iEuphoria

Is your wife single?

Thank you for doing this AMA, if it weren't for you I would not have known that it was international Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week.

What is your average day's routine like?

How are you today?

You are a trooper. Especially for holding a job, that doesn't seem easy with constant fatigue and headaches..

Sorry if this next question is a bit ignorant: Have you had any major side affects from throwing up? Esophagus, stomach acid, etc..

(Former) life insurance agent here.

If he were to apply for life insurance while doing this on the side it would be counted as occupational hazard. He may or may not qualify for a standard plan, if he does qualify his premium would either be high or he can put in a stipulation on the contract that states that the insurer does not have to pay the insured if his demise was related to this specific hazard. That could keep his premiums relatively low.

And whether he is applying for term or whole life also factors in..

Earlier this year I was diagnosed with cervical precancer. The doctors had to perform a conization in order to tell whether or not there was cancer, since all the samples from my biopsy were CIN III, essentially stage 0 cancer.

I am not OP, but what I struggled with the most was the lack of control. The feeling of uncertainty. The hopelessness that this isn't like a cold or a virus where I can just rest for a few days and have it over with. I was scared, so many possibilities came through my mind and for the first time I was faced with my own mortality. What if it spreads? What if I can't have kids? What if I never get that long, fruitful life that I have always dreamed of?

What helped me was 1st, talking to a support network. It helped talking to people outside of family and friends, because I could be honest. In front of my family I felt like I had to be strong, anything I said would worry them. I needed to talk to someone who had been through something similar. Someone who knows what I am going through, who can offer me insight and support in a way that my family couldn't.

I also started watching my diet and exercising regularly. I used to never work out. But this helped because it felt like I was gaining a bit of control back-- like every day I was fighting to make a difference. I was fighting to help my body. I wasn't sitting around waiting for whatever was going to happen, I was being proactive and that made me feel tons better.

Sorry for the long rant. Basically my point is: Do something each day, whether it be exercising or eating better, to make you feel like you are fighting back. Be brave, and don't be afraid to reach out to people. This is not something you need to go through alone.