Can’t Blog? So What’s a Blogger To Do?
We‘ve all heard of the blogging mantra to write often and regularly. It has become a blogging maxim, a common law so to speak for serious bloggers who want to create a thriving blog community and rank well with the SERPs (search engine results page). So in consideration of this fact you might have been wondering why BLOGBloke (who gives tips about blogging) has not been blogging all that much?
Well besides tinkering with the theme there has been something else far more insidious that has kept me from the keyboard .. and that is I am suffering from a degenerative arthritis condition called DISH (Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis) and chronic muscular-skeletal fibromyalgia-like pain symptoms. It is especially painful in the winter, and as soon as the rains started again I have been in constant agony.
I‘m suffering with other things that are keeping me popping the pain killers but I‘m not going to mention it because I haven‘t the strength to write it all down. But I wll say most of my pain is from the shoulders up (although the lower back ain‘t all that great either). Stiff neck, sore painful shoulders, wrists, fingers, headaches, and more recently chronic pain in my jaws and gums which are especially troublesome. So for these reasons I‘m keeping this post short and sweet.
1. Take lots of breaks from blogging. In the good ole days I could blog for hours. There were days when I could sit for 12 hours or more forgetting to eat and only getting up to visit the boys room. When I was practicing law (and if I was especially busy) I could work three days without sleep if I really had to. But those days are behind me now. So getting up from the computer for a change of venue helps.
2. Stretching. I‘ve been learning some stretching techniques from my therapist that help to relax the muscles and increase flexibility. I‘m trying my best to discipline myself to take regular stretching breaks but I usually forget until the pain reminds me it‘s time for a break. I know I shouldn‘t wait until the pain gets that bad but when I get engrossed on the computer I lose track of time. I even set up software that regularly reminds me to take a break from the computer but I tend to just ignore it. That‘s not a smart thing to do when you‘re in my condition.
3. Exercise. Now that the rainy season has arrived it‘s not that easy to go out for a walk like I could in the summer. Because someone stole my car it‘s not convenient for me to join an exercise club either. So I tend to not get much exercise in the wintertime. That‘s an issue that I haven‘t yet resolved.
4. Mornings are the worst for me because my arthritic neck gets stiff overnight, sometimes giving me a headache when I wake up or foggy brain syndrome (no it‘s not altzheimers .. or at least I hope not). The stiff neck is worse in winter when the rains arrive so I wear a turtleneck when I sleep to keep the neck warm and snuggy. It helps a little.
5. Long, hot Showers can help. No, I‘m not talking about showering with someone else (although that might also have its benefits). With the water as hot as I can stand it, I let it pour over the back of my head and shoulders for about 10 minutes. Ahh!
6. I‘ve resorted to tweeting more than blogging because it is obviously easier to write 140 characters than it is for 500 words or more. I hate to admit this but it‘s true, and it has been born out of necessity rather than any desire on my part .. because I‘m a hard-core blogger and always will be. You might have noticed that I included a tweet menu in the right-hand sidebar to keep the content flowing and Google happy between blog posts.
7. Therapy. I‘m currently getting massage therapy and more recently seeing an Osteopath Dr.
So I was wondering how many of you might have disabilities that keep you from blogging, or make blogging particularly difficult and how you manage to cope. Perhaps you might even have some tips that will help us to cope better and rise above our disabilities so that we can all be better bloggers.
Or maybe you‘re feeling defeated and need some support or there‘s something else that‘s been preventing you from blogging. Either way I want to hear from you. In the mean time I think I‘ll head on over to the couch where it‘s a little more comfy. But knowing me I won‘t be gone for long.
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Sorry to hear that you are having health issues. Have you tried using voice recognition software. These are designed for people with issues such as those you are having.
I have previously had reactions to some medication I was taking a few years ago.
Do you eat anything with artificial sweeteners and aspartame, I have found that eating anything that contains that substance gives me major joint issues especially in my left wrist. Once I eliminated it, I have no issues with joint pain, isn’t that shocking.
Anyway, maybe there is something you are eating that makes these conditions worse. Try eating fresh foods with chemicals too, this may help you. Just writing from my own experiences really.
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@Beauty and Health etc, I never heard of artificial sweeteners causing joint pain before. I use Splenda because I’m diabetic and just recently switched to Stevia. Are there any studies on the subject you know of? I’ve used Dragon Naturally Speaking before and it works good. Where I live it’s too expensive to buy organic fruits and vegetables .. unfortunately.
Thanks for the info!
..BB
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Well, my father is diabetic (Type 2) and has many other health issues besides that. Now, he uses his diabetes medicines and actually still has sugar, sparingly. He has been diabetic for over 10 years now. He has learned to manage it well, considering. I do not allow him to drink any of those artificial sweetener drinks or anything with artificial sweeteners.
On to me, I had to see a Rheumatologist at the Hospital as I was suffering from excruciating pain. When I used to eat chewing containing sweeteners everyday I used to get really thirsty, then I worked as a Medical Secretary and couldn’t type as my wrist felt like it was going to drop off. I wore a wrist brace for months, but had to stop because the fibre kept irritating my skin and bringing me out in a rash. I waited about three months to see the Rheumatologist, then the pain had subsided by the time my appointment came.
I started to watch closely what I ate and through a process of elimination, I was able figure out that whenever I had anything containing sweetener in it, I had this joint pain, I can only describe it as a knawing ache, particularly in my left wrist. I was in a car crash a few years ago and this didn’t help matters. Anyway, I don’t eat anything with sweetener in it anymore. Those things have been off my menu for years and I watch the ingredients of things I eat very closely for them. Besides, the continuous sweet taste stays in my mouth for ages. I started eating those sugar-free chewing gums when I was about 16, I’m in my thirties now. It’s a long time to be eating that junk.
As far as your fruit and vegetables are concerned, you can get a fruit and vegetable wash to get rid of some of the chemical residue on the outisde of the fruit, particularly those waxy apples. My neighbour has an apple tree which she grew with no chemicals and you would be surprised at how different they feel from apples drenched in chemicals.
Maybe you could try growing a few fruit and veg. I am a bit of a gardener, but no expert.
The website below may be of interest to you. It is written by a Medical Doctor. I posted the link because you asked me for info.
http://www.sweetpoison.com/articles/1009/making_life_sweet_splenda.html
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@Tonia, thanks for the info. I only use Splenda in my morning coffee (2 cups per day) and don’t drink anything else besides green tea and water.
If you don’t eat sweeteners then do you use sugar or just nothing at all? I’ve been looking at packaging labels more closely and I’m appalled that almost everything that’s packaged today is loaded with sugar.
That’s not good for us diabetics (type 2).
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@BLOGBloke,
Yes, I use sugar. I have eaten sugar all my life. I have no fillings and have only ever been to a dentist about 7 times. Neither am I overweight.
As I stated before, I do not eat anything with artificial sweeteners. I would actually rather starve than eat them. If there was no other choice but artificial sweeteners, I would go without.
I am appalled that mostly all foods now come with sugar AND artificial sweeteners. Why is this needed?
Besides, sugar is nowhere near as bad for you as those genetically engineered ingredients such as artificial sweetener.
However, in general, people who are diabetic should avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners in general.
The best way to give up these things is to wean yourself off them slowly. I used to eat about 4-5 chocolate bars a day from when I was a teenager (13/14). Once I knew we had type 2 diabetes in the family, I started to cut down until I could go for months without any chooclate at all. It’s really all about self control, you know.
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Tonia (@blogbloketips) reply on November 22nd, 2009 8:39 pm:
BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on November 19th, 2009 9:38 pm:
@Tonia, I too have diabetes and so I took to growing my own fruit and veg about 2 years ago to cut down on chemicals and GM compounds. I love my veg patch and my fruit seem to taste so much different when they are grown organically. Just a thought, I will never go back to buying purchased fruit and veg unless I am unable to stoop down to dick up my own
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NicheMaster101 (@blogbloketips) reply on January 17th, 2010 5:18 am:
Tonia (@blogbloketips) reply on November 19th, 2009 8:40 pm:
BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on October 23rd, 2009 9:56 pm:
I just re-read this and I meant to say “try eating fresh foods WITHOUT chemicals…”
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@Beauty and Health etc .. yes, I gathered that
Btw, do you have a name that I can call you besides your keywords?
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@BLOGBloke,
Yes, call me Tonia. What’s yours?
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Hi Tonia .. you can call me Bloke ;-).
The reason I ask is my TOS states I don’t allow just keywords for a name. This blog is constantly being barraged by spammers who only leave comments to game the search engines and for backlinks.
I want real people with real comments and because I was impressed with your helpful thoughts I didn’t want to put you into that category. So now you know why I asked and I have a name that I can call you by.
Thanks Tonia for your comments and please drop by again. Cheers!
..BB
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@BLOGBloke,
It’s understandable, spammers are everywhere on the Internet. It gets a bit tiresome after a while.
I actually read your blog off and and on from time to time, but I never posted before now.
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Tonia (@blogbloketips) reply on November 22nd, 2009 8:44 pm:
BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on November 19th, 2009 9:27 pm:
Beauty and Health etc (@blogbloketips) reply on November 19th, 2009 8:45 pm:
BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on October 23rd, 2009 9:59 pm:
Hope you’ll get well soon!
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Hi BB, Hope you’ll get well soon!
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@digizmo .. thanks, I really appreciate it.
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BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on October 23rd, 2009 11:46 pm:
blogging usually takes a huge toll on the blogger
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@kharagpur .. amen to that
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BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on October 24th, 2009 2:56 am:
Hmmm, it’s good to see that you still post although your in pain. I also know someone who has a similar problem, so I understand it.
Anyway keep up the good work and looking forward to your future posts.
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@Teen Blogger, thanks for the words of encouragement.
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BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on October 26th, 2009 3:11 pm:
I hope good things are coming your way. Sounds like the cold is getting to you. I’m sorry to hear about all this.
You know where it stays warm all year….. Nice thing about blogging, you can do it anywhere!!
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@Teri .. are you saying you got room for a blogging bloke?
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BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on October 26th, 2009 3:12 pm:
Sorry to hear you are suffering form this. I suffered from this also and just found out this year that I am allergic to Gluten…go figure. I have cut it completely out of my diet and am doing much better…could you possibly have a food allergy that may be contributing to your pain? I didn’t think I had one, but I did. I hope you feel better.
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@Baby, thanks. I don’t think it’s allergy related but who knows. For some reason my body is producing too much calcium which could be a result of inflammation.
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BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on November 15th, 2009 7:52 pm:
I saw an article where they studied back pain with three groups of people. One group did nothing, the second did casual exercise and the third did more thorough exercises. The group that did more serious exercises had less pain. Maybe you could just get some hand weights and develop your own routine without a club.
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@Doug, my main issue is neck-related and stretching exercise helps.
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BLOGBloke (@blogbloketips) reply on November 15th, 2009 7:55 pm:
I will tell you one thing I know for sure, this is blog headquarters. David
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New Post from BLOGBloke: What Can Bloggers Do When We Can No Longer Blog? http://bit.ly/qCp57
I just re-read this and I meant to say "try eating fresh foods WITHOUT chemicals…" http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
[…] Can’t Blog? So What’s a Blogger To Do? www.blogbloke.com/bloggers-can-not-blog – view page – cached We’ve all heard of the blogging mantra to write often and regularly. It has become a blogging maxim, a common law so to speak for serious bloggers who want to create a thriving community and rank… (Read more)We’ve all heard of the blogging mantra to write often and regularly. It has become a blogging maxim, a common law so to speak for serious bloggers who want to create a thriving community and rank well with the SERPs (search engine results page). So in consideration of this fact you might have […] (Read less) — From the page […]
@Beauty and Health etc, I never heard of artificial sweeteners causing joint pain before. I use Splenda because I'm… http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@Beauty and Health etc .. yes, I gathered that
Btw, do you have a name that I can call you besides just your… http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@digizmo .. thanks, I really appreciate it. http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@kharagpur .. especially on this blogger.
http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
I hope good things are coming your way. Sounds like the cold is getting to you. I'm sorry to hear about all hits…. http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@Teen Blogger, thanks for the words of encouragement. http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@Teri .. are you saying you got room for a blogging bloke?
http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@Baby, thanks. I don't think it's allergy related but who knows. For some reason my body is producing too much calc… http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@Doug, my main issue is neck-related and stretching exercise helps. http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@BLOGBloke,
Yes, call me Tonia. What's yours? http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
Hi Tonia .. you can call me Bloke ;-).
The reason I ask is my TOS states I don't allow just keywords for a name… http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@Tonia, thanks for the info. I only use Splenda in my morning coffee (2 cups per day) and don't drink anything else… http://bit.ly/3DpFMP
@KristinaSummer .. thanks! This is a topic people can relate: Can’t Blog? So What’s a Blogger To Do? http://bit.ly/qCp57