Changing Times
10/20/2022
The last couple of years have been tough for everyone! Many people are making changes as we adjust to new normals. I have had some significant changes myself and would like to share my plans as I come out the other side. I have kept in personal contact with clients and I want to thank so many of you for your support and care in respecting my needs while allowing me to continue to help you and your families with your animal care needs. I definitely feel the love!
Going forward I will not be taking on new patients for housecalls, but am now offering TeleConsultations to continue providing the most critical conversations around end-of-life care and planning. Please see the changes in my Services offered.
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Now for the longer explanation because I know many of you have been concerned and I want to give you an update.
I don’t think this was necessarily COVID related. If I have been infected it was mild, and my illness started long before 2020. Ten years ago last spring (2012), I developed a viral arthritis - most likely human parvovirus, though it wasn’t diagnosed at the time. This seemed to be the springboard for ongoing autoimmune conditions. I have lived a relatively healthy life, and my signs have been mild most of the time, which has been part of the challenge in getting diagnoses, but I’ll take that!
In the fall of 2019, early 2020, it became apparent that my “normal” low white blood cell count was going down into a more concerning level. Specifically, I have neutropenia — low neutrophils. In fact they call it “chronic severe neutropenia.” With the help of self advocacy and doctors who listen, the specifics of my autoimmune condition have been narrowed down (Sjogrens and “Undifferentiated connective tissue disease"-Lupus family among others.) Along with a low white blood cell count comes fatigue, aches, and other signs.
My immune system appears to be my superpower and my kryptonite and I will continue to find the balance between the two. This for me includes slowing down, reducing travel for teaching, focusing on writing, offering teleconsultations, and continuing my online self-care courses. Learning and sharing in this way is fulfilling and allows the flexibility I need and enjoy.
I did continue to teach through spring of 2022, thinking this would resolve at some point! It seems to be here to stay, so I have made these lifestyle choices to better support my personal health and continue to be available on a different level. Of course I continue to approach my health in a “wholistic” and integrative way through diet, exercise, herbs, and the wonders of modern medicine where needed.
I am no longer seeing in-person housecall appointments, but will continue to offer the important conversations and end-of-life planning that we managed through telemedicine over the pandemic. During the worst of the pandemic, I was able to continue to have these important conversations through phone calls, FaceTime, and Zoom, so this taught me that it is possible to offer some of my most important services even from a distance. I had decreased my housecalls due to teaching and travel and now I am able to teach and offer consultations from wherever I happen to be.
This new “distance” scheduling allows me to provide continuity of care from wherever I am. Family has always been a priority to me and the flexibility to be able to travel to help and visit with my Mom and sister in AZ and my now grown daughters is important as is continued travel for fun and exploration which has always been a joy.
Wishing you all wellness and contentment as we journey along in this crazy thing called life! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.
Going forward I will not be taking on new patients for housecalls, but am now offering TeleConsultations to continue providing the most critical conversations around end-of-life care and planning. Please see the changes in my Services offered.
————
Now for the longer explanation because I know many of you have been concerned and I want to give you an update.
I don’t think this was necessarily COVID related. If I have been infected it was mild, and my illness started long before 2020. Ten years ago last spring (2012), I developed a viral arthritis - most likely human parvovirus, though it wasn’t diagnosed at the time. This seemed to be the springboard for ongoing autoimmune conditions. I have lived a relatively healthy life, and my signs have been mild most of the time, which has been part of the challenge in getting diagnoses, but I’ll take that!
In the fall of 2019, early 2020, it became apparent that my “normal” low white blood cell count was going down into a more concerning level. Specifically, I have neutropenia — low neutrophils. In fact they call it “chronic severe neutropenia.” With the help of self advocacy and doctors who listen, the specifics of my autoimmune condition have been narrowed down (Sjogrens and “Undifferentiated connective tissue disease"-Lupus family among others.) Along with a low white blood cell count comes fatigue, aches, and other signs.
My immune system appears to be my superpower and my kryptonite and I will continue to find the balance between the two. This for me includes slowing down, reducing travel for teaching, focusing on writing, offering teleconsultations, and continuing my online self-care courses. Learning and sharing in this way is fulfilling and allows the flexibility I need and enjoy.
I did continue to teach through spring of 2022, thinking this would resolve at some point! It seems to be here to stay, so I have made these lifestyle choices to better support my personal health and continue to be available on a different level. Of course I continue to approach my health in a “wholistic” and integrative way through diet, exercise, herbs, and the wonders of modern medicine where needed.
I am no longer seeing in-person housecall appointments, but will continue to offer the important conversations and end-of-life planning that we managed through telemedicine over the pandemic. During the worst of the pandemic, I was able to continue to have these important conversations through phone calls, FaceTime, and Zoom, so this taught me that it is possible to offer some of my most important services even from a distance. I had decreased my housecalls due to teaching and travel and now I am able to teach and offer consultations from wherever I happen to be.
This new “distance” scheduling allows me to provide continuity of care from wherever I am. Family has always been a priority to me and the flexibility to be able to travel to help and visit with my Mom and sister in AZ and my now grown daughters is important as is continued travel for fun and exploration which has always been a joy.
Wishing you all wellness and contentment as we journey along in this crazy thing called life! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.