Well, doesn’t time fly? Where has it gone? It has been almost a year since I have written on this site and I cannot believe it – it has flown by. Lots has happened, which is the norm when you have not written in so long! So what have been the highlights? Well, many things. Spending time with family and friends, learning and studying, enjoying life! The pics below are some highlights of 2010 so far….. So why start writing here at TLWC again? Good question!

I am in a different place to where I was last August. I am still living with CF (obviously) and so I have spent a lot of time over the last year thinking. About CF, about living with CF, about everything that comes with living with Chronic Illness. Chronic Illness and Injury really changes the work/rest/play dynamic in your life. And while I consider myself a proactive and conscientious CF “survivor” I also have times when I struggle with the unique issues that having CF bring to my life. I have come to terms with the facts of CF but sometimes the “lifestyle” issues that come with having CF really have me stumped.

Some of those “lifestyle” issues have included working, studying, having a career as well as a life outside of CF. I have spent many years trying to find out what I want to do with my life, what I want to be when I grow up. You know, the usual!! Having CF has made this decision making process much harder than normal. I had so many things I wanted to do and be but my body was not able to cooperate. When it became impossible to work a 9-5 anymore I had a dream of being able to work from home, productively, happily. I have searched high and low for a business or job that I could undertake from home. Without luck. If you want to work and are not able to do the 9-5, like many people with Chronic Illness or Injury, then you need a plan, you need to get creative and you need to realise that you are not going to be handed an opportunity, you have to CREATE one. So what to do? How to do it? I researched, soul searched and head scratched. After a few investigations, and much sulking, I have finally got myself a plan. I finally got clued in and changed my thinking process. Thank goodness!

So that is where the new chapter of The Life We Cherish comes in. I am now trying to work towards that goal of finding the right fit for me, in work, in study and in life. TLWC is about inspiring those with Chronic Illness and Injury to be able to live a happy and fulfilled life. I REALLY do believe that we can achieve our dreams, whatever they may be, we just have to be creative in how we approach them. We have to start working smarter, not harder. TLWC will still be about inspiration and motivation as well as about how to deal with the day to day “stuff” that Illness dumps on you. A whole bunch more of practical information on how to work towards your goals AND survive day to day. I am, however, going to make a couple of changes to TLWC. In the past I have written this blog as only “Lily” to protect my privacy and my loved ones who are mentioned on here but I am now going to open up the TLWC to my life and my families life. My mother and I have decided to work together on a couple of articles from a mothers perspective, how she feels, how she copes and so on. Mum is already chomping at the bit to get into it!! Go Mum! I have also got a list of people I personally know who inspire me in my day to day battle against failing health. They live with either Chronic Illness or serious, life-altering injury and they have taught me a whole lot about fighting the good fight. I am NOT going to promise to write 3 times a week but I will promise to write regularly about the practical and unusual ways that I go about having a life while living with health issues. TLWC is about my life  but I am sharing this because I know I am not the only one who struggles with the issues that your health can throw at you. I am not alone. I think that we can all learn from each other about how to deal with health issues and still have a life. I am just wanting to do my bit. If it helps just one person than my work here is done….

And I am always super excited to hear from TLWC readers so email anytime!

Lx.

OK, so things have been crazy recently and I haven’t been posting as much as I used to. I am back to a good routine and have been thinking about where to go next with TLWC. I have shared my thoughts and feelings on many issues with some practical advice thrown in here and there and now I have decided to go into depth with how to create a thorough Health Management Plan to help you keep organised and on top of your health issues.

A thorough Health Management Plan (HMP) will help lay the foundation for living a positive, fulfilling life with Chronic Illness and Injury. A good Health Management Plan will help you in cases of emergency,  help keep you on top of your medications and what you are using them for, assist you in keeping track of your medical history and appointment/clinic outcomes and much, much more. I have used my HMP many times and it has also helped my loved ones in cases where I was not well enough to convey vital information to medical staff. My loved ones were able to use my HMP to give medications, medical history and information on recent procedures. A HMP takes a bit of organising and management but the benefits far outweigh the effort you need to put in. In some cases it could be a life saver.

I will create a series of posts starting next Monday on creating and maintaining a Health Management Plan. It will consist of three posts a week and at the end of the series you will have enough information to create your own HMP. I hope it will give you more confidence in managing your health as well as give you the freedom to do things that you have put off because of your health.

A HMP will make it easier to manage and organise yourself as a “Professional Patient”…. I hope you find the HMP posts informative and useful!

I look forward to getting started. Until next week……

Take care, Lily

lily@thelifewecherish.com

For more information on this website please see my first POST or this collection of ARTICLES.

So I was meant to be going home today but it did not happen. I seemed to have picked up a lurgy somewhere around here (hospital hazard) so I am going to be campaigning to go home Wednesday now instead.

Not being able to go home brings up all that stuff that I have written about before. Disappointment, anger, sadness. It all makes a show. I have had admissions that have gone on for 8 weeks, by then I have been so out of my mind with home sickness that I am almost going crazy. I get sick of the medical staff and their ever present opinions on what’s best for you and really sick of the food choices. When you think you are going to go home and take hit after hit, people saying to you “it’s OK, it is only a couple more days”, you get to the the end of your tether pretty quickly. They get to go home to their family everyday – it is easier to say it when you can do that, I suppose. This time I have only been in 10 days but in my eyes that is 10 days without my family and friends. But I comfort myself with the fact that at least it is not 8 weeks!

So while I am still here I thought I would take a leaf out of my friend Somer’s blog (Love to Breathe) and put out an open call to anyone who has any questions about living with Chronic Illness, hospital, my goals and dreams or just about me. You can comment below or your can email me at lily@thelifewecherish.com if you prefer privacy. I look forward to answering your questions, I will post them on Friday. Feel free to ask anything – it can be anonymous if you prefer. Ask away, I am ready to go!

Please don’t hesitate to write if there is something that you would like me to answer for you. I cannot wait to hear your questions….. talk to you soon!

All the best, Lily

lily@thelifewecherish.com

For more information on this blog or myself please see the ABOUT page, or the great posts on the ARTICLES page.