PFAM Transitions Edition

For this month’s edition of PFAM, I asked chronic illness bloggers about how they cope with transition. 

This topic is apropos to me for a variety of reasons, which I’ll get to at the end of this post.  But first, here are the great submissions for this month.

Some posts wrote more about general transitions:

Migrainista Emily discusses many of the transitions that her life has seen over the last eight years, and offers some tips about how to cope with transitions, in the post, 5Lessons I’ve Learned For Coping With Transitions.

Lupus Rhythms’ Talencia talks about how everyday is a transition as she copes with her recent diagnosis, in the post, Transitional Thoughts. 

Cass, of the blog The Wolf and Me, suggests that for her, transitions are anything that deviates from her normal routine.  But she has learned to cope with transitions by planning ahead.  She discusses this and more in the post, How do you cope with transitions? 

Duncan Cross talks about how he feels he copes well with transitions because he enjoys change, which he thinks has helped him in dealing with chronic illness, in the post, Coping with transitions.

And some posts were more about specific transitional events:

In a really poignant piece titled Exposed, Maria of My Life Works Today, writes about what it’s like to go from being a lupus patient to being a cancer patient, and how her experience with lupus helped her with this new diagnosis.

Maureen Kaech of the blog Day by Day with my Adrenals writes about how despite many of the transitions that she has experienced in her life, finding herself with an empty nest has been the hardest, in her post, How do I Deal with Transition?

Sometimes, it is Lupus’ Iris Carden talks about many of the transitions – both good and bad – that come with moving, homeownership, and chronic illness, in the post, A Moving Experience.

In my post, Am I A Bad Patient Or Do I Have Bad Doctors?: When Is It Time To Dump Your Doc?, I write about the transition of finding new doctors when you move, and the difficulties that surround that. 

Transition was an appropriate theme for this edition of PFAM, because as I said in the call for submissions post, I am stepping aside as the administrator of PFAM and Duncan Cross, who started it all, is taking it over again.

I was so honored when Duncan asked me to take it over when his life got too busy to do it, but things have slowed down for him and picked up for me.  So PFAM is back in his capable hands.    

Duncan will be hosting next month’s PFAM, and you can view the call for submissions here. 

PFAM Is Here May 19, 2014!

It’s that time of the month again, and this month I’m hosting PFAM.

The question for this month is: How do you cope with transitions?

The last nine months of my life have seen a lot of transitions: I defended my dissertation, received my PhD, moved from Michigan to New York, had to find new doctors, started a new academic pursuit, and am about to finish the first year of that academic pursuit.

Your transition can be in life in general, health-wise, or both.

If you would like to submit a post, e-mail the following to gettingclosertomyself@gmail.com:

Your name (as it should appear)

Your blog’s name

Your post’s title

Your posts’ URL

And make sure you put PFAM in the subject line.

Speaking of transitions, Duncan Cross will be taking back administrative duties for PFAM after this month.  My life has gotten a lot busier since I took over for Duncan, and his schedule has opened up.  I am sad that I am taking a step back, but know that PFAM is in Duncan’s very capable hands.  I do hope that I will get the chance to host, and can hopefully pinch hit for Duncan if and when he needs it. 

All submissions wishing to be considered should be received by 11:59 p.m. on May 16, 2014.

Patients For A Moment: Winter Blues Edition

This month, I asked people how they cope with the winter blues.  This has been a particularly long and hard winter, especially in my home state of Michigan and here in New York.  And those who know me well, know that I’m a summer baby, so needless to say, I’ve had enough.    

While Iris Carden of the blog Sometimes, it is Lupus, reminds me that it’s not freezing cold everywhere in the world right now,  she does a good job of providing an overview about how the weather, and specifically temperature, impacts her lupus, in the post Ain’t No Cure For The Summertime Blues.

Duncan Cross is coping with winter by going to Florida.  He says he used to be skeptical that warmer weather can be helpful to health, but now he understands why. 

Rhiann Johns of the blog My Brain Lesion and Me, talks about how the cold increases her pain, and that this winter, she is staying active in order to manage it, in the post Don’t be SAD...Banish Those Winter Blues.

Migrainista Emily talks about the fact that winter can be fun for awhile, but this winter has just been too much, in the post Beating the winter blues.  

Thanks to all who submitted posts for this month.

If you didn’t submit a post but have a related one, please feel free to link it in the comments – only related posts, though, please.

Next month’s PFAM will be hosted by Duncan Cross.

PFAM Is Here February 15, 2014!

It’s that time of the months again, and I’ll be hosting this month’s edition of PFAM.

The theme/question for this month is: How do you cope with the winter blues?

We just entered February, and it has been a really hard winter already, even though we are only just about half way through.

How has this harsh weather impacted your health, and your life in general?    

If you would like to submit a post, e-mail the following to gettingclsoertomyself@gmail.com:

Your name (as it should appear)

Your blog’s name

Your post’s title

Your post’s URL

And make sure you put PFAM in the subject line.

All submissions wishing to be considered should be received by 11:59 p.m. on February 14, 2014.

PFAM Is Here November 15, 2013!

It’s that time of the month again, and I’ll be hosting this month’s edition of PFAM. 

The theme/question for this month is: What do you do when you can’t keep up?

Since my move to New York, I often feel like I am barely keeping my head above water.  I love what I’m doing, but it has definitely been challenging.

So what do you do when you feel like everything is just too much? 

If you would like to submit a post, e-mail the following to gettingclosertomyself@gmail.com:

Your name (as it should appear)

Your blog’s name

Your post’s title

Your post’s URL

And make sure you put PFAM in the subject line.

All submissions wishing to be considered should be received by 11:59 p.m. November 14, 2103.

Happy writing!

Patients For A Moment: Social Media Edition

For the July/August 2013 edition of Patients For A Moment, I asked bloggers to talk about the influence of social media on their illness experience.  They could either write one statement in no more than 140 characters and explain it, write a post that had many statements in no more than 140 characters each, or answer the question, “How has social media impacted your illness experience?”  Any and all iterations of this were fair game, and there were some great responses:

                                                                                                                  

The always entertaining Duncan Cross came up with a very creative “twitmeter” in relation to his IBD, and also discusses the importance of social media, in the post, “PFAM: Social Media”.  Duncan, I like how you think!

Sarah Bramblette, of Born2lbFat, in the post, “Healthcare and Social Media – Empowering Patients”, traces her social media evolution, and combines social media into her post.  Thanks, Sarah, I really enjoyed reading this!   

At My Brain Lesion and Me, Rhiann Johns talks about the positive experience she has had with social media and its ability to connect people even when in the throws of illness, in the post, “Social Media and the Chronic Illness experience”.  Thanks, Rhiann, for sharing!

Ms. Rants, of the blog, Chronic Rants, writes in the post, “Finding health solutions outside the doctor’s office”, about how social media has provided the answers to some questions that doctors have not been able to answer for her. Thanks for your post, Ms. Rants!

                                                                                                                                                              

Thanks to all who submitted posts for this edition!

If you didn’t submit a post but have a related one, please feel free to link it in the comments – only related posts, though, please.

The next editions of PFAM will be September 15, 2013.

I am in need of hosts for the September, November, and December editions.  Please e-mail gettingclosertomyself@gmail.com, if you are interested in hosting.  Or you can throw in your hat for the 2014 editions, as well. 

Patients For A Moment Is Here July 15, 2013!

This month’s edition is going to be a bit unique.  It has multiple parts and you can do any or all of them.

I recently jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, so this month’s edition is inspired by that.

The first question is:

What can you say about your illness in 140 characters?

For this, there are two options:

1)      Write one statement that is up to 140 characters and then spend the rest of the post describing in depth what you mean.

OR

2)     Write a post that has as many statements as you want that are written in up to 140 characters each.

The second question is:

How has social media impacted your illness experience?  This part can be combined with the options above, or you can answer just this question in a post.

So whether you embrace any or all of these is up to you!

If you would like to submit a post, e-mail the following to gettingclosertomyself@gmail.com:

Your name (as it should appear)
Your blog’s name
Your post’s title
Your post’s URL

And make sure you put “PFAM” in the subject line.

All submissions wishing to be considered should be received by 11:59 p.m. July 13th, 2013 August 13, 2013.