About Me
My name is Lorelei but on the internet I am also known as Ladymermaid. It is the pen name I first used when I began writing online in early March 2007.
I write on the curiosities, trials, joys, and laughter that occur in the everyday processes of living. My articles are my laughter, my tears, my frustrations, and my triumphs.
On May I Suggest I go sidewalk shopping the internet in order to provide an easier shopping experience. I sift through listings for interesting finds. As a mother of two girls and grandmother to 4 girls and 2 boys I understand the importance of getting the appropriate gift item.
I write on the curiosities, trials, joys, and laughter that occur in the everyday processes of living. My articles are my laughter, my tears, my frustrations, and my triumphs.
On May I Suggest I go sidewalk shopping the internet in order to provide an easier shopping experience. I sift through listings for interesting finds. As a mother of two girls and grandmother to 4 girls and 2 boys I understand the importance of getting the appropriate gift item.
My other websites are: Ladymermaid Fantasy and Folklore * Bites and Stings * Foodie Food Tips * Foodie Menu Ideas * Autoimmune Disease: It's a Personal Fight *
It Wasn't the Direction I Planned to go but Life is Like That
My siblings and I. That is me on the far right.
I am disabled and live within the confines of a rare illness known as Antisynthetase Syndrome. It is classed under the heading of Myositis. Many of my articles are written on my never ending search for reasons as to why I am ill. Today there is more awareness for my illness but when I was diagnosed there was not much knowledge out there on it.
I was 26 I when I was struck down and disabled by a rare chronic illness. It happened so quickly that it seemed to occur overnight. I went to bed feeling a little sore and woke up to discover that I could barely move my limbs. My body was stiffened up like a tin soldier.
From that point on my life was changed. I was exhausted, weak, and in severe pain. I was choking on food and slight exertions left me gasping for breath.
I was attending college when the illness hit and found that the severe fatigue and brain fog that accompanied the illness made it difficult to concentrate. Heck I was having trouble simply functioning. Two years later I reluctantly withdrew from my course of study.
I was 26 I when I was struck down and disabled by a rare chronic illness. It happened so quickly that it seemed to occur overnight. I went to bed feeling a little sore and woke up to discover that I could barely move my limbs. My body was stiffened up like a tin soldier.
From that point on my life was changed. I was exhausted, weak, and in severe pain. I was choking on food and slight exertions left me gasping for breath.
I was attending college when the illness hit and found that the severe fatigue and brain fog that accompanied the illness made it difficult to concentrate. Heck I was having trouble simply functioning. Two years later I reluctantly withdrew from my course of study.
A Diagnosis of Jo1 Antibodies - Anti-synthetase Syndrome
I was first diagnosed as having severe rheumatoid arthritis as that was largely how my illness displayed. It was about two years into the illness that they discovered I had a little something called a Jo1 antibody. Classed under rare diseases I would spend the next few years battling my illness and learning its boundaries.
I tried numerous ways over the years to find a form of employment which could be maintained around the illness but the disease always managed to outwit me and I would have to leave each position to take a few months or years off to heal. I would then revise my battle plan and try a different approach.
It turned out that situations which would first appear to be the ideal part time employment for me instead were impossible to maintain over an extended period of time. My illness would take a dangerous turn and I would be forced to retreat until the inflammation within my body receded. I turned to the Internet to search out a way of creating a source of employment for myself. It was a logical decision. I would not have to leave my home to work and I could take rest breaks whenever I needed them.
I always enjoyed language and the processes of writing. As I child it was a future goal of mine but that dream was forgotten for many of my adult years. While searching out potential online positions for myself I rediscovered my love of writing and made the decision to pick it up again. Blogging was in vogue so it was a pretty easy direction to head into.
My research into treatments as well as my unbound need to understand the why and how created my first articles. I now write in the hope that other individuals will find the wonderful optimum level of emotional and physical comfort in their own lives that I have found in mine. I love my life.
I tried numerous ways over the years to find a form of employment which could be maintained around the illness but the disease always managed to outwit me and I would have to leave each position to take a few months or years off to heal. I would then revise my battle plan and try a different approach.
It turned out that situations which would first appear to be the ideal part time employment for me instead were impossible to maintain over an extended period of time. My illness would take a dangerous turn and I would be forced to retreat until the inflammation within my body receded. I turned to the Internet to search out a way of creating a source of employment for myself. It was a logical decision. I would not have to leave my home to work and I could take rest breaks whenever I needed them.
I always enjoyed language and the processes of writing. As I child it was a future goal of mine but that dream was forgotten for many of my adult years. While searching out potential online positions for myself I rediscovered my love of writing and made the decision to pick it up again. Blogging was in vogue so it was a pretty easy direction to head into.
My research into treatments as well as my unbound need to understand the why and how created my first articles. I now write in the hope that other individuals will find the wonderful optimum level of emotional and physical comfort in their own lives that I have found in mine. I love my life.
The Majority of my First Articles Focused on my Illness
In the early years of writing my illness was always foremost in my mind. It was the subject that I was constantly searching out information, possible causes and treatments on. This research became the basis for many of my first articles. There really was not all that much information out there on people like me so what better topic to write on.
I was living through medical issues which no one seemed to have yet connected to my illness and I was discovering ways to work around these. I was also helping others like myself to cope with a much misunderstood way of life. Sharing what I learned through my writing gave me the unique opportunity of providing aide to others who might be in the same circumstances as myself. Writing can be a satisfying hobby.
I was living through medical issues which no one seemed to have yet connected to my illness and I was discovering ways to work around these. I was also helping others like myself to cope with a much misunderstood way of life. Sharing what I learned through my writing gave me the unique opportunity of providing aide to others who might be in the same circumstances as myself. Writing can be a satisfying hobby.
My Life is Lived in Bits and Pieces
I discovered quite early after diagnosis that the fatigue and brain fog issues of my illness had to be sneakily worked around. If I over spent my energy I quickly wound up feeling like a car that had run out of gas. It's a pretty frustrating feeling.
Living my life in bits and pieces and never doing too much of any one thing at any one time helped to increase the amount that I could accomplish in a day. So it is how I began to function.
I now have a tendency to live my life in small bursts of activity followed by rest periods. This lifestyle makes working on the internet the ideal format for me. I write short articles and then add to them as is necessary. When you write online it is important to update the articles on a regular basis so this system works ideally for me. It allows me ample opportunity to correct all the little errors which I am now so famous for making.
Reading and writing are a major issue for me as I must work around the brain fog associated with the illness. Brain fog is somewhat like working while you are suffering from an extremely bad case of the flu. Your brain is indeed foggy. It is a form of cognitive dysfunction which causes me to be more than a little inattentive to detail.
This mental confusion causes me to miss small details, to substitute in similar but incorrect words, and to have a very low concentration span. I spend a great deal of time correcting my errors. I write short articles, I read short articles, and I live my life in small bursts of energy each followed by a period of rest. Although I used to love to read I have now not read a complete book since I became ill. It is too frustrating a task to attempt and so I write. It's easier and I love it.
Living my life in bits and pieces and never doing too much of any one thing at any one time helped to increase the amount that I could accomplish in a day. So it is how I began to function.
I now have a tendency to live my life in small bursts of activity followed by rest periods. This lifestyle makes working on the internet the ideal format for me. I write short articles and then add to them as is necessary. When you write online it is important to update the articles on a regular basis so this system works ideally for me. It allows me ample opportunity to correct all the little errors which I am now so famous for making.
Reading and writing are a major issue for me as I must work around the brain fog associated with the illness. Brain fog is somewhat like working while you are suffering from an extremely bad case of the flu. Your brain is indeed foggy. It is a form of cognitive dysfunction which causes me to be more than a little inattentive to detail.
This mental confusion causes me to miss small details, to substitute in similar but incorrect words, and to have a very low concentration span. I spend a great deal of time correcting my errors. I write short articles, I read short articles, and I live my life in small bursts of energy each followed by a period of rest. Although I used to love to read I have now not read a complete book since I became ill. It is too frustrating a task to attempt and so I write. It's easier and I love it.
