Tracie Update

[Guest guest]

Ok gang, I post and you all disapear. All 600 of you. What's up? I

know I can come on strong, and these days the sarc advancement has me being sometimes less than tackfull.

I have always told it like it is-- straight and direct. i'm also at a place where for me, I'm frustrated that so many people will chose to do all the stuff they know is not healthy for themself, and puts others at risk. Living on immunosuppressants can make all of us a bit more crazy-- do you go to the grocery store or shopping and risk serious infection? I don't want to live in fear of what if-- so i try to be pro-active in what I do to take care of me. Washing my hands after shopping so that if the kid in the cart has a cold, I'm not in as much danger of getting it. Keeping my hands away from my face-- using my arms to push open a door rather than use the handle, etc. Common sense stuff. That is as good as I can do.

I am watching my mom lose her sight to diabetes, and if you go over after 3pm each day, she's on her 3rd or 4th highball, and breakfast and lunch was half a sweetroll and a cup of coffee with hot chocolate added. But, she did give herself her insulin injection-- morning and night. She's never learned to see what is going on and adjust her dose-- she doesn't want to.

My dad has advanced Parkinsons, and he doesn't feel well enough to cook for them now, and he took that over when he retired-- so mom's lost the memory to do it--- and lacks the vision to be safe.

I watch myself tryiing to learn to manage my diabetes, and it is overwhelming. It's part of this years changes, and yes-- it has made me understand a little bit of where my mom's coming from. I try to be patient with it-- but i'm not very good at it.

I'm struggling with 3 heart valves not working right-- and I have been sick for this whole year. The pulmonary stuff is advancing, because of the combo. My docs want me to get back to LA to see Dr. Sharma, and finally went back to full-time work on Monday. At least for the next 6 wks-- we hope that we don't have any more cuts..

I am only able to stick my head in here a couple of times each week, and generally haven't been well enough to respond. When I do it's because I see that something needs to be addressed right away.

I care so much for all of you, and want you to be able to be as healthful as you can be even with sarcoidosis. It isn't a death sentence, and so many of the problems associated with it can be handled using common sense approaches. I know it can effect our personalities, and I've seen alot of change in mine this last year. I try to remind myself that if I'm experiencing this-- then all of you might also be in some of the same place with your sarcoidosis.

It is important that we communicate, and that we reach out to those in need. If someone can email me a sense of humor-- I'd appreciate it. Right now, life is hard.

Take care,

Tracie

NS Co-owner/moderator