hip

So, my hip has been bothering me for the lat few days. I think its because I have been trying to exercise more and its probably just a bit of inflammation. Of course, with Hemophilia you always have to consider the worst case scenario so it could also be a hip bleed which I have had a few of in my lifetime and it is the worse joint to bleed into in my opinion. I will head out to the Hemophilia clinic tomorrow and get it chanced out but in the meantime I am a bit worried about it. I hate having to go into the hospital and it seems like the longer I have been away the harded it is to go in and admit defeat. Its funny how a slight bit of pain can make you realize whats really important for example as soon as I started to feel pain all the other things in my life started to become less important like looking for a Halloween costume and the fact that I haven't gotten my wedding pictures back yet.
Maybe its just arthritis which is still a bit of a scary thought but a bit better than having a bleed. Either way I will spend the night watching tv and complaining to Zane. Hopefully things will look better in the AM.

ah to be young and foolish

So, today is my sister in laws 19th birthday. To celebrate, she came to visit us in Calgary and we had a wonderful birthday party for her. It's so nice having family around I have to say and I think my sister in law had a lot of fun which is the main thing! When I first met my sisters in law they were only 10 and 12 years old and now they have grown up in to beautiful, kinds women. I am very happy to have them as my sisters and very grateful that we got to spend a birthday with them. After the birthday party at our house the birthday girl went down town to celebrate with her friends and it made me realize the affect Hemophilia has on the aging process. So far I am only 30 years old I don't know about all of the ins and outs of Hemophilia and aging but I feel like I have always acted older than my age. I think having a chronic illness forces you to do that to some degree. You can never be completely care free, in the back of your mind you are always thinking, I better be careful. I know for me I have been like this since a very young age and as I have mentioned before I am getting more cautious as I get older. I am not interested in staying out too late or wearing myself out. I guess I am just older and wiser. My only fear is that I will one day be too afraid to leave my own house so I do have to push myself to try new things every now and then. Going to North Carolina for me was a huge step and I've promised my sister in law that we would all go to Vegas when she turns 21! After all life is all about celebrating!

 

Inspiring

So, I recently learned about a very courageous woman Heather Von St. James. If you have a minute please check out her website it is fantastic. You can visit it here http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/.

I learned about Heather through her husband Cameron. That's the funny thing about living with a chronic illness. You aren't the only one affected by it. Once you have a chronic illness in your life everyone you love is concerned and it is now their fight as well. That is the heartbreaking part about it. You can't isolate and experience it all to yourself. If I could do that I certainly would. If I could take away the pain and worry it has caused my friends and family over the years I would but we know there is no way to do this. With that being said I don't think I could survive this illness if it wasn't for the love and support of my family and friends.

That is part of the reason why I started this blog in the first place. I think it is so important for people to share their stories and it is such a source of hope and encouragement to read about people who have overcome huge obstacles and live to tell about it. It isn't always easy being open and honest about your disease. It's hard always feeling like the odd man out or that their is always something different about you but if it gives hope to just one person then I think its worth it.

I hope you take a minute to read about a very brave person named Heather!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, this weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday because there is little work involved, you just get together with your friends and family and eat. This year we are celebrating with friends and I have the say over the years a lot of our friends have turned into family. A lot of people take this weekend to reflect on all the things they are thankful for and there is not enough time for me to write all of the things I am thankful for but the things that are at the top of my list at the moment are: our wonderful friends and family, our health (knock on wood) and the upcoming trips we have planned together. As I said before I was recently in the US and it really made me realize how lucky I am to live in Canada. Don't get me wrong, I think the us is an awesome place but for someone with Hemophilia it can be a very expensive place. I pray everyone is having a safe and happy thanksgiving weekend!

 

US adventures

So, I was very brave last month and took my first trip outside of Canada! I am very happy to report that it was a success. I was very nervous about going because of the health care system in the US. For example, one blood transfusion is about 40,000$ so something with Hemophilia can ring up a big tab in a hurry.
Armed with my doctors notes, my factor first card, two insurance polices, Zane and I ventured off to Raleigh North Carolina.
I have to say it is such a beautiful place.  The weather was great, the good was delicious and the people were so warm and friendly.
While we were in Raleigh I got to meet my darling friend who also has severe factor 5 deficiency. We have been talking since I was about 12 years old so getting to meet her in person after all these years was very exiting for me.  She is about 30 yeas old than me too and it was nice to see that she still has full range of motion in all of her joints.
I know for me the thought of traveling to another country has been scary just because of the medical problems it can cause but I think planning and contacting the Hemophilia Treatment Centres on both ends is a good idea as well.
I don't think I will be off to any exotic places any time soon but i will definitely be heading back to North Carolina soon!