Happy Hump Day All!!
I’m working on a post that requires transcribing of an interview- I know, I should probably get some updated software, but for now, I’m using my thumb and index finger and having a great time! Seriously , I am. And while you are waiting, please check out some great blogs. Some I have mentioned and some are new to me too!
I have more to list, but I have to scram so I will share some more tomorrow. Have a great day everyone!
-Karen
Adapt, Overcome, Rinse, Repeat.
Not necessarily in that order.
Now that The Mighty Turtle has a renovated home, I would like to explain the goals and purpose of this website. Some of you remember it from back in the day as Scleroderma, Sarcoidosis and Box Wine. I still have the Facebook Page of the same name, but changed the blog name so it would be easier to remember. I picked “turtle” because turtles out lived the dinosaurs by adapting. They moved to the sea, learned that jellyfish are delicious, and know how to cruise The Gulf Stream like a champ on loose bed of kelp. The only thing anyone remembers from Scleroderma, Sarcoidosis and Box Wine is the “Box Wine” part. By the way, I stole the “Box Wine” idea after listening to hours of listening to The Stephanie Miller Show Podcast driving to and doctor’s appointments between LA, Riverside and home.
Overall it is a blog, but there are resources and a store as well as a useful resource about life as a member of the human race living with some chronic illnesses, being a parent and 100% service connected female veteran.
My diagnoses are Scleroderma, Sarcoidosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Depression and complicated damage like pulmonary fibrosis, barrat’s espohagus and Joe my God, the list ends here.
I write to raise awareness and hope to save others time by sharing about how I spun my own wheels. In addition to written posts, I have a video series called, Scleroderma on the Fly. This series consists of facts and helpful tips about scleroderma. Each video after Episode 1 will be two minutes or less and will cover only one topic. This is to provide a quick go to source thats easy to understand and easy to repeat. I want those who watch to walk away from each episode knowing the topic.
Feedback is always welcome. I especially need to know if there is something I talk about that does not translate or you as the reader or viewer need further explanation. I am my own editor. Of course I enjoy positive feedback, but critical feedback will only help me become a better messenger. If it’s the information I give is ever confusing, let me have it!
I support research and fundraising organizations I know about and find credible by sharing their information, donor pages and more. I am not connected to the organizations I endorse.
I write about current events as well as medical experience. There is more to life than our diagnoses. It took years of therapy for me to realize I was not my Scleroderma. I want to share that message. Though my opinions will be shared, the only thing we need to agree is that diseases like Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis need a cure and patients need better treatment while waiting for one. (I’m a little tire of waiting. Did someone just start playing Muzak?)
Thank you for taking the time to read about this website/blog. I hope you will find it a useful resource and share posts when you feel they are share-worthy. It doesn’t matter your diagnosis and this page is not just for patients. It is for patients and those who love and care about them. Coping is tough as both a patient and loved one. The greatest way to torture a person is to cause suffering to those they love the most. Not sure? Ask a parent. Diseases have symptoms in common. Coping is universal because we are in this together and we can help each other by learning from one another.
Yes, it’s come to this; and it’s a good thing.
On my blog posts I talk about products I have used or still use for exercise, skin care and books. The Amazon Store here on the Turtle features only items I have used, books I have read or on my reading list and yes, even my favorite brand of condoms. You can’t buy these condoms in the stores, so why not get them here?
So that’s what my store is about. Things I use and would recommend to friends. If you wish, you can also search for items not listed. By clicking on any of the featured products, you can go right into Amazon and search. Eventually, I will probably come up with some cute merch, but for now let’s start with stuff I like and go from there.
Please feel free to ask me any questions about products I have posted. If I can save you some time and money, I am happy to do it. For example, I use Kama Sutra’s Sweet Almond oil as a moisturizer. If you have allergies to Almonds, for Pete’s sake don’t buy it. Okay that may be an easy example, but I believe that you, my readers, are smart so you get the point.
About the Google Ads, I just saw one to buy live turtles on line. I do not in any way support the buying and selling of animals on line. I am figuring out my filters and with the name turtle in the title of this blog, there are a few hiccups I need to work out. I thank you in advance for your patience.
I’m not going to pretend I will be donating proceeds to a charity based on percentages of sales. I will pay taxes like everyone else on any earnings from the store because this is not a non-profit organization. Hell, it’s not even an organization. I’m just some crazy writer with some chronic illnesses who is writing about my experiences. My greatest wish is that the what I write will help others. The store is there to help with the cost of the site and maybe support mama’s pedicure habit.
Above everything, thank you for continuing to read about Scleroderma, Sarcoidosis, my perspective of life and ways to adapt and overcome. We’re in this together. We are not our diagnosis, we are not alone and we are stronger than we can imagine. (If you can think of any other bumper sticker phrases, please feel free to leave some in the comment section.)
And now a few words from Ricky Bobby & Cal Norton from Talladega Nights. Click the parts for the funny.
Thank you for visiting The Mighty Turtle!
The Mighty Turtle is a blog about coping with a chronic illness as a part of our lives, not our identity. Symptoms and changes can become so overwhelming, it’s very easy to be consumed by the demons that come with it. We may have a chronic illness, but it does not have us. We learn to adapt and overcome. We do it every day without realizing it.
For those of you reading who do not have a chronic illness, The Mighty Turtle is a great place to find out how a person with a chronic illness copes. It’s just as hard to watch someone we love battle day to day with symptoms of a chronic illness or disability.
To those who are loved ones of patients, I would like to ask you to let go of your guilt if you have any and it’s okay to be afraid. Please, don’t be so hard on yourself when you don’t know what to do when you feel helpless. It’s okay not to know what to say. Sometimes the most important thing to do is just to be there- that’s it.
Having said that, I have an important message for all who are reading this:
WE ARE ALL STRONGER THAN WE CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE
So, please visit The Mighty Turtle when you can. There is always a new blog on the Blog Roll, there will always be a silly video to watch and there are links to Mayo Clinic and UCLA to catch up on the latest medical news. Together; let’s learn, adapt, overcome and have a few laughs.
As Florence + The Machine would say, “Every Demon want’s his thunder felt.” Sometimes he knocks us down, but we get up.
It’s a party, let’s dance:
Please use the comment section as a guest book. if you feel like it, tell me what you think, leave advice or say something silly.
Thank You,
Karen Vasquez
