Health: The Scenic Route

However much I may focus on the other aspects of my life, health issues are still a big part of who I am. I don't let my weaknesses define me, and as a result I tend not to think about them much.... until something or someone comes along and makes me realize how much my life has changed since I got sick.

For the most part, I'm happy with my day-to-day. The various obstacles I've had to mount don't merit pity, in my opinion, neither from me nor from others. It's life, and you cope, just as millions of people cope with their physical differences every day. Just because I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chemical injury, invisible illnesses, doesn't make my life more or less pitiable than anyone elses.... it just is.

That doesn't mean I'm happy that my systems are broken, and always will be. If there's a way I can help someone else prevent this, or help them pull out of the spiral and climb up to an almost normal life just as I have, it would make my day. Once your body breaks, it will never get back to normal; you can compensate, but it will never function as it did when it was new. This is why prevention and early recognition are so incredibly important, and education is a major part of this. The health-care world at large is still mostly ignorant about the "invisible illnesses", so we have to educate ourselves and those close to us.

Immune disorders. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or chemical injury, Fibromyalgia, and a little on similar conditions. Definitions of what they are, and where to go to find out more.

My own history. What's happened to me in particular, and some of the revelations and setbacks I've come across.

My world. Everyone's body is different, even with healthy people... but there's got to be someone out there with oddities like mine, and a list of what I expect from my system may help solve a few mysteries for somebody else.

I've got several allergy-friendly recipes posted: mostly wheat-free baking, but a few gluten-free or otherwise adapted recipes.

Take care of your body. Believe me, it may seem resilient, and especially younger people take advantage of that. But as I found at 18, things are not always as sturdy as they seem, and it's when those systems start to drop out that you realize how important health is. So at least listen to what it has to say, even if you still run it hard.