#HealthyThursday - October 2015 Monthly Health Review & Quick Recipe

Hello there! I’m back with another #HealthyThursday and lots of healthy tips for you guys! This is a part of the monthly trilogy I will do from now on. The last week of every month will have a special #SMartWednesday, #HealthyThursday and #LifestyleFriday editions, meaning I’ll post my monthly review on all things information, health and lifestyle. Let’s see what was up this month in the health department.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS STATUS

I am pretty open to sharing all about my condition and don’t feel like you’re invading my privacy if I let you in on some of my ups and downs. After all, MS is an ilness that aims to isolate you on the long run, so why let it? Do the oposite, talk about it, treat it like it’s another part of your life and then move on. More about this in a second!

This October, my MS (let's call it Smaug, just for the fun of it!)... So, this month, Smaug decided to let me know that it’s still there. Being the ubnoxious dragon that it is, it decided to breathe fire down my left arm. Back to reality, that means that I had an acute numbness episode on my left arm, ranging from my last two fingers and going up to my elbow. Up and down, up and down.

Fatigue was also a bit of an issue, as I felt more tired than usual, had less energy and ability to concentrate on the tasks at hand, but I had it pretty mild compared to other times. All this has been happening due to my menstrual cycle (yes, I AM talking about this publicly!). Meaning the amount of time between two “that-time-of-the-month” 3-4 days.

As my body temperature is going up and my hormones are running free and with flowers in their hair through my body, I tend to experience the so-called pseudo-exacerbations. These are manifestations of my symptoms, but to a much lesser intensity. Annoying and scary nonetheless (especially when my right eye begins to hurt out of nowhere and I think it’s a relapse… scary!).

I know they are not actual relapses because they happen for a short while, and completely dissapear after my period kicks in. For the past year I have been journaling my MS, and I can see a pattern rise up as I’m approaching my period each month. So, long story short: the ladies may experience things like these once a month. It’s good to know.

ALEXANDRA'S HEALTH TIPS

This month I noticed some positive changes in my health. They are mostly due to what I do on a daily basis. I wake up at 7 a.m., drink half a liter of lemon water, sit down and meditate for 10-15 minutes, fully engage in 45-60 minutes of yoga and cardio/aerobics, shower, have breakfast and get to work.

By the time I am in front of the computer, my mind is not racing, my body has been fed, stretched and clensed from all the toxins that accumulated overnight. I approach my daily tasks in good shape and although my righ eye is hurting a bit as I am writing this right now, I take brakes and still go on. It’s the life I chose for myself, and I am going to make the best of it in spite of multiple sclerosis.

Though I say this, I tend not to push too hard and just listen to my body. Rest accordingly, have a little snack like some nuts or seeds, a cup of green tea maybe and then go at it again. Life is never served to you on a silver platter. You have to work to achieve what you want. Always!

So my healthy tips for you this month are to establish a morning routine that suits your time and condition. Do the best you can with what you can. Adapt and by no means try to replicate exactly what I do. Personalize it to fit your lifestyle. I only share what I do so that I hopefully inspire you to get better and to focus on the things that are still good and working in your life.

Let me tell you that when I get grouchy, anxious and sad, my whole body seems to ache and symptoms seem to appear also. That being said, I hope you are doing allright this October and let’s go ahead with the recipe. So excited for this moment!

QUICK RECIPE

This is it! My first video ever! I am so anxious for it but nonetheless happy that I can share it with you and that I get to communicate in another way than in the written form. Tell me if you would like to see more of these in the following months. Here we go!

This was all for this week’s #HealthyThursday! Thank you for reading and if you would like to receive my next articles right into your mail, subscribe to SMart Choice Lifestyle by filling your email adress in the box on the upper right. Join my SMart Warriors list to receive access to Premium content and many more!

Have a most wonderful day!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

How Can You Beat Fatigue While Staying on Schedule?

When you don’t get enough sleep because you pulled an all-nighter it’s called that you are tired. When you end up dragging your thoughts, words and probably your feet out of the morning shower and you are already exhausted although you had a full-night’s sleep it’s called fatigue. As an MS-er you are mostly already familiar with the topic. So, let’s get started!

What Is Fatigue and What Does It Want?

But what IS fatigue? Let’s look at some cold facts. First of all, having fatigue does not make you a lazy person. It can fluctuate from hour to hour or from day to day. It’s that feeling of overwhelming tiredness or feeling of exhaustion you tend to feel even in the early morning.

Do you know the Duracell Bunny featured in the Duracell Batteries commercial? The one that looses energy as he goes around doing certain activities? It’s feeling like you are out of batteries, literally!

The particular stuff about fatigue is that it can come suddenly, take you off-guard and be totally out of proportion to any activity you might be doing.

Fatigue: Shapes and Sizes

This is the case of primary fatigue, also called lassitude. Another subtype is a kind of “short-circuiting fatigue”, meaning that your muscles get confused and stop responding as they should when doing repetitive movements (i.e. walking gets your legs feeling tired, your hand gets tired writing or chopping vegetables, etc).

These is a second type called secondary fatigue, which is the consequence of lack of sleep, heat sensitivity, stress, infections, relapses, low mood, unhealthy diet, lack of pshysical exercise, meds for other symptoms or conditions that you might have.

Beat Fatigue to the Curve!

How can you beat fatigue while staying true to your daily schedule and to-do list? How can you feel less like moving in slow motion and tripping all over the place? It all starts the day before.

You are the key element in managing your fatigue. You are the only one who can ensure the best levels of energy through enough sleep, relaxtion techniques, a regular exercising routine and a healthy diet.

That’s why you should establish a daily routine that will maximize your energy supply and make you use it in the most efficient way possible to your daily context.

• Wake up and go to sleep at the same hours everyday. The body and the brain will start to get used to your rhythm and adjust the internal clock accordingly, making you less tired and prone to waking up feeling groggy. Plus, doing the same things at the same hours gets rid of stress, as you don’t have to think it through everytime you do it.

• Don’t sleep to much. Oversleeping increases fatigue. Keep the bed only for sleeping (an for other pleasurable activities) and do the rest of them in another part of the house. Read on the couch, have some tea on the porch (or again on the couch if you like it so much). The point is to have a fixed place for resting. So, if you want to nap during the day, where do you go? To your bed, that’s right! Then after napping, get up and resume your daily activities.

• Stay physically active. It will considerably improve your sleep. Try to adapt your exercising routine to your level of energy. It is preferable to exercise in the morning, like I myself choose to do, but it depends on how tired you feel Don’t overdo it by pushing to hard. Keep it light and efficient, just enough to get your blood flowing and muscles stretched. It will alow you to reduce stress, impove your mood and help you with weightoss. I personally enjoy yoga, stretching and deep breathing right after I wake up (and after I have a glass of lemon water to clense my body from all those toxins it released during the night).

• Having a poor diet exhausts your body. Your eating habits play an important role in managing fatigue. Eating foods that are high in nutrients will boost your energy levels and nourish your body, making it more resillient and ready to face the daily MS challenges. Having your meals at the same times everyday, keeps your body knowing when it will receive a new recharge and makes it less prone to headaches or tension. Size DOES matter in this case! Large meals make you feel tired afterwards. Try eating frequent, lighter meals. For example, try eating three main meals and two snacks throughout the day (no, I don’t mean Oreos!). And don’t miss that breakfast! It gives you a fabulous kickstart (or a kick in the behind if you skip it!).

• Having your kitchen organized and cool at all times makes it easier for you to cook, eat and enjoy your meals, without the burdain of fatigue lingering by. Choose to cook in bulk / batches, and store the food into the freezer so it will be ready some other day you need it. A personal tip that I can give you is to gather all of your ingredients and utensils in advance and line them on the table in front of you. Even lining them in the order you have to mix them in is helpful. I have been doing this even before I was diagnosed with MS. Try it and tell me how was it.

• Also, try to maintain a healthy weight. It boosts your energy levels sky-high and it will also help with your self-esteem issues. I messed up this part, as I gained weight after receiving my diagnosis after eating a whole lot of junk just to keep my emotions in place. Big fail! Eat healthy and get rid of bottled juices, pizza, chocolate (I know, I’m evil! But I also have a delicious coconut chocolate recipe that I will soon share with you, in a future post). You get it! Eliminate all that your grandma wouldn’t see as food and you’ll start feeling better (plus the scale will drop a few pounds… just sayin’).

• Drink enough water to keep you hydrated and to flush those toxins out! Dehydration causes tiredness and makes you feel slugghish (like I’m feeling right now… let me grab some water!). But careful with the salt intake! You don’t want to become bloated, as that will mke you feel shitty as well. Drink as much as one liter and a half - two liters, but don’t overdo it (you remember those frequent trips to the bathroom, right? That’s what I thought!).

Fatigued All Day, Can’t Sleep at Night?

And what about that insomnia that kicks in right after you get into bed feeling exhausted?! Kick it to the curve by following a sleeping routine.

• Try not getting overtired during the day, rest and mind your energy levels.
• Eat a light meal, and do not drink coffee or any tea that contains caffeine.
• Ditch TV, smartphone, tablet, laptop… you name it. If it has a blueish screen and it’s glowing right before your tired eyes, it’s gotta go. Period!
• Go take a shower and then do some light stretches. It helps you relax and feel at ease. Plus it helps with some of your digestion.
• Make to-do lists for all your tasks for the following day, getting them off your mind when it’s time to go to sleep.
• If sleep won’t come, don’t stay in bed. Focus on something else. Read a book, go take another warm shower, pour yourself a nice cup of herbal tea (no caffeine!) or do some light stretches. Distract your mind from trying to force yourself to sleep. Keep a notebook on your nightstand, as to be able to free your mind of any ideas, concerns or plans that might come up and keep you awake.

This is it, my dears! I hope you’ve enjoy this article and you find it useful in your daily life. I have personally tried most of the techniques presented here and I would love to hear what your experiences are like.

Untill the next article, have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

Life With Multiple Sclerosis, A Full Weekend & Preparing To Renovate The House. How To Knock Yourself Out Into Fatigue And Arm Pain

Did you ever had an “I told you!” moment with yourself? Waking up to having a splendid arm pain and some delicious fatigue is all that I could wish for this morning. Especially when I knew this would be happening. So much for wishful thinking! Long title, short story. Read on!

How It All Began

This past weekend had all the ingredients of being a wonderful one. And indeed it was. Finished all my tasks on Friday by the end of working hours, prepared dinner and spent a relaxing evening at home.

Saturday we had a birthday party to go to, at my boyfriend’s parents house. It was an outside barbecue, and they sayed it was going to be one of the hottest days of the month. We had lots of fun, had great conversation and called it a day in the early evening. Came home and rested.

On Sunday, we went shopping for the house renovation up ahead. Went through three stores full of tiles, wood floors and the usual stuff you’ll need. Came back home and called it a day.

Yesterday I planned to put everything from our living room away into boxes, seal them so that we can store them untill we finish renovating. Done deal! Published an article, sorted piles of folders and books and all sorts of things, checked social media, set up the table for dinner and cleaned up.

And then crashed!

I felt so tired that my arms and legs were “buzzing” inside. My body felt a bit wobbly and I could not concentrate properly. My brain was urging me to sit down already, which I did, after taking a quick shower. As I layed in bed, relaxation kicked in and did its job, and my brain could not been any happier!

Feeling a little better, I got up and stretched for a few minutes, did some relaxing yoga moves and took some deep breaths. That sure helped a great deal. My arms and legs felt more relaxed. I could feel the muscles stretch and the sensation was incredible. Imagine being tense and then muscles letting go. Fabulous!

Then we prepared for sleep. Dimmed the lights, made turmeric tea for both of us and regular tea for me, as I needed more relaxation. Meditated for 10-15 minutes, just to calm my mind, brushed teeth, had a shower and finally off to bed.

After an hour or so, a pile of boxes fell down making a very loud noise that woke us both up. Went to fix that and put the boxes back up. Off to bed again, this time for good.

Today Was One Joyfull Morning... Not!

All four days had heat code “yellow”, meaning the temperatures above 33 degrees C. Did I mention we disabled the air conditioner and the only thing keeping me cool was (and still is) a large fan? (We actually bought another one, slightly smaller, but together they do their job well.) Given the heat, the effort and the lack of proper rest, it’s no wonder my brain protested, throwing me a little surprise waking up party this morning!

Arm pain.. well, forearm pain actually and fatigue. Brilliant! What could you ask for more?

Once more I turned to meditation and yoga. Imagine trying to stand still, calm your breath and silence your mind with your arm hurting like you had a knife going through it! But believe it or not, it gradually subsided.

The yoga moves I chose were ones that did not put strain on my forearm. So, no arm balance, inversions or similar stuff for me today! Only strong, grounding poses, and ones that relaxed my arms and getting my blood flowing and muscles relaxing. Felt very good and further calmed my pain.

The Things I Do To Relax

I like mixing praying, silence and meditation into a 15 minute routine that gets me up and running each day. Then I do a 30 minute freestyle yoga routine, finding what feels good for my body that day, and maybe throwing in a few pose practices if I want to do something extra. After that is shower, breakfast and getting to work!

A Few Conclusions

As I’m finishing this article just now, my arm is still hurting, but the pain is under control. Will do a few stretches after lunch and further give some TLC to my body.

Long story short, if you ever feel like you have too much energy in blazing heat, and it’s too good to be true… it probably is!

So, when faced with summer heat, renovations and busy days, spend your energy gradually and try not to overwork it. Slower is better in this case.

Rest, drink plenty of water and stretch. And then relax and sleep well!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S. Did you ever had a similar experience? How is your MS reacting when mixing high temperatures with a full to-do list? Share your answers on Facebook or Twitter. I would love to hear your story!

Anatomy Of An Emotion. Multiple Sclerosis Style!

Do you have mood swings, incredible lows and incredible highs? Is MS… messing with how and what you feel? First, let me tell you how emotions are born.

Inside the human brain there are a few parts that are responsible for the emotional response.

The limbic system, also called the “emotional brain”, is one of the first areas that develop. It is the main part of the brain responsible for processing emotions. It’s function is yet very primitive. It can differentiate between levels of danger - less / more / very dangerous - and it reacts to fear stimuli. The amygdala is one of its components, and is the part that assesses the emotional value of the stimuli.

The area between the front and middle of the brain has a huge concentration of dopamine receptors that make you feel pleasure and be happy about your life.

The hypothalamus regulates your emotional response and the hypocampus turns your short-term memories into long-term ones, helping you retrieve stored information. Your memories let you know how you react to the world around you, including what type of emotional response you are having.

The two brain hemispheres also keep your emotions in check.

Right versus Left

The right side is responsible for abstract ways of thinking, symbolism, gestures and for the identification of especially negative emotions such as fear, anger and danger. It is more impressionable. It is the creative and sensitive part of the brain.

The left side deals with concrete ways of doing things, literal meaning of words and mathematical calculus. It is the scientifical and objective part of the brain. It also interprets emotions and the logical way to react to them.

Without the left hemisphere, the right one would be overcomed with negative emotions and would not know how to cope or respond to them. The other way round, without the right, your left hemisphere would not be able to identify negative emotions.

Memories drive and inform emotions

The reason why you remember things is to know how to react in a similar situation. Your brain has already analized what happens in a certain context and gives you the information needed to face the present one. Memories of previous experiences dictate the intensity of the current emotion.

For example, if your past experience with needles was a scary one, and you interpreted it as something that is harming you, the next time you have to have an injection, you’ll possibly experiment the same emotional reaction. 

The right brain identifies the stimuli and identifies the type of reaction: fear. You get tense, begin to sweat and / or talk to much. The left brain comes in and it logically asseses the situation, it sees that there is no iminent danger, you calm down and the injection goes smoothly.

Ways that MS influences emotion.

In MS, injury to the brain happens randomly. Because there are so many brain parts that process different emotions in different ways, the place where you have a new or old lesion, can potentially change your mood and emotional response to reality.

MSers are known to have mood swings, incontrollable laughing or crying outbursts, to get angry faster and to get deeply frustrated on things that normally wouldn’t cause such a reaction.

In newly diagnosed people, fear, anger and emotion may happen frequently, as the frustration of living with a chronic disease takes its toll on their capacity to cope.

Emotional symptoms and manifestations in MS are a large topic. We’ve only scratched the surface of this issue with today’s article. Most likely there will be a series on the topic.

Untill then, smile and keep making the SMart Choice for your MS Lifestyle!

Last, but not least, I would like to thank Positive Living With MS for inspiring me to write this article. You are such a wonderful and positive person. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S. Question: How are you managing emotional symptoms on a daily basis and how are they affecting you on a personal level? Leave a comment down below. Thank you for reading!

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Black Knights of MS: Fear, Anger and Anxiety

Multiple sclerosis is known to cause neurological problems in people that live with the condition. There is much to talk about the emotional component and how feelings can affect the brain and life of the MSer. Of course there have been many people before me who tackled this theme, but I felt like I needed to tell it from my point of view.

Black Knights of MS? I know them well. A little bit too well for my taste.

Let’s look at them from a psychological point of view. We have a built-in “alarm system” called the fight-or-flight response. It is responsible for our survival instinct and regulates the emotions we feel (especially the negative ones) when facing danger. 

As we evolved from living in caves, we no longer have danger lurking all over the place. The predator is no longer after our heads, we no longer have to kill it or run from it. We face different troubles: daily stress, defending our principles, values and point of views, our status, etc. It all comes to being territorial. We defend OUR stuff. Some people do that by fighting back and some people do it by running away. But we all react to danger.

In MS, the danger comes from within. There is a battle fought in our bodies. Our brain is at war with our immune system. 

We see the casualties on MRI scans and while living our daily lives. You don’t know when the next attack is going to happen, you don’t know who the victims may be. You just see the ever-present Black Knights. 

You fear a new relapse, you get angry that this happened to you, and you live in a constant state of anxiety. And you don’t even realise it. These knights know how to hide. You go on with your day and you finally snap for no reason. You cry. You feel deep fear. Or deep anger. Your body gets into a stage of fight-or-flight. Your stress hormones begin to rise up and all of a sudden your day feels like crap.

How did I overcome this? I didn’t! I just went and said “Hi!” to the three knights. I got aware of the fact that I am afraid, I am angry and that I become anxious. And then I moved on. I calm myself by journaling, deep breathing, sleeping and taking life slow. You might wonder how is this “zen living” possible in today’s society? How can you live your life avoiding stress, avoiding negative emotions?

I don’t avoid them. I aknowledge them, breathe and move on. Do they backlash at me? Yes. Do I have scary moments of anger, fear and crying? Yes I have. Do they ever go away? Yes, they do. Do they come back? Yes they do. It's a constant battle that you have to aknowledge.

So, if you happen to meet the Black Knights of MS, don’t run away. Face them. Allow yourself to feel fear, anger and anxiety. Breathe deeply. It calms the nervous system and brings oxigenated  blood to your body. 

Then ask yourself WHY did you feel that way? And write it down. Write as much as you need to. Stop when you feel like you’re done. Then go do something else. It will all pass. I’ve been there!

Any negative emotion that has been felt for more than five days in a row, needs to be taken care of. Schedule an appointment with a psychologist, talk to your nurse or neurologist about it and ask for help.

Your brain might be at war, but you need to addapt and overcome the challenges your are faced with. Every single day.

Take care of yourself!

Sincerely,
Alexandra Celic


P.S. Question: Do you feel any of the three knights? Share your experiences on Facebook, Twitter or in a comment down-below. Thank you!
(Photo credit)

MetamorphosiS - ep. 2 - Breathe, just breathe!

The Visual Field Exam - 12:00 a.m.

It feels good to finally be able to sit in a ventilated room! Ahh, the joys of air conditioning! Hehe! Outside’s a burning hell. Joys of living in the city, it’s all boiling! Wait! They called my name!

- Miss Alexis Celic?

- Yes!

- Come with me, please. We will see you now. Have you ever had a visual field exam done before?

- No, this is my first time.

- OK, no problem then! You’ll have to wear this eye-patch. Which eye has issues… the right one. OK. Let’s cover it. Thaat’s right! Now put your chin over here, please… Like so, yes! And now try to stay still while flashing dots appear in front of your eye. Also try to push this button immediately as you see each dot. OK? Questions?

- It’s all very interesting. And I have only one single question: do I need to get ALL the dots right?

- The purpose of this test is to measure how accurate your vision is. Try to push the button as you see a dot, do not force it, but try to pay attention to their succession.

- OK, thank you. I’m so curious about how it will turn out. Let’s begin.

This looks kindda simple to do. No fuss about it. They’ll tell me that my eyes are tired. All that computer work took its toll. Hmmm… there are not so many dots appearing here. I’m kindda getting bored…. Oh, look! Down there! Lots of them… but close to none up here.

- OK, Alexis! We’re done with this eye, let’s do the other one to compare. Are you ready?

- Yes, let’s get it over with.

Hmm, this one is brighter. Ohh, loook! So many dots! Much more than on the other eye. I feels like I’m playing an arcade game.. or Counter Strike! Wait ‘till I tell Dimi that I trained for beating his ass! … I’m good at this. I could go on and ooon.. What? Finished? Already? Hehe!

- Alexis, we’re done. You can wait outside, and we will call you when your results are ready.

- So fast?

- Yes, we only need to print those out.

- OK, I’ll wait here then.

See? That was not that bad. First visual field exam ever! Hopefully the last too. … I so need a vacation! August seems so far away… tomorrow I’m back to work… and on and on… But then I’ll have two weeks off. Finally!.. And will…

- Alexis?...

- Yes, doctor!

- Here are your results, dear. But I must tell you, even if they turned out this way, you need not worry for all things can be treated. You should get these interpreted by your eye doctor.

- What do you mean “even if they turned out this way”? Is there something wrong?

- I cannot tell you that. The upper eye quadrant seems a little damaged, but it will all have a reason for why it is like this. Don’t be scared, dear!

- OK… Thank you!

- With pleasure!

- Have a good day!

- You too!

What was that all about? Half my eye is damaged? In what way? And why … Ohh, wait!  Let’s look at the results. The upper side of my right eye turned out black… aaand… the left is… is normal. What the hell?! This is not OK. Why I have the feeling this is gonna last a long time to be over with? Calm down, Alexis! Calm down! It’s all OK! You’ve had eye issues before and it all came out ok in the end…. It will all go away!

Enter the Neurologist  - 14:00 p.m.

I’m scared. Why am I so scared? It’s just a doctor’s appointment. He’ll probably tell me I’m alright and that I need to take better care of myself. It’s just nothing! But why do I feel that today something is going to be different? Look, my right eye seems to be better. Oh, wait! It’s not. Back to blurry again. What is taking so long? I’m getting anxious waiting here. I just want to get back home and relax. I’ve been up since 7 a.m.! Already done with my first appointment.. I just want it to be over! I’m hungr…

- Miss Celic?

- Yes! I’m over here.

- You can come in now.

So this is the neurologist that’s gonna see me. I’m curious. I’ve never been to a neurologist before. He’ll test my motor reflexes and stuff. That’s new. Let’s close this door.

- Have a seat, Miss Celic.

- Thank you!

- What seems to be the problem?

- My right eye is blurry. I just came from having my visual field exam.. Here are the results they gave me! (God, he’s so serious and mostly quiet… and me standing here with all this anxiety… calm down Alexis, calm down… )

- I see… Have you had this kind of problems before?

- Yes, but mostly they were all minor issues, tht went out relatively quick.

- Let’s have a look at you. Come over here and lay down!

He’s gonna test my reflexes, I know it. But then again, he’s not that talkative.. I would have wanted to ask him a few things. I have quite a few questions…

- What can I say.. You are all right.

- I’m glad to hear that!

- The only issue we have is the right eye. Tell me, how well can you see this color?

- Rrrred! it’s a dark red… The sensation I get is like I have a grey foil on my eye, and that distorts colors. It desaturates them a little.

- Do you see it grey or red?

- 50% - 50%... it depends. This morning my sight was a bit better, but now I think I am tired.  I never payed attention at how I saw colors.

- You see, this is exactly the problem. You say you had this issue for… how many days now?

- Ahmm.. about 3-4 days.

- And it’s never happened before?

- Not like this, no.

- Let me ask you something. Do you know what Multiple Sclerosis is?

- I’ve read something, but I honestly don’t know much about it.

- It’s a neurological chronic disease. It’s uncurable, but nowadays we can treat it. There are ways that you can live with it and have little to no issues. I’m not saying you have it, but optic neuritis is one of the first symptoms in about 25% of the cases. You should be aware of this possibility. What I recommend, as you only have one pair of eyes, is that you should be hospitalised for 3 to 5 days, and be treated intravenuously with 1000 ml of corticosteroids a day. The hospital is five minutes away from here. You go there, check in and have your treatment.

Hospital? Needles? Intravenous??? Hell NO! How did it come to this?! Why now?

- But… But my family doesn’t know that I’m going there. I have no clothes, no nothing. I need to get home first and prepare. I will consider going tomorrow.

- It’s your call. But if I was in your place I would go today to start my treatment. The longer you postpone treatment, the dangerous it will be for your eyes’s health. I’ll say it again, you only have two eyes. Getting quick treatment or waiting for the problem to worsen is all your decision.

- Of course I want to get better and take care of my eyes. I not only need them for seeing, but for my photography as well.

- It’s up to you. Go home, prepare, but go have your treatment. It’s the best thing you could do in your case. Do you have any more questions?

- No, thank you doctor!

- Glad I could help you.

- Thank you again! Goodbye!

- Goodbye and lots of health!

Deeeeeep breath, Alex, deeeep breeaaath! It’s all OK. It has to be. What will I tell mum and dad? And Dimi? … Breathe….just breathe! Let’s call dad.

- Dad? Are you home? … I need to tell you something!

(continue to Ep. 3 - And so it begins...)

(go back to Ep. 1 - Just a normal weekend)

(to read Episode 1 - click here)