Though that made me feel good about myself, it also makes me a little sad. The support I get from my family is a HUGE factor in how and why I am able to keep my health stable. So what do I do to maintain my health?
- I am not employed. Though there have been times when I did work, for the most part, I have not pursuited a career. I had ambitions and goals to work toward a career, but my health continuously got in the way. In regards to how this impacts my self esteem, I wouldnt recommend it, but in regards to staying alive and out of the hospital, it is what I needed to do.
- I keep my stress down. Part of the reason why am not employed is because I need to keep my mental and physical stress as low as possible. I learned from my college years and the times I did work, what stress does to my body; it short, it always puts me in the hospital. I learned long ago, in order to reduce pain crises and hospitalizatiions, I have to avoid stressful situations and people.
- I avoid negativity. I have always been highly sensitive to negative energy in all its forms. Negative people; negative speech; friends who have a lot of drama in their lives....these types of things dramatically effect me emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. I have had to walk away from many friendships because of the amount of drama and/or negativity they brought into my life. Sadly, for my own survival, that is what I have had to do more than once.
- Proper sleep. For me, 9-10 hours of sleep is what I need. I can go a couple nights with less, but if it goes on too many nights, I suffer the consequences: which usually takes the form of pain crises or hospitalization.
- Proper diet. Eating healthy and balanced meals is a must. Eating when my body tells me I am hungry; carrying snacks with me always; and taking the time to eat properly....all are musts.
- Staying hydrated. I take water with me everywhere I go. As I mentioned in my last post, if I go too many days without drinking sufficient amounts of water, I pay the price.
- I don't smoke, drink, or use recreational drugs. This is largely due to my religious convictions, and also due to survival. I had a conversation once with a person who, "Had an aunt who died at the age of 30 from SCD." When I asked what kind of lifestyle she lived, he told me, "She drank, did drugs, and smoked." All of my major organs are negatively impacted by SCD; I can only imagine where my liver, kidney or lung function would be if I smoked or drank. I probably wouldn't be alive to write this post.
- I listen to my body. When I am tired, in pain, or not feeling well, I don't push myself and I stay home. The times when I said, "Screw it, I am going to go out anyway..." I have always, always suffered for it.
- I am disciplined with my pain medications. For over 20 years I have had a daily need for pain medications. I always strive to take as little as possible. I work hard at avoiding building up tolerances to what I take and forming addictions to my medications. Thankfully, with the Lord's help, I have been successful in both these areas. In fact, I have reduced my pain medication intake by more than half over the past year.
- I know what I have to do to stay healthy, and I do it. This is the biggest thing. Living with Sickle Cell Disease is not a fun experience. It requires a lot of strength to endure the things we do. I give thanks to God for helping me get through each day. Without my religious convictions and family support, I know I would not be the person I am and most certainly would not be alive.
I don't list these things to brag. I share this to help anyone who may be struggling with SCD, or any illness. I encourage my readers to: stay strong to the convictions you have; make the choices that are sometimes hard to make; do what you must do to live a long and healthy life; and most importantly......choose to be happy.
Life with Sickle Cell is hard, but life IS worth living.
Until next time my friends.
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