Thursday, May 29, 2014

Focus on medicine side effects


When you see your family members or your children acting different, you should not always assume they are being crazy. Their behavior can be caused by side effects from medicine.

A lot of times, people may not want to know there is a reason, but if you stop and think about how you know the person, you should ask yourself if this is behavior that is common, or if it is new. If it is new, you should bring it to their attention to see if they understand it, and a majority of the time, they don’t understand it. At that time, they should talk to their doctor to see if it might be side effects from the medicine they are taking.   

I discovered an issue with side effects because my behavior was changing, so I went to my doctor. You have to be straight with your doctor, so they have a better understanding of what is going on. They may want to look at changing the medicine, or increasing or decreasing the dosage to see if that helps.  

 Try to be with the person when they go to the doctor, because often, they can be as firm and straight with the doctor, because they may be able to fill in some details that the person was unable to relate. I have been having trouble when I go to the doctor without my mom. I have been using my supports from the agency that works with me, and it helps to have an advocate.

Until next time…
Alyssa

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Watching out for yourself.

 

Have you ever felt that someone is forcing you to be different, or do something you don’t want to do? 

When we get put in that situation, it’s best to say, “I don’t want to be involved”.   

A lot of times, though, people feel trapped if the person sounds bossy, or too firm, the other person may feel less comfortable saying “No!” Often we are going to be put in this position, so sometimes we need to practice saying “NO”, firmly.  If we don’t get to say “no” firmly, that is how we may be taken advantage of. I have experienced it, and it is not easy to get out of, once you are put in the situation.   

If you feel like people are going to be taking advantage of you, you might want to talk to someone you trust, because they will be able to give you advice on how to get out of the situation, and stay out of it.  The trick is, that we get caught up in our lives, but often don’t stand to see where we are. So, when we do, sometimes you find you are much further away than you need to be.  That’s what saying no is all about, to keep you on track. 

I know that it’s harder if you are at your job, than if you are at home, but you still always have the right to say "no."

Until next time…
Alyssa

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Focusing on what's out there.


It seems that during this Spring season, there are a lot of germs in the air, and people are getting different illnesses. 

A lot of times, people are afraid to speak out about being sick because they may hear negative responses, like " We're doing all we can." The importance about opening up about our body is to keep track of what is going on, and then to be able to notice when something's not right, like side effects of medicines. 

I got myself into a tight situation at work, after falling while working outside, and having a hard time getting up. I kept working, and tried to tell people I didn't feel well, but they didn't listen. One of my coworkers spoke up for me, and said I was serious, then they listened. 

The point I want to make is:  opening up also means to express what you are feeling with your body. People need to respect and listen because it could be serious. We also need to follow up with our doctor often to keep up with our body. 

I say that everyone, disabled or not, has a right to speak up and speak out about what is on their mind. A lot of times when people do speak up, a lot of ignorance goes on, and I want to see more people being heard,because often times families don't find out until you get hurt. 

The bottom line is that people need to open up, and the rest of us need to listen harder.


After while crocodile!

Alyssa