Medical Alert Jewelry

It is very important that you have a medical alert bracelet or necklace which identifies your health conditions. There are several online sites where these items may be purchased. The Medic Alert Foundation is one.
http://www.medicalert.org/home/Homegradient.aspx

Another site that has a form which you may fill in the details of you medical condition(s), medication(s) and allergies and printout a medic alert card which then can be laminated and carried with you.
http://www.medids.com/free-id.php

These bracelets and necklaces can be very atractive and diverse in design and are not at all "unattractive". Do an internet search and you will fine some very interesting options available.

Daily Activities and Energy...

With a chronic disease you have to learn to pace yourself in order to do the things that are important to you. If you only have a certain amount of energy to expend in a day ( which we all find is not nearly enough to do all we want) we must chose the most needed or enjoyable activity for the day. If your priority is to clean the livingroom today, don't try planning to clean the whole house, concentrate on the livingroom one area at a time. If you want to have a lovely dinner for your family, don't try to do the grocery shopping and cleaning first...shop another day for the whole week and perhaps have carryout that night but cook dinner the remainder of the week. It's all about saving enough of our feel good time for the things that are the most important to us!

And learn to say no! Which is not as easy as it sounds...this is something we all may find very difficult...but it is extremely neccessary to practice the art of saying no! For our health's sake. Just say no when it is clearly something you do not feel able to take on or if it would mean leaving off something that is more important to you or your family.

Living with your disease...

The best advice that you can recieve is this: to learn as much as you possibly can about your illness and take an active role in your medical care. There are so many good sources of information available to you, the internet being one and your health care providers another. Ask questions if you don't understand something. Make a list of questions you wish to ask if you are afraid you might forget something.

Please do read and learn as much as you can about Addison's Disease and the proper care needed to live as well as possible...which can be a lot more normal than you might think when you first hear that you have a life-long illness and must take replacement steroids. I'm not telling you that there want be need for concessions in life and precautions taken inorder to live with the disease, but it can be done. There are a lot of good sources of information available on the Addisons Village Forum - Learn To Live & Cope site and members ready to help you as you learn to cope with your disease. You can cope!