My Writing Portfolio

I have been diving into the freelance writing ocean waters and I have enjoyed all of the experiences that I have learned so far. I am so happy that I was able to find a job that I am able to do in the comfort of my own home.

I was sad that I am still not able to work outside my home, and I had hoped that by the end of my college program I would be able to work at least part-time outside the home. However, I have learned that my body is not ready for that kind of endeavor.

So please view my profile, and this is a small amount of work that I have done, and I am still waiting for my main domain name to finish the setup process and I can put my portfolio on there.

Nicole Leon's Portfolio

Daily Trials

I must say that each day is a difficult trial to endure. With being in so much physical pain all of the time, it gets difficult to handle all that life has to offer and challenge me with on a regular basis.

I have been learning that I need to continue to persevere each day and at times I may cry because things can get so difficult and I feel alone while going through things.

I have had Fibromyalgia for over 10 years and I still hope for a cure in the next 5-10 years however I need to find more ways to cope with the challenges that I have now to the best of my abilities.

I feel as if I have run out of options of what affordable therapies I can try out and that can get a bit frustrating. So what am I to do?

I am pain all day and all night...I feel that I should have a break of the pain and the symptoms that I battle with by now.

So what do you do to cope? Leave a comment.

In Pain Today

I am in a lot of pain today and I am just trying to hang in there the best that I can do. I have had Fibromyalgia for over 9 years now and I must say that at times when I think about my life, I must say that I was not expecting this to happen in my life. If someone were to tell me that I would be chronically ill in my future, I would have never believed them.

I must say that it is difficult to cope with it and battle with the loneliness that comes with it too. I do try to keep myself as busy as I can so that I will not think about it however there are times when I do not have anything to do and the lonely feelings start to creep in along with the depressive state.

I am indeed trying my hardest to provide for myself and I hate that I do not have good health insurance to be able to try the therapies that I would love to try. A fellow Twitter friend of mine mentioned about trying Chiropractic therapy and believe me I have heard of it ages ago however I am not able to afford it. Even with a free consultation more than likely they will not do anything until you pay for the services. I have been working on trying raise the money to be able to afford other therapies to help myself. I pay for my YMCA membership which takes care of my Aquafit classes, along with Yoga and Pilates classes.

I am trying to afford to get weekly massage therapy but I will need to get another writing job to do that. I have been trying to find more work but the competition is fierce to get a blogging job so I will need to find some other resources that may have some additional work that I can do from home.

Doctors Just Don't Understand

I went to my doctor today to get a referral to another department. I made sure that I brought all that I needed to read as I always have to wait for awhile even with my appointment. So I sat there and everyone was looking at me with my huge book that I was reading and marking up with my highlighter. I have been going through the Writer's Market 2009 directory to help me with getting my name out as a writer.

So I saw my doctor and I noticed that I gained a bit of weight and I have been working out more seriously for the last three weeks or so and then my doctor told me to stop doing the Aquafit classes as he said that I would not lose any weight doing that and for me to do running and jogging. I looked at him like he was crazy! There is no way in my physical condition that I would be able to do that type of exercise. I would end up in the hospital if I tried to do that stuff which I have experienced that before. So I decided to ignore my doctor's advice on fitness as I am the only one who knows what is best for my body at this point. The Aquafit class has helped me a lot with reducing my pain and I get a fantastic workout in that class. I rather jog in the pool and do the weights in the pool as the resistance is more intense. I noticed that I have grown stronger too since I have been doing the weights and I sleep better. The only advice that I will be taking from my doctor is to walk more. I have been trying to do that but after about 15 minutes of walking, my back hurts and then I experience shooting pain from my back to my legs, and it makes it hard for me to walk or move around.

The pain clinic told me that I should get to working out in the pool and it would help me in losing weight. So you see the difference in advice from the doctors? Anyway all I can do is try and keep going. I have been working out in the pool twice a week and I am trying to get up to three to four times a week. I eat healthy and organic produce daily. I do need to add more grilled fish to my diet. I eat a lot of ground flaxseed in my fat free yogurt with fresh blueberries and I eat that about three to five times a week. I do not eat fried foods, processed foods, pasta, or carbs.

So I have to remember that it will take time to for me to lose the weight. I have lost a bit of weight and then I gained a bit of weight again. I believe that my body will build muscle first and then I will lose the weight? I need to research that more.

Anyway I have trouble with getting my doctors to listening to me and sometimes I wonder why I still have to go to these appointments but I need my medications and any further assistance with any additional problems that I am going through.

Whoa Lyrica Whoa!

I went to the doctor yesterday for more help as always and in most cases I am disappointed with the care that I receive and no I am not able to just get a new doctor as I receive coverage through a county hospital. My doctor gave me some samples of Lyrica, and I was just so happy that he had them. So anyway I started taking them right away. So far between the med I have for my headaches and then Lyrica I have been sleeping so much hehe. It is fine, as I do manage to get things done in one form or another.

Fibromyalgia is a difficult disease to tackle though but I am going to hang in there the best that I can.

Are You in Pain Today?

I have had this question asked of me by many others at times I wonder if they ever have listened to word that I have told them, or read the websites and pamphlets that I have given them? I believe that there is truly a learning curve when it comes having a basic compassion and understanding of others. I remember one old friend of mine, and I say old as I am not sure if he is my friend anymore as I have not heard from him in months. So he would always ask me everytime that we talked, "Are you in pain today?" Well with Fibromyalgia more than likely there will be pain on a daily basis at most. It has been a constant battle for myself for over 8 years now. I have been in pain every single day of my life for the last 8 years. To ask if I am in pain today is hurtful and quite stupid if you ask me. I would never ask someone who is suffering through pain if they are in pain today, the better question would be, "How are feeling today? or do you feel a little better today?" Anyway is there anyone out there that understands how I feel or has battled with something difficult as chronic pain that no one else can see or feel but you? Please do leave me a comment.

Update on me Sunday June 1, 2008

I am not feeling too bad as I just got out of the shower and felt really relaxed and such. I wanted to soak in the tub but I feared that I might have difficulty getting out of the tub which can be considered to be quite dangerous. Do you know what I mean? So I am just relaxing and working on my writing until I get a tad sleepy.