You do not want to have a condition like Friedreich’s Ataxia take over every part of your life. However, tracking your progression, and understanding how your physical capabilities alongside your mental health change over time, is important! So how can you track your progress while still preserving time throughout your day to do things you… Continue reading Tracking Your FA Progression Without Letting It Take Over Your Life
Tag: Awareness
The Walking Routine People Actually Stick With After a Heart Health Scare
A heart scare is a frightening event to go through. The concern about your health and your future is often too much for people to process all at once. While working with your doctor, you will likely need to address the healthy lifestyle changes you should make to reduce your chances of a future event.… Continue reading The Walking Routine People Actually Stick With After a Heart Health Scare
How Hormones, Pregnancy, and Menopause Can Affect Research Results
Our understanding of the human body and of medical conditions is driven by clinical studies. Studies that look at internal processes, how we react to treatments, and the potential side effects to be wary of. The first proper clinical trial was conducted all the way back in 1747! Since then, they have only improved and… Continue reading How Hormones, Pregnancy, and Menopause Can Affect Research Results
Why Cruising Can Be One of the Best Ways to Travel When You’re Living With FA
Taking a vacation when you have a degenerative condition like Friedreich’s Ataxia takes a huge amount of preparation. You cannot expect to just hop on a plane, get to your destination, and be able to enjoy everything there is to offer! New locations mean new accessibility challenges. Will the restaurants have ramps? Does the hotel… Continue reading Why Cruising Can Be One of the Best Ways to Travel When You’re Living With FA
Feeling Like Your Brain Is Full? How Women Are Managing Decision Fatigue and Mental Overload
One of the most common symptoms of depression is fatigue. Feeling like your body and your mind are just not up to the task is commonplace for people living with MDD! One variation of this is called decision fatigue. Simply put, this is the exhaustion that many people feel after having to make choice after… Continue reading Feeling Like Your Brain Is Full? How Women Are Managing Decision Fatigue and Mental Overload
Planning Ahead with FA: How to Navigate Financial, Insurance, and Future Care Decisions Before They Feel Urgent
Getting a Friedreich’s Ataxia diagnosis means dealing with change. It means accepting and preparing for your life to be different. For many people with the condition, it means being thrown into a world of medical jargon and complicated insurance questions that most people never consider having to get their heads around! But being prepared, and… Continue reading Planning Ahead with FA: How to Navigate Financial, Insurance, and Future Care Decisions Before They Feel Urgent
The Unexpected Connection Between Better Sleep, More Energy, and Cardiometabolic Health
Sleep, it turns out, is incredibly important. Shocking, right? But for how important it is to both physical and mental health, the reality is that people do not get enough sleep. In 2022, the CDC took a survey to see how many American adults were getting the recommended 7 hours of sleep each day. Overall?… Continue reading The Unexpected Connection Between Better Sleep, More Energy, and Cardiometabolic Health
What No One Mentions About the Mental Exhaustion of Trying to Lose Weight
Weight loss is often set up as a simple equation: eat less, move more, and the results will follow. But anyone who has actually been on a weight loss journey knows that is only part of the story. The reality is that losing weight can be exhausting! It is about making hundreds of decisions every… Continue reading What No One Mentions About the Mental Exhaustion of Trying to Lose Weight
Making Your FA “Elevator Pitch” – How to Explain the Condition
When it comes to explaining complicated medical conditions, people can find themselves at a loss. Parents and patients alike have a hard time telling friends, family, or even strangers exactly what is going on and how it affects them. This is especially true for a condition like Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare disease that few have… Continue reading Making Your FA “Elevator Pitch” – How to Explain the Condition
My FA Experience: Hiking El Camino de Santiago
Kathleen Moore, 31, has been living with Friedreich’s Ataxia since getting diagnosed in college. A member of PatientsLikeMe, she has made staying active and pursuing her hobbies a priority even as the condition progresses. Recently, Kathleen went on a trip to Spain to complete the Camino de Santiago, a vast network of trails that extend… Continue reading My FA Experience: Hiking El Camino de Santiago