How would you rate your quality of life- from 1 to 10?
5. Solid middle of the road, considering it can go either way at this point.

Are you happy?
I would like to be. I'm much too tense and stressed out at this point to be truly happy and content.

Have you been able to do all the things you want to do?
I've done a lot. I've been able to travel to places from Russia and Ukraine to Canada and Argentina. I've started to relearn how to play guitar. But there's still a lot I want to do. Finish school, get my big boy/big girl job, etc.

Do you think you'll be able to do whatever you want to in the future?
Yes. I have to believe that or else, what's the point?

How much do your symptoms impact you?
Granted there's physical ailments thrown into the mix, but it's been several years since my first hospitalization and I'm just now headed for the finish line for school. That's been the single biggest impact for me.

What brings you down the most and what makes you feel best?
Being "stuck" in a literal and metaphorical sense is what brings me down and, to use a horse racing metaphor, when the starting gate opens and you can rush forward and start the race is the best feeling for me. Forward momentum is how my dad put it.