Spoonie Writing – Page 2

Tiny Little Things

The pollen count today is 8.1 and I am miserable. We are about a week or so into the Fall 2018 pollen season now. It has a cumulative effect, and there is absolutely no way to know how long this pollen season will last.

There are times when I think that maybe I’ll be able to work and make enough money to not need to try and get on Social Security Disability. And then, nature tries to kill me, and makes the rest of my chronic illnesses worse. I am struggling.

The problem is… my freelance writing work might actually make it even more difficult for me to get approved for Disability. Again.

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Like a Bad Penny

In February of 2017, after finally making it through the long, exhausting, process of attempting to get Social Security Disability, I was denied. Obviously, this was incredibly frustrating. I started the process in 2014, and spent a big part of the next three years waiting around to see whether or not a Disability Judge would do the right thing.

Long story short, the judge found the flimsiest of excuses to deny me the help that I am entitled to. Last week, I began “Round Two” of my battle to get the Social Security Disability assistance that I need. If I keep turning up like a bad penny, maybe those who make decisions will do the right thing – so I will go away.

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My Allergies Require Too Much Research

I have a multitude of food allergies. This requires me to spend time doing research before consuming anything. Things get more complicated when something that used to be safe changes some ingredients, or I randomly start having an allergic reaction to things that didn’t cause me problems before.

This leads to unwanted research adventures as I try to figure out what went wrong. I posted my most recent experience with this problem on social media and added in some more details here.

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Water Shut Off During Flu Season

On February 1, 2018, I discovered that our water had been shut off. It happened in the wee hours of the morning, when most people were sleeping. This made me very anxious, in part because we were in the midst of a horrible flu season.

I posted a series of tweets about this annoying experience on Twitter, and later decided to post it here (with additional information added.)

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Walked to the Grocery Store

My husband and I are going to become car-less in a few months. My car barely passed the smog test last time around (and basically needed intensive care to get it through). There’s no chance it will pass this year, and it needs a ton of stuff fixed.

The car isn’t unsafe, exactly. But, the car was made in 1994, and although we’ve had plenty of repair work done over the years, it’s pretty much ready to give up the ghost. It’s been on a salvage title for years, ever since some idiot backed into my car at a gas station. But, that’s a story for another time.

What about my husband’s car? He doesn’t have one. He’s legally blind.

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The Moment I Knew Something Was Wrong

I’ve never really been “healthy”, so maybe I didn’t have as big a change to deal with as those who have several years of wonderful health before something bad happens.

But, I remember the exact moment I knew that something was severely wrong with me (beyond my allergies and borderline anemia). My husband and I were walking from the train station to the hotel we would be staying at while attending a video game conference.

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Recovery Day(s)

My husband and I went to an 80s themed party that was for a relative’s 50th birthday. Fifty is a milestone birthday, and milestone birthdays often are celebrated with a much-bigger-than-usual party.

When a healthy person goes to a party, it kind of goes like this: Get ready. Go to party. Eat/drink whatever is there that looks good, have fun hanging out in a crowd of people, go home. If the person doesn’t drink too much alcohol, then the healthy person is probably just fine the day after the party.

This isn’t how things work for me, a person with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and severe allergies. Going to a party takes a ton of planning ahead of time, extra-careful management of my health, and at least one or two days of recovery afterwards.

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Dining Out Requires Research

For my birthday, I wanted to go to a fancy place downtown that my husband and I have never been to. They have an outdoor balcony, and I thought it would be nice to sit there, drink wine, and have a nice dinner.

But, because I have a ton of food allergies, I cannot simply go out to dinner, especially at a place I’ve never been to before. If I want to live through the experience, I have to do a ton of research first.

This particular restaurant seems to be one of those places that likes to change up its menu, maybe seasonally, maybe whenever the spirit moves them, I don’t know.

Out of Spoons, Spoonie Writing 0

Rheumatoid Arthritis Ruined My Day

Today, my husband and I went to Target. Technically, it’s one of those Target “superstores” that have all the usual Target stuff and a grocery section. I got a gift card as an early birthday gift from a relative – and we needed some stuff.

The plan was to buy a rug to put underneath the kitchen trash can and recycle bin, some socks to replace the ones I have worn out, and an 80′s looking headband (which I will wear at an 80s themed birthday party for a relative that is coming up soon).

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Jason Chaffetz Thinks Poor People Shouldn’t Have iPhones

Representative Jason Chaffetz (Republican – Utah) made the following comment when he was trying to defend the horrible health care plan that the GOP released. They want to replace “Obamacare” with their plan, which will, in short, cause a whole lot of harm to poor people – especially poor people who have chronic or serious illnesses.

Here is what Representative Jason Chaffetz said:

“Well, we’re getting rid of the individual mandate. We’re getting rid of those things that people said they don’t want. Americans have choices, and they’ve got to make a choice. So rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care.”

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