I’m excited about today’s guest post from The National Psoriasis Foundation. Be sure to visit their website for more information on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Each April, in honor of National Volunteer Month, the National Psoriasis Foundation recognizes it’s thousands of volunteers – people who work each day to help further the mission of the Psoriasis Foundation: to find a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and to eliminate their devastating effects through research, advocacy and education. Our volunteer network is thousands strong and working in infinite ways to help people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis lead healthy, fulfilling lives and hope for a future without their disease.

Volunteering can be an intimidating idea, but it’s not always a matter of giving hours and hours each week; sometimes it’s the smallest action that has the biggest impact. Writing a letter to your member of Congress asking for support of psoriasis legislation could be the difference between getting a bill passed in Congress or not. Speaking to your child’s class about psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis could prevent a child from being bullied because of their skin. Sharing your story on the TalkPsoriasis message board could be the encouragement another person needs to seek treatment.

Our volunteers don’t fit a common mold – besides being passionate about finding a cure. Some volunteer by creating works of art to gift the donors to their Walk to Cure Psoriasis team; others volunteer on local division committees, implementing our programming at a local level; some serve as mentors for newly diagnosed patients, struggling to make sense of the disease; and still others blog about their experience and in that way raise awareness, which is critical to our mission.

Not only do volunteers keep the mission moving, they keep the staff moving. Hearing from an 8 year old who did a penny drive in her class to help find a cure for her little brother gives us a sense of purpose; reading a volunteer’s letter to the editor explaining why psoriasis is no laughing matter can keep us in the office late on a Friday evening; seeing the photos from a support group’s visit to a Congressional office can start a flurry of PR out of our communications department. We want to find a cure for that little brother! We want psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis to be known as the serious, autoimmune diseases they are! We want Congress to recognize the need to fund research that will improve treatment options! We are thankful for our volunteers who remind us of this hundreds of times a week, in a hundred different ways.

Related Posts:

• Holidays, Chronic Illness and How to Cope
• What is Psoriatic Arthritis?
• David’s Horrible Allergic Reaction

Haven’t written a blog post in a week? Can’t get past chapter 3 in the novel you’re writing? Here’s what to do when you have writer’s block.

1. Read your favorite book or blog. Perhaps you could analyze the writing style a bit.

2. Read a book by an author who’s work is unfamiliar to you. Bonus: pick a book in a genre you don’t normally read.

3. Vacuum, knit or exercise. These always work for me. Activities like these make me feel like I’m accomplishing something, but my mind is free to wander.

4. Create an inspiration book. I bought a big sketch pad at a craft store.

Now, when I see something that inspires me, a decorating tip in a magazine, a quote in a church bulletin or even an ad for shoes I like, I paste it in my inspiration book. Flipping through it reveals that even though I decorate with a lot of red, I really like blue and white and neutral colors. It also gets my creative juices flowing.

5. Go back and reread some of your favorite pieces of your work.

6. Create a soundtrack for your writing. I have songs for a lot of the chapters and characters in the novel I’m working on. I don’t have any songs for writing about Psoriatic Arthritis, though. Hmm…

7. This is an exercise my English 1301 professor had us do, and I love it. Write continuously for ten minutes. Do not stop writing or typing at all. Go fast and furious. Write whatever comes into your head. At the end, you might just have one brilliant sentence.

8. Try a writing routine or ritual. Some writers must always write when they’re home alone while drinking a Diet Coke. Some people can only write at night. Figure out what helps you get in your groove.

9. Write something else. Write a thank you note or a short story about a funny incident from your past. Sometimes it helps if you can keep writing something.

10. Drive. I had so many ideas for my novel come to me when we drove from New Jersey to Texas last summer. At rest stops (or when David was driving) I was typing notes to myself on my iPhone since much of the drive involved areas with no coverage. I couldn’t wait to get back to writing!

What’s your best tip for beating writer’s block?

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Be sure to enter my magazine giveaway!

Today is the last day of the SITS Girls Back to Blogging Challenge sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath and Florida Builder Appliances.. Today’s assignment is to answer the question: Why do you blog?

For me, being a wife to a chronically ill husband is like being a communication device. Maybe not all men have trouble communicating, but David definitely has a hard time verbalizing his pain and suffering. It’s actually one of the most frustrating aspects of having a husband with an invisible chronic illness. I get angry when David doesn’t tell me he’s hurting. I get so upset when someone at church asks him to help move heavy furniture and he does it instead of saying, “Sorry, I can’t.” It’s like he wants to be the strong, silent type.

Part of my being a communication device is communicating with health care professionals. David got really sick at the lab one time. He went into the bathroom after they drew blood and vomited. He didn’t even tell them! Had I only been there to communicate for him, the staff would have made a notation in his chart and notified his doctor.

Also, I interpret for the doctor. When my husband says, “I’m fine,” he means he’s his usual self, which means he’s in extreme pain. I have to be there to tell the doctor, “His neck hurt too much for us to go to church on Sunday.”

David and I are so blessed to have supportive family. They all understand how bad David is. But not everyone’s family gets it. A lot of people have family members that still expect a chronically ill person to do everything the rest of the family does at Christmas and birthdays. They may even forget about things like food allergies or Celiac Disease, since those are invisible illnesses. My advice to other women caring for chronically ill husbands would be to communicate your husbands needs to your family. Remind them that you’ll be there for Thanksgiving as long as your husband doesn’t flare.

Another bit of advice I’d give wives of husbands with chronic illnesses is to be very, very careful when you talk about your husband’s illness around his co-workers, especially if it’s an invisible illness. I’m not friends with anyone David works with on Facebook, partly because I want to be free to talk about whatever is going on with David’s arthritis. Before we go to dinner with his co-workers, I always try to ask him who knows what about his condition. I would recommend asking your husband if he’s comfortable with people at work knowing he’s sick.

This is why I blog: to communicate to the world how difficult it is to live with Psoriatic Arthritis, to connect with other caregivers and people suffering from chronic illness. I blog so I can write honestly (and sometimes vent) about the challenges we face as twenty-somethings with debilitating illness, and maybe share some tips that have worked for us.

Blogging is a part of my function as a communication device. (Cue the Star Trek theme song.)

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This is quite a busy blogging week! David and I will be publishing a podcast later this week for National Chronic Invisible Illness Awareness Week. Also, it’s Back to Blogging Week over at The SITS Girls, sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath and Florida Builder Appliances.

David and I a few months before I wrote this post.

This is my first blog post. It was originally published on April 25, 2009.

I went for a physical a few weeks ago. My most dreaded day of the year. The doctor spent the entire time talking to me about David’s arthritis. He was really nice and encouraging. He had great advice, but when I got in the car afterwards, I couldn’t help but think, “Hey! That was my physical! Why were we talking about David?”

The doctor did ask me if I had any health concerns or questions about myself, but, still.
This is my first blog post. It was originally published on

Don’t get me wrong. My doctor is great. I’ve gone to him since I was in the third grade. He’s a wonderful Christian man, he’s minimally invasive and he has no problem telling me I don’t need anti-biotics. He’s obviously concerned with my mental and spiritual health, not just my physical health. I just had a self centered moment.

I feel guilty. I guess I am a little tired of talking about arthritis. Or maybe I’m jealous. Maybe I want people to ask me how I’m doing for a change. I don’t know.

His advice was to ask my pastor if he knew of another young woman in a similar situation that could talk to me. My pastor didn’t, but the doctor asked one of his patients to visit with me. She said yes, and we met for coffee. She was great! She gave me lots of encouragement. The best part was just having someone who understood what it’s like. We could totally relate to each other even though her husband’s condition was completely different. Chronic illnesses seem to have similar affects on families.

I guess that wasn’t such a bad physical.

What I like about this Post:
It was honest and raw. At that point, David was still experiencing flares that left him bedridden. I remember the relief I felt at being able to write this down.

What I would change:
I wish I would have said something about how much I hoped to meet other women caring for their husbands and other young people struggling with chronic invisible illness.
Also, I wish I could still see my doctor. He really is great. Moving to New Jersey from Texas means all new doctors.
I should have put a picture of us in the post.

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This post is a meme from ProBlogger.

*Your first post

My first blog post was about my physical. Physically, my doctor said I was fine, but he was concerned about my mental and emotional state. He encouraged me to find people my age who were dealing with chronic illness and taking care of their spouses. That physical was a catalyst for my blog.

* A post you enjoyed writing the most

Hmm…this is a tough one. I really enjoy writing them all. I guess 12 Days of Birthday because my family got a big kick out of the redneck presents.

* A post which had a great discussion

This post on The Happy Housewife’s blog about Refrigerating Eggs had very interesting comments. Apparently in England they don’t refrigerate eggs.

* A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written

This post by Kristen at We Are THAT Family is called When Jesus Isn’t Enough. It’s raw and honest, and makes me feel ashamed for whining about petty things.

* Your most helpful post

Others may disagree, but as a good OCD housewife, I think this post on Cleaning Your Keyboard is my most helpful post. Keyboards get so germy! Clean yours!

* A post with a title that you are proud of

I’m afraid I’m going to have to cheat and put two links for this answer. I’m really proud of the Urge to Procreate Rising title, but I Didn’t Kill My Husband kind of grabs people’s attention.

* A post that you wish more people had read

Any post that describes how much pain David is in would suffice. I really wish more people understood how bad his Chronic Illness is.

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Often when people learn that David has Psoriatic Arthritis, they say, “I’ve never heard of that!” So what is Psoriatic Arthritis? Psoriatic Arthritis is an auto-immune disease. That means the body is attacking itself. It is a form of arthritis. They Mayo clinic says:

Psoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects some people who have psoriasis, a serious skin condition. Most people develop psoriasis first and are later diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, but arthritis can sometimes develop before skin lesions appear.

It’s interesting to me that on WebMD’s Psoriatic Arthritis Health Center they have tabs for treatment and symptoms of course, but also one for “Emotional Toll”.

There is no cure for Psoriatic Arthritis. Symptoms include inflammation and joint pain. If you asked David what his symptoms were, he’d just say pain. Lots of pain. For David, the psoriasis is extremely mild. He didn’t even know he had psoriasis until he was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. We just thought he had dandruff on his scalp. Occasionally he’d get patches in his beard if he let it grow too thick.

For many people, the psoriasis is extremely painful. It’s like having another disease on top of the arthritis. Some people experience patches of raw or bleeding skin. So, we are very grateful that David hasn’t had to deal with anything like that. Once, right before The Weekend from H*** David had patches of psoriasis on his knees, but it was very mild.

The exact cause of Psoriatic Arthitis is still unknown, according to the Arthritis Foundation, but genetics are strongly suspected. It is believed that environmental factors also contribute to the disease.

If you asked me what Psoriatic Arthritis is, I’d say it’s a terrible disease that has changed my life. It’s debilitating and frustrating and taking some Aleve won’t cure it. That’s one of the biggest misconceptions. That David has arthritis like your Grandma got arthritis in her fingers when she was 80 and couldn’t knit any more until the doctor gave her Celebrex and now she’s doing great. It’s not the same kind of arthritis at all.

Psoriatic Arthritis is what drove me to blog and drives me to drink (Diet Coke).

For more information on Psoriatic Arthritis, check out The Arthritis Foundation’s Website.

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Today, April 25, is my one year blogging anniversary. What a year it’s been!

David’s arthritis is so much more stable now, and even my jaw is better than it was a year ago. I got a part time job. David got his Humira. We put our house on the market hoping to sell it and buy a one story so David wouldn’t have to walk up and down the stairs. We didn’t sell our house.

I drank tons of Diet Coke. David resigned as a deacon at our church. David’s job contract ended. I discovered David cannot tolerate gluten. We moved, and he started a new job in New Jersey.

I’ve had giveaways. I got flamed once. And hacked. I’ve made a lot of bloggy friends.

A lot has happened. All in all, I’d say we’re better than we were a year ago.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
A Young Wife

P.S. Be on the lookout for my upcoming review of CSN Stores. CSN’s 200+ stores offer all sorts of different things like home decor, storage, strollers, furniture, gifts and lighting. I spent quite some time selecting the item I want to review, and I think a lot of people will be interested in this product. Can’t wait to tell you all about it!

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You can follow me on Facebook here!

We’re still not sure where we’re going to live in New Jersey. We have found a rental property manager for our house here in Dallas. He was such a nice man. Our house is a disaster right now. It’s covered in boxes and we have stuff spread out all over the floor. He said, “This is a clean house. It will show really well.” Bless his heart. Just pray we find renters immediately!

Plans keep changing. First, David was going to fly up on the 28 and then start working on the 29. I would follow by car with Henry. Now, we’re thinking about driving up together the 27 and 28. Basically, all we know is that David starts to work on the 29.

David keeps telling me I’ll have so much to blog about with the move. I keep thinking, “I don’t have time to blog! I’ve got to find new doctors and a pharmacy! I’ve got to select movers and pack! And once we’re up there, how long will it take for us to get the computers unpacked and internet hooked up?” So we’ll see how much blogging I do over the next few weeks.

Poor David did too much this weekend, packing and getting ready to move. He was in a lot of pain Sunday night. I was almost asleep when I realized David should have taken his Humira shot Friday. Oops. That’s probably why he was hurting.

Here’s what’s on our to do list:

Find a place to live in New Jersey
Select movers
Get haircuts
Get oil changed, tired pressure checked
Move stuff to storage (We’re leaving a lot of things here for the time being.)
Cancel internet service
PACK

Am I forgetting something? We’re going so fast, I’m sure I am. I’m also trying to get into see my TMJD specialist before we leave. They’ve got me on a waiting list, so pray that I can see them. I don’t know if I could make it till Thanksgiving or Christmas!

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Click here to see more great Works for Me Wednesday Tips.

Different bloggers have different goals for their blogs. Some want to earn money, some want to become popular and some just want to share pictures and stories of their kids with their family.

The best blogging advice I have is to treat blogging like a job. I love blogging. It’s a really fun “job”. Here are a few things that work for me.

*Decide how much time you want to devote to your blog. In my opinion, this time should include time spent promoting your blog on Twitter, Facebook, answering emails, etc. Do you want to blog every day? Once a week? Whatever you decide, be consistent. Readers appreciate knowing how often you post.

*Network. Just like any other job, you need to network. Create a Twitter account. Comment on blogs you like. Participate in Blog Carnivals like Works for Me Wednesday and The 730/365 Declutter Challenge. Join groups like SITS. You’ll meet interesting people and you’ll get a lot of new traffic this way.

*Finally, just like any other job, you need continuing education. Seek advice. Learn about new things, such as My Blog Spark or Google Alerts.

That’s what works for me! Hope it works for you, too.

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Here’s how a good day goes for me.

1. Wake up to Henry putting his front paws and head on me. He has so much energy in the morning! Get up. Get dressed before going downstairs. Start a load of towels.
2. Let Henry outside. Fill his food and water bowls.
3. Breakfast. Check email, Facebook, Twitter, and bank accounts.
4. Let Henry back in. Straighten the house. Put away books, magazines, clothes, shoes, throw away any trash, make bed, etc.
5. Dust.
6. Clean a bathroom.
7. Move towels to dryer. Start a load of whites.
8. Lunch. Let Henry outside again. Blog and/or read other people’s blogs while eating. I also try to read the Bible online at this time. It’s kind of weird, but I’ve had a hard time figuring out when to have my quiet time since I’ve been married. This seems to work for me. I’m on the computer anyway. Might as well incorporate the Bible in there.
9. Workout.
10. Vacuum the entire house. Literally. All 2200 square feet. The tile, the wood floors. I vacuum it all.
11. Call pharmacy to order refills of David’s meds.
12. Check mail. Stack new medical bills in pile in office. Read an article in a magazine.
13. Start dinner.
14. David comes home. Dinner is ready, but he needs to take a hot bath before he can eat. Read another article and get on Facebook while I wait.
15. We eat dinner and talk. I clean up the kitchen while David plays with Henry.
16. We watch a movie. Yippee!
17. As I’m about to step in the shower. I realize we have no towels. I didn’t hear the dryer buzz because it went off while I was listening to my Ipod while working out. Unload dryer. Put whites in dryer.
18. Get ready for bed. Read a chapter of a book before turning off the lamp.
19. The dryer buzzes just as I’m falling asleep because I forgot to turn the buzzer off.

I love those days where I don’t have to go to the store, the doctor’s office, the vet or the post office. It happens maybe once a week.

Here’s how today went.

1. Wake up late. David informs me that he’s working from home today. “NOOO!!!” I moan. “I’m not going to get anything done today!” He tells me he loves me, too.
2. Take care of Henry.
3. Eat breakfast while listening to Henry bark at himself in the mirrors in our workout room. We tend to keep the door to that room shut.
4. Check email and Facebook before I have to give the office up to David so he can work. (It’s not like I don’t have my own laptop and desk.)
5. Cut coupons. Go through my coupon organizer and get rid of the expired coupons. This took a ridiculous amount of time.
6. Start a load of laundry.
7. We eat lunch. David convinces me to watch a show with him.
8. I finally realize I need to put the washed clothes in the dryer.
9. Clean up the kitchen.
10. Look through the freezer and realize I still have leftovers from David’s birthday party last October. Thow out a lot of food in freezer.
11. Make grocery list.
12. Unload dryer. Start another load.
13. Get on computer. Check four blogs. Read Bible online.
14. Get out ironing board. Iron three shirts.
15. Mother-in-law calls. She and sister-in-law #3 need to come get something from us and want to bring dinner. How can I resist?
16. Unload dryer. Start another load.
17. Make a “quick” run to the grocery store. It wasn’t as quick as I thought it would be. MIL beats me home. David has started eating the delicious Cristina’s food without me, not that I blame him.
18. After hanging out with in-laws, go to ironing board only to discover that iron is no longer working. Decide to watch a movie with David instead.
19. Shower. Pack David’s lunch for tomorrow.
20. Blog. Remember I still need to unload dryer.

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