Final up to date on April 2, 2023.
It’s been awhile, and although I do share tidbits extra often on social media and by way of my publication, I needed to do a full write up of what has been occurring. I haven’t printed a weblog submit since April, so it is a lengthy overdue replace. It shares some thrilling skilled information, but in addition the non-public because it pertains to my well being.
This group has been an enormous a part of what has saved me afloat throughout the previous few, tough years. With my restricted bandwidth as a result of ongoing spinal cerebrospinal (CSF) leak, I’ve needed to minimize out a number of the work I need to do. The weblog was placed on hiatus first, as a result of updating on social media (primarily Instagram) is faster and fewer labour intensive.
However whereas I’ve not been placing out new posts right here, I’ve spent many hours updating the backend of the web site, and dealing on quite a lot of different issues that I needed to share. I’ve additionally seen specialists and discovered extra about my physique, sufficient that that data sheds a really completely different gentle on the a few years of persistent ache I endured previous to my CSF leak.
It has taken time to course of the thread that now connects dots I by no means thought to attach, and I needed to maintain my group up to date.
Private Updates
A couple of updates about how I’m feeling, these linked dots, and the place I’m dwelling.
Shifting to Gatineau, Quebec and Dwelling Semi-Independently
Since Could, I’ve been dwelling in Gatineau, throughout the river from Ottawa. My brother lives in Ottawa, and my plan is to ultimately transfer there as nicely. For now, although, Gatineau has been a stunning center floor. I obtained to spend a summer time wandering right down to the water, seeing my household, and studying the best way to stay principally alone, with a leak.
My brother and his associate come over as soon as per week to assist with issues I can’t do, like getting groceries for me, and doing my laundry and my vacuuming. I’m fortunate that I’ve them to choose up the slack that my leak steals away, and I’ll by no means complain about getting extra time with folks I really like a lot.
At first, adjusting to the house felt actually deflating. There have been many issues that I couldn’t attain, or use. The mattress was too low and really painful to get out and in of. The freezer was a drawer beneath the fridge, so I couldn’t open it with out making my CSF leak worse. The dishes and pots had been too heavy for me to clean myself, or use comfortably. The listing went on.
These are fixable issues, in fact. I obtained a mattress pad, a tiny freezer, and new light-weight dishes and a small pot to make use of, thanks in no small half to the Amazon present playing cards you bought me for my birthday.
However the preliminary weeks right here felt actually deflating. As people we’re so good at adjusting. Typically too good, and we overlook the place we actually are. The angle I misplaced was that I’m really extra disabled than I remembered, one thing that hit me arduous after I moved into this house.
Like anything, adjusting to this new life has its ups and downs, and ultimately I obtained previous the frustration and began strategizing methods to repair the issues I used to be going through. I additionally obtained a kitchen rolling cart, plenty of canvas storage bins since all the pieces has to take a seat on counters to be reachable for me, and some different issues that make the place extra snug.
I used to be by no means certain if I’d even be capable to stay independently once more. So whereas there’s a lot I want I might do, I’m very grateful that I’m able to have extra autonomy after years of being so depending on others for each little factor.
Connecting the dots
As I discussed, my spinal CSF leak continues to be lively. However my physique both appears to have produced extra CSF, giving me some extra “uptime”, or it has gotten barely higher. Since my leak, I’ve had immune and different points which have cropped up or worsened. I used to be in a position, with the assistance of labs and specialists, to lastly join the dots. You’ll be able to learn extra about that course of on my private website as follows:
Mast cells are “sentinels” of the immune system, a kind of white blood cell that helps management the immune processes within the physique. They’re known as resident immune cells as a result of they reside in tissues and never in our bloodstream. And so they reside in tissues everywhere in the physique, from the connective tissue, to the endothelial cells, to the epithelial cells, and even within the mind.
Enterprise Updates
A few of the tasks I’ve been engaged on within the months since I final printed.
Sharing Assets about Ache on Patreon
I created the Patreon as a method to settle for assist from this group, however it’s slowly morphing into a spot the place I additionally share sources for people who find themselves struggling for persistent ache, or those that know somebody who’s in ache.
The unhappy actuality is that the majority of us are in a kind of two classes.
Through the years, I’ve acquired many questions on how I’ve coped with my very own ache ranges. Now, I’m getting questions on how somebody can assist an individual in ache. So the Patreon’s AMAs are a spot the place I reply these questions, and add extra sources.
The posts I’ve shared there additionally go into how I made the house I’m in accessible, and what modifications to the setup allowed me to deal with dwelling alone with the disabilities I now have. Most lately, as typically folks really feel dangerous about asking for assist or accepting assist, somebody requested me to speak about the best way to speak to somebody in ache to assist them get assist if they’re cussed. (I’ll be answering this within the subsequent AMA).
From suggestions up to now, these have been actually helpful. I look ahead to sharing extra.
Additionally, I’m now a Patreon ambassador! I obtained an e-mail from them in the summertime, asking if I’d be involved in making use of for an ambassadorship programme they had been constructing. I’m one among a small group of creators (out of their 200,000 customers) who had been accepted.
It’s nonetheless fairly new, and to date it’s been pretty to fulfill some actually attention-grabbing, tremendous creative folks. The ambassadorship is unpaid, however options workshop—I’ve attended just a few up to now—and rewarding breakout rooms with others within the programme to share methods and issues/successes. Different perks embody 1:1 product assist, social media options, enjoyable swag for my Patreon group, in addition to paid alternatives to take part in issues like product focus teams or inventive collaborations with their workforce.
I don’t know the way they discovered me, and it’s intimidating as a result of lots of the different creators have upwards of 2000 Patrons, however I’m wanting ahead to collaborating! Provided that it was all of you who requested me to start out a Patreon, I’ve this group to thank!
In case you’re involved in becoming a member of the Patreon group, you are able to do so right here.
A One-Time Help Choice
After I launched my Patreon, I acquired messages from readers who needed to contribute and/or assist me in my work by way of a one-time fee. I didn’t have that in place, however do now.
The Curious About Every thing E-newsletter
Regardless of all this pleasure of shifting to a brand new place, I’ve managed to maintain my publication working. I’ve been enjoying round with format (and emojis, I can’t assist myself), and primarily spotlighting just a few vital reads every month, together with extra enjoyable photo-essays and quirky items I discover. I typically embody private updates, however the focus of the publication is on proficient and/or vital writing price studying.
Whereas it’s on Substack, and lots of writers have moved to a paid publication mannequin, I don’t plan to take action. The Patreon is the first assist system for my earnings, alongside celiac playing cards and the meals maps store. The publication I plan to maintain free.
Even when this website has been extra dormant than I would love, I really feel pleased that CAE has gone out each month for the final 11 months.
You’ll be able to enroll under in case you are involved in receiving it.
A Huge Piece about Psychological Mindset (Coming Quickly)
I had a submit known as Get By Horrible Occasions that I had on this website, however I’ve briefly taken it down as I deliberate to publish it individually. I’ve been engaged on this piece over the last whereas and it’s nonetheless in enhancing, however I’m excited to share it on the new JE website.
Redesign of Authorized Nomads:
You might have seen that the positioning is a little bit completely different!
Arthur the raven, my mascot, may be very distinguished. Ravens are such extremely curious birds, and I selected one as my website’s throughline to be able to spotlight that I nonetheless am too, albeit otherwise to earlier than.
And, a brand new slogan: inquisitive about all the pieces. I’m now not telling tales by means of meals, in order that slogan needed to go. The brand new emblem displays a divergence from my prior lifetime of journey and meals, but in addition the reality of who I all the time was: somebody who needed to be taught as a lot as doable.
I began to really feel actually dissonant after I seemed on the ‘previous’ Authorized Nomads, so this displays extra of the place I’m in life whereas nonetheless sustaining the same construction.
I’ve added well being and persistent ache to the principle classes on the house web page, too, since they’re now a much bigger a part of what I write about.
I had actually particular concepts of what I needed, in order with the final redesign to the positioning I supplied the belongings (new logos, Arthur the Raven, and many others.) to an internet developer as an alternative of hiring somebody who did branding in addition to growth. The belongings had been inked by my artist-in-Authorized-Nomadsness Ella F. Sanders. The redesign was accomplished by an internet developer who works for fellow journey blogger Mike’s net growth firm. Whereas her work was paid, he donated his personal time professional bono to assist supervise the mission.
Publish Overhauls and Web page Updates:
My morning routine is to stand up, make espresso, after which do some work on the web site till I must take a break.
This has allowed me to slowly replace pages and posts over time, and maintain Authorized Nomads extra present.
Amongst them:
- The gluten free guides are up to date for 2021. They’re right here.
- The gluten free New York Metropolis information has additionally been up to date to mirror restaurant closures and a few newcomers to the scene which can be 100% gluten free.
- I added a historical past of Belize part, and a “the place is Belize situated” part, as a result of consider it or not that’s the commonest search time period for this submit. It’s additionally obtained COVID-19 guidelines for visiting, in the event you had been selecting to danger going now.
- I up to date the Vietnamese Egg Espresso Recipe with locations to get it in North America, and new items and movies concerning the candy deal with.
- I up to date my piece on sleep points and jet lag with details about the best way to sleep higher, and new research about chronomedicine and Covid-19.
- I up to date my Vipassana Meditation retreat expertise with some new knowledge concerning the risks of these sorts of retreats, and the way in some instances they will result in a psychological break.
- The Different Careers for Attorneys web page has been up to date to incorporate pandemic data, the rise of consultants within the authorized subject, and a extra clear breakdown of the best way to go about shifting careers once you really feel overwhelmed desirous about how to take action.
- In November 2021, I up to date my historical past of chili peppers submit to incorporate the 2021 Nobel Prize profitable analysis on capsaicin, somatosensory receptors, and ache.
RSS-to-Electronic mail Adjustments: Feedburner isn’t any extra. RIP Feedburner.
Google has been threatening to chop RSS-to-email choices for Feedburner for a few years. The service was deprecated years in the past, and this July they lastly stated that they had been accomplished supporting that choice. So I had to determine what service to make use of to be able to get these folks their emails. (Since I barely write right here, I had plenty of time to do that!)
For these of you who opted to obtain Authorized Nomads updates by way of e-mail, new posts can be despatched by an organization known as ConvertKit. I used to be planning on switching to them proper earlier than my CSF leak occurred, so it solely took me an additional few years. My good friend Nathan began the corporate and is a very pretty human being; I’d a lot moderately give my cash to proficient pals than strangers!
In case you’re not getting Authorized Nomads by way of e-mail, you may enroll by way of the shape under. That is only for LN posts (about each six months, by way of publishing schedule today!). My month-to-month publication above is separate.
In case you had been already subscribed to get Authorized Nomads posts by e-mail, you do not want to do something. I needed to clarify why the emails look completely different, and let everybody know they will additionally enroll that manner if they like.
That’s it for now!
Whereas the ache I’m in by no means goes away, these tasks and my newfound autonomy have helped make these previous couple of months a number of the greatest in years. I might not be cellular or touring the world anymore, however I consider that I’m capable of assist extra folks than ever earlier than.
Whether or not it’s serving to navigate powerful instances, understanding ache and loss, or simply giving extra context to the sicknesses of family members, this work feels helpful.
And feeling helpful goes a good distance towards life satisfaction for me.
Thanks for permitting me to share this journey with you.
Till subsequent time,
Jodi
