Vacation Pictures from My Surgery

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted on Fashionably ill ®.  BUT that doesn’t mean things weren’t happening the past few weeks:

• If you’re on my listserv, I emailed you NBC’s article on me–NBC Asian America interviewed me about life and mental health and chronic pain advocacy work. (If you’re not yet receiving my newsletter, you can subscribe here.)
• You can read my latest article in The Huffington Post about anosognosia, paranoid schizophrenia, and HR 2646–I interviewed some amazing people for this article including experts and resilient people with lived experiences.

Chronic Illness Doesn’t Take a Vacation

Just because chronic illness doesn’t take a vacation, doesn’t mean you can’t have one.  As you know, I believe in taking the vacation to the hospital (see Top 10 Ways to “Vacationize” Your Hospital Visit or Inpatient Stay).  In the past 8 years since I’ve gotten myasthenia gravis, I have taken one vacation.  Being sick is a full time job–then too, if you have a job (the kind where you paid), your vacation days are often spent in doctors offices.  Last month, I had surgery on my right leg.  These are pictures taken before the surgery–of course, we didn’t take any during the procedure!  And I did not feel like taking any afterwards.  I felt a little discombobulated.

Cloudy Day or Tropical Vacation?

On the long ride to the hospital, there was a lot of traffic, which is to be expected.  I took this picture wearing a lei while listening to El DeBarge’s Rhythm of the Night.  Anyone remember this song?

Fish

For the first time, I noticed this large fish tank on the third floor.  The children’s section of the hospital was near the department I was in.  I guess the fish tank and art work in primary colors is meant to cheer up children and make the hospital seem less scary. Although now that I think of it, colorful art work and fish are also good for adults. Adults get scared too.

Where to Get a Lei 

Want to vacationize your next hospital visit or stay?  You can get a pack of a dozen leis for $10 here on Amazon from Mahalo Leis Floral.

Come See Me in Birmingham, Alabama!

Up next in coming attractions, I’ll be at the Minority Mental Health Summit in Birmingham, Alabama.  I’ll be speaking on July 14th.  You can buy tickets here.  Dior Vargas, who I previously interviewed here on Fashionably ill ® about mental health and Latinos, is one of many prominent mental health advocates, who will also be speaking.

–Your Stylist,  Jessica Gimeno