Hey guys and welcome back y’all! I have some free time and thought I’d give you all a life update and let you know how things are going. Also, the month of October is actually Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Awareness (POTS)Month! Its crazy to think that its been 4 years since I’ve been diagnosed! But I am glad there is a month to help spread awareness! Also, the awareness ribbon is teal, hence the shirt.
(Side note: it was really windy if y’all can’t tell LOL)
The first thing I’d like to talk about is how college life is going. (I still can’t believe I am actually being able to do the whole college thing!) I am only taking about 9 credits for two reasons. The first being when I got accepted into Fall, I was accepted late so a lot of the classes were full and the second reason is I didn’t want to overwhelm myself because I didn’t know how I’d be feeling. The funny thing is the day I chose to write this blog, I was actually not feeling the greatest. However, overall, I’ve been feeling great and have actually been surprised with how I’ve been feeling! I am really enjoying taking classes again and being back in school. It’s kind of sad, but 4 weeks into college already feels better than all of high school lol! But it makes sense because now I’ve been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and POTS for a few years, versus before/during high school when I was just getting diagnosed. Plus, after high school I went off all my medications which helped me feel more like myself, so now I take some vitamins and iron.
A big part of college I was worried about was having roommates because I was so use to just being by myself and I was content with that. Plus, I am kind of an introvert and am very chill just being by myself. I’ve heard you can get weirdos and mean roommates luckily, that’s not the case. Let me just tell ya, I LOVE my roommates! They are honestly the best and are probably the funniest people I have ever met! It’s been a while since I have laughed as much as I do with them! And an extra bonus is I have my sister and bro in law up here too!
A concern I had was not knowing how I’d feel with the elevation change and weather change. But your girl is doing just fine. It seems I feel better anywhere but back home ha-ha! It’s getting into the 30s but I have to say I am here for it. I enjoy the cold and am enjoying the change in weather, which is something someone with Fibromyalgia or POTS normally never say. One thing that I have consciously been aware of and doing, is exercising. There is a great gym and I am taking full advantage of it. I think the reason I am not feeling as good today is because I’ve been slacking for a little bit. But today I am going to get back on the grind and try my best to keep it up. Even my bad days aren’t as bad as they’ve been in the past. The main thing I’m having a hard time with is dizziness, a little fatigue, memory, brain fog, and my eyes. I’ve been dizzier and I’ve seen stars more, but your girl STILL HASN’T PASSED OUT woohoo! I will say when I’m just chilling on the couch or I’m laughing, I feel like I’m going into hyperspace! I’m like whoa, whoa this is not how you’re going to pass out! I’ve been drinking my Liquid IV the past few days that can hopefully take the edge off a little. As far as the fatigue goes, it’s not as bad as it could be. So far it happens less, but when it does its really strong. The last two weeks or so I’ve noticed my memory isn’t as good. For example, say its Wednesday I can’t remember what I wore on Monday or even Tuesday. Luckily my school work hasn’t been to affected because of it. My fibro fog (brain fog) has been pretty bad lately. I have to try really hard to act with it and I really have to try to focus during conversations. I can tell when I look in the mirror that I’m not feeling as good. I’m realizing how much energy it takes to act with it and try to look less “brain-foggy.” But I’m used to it and hopefully people just think I am tried from school work. A newer development I’m seeing, is my eyes. I mentioned how I see stars, but I’ve been seeing more black spots if that makes sense. I have always but it seems worse. But other than those few things, I am doing GREAT! Well I guess I was doing great on that day, however today is not that great. (Today is the 16th, exactly one month that I have been up at college. Its very fitting that today my pain is the worse that it has been for a really long time. My only option is to take an Advil, which I know won’t do anything. My pain has increased a lot since I went to the gym the other day. But today it is at its worse. My elbow joints hurt to bend and they are swollen. Hopefully this will past quickly because it is really affecting me in a not so good way.) Although I have okay and bad days, at least I am up here doing what I thought would never be possible. I am living my life motto to a T right now! I GET TO AND I AM! I am truly taking full advantage of this opportunity and am beyond grateful.
Also, some really sad news I was told about a week and a half ago, was my family’s pet of 11 years had to be put down. It doesn’t feel real right now and hasn’t really sunk in yet. I know that as soon as I get home it will hit me. Mowgli was a great family dog and we were so lucky to have him for all these years. Two comforting things are he’s not feeling crummy anymore, and he gets to be with his best friend Zella. (Zella was my puppy and I had never loved a pet so much. I bought her as my comfort animal when I first was getting sick. But I can share her story and how she affected me another time.) Mowgli and Zella were the greatest dogs we’ve had and they will always be greatly missed.
But I know we will get to see them again, so let’s leave this blog on a happy note! For any of you that are struggling or are going through a hard time, let me just tell you it does get better. It doesn’t mean that whatever you’re going through will go away, but you will have happy times during the bad. This experience for me is an example of the happy through the bad. Do the things you think are impossible for you personally, because that’s when you’ll see all the hard things you can do. I never thought I’d be here at college and be back in a classroom. It hasn’t been a walk in the park, but I’m slowly making my way. Just remember whatever you choose to do, or how hard you challenge yourself; you get to. #IgettoandIam.
Thank you for joining me again and I will keep you all updated on when I’ll post again. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at IgettoandIam@gmail.com or @igettoandiam on Instagram!
Embracing the Happy Side of Life 