My new take on “Know”vember…I found something I really need to share. 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with a disease. It changed my life. I haven’t been the same since then, and I won’t ever be able to go back. If you knew me prior to this diagnosis, you would say I was a different person. Sometime during my last year of college, my life began to spiral out of control. Mood swings, depression, and fatigue came into my life with a vengeance. My skin began to get thin and I bled easily. It was a dark and scary time. Sometimes, if I am not careful, I find myself slipping down that path. I don’t realize why I am so distressed until I think back to my last phlebotomy. By now, some of you are nodding your head in understanding. You know this disease as well as I do. You know your weakness and can recognize when your body is trying to tell you something isn’t right. I get so busy that occasionally I ignore it and press on. It always, always causes problems in my life when I do that.
I just found the most amazing video on this site to share with my family and friends. If you are of European descent or have family with this disease, please watch this video. It doesn’t explain everything because everyone is different, but it can help you to understand what your loved one is going through (scroll down, and it is a minute shorter than it says).
How to recognize Hereditary Hemochromatosis Symptoms
In a nutshell, why am I always trying to focus on the positive? Because it is so hard for me to remain that way. I just thought I needed to share my weakness with you tonight. So the next time I go to the oncology office where I get my blood drawn for the rest of my life, I will continue to smile at my amazing nurse V, and focus on where I am going, not where I have been.
“The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.” ~Plato
