A Very Lucky Girl

I have done one of these blogging interaction awards before , but when my friend Amber, of Clearly Alive , nominated me last week I couldn't say no to a fellow Addison's fighter. And since today, July 1, is my day of birth it is socially acceptable to make it all about me for 24 hours.  Amber is a pretty cool person from what I've garnered from our conversations on social media. I first "met" her in an Addison's Disease Support Group on Facebook. She is currently working in Malaysia and her lifestyle there is encouraging when it comes to me wanting to pursue my own career abroad.  Her 11 questions for me: 1. How did you decide on the name for your blog? This one is easy. I explained it in my inaugural post more than two years ago #timeflieswhenyourblogisfun 2. What is your funniest "brain fog" story?  That time I couldn't even remember a "brain fog" story. AKA now.  3. Cats or Dogs?   DOGS. One in particular, my sister, my boo-...

I encountered at least two angels during my trip to Los Angeles over the weekend. I was so excited to embark on this adventure as I had never been further west in America than Las Vegas. Before Saturday night, I had never dipped a toe in the Pacific Ocean. I made so many mental plans for this getaway. My friend (and first angel), Olivia, attends the University of Southern California and we talked of hiking to the Hollywood sign, going to Venice Beach, and venturing to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among other touristy activities. Unfortunately, Addison's Disease had other, less fun plans, for my first 24 hours in Los Angeles.  I started feeling uncomfortable during my original flight to Phoenix on Friday morning. I typically do not have any sort of motion sickness on airplanes so I was surprised when a few waves of nausea overcame me on the plane ride. I attributed them to an inadequate breakfast and fueled up on my layover with a chicken Caesar salad, hoping to combat my ill fee...

I saw one of the most uninformed and ignorant tweets on my feed last Monday afternoon. It honestly made my blood boil and I had to refrain from going off on the boy's literal DUMB ass. The gist of the tweet was: America should just do away with all pills in general and rely solely on the use of medical marijuana and natural remedies because it's much safer.  Excuse me?  For me, personally, the idea is ludicrous. The manufactured drugs I take multiple times daily honestly keep. me. alive. Unfortunately, getting high isn't going to prolong anyone's life span when they are seriously ill. While medical marijuana may have pain killing benefits for those suffering from diseases like cancer, I'm no medical expert, but I think chemotherapy and radiation are far more adept at combatting the root of such illness.  I'm not sure where his thoughtless tweet stems from, but it's certainly not from a place of knowledge or experience. A Very Lucky Girl will continue to t...

OU Medical Center OKC, OU Medical Center Edmond, Mercy Hospital, Norman Regional.... I have to say...ER visits just get better and better. No, really. We're in and out faster each time, with less hassle and worries. Knowing exactly what I need to feel better is key.  "Here's the deal. She has Addison's disease and is having minor crisis like symptoms. She needs fluids and IV cortisol." Doctors rarely argue, they don't know enough to refute that. An Addison's patient knows their body better than anyone; it truly is a self-regulated disease. Unfortunately, I clearly need to learn to better read the signs that I'm struggling in order to increase my dose of oral cortisol before landing myself in the ER.  Turns out, emotional stress isn't healthier than physical stress for someone that has lost the capability to respond appropriately to stress hormones.  But somehow A Very Lucky Girl can still break out in zits....Where's the justice in that!...

then then Two years down fighting Addison's Disease , hopefully plenty to go! Annual shout out to Sharbear, OU medical center Edmond, and cortisol for saving my life.  then then Addisonial crisis On January 17th, 2011 I was flopped in an ICU hospital bed in an Addison's-induced and morphine-enhanced state of delirium. I had nightmares about sleeping among giant vegetables (as if I loved squash before...), being the victim in high-speed police car chase (the brakes wouldn't work! Not my fault!), and mistakenly thought I had been moved to 3 different rooms during my stay at the hospital. The first room my mind invented was a luxurious, hotel style bedroom with spacious double beds and a chaise lounge. The second was a freezing cold residence on a ranch where I slept on an incline with the aforementioned vegetables and there was no water to be found anywhere. The third room (in fact, the ONLY room that I was in for the duration of my hospital visit) wa...