Yikes. Where has the time gone? Never mind, don’t answer that. I know exactly where all my hours have gone: preparing for work, work, homework, taking care of my daughter, and trying to fix myself, besides all of the usual daily chores. To explain my situation, let’s rewind to the late spring of 2017. I … More Frustrated
I haven’t posted lately because my father recently died unexpectedly. He and my mother moved to a slightly warmer state nine years ago. My daughter and I helped them move in, but then her condition worsened over the years so making (and affording) the fourteen hour one-way trip was impossible. I’ve focused many of my … More Chronic Illness, Toxic Mold, and Unexpected Death
I’ve written before that I started writing my book as an outlet for my frustrations after dealing with doctors’ hurtful attitudes for too many years. On the drive home following yet one more upsetting appointment I remember telling my daughter that we needed to find a doctor who had experienced chronic illness firsthand, because then … More Empathy
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) POTS is a form of dysautonomia. What is Dysautonomia? Read more about dysuatonomia here The disabling symptoms caused by POTS are similar to living with congestive heart failure. Some POTS patients have had symptoms since birth, but most patients were active and healthy until something triggered a sudden onset of POTS. The … More More About Dysautonomia: POTS
Anyone in the Rondout Valley area of New York, you can read the entire review by Anne Pyburn Craig in the August 19, 2016 issue of the Blue Stone Press. Excerpt below: ‘You’re Still Sick?’ Stone Ridge Teacher’s Novel Explores the World of Invisible Disabilities “Drea, the good-hearted and gutsy young woman at the story’s … More BlueStone Press Review (excerpt)
I recently read the 2011 second edition of Barbara Ehrenreich’s and Deirdre English’s book, Complaints and Disorders: The Sexual Politics of Sickness. I highly recommend it for its eye-opening view of women’s medical treatment from about 1865 to 1920. The authors self-published their “pamphlet” in 1973 and I was upset reading their last chapter concerning … More Thoughts about Women’s Medical Treatment in the United States
As I wrote in my first blog entry, my book is a work of fiction. The main character is not as sick as my daughter. I didn’t want to overwhelm readers with too many symptoms and conditions, so I gave Drea only two syndromes, which still provided enough symptoms to portray the experiences of a … More Doctor Appointments
Perhaps you’ve heard this from family, friends, acquaintances, or coworkers, (that is if you are able to work). Or maybe you’ve progressed to the point where people don’t even ask how you are because they don’t want to deal with your answer. Maybe they don’t believe you, or maybe they don’t know what to say … More Why I Wrote “You’re Still Sick?”
Julie Jacobsen Deck 