Tag Archives: chronic pain

Health Update – 9/23/2016

23 Sep

How in the world can September already be almost over?! Although, the coming of all things pumpkin and fall does help ease the shock of it 😉

 

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Overall Health: since getting back on the majority of my vitamins/supplements I’ve been better – comparably. For about a week I was stuck on the couch due to unbelievable weakness and exhaustion. I haven’t been quite so negative. I haven’t had to nap so often lately, but sleeping at night has been really rough. I’ve been able to walk the dogs a few times a week, which benefits all 3 of us.

Treatment: I went in to my doctor the beginning of this week and we changed up what I’ve been taking, and she sent me home with several new things to start! I am currently off the Xiao Chai Hu Tang (possibly the cause of my extreme exhaustion last week) and have started taking Silver. (yes, silver! apparently while it’s very gentle on you, it kills things, who knew?) Tomorrow I start taking EHB, then if I don’t react negatively to that, 3 days later I start Garlic pills (oh joy). 3 days later, Vitamin E and then, you guessed it, 3 days after that, Copper pills. She’s also told me to start drinking 1 TB Apple Cider Vinegar in the mornings.

Migraines: Killer. They have been going from a 5 to an 8 (or higher) in the blink of an eye, making thinking (and anything else really) incredibly difficult.

Digestion and TMJ: Neither have changed here-which means they aren’t that good… but while my jaw has been hurting a lot, it doesn’t pop as much as it used to! Silver lining right there!

Mood: It’s been better overall this past month, thank goodness. I feel like I mostly am back to myself although I do still feel a tad anti-social

Sleep: Except for the past few nights, it’s been atrocious. Of course, the nights I do sleep better I have nightmares..sigh.

Memory: Once again, it hasn’t improved but aside from freaking out late one night because I couldn’t remember words to songs that I’ve known for ages, I haven’t noticed any worsening.

Daily Vitamins:

Clonidine – for most of this month I was taking 3 a day but since Sunday it’s backed off to 1 or 2 !!!!!

off the Xiao Chai Hu Tang

Pulsatilla and Belladonna – finally got some more of these amazing tinctures!!!

Here’s a full list  – although I will have to update this next month!

Stick around and check out my other health updates!

8/23/16

Symptoms of my Lyme

7/27/16

Fighting Lyme and Migraines

The Big Health Update

 

Next week is the monthly Book Review, come back and check it out!

Have a fabulous Fall weekend,

Laura

 

 

 

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Unexpected Side Effects of Chronic Pain

13 Sep

So guys, I’ve been thinking about doing this post for ages, I just wish I’d written down all the little things when I thought of them… because trust me, there’s a lot more than this.

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-you get used to people checking up on you ‘are you okay?’ ‘do you need anything?’

– stairs are not.nice.ever. = you get passed by 60 year olds…

– you decide you’d rather have weight loss than weight gain, and then realize how terrible of a person that probably makes you

-traveling loses quite a bit of its appeal when you realize it takes at least a day to recuperate, you won’t be able to keep up with whoever you’re visiting, if the PAIN hits you’re in a new environment/probably won’t be able to deal with it like you need to, faking feeling better than you do is something that just happens, etc.

– you become the person that carries around a mini pharmacy in their purse (and people still wonder why you carry such a large one)

-standing in lines makes you cranky, achy and wonder why you ever leave your house

-Light PHYSICALLY hurts. no joke.

– Sound does too

-you have multiple pill boxes for all your daily pills

-the things your brain chooses to remember is baffling

-going to two or three stores in one trip is EXCITING (yes, the realization of how pathetic this is does dawn on you every time)

-you’ve rarely answered a ‘how are you’ question with ‘i’m great!’

-learning to balance productivity with what your body says is….interesting

 

Basically, pain takes away your independence. But still we fight, day by day to pretend we still have that independence and inexhaustible energy that someone our age is supposed to have.

I just had this verse pop into my head

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8

~Laura

what would you add to this list?!

 

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Health Update – 8/23/16

23 Aug

This past month has really tested me – I feel that my normal good-humor is starting to slip and as such, I’m quieter because I’d really rather not spew all this anger and frustration on those of you I’m around! (plus, there might be tears. and that’s not cool) Please don’t think I’m walking around depressed or eternally angry, okay? That’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is that chronic pain is wearying. Thanks in equal parts to my OH, parents, friends and dogs, I’m making it through but by golly, I’m heading to the store today to pick up the vitamins I need, whether I feel up to it or not!

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Overall Health: Honestly, it’s the same as last month’s update. TIRED. EXHAUSTED. WORN OUT. that’s me. Leg/foot cramping has come back along with such severe, drive-me-crazy-body-pain that I’d rather just have a migraine, thank you very much. Weight is still slowly going up.

Treatment: I’m still taking the Xiao Chai Hu Tang but I don’t think (which means I know I’m not but I don’t want to admit it) that I’m taking the proper dosage. I am taking 2 a day and apparently I’m supposed to be taking 3 or 4 three times a day….Definitely need to up them!!

Migraines: They have been severe, long-lasting and daily this month. If I don’t catch them right away, nothing touches them. And sometimes, even if I do take everything, it doesn’t seem to touch it.

Digestion and TMJ: digestion has been iffy but I’ll admit it, I haven’t been super strict on my diet lately. So, that’s my own fault . TMJ seems to be even-ing out again after getting worse for a few weeks. I really need to get into the habit of wearing my night guard when I take naps so my jaw doesn’t ache like it is right now.

Mood: I have been more irritable these past weeks and I do. not. like. it. I sincerely apologize to anyone if I’ve been short or rude to you! I try not to let it out. oy. It is directly related to feeling so overwhelmingly awful for so many days in a row.

Sleep: As of a few weeks ago, I have been taking naps almost every day. Sometimes two naps. Yesterday I slept about 5 hours just napping and still was so tired. Still needing melatonin or theanine in order to sleep.

Memory: I don’t think it has improved any. If it has, I can’t tell.

Daily Vitamins:

Clonidine – still averaging 2 a day probably.

I have recently run out of : Magnesium, Chaste tree berry, Olive Leaf Extract, Evening Primrose Oil, Calcium, Fish Oil. ( some of these I’ve been taking less of to get them to last longer i.e. til I get to the store)

here’s my full list of vitamins!

Check out my other updates and info on Lyme!

Symptoms of my Lyme

update 7/27/16

the Big Health update

Thanks for stopping by, I feel so blessed that SGL reaches as many people as it does!

~Laura

 

 

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Book Review – July 2016

3 Aug

Ahem. Let’s just pretend that it’s  about 4 days ago, shall we?! What with traveling and trying to get through a monster of a book about Lyme Disease, I went for light reads last month.

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Just Above a Whisper (book 2 Tucker Mills Trilogy) by Lori Wick – Indentured servant, Reese Thackery’s life gets another hit when the owner of her contract dies and the bank becomes the holder of her fate. The bank owner’s son, Connor Kingsley, comes to investigate and soon releases her from service. He then hires her to keep house for him, but Reese can’t decide how she feels about him. Can both put aside the hurt of the past and learn to trust again?

~Honestly, I think these two characters are some of my favorites of Wick’s. Reese’s attitude throughout her trials is how I would sincerely like to be! If I could move to the small town of Tucker Mills, I would do it in a heartbeat. And I always forget that this is smack dab in the middle of a trilogy, but it certainly works as a stand alone!  There is nothing in this novel that I don’t like! An absolute favorite. 

An Assembly Such as This bk 1 by Pamela Aidan – Darcy can’t believe the company he’s forced to keep when he follows his friend, Charles Bingley to Hertfordshire to check out an estate for sale. As he spends his days fending off Miss Bingley’s attentions and supervising Bingley, he finds himself falling for Elizabeth Bennett, quite unwillingly. When an old nemesis unexpectedly shows up in the form of George Wickham, Darcy is left dealing with old emotions, and growing concern about Elizabeth’s friendship with him.

~I found this novel while browsing a used bookstore years ago and am SO very glad I took a chance on it and grabbed it! To finally find a well-written novel from Darcy’s perspective (of Pride and Prejudice)  is like a literary dream come true. I enjoy the characters that Aidan creates in Darcy’s world. His butler, Fletcher, is one of my favorites. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, you simply MUst read this book! IF you’re a fan of the Regency Era, you must read it!! 

The Hero and the Crown by Robin Mckinley – With rumors of her mother being a witch from the North, Aerin has never been accepted as rightful heir of Damar’s king.  It’s said in whispers that her mother entrapped her father into marrying her, and then died of despair after having a daughter instead of a son. And so, Aerin grew up as a bit of an uncomfortable oddity, not able to hide completely but not able to properly claim her place in court. No one knows the truth of her destiny, that she is to become the wielder of the Blue Sword.

~ This is another novel that I took a risk on in a bookshop, one in Cannon Beach Or! I’ve read it once before and enjoyed it just as much this second time. Aerin’s journey is exciting as she goes from awkward reminder to hero. And we all love a female hero who wonders at the calm in her voice and how she instinctively knows what to do. 

 

Come back for a review on Ralph Moody’s Little Britches series!

I never did finish the Trim Healthy Mama book or Captivating…. They just fell by the wayside with everything going on. You’ll see I’m still reading Why Can’t I get Better? , it’s a good book about Lyme disease and chronic pain but it’s so in-depth and also written for doctors that i’m getting bogged down by it all. I’m starting to think of returning it to the library early and finding another book about Lyme that maybe isn’t so hard to get through.

 

Currently Reading:

Why Can’t I get Better? by Richard Horowitz, M.D.

The Fields of Home by Ralph Moody

Duty and Desire bk 2 by Pamela Aidan

 

To-Read List:

Mary Emma and Company by Ralph Moody (bk 6)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The rest of the Tucker Mills Trilogy by Lori Wick

While covering different genres, I do not read anything that has blatant sexual content. I will tell you if there is any sort of such (typically very mild and delicately put) in them and if I don’t think they’d be appropriate for young/teenage readers.

 

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Fighting Lyme and Chronic Migraines

8 Jul

well, these two weeks have FLOWN by and now it’s time to update on how fabulously I’ve been feeling. Ha! Not fabulous, let me tell you that first off. Oy. But we were able to have a lot of fun over the 4th of July weekend! Thank you to everyone that came to our first BBQ! It was SO much fun and we had such a great turnout! OH (other half) and I look forward to hosting another one. We also got down to Bend to see family and friends for a few days and had an absolute blast. Family barbeque where the kids just couldn’t get any cuter. Abby learning to swim in the pond. Holding a sweet little baby. Line dancing at midnight. Dinner with my parents and Auntie and Uncle.  The fun continued right until we left!

 

Ok, I’ll quit playing with pictures and get to the update…. if you missed the first update, check it out!!

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Overall Health: I seem to feel either really good or really awful, there hasn’t been much of an in between these last few weeks. My memory hasn’t improved, which makes remembering to take the treatment hard! Sleep hasn’t improved either. My skin has slowly started to clear up, thank heavens! The house is staying in pretty good shape , now I’m dreaming of working in the yard and cleaning my car!

Treatment: I’ve been back on the Samento for 10 days now and good grief, it’d be nice if I could remember to take all 3 drops each day. I’m doing good if I take 2. I’m thinking I’m gonna have to set alarms on my phone… Remember, I have to wait half an hr after taking it , to eat. AHEM. Not cool, because I tend to remember when I’m sitting down to eat. sigh. I Will get the hang of this because I’m not reacting near as strong as before. I have run out of Riboflavin though, so I’ve Got to get some today, remind me of that will you? hehe.

Migraines: This might be TMI for some of you reading this and I’m sorry… Due to it being that wonderful time of the month, my migraines have been predictably severe. This morning I don’t have one but that hasn’t been the norm the past week and a half. The pain has been severe, and stayed so most of the day this past week especially.

Digestion: This past week I seem to have gotten past my stomach freaking out at almost every meal I eat. Which is a wonderful change.

TMJ: I don’t seem to be clenching my jaw during the day as much – at least I haven’t caught myself doing it like I was. It’s been popping more the last few days, and is super tender in the mornings. Hard to chew harder foods sometimes.

Mood: I feel more myself although I still tend to overreact to the littlest things.

Sleep: hasn’t changed at all – still have to take Melatonin or Theanine every night. Still wake up at least twice. I’ve been taking a  lot more naps since I got back on the Samento.

Brain Fog/Memory : Fog hasn’t been as bad as in the past but memory is deplorable. I’m still struggling to remember things I’ve always known, and to find the right word. Still haven’t been able to write much on my novel. Focus has been a little better in some situations, (able to watch movies now)

Daily Vitamins :

Still averaging 2 Clonidine a day (it’s been 3 a day these past several days though)

I’ve been trying to up my intake of Fish oil to 2 a day without reaction.

I’ve run out of Riboflavin, getting more today! Need to up my intake though

Seem to be doing fine off the Cordyceps

And that’s it! I’m gonna start working on the list of symptoms, I want to get it up before I go on vacation next week. This blog has wonderful info on Lyme disease, I’ve been following her for a few years now.

Do you have any tips on remembering to take the Samento? Or do you have direct experience with Samento? I’d love any advice!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Laura

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Currently – aka why SGL has been so silently lately

8 Mar

Happy rainy-dreary tuesday afternoon! I am ‘multi-tasking’ right now  -doing the dishes, making vegetable juice/smoothie and typing up my book so if something spills or puppy decides to eat the paper, I don’t lose 5 pages worth of story. Which means I’m not making any headway in anything.  Side effect of the migraine today, I suppose. My focusing ability is shot.

But! I have been busy lately, crocheting and knitting and bemoaning the rain and planning a small girl’s movie night this coming weekend. I’m so excited to finally host a group of friends! I’ve also been making almond milk, almond butter and granola – gotta love it when it’s homemade.

Here’s a video of Abby, we’ve found the one thing she’s afraid to walk on…. (i could not figure out how to turn it, so sorry it’s sideways!!) The ice maker is her favorite thing in the house, she always perks up when she hears it.  

 

And here’s some photos of life recently  :

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It was the OH’s birthday, so Abby and I grabbed a photo

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for Lady, the smaller the space she’s in, the happier she is…

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loving the nicer weather for walks!

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every night, this is what they do. because, you know, they are STARVING

In the time it took to write this, I’ve finished the dishes and the juice and taken the dogs for a walk and made granola… So, now I figure it’s time to get back to typing my novel. I really want to have my first draft finished by June/July, which means I’ve gotta get crackin!

~Laura 

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Truth for the Chronic Pain-er

9 Feb

This is me…

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For some more laughs at the expense of our pain-ness, check out my pinterest board, and then go enjoy that sunshine!

~Laura

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DIY Infinity Scarf from pajama pants

17 Jan

Yes. You read that right. 

Why buy a scarf for about $20 when you can make your own for free – or very nearly free? I am sure you’ve seen some version of this, but since my mom and I changed up the directions we were following, I thought I’d  give you a nice little tutorial! =) 

I have had a super cute pair of pajama pants for a couple years now , but i never wore them. They were too baggy and had a white background which means, well. you know – unders can be seen. And that’s not attractive. EVER. Even at home in your jammies. So – I decided to change them over to a scarf!

Step 1: Lay  them out  and cut along the inseam of each leg. 

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Step 2: Then open each leg up and lay on top of each other  with wrong side out, in order to cut the legs off at the top inseam ( you are cutting off the pockets and waist off )

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Step 3: Cut each side straight up from the hem line to the top. I was lucky that my mom has a cool disappearing ink pen that we were  able to draw a line for me to (actually) cut straight. ahem. Then cut the hem off! This is what it should look like now :

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sorry it’s a little blurry…

step 4: With wrong side out still, pin one end to sew the two pieces of fabric together to form one long strip of fabric. Now, because my fabric ended up being too short I went and bought some dark blue flannel (about 1/2 yard). Wash and dry your fabric to make sure it shrinks before you sew your project. Then pin one end of the ‘extra’ fabric to the original piece wrong side out. And sew!

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Step 5: lay out long-wise and iron one end of the fabric in order to create an easy hem line and pin longwise.. Sew , making sure to sew down the edges of the ironed end. It will help in the next step, trust me! (sorry there’s no pictures! I spaced taking any more! oops!)

Step 6 : Pull right side out. Freak out at how cute your infinity scarf is becoming. Slip the unironed end inside the ironed side. See how once you sew them together you have a nice folded edge? Yep. It’s that easy. Pin. Sew close to the edge of the ironed side. Trim any dangling threads and try it on! =) 

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I am excited that I can wear it two ways – just wrapped around once and loose or ….

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wrapped around another time and up for more of a warm-scarf-while-wearing-a-coat-ness! I’m super excited that I was able to actually make this! I love sewing but do not do it very often (as my sewing machine is in storage!) so Eek! so proud of myself. 

Stay warm friends and happy sewing! 

 

 

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DIY organized grocery bag holder

13 Jan

I am all about finding ways to reuse items – – – and that includes plastic grocery bags. But storing them to use again usually results in something like this:

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 a cupboard that all i can see is BAGS.Shudder at the unorganized-ness of it all! I had found an easy idea this past summer for a way to get them down to ‘size’ and contain them but had never fully tried it. So, today i pulled out the bag stuffed full of bags and gave it a try! you can see the original post here:  http://tatertotsandjello.com/2011/07/summer-social-guest-project-make_21.html

 

Here’s what  I did (while I watched an episode of Lie To Me.) 

First, flatten a dozen or so bags and fold in half so the the handles are on top of each other.  Layer bags like so:

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On the first one, fold the handles up (like in the photo!) and roll, continuing until you’ve rolled all dozen bags. I had so many that I rolled three of these beauties. I then took an empty oatmeal cardboard container and cut two crossing lines in the lid  (didn’t take a photo of that, but i’m sure you get the idea! )  Popped the three rolled bags in and voila! : 

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I now have a dispenser of grocery bags. If I wanted to, I could decorate this to make it pretty, but since it’s going under my sink… I’m not too worried about it. And now, the new look of my cupboard! : 

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I found oven cleaner, floor cleaner and Lysol cleaner in there! Ha! Just saved money by not going out and buying more. =) Now that’s what I call a successful project.  

Hope you enjoyed this little money-saving-organizing project of mine! And if you’re not too keen on saving these bags here’s  a list of what you could use them for:

 

~small garbage bins bags (instead of buying those expensive bags from the store!!)

~ pooper scooper bags ( don’t buy those specially made for this! just grab these and go clean your yard! and come do mine while you’re at it. hehe)

~ easy dog hair grooming bag  ( when you’re brushing your dog, grab one of these. when you’ve filled it, you know for sure your dog has too much hair.. or is that just mine?)

~donation bag (as you’re cleaning/organizing your house, have one of these ready  to go to Goodwill!)

~chicken food scraps (I save my food scraps and take them out to my mom’s to make her chickens ‘happy’ and it keeps my garbage from getting super smelly!)

~oil hair mask (when doing a hair mask and you don’t have a shower cap, although it feels strange tying one on your head, they work like a charm! – https://thestartofagoodlife.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/dandruff-remover-and-a-bit -about-my-life/ )

Have a wonderful Monday saving money one tiny step at a time! 

~Laura

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