Thursday, October 18, 2012

Recent visitor in the house...


This dude was creeping around the kitchen and thankfully my cat got in the way of me stepping on him! Vincent earned a tuna dinner tonight.

One of the representations for scorpions: Scorpions serve to remind us that light can be found within darkness if we channel our passions correctly. They also serve to represent death/rebirth/transformation.

Hmmm, change is in the air?

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

October Steampunk Events

I wanted to say I am sorry about not getting the event list compiled for October.
I do hope to have a comprehensive list of Oct-Dec up near the end of next week. (10/22/12)
I apologize for the delay and any inconvenience it may cause.

Eyes to the skies and wishing safe travels for all!
-Lisa Turner

Monday, October 15, 2012

TIPS FOR DEALING WITH PEOPLE IN PAIN - GBS


A friend on Facebook recently posted this and it is a great list that very much applies to those recovering from GBS.

TIPS FOR DEALING WITH PEOPLE IN PAIN

1. People with chronic pain seem unreliable (we can’t count on ourselves). When feeling better we promise things (and mean it); when in serious pain, we may not even show up.

2. An action or situation may result in pain several hours later, or even the next day. Delayed pain is confusing to people who have never experienced it.

3. Pain can inhibit listening and other communication skills. It’s like having someone shouting at you, or trying to talk with a fire alarm going off in the room. The effect of pain on the mind can seem like attention deficit disorder. So you may have to repeat a request, or write things down for a person with chronic pain. Don’t take it personally, or think that they are stupid.

4. The senses can overload while in pain. For example, noises that wouldn’t normally bother you, seem too much.

5. Patience may seem short. We can’t wait in a long line; can’t wait for a long drawn out conversation.

6. Don’t always ask “how are you” unless you are genuinely prepared to listen it just points attention inward.

7. Pain can sometimes trigger psychological disabilities (usually very temporary). When in pain, a small task, like hanging out the laundry, can seem like a huge wall, too high to climb over. An hour later the same job may be quite OK. It is sane to be depressed occasionally when you hurt.

8. Pain can come on fairly quickly and unexpectedly. Pain sometimes abates after a short rest. Chronic pain people appear to arrive and fade unpredictably to others.

9. Knowing where a refuge is, such as a couch, a bed, or comfortable chair, is as important as knowing where a bathroom is. A visit is much more enjoyable if the chronic pain person knows there is a refuge if needed. A person with chronic pain may not want to go anywhere that has no refuge (e.g.no place to sit or lie down).

10. Small acts of kindness can seem like huge acts of mercy to a person in pain. Your offer of a pillow or a cup of tea can be a really big thing to a person who is feeling temporarily helpless in the face of encroaching pain.

11. Not all pain is easy to locate or describe. Sometimes there is a body-wide feeling of discomfort, with hard to describe pains in the entire back, or in both legs, but not in one particular spot you can point to. Our vocabulary for pain is very limited, compared to the body’s ability to feel varieties of discomfort.

12. We may not have a good “reason” for the pain. Medical science is still limited in its understanding of pain. Many people have pain that is not yet classified by doctors as an officially recognized “disease”. That does not reduce the pain, – it only reduces our ability to give it a label, and to have you believe us.

~Author Unknown
(From Fibro Brite, thanks for sharing Dorita!)
From: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fibro-Affirmations/178819338805236?ref=stream
Fibro Affirmations

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

GBS and Flu Vaccines (Guillain Barre Syndrome)

So as flu season approaches and pharmacies, companies, and schools push for people to get flu shots I just want to offer a reminder that it can be a gamble and you never know when one day something rare happens and your body reacts differently from the vaccine than everyone else. Read the warnings and understand them before you get the shot and know the risks. One of the possible side effects is Guillain Barre Syndrome and it is something I would never wish on anyone. While there is more risk towards the swine flu vaccines, regular flu vaccines still pose a risk. If you have ever noticed that you do tend to have a weaker immune system or have had adverse reactions to various vaccines before, please don't hesitate to ask your doctor about weighing the risks before getting the flu vaccine.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/guillainbarre.htm

(I did not get GBS from a flu shot but many involved on boards and support groups I participate in have.)