Silver Linings

Whew! I don't know where this year is running off to. It seems like yesterday it was Christmas.
I have been experimenting with diet changes as I way to treat and manage my chronic pain. On March 18th I started a smoothie diet as a way to loose weight and make a lifestyle change. I add ginger and 1teaspoon of turmeric to each of the two shakes that I drink daily. I'm so very happy to share that within three or four days, my pain is almost nonexistent! I have not had to ingest anything stronger than OTC Tylenol or ibuprofen. I'm still holding my breath on some days. Pain and inflammation were my constant companions. I'm enjoying the freedom of not being so physically and emotionally drained.
Thought I would share. I hope it helps someone else!

I'm late...I hope everyone had a wonderful pain-free holiday

I decided to take a look at my Blogger dashboard and was shocked to realize that I haven't posted anything since September! So much has happened since then. At the beginning of October I was moved to graveyard shift at work. Coinciding with that we had what I'll politely call a family crisis involving my son. So many days filled with pain that wasn't purely physical. I now have kidney stones and I'm in the middle of a flare. There are days, like today, when I wonder how my husband puts up with me and continues to take care of me. I know we promised to love each other in sickness and in health but there are days when all I can do is wallow in my self-pity and feel less than human. Deep down I know that I'm a strong woman who will never give up or quit fighting to survive my health problems. I feel like my pity parties are sort of like a guilty pleasure and as long as I don't wallow too long I can bounce back with a small pep talk to myself. There are so many days when I feel like it's just always something wrong or something hurting or something inflamed. That being said, what do you do when you feel down? How do you snap out of the funk that our bodies drag us through?

My favorite time of the year

Everyone has their favorite time of the year. Some love Spring or Summer. My favorite times are Fall And Winter.

I love to see the leaves changing colors. It seems like wildlife is more active as it cools off too.

I think one of the most pleasant reasons is because of the cooler weather. It's seems like since I had my hysterectomy I'm a walking hot flash. It's nice to be able to wear my makeup without it pouring off of my face in a multi-colored glob as soon as I step outside. :-)

I find my pain levels are down the cooler it gets as well. That combined with lesser hot flashes makes for one happy Momma!

Say what?!

There are days when I can hardly walk. Some days I'm fine until the end of the day. At times I've considered staying in the car and not facing the chore of climbing up the stairs to our apartment.

Don't get me wrong, the pain I experience now is nothing compared to the pain I've suffered for so many years. It's still just as frustrating though. I'm sure that many women and men who have chronic pain feel the same.

I like to find the positive in any situation and learn whatever lessons that I'm meant to.

So far I'm still learning the lesson. I don't understand why so many are afflicted.

Big Belly Bertha

I’m not a thin woman.

I’ve never been.

In photos of my siblings and I, I always look like the adopted kid because I look so different. I’m taller and just bigger than my sisters.

Since having surgeries and drug treatments and finally a complete hysterectomy, I find it harder and harder to loose any weight. I work full time in a job that requires me to be active and physical. Usually by the time that I get home I’m completely broken down and in pain.

I’ve noticed that since I’ve had two 6 month rounds of Lupron and finally a hyst, my belly gets really “expanded.” I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s not always painful but it is really out there. I still have some discomfort from my scars so I walk around rubbing my belly like a fat politician.

Yummy peach oatmeal

I made this for breakfast this morning and was pleasantly delighted at how good it came out. I use regular oats and made the usual amount for one person - make as much as you like. I chopped up two small peaches and toss them in right before the oatmeal is finished cooking. I also add three teaspoons of Splenda brown sugar. I let it all sit in the pot with the lid on for two minutes. Once that's done and the yummy goodness is in a bowl, I add a little milk to thin it out just a little bit. Mmmmm good! Any other favorite additions out there to try?

Chronic Pain

I read this the other day and love it! TIPS FOR DEALING WITH PEOPLE IN PAIN by Endometriosis Awareness Campaign on Friday, August 10, 2012 at 3:47pm · ( written by Tanya IH Mathis) TIPS FOR DEALING WITH PEOPLE IN PAIN-- 1. People with chronic pain seem unreliable (we can’t count on ourselves). When feeling better we promise things (and mean it); when in serious pain, we may not even show up. 2. An action or situation may result in pain several hours later, or even the next day. Delayed pain is confusing to people who have never experienced it. 3. Pain can inhibit listening and other communication skills. It’s like having someone shouting at you, or trying to talk with a fire alarm going off in the room. The effect of pain on the mind can seem like attention deficit disorder. So you may have to repeat a request, or write things down for a person with chronic pain. Don’t take it personally, or think that they are stupid. 4. The senses can overload while in pain. For example, noises that wouldn’t normally bother you, seem too much. 5. Patience may seem short. We can’t wait in a long line; can’t wait for a long drawn out conversation. 6. Don’t always ask “how are you” unless you are genuinely prepared to listen it just points attention inward. 7. Pain can sometimes trigger psychological disabilities (usually very temporary). When in pain, a small task, like hanging out the laundry, can seem like a huge wall, too high to climb over. An hour later the same job may be quite OK. It is sane to be depressed occasionally when you hurt. 8. Pain can come on fairly quickly and unexpectedly. Pain sometimes abates after a short rest. Chronic pain people appear to arrive and fade unpredictably to others. 9. Knowing where a refuge is, such as a couch, a bed, or comfortable chair, is as important as knowing where a bathroom is. A visit is much more enjoyable if the chronic pain person knows there is a refuge if needed. A person with chronic pain may not want to go anywhere that has no refuge (e.g.no place to sit or lie down). 10. Small acts of kindness can seem like huge acts of mercy to a person in pain. Your offer of a pillow or a cup of tea can be a really big thing to a person who is feeling temporarily helpless in the face of encroaching pain. 11. Not all pain is easy to locate or describe. Sometimes there is a body-wide feeling of discomfort, with hard to describe pains in the entire back, or in both legs, but not in one particular spot you can point to. Our vocabulary for pain is very limited, compared to the body’s ability to feel varieties of discomfort. 12. We may not have a good “reason” for the pain. Medical science is still limited in its understanding of pain. Many people have pain that is not yet classified by doctors as an officially recognized “disease”. That does not reduce the pain, – it only reduces our ability to give it a label, and to have you believe us.