to the sun, and it’s good to wear sunscreen anyway.

Eye Drops-I wear contacts usually, and my eyes get so dry from staring at a computer screen all day, or from sitting in a plane. These eye drops are my favorite.

Face Lotion- Washing my face after a day of travel and putting on a nice moisturizer makes me feel right at home.

Hand Lotion-I was my hands or use sanitizer all day long so my hands get pretty raw if I don’t keep them moisturized.

Shower gel- The W hotel I stayed at last weekend had some nice soaps and lotions, but they aren’t all like that! I don’t like the residue some bar soaps at hotels leave behind, so I bring my own when traveling.

Dry Shampoo- If this stuff isn’t for travel, I don’t know what it’s for.

Colgate mouth wash-Sometimes you need to feel a little more fresh than what a piece of gum might provide.

Face wash- Pretty self explanatory. Clean the dirt off your face, people.

Roller perfume-Easy to travel and you don’t have to worry about a bottle breaking in transit.

Hair tie, bobby pins and q tips- pretty standard. Multiple uses. Always wish you had them if you don’t!

I’m truly grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to travel and and to share my story and voice my ideas for improvements in this community. It’s been amazing and inspiring. I’ve met some of the best people in the world, and I’m proud to be a part of the change that I hope happens for patients with Ulcerative Colitis.