The Blogging Platypus

Image via Brent Jones It can be a challenge to find your voice. Even after you find it, you will soon realize that holding onto your voice can be even trickier than finding it in the first place. We are inundated by images about what we are supposed to be, do, and how we’re expected to act. In an attempt to refrain from rocking the boat, we’ll go along with the crowd, putting forth a united voice. Don’t get me wrong, a choir of strong voices can help to further causes and can be helpful when it comes to advocating, as it’s more difficult to ignore the masses when compared to ignoring the single voice. However, if we go along with the rest of the crowd, our individual voice may be lost in the noise. Finding and using our voice can be scary, especially if we are used to going along with what is viewed as “right” or “correct” in society. We enter several different groups within society, such as work, school, neighborhood, city, state, and country. If you dare to act against the soci

Some days are easier than others and, boy, today was a doozy. The day before was too. Sometimes it just feels as if the rough days keep piling up, back to back. Monday was full of annoyances, some little, others more significant. One of the more challenging aspects was that I found out just how much my doctors and VA clinic here in town think I matter to the world. See, they sat on repeated requests from the cardiologist for more information and notes to why I needed an echocardiogram. Since the requests were ignored, the referral for services that were started by my geneticist were rescinded, but the insurance company failed to inform the cardiologist or myself that the appointment was not going to be covered. That also means that the echocardiogram that I was to have this week will not be happening. I was also lied to and gaslighted by the VA nurse who called me to let me know that both sides of my body didn’t need to be tested during the nerve conduction test I had done earl

Picture via Pinterest As someone who lives with a number of chronic health issues, it is almost inevitable that medications and supplements would also be part of my daily routine. Just like we buckle our seatbelts when going for a ride and wash our hands after using the bathroom, medications can help to increase our safety, as well as our health-related quality of life. I know that there are some schools of thought that see any medication as evil poison, despite the extensive research that happens before a medication hits the pharmacy shelves. I am not one to ignore facts and statistics. Heck I have my MS degree in clinical psychology, which includes a specialization in applied research. Facts and statistics are the core to the future I was working towards for much of my adult life. I say was, because due to my various conditions, it would make it nearly impossible to hold down most jobs, let alone the research PI position I was working towards. Okay, back to the topic of m