Reflecting on My First Year

On November 17th, 2020, I was approached to be a writer for this restless legs syndrome (RLS) community, and before Christmas that year, I was hired. This was a super big deal for me because, in January 2013, I was fired for being sick because I was no longer deemed dependable and my work no longer wanted to cooperate with me. It was a huge punch in the gut because they were responsible for why I ended up becoming undependable.

Then, in 2020, I was being hired because of my illnesses – what a turn of events. I used to just share my health journey on social media, but now I get to share it with a fabulous community in a safe place.

Getting my RLS diagnosis was validating

In June of 2020, I had a sleep study done because of a breathing issue I was having (turns out, it wasn't the cause of said issue) and was officially diagnosed with mild RLS and very mild obstructive sleep apnea.

I was happy to have the official diagnosis of RLS because it's been something I have suffered with since I was around 9 or 10 years old and was told it was just "growing pains".

I have been repeatedly dismissed about my health conditions and told by family and doctors that it was all in my head, so having the official diagnosis was huge; it truly is validating.

A surprise sleep apnea diagnosis

Getting the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea was a surprise and not something I expected. I thought I just suffered from insomnia because of all my various pains. I have another sleep study pending because of my heart issues, so I hope it sheds more light on what's going on and that I can finally begin treatment after that.

I also have an upcoming appointment with my ENT about the stones in my salivary glands, but I will talk to him about the obstructive sleep apnea in case it's caused by something like my tonsils or how my tongue rests in my mouth as I sleep.

Finding support in online communities

I have very much enjoyed our RLS community and am also a community member of the endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and insomnia communities. A couple of months ago, I was asked to write for the sleep apnea community, which I gladly accepted.

My support system

Having these communities is almost all the support I have. I had to cut out 3 of my family members from my life, just leaving me with my dad as a support system.

All of my friends stopped being my friends when my health took a major dive after having my gallbladder removed; they got tired of me having to always make rain checks and rarely being able to do anything with them. My mother-in-law is also a member of my support system, as she has multiple sclerosis (MS) and knows all too well what it's like being a spoonie.

I don't know what my future holds for me, but I am really happy where I am in life right now. I love my job so much and the communities I have found because of it.