Tag: Health

Can You See Me Now?

~ JodiLea

InvisibleIllness
When I saw this diagram, it reminded me of the iceberg that destroyed the Titanic.  Then I read it.

Wow. That’s me. And like the Titanic, it was the below the surface crap that crippled and nearly sunk me. However – this post is not about me. “What?!” you say.  Yeah yeah.

I was compelled to share this with you, my dear readers, to hopefully educate you about people with chronic (invisible) illnesses. Maybe, you deal with one, but certainly someone you know has a chronic illness, whether you are aware of it or not.

I know about it now. Way too much, to be honest.

If you have read any of my posts under “Being Diabetic” or my “Insulin Pump Saga”, I talk not only about my disease, but how I try to cope with everyday life.  Just telling y’all is cathartic, so I benefit, but I also have my BFF, God, my diary and a dog I can talk to, so these posts are more for those newly diagnosed with a chronic illness, or the people who care about them.

It’s a walk in my shoes to look at how things go, from a person living with one (chronic illness). Live information, instead of all the books, pamphlets and videos thrown at you to absorb. Don’t even think about getting rid of those, BTW!  Mine are filed away in the black-hole under my office files, but they are there when I need to refer to them. Yes, even after being diagnosed 10 years ago, I still need them occasionally.  You can’t know everything!  Not at the same time.

Some days I may seem a little “off”, or not myself.  OK, so most days I seem like that – Ha!  I don’t usually mention it because words of explanation are tough to come by without sounding like a complainer. [Y’all know I’m a complainer, but it’s usually about politics, law, football or stupid people – not all about me.]

Well, it’s time to check my sugars and have a snack (or not) and put my ass in bed – that’s a big job these days…

TTFN

If you have Diabetes (Type I or II) and would like to comment, ask questions, or relay information – PLEASE do so!!

 

 

Sweet November

~ JodiLea

This month has a few observances that touch my life. Can you guess which ones?**

NOVEMBER 2013

American Diabetes Month American Diabetes Association

Native American Heritage Month Indian Health Service (HQ)

Diabetic Eye Disease Month Prevent Blindness America

Great American Smokeout Month American Cancer Society

National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association

National Child Mental Health Month c/o New York University Child Study Center

National Epilepsy Awareness Month Epilepsy Foundation of America

National Family Caregivers Month National Family Caregivers Association

National Healthy Skin Month American Academy of Dermatology

National Home Care Month National Association for Home Care & Hospice

National Hospice Month National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Prematurity Awareness Month March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation

November 17 – 23 (week before Thanksgiving) American Education Week National Education Association

November 13 World Kindness Day

November 14 (always Nov 14) World Diabetes Day International Diabetes Federation

November 15 (always Nov 15) National Philanthropy Day Association of Fundraising Professionals

November 15 (always Nov 15) America Recycles Day National Recycling Coalition, Inc.

November 21 (third Thursday) Great American Smokeout American Cancer Society

November 23 International Survivors of Suicide Day American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

** If you have read more than a few posts, then you practically know everything about me – so take a guess 😉

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Diary of a Nicotine Addict: Why We Can’t Quit

~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

Author’s note: I’m usually trying to be humorous, or sarcastic, but tonight I am trying to pass on information that I discovered during my journey with nicotine addiction. I am still learning!

SmokingOneFullWithSurgeonGeneral

I can go weeks without ever thinking about cigarettes. Then plans get messed up,  a medical emergency happens, or I can’t find something important and dammit, I want to smoke. Like that is going to help my plans, my health, or my brain. After nearly two years of being smoke free you would expect me to no longer be addicted to nicotine.  You are wrong.

Sure, my body is rid of the nicotine and other chemicals from inhaling cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, my brain won’t let go completely. Nicotine in my blood-stream would reach my brain and “light up” sensors that made me feel good. My brain remembers this (or the sensors do). I’m not even thinking about smoking, but my brain has those sensory memories stored somewhere. Waiting.

When we are stressed, our mind works overtime to find a way to get us back to a non-stressed state. Why doesn’t my mind find a different solution? Like a cup of tea or a nice long bath? Probably because I never used those things to calm down. I would always light up a cigarette.  I thought that inhaling the nicotine calmed me down, when in reality, nicotine is a stimulant that increases your heart rate and blood pressure. I only felt calmer because I satisfied my craving for nicotine.

That’s how they get you. The Tobacco industry. Their products supply you with nicotine, your brain starts to need the nicotine and you end up smoking to satisfy those greedy neurotransmitters begging for another nicotine fix. If that isn’t bad enough, the cigarette you just had is setting you up for the next one. Because the sensation of withdrawal is uncomfortable, and the only way to stop it is another cigarette.

No wonder the industry can make billions of dollars – and we can’t stop smoking.

Non-addicts believe that if you just used some will-power, you could quit. HA!  You can’t break addiction with will-power. Why? Because the brain, neurology and psychology are inter-twined around your addiction. The Bitch owns you. You need professional help, but you don’t want to ask for any, because the thought of you never smoking again terrifies you.

I heard that heroin addicts have less trouble getting the monkey off their back, than smokers. Don’t believe that? I didn’t either – until I asked a recovering heroin addict. She opened her purse and showed me her cigarettes. So, I guess that meant yes.

Scary.

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