It has taken me quite a long time to get up the courage to actually write this post. This post isn't going to be quite so light hearted like the usual posts on the blog but, hey! This is the Secret Life of a Navy Wife, right? It's time to delve deep into the secret society of the spoonies.
So, what exactly is a "Spoonie"?
This is the definition from urbandictionary.com (picture via Google). I also found this pretty accurate photo describing a day in the life of a Spoonie (also via Google)
I am a Spoonie. My life is exactly as the picture above describes... I live by my spoons. Some days are better than others, some days are worse than others. As of November 2014, I got some sort of answer as to why I was always in pain: I was diagnosed with lupus & fibromyalgia. That's not including everything I was diagnosed with prior to this: ptsd, pcos (polycystic ovarian syndrome), endometriosis, bipolar-depression, chronic migraines, anemia, hypoglycemia, excoriation, & severe social anxiety. (Also not including being diagnosed with anorexia & bulimia when I was younger up until I was 20 when I got pregnant - I still was fighting all this crap but I fought through it for the sake of my unborn child). Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago (22 May 2015) & I was also diagnosed with anklyosing spondylitis (or inflammatory back disease). Joy.
So, who & or what is Mira Bella?
This is Mira Bella. She is my service pup. She is an owner trained service baby who helps me deal with my social anxiety & ptsd. She alerts me if someone is coming up behind me so I don't panic & performs certain tasks to help alleviate my anxiety, as well as keep me from self multulation due to skin picking (which heightens when I'm anxious or stressed)
The main task she performs is called Depp Pressure Therapy or DPT. essentially she either lays on me or presses her body against mine to provide a security measure to me. The pressure of her body against mine releases a chemical messenger in my brain that tells the rest of my body that I'm ok & I'm protected.
She also does "blocking" which is exactly as it sounds: she puts herself between me & people as a shield. This creates a barrier & prevents people from getting too close to me.
As you can tell from the above pictures, I have all these bruises on me that don't go away very easily. All these bruises & markings are from my skin picking (excoriation). This is what happens when I don't have Bella there to stop me from destroying my skin. Now I know you may ask: why don't you just not do it. That's easier said than done. My skin picking is caused by extreme stress & anxiety. It can't be helped. Bella distracts me when I start picking by nudging my hands or barking at me.
She really is a life saver.
She has her own instagram that if you would love to see her travels as a service dog, follow her at @MiraBella.pittieSD
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