Anyone home? I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this! I started up on Facebook, but I'm awful about it -- I never remember to log on....
Let's see. I'm getting weekly allergy shots now, so hopefully I'll be not so incapacitated by allergies at some point in the future. I wish our insurance covered pets, too, because the doggies as so horribly affected by them, especially Ada. I'm hoping Tim will be getting allergy shots soon, too, as he desperately needs them, too.
I finally have a diagnosis for the medical problems I've had for decades. My doctor had been worried I had lupus and sent me to a rheumatologist, who walked in room to me and said "I don't have to examine you -- I know what you have just from reading your file. You don't have lupus. You have fibromyalgia." The irritable bowl syndrome I've had since high school, the migraines for the last 17 years, the crushing fatigue, the pain, and even more stuff that has made me miserable for as long as I can remember -- it's textbook fibro. She put me first on cymbalta, which led to horrible side effects, so she switched me to a low dose of lyrica, which is helping a lot. I go back in two weeks, and she'll probably increase my dose (since I'm at the starter level).
Last year was a bit of a nightmare, health-wise -- I broke my left leg, and had surgery to remove adhesions. I had put off the surgery for quite a while, until I was in constant pain (to the point that I couldn't stand up straight or lie down on my back). When I went back to see the surgeon after surgery, he looked over my chart and said "So, I removed some adhesions..." then turned the page of the chart, his eyebrows went up, and he continued "quite a few adhesions!" The surgery wasn't what I'd feared; they did it laparoscopically, and my recovery was really quick.
I'm looking at some more surgery this year, this time by choice. I've re-gained some weight since my gastric bypass, and I want to have the ROSE procedure to tighten my pouch. I'll see my surgeon in two weeks, and two days later have a psych evaluation, one of the hoops I have to jump through to get my insurance to cover it. I'm psyched about it. :)
In other areas, I'm continuing the them of lightening up. Since being on the lyrica, I've had the energy to do some tidying up around the house. I've taken three big bags of clothing to the thrift store, as well as a box of other stuff. Another bag waits for me to finish filling it, and I'm hoping to get another box of kitchen stuff out this weekend. I also have to clean off the table to sew a gift for my niece, the Princess. I'm making a couple of satin tops and three tulle skirts for princess dresses -- they'll be mix and match, and her big sister will be able to wear them also. Younger niece is SO funny! She found a dress at a garage sale and insisted on getting it; it's quite pretty, with a full skirt, and apparently she insisted on wearing it every day for quite a while. When I first saw her after she got it, she informed me with a huge beaming smile "I'm a princess!" Her big sister loves school and loves to read; her favorite part of school is "tests" (SO not like the rest of the family....).
What other news? I'm taking off April 29th; I'm planning on driving Hubs to work, take the dogs to get shots and get groomed, get my hair cut (grooming for all us girls! ;), go get my name changed on my social security card (only 15.5 years after the wedding -- oops), and, of course, watch the royal wedding. I can't help it, I love royalty. I partially blame my Mom, who got my sister and me up early to watch the Princess Royal's wedding, and I haven't missed a royal wedding since. :)
Enough for now, I think. I'll do better! :)
Friday, April 15, 2011
Saturday, October 23, 2010
pretty
Oh, this so rocks....
Right on the money, with the one dream in my life that can never come true -- to be pretty.
Right on the money, with the one dream in my life that can never come true -- to be pretty.
links: pausing
What helps me:
Remifemin, a supplement with black cohosh, traditionally used for menopausal symptoms. I forgot to take one Thursday and thought I wouldn't notice, but I woke up with horrible night sweats that night, so I won't miss it again.
Acne & Wrinkles: How to Tackle Both; from the wonderful Cosmetics Cop, Paula Begoun. Skin care information you can trust; I've used her products for years, and will stick to them.
Found on the web:
Which Menopause Products are Worth Buying? from ABC News via Good Morning America. The date on this story is March 30, 2004 -- however, the recommendations are from the Good Housekeeping Institute, and I'm most inclined to go with the recommendations for comfortable sleepwear.
7 Things Nobody Ever Tells You About Aging from Orpah.com, dated April 23, 2010. Leans heavily towards the "beauty" rather than "health" or "comfort" aspects about peri/menopause, but good to know.
Managing Menopause Symptoms Through Diet; from WebMD. I can go with most of these, though Food Step 1 won't be one of them, because I've done enough reading to know that soy probably isn't as good for you as everyone thinks.
The Estrogen Dilemma; from the New York Times Magazine. Really excellent article about the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy.
Remifemin, a supplement with black cohosh, traditionally used for menopausal symptoms. I forgot to take one Thursday and thought I wouldn't notice, but I woke up with horrible night sweats that night, so I won't miss it again.
Acne & Wrinkles: How to Tackle Both; from the wonderful Cosmetics Cop, Paula Begoun. Skin care information you can trust; I've used her products for years, and will stick to them.
Found on the web:
Which Menopause Products are Worth Buying? from ABC News via Good Morning America. The date on this story is March 30, 2004 -- however, the recommendations are from the Good Housekeeping Institute, and I'm most inclined to go with the recommendations for comfortable sleepwear.
7 Things Nobody Ever Tells You About Aging from Orpah.com, dated April 23, 2010. Leans heavily towards the "beauty" rather than "health" or "comfort" aspects about peri/menopause, but good to know.
Managing Menopause Symptoms Through Diet; from WebMD. I can go with most of these, though Food Step 1 won't be one of them, because I've done enough reading to know that soy probably isn't as good for you as everyone thinks.
The Estrogen Dilemma; from the New York Times Magazine. Really excellent article about the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy.
intro
We've just past the Autumnal Equinox, and I'm definitely at the Equinox of my life. It's like I've been sleepwalking. It's time to wake up.
So, I'm darn near 50, which is really just fine with me, except a few things, like the stupid meanopausal symptoms I'm having.
I do think about lots of things, and there are lots of things I like to do (read, knit, craft, etc), but it seems that I can barely fit things in if I get home from work, cook dinner, clean up, and get to bed in time to get eight hours before we get up at 5:45 or so in the morning (I MUST have eight hours, always have).
So, let's see how things will go. :)
A few dreams have had meaning for me -- the ones I remember, that is. One had Hubs and me visiting some third-world country, and children there offered me a taste of a can of something that looked like cocoa powder. Hubs said "Don't" but I stuck my finger in and tasted it, and it did seem sort of cocoa-ish. The girl holding the can then turned it around so I could see the label, and it was powdered dehydrated human remains. I was horrified, to say the least. A friend did some research and told me that dreaming of cannibalism means that something is consuming your life, and that made sense, as I was in grad school and working full-time when I had the dream.
Another dream that stuck with me -- I think I've had it several times -- is that I'm walking around my home and find a door I'd never noticed before. Behind this door are many rooms I'd never known about, and I was exploring them when the dream ended. That dream, I discovered, is common in midlife, and represents that there is more to come in life.
So, I'm darn near 50, which is really just fine with me, except a few things, like the stupid meanopausal symptoms I'm having.
I do think about lots of things, and there are lots of things I like to do (read, knit, craft, etc), but it seems that I can barely fit things in if I get home from work, cook dinner, clean up, and get to bed in time to get eight hours before we get up at 5:45 or so in the morning (I MUST have eight hours, always have).
So, let's see how things will go. :)
A few dreams have had meaning for me -- the ones I remember, that is. One had Hubs and me visiting some third-world country, and children there offered me a taste of a can of something that looked like cocoa powder. Hubs said "Don't" but I stuck my finger in and tasted it, and it did seem sort of cocoa-ish. The girl holding the can then turned it around so I could see the label, and it was powdered dehydrated human remains. I was horrified, to say the least. A friend did some research and told me that dreaming of cannibalism means that something is consuming your life, and that made sense, as I was in grad school and working full-time when I had the dream.
Another dream that stuck with me -- I think I've had it several times -- is that I'm walking around my home and find a door I'd never noticed before. Behind this door are many rooms I'd never known about, and I was exploring them when the dream ended. That dream, I discovered, is common in midlife, and represents that there is more to come in life.
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