Pet Peeves

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness11 Comments
What annoys you??
image courtesy of dusty29100 at deviantART.com

We all have them…those little things that really annoy us.  I’ve noticed lately that I have more pet peeves than I realized.

I really annoys me when:

  • I write a whole post then I hit “Save” or “Publish” or “Preview”, and suddenly I’m told my login expired and I need to login again….of course, at least half of my post disappeared!  Yes this just happened, and I don’t have the brain power to do it again right now.  Ugh!  I how annoying!
  • I go to a party with many people in attendance, and the only towels in the bathroom are those little finger-tip towels.  Ick!  They are dripping wet within half an hour!  Why do people do that?
  • I go to a party and they have the rooms decorated for the party, but the bathroom is dirty.  again…Ick!  Of course, they also have no towel at all in the bathroom!
  • I email a company and don’t get a reply, or I email a company and explain I’m emailing because I’m hearing impaired and can’t talk on the phone, then they email me back that I need to call.  That’s just rude.
  • Insurance companies give you the run around….for weeks and weeks.
  • I am asked at the doctors before a procedure if there is any way I could be pregnant and I answer “no”, but they make me take a pregnancy test anyway…Why Ask?  Just tell me to pee in a cup!
  • people won’t admit to something they did wrong.  (for example, we had new carpet installed last weekend, in our bedroom there are two gouges in the wall.  It was covered by a paint that does not match our paint, it’s close, but it doesn’t match.  They didn’t even fill in the holes, just painted over them.  Now they say they didn’t do it, they said don’t have paint.  I KNOW it wasn’t there before, it’s right by the door, I see it every time I walk out of the room!)  Why do people not take pride in their work?  Or show respect to other people….and that brings me to another pet peeve….
  • people are rude!  So many people are rude and do not respect others, or their environment.  Think about the car that cuts you off and speeds away, only to get stopped at the same stop light you do.  The person who throws trash out on the road, or in a parking lot.  The person who leaves a grocery cart in a parking place.  People who are rude to those who provide customer service to them….like waitresses, cashiers…ect.   And on that note….
  • people do not get off the phone when they are checking out of a store, or at the bank…ect.  How rude is that?
  • people who talk on the phone, or text when driving.  Texting is simply stupid….what on earth are they thinking?  But…how many times have you been aggravated by how someone is driving, only to look over and see they are on the phone?  It’s illegal in our state, but people do it constantly.  (and I’m not talking about hands free)
  • I have to wait way past my appointment time…anywhere.  Why is my time considered less valuable than the person I’ve come to see?   And I really hate it when they are very late, and don’t apologize, or thank me for waiting…ect.
  • people who are very educated use bad grammar.  There’s a difference between someone who doesn’t know any better, and those who just don’t care.  (there is one person I know who should know better, but she always says “weren’t” when she should say “wasn’t”…it makes my skin crawl.)
  • people who write everywhere as if they were texting!  I have a friend on Facebook who writes her status updates like that…it drives me crazy, and I will admit I often do not understand what she is saying.
  • Things I’m looking forward to are delayed over and over.  (I got a call from my surgeon’s office today telling me we have to reschedule my surgery from July 11th to the 19th or after!  We just set up the surgery yesterday, now another delay.  I’m beginning to wonder if I’m meant to get this cochlear implant.  One delay after another.  This should have happened 3-4 weeks ago.  I’m so depressed about all of this.  It has been a constant stressor for almost 2 months!)  Yes! I am annoyed!  Heck, I’m downright pissed!

See what I mean? I have a much larger list of pet peeves than I ever thought I would.  Things used to not get to me so much.  But please note, I don’t hate the people who do these things, I simply hate some of the things they do.

I must practice showing understanding, and compassion….but I’m sure some of these things will always annoy me.

What is your Pet Peeves?  Are some of yours the same as mine?

Memories of Mom…

On By WendyIn Life9 Comments

Nineteen years ago today, my mother died.

I asked some people to share a memory they have of my mother….Here are some responses I received:

My Parents in the mid 1980’s

(from my best friend in High School)  Boy, do I have memories. Let’s begin with that laugh. Especially when she laughed at television shows. And to this day, I remember her sneezes… the sound and the way she would let go of the steering wheel when she sneezed (because she didn’t want to jerk the car). The patience of a saint – especially since we would make such huge messes with Halloween decorations, fake fingernails and heaven knows the bedroom messes. And when I think about the times when we would get “that look.” You know, the one where she didn’t approve of something we did or said. She didn’t have to say a word… you knew exactly what she was thinking when she was perfectly quiet, but looking at you like you had lost your ever-loving mind. I REALLY enjoyed your mother.

(sister of my friend above) She was so funny, she always made me laugh. I can remember riding in the car with her dont remember where we were going or what we were doing but I can still remember seeing her as if we were riding in there right now!

(from a cousin) Oh darling Wendy … your mother was my second mom. When she lived in Greensboro before you were born, I would run away from home and go to her house to “live”. Of course it was just over the hill and little did I know she was standing on the porch watching for me to come over the hill and my mom was on our porch watching me climb the hill. I was never out of sight of them. What a team! I also remember the time when I was about 8 that I cut my own hair. I was so proud of myself. Needless to say we made a special trip to see your mom to get it “evened out”. LOL … guess I wasn’t the hairdresser I thought I was. I have lots of memories, but one more that I’ll share … you may remember living in Navy housing … a brick duplex. I can’t remember the name of the place but it was something park. I remember the “bug” truck coming around spraying for mosquitoes every evening. A lot of the kids would follow the truck to get in the cool mist. Your “mean” mom made us come inside … God bless her every day for having the sense to get us out of that poison.

Photo of the spouses of my father’s siblings (and my mom, she is all the way to the right – note there were 9 children all together) This photo was taken in the late 1970’s

(another dear friend from High School) I remember her sweet voice…..I sure called you enough and she always asked how I was……she was very patient with us because we would chat for some time…..back then, we didn’t have call waiting, only a busy signal….lol….

(a neighbor when I was growing up….one correction to his memory, my mother never had a rattle snake or any other poisonous snake, but she did have non-poisonous snakes)  Wendy, I can remember growing up in Rock Bluff and thinking ” That lady must be crazy…she plays with snakes all the time.” She even had a pet rattlesnake! She wasn’t crazy at all as I got to know her better. She was a very kind and interesting person. I think she taught all the kids in the neighborhood how to handle snakes. Before we knew it we all were riding bikes with a snake in hand that we had caught. I thought of her and her snakes just a few days ago and wondered what ever happened to “Mrs. Calloway” but after reading this message i figured out that she passed while I was off at school.
She was a very kind and caring woman and I’m sure you miss her dearly! I’ll always have great memories of growing up in Rock Bluff and she was a big part of that!

(a sweet friend from High School – note when I asked for these memories I included my poem Memories of Mom and Me, this is what he refers to.)  There is nothing more that I could say more elegantly than You. Just I Miss and Love Her to . Love You Wendy.

(a friend, but when my mother was alive I was not close to her, her sister and I were good friends, the three of us did some things together, but now I consider her a dear friend.) I remember she always seemed to be moving so fast like maybe she knew time was short. I remember thinking that when you lost her.Reminds me of a lightning bug in the summer. They have a glow that fades when the weather chills but if you have seen one just at the right moment it is never forgotten. I only met her a few times but she seemed to be so dedicated and devoted to you. A moment with a mother like that is a blessing. I am sure she is already cleaning a spot in heaven for all the people she loved.

(from my father) One of the best memory I have is when I med Flippy (my mother’s nickname), I was on the bus returning to Norfolk after a weekend at home. The bus stopped in Greensboro around midnight and I saw her getting on the bus the seat next to me was empty so I pretended to be asleep so she would sit there. Lucky me she did take that seat so not long after that we started talking, I was out of cigarettes so I ask her for one. Needless to say we didn’t sleep a bit on the bus from then to Norfolk. I got her phone number in Norfolk and called her later Monday, From that time on we fell in love and had a beautiful life together.

 

I’ve printed this poem before, but for those who missed it, or have forgotten, I’m including it again since I mentioned it above.  This poem was written within the first few hours after my mother died, and was read at her funeral.

Memories of Mom and Me

-I look around me and all I see,
brings back memories of mom and me.
-The clouds in the sky; for hours we’d look,
picking out colors and shapes and books.
-Oh, look there’s a snap bug – remember him?
a play thing for me and mom again.
-A sea shell reminds me of a walk on the beach;
my diploma, a goal, she believed I could reach.
-Let’s go to a movie – her favorite E. T.
then go to the park and swing with me.
-An ice cream cone, a frog, a snake,
a Thanksgiving dinner we attempted to make.
-All the things around me I see,
bring back memories of mom and me.
-The people who loved her, I see in their eyes,
the love that she gave them was no surprise.
-She had a heart as big as the world
and the soul of a little girl.
-People who knew her will never forget,
because she affected everyone she met.
-Reminders of my mom are easy to see,
for there are parts of her inside of me.

by Wendy Calloway (Holcombe) June 23, 1993

Wonky, Sloshy Head

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness, Cochlear Implant, Meniere's Disease11 Comments
Image from deviantArt. “loose” by pehdtsckjmba

If you have Meniere’s, I know you know what this title means.  For the past few days, (actually I think it’s only been two, but it feels like a week!), I’ve had the wonky, slosh head feeling.  I dare not move my head too fast or I’ll fall down, really, I did this yesterday!  I haven’t felt like this in a few months, I wonder what has started it now?

Could it be….

  1. Hormonal Changes?  It’s that week, but it hasn’t started yet.
  2. Missing one of my meds for a day and a half?  (that’s 3 doses)  This is what Stuart thinks it is, but I’m wondering if part of that isn’t just him feeling guilty because he forgot to go and pick it up.   (it was Buspar for anxiety and panic attacks – these started in January, I haven’t felt more anxious the past couple of days, just wonky!)
  3. The weather?  We have had some big weather changes almost every day.  We’ll have beautiful clear skies, with a lot of heat…and then we’ll have a lot of rain all of a sudden!  But this has been happening for weeks, so why bother me now?  (it has been increasing my headaches, but I haven’t noticed the disequilibrium before.)
  4. It’s just that time?  We all know Meniere’s is NOT predictable.  So maybe this is just the monster saying hello.

I’m still so grateful that I haven’t felt like this in a while, actually I’m not sure the last time.  Not much since the surgery in December.  I have to say, I’m thrilled with the results of that surgery.  I have only had one mini vertigo attack caused by Meniere’s since my recovery.  Yay!  The Endolymphatic Sac Surgery was a big success for me.

(I’m still waiting on our insurance company to send the right type of letter to Duke, so I can get my Cochlear Implant surgery scheduled.  They have been so evasive about this, how hard is it to say that this is covered under our plan as of this date with an in-network doctor.  As long as our plan doesn’t change everything should be the same.  NO, they send a letter saying they can’t give a predetermination, because the plan may be canceled or changed, the doctor may not be in-network…ect.   They never even say if it’s covered by our plan at the present time!  What a pain!  So I won’t be getting my CI activated before my birthday….I’m so disappointed.)

I promise to write a post about this whole journey, and show which processors I chose, as soon as I feel a bit less wonky.

 

Hard to Get Started Again…

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness16 Comments

I miss blogging, I miss my blogging friends….but it’s hard to get started again.

Now I think of things that have happened since I’ve been away that you don’t know about, and things that are going to happen….so much to talk about I’m overwhelmed.   Eh….maybe not so much.  My life really isn’t that exciting.

I went through a bout of depression, that knocked me off my feet.  By that I mean, I didn’t want to get out of bed.  I’d wake up and think, what reason to I have to get up?  I couldn’t think of a reason, and the sleeping side effect was not helping!

Vancouver Sunrise by Lauazee from DeviantART http://fav.me/d32s7vm

I know part of the depression started when Sandy died.  But the biggest problem is a bit strange….at least to me, my therapist says it’s normal.  I’ve been feeling better.  The Meniere’s isn’t bothering much at all since the surgery in December.  The Intracranial Hypertension (High CSF), is minor and under control with medication.  My migraines are not as painful, but they are causing vertigo often!  So much so that there is no way I’ll ever be able to drive again.  The Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV) gives me NO warning.  I wouldn’t even be able to pull over to the side of the road, the world just goes crazy immediately.  I can’t even walk around the block by myself, or do things in the yard.  I tried one day, and it did not end up good.  So I’m stuck in our house, unless I have someone with me (meaning Stuart).  I know there is plenty I could do in the house, but when you can’t do things you want….well everything else kind of falls flat.

But I’m better.  Really.  It’s kind of funny.  I was watching Sponge Bob Square Pants and he was singing, “I’ve got an attitude of gratitude….”  And I realized I used to every day think about things I’m grateful for, and I hadn’t been lately.  So I started thinking about it, and I felt better.  Also we’ve been talking about fostering a dog, or perhaps adopting.  Sandy was a rescue dog, and we’ve been thinking that taking care of another dog who needs rescuing would honor her.  This has made me feel better about things, I really miss Sandy, and do NOT want to replace her, but the thought of honoring her by helping another dog….that makes me feel better inside.

Now that the sleeping has gotten back to normal, I’m feeling better about other things too.

We went to see the audiologist on Wednesday.  I picked out all the options for the Cochlear Implant (CI) that I want!  We expected to have heard from the insurance by now, but it’s seems to be a big old pain in the butt.  And all I can do is, wait patiently.   I’m not the most patient person!

Now, I’m started… let’s see if I can’t make a habit of this!

Sleeping

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness9 Comments

There is so much I wanted to accomplish during my little hiatus.  Paying more attention to the spiritual side of me, painting, working on some things in the house….

What have I been doing?  Sleeping.  A lot.

First I’ve been having much more Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV), one day I had 2 attacks in one day!  That’s never happened before.  On those days I understand why I’m so whipped out, but there are many days where nothing has happened, but I feel like I can’t keep my eyes open.  I’m wondering if one of my medications is bothering me, but nothing has really changed recently.  I was taken off one drug, but nothing was added when this started.

On the 12th I had the Pneumovax -23 vaccine.  It’s a vaccine for 23 different strains of pneumonia.  Including one that causes meningitis.  This vaccine is required for anyone who is getting a cochlear implant.

Unfortunately, I’m one of the people who had side effects to the vaccine.  Including extreme soreness of the injection site, and my whole arm, fever, swelling of injection site, redness of injection site, diarrhea, and extreme fatigue.  Normally, all of the side effects subside within about 5 days, but some people feel some of them (especially the fatigue and malaise for 14 days or more.)  I think I’m in the more category.

This has been an experience.  Most of the symptoms did disappear after the first few days.  The injection site is still a little pink and warm to the touch, but I can lift my arm, not fever, the extremely gross diarrhea didn’t last long, I’m grateful to say.  (too much information following) – One day I was having loose stools, nothing serious, but I felt so exhausted, so I decided to take a nap.  While I was asleep the diarrhea struck, it didn’t even wake me up!  What a mess.  That was a scary thing indeed, for a long time I was afraid to go to sleep, but I was so tired.  We decided to put a pad under me on the bed so I knew if something happened I wouldn’t ruin the bed, then I was finally able to go to sleep.  But I had 3 times where I had to RUSH to the bathroom before sleep finally came…and I’m happy to say the extreme diarrhea stopped.

Still I’m tired.  It’s been 19 days.  I don’t think this is just the vaccination.  I think it’s a combination of MAV (yes I’m having it almost daily, luckily this vertigo isn’t as intense as my vertigo from the Meniere’s.  It is easier to get through.), some medication, and probably just some of the stress from everything.   Plus, maybe some of the medication.

I am putting together a post about my journey on my way to getting a Cochlear Implant (CI), mostly it’s a lot of waiting.  Next week I tell them which processor I’ve chosen, and I find out where we are with the insurance.  I’m really hoping this will happen soon.  I’d like to have it turned on by my birthday…what a present that would be!

In the next post, I’ll explain more about what is going to happen, which processor I’ve chose, and a bit more about the process I had to go through to get qualified for the CI.

Until then, I think I’ll take a nap.  After all I only slept 12 hours last night.  : )

Mother’s Day is very hard for some people

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness8 Comments
image from farmhousecountrystyle.blogspot.com

Every year since my mother died Mother’s Day has been bitter-sweet.  Everywhere I look people are telling you to get in touch with your mother, let her know how much you appreciate her, and how much you love her.  I’m sure there are many people who have lost their mother or perhaps lost a child, or for those who have mother’s who are not someone you really want to thank….you know they are out there….and this holiday is very, very hard for them.  Just as it is for me.

This year, Mother’s Day is especially hard for me.  This year, I expected to be a mother, a foster-mother yes, but a mother non-the-less.  That dream was taken from me this past year, and it won’t be coming back.  I’m okay with this decision, but it stings right now.

Mother’s Day is also very hard this year because I lost my little baby girl….yes, I’m talking about Sandy.  I know many won’t understand because she was a dog, but she was my baby for 19 years.  She was more of a constant in my life than any human.  And yes, it may sound silly, but most Mother’s Days I got a card from her and Max.  (yes, I’m not delusional, I know Stuart sent the cards, but her little paw print signed it….and I was her mommy.)   Stuart would joke around and make a special breakfast for me saying that our children insisted that he do so.  Yes, this Mother’s Day will be very hard.

This week Sandy’s memorial bench arrived. It’s sitting on our front porch, but we haven’t been able to inter her remains yet.  Yes, that will probably happen this weekend.  Her ashes are in a little box, this will be sealed in her special box (where we kept her stuff), with her special blanket, sweater, collar, just little things we think she would have like to have.   All of these things will be sealed in an airtight container, then sealed in the bench.    In our will we have a provision, when we die we plan to have our ashes mixed, Sandy’s ashes will also be mixed with ours.  (Max’s too, but since he is still alive, I don’t want to say things like that.)

Are we strange for caring so much about how our dog is cared for after death?  Are we the only ones like this.  I hope not.

But I’ve wandered away from the point of this post.   For all of those who find holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and even Christmas hard, you are not alone.  For all of you who now someone who has a hard time during these holidays, reach out.  Everyone needs to feel a little love.

Cochlear Implant coming soon….

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness9 Comments

On May 1st, I saw the audiologist and ear doctor and as my ear doctor said…..”Your hearing sucks!”

On my hearing tests the word recognition in my left ear was again 0%, and the right ear was 28%.   So it’s pretty obvious I don’t understand a lot of what’s being said.

On Friday, May 4th, I had the official hearing test to determine if I am a candidate for a Cochlear Implant.   Yes!  I am!!

Advanced Bionics – Harmony- Cochlear Implant.

Next step.  Insurance authorization.  It can take 4-6 weeks.  During this time I need to decide which device I want (there are 3 available, and each have some pros and cons…so a lot of reading and research).  Also, during this time I need to think of any questions I may have, and be prepared to ask them all.  However, I understand the surgery, how the cochlear implant works, how I’ll be hearing differently, and most everything I can think of right now.  I’m sure questions will arise though.

After the insurance approves everything, we just have to schedule the surgery…and it’s go.

About 2 weeks after surgery they will turn the device on.  I’ve been warned I may not hear much at first.  As time goes on my doctor thinks I will hear better and better.  If after a few months I feel I’m hearing better out of my left ear than my right, it is a VERY big possibility that by the end of this year I may be getting a second CI.   They say if you need 2 it’s better to get them close together if possible.

I was told that I am in a good place about all of this, I’ve only recently lost my hearing and people who get CI’s who recently lost their hearing normally do much better.

Right now, I’m excited at the possibility of hearing again…but cautious.   I know hearing through a CI is not the same as hearing normally.  I understand all surgery carries some risk.   So naturally I’m cautious.

But how would you feel if you were told that in just a couple of months you could go from 0% word recognition, to hearing again.   Yes, I know I may not understand everything in the beginning…heck, I may not understand anything….but it will come.  I will be able to hear again.

**In other news about me……   The migraines are so much better!!!  I had another round of steroids, and hopefully they have stopped the cycle.   (There is some doubt right now that I have Intracranical Hypertension.  If I do, it has not escalated, and the medication that should help didn’t help much.  The migraine treatments have helped much more.  My last lumbar puncture did show high CSF, but not very high.  Actually, it was pretty low in comparison to most people who have IH…..so we don’t have to worry about a shunt any time soon, hopefully, never!)

Recap – #HAWMC May 1st

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness3 Comments

Today’s Prompt – Recap HAWMC. You did it! 30 posts in 30 days. Which was your favorite prompt? Which was the most difficult? Which ideas will you reuse? Who was your favorite fellow blogger?

ASL sign for FINISHED!!
Image from utb.edu
YES!  I did it!  With one of the roughest months in my life, I still did it!  I didn’t even use the 2 off days they said I could have!  I accomplished something I set out to do!  Woot!

Look I actually created a real Word Cloud
from http://www.tagxedo.com

I’m so pleased that WEGO Health gave us this opportunity.   They have done so much to bring Health Activism to the forefront, in a very short amount of time.  Thank you WEGO Health!

WEGO Health wants some feedback to this monthly challenge.   I probably gave them much more information than they need.   I’d love to hear what you about my different posts for the month!!

Which was my favorite prompt?  I admit my favorite post of the month was not one I thought would be my favorite prompt…but as with many I took my own interpretation of it.  (and I think that’s a great way to make a prompt work for you…change it enough to make it speak to you.)  The prompt was to create a theme song for my blog.  Since I have hearing difficulties I originally thought…I can’t do this.  However, I decided to use this opportunity to bring attention to my Sounds of Silence…the tinnitus I hear every day, even if I can’t hear anything else.  You can find this post here.  My Sounds of Silence. I’m especially proud of this post.  My friend Vincent Morrison (who worked on the sound production for me) and I had a hard time putting it all together, but I think it shows how different tinnitus can be for people.

One of the bonus prompts I really liked was the first one. “I used to be….but I’m not any more.”  This put forth a lot of my feelings but still I was able to leave a positive spin on it.  This was the first prompt I used, and think it was a great starting point for the month.

Which was the most difficult?

This is a hard question to answer.  Do they mean hard as in emotionally hard to write, or hard because I didn’t like it?

I decided to do a list of the prompts I found difficult to work on because they hit a nerve….and then a list of prompts that were hard simply because I could not get into them.  This doesn’t mean they were bad prompts, simply that I had a hard time interpreting them to suit me.  That’s one reason I really liked receiving the Bonus Prompts!

Prompts that were difficult because of feelings they brought up:

Prompts I simply couldn’t get into.  I know others who really loved these prompts, they were just difficult for me to get started on.  (again, why I liked having the option of the Bonus Prompts)

  • Health Time Capsule  (I read some great posts from this prompt, it simply wasn’t one I could get going one
  •  Ekphrasis post   (I tried and tried to do this prompt, I thought it would be easy for me because I am an artist, but my post just kept getting longer and longer.  I’d have to practice this type of writing to be able to do this post…and well I didn’t have time for that.   But again, others did an excellent job!)
  • Pinboard…I don’t like Pinterest.  I find that a lot people do not give credit to the creator of the images on this site.  I would have liked this post better if it just said to list images.  But again, a personal feeling on my side.  Lot’s of people LOVE Pinterest, and that’s great.
  • Madlib Poem – This just really didn’t do it for me.  I it took so long to fill in all the words, then the poem came out not meaning much.  It’s great for a comic day, a little relief from talking health all the time, but I was confused.  And with the brain fog I have with my illness, I was unable to enjoy this like I thought I might.
  • 3rd person post – I tried to write this post, but found trying to talk in the 3rd person made my post way too long.  I guess I’m just not good at this unless it’s a short piece, like I did for the 6 sentence post. I guess I’ve been writing in the first person so long I’m a bit rusty on this type of writing.  This does give me great insight into that part of me, something I need to work on.
  • Health tagline – I think most people with blogs have a tagline already, and if not…I wasn’t sure how much more I could do with this prompt.  It felt like a one or two line post.  If you use this prompt again, I think it should have a bit more to it.  Not sure exactly what, but this was missing something….at least for me.

Prompts I liked that I might use again…

  • 6 sentence story…I might do this again, it’s a great jumping off point.  I loved telling a short piece about me that just came out.  I’m glad I did this prompt, I did a happy story, not anything to do with health.  I think we all need a break sometimes.
  • Word Cloud – but I’ll take my own take on it.  I’d rather do a collage I created, and will probably do more of those.

******I would use many of the prompts from the liked or difficult pile again…with some changes, and some from the Bonus Prompts.*****

Bonus Prompts I liked, I used some of these but didn’t use all of them.  (I may use some of these in the future.)

  • Best doctor’s or hospital stay.
  • Happy Place
  • Daily Schedule
  • In a perfect world
  • I keep writing because….
  • personify your health…I liked this because I did a creative approach….that’s the good thing about a lot of these prompts…many you can get inventive with.
  • I Loved the Prompt.–I used to be…but I’m not any more  (this gave me a great outlet, and I shared with many family and friends.  It showed things I can no longer do, but I still was able to put a positive spin on it.)  This was a great first post for the month for me!

I would like to once again thank WEGO Health for this opportunity.  And for all the hard work they have done.  This is only the second HAWMC they have sponsored, and I think they did a wonderful job.   (one suggestion, perhaps you would like to put out a questionnaire for the participants to suggest some prompts, this would give you a greater pool to work from, and would hopefully provide you with lot’s of great ideas!!)

Who was your favorite fellow blogger?

Maureen from Sunshine and Chaos was a constant support to me thought this past month  Encouraging me, and keeping me going, even through the rough spots.

Phylor, from Phylor’s blog was also a great support.  Always encouraging.

I’ve found a couple of new favorite bloggers through this adventure.  Actually they found me first, but I’m glad they did.

Scattered Feathers – she’s a new blogger who really deserves some attention.  Check her out, she’s honest and raw, if you like my style, you’ll love hers.  She has hearing loss, and suffers from mental illness.  Give her your support.

And one more new follower I have been learning a lot from.  Brain Injury Self Rehabilitation  this blog is written by a nurse who was brutally attacked by a patient, this attack caused a brain injury.  She is on a mission to help others realize there are more people out there with Brain Injuries, and Brain disorders – we do not need to suffer alone.  There is hope and help.  She gives sound advise, and encouragement.  If you have a brain disorder or know someone who does, I highly recommend checking out this blog.

there are many more people I could acknowledge, but there simply isn’t room, and they did just ask for one.

Word Cloud – #HAWMC 30

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness2 Comments

Today’s Prompt:  Word Cloud. Make a word cloud or tree with a list of words that come to mind when you think about your blog, health, or interests. Use a thesaurus to make the branches of your “tree” extend further. http://www.wordle.net/

I did a little bit of a different take on this prompt.  I hope you like it.

Word Cloud Collage by W. Holcombe 2012, April

6 Sentence Story – #HAWMC Day 29

On By WendyIn Life4 Comments

Today’s Prompt: Six Sentence Story. In this day of micro-blogging – brevity is a skill worth honing. Can you tell a story and make it short and sweet? What can you say in six sentences. Check out some here: http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/

Wendy and Stuart - wedding.

Wendy walked toward the ruins of the mission. She saw him standing by the entrance waiting with a smile.  Once he took her hand she had no doubts, this was the man she would spend the rest of her life with. She saw in his eyes he felt the same way about her.  They walked down the aisle together, a new future unfolding before them.