Tag: allergies

Out of Spoons, Spoonie Writing 0 comments on An Open Letter to My Online Followers

An Open Letter to My Online Followers

Dear online followers,

I’m not in a good place right now.

I got sick on Christmas due to overload of allergens, and haven’t managed to recover from that yet.  The upcoming spring pollen season is probably going to start in the next couple of weeks, and it will affect me very negatively.  (It has for the past two years.)

Right now, the news is all about Congress voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  The way I’m able to afford health insurance right now is because I get a subsidy from the Affordable Care Act to help pay for my monthly health insurance premiums.  This allows me to afford to see my rheumatologist (about every three months or so).

Continue Reading “An Open Letter to My Online Followers”

by Jen
Out of Spoons, Spoonie Poetry and Prose 0 comments on Thanksgiving Week Disability Hearing

Thanksgiving Week Disability Hearing

My first attempt at getting Disability benefits was denied.  I appealed that decision – and got denied again.  The last part of the process involves seeing a Disability Judge (who hopefully is in a good mood that day.).

My Disability hearing was scheduled a few days before Thanksgiving.  I was very anxious that the judge would deny my claim simply because she had to work during Thanksgiving week.  Writing haiku helps me cope with stress.

Continue Reading “Thanksgiving Week Disability Hearing”

by Jen
Out of Spoons, Spoonie Writing 0 comments on The PSL Contains Gluten

The PSL Contains Gluten

So, today, the pollen count finally calmed down and my allergies were not as horrifically bad as they have been for weeks.  So, I had a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.  I had one during the weeks I was sick, but too sick to realize that the PSL was actually making me sicker.

Barely drank half the PSL and got all the symptoms I get that indicate that I’ve been glutened.  After doing a bunch of research online – it turns out that the sauce in the PSL from Starbucks contains gluten.

Continue Reading “The PSL Contains Gluten”

by Jen
Out of Spoons, Spoonie Poetry and Prose 0 comments on Still Counting the Pollen

Still Counting the Pollen

This year, I decided to document my struggle through the fall pollen season in the form of haiku. If you’re going to complain about your health – you might as well do it in a creative way.

I also wanted to share how bad my allergies were due to the fall pollen season and give people a glimpse into what it is like to be me. This year’s fall pollen season started August 9, 2016, and it continued through September 30, 2016. That’s a total of 53 days of being sick, in a row, with no end in sight.

Continue Reading “Still Counting the Pollen”

by Jen
Out of Spoons, Spoonie Writing 0 comments on When Optimality Isn’t Optimal and Gluten-Free is Optional

When Optimality Isn’t Optimal and Gluten-Free is Optional

It all started with a news article that was retweeted into my  Twitter feed.  The article was very short, and reported that many people were going gluten-free even though they had absolutely no medical reason to do so.

The person who was retweeted into my Twitter feed is someone I do not know. She commented: “I’ll say it again, Unless you have a diagnosed condition, gluten free is not a “healthier” option”. According to the person’s Twitter bio, she is a PhD Researcher (Molecular Nutrition). I’m inclined to believe that she knows what she’s tweeting about.

This got me to wondering about something. Why would a healthy person willingly choose to restrict their diet unnecessarily?

Continue Reading “When Optimality Isn’t Optimal and Gluten-Free is Optional”

by Jen
Out of Spoons, Spoonie Poetry and Prose 1 comment on Saga of the Rising Pollen Count

Saga of the Rising Pollen Count

In 2015, I suffered through the worst pollen seasons I’ve ever experienced.  The spring pollen season went away – and the fall pollen season started not long after that.

I knew I would be going through the same allergen induced agony again this year.  I believed it would be easier since I had lived through it before and kind of knew what to do to alleviate the worst symptoms.  You can probably tell from the “selfie” at the end of this blog that I was in a ton of pain by the end of August.

Continue Reading “Saga of the Rising Pollen Count”

by Jen
Out of Spoons, Spoonie Poetry and Prose 0 comments on Working On It

Working On It

This month involved working on things that could potentially improve my health.  Things are moving slowly, but hopefully headed in the right direction.

Rheumatologist
Checking up on me today
Confused him last time
June 2, 2016

Had blood test today
Am borderline anemic
So spacey right now!
June 2, 2016

by Jen