Monthly Archives: December 2017

Living with Epilepsy

Year 2017: The Best and Worst Year

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Hey bb’s.

 

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This is my final blog post of 2017. The fifth year that Life at Full Volume has been running.
I am generally a glass half full kinda girl, so I want to talk about the amazing things of 2017 last.

This year, my Aai (Indian grandmother) passed away. It was very sad, even though she died four days short of her 92nd birthday. She was quite ill, and she hung on for a long time. People have told me that grief is a funny thing, and I only truly understood it when my Aai passed. I did not expect to be so grief stricken, but after the memorial I was paralyzed by grief.

This year I also had some terrible falling outs with friends, which was quite devastating. I have learned though, that I cannot give anyone the permission to treat me badly.

The amazing things of this year though!! I finally got the Vagus Nerve Stimulator inserted, and I am happy to say that it is controlling my seizures very well! The last time I saw my epileptologist and VNS specialist we only had to turn it up a hair. I was also able to move in with my now fiancee! It is everything that I could ask for!

Ultimately, despite some weird things, 2017 was amazing! I have an amazing partner, family, and friends, For that I am truly grateful!

What are you grateful for? Happy New Years!

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Living with Epilepsy, Mental Health

The Holly hell of The Holidays

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Hey bb’s,

Holiday season is upon us! I love the holidays, despite that where I live we rarely get a white Christmas, it is still fun to put up your tree, buy gifts, and write Christmas cards.

I asked WeYou're invited to anfor  addresses for so many Christmas cards, and since  we are living strange and worrisome times, multiple friends asked why I could have their mailing address. Is sending Christmas cards that old school?! I guess so.

Since I have made multiple big changes in my life and I am still adjusting- my neuropsychiatrist told me I am not allowed to work. He told me I need to relax more, and I had to ask him what he meant by “relax”. I am not a relaxer by nature- I love gallivanting around, seeing friends, being in Starbucks, making new plans and cleaning the house. (OK it’s an apartment but it’s easier to clean than when I was living with my parents.). I also love Fri-dates and Satur-dates with my fiancee. It has been hard to relax, as I got all of my Christmas shopping done and sent out a million Christmas Cards. (OK only ten lol).

Like anything, there is always a downside to Christmas. My epileptologist told me that Christmas is the biggest time where his patients have seizures. Last year I was out with seizures for 5 days after Christmas day. I find it exhausting to do two back to back things on one weekend, and as much as I love my family, too much family time can be too much! Despite being an extrovert by nature, I get sleepy earlier than most people. I am grateful that I am in a family that understands when I need a nap. My fiancee also wants to make sure that I am not “over doing it” so for that I am eternally grateful.

If you have a personal friend or family member in your life with a chronic illness, or even mental health issues, please be mindful that we are doing the best we can. We don’t have tonnes of energy, and sometimes pain, or  feeling overwhelmed gets to the best of us. The best gift you could give us is kindness and understanding that we are sometimes extra tired. If we have to miss out on something, such as due to having too many seizures, we don’t mean to.

Lots of love,
Sita & Jojo

P.S. Yup that’s the tackyaf tree that me and fiancee have. It was my idea, of course 😉

Fashion, Living with Epilepsy

How Fashion Empowers Me

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Hey BB’s,

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I LOVE fashion. I watched What Not To Wear with Stacy London and Clinton Kelly as I was growing up. More recently, I have watched Love, Lust or Run with Stacy London.  I love make over shows!! Although, I have had to explain to countless friends that make overs aren’t to change a person’s look, it’s to accentuate their best features which they may have been covering up.

in Love, Lust or Run, Stacy London works primarily with women, and helps them morph into a different look so they are not held back in their lives with whacky outfits.
I am by no means a model. I am 5’5 and have an average body weight (that’s another topic for a different day).

I feel strong in cute clothes and my wheels go spinning when I think of how I can pair an outfit with different accessories that I come across. I love experimenting with my clothing, but if you were to ask me to describe my style I would say it’s “edgy chic”. To me, clothing is a way of expressing who I am.  Especially with the ongoing epilepsy, it gives me a confidence boost when I am wearing an outfit that I paired together. All of my looks are very intentional, and I gain inspiration from people I see in coffee shops, grocery stores, you name it.

I love fashion because it is always changing. I also believe that anyone can look amazing at any age, shape, or size. Fashion says “Here I am! I care about how I look and present myself to the world.” It is my way of saying “Yeah I have a chronic illness but I am not giving up on myself! This week has been hard with regards to getting out of the house, but baby steps! I feel and look great today! I made it out!

Love,

Sita & JoJo