Three Elements as it says is just that. They represent health & well-being, mental health, and physical health. These need to be balanced carefully in order to be able to reach your 'best health' status and for me, this is the only way that I can fully address the symptoms and problems that I live with every day. For you, you may not feel the need to look at the 3 elements but as you work through this site I think and hope that you can see how addressing and submerging into all will give you a better balance and awareness of your body and what your ‘best’ health can be.

 

The Three Elements philosophy theory which I have developed to manage my condition and try to help others understand what I really go through each day. For me it's life and for others in my life. I hope and pray it makes them understand me and ‘accept me’ as the person I am today and not the person I used to be.

 

Progress can be slow, it's tedious, it's frustrating, and complex. The need to ensure the 3 elements are covered, monitored and assessed, and thought about in each scenario, setting, and activity to be undertaken is taxing and can eat away at our positive energy. However, the benefits once mastered may provide some fruitful results. Although, that's what I keep telling myself. Then I get bogged down with the management of one and the other two fall by the wayside until I realise what I've done. So then I reflect, put lessons learned into my journal, and aim to make a better job of things the following day. Then at the slightest blip in routine, in health, in a situation, loss of control, and what happens? YET ANOTHER MISTAKE and one is being put before the other. 

 

You may be wondering where this all stems from and what I am waffling on about so I should get to the point before your eyes go 'foggy' and I go bonkers with my rambles... 

 

Element 1 - Health & Well Being

Accepting help and prioritising my health and well-being is crucial to be able to then manage everything else going on. It’s part of my pituitary journey which follows after diagnosis and continues for the rest of my life. In this element, detailed plans are essential and pacing crucial. Sometimes pulling back from certain activities or social outings. Blocking out my days into manageable chunks, literally down to every waking moment, keeping a detailed log of symptoms. Noting mistakes but not dwelling on them is really important. I utilise breathing techniques and yoga to support this and log positives in my journal each day.

 

So I have a combination of pituitary problems, which are element number one and should be seen as my priority which to be fair most of the time it does and I'll refer to as health and well-being. Having a life-threatening condition like Addison’s disease which is hard to manage, comprehend and adjust to is actually quite scary.

 

Element 2 - Mental Health

 

However, element number 2 is my mental health which brings in psychosis following a psychotic episode, largely due to medication prescribed for my pituitary conditions and extremely stressful loss within the family. Large numbers of pituitary patients can suffer from mental health problems. Conditions are difficult to manage not just set times but at times of ‘crisis. The perils of after diagnosis are to take in and medicate too much which in turn can lead to problems, so it's important to address and monitor for these symptoms constantly through the day.

 

Element 3 - Physical Health

 

Then the myoclonic dystonia which forms part of my neurological movement disorder and Ehlers Danlos completes and comes in as element number 3, which I term as physical health. It tends to be put aside for me as physio comes naturally and is the main component to keep my body strong enough to function but not exhausted to the point of additional pain and a downward spiral into increased symptoms. It's relentless though with set physio activities, walking practice, outside walking practice with crutches, aerobic exercise, and toning sessions. 

 

Pulling everything together…

 

I have only just begun to open up about how I feel instead of just saying I’m fine - that’s the easy option. I play down my pain, don’t talk of my spine that moves in and out of alignment, the pain of myoclonic jerks, the locking of joints, the voices I hear, the looks I get, and the anxiety and distress I feel.

 

The outdoors presents a significant challenge in more ways than one. First is the FEAR factor of going out, needing to be reassured that it’s safe to go out. Thinking I should be couped up at home but the journey HAS to move outdoors and so with much trepidation and a lot of planning,  pacing and appropriate medication, the first step is taken. I use crutches to mobilise around the house and can now use them to get to the car. However, it can still be a difficult thing to master. Then comes the wheelchair which nobody thinks I need or should use. They think it’s for show, that I’m lazy, that it gives me benefits. Are you serious? Why the hell would I want to do that? The reasons are many more than you could imagine. Sensory overload and the combination of controlling the 3 elements isn’t easy to master. Trying to put one foot in front of the other whilst your head buzzes with voices trying to distract you, to distress you so your head wants to explode, the noise, the people, the pain in my shoulders if I push myself too much, the fatigue caused just by getting outside and the stress of sensory environments eating up all my cortisol. THAT’S WHY I USE MY CHAIR.

 

Exercise is a crucial component to have in our lives. Everyone needs to be active but for people with pituitary conditions, this has the added benefit of strengthening and developing muscle and bone density as well as weight management. Not only that it gives the added effect of pleasure which in turn will energize you.

 

 

Clearly, I think carefully here about 'staying safe' with Addison's and top-ups are easily managed so that covers 2 elements to start with. I was scared to start with but now I swim twice a week. So, if I turn up at the pool, get myself in and can swim freely in lanes the need for focus allows me to glide through the water and ease my mind, concentrating on my body and what it needs to do in the water to relax. At this moment and it doesn't have to be for long, the psychosis lifts a little and I am in my own little world moving up and down counting the laps and enjoying the freedom I feel. 

 

Knowing when to stop is the challenge. I always want to do more but more can be a problem. Not only that I have to deal with the sensory input that is thrown at me. When I am under the water and in 'free flow' then all is good. The creeky jerks of steps used to grate on my brain but now that noise is associated it is quickly removed and I do my best to ignore the mimics going on around me on poolside and under the water. It's having rests during my swim sets that can cause an issue. If sensory is high the benefits of 'just swim' can now be counteracted by the noise, voices, mimics and set-ups that are the negative part and my answer is often - what's next, I want to move! This may be good for my mental health but could have a catastrophic effect on Addison's and muscle spasms and jerks for the neurological problems! 

 

Not an easy combination to follow and manage to do just one activity for one hour of the day. So specific strategies from my mental health toolbox need to be applied having practised them diligently. I take the appropriate medication and rest as needed before carrying on my set. These swims are the best and the only way the 3 elements can be managed and truly balanced. Even after a difficult swim Ican find positives and that gives me pleasure and some ‘free energy’ to enjoy and cherish.

 

My hope is always that sensory is low in any situation that I am in. Even at home the sound of a lawnmower or drilling can cause distress and anxiety as well as being distracting and pulling me away from what I am trying to do. A loud plane going overhead is enough to send me into blind panic mode. For many people this 3rd element may not apply but the first two most definitely will.

 

I guess in some ways it can be looked at as the juggling of three balls - can you do it or not? With my sporty upbringing and hand co-ordination skills, you would have thought I would have had an easy time learning to juggle but it is something I never mastered. Maybe with two balls or perhaps '2 elements but 3??!!'. That seems to have been a spanner in the works, a chink in the armour, a loose cog in the wheel. So perhaps that 3rd element is back to haunt me. About time I added the 3rd for good and to the best of my ability.

 

If you don’t try then you don’t know, if you don’t make mistakes you won’t learn, you don’t reflect and act then nothing will change. How much we change can be a tricky situation as explained enough.

 

 

Hopefully, this is something to share with family and friends. Send it to them and see if they can now understand what you go through just to get by each day. The challenges and fights that you struggle through every day whilst keeping your activity levels up high so that they don't see what you really feel.

 

For friends and family who are reading this, you are taking a great step to helping your friend, family member or colleague. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. But next time you notice them wilting, getting confused, looking distracted or they haven’t been in contact for a while give them a break. Remember what they are going through. Make the first move. That is hard for people to accept but sometimes it is easier for us to just hide away and not have to explain or lose you completely. Please don’t forget us and check in with us once in a while. You could make a real difference even with just a text message. But please, don’t give up on us. Everyone deserves some compassion and support sometimes. I know I do and that is tough as it isn’t always recognised. That’s where this comes from, deep inside my heart willing myself to fight on and balance those three elements. It’s a tough job, the kinds you really don’t want to have and experience. You may be out at work but we are in at work and fighting constantly to move forward just like you but with different issues and priorities. Use some of the resources yourself and work alongside your friend or family member. Do some relaxation together or make something. Whatever small gesture you make will be accepted with joy and bring a smile. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could do just that???