health
Keeping your mind and body in check - popular topics in health and medicine to maintain a long and healthy life.
Self-Mutilation
This entry is going to stray into some very personal and fairly painful material for me. I am going to come out publicly as a self-mutilator in an attempt to make other people understand what it means. Self-mutilators are pretty darn misunderstood.
By Sarah Sparks9 years ago in Longevity
The Silent Killer: Quiet BPD
From a young age I knew something was odd about me. I could never quite deal with emotions or distinguish one from another. They all always felt like too much for me to handle. I never expressed this issue and as I got older, I started to notice that I would take everything out on myself. Whenever things go wrong or become too much I slip away in my mind. To an outsider, I'm zoning out but on the inside, I'm picking on every little aspect of myself and cutting myself down more and more. A few years ago I finally spoke up, however that just resulted in tests and misdiagnoses over and over until finally it was figured out. I am living life with borderline personality disorder but mine is just quiet. As opposed to the way BPD typically presents itself, I lash in and not out, making my symptoms harder to detect and treat.
By Katlynn landry9 years ago in Longevity
Nine Years
When I was around 12 years old, I began experiencing some back pain. Nothing serious, but deep aches and soreness that would hang around for a few hours before disappearing. Always in my lower back, but never on the same side. I told my mom about this, and she told me it was probably nothing and to just deal with it.
By J.C. Marie9 years ago in Longevity
Just Keep Swimming
For years I have struggled with an unnamed illness that just didn't seem to have a cause. My test results would come back clear. There was no diabetes, Lupus, STDs or arthritis. I'd been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, IBS, gastro-reflux, severe sleep apnea, depression, and anxiety. Even with treatment for all these other conditions, I still felt constantly sick, achy and fatigued to the extreme. Finally, after a barrage of not so great doctors (who treated me like I was stupid, lying or didn't know my own body), I found an amazing clinic with doctor's who would actually listen to me. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
By Sarah Sparks9 years ago in Longevity
My Story: Diagnosis and Battle
It was by pure chance that I went to the emergency room one day in May. I had packed my work bag thinking I would be in and out within two hours, but that wasn’t the case. Who knew what I thought was “gas pain” would change my life forever.
By Khushbu Kheti9 years ago in Longevity
Shifting Perspectives
In analyzing situations, regrettably, by the process of deduction, I concluded that it all looked unfavorable. Thoughts of regular bills mounting, new bills surfacing weekly, questionable developments in health, lacking the wherewithal to provide assistance to loved ones who were in need and, the list goes on.
By Nikao Faith9 years ago in Longevity
Acid Reflux Disease Can Be A Killer!
The American College of Gastroenterology reports that more than 15 million Americans experience heartburn symptoms every single day. In the United States alone, pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications, promising to relieve symptoms of digestive disorders, generate over $53 million dollars in annual sales. You can’t pick up a magazine, watch television, or surf the Internet without being bombard by a slick and colorful media blitz of advertisements promoting a celebrity country comedian, sports hero, or “friendly fireman’s” preferred brand of acid reflux relief.
By Marlene Affeld9 years ago in Longevity
Living with an Eating Disorder
I'm 38 years old and live with an eating disorder. I weigh 105 at 5"6 and wear a size 1 in pants that, even after wearing them all day, they will sag. I can goes days without eating and not think twice about it. I start noticing the effects only by the fatigue and body cramps. My heart races at times for no reason. When I feel those symptoms I binge eat for a couple of weeks, maybe even a month and a half. It's like my brain rewired itself systematically. I know it's all part of the disorder. I have never weighed more than 115 and I don't even know when I have fallen off track until I start feeling the symptoms. How long will I keep going like this? Will it last forever? I read about cases all the time where they won the battle and became healthy.
By Travis sandifer9 years ago in Longevity
Better Dead Than Fat
As I was growing up, a fat little girl in a family of fat, short women, I always had the feeling that someone was missing. Someone who was supposed to be there and wasn't. I was surrounded by uncles, great uncles, cousins, my brothers, my parents, great aunts, several grandparents and even my great-grandparents. There was an abundance of extended family, but still, somebody was missing.
By Sarah Sparks9 years ago in Longevity
