2016: Year In Review

2016 began with my moving back home to Michigan.  It ended with dealing with the loss of my grandmother.  There was a fair amount that happened in between, some of which I haven’t even gotten the chance to write about yet (i.e. a new relationship, a move, and gum surgery).  So here’s what I did have the chance to write about…    

I lamented and celebrated pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies:

On Building Playgrounds And Baking 1,000 Cupcakes   

CVS Pharmacy, We Have A Problem

Deeply Rooted Connections

I struggled with negative emotions:

Am I Enough?

Moving Forward And Falling Behind

Blogging and Cyberbullying

And the lows of chronic illness:

Chronic Illness Burnout: It’s Real And I’m Feeling It

Self Care = Must Care

That Time I Got Manhandled By A Phlebotomist

Body Shaming And Chronic Illness

Doctors Are Part Of The Problem, But They Can Also Be Part Of The Solution   

I celebrated the good things:

I Got A Job!

And mourned the bad:

When A Friend Dies

Failing As A Patient Advocate (And A Granddaughter)

And I reviewed some cool products:

Product Review: Pill Suite

Product Review: Mo’s Dream Cream

Product Review: SunGrubbies Sun Protective Accessories

Product Review: Axon Optics Migraine Glasses  

Of course, these aren’t all of my posts from 2016, although there were a lot less of them than in past years, but these are the ones I felt were worth highlighting. 

I’d be lying if I said that the last several years have not been difficult.  I lost an uncle, both grandparents, and my dad over the last four years.  But regardless, I keep on keeping on.    

As always, at the end of every Year In Review post, I include a list of books I’ve read over the past year.  This list is much shorter than in the past and includes several that I have read before.  I think I started more books than I finished this year, but here they are:

1.       “Stir” by Jessica Fechtor (NF)*

2.      “Then Came Life” (NF)*

3.      “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi (NF)*

4.      “NYPD 4” by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (F)

5.      “Spark Joy” by Marie Kondo (NF)

6.      “The Beach House” by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge (F)

7.      “Courtney’s Legacy” by George Cantor (NF)

8.     “The Trial” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (F)

9.      “Fairy Tale Interrupted” by Rosemarie Terenzio (NF)

10.  “Die Young With Me” by Rob Rufus (NF)*

(F) – Fiction; (NF) – Non-fiction

* Books specifically of interest to chronically ill readers