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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SICKLE CELL DISEASE

1. Accept Your Disease. Don't ignore it. Respect it, don't fear it. Learn how to master it and not let it master you.
2. Take Good Care of Yourself. There is only One You! Practice healthy eating habits, drink plenty of low sugar/salt fluids, get adequate sunlight exposure and rest; get some aerobic exercise. Take care of your MIND, BODY and SOUL.
3. Pace Yourself. If you overdo it, you will experience pain. Once you master your tolerence levels you will do much better.
4. Remember You CAN do EVERYTHING You Want To Do. ALWAYS be safe and not sorry.
5. Learn to Control Your Pain. Don't let your pain control you.
6. Develop And Focus On Some Things That Bring You Joy and Satisfaction. Set goals and strive to achieve them.
7. Establish Independence Socially, Emotionally, Economically and Medically. Take charge of your disease. You own your sickle cell, your family and doctors can help you but it is not their disease, it's yours. OWN IT!
8. Establish An Effective Social Support Network within and outside of your family. Seek supportive relationships with people who accept you as you are and all that comes with you.
9. Don't Waste Your Pain Medication. Don't reach for the medicine cabinet. Treatments other than pills can reduce pain. Learn how to tailor the use of pain medication to the degree of pain you have. Over-treatment leads to increased pain and reduced effectiveness of the medication and may also reduce your quality of life.
10. Pain is a PAIN But That Does Not Neccessarily Mean Something Terrible is Happening. All pain is not related to sickle cell disease and could have other causes.