Imagine how hard it would be to suffer with daily pain that can effect your entire body, unrelenting fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, along with depression and anxiety? Now try to imagine feeling this bad only to have friends, family, and even doctors tell you, “You don’t look sick!” or “It’s probably all in your head”. Sadly, this is what it’s like to be a person who suffers with Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a misunderstood, complicated, painful, chronic medical condition that affects millions of Americans, and May is devoted to bringing more awareness to it. It’s not known why, but women are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia much more often than men. Many women are not only suffering and living with Fibromyalgia but they are also blogging about it. You can learn more about this disease by reading some of the funny, frustrated, and sometimes heartbreaking posts written by these incredibly strong women. I hope you’ll take some time to check them out and show them some love.
I’m honored to have been asked to be part of the “Choose You” Blog, and I’ll be posting there every Tuesday. My first “Choose You” commitment is to say “no” to sugar.
Find out what BlogHer was a guest on Oprah, who played cards with Brad Pitt, and who had their first kiss with Scott Baio. HINT: One of them was me.
In the spirit of their newly launched Fun and Games section, BlogHer has cooked up a Scavenger Hunt using some of your jaw-dropping profile facts. Playing is fun and easy, and we’re giving away cash prizes, natch.
Here’s how it works:
Read (and marvel!) at each fun fact about a BlogHer.
Tell us which amazing BlogHer the fact belongs to. We make it easy by giving you just two links to BlogHer profiles. Follow each link, read both surprising facts and then answer (links will open in a new window, so you won’t lose your place on the entry form).
If you score 100 percent correct answers, you’ll be entered in a random drawing to win one of ten $100 Visa gift cards. Late to the game? No worries, we’re leaving this open until Tuesday, April 20th, at 5 p.m. Pacific. Read the official rules here.
My New Year’s resolution is about doing everything I can do to have more birthdays. At the moment the one thing that could keep me from doing that, is my blood pressure. I’ve had blood pressure and heart rate problems since my twenties, but now in my forties, I know I’m at a much greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke. So this year I plan on taking specific steps to hopefully lower my blood pressure. Like Morra Arrons-Mele, I would like to make these changes holistically. I’m still planning to take my medications, but even on medication my blood pressure is still not controlled.
Here are the steps I plan to take in 2010…
1. Continue to eat healthy, but kick it up a notch.
2. Reduce stress by using meditation and Reiki on a regular basis.
3. Get the Wii Fit and begin doing light exercising and yoga.
I’ll keep track of my progress by documenting my blood pressure and the days I’ve used any of the above steps.
Well, that’s my “more birthdays list.” I hope you’ll join me at the American Cancer Society’s Official Birthday Blog, by sharing a list of your own.
Here are some tips for making and promoting your Bday List and supporting the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign…
1. Create a list of things (could be one thing or many) you plan to do to stay healthy in 2010 and/or to help create more birthdays. This is your “my more birthdays list.”
2. Share your list on Facebook and/or Twitter (using the #mybdaylist hashtag). These could be anything from losing 5 pounds or eating more vegetables to training for a 10K or half-marathon.
3. Tweet and/or post messages on Facebook about the progress you’re making on your more birthdays list throughout the year. This will help you get support, tips, and encouragement from others who are trying to accomplish their more birthdays lists.
My daughter Nicole, who is a big Miley Cyrus fan, heard about a project Miley was supporting called Get UR Good On. As soon as she heard about it, she wanted to get involved. The idea was to do something good in your community, video it, and then upload it onto the Get UR Good On website to encourage others to do the same.
Nicole loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner, so she decided she wanted to cook a holiday dinner for women and children in need, so that’s what we did.
We contacted the Daytona women’s shelter and they were very excited about Nicole’s idea for a holiday dinner and toy give-away for the children. Then the work began.
Publix donated $50.00 and helped us get good deals on the food. Even so, that didn’t nearly cover the cost of the food, but a few friends and family pitched in to help with the rest. Then Nicole decided to use her own money (that she received for getting straight A’s in school) to buy the children toys. She bought — dolls, puppets, stuffed bears, coloring books, crayons, toy trucks and cars, pom-poms, magic tricks, books, play-dough, and more.
Today the blogging community is praying for Anissa Mayhew, a loving mother of three, who blogs at Free Anissa and Hope 4 Peyton. Anissa suffered a stroke yesterday afternoon, and we are all hoping and praying that she will make a full recovery.
This is my response to seeing so many bloggers and commenters turning the “choice” to vaccinate for H1N1, into a free for all hate fest against moms who are “choosing” not to vaccinate.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question many moms are facing when it comes to Swine Flu and the H1N1 vaccine (including me). As far as I’m concerned, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the H1N1 vaccine. There is plenty of information available for parents to educate themselves on both the H1N1 virus as well as the vaccine, and I believe every mother has the right to make the decision she believes is best for her children. But not everyone thinks so, there are many moms on the internet freely venting their disdain for anyone who doesn’t vaccinate their child for H1N1.
Let’s talk about fear. Are You Afraid of Breast Cancer? If so, you’re not alone. Cancer is a scary thing…And all the pink in the world can’t change that. Sure, pink ribbons may be pretty, but breast cancer is ugly and scary. Here are some facts about breast cancer…
An estimated 182,800 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2000.
Approximately 42,200 deaths will occur in women from breast cancer in 2000.
One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.
Many women are blogging about their breast cancer fears. From little fears to big fears. They have fears of mammograms, fears of treatments, fears or recurrences, fears of dying…and on and on. What are your breast cancer fears?
I’m honored to be a member of the American Cancer Society’s Blogger Advisory Council, a small group of volunteers that advises the Society on its social media strategy. Part of our mission is to help spread the word that we have power in the fight against cancer. And our first step is to build awareness and encourage women to get involved. Because…Visibility equals power! So we have started a blog “chain” to spread the word among women bloggers. We call it Bloggers for More Birthdays.
You can help…Join Bloggers for More Birthdays by dedicating a blog post to someone you love who’s been affected by cancer. It’s a simple way to celebrate those you love. Just write a post (like I’ve done here), host our badge, and know that whatever you write, you are helping to raise awareness and inspiring others to join American Cancer Society in the fight against cancer.
My contribution to this effort is about an angel named Becky…
Becky was my best friend. A wonderful mother. And a great mom-mom. Even though she’s been gone for over seven years, a day rarely goes by that I don’t think of her and wish she were here. Time has helped to replace some of my grief with many lovely memories, but it hasn’t healed my anger towards the disease that took her from us. Cancer.
I hate cancer, and I hate that my friend didn’t get a chance to be a survivor. Why her? She deserved to be a survivor, she deserved to have more birthdays. She fought this disease with every ounce of strength she had, but in the end cancer took away every ounce of strength she had.
Although I’m angry, I’m also grateful for the time I did have Becky in my life. She was there for me during some very tough times. I know I’m who I am today, partly because of her influence in my life. I only wish I was able to thank her for that.
No matter how much time goes by, I will never forget the angel she was…and still is.
If you’ve posted, let The American Cancer Society know so they can feature it! Just put a link to your post in the comments section here, or email your post to bloggersubmit@officialbirthdayblog.com. You’ll be showing your support for More Birthdays and bring visibility to your blog.
It is Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. But why do we need to have more awareness of gynecologic cancers? Well, there are many reasons, here are three.
1. We need to be reminded of the early warning signs of these types of cancers. Not just for ourselves, but for all the women in our lives.
You could someday be the one who tells a friend she needs to see a doctor for a particular symptom she is having. You could be the one who contributes to saving her life because she caught her cancer early.
2. We need to understand that even as we go about our days untouched by cancer, there are many other women who are not as fortunate…And we need to have compassion and empathy for those women.
3. Knowledge is power…And we do not have to be powerless in the face of gynecologic cancers.
I hope that this post will address each of these aspects of awareness.
Joint pain in my hands and wrists has been making typing on this laptop (and a lot of other things) somewhat problematic over the last few weeks. Usually when this kind of thing happens to me it only lasts a couple of days, and I generally try to ignore it. I’m not at all excited about the prospect of having any additional medical problems.
Although my doctor believes I may have Rheumatoid Arthritis and would like me to get the blood-work to confirm it…I’m resisting. Instead, I’ve agreed to at least use Tylenol and take other (non-medical) measures to reduce the pain and swelling. Obviously, if things get worse, I will follow my doctors advice and see a Rheumatologist.
One of the best things about being a contributing editor for BlogHer, is being able to showcase other women bloggers. So today, I thought we could take a look at some blogs about nutrition, weight loss, and fitness.
In no particular order, here are eighteen health and fitness blogs that I think you might like. I hope you enjoy checking them out as much as I did.
As a BlogHer contributing editor, part of my job is to link to other women bloggers. So when I decide to write about a particular topic, I spend a great deal of time searching for other women who have also blogged about that topic. And that can be very time consuming.
Since beginning to blog in 2007, I have been told that using RSS feed readers is very helpful. But it mostly seemed overwhelming to me. How could I possibly keep up with all of the posts on the reader? But then a few weeks ago, another contributing editor mentioned that I could use the Google Reader to search topics (making it easier for me to find links for my posts). In other words, if I loaded up my Google Reader with Health & Wellness blogs by women, I could then search those blogs for topics as I need them for my posts.
To be honest…It really seemed too good to be true. But to my surprise and delight it was very true. And I started almost immediately to compile health & wellness blogs from the BlogHer Health & Wellness blogrolls. And so far I have about thirty-five Health & Wellness blogs written by women. And that’s where YOU come in.
Are you a health & wellness blogger? Are you a mommy blogger who also writes about health & wellness issues? Do you write about your personal experiences with chronic health problems? Dieting? Fitness? Nutrition? Women’s Health? Health News?
If so…I want to add YOU to my Google Reader, so I can link to your blog in future posts for BlogHer. Whether you’ve just started writing your blog last month or last year, I want to add you to my reader. Just check the list below, and if your blog isn’t already on that list – leave me your link in comments.
Should there be a ban on Vicodin and Percocet? Darvocet or other narcotics containing acetaminophen? What about over-the-counter medications with acetaminophen?
This is what I think…
We can’t just ban every medication that has serious problems associated with overuse. It seems to me that educating people who are taking these medications would be more helpful, than making them totally unavailable.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee met late last month to review the actions the agency could take to reduce accidental acetaminophen poisoning. The drug, also found in over-the-counter cold formulas and pain-relieving prescription favorites Vicodin and Percocet, is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the U.S.
In acute liver failure, the organ fails quickly, sometimes in 48 hours, as opposed to the more usual forms of liver failure, caused by disease or alcoholism, which can take years to develop.
I just don’t think banning medications with acetaminophen in them is the answer. And I think this whole controversy is just exacerbating the stigma associated with chronic pain and the use of therapeutic doses of narcotics.
It was just announced that BlogHer ‘10 will be in New York City next August. This will be the first time a BlogHer conference is on the east coast. I am SUPER excited!
If you’re interested in finding out more about the BlogHer conference, you can check it out here…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I wanted to do a little more than the average breast cancer awareness post. Here is my humble attempt. I’ve put this post together with; videos of survivors, an interview with Christina Applegate, early signs & symptoms, blogs of note, news, and links to informative support sites. If I’ve missed something (and I’m sure I have), please share the information with our readers in comments.
Can a good movie reduce stress? I’ve always believed that smiling and laughing is healing in some way. And, there is a lot of evidence that supports that theory. I also know that for me, music can deeply affect my mood. Some songs are sad reminders of the past, and others are happy reminders of experiences I never want to forget. Seeing the movie Mamma Mia with my daughter, and listening to all the music, is definitely going to be a lasting and happy memory for me.
I had a GREAT time at BlogHer ‘08 in San Fransisco. But, like all good things, it has come to an end. Now, not only do I have the Post BlogHer Blues, but I’m also feeling very sick. I’m totally exhausted, with a headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, and my ears feel like they are going to explode.
June Is Home Safety Month: How Safe is Your Home? — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)
June Is Home Safety Month, and a great opportunity to a take look at how safe our homes are. How safe is your home? The Home Safety Council has a very informative website, and you can use their Safety Guide to make sure you haven’t been overlooking an important safety issue in your home.
I had my first migraine when I was pregnant with my daughter, and since then I have had them off and on. I can go weeks (sometimes months) without having one, but when I do get a migraine, it feels like I will never get rid of it. When I take medicine for a migraine, it sometimes helps, but never gets rid of the migraine completely. And, it seems like once I get a migraine, I go through a period of time where I finally get rid of it, but a day or two later I get another. This cycle can go on for weeks, before finally stopping.
Are you having problems with Technorati? Just when I think something is fixed, something else is wrong. I have several blogs that are all experiencing some sort of trouble, and I have been unable to even claim my personal blog (catherine-morgan.com). The only explanation seems to be in a message that pops-up now and then and says this…
What Is Your Favorite Sunscreen? – by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)
It’s summer, and that means it’s time to stock up on sunscreen. What’s important to you when it comes to sunscreen? Is it the SPF? Natural ingredients? Smell? Price? Are you hoping to prevent skin cancer or premature aging? Are you worried the chemicals in sunscreen could be just as bad for you as the sun? What sunscreen is your favorite?I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.
In a much better interview than had been done by Kathie Lee on the Today Show last week, tonight’s Nightline interview with Dooce was witty, clever, and informative. Are you a woman blogging about politics? Join us at The Political Voices of Women.
Mother Knows Best – by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)
In honor of Mother’s Day, this is my contribution to BlogHer’s Mother Knows Best series.
It seems most of us start off our life blindly believing that our mothers know best. Then sometime during adolescence we are suddenly convinced that our mother knows nothing, and of course, we know it all. But, as we get older, we slowly come back to realizing that our mothers (in many cases) did know best. Why is that? Is it some kind of genetic programing? What ever the case, we almost all experience this phenomena in one way or another.
Mother’s Day is that one time of year we are inclined to take a closer look at how our mothers have influenced us for the better. Since I am a contributing editor for health and wellness, I’m taking a look at how my mother influenced my views on wellness.
I think one of the most important aspects of wellness, is knowing when we need to slow down, and treat ourselves with kindness. And I learned how to do that from my mother. From a very early age, my mother taught me that wellness was more than just a physical thing. She understood the importance of taking care of the mind and spirit, as well as the body. She taught these lessons more from example than anything else, and because of that, there was never any need to disagree. So what were some of these lessons? They were little things; like tea time, bubble bath time, reading time, sitting in the sun time. Basically, they were wellness rituals, for quieting the mind and body.
The older I get, the more valuable these lessons become. Often times we have little control over our physical conditions, so having the capacity to find peace within can be a lifesaver. And as a mother, I realize the importance of caring for myself, in order to best care for my children. I like to think that I am teaching these same lessons (by example) to my own children.
When it comes to issues of health…My mother told me to eat plenty of vegetables, drink plenty of water, and not to eat too much sugar because it would give me a headache (and it does). She also told me not to eat a lot of watermelon when pregnant, especially if you enjoy salt on it (I don’t). Her best sore throat treatment…two baby aspirin dissolved in a teaspoon of warm water. Best cold treatment…Vicks Vapor Rub, and chicken soup. Best sore neck treatment…BenGay and a towel wrapped around your neck. Best treatment for constipation…prunes (but I hate prunes).
My mother recently wrote on her blog (Frances Ellen Speaks) about how her mother often knew best…
I remember her facing off with our family doctor. Often, when I was sick with some childhood illness, the doctor would recommend a penicillin shot. At the time, penicillin was considered a miracle drug, but my mother insisted a person might build up an immunity to it. The doctor strongly disagreed, but grudgingly honored her wishes. One day, on the way home after one of these visits, she sympathized with me saying that she knew I felt very, very sick, but on the off chance I might need penicillin to save my life someday, she preferred to nurse me back to health without it. I was young, could hardly understand what she was telling me, but I felt her anxiety. Now I realize how hard it must have been to stick to her guns when all she had in her arsenal to defend herself was sheer conjecture. All I know is, while my friends almost always got a needle at the doctor’s office, I received very few. My mother took a stand at a time when doctors and scientists denied the possibility of resistance. Now we know that–
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in some way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents designed to cure or prevent infections. The bacteria survive and continue to multiply causing more harm.
What advice did you get from your mother on health and wellness issues? Did she know best? Do prunes taste better if you hold your nose?
Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and I was honored to be asked to participate in an ACORNMother’s Day Special. I was asked to write a post on how my mother has influenced me politically. In my family, my daughter has become the fourth generation of strong, politically savvy women…that began with my grandmother.
Because I blog about politics every single day, my 14 year-old daughter is exposed to every aspect of politics, and could probably hold her own debating the issues with someone twice her age. When her grandfather (half) jokingly told her that Hillary could never be president because she is a woman, my daughter snapped back at him, “Are you kidding me?” Then she wanted to know if he thought she could never be president, because after all, she’s a woman too? Showing his true chauvinistic side, he responded to her by saying that she could maybe be president someday, but she would have to live in a little pink house next to the While House. Needless to say, my daughter was unamused.
Since I grew-up before the onset of 24 hour cable news, my mother’s political influence on me was a bit more subtle. I remember the first political discussion I ever had with my mother. We had been in a waiting room with many magazines, and I was too young to read any of them, but I did notice covers with horribly graphic photos of men at war. It happened to be towards the end of the Vietnam War, and I asked my mother, “Why is there war?” She told me that people don’t want to be at war, the leaders of the countries make the wars. That was when I realized women were not in positions of political power. Then I said, “We should make women the leaders of all the countries in the world, and then there would never be any wars.” My mother told me that sounded like a good idea, but it probably would never happen. My response was, “Then those men leaders who want a war, should fight it themselves.” I didn’t understand then, and I still don’t understand today, how war solves any problems, neither does my mother.
Anyway, my mother always had an interest in politics, and she voted regularly. Women’s issues were always very important to her, and they still are. She also never voted with a specific party; she always voted for the person she believed was best for the job. So, the way my mother most influenced my views on politics, was by raising me to be an independent thinker, and to believe that any one of us could affect change. I’d like to think that is the way I’m raising my daughter also.
And, my mother was influenced by her mother, who was also a strong, independent woman. I came across a post that my mother recently wrote about her relationship with my grandmother. Here is an excerpt…
I didn’t know it then, but I see it clearly now in retrospect, she was a feminist before that word even existed. Back in the early 50s, she decided she wanted to learn how to drive a car. There weren’t many women drivers on the road back then. Husbands usually did all the driving, or there was public transportation. That wasn’t good enough for my mother. She hired a driving instructor, passed her driver’s test and acquired a license long before her four sisters. As a matter of fact, she became their main mode of transportation, and even though she urged them to get their own licenses, it was several years before the first one found the courage to do it. — read her full post at Frances Ellen Speaks
So, that’s my special Mother’s Day post. How did your mother influence your political views? How do you think you have influenced your daughter?
How many women’s lives can we save with donations from the BlogHer community, between now and Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008? — CLICK HERE TO DONATE
If you will download this widget today and encourage your readers to donate, we can find out. Won’t you join us?
Here’s what we’re up to: As part of our BlogHers Act commitment to make a difference on the issue of maternal health, BlogHer has joined forces with Global Giving to help save women’s lives and we need your help.
* Every year, 529,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes.
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* More than 80 per cent of maternal deaths worldwide are due to five direct causes: haemorrhage, sepsis, unsafe abortion, obstructed labour and hypertensive disease of pregnancy.
* Most maternal deaths (61 per cent) take place during labour, delivery or in the immediate post-partum period. Some 3.4 million newborns die within the first week of life. UNFPA
By harnessing the power of women online, our contributions will improve maternal health and save women’s lives. Your donation to one or more of these projects can save women’s lives by supplying health care, birthing kits, education, trained birthing attendants, meals, and much, much more.
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BlogHer Health & Wellness Blog Roundup — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)
Tonight I am surfing the BlogHerHealth and WellnessBlogroll. So many great blogs, I wish I could tell you about every one…But you could always do a little surfing yourself.
So, in no particular order, here are eleven blogs that are new to me.
My name is Catherine Morgan...I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. I'm also a contributing editor for BlogHer Health & Wellness.
Welcome to my blog...I write a little bit of everything with an emphasis on healthy living, inspiration, nutrition, and health news. I hope you'll find topics that interest you here, and I would love to know what you think in comments. Thanks for stopping by.
