MCS Improvements Part 7: Tolerating Markers, Pens and Papers

It's very exciting to now be able to use pretty much any pen or non-permanent marker!

I can now use sparkly pens, metallic pens, ball point pens, gel pens etc etc.
Ball point pens in particular I never thought I would be able to use again and am now totally fine with.

I'm loving all the new colours that are opening up to me.
Being able to do more artistic things is increasing my energy and improving  my mood... and it's SO healing for me!

I'm also now fine with regular paper, watercolour paper, construction paper and various coloured and craft papers!  Yay!!

 

You can view more creativity-focused posts on my blog Divinity Withinity.

Feeding The Sacred Spark

I've been thinking, for a while now, of how much I'd like to have more positive focuses in my life so I've decided to take the plunge and participate in this neat creativity challenge.
I love the art of the woman who runs CED and have been following her blog for many months, feeling inspired each time I read.  Her name is Leah Piken Kolidas and she provides monthly themes to help creative juices flow.
It's a very laid back 'challenge' and basically any participant can take part in whatever way feels right to them.

I love it!

I know how much healthier and happier I feel when I am creative and I think being part of this will motivate me to do it more often.

I've started a new blog called Divinity Withinity to be my new 'home' where I share creativity and celebrate things I enjoy - unrelated to illness.
A place to have fun, be silly, and connect with the sacred spark inside of myself - the spark that flares into a flame when in 2 situations - when I am in nature and when I am being creative.

I believe it can be healthy to break free from identifying too deeply with a label or diagnosis and this step feels like a positive one on my healing path.

So if you're a person who enjoys sharing of creativity or artsiness, please feel free to check out the new blog!  (I will still post MCS improvements in this blog.)

What are some non-MCS related positive things that are in focus in your life?
I'd love it if you shared in the comments area. 
☺

please note: the new blog will have photos so for dial up users, it may be slow to load.  I've tried to keep this MCS blog low on photos and videos for that very reason but I really want to celebrate on the creativity blog by sharing photos.  I apologise for any inconvenience it may cause.

MCS Improvements Part 6: Tracking Over 3 Months (3 dentist appts)

I had a neat opportunity to track improvements recently.

In 3 months, I went to the dentist 3 times - with each visit almost exactly one month apart.

The dentist is a number of hours away and each trip in total took over 8 hours at the shortest.

on the last 2 visits, I also went out for lunch at the same restaurant after the dentist.


I found it much easier to assess the level and rate of improvement with those visits compared to somewhere I go once or twice a week around town.

Exposures:

same hours long drive there

in same newer, smelly vehicle

inhaling the same exhaust fumes

walking through the same parking garage,

air freshenered elevator,

cleaning producted bathroom,

chemical-filled dentist office,

scented serving person, carpeted restaurant

eating the same delicious but non-organic food

same hours long drive home

in same newer, smelly vehicle

inhaling the same exhaust fumes

Reactions:

with each trip my reactions were WAY less than the one before, my recovery time was faster (with trip 3 recovery time being none at all really because I pretty much didn't react all day!)

I should put that in it's own sentence.

I am improving fast enough that although Trip 1 felt like hell and Trip 2 still felt like an ordeal (though not a hellish one), Trip 3 produced pretty much NO negative reactions and therefore didn't require any recovery time.

 I was slightly tired a bit after eating which happens to me anyway when I digest a large meal.  I still disliked the various things I smelled but did not physically or cognitively react to them.

I also hade slightly sore shoulders which came up about 2 hours after getting home.

After finally washing perfume and etc fumes out of my hair that went away.

If someone had told me 3 years ago that this would ever be possible for me, I would not have believed them.

In Other Improvement News:

In other news, going out to stores, malls, etc with no mask is now the norm for me.  I carry a mask in case I need to use a washroom that is ridiculously air freshenered but rarely use it.
The reactions from those 'out in public' places are lessening steadily and recovery time is almost instant after getting home.
It used to be that recovery time couldn't even start until I had showered and changed into clean clothing but now it begins the second I am in cleaner air.

Interview: Julie Laffin - Performance Artist with MCS

I am very happy to bring you this interview with Julie Laffin, an extraordinary performance artist (who also happens to have MCS).  I first heard of Julie's work on the old Planet Thrive site a number of years ago and was captivated.  I think you will enjoy viewing photos of various pieces on her website at www.JulieLaffin.com

My questions are in blue and Julie's answers are in dark red.


Thank you Julie for participating in this interview.  How did you first become involved in performance art?

I was very interested in various artistic mediums and could not seem to settle into one of them exclusively.  Having a strong interest in both performing and visual arts, I began to merge film, theater, sculpture and photography while in college.  Instead of using actors or models in my work, I often used myself as a subject.  When I read a book about 1970s feminist performance art called the "Amazing Decade" a light bulb went off in my head.  At that moment I began defining myself as a performance artist. That was in 1984.

What are some of your favourite things about performance art?

The contact with a live audience and the fact that the work is born in front of the viewer has been a driving force in my artmaking.  The associated inherent risks in that dynamic has always been both terrifying and rewarding.  Because performance art is a flexible ever-expanding form it lends itself well to innovation and is very much open to be redefined at any moment.  It could be argued that performance art can be traced back to prehistoric cultures in the form of tribal ritual, music and dance but I think the modern incarnation of it still feels new and is in fact rapidly evolving as new technologies enter the picture.  I see our ancestors blowing paint through reeds onto the walls of the caves at Lascaux as representing a lineage that still exists today and is somehow connected to technologically sophisticated image projections.  I find that very exciting.

Have you found your art healing or balancing in any ways?

Yes, being immersed in projects allows me to have psychological space and to let go of being excessively focused on my illness.  My work gives my life direction and meaning.  It gives me the joy and satisfaction that comes with doing my authentic life's work.

Is there anything that you learned in your artistic career that has translated into a useful skill for dealing with life with a chronic health condition?

Because making art demands a lot of focus and solitude, I realized when I got sick that I already have a high tolerance for isolation that I don't think most people have.  It has helped me with the extreme isolation that comes with being severely environmentally ill.  Not to confuse matters but I was a very social person and had many social relationships with friends and colleagues.  However, when push came to shove I was able to embrace solitude when I was forced to.



Do you have any suggestions or words of encouragement for other artists who have MCS?

It's extremely important to only work in ways that do not further jeopardize health.  That said, an important thing for me has been to allow other people to help me and to be willing to reinvent myself.  My early work was extremely materials intensive and always involved a live audience.  I worked with huge amounts of fabrics, dyes, and at times metals and paints but these are no longer options for me and I would not want to subject others to working with them either at this point.  Since childhood, I was a very passionate sewist which has been the hardest thing to give up.  In addition to making gigantic gowns for performances, I made some of my own clothing.  Aside from being too traumatized to make any art for a few years when I first got sick, giving up sewing garments, ordinary or extraordinary, has been my biggest creative loss.  But I force myself to focus on what I can do and right now I can use video, photography and virtual media and at this moment it feels like more of an opening, an invitation to try new things rather than a limitation.

Has having MCS brought any gifts or expansions to you artistically?

Yes.  Before I became ill my performances were mostly solo.  Now they are almost exclusively collaborative.  I am extremely grateful to have amazing people to work with, particularly Clover Morell, Stephen Bottoms and Claire Geall Sutton who have all found ways to accommodate my illness in order to preserve and expand our artistic and personal relationships.  Because of them I have been able to produce performance work.  Also, when I was in Snowflake last year I had MCS friends there helping me make photos: Julie Genser, Melinda and Marsha Honn.  I created a small body of photographic work with a performative base that would not have been possible without their assistance.  Not being able to do live work in front of an audience has forced me to reconsider technology and my recent performances have been accomplished through the use of live feed video.  This is a conceptual shift for me that seems significant and full of potential for future work.  I'm taking a performance workshop in Chicago right now via skype because, gratefully, the other participants are willing to make it work.

Also, Clover Morell and I have rehearsal/studio time when we collaborate via skype with the intention of developing future work.  I was recently skyped into an art theory class at the School of the Art Institute to talk about performance art and how I am using new technologies in a simple way to give myself presence.  Another artist gave the talk and I was there to be part of the dialogue and provide an actual example of someone producing work using this strategy.  I feel very grateful that my EMF sensitivity is not severe enough to limit my ability to use computer technology.  I know others do not have this option and my heart goes out to them. The internet and video conferencing have in some ways given me my life back.

Is there any particular performance that you dream of doing one day?

Yes, but I'm keeping it a secret.  It's been a dream since I conceived the piece in 1994 and I'm fearful of talking it out of existence.  It's probably superstitious on my part but it's happened before.  I will let you know if and when it happens, but I will say, it is very low tech and involves nature and no technology.

Do you have any stories to share of people being unexpectedly supportive or kind to you (as a person or as an artist) since you acquired MCS?

Yes, it has happened many times.
One poignant example for me was when my friend Steve Bottoms visited me in Snowflake.  He lives in Leeds (England) but came to Chicago to do a lecture and made a special trip to Arizona to see me in July of 2008.  Even though he had gone through an elaborate accommodation ritual with personal care products before he arrived I was still not able to tolerate the residual fragrance on his hair and skin.  Over the course of our three day visit in rural Arizona, he took many steps on my behalf: leaving his car a half a block from my little rental house, removing his usual shoes and clothes and donning a towel, sealing up his wallet and keys in plastic bag, wearing his contact lenses instead of plastic framed glasses, taking several baths including bathing in baking soda, wearing my husband's clothes, and eventually shaving his beard and head because after all these steps I was still reacting to a trace of fragrance in his hair.
Being artists, we captured most of this process on video and are making a performance about it.

Also, because of the willingness of Clover Morell and Claire Geall Sutton and staff to accomodate my illness, I have been able to continue my curatorial role in Site Unseen, an annual art exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center.  This has been my lifeline and their kindnesses are too numerous to itemize.  Also, my husband has changed his whole life to help me.



Those are wonderful stories Julie!  Thank you. I look forward to the performance you and Steve are making about that experience!


Is there anything else you would like to share?

I still plan on getting well and am excited about how regaining my health will inform my work when it happens.  It gives me hope and a future to look forward to.




Thank you so much Julie for agreeing to be interviewed!  I really appreciate what you have shared and am very inspired by the way you have adapted your approach to allow you to continue your passion after the onset of Environmental Illness/MCS.

If you'd like to read more, there is an excellent, in-depth article done in 2003 here and you can visit Julie's website to view photos of various performances.  :-)

Celebrating MCS Improvements Part 5: Healing Faster and Faster!

My improvements are happening very fast now.

Every week I seem to have things I can tolerate (or am reacting less to) that I could not just one week before. It's so exciting!

I have now had a number of weeks in a row where I have gone in public with no mask for hours at a time each week - often twice a week - and each time my reactions are less and less!

Last week I went for a medical appointment/exam in a regular clinic that took over 90 minutes total (including wait time) with no mask, then shopping for over 2-3 hours afterwards.
I did take a blanket for over the exam table and asked for a disposable paper robe instead of laundered one.  I was bothered most by the flourescent lights - far more than by chemicals.
My reactions while out were mild and I recovered as fast as it took me to shower after getting home.

I recently went ot Walmart without a mask (something I thought would never happen).
It was not a pleasant experience but far better than it would have been in the past.  I have been to Zellers (for non-Canadians that is like a small version of Walmart - not quite as stinky but still awful) many times maskless now and am fine.  Haven't yet done harware stores.

Yesterday I was in various grocery stores for 2 hours, then in a MALL, amidst the holiday shopping craziness, for about an hour and a half, all with no mask.
I came home, showered, ate and was well enough to go out to a cafe that was having free tarot readings!

With these outings I get slight sore throat and slight brain fog and sometiems some fatigue but it all passes so fast and is SO mild compared to how it used to be. I used to have more symptoms than those and far worse. A few years ago an outing maskless even a fraction of that length would have had me sick for weeks or more. And each time I did one would have taken longer to recover.

My favourite thing is being able to smile at people :-)
:-)

Touch For Health Experience

Today I had my first session with a healer who just completed level 1 Touch For Health. I have the opportunity to be a volunteer client for a number of sessions.

I have never done Touch For Health (T4H for short) before though I do some Eden Energy Medicine on my own that has a number of similarities.  I hadn't known what to expect.

It ended up being a very positive experience!

The focus today was my body being in harmony with the food I eat.  It's too soon to say what effect T4H has had  on that issue but by the end of the session I was feeling really good.
Positive, energised and strong!

The session was done in my home and shortly after it, I was listening to music and suddenly was filled with energy and just had to get up and dance.  I was feeling so good that I started laughing!
A few minutes into the song, I realised that I was dancing normally (and vigorously) even though I have had a hurt foot that's had me limping for days.  I tested out the foot and discovered there was no pain left!  It had been hurting at the start of the T4H session but less than 90 minutes later, the pain was totally gone!  Very exciting and I'm happy to be able to dance again.

I danced with much more energy than usual and am still feeling energised and happy almost an hour later.

If any readers have tried T4H I would love to hear your experiences.

~

In other news, I am working on getting an interview up on the blog with the inspiring performance artist Julie Laffin (who just happens to also have MCS) and have been working on some holiday season crafts including making a fabric 'xmas' tree that will hang on the wall.
Hope to have posts on those things soon!

I hope you are all keeping as warm and cozy as possible.
:-)

Constitutional Homeopathy Update

For the past 10.5 months I've been trying constitutional homeopathy for MCS and overall health.

So far there are some really dramatic results - for the good.
There have been some old symptoms brought up and as I keep taking the remedy, I move through them and feel that my body is finally healing those issues - instead of just shoving them under the carpet and adding more symptoms as happened most of my life!

Constitutional homeopathy is highly specific and it is my belief that results depend on having a homeopath who is skilled and conscientious.
What I like best about this approach is that, "Constitutional prescribing is also aimed at eventual cure of the patient, not just suppression or relief of immediate symptoms."

Quote taken from this article on constitutional homeopathy. 

I was lucky enough to get in as a client of a 4th year homeopathy student at a very low price and have stayed on with her since she has graduated.

There have been some great physical improvements (improved MCS all round is the best one) and a number of very profound emotional and spiritual differences.
My very mind set about some things has changed in ways I would have thought impossible.

One thing that has had a profound impact on me has been a shift in what time I feel like getting up in the morning.   It used to feel torturous to get up any time before 9am (often any time before 10am).  Now I wake up every day at around 5am, naturally, open the curtains so my body can sense that natural shift of light when dawn hits and go back to sleep until about 7am.  And wake up, almost always before my alarm, feeling pretty alert and rested.  At 7am!
7:00 a.m.
normal to many people, totally strange for me!


I used to never feel rested no matter how much I slept.  I'd be dragging myself out of bed out of guilt or knowing how much worse insomnia would be the next night if I slept in further.

I used to need at least 9 hours of sleep to feel halfway human and now I can get anywhere between 7 and 8.5 hours and feel fine - often good!



I am going to have an appointment with the homeopath to try and figure out a remedy to take acutely when migraines happen.

I've got my fingers crossed!
:-)

Got Brain? Fun & Free Games to Improve Cognitive Function!

Do you ever avoid doing something that you know would be good for you because it's not enjoyable?

 

I know I do!  ☺

I'd like to share 2 sites that have fun games to improve brain function/health.

Both of these sites have many games that can be played for free.

Best of all, they are FUN!

At Fit Brains, there are more than 20 scientifically designed brain games designed to target all five major cognitive areas of brain function and keep your brain "healthy and sharp".  Almost all of them can be played for no cost. ☺  Although Fit Brains always asks if you'd like to sign up for a free account, it's entirely optional and when the little window pops up, you can select the 'Play Without Tracking' button to play the games without signing up. A free account allows you to track your progress, have brain games adapt to you and challenge your friends.

At Lumosity, although they also have more than 20 games, only the 'featured games' shown at the top can be played without signing up for a free account.  A window may pop up asking you to sign up for an account but if you hit the X in the upper right corner of the pop up window, you can then play the game without signing up.  Once again there are games you can play without signing up or paying.  A free account allows you to save your scores and compare scores with others.

Lumosity games are organised by what brain function they help hone.

For those interested in reading more about how our awesome brains can change and heal, there is literature on those 2 sites above and there is an excellent blog called Brain Leaders and Learners.

Have fun!

p.s. in my opinion, having fun is an absolutely necessary ingredient for healing!

☺

Do you know of any other free resources for building or improving brain function?

If so, please share them in the comments section!

I'd also love to hear if you have a favourite brain game from either of those sites.

Thanks!