Monday, May 15, 2017

"Top 1% with Sickle Cell"

Yesterday I saw my hematologist. Sadly he is moving to a different hospital and he will no long be my doctor. As we spoke, he told me, "I know you have your problems and ups and downs, but really, you are the top 1% in regards to stabilized health in all the Sickle Cell patients we see here. You have a great handle on how you manage your health."

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?

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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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