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Welcome to the 17th Post for the annual ‘National Health Blog Post Month’ – and the prompt I have chosen for today is a really fun post!  We have been asked to make a playlist for our health community!  I thought I would include some songs which tie in with the symptoms I experience (as I will find none relating to the condition itself!), or lyrics that I am able to relate to.

1. Tommy Roe – ‘Dizzy’

This is quite obvious why I chose thing song, as it’s plainly obvious by the blog and previous posts, that dizziness is the main symptom that I experience on a daily basis, and can really relate to the lyrics “I am so dizzy, my head is spinning, like a whirlpool it never ends…”  None of the other lyrics really apply to my life, but those lyrics really describes my daily life!!

2. Tenth Avenue North – ‘Worn’

I found this on another fantastic blog, I read, and when I listened to the song, I immediately fell in love with song and its beautiful lyrics and downloaded it straight away!  It can really apply to any illness or condition, and can really relate to the lyrics, which include “I know I need, to lift my eyes up, but I’m just too weak…”.  Great song!

3. Katy Perry – ‘Part of Me’

Although, many pop lyrics pertain to relationships and love, if you look beneath the lyrics, they can really be applied to any situation.  In the song, Katy sings “This is the part of me that you’re never going to take away from me”, and this really applies to all of us battling chronic illness, no matter what form that takes.  We may wish that it could be taken away, but with a condition, like me, it is a part of me, something that cannot be removed…

3.  Les Miserables – ‘I Dreamed a Dream’

I watched the musical from its 25th year Anniversary at the O2 Arena in London about a week ago, and found it to be the most beautiful and breath-taking musical, most of us are familiar with the song ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ thanks to Susan Boyle after she famously sang it at her audition on Britain’s Got Talent.  I instantly fell in love with the musical and its songs, and ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ can be one in which chronic illness sufferers can relate – well kind of!  All of us battling illness everyday, am sure is a million miles away from the ambitions and life they had imagined; dreams which because of illness hasn’t been able to come to any fruition.

4. Kelly Clarkson – ‘Because of You’

I mentioned this song in a previous post about the song; how I related the lyrics to the dizziness and how it males me feel.  You can read that particular post here.

A Little Playlist to remind all chronic illness sufferers how special they are and to encourage them to keep strong!

1. Bruno Mars – ‘Just the Way You Are’

2. Kelly Clarkson – ‘Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)’

3. Avril Lavigne – ‘Keep Holding On’

4. Christina Aguilera – ‘Beautiful’

5. Gavin DeGraw – ‘I Don’t Want To Be’

6. Lady Gaga – ‘Born This Way’

A brand new day, and a brand new post for the WEGO Health ‘National Health Blog Post Month’.  Today is the 16th day of this month-long writing challenge; and once again I have chosen to write a post based upon one of the bonus prompts provided.

The topic I  have chosen as you may have guessed by the title is travel.  The prompt asks to write about what it is like to travel with your condition.

Admittedly, I haven’t actually been on holiday for around six or seven years (it’s actually been so long since I have been on holiday I cannot actually remember the year I last went on holiday!).  Instead, I have decided to write a post on some of the challenges, I would face if I were to go on holiday – and if anyone has any ideas on how to overcome these challenges, I would love to hear them, so get in touch via Twitter, Facebook or email, or add a comment to this post!

If I were to go on holiday, my dream holiday would definitely be Italy – I love the food, and it just looks like such beautiful scenery.  I have especially wanted to go and visit the country after watching the film ‘Letters to Juliet’ – especially, as the beginning of the film is set in Verona, which is the place within Italy I would most like to visit, as Romeo and Juliet happens to be my all-time favourite play, and so would love to visit the balcony etc!

Some of the scenery in Verona

So, what about some of the challenges I feel, I would face whilst travelling.  For starters, if I had to fly to go overseas somewhere, it would not in fact flying that would prevent me from doing so, but instead the airports themselves!  If you have been reading my posts, you would know, that I have problems with high ceilings, as they increase the severity of the dizziness, and also increase the incidence of the episodes of vertigo.  Obviously, most airports have high ceilings, so spending time in such a place for approximately 3 hours (not including delays!) would be incredibly difficult for me, and would certainly make me feel incredibly unwell – all before even leaving the UK!!

So, what are the other options – I know that local bus companies offer a holiday to Lake Garda, including a trip to Verona; or perhaps an option would be a cruise?  However, my fear there would be all the motion from the bus or cruise ship would also make me feel very unwell, and could potentially make the dizziness or vertigo even worse.  My balance is incredibly poor on dry land, so i can only imagine what it would be like on a ship!!  Then there’s the weakness in the legs, recently, I was invited to a meeting regarding the introduction of a Life 4 Living group elsewhere in the South Wales area, and was collected by a Social Worker who runs the group in Pontypridd.  I cannot remember how long we travelled for, but it must have been over an hour – and by the time we arrived at the venue, my legs were so weak, and incredibly stiff, and was in a lot of discomfort afterwards.  And this was only after an hour, goodness what I would experience after several hours travelling on a bus.

Another potential problem is the unpredictability of the condition; never knowing which days I am going to be well, or even how I will feel an hour from now.  It would be a shame to spend a lot on a holiday only for me to be laid up in bed for a day or two; it would feel like a wasted trip especially considering the costs involved with holidays.  Often, the symptoms are often exacerbated by fatigue and overexertion (too much walking for example), and very often on holidays, there is a lot of walking involved, whilst sightseeing and many people report feeling fatigued whilst on holiday or immediately after – so what would a holiday do to someone like myself living with a chronic illness.  I would certainly have to use a wheelchair that has been recently been given to me, although before I even think about going on holiday with it, I will really have to learn to be able to get used with using the wheelchair (at the moment I am having trouble adjusting to it – but will save that for another post!) in places that I am familiar to, before going somewhere unfamiliar.

I know a lot of people, often spend holidays lying on the beach or around the pool at the hotel they are staying in, but that has never really been me – I have always preferred to go out and soak up the atmosphere and culture of the place where I am staying.  I love to go and experience local museums, art galleries, or other tourist attractions – I would much prefer to be doing something rather than just lying around somewhere – even though it has become more increasingly difficult as the illness has progressed, becoming worse and its symptoms becoming more evident.

What are your experiences of travelling with a chronic illness?  Are there any tips that you could share that would make it easier for someone living with a chronic illness to travel and go on holiday?  Share your thoughts!

Welcome to another post for the ‘National Health Blog Post Month’…. and today’s topic is whether healthcare professionals, such as Doctors should embrace social media.

As most of you are aware, I live in the United Kingdom and social media is not really used by healthcare professionals as of yet.  I believe they should – many brands and companies have already embraced the role of social media to engage consumers and to make them aware of products and special offers.  So why not healthcare professionals?

Many healthcare companies and charities associated with various conditions and disabilities have already started using social media to get the word out – to educate and inform existing followers whilst also attracting new followers/patients.  Social media can allow these healthcare companies and non-profits to connect and collaborate more effectively with each other and their communities.  It is a tool for change and awareness.

Already, some healthcare companies have started using technology – for example, certain pharmacies in the UK have started using text messaging services to let their patients know when their prescriptions are ready for collection – very useful for patients who may due to their condition, or side effects from medications may forget necessary details such as this.

I am aware, that a small number of healthcare professionals in the USA and other parts of the world have started using technology and social media to communicate with their patients, such as using email to converse with patients regarding health matters, using social networks such as Twitter to track disease trends.  However, these instances are not common amongst most doctors – many still prefer the old pen and paper approach to keep track of patients medical records, and when technology are used it is only to communicate with other doctors, or to update medical records, and not used to communicate with their patients.

However, I believe that social media will be an effective tool for doctors and other healthcare professionals as well as their patients.  Most appointments, whether it be at the local G.P’s office or at hospital appointments, are approximately 15 minutes long (some appointments can be even shorter than this!).  For most patients, this is not enough time to effectively discuss issues and problems associated with their particular health concern, particularly with the more unusual and complicated conditions.  In these circumstances, patients are often too aware of these short appointments, pressurised to be as quick as possible, that important details and questions may be forgotten about.  Be honest, how many times have you gone home from appointments only to remember and wished that you asked that certain question or thought “I really should have mentioned about that…”  And added to this, the long-waiting times to be able to get another appointment with the doctor – therefore, social media would be a great tool for both healthcare and professionals and their patients to converse between appointments and to get more immediate feedback when problems do arise, and before they become a real problem for the patient.

And what about those patients who may need to speak to a doctor but who may not have the ability to physically access their local doctor’s office?  Skype, could be the answer to the problem.  Recently, I read an article about this very issue – utilising Skype as a means to cut the large cost that missed appointments cost the NHS every year – you can read this article here.  As the article suggests, Skype may be a great tool when there is no reason that the patient will need a physical assessment; to be used when information and advice need to be given.

I know for me, there are often instances where I am confused or bewildered by medical stories entering the mainstream news – often stories may contradict earlier advice that has been given.  This is where Twitter can be useful – doctors will be able to tweet those articles and news stories which have more scientific merit than others, as well as providing useful context and meaning to these items.  Furthermore, the internet, although can be incredibly useful for finding information and support, the information however is not always inaccurate, so for doctors and leading healthcare professionals to remain the leading authority on medical matters, it would be useful if doctors used social media as a means to dispel myths and provide accurate health information to those who may use search engines to research reasons behind symptoms or looking for more information on health conditions.

And perhaps most importantly, social media can also provide the opportunity for doctors to listen to patients concerns and frustrations regarding healthcare and policies surrounding healthcare.  By listening to patient feedback, doctors can adequately adjust the way in which they practice medicine.

However, although social media would certainly improve the quality of our proceedings with healthcare professionals, it should also be wise to mention the disadvantages and pitfalls for using such technology.  The problems include:

  • Issues surrounding patient confidentiality – nothing is forgotten on the web, meaning that medical information on patients’ could be found with a few clicks on a search engine
  • If technology such as email or social media sites are used to converse between doctor and patient; then important medical information may be forgotten to be documented in the patients’ medical notes
  • Worries about potential legal lawsuits being pursued if wrong information is provided, etc
  • The possible blurring of boundaries between patients and doctors when using social media; would you want to ‘befriend’ you doctor on social media – them knowing what you get up to as well as embarrassing stories, etc?

These problems are certainly well-founded and may harm the doctor’s professional reputation as well as having the potential to harm patients.  I suppose we will have to weigh up the pros and cons of using such technology and any solutions that can be utilised to minimise these risks….

 

 

So, what are your thoughts on healthcare professionals using social media as a way of communicating with patients?  Are you for or against?  And why or why not?  As always would love to hear your views on the topic.

Welcome everybody; am writing this post on a quiet Sunday afternoon.  For today I have chosen a short prompt as this particular day I really am not feeling well.  I have chosen a prompt from an earlier date.  In the prompt entitled ‘Anatomy Post’ it was asked that we re-labelled an anatomy picture with new names or descriptions the body parts.  I have chosen to label the different parts of the body which are affected by the differing symptoms that are caused by my condition; some of them are invisible such as the dizziness and vertigo so I have used the body part in which these symptoms originate (i.e. the brain).

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the 19th Day of WEGO Health’s ‘National Health Blog Post Month.’ Today I am going to keep things really short as for the past couple of days I have been suffering from constant, and quite bad double vision. As a result it makes it hard to do much at all, let alone to write a long blog post. So, I have chosen one of the bonus prompts; it asks to create a flag for our health community!

On my flag I have chosen a snowflake; the reason for this is that individuals with any kind of neurological condition are just like snowflakes, unique. Not two patients are the same – each exhibiting different symptoms, and are affected in different ways. Also, representing the fact that I am writing about a neurological condition, I have chosen an image of the brain!! And lastly, I have included a couple of butterflies – just because I love them, and I think they represent something positive – change, a beautiful thing evolving from something ugly and unsightly!!

What do you guys think??

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