Life with an Autoimmune Disease
Hi! Just checking in with some of my new followers. I live with Rheumatoid Arthritis and have been sick for 34 years (possibly born sick? Who knows.)
I’ve been on Enbrel (biologic TNF inhibitor) for 20 years which means I’ve given myself around 1,500 needles 💉.
There’s a lot of misconception about RA out there, so in simple terms:
My body’s immune system spends its energy fighting healthy tissue (ALL bodily tissue: organs, joints, bones & blood) - the drugs tell my immune system to “calm down” and stop fighting. Immune system goes away and stops killing healthy cells. This means I do not have a proper defence against viruses or infections of any kind. If I get the common cold, it has the power to totally take over my body. A paper cut, if not treated, can be the welcome wagon to a life altering infection.
Autoimmune diseases are tough and there are many co-morbidities, shortened life expectancies and mental tolls to juggle every day.
If you’d like to learn more about autoimmune diseases or arthritis, please reach out. I’m happy to share my experiences to educate others.
Going Private on Social Media
A week or so ago I decided I’d hit the Social Media Wall. Y’know - where the quality of interactions is on the wane and you spend more time figuring out how to make your accounts so that A: people can’t find you, or B: only a select few can actually message or interact with your profile?
Yeah.
That’s where I was at.
The news is heavy - the year has been grading (at best) - and I was just finding it hard to see the forest through the trees. Especially in terms of online content consumption and investment.
In my line of work, you have to be Open and Willing to Connect with everyone, all the time. That hasn’t changed. Everyone can connect with me, or attempt to, via this Website and on Twitter.
Facebook was the first to go. Yes, I still have a Page which I use from time to time. Generally to spread awareness about something I’m passionate about. I try to keep my Page fairly empty because, in my experience, Facebook is a magnet for negative interactions which I’m no longer interested in tolerating.
Instagram is private for the time being. Maybe I’ll open it up again but maybe not. I think there’s a real crunch to Have the Most Likes and Be the Most Followed and it starts to spiral into obligations and/or heightened expectations from strangers to spread positivity or ‘influence’ others into thinking some type of way. I like to tell the truth and a lot of the time, Social Media expectations don’t really reflect that.
The observations I’ve made in ‘going private’ have been this:
more meaningful conversations or interactions with real people and friends
less spam, bots and targeted ads
seeing more things on my timeline that make me happy or feel engaged
That’s what I want at this time. Take control of your social media profiles and use it in a way that works for you.
My Evive Experience
Off the top these are simple, fast and delicious!
Let me start by saying I was given a free box in exchange for my opinion or review. I have not been paid by Evive or it’s promotional team. I think they offered me a code word to promote if anyone wanted to use it for a discount but I don’t go too hard with stuff like that because I don’t want to tell anyone what to do with their money.
Smoothies made easy.
Evive offers a variety of flavours, ingredients and ‘styles’ of pre-made, frozen goods. Spoiler alert: it’s not all smoothie-cubes. In my box I received some lunch options, too! I received the B12 Smoothies Kit and Bam Chili, Golden Curry, Mac Squash and Tom Thai lunch wheels plus one Evive Mason jar for mixing.
My thoughts.
A great idea! Every time I feel like having a smoothie (vegan) my kids, 4 and 6, want one, too (non-vegan). My ‘quick meal for me’ turns into a 10-15 minute process of making theirs, finding their respective cups (one has to be ‘baby’ kind the other ‘action figure’ style - it’s a whole thing), then I have to clean the blender fully before attempting to make mine. In the time that takes, usually one has spilled theirs and/or is asking for more. There are times when I don’t get to make the smoothie I started out wanting in the first place!
Evive smoothies come in pre-mixed, frozen cubes. The cubes are neatly separated in cube like ‘wheels’ which are recyclable. You want a smoothie? Pop them into a jar, add water, juice or whatever type of milk or other ingredients you want for mixing) allow time to melt a bit and then SHAKE. Because I have a blender handy and sometimes have difficulty using my hands (arthritis), I opt for the blender… then, pour! One smoothie wheel makes enough for both kids and then I get to keep another for myself. All products are vegan (correct me if I’m wrong) which makes quick smoothies or meals a very easy choice.
Have you tried Evive?
When I started posting about my Evive experience, I got some feedback from friends who had tried them and were just as happy as me and my family were. One friend specifically said,
“We’ve been doing this as breakfast for months. We order 60 at a time. I’m up at 4AM so I put it in my bag and drink it on my way to work. Super convenient and gives me enough to get through til lunch.”
If you’ve tried them, let me know what you think. The ads are all over my social media timelines but that’s probably because I’ve searched them/have been posting about them. I have spotted them in the wild at my local grocery store so it’s nice to know this Canadian made, Canadian based business appears to be doing well.
Now that I’ve formed my opinion, I would be interested in trying more of the flavours I enjoy for the stress-free smoothie experience alone.
Vaccine Links to Book Your Appointment
Eligibility is opening up with Phase 2 currently underway in the province. Here is a one stop shop for checking eligibility status, joining a waitlist and/or booking your COVID-19 vaccination appointment.
Week of April 26: All Ontario adults age 55 and up; those 45 years old and up in hot spot communities; and licensed childcare workers.
Week of May 3: Ontario adults over the age of 50; adults age 18 and up in hot spot communities' those with health conditions deemed "high risk"; and some people who cannot work from home.
Week of May 10: Ontario adults over the age of 40, those with health conditions deemed "at risk"; and more individuals who cannot work from home.
Week of May 17: Ontario adults over the age of 30.
Week of May 24: Ontario adults over the age of 18."
Two major pharmacies have set up ‘waitlist’ e-mail alerts:
From CityNews:
Ottawa Public Health officials believe the city is still on track to start Phase 3 of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout in July, as directed by the Ontario government.
Passing the Time.
Life in lockdown: part two? Three? It’s hard to keep track.
Lockdown is set to end May 20th and that’s what I’m hoping for. It’s tough working from home. A privilege, of course, but it’s very hard to focus on performing a quality radio show (which is more than talking here and there; it’s fielding, researching and logging requests, engaging with people on social media and text/no phones from home which means scheduled interviews for upcoming segments need to be done from studio, posting relevant content to social media and staying up on the times). So pull that off while tending to the needs of two children aged four and six.
Our six year old is supposed to be doing online learning but we are taking a hands-off approach to that for the most part. It didn’t work very well for us this time last year so we’re just letting Eve log in when he wants. We’re trying to get some activities done based on what was sent home in his work books but there’s no pressure. Things are stressed enough, schedule-wise (*everything wise).
No daycare. No family relief concerning child-care. No camps. No friend visits. No parks. While parks are allowed now, with the most strict of safety measures/rules in place, I’m a kid magnet. They flock to me and it’s too hard to keep our distance so we avoid it. Playing in the backyard is ok but the kids are mostly resorting to games on their tablets and a lot of Netflix (at least the shows are educational, right?)
We are all very lucky to have tablets and TVs and, above all, our health. The mental health thing needs constant monitoring because emotions can run hot. It’s hard to explain why life is like this right now. It’s hard to not let the kids be iPad zombies. It’s hard to work, be a mom, manage household chores, relationships, food/groceries, bills - monitor this that AND the other thing. Most days I am at my stress limit by lunchtime.
What’s gonna help? I don’t know.
Reading books? Riding bikes? When the warmer weather decides to stay? Healthier food choices? Medicine? Stay on top of your mental and physical health and just hang on as best you can.
