Category Archives: Health

7 Quick Takes — Brought to You by Fibromyalgia Grumping

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7 Quick Takes

I haven’t gotten half decent sleep since… yeah, it’s been that long but it’s been especially bad this week which means that my fibromyalgia is flaring up. This means that I’m in a boatload of pain and in an extra cranky mood. Jon had to be in the office and doing visits today but his day off is tomorrow and that means I get to sleep in guilt-free. (OK… so I also slept in on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but that had to do with having problems sleeping and having to be more than semi-comatose to take care of Daniel.)

— 1 —

I still have remnants of the mutant death cold from Thanksgiving. I still have random coughing spasms that wake me up and keep me up at night. I was almost coughing to the point of vomiting on Tuesday night and my dad ended up bringing a couple packages of Ricola to the guestroom — I guess I was waking him up and keeping him up. I don’t know what specifically is irritated and causing it — it’s not asthma-related so my inhaler and nebulizer are useless against it.

— 2 —

I see that the Rose Parade is being held on Monday. The joke is that it (almost) never rains on the Rose Parade because the organizers have a deal with God: they don’t hold it on Sunday and God gives them good weather. It illustrates the fallacy of prayer making God into the Cosmic Vending Machine but it is curious that they usually have amazing weather even though it falls during the rainy season.

— 3 —

There’s a new season of The Biggest Loser starting. The only problem is that it’s on at the same time as NCIS:Los Angeles. I missed pretty much all of last season — I only caught the Thanksgiving show where they showed who kept the weight off. I think I’m going to have to pick a night to watch it online or something.

— 4 —

My resolution for 2012: be more active. Fibro can be a catch-22. It helps to be active and get moderate exercise but… the pain makes doing so difficult, especially with me because I’m also under a huge amount of stress and that exacerbates things. I think I’m going to have to be super intentional about taking the time out to go for a walk, do playground stuff with Daniel, or just… DO SOMETHING.

— 5 —

I’m getting a ton of political fundraising emails. Apparently, there’s a huge FEC deadline on December 31, 2011 and all the political stuff I support are hitting me up for money. Can I honestly say that I’m really not looking forward to all the politics and media crud that will be coming soon?

— 6 —

I had to put down The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It was interesting in the beginning but it seems like Grossman took the whole Harry Potter thing and twisted into this dark and fatalist thing. It did sort of keep my attention but it was also depressing how hopeless the characters attitudes were. I still haven’t used up my whole gift certificate from my birthday and I have an additional one from my sister-in-law that she gave me for Christmas so I think it’s time that I invested in some stuff that I do want to read. I also finally figured out how to “close” books on my Nook. Go me!

— 7 —

I did the Saint’s Name Generator again this year. For 2011, I had St. Gianna Beretta Molla which was good because I did need to get to know her better, especially as she also had a killer pregnancy (which unlike me, did eventually kill her). My saint for 2012 is St. Luke which should be interesting. I think this will be a year of reading his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. As a Lutheran, we don’t revere saints in the same way as Catholics or Orthodox do — for us, it’s more of “this is a person we should emulate”. I think I’ll be pondering some of these things internally for awhile.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

Purging My Brain

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It’s 7:52 a.m. — an hour at which I have never risen joyfully, even when I worked at UPS and loved my job. (This also includes the times I got up at 6 to kick-box before work.) I woke up at 4:15 and couldn’t get back to sleep. Instead of going and making myself some Instant Breakfast, I played online and listened to podcasts. Bad idea. So… I’m going to purge my brain so that I can go back to sleep (if Jon does office hours from home this morning) or at least cat-nap (if he doesn’t).

[+] Lowe’s, you suck. I could understand if you pulled advertising from “All-American Muslim” because you disagreed with how the show portrayed Muslims and felt that it was not a correct representation of life in America in a Muslim household. (I’ve read non-biased opinions of the show that say that it isn’t really all that accurate. Then again, Islam is as diverse as Christianity in terms of practice and how people observe the tenets of the faith.) Instead, you caved into a group that claims that all Muslims are terrorists. I’ve signed eleventy billion petitions to boycott you and have your CEO removed. Apologize, OK?

[+] Daniel had a good park date with his physical therapist yesterday. We met S at a park in Elk Grove that’s tailored for younger kids and we got him working on climbing things, going down slides, doing steps, going on suspension bridges… It was great. S is also trying to hook us up with a play group in Elk Grove so he can be around other kids.

[+] I’m finally getting over the mutant death cold that landed Daniel in the hospital and gave me a sinus/bronchial infection. We have an appointment with his pediatrician today to re-check him and to maybe try and come up with a strategy so that we don’t have another hospitalization.

[+] Ahem CW… you picked two of the crappier episodes of “Hart of Dixie” to show on Monday. Could we remedy this please?

[+] We got Daniel on a sippy cup and off the bottle cold turkey on Thursday. This meant TODDLER RAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it was worth it.

[+] I have online shopping to do once Jon gets paid tomorrow and then I’ll be DONE for Christmas. I have to toss a box in the mail to Claremont today but that will be once I have brain cells to spare.

OK… going back to bed.

7 Quick Takes — Updating Since Thanksgiving

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7 Quick Takes

Daniel is out of the hospital and we’re finally back home. (Only a 4 day hospital stay instead of 19. Yay!) Time for updates on the rest of my life!

— 1 —

I had to give up on “winning” NaNoWriMo. I had worked a little ahead to compensate for being gone for a couple days at Thanksgiving but Daniel in the hospital and the sheer sleep deprivation of all of it completely shot my chances of finishing and validating by November 30th. I probably could have squeezed it in but I had a really fussy and angry toddler during the hospital stay and I would have had to do two 5000 word days when I got home. Both options were unreasonable so I’m settling for just making it to 40K again. Nothing I wrote is wasted though — I have a setting and characters for a murder mystery next year.

— 2 —

Kathleen of So Much to Say, So Little Time… had her baby. Go congratulate her. Do it now.

— 3 —

I have a massage tomorrow. Due to timing issues last month, it worked out that I only ended up getting one massage. I will hopefully have a chance to see my massage therapist more this month. It’s keeping the fibro at bay until I can get in to see a rheumatologist and it’s benefiting a small business owner in town — a win-win situation.

— 4 —

I am enjoying “Judge Judy” waaaaaay too much. I did feel sorry for a plaintiff today who thought she had a legal contract and whose cousin/aunt took advantage for her but the vast majority of people really need a good dose of reality. I could totally do a quick takes post on lessons that one can learn from watching her show, the most popular one being not to co-sign for a loan for someone unless you are married to that person. Almost every other case is someone who co-signed for a car loan with their boyfriend/for their spoiled adult child/for a sibling…

— 5 —

Daniel has taken to coming over and taking my hand to lead me wherever he wants me to go. Usually, it involves going into a forbidden room at which point I have to fake an inability to open that particular door. In one case, he led me to my parents’ room on Monday and he started flipping out by the bed under which their sissy Maine Coon was hiding. I didn’t realize it was possible to fluff a Maine Coon (especially this one) but it can happen. Sorry Bubba Cat! (I scritched his ears and his shoulder blades before I let him out and apologized to him.)

— 6 —

My local CVS has Cadbury Dairy Milk bars. It’s hard to find these outside of the Commonwealth so I took FULL advantage of the “buy 2 get one free” deals on them. I’m having to force myself to limit it to one (or part of one) per day though.

— 7 —

Here’s another plug for Postcrossing. I seriously recommend it for teaching your homeschooled kids geography or starting a postcard collection for your child. (I’ve got one started for Daniel.) I got a postcard almost every day this week from Belarus, Singapore, Finland, and Australia. Part of the reason for being at CVS was to get postcards to send out.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: November 28, 2011

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY November 28, 2011

Outside my window… chilly and cloudy in San Jose, dark when I got back home to Galt.

I am thinking… that this cold has worn out its welcome.

I am thankful… for Daniel getting prompt treatment and getting out of the hospital.

In the kitchen… need to do some grocery shopping.

I am wearing… light blue shirt, penguin pj bottoms, blue snuggie.

I am creating… nothing. I had to resign myself to not finishing NaNo this year because of Daniel being in the hospital. I could theoretically finish but 5000 words in two days with my schedule is a recipe for sleep deprivation and not worth me getting sicker.

I am going… to UCD tomorrow hopefully to take Daniel for a follow-up appointment and hopefully discuss ways for him to NOT have this happen as we go into flu and cold season.

I am wondering… when I’ll catch up on sleep.

I am reading… Shirt of Flame by Heather King — just finished on the drive home from San Jose actually. (Jon was driving, not me.)

I am hoping… I can get into UCD for said appointment. I have to call at 8 to get a same-day appointment.

I am looking forward to… quiet days this week.

I am hearing… the heater and podcasts on my iTunes. (Currently, it’s an old episode of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me!)

Around the house… unpacking to do.

I am pondering… why my head is hurting so much.

One of my favorite things… Coca Cola. It’s one of the worst thing for me but it’s my comfort food (beverage?).

A few plans for the rest of the week… UCD appointment with Daniel, OT on Thursday and possibly a massage on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

You Know You’re The Mom of A Developmentally Delayed Kid…

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Daniel had a pediatrics appointment today. After it was over, I seriously felt like I should be putting together a “You Know You’re A _____ If” list. So without further adieu…

You know you’re the mother of a developmentally delayed kid when…

[+] You rejoice because your kid is at the 25th percentile for height/weight/head circumference because they can finally plot the points on their growth chart.
[+] You can succinctly describe your horrendous pregnancy and birth experience in under 10 words but most of them have three or more syllables.
[+] The sight of your kid walking at 2.5 years old makes their pediatrician clap with joy because, dude, this is HUGE.
[+] You aren’t fazed by your kid’s abysmal MRI results because you got the report six months ago and your child’s physical therapist from Easter Seals talked you off the (figurative) ledge at that point.
[+] Your child’s pediatrician tells you that your child’s brain has many abnormalities (see “MRI results above”) and will never be like the brains of other kids their age. Your response: “We’ll see” while thinking to yourself that your child has a habit of defying predictions like these.
[+] Those abysmal MRI results get you a consult to every specialist you ask to see.
[+] Your child has more specialists in their lives than most hospitals have on staff. (Josh’s mother Susan is my former IV area director.)

Now for the ones that don’t apply to the peds appointment today!

[+] You know that you will cry when your child turns three and (in California) you lose your Easter Seals therapists. (Under the Lanterman Act in California, your child becomes the problem of their local school district once they turn three.)
[+] All your child’s developmental milestones are VERY BIG DEALS!!!!!!!
[+] You have stories from the NICU, PICU, and Peds wards of the hospital.
[+] You’ve had to explain to people why your kid is not waving at them, why your kid does not need a children’s menu, or why your kid isn’t doing ____ when other kids their age can do it.
[+] You finally just learned how to (joyfully) suppress the urge to say “Bite me!” to the person who asks the third question on that last item. (OK… again this is probably just me.)
[+] It makes you happy when people acknowledge your child/have a normal conversation with them instead of talking over them.
[+] You read the blogs of other mothers who have kids with developmental delays/Down’s Syndrome/autism spectrum disorders and can identify with their posts.

7 Quick Takes — More of the Same

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

I need to apologize to someone. Elia of ConservaMom has been referring to the Occupy protesters as “dopes” and instead of just ignoring her site and not reading it (which is what I do when I come across sites that make me want to throw things), I left a really terse comment. She responded to all my points more gracefully than I deserved and I owe her an apology for the comment I left. Elia, I’m sorry. In the future, I’ll just skip her blog on the Quick Takes list. I also still resent her calling the Occupy protesters “dopes” but it’s something on which I’ll have to agree to disagree with her.

— 2 —

The shots of Morgan at the end of CSI this week reminds me of the way I feel like I look at the end of the day. For those who aren’t CSI addicts like I am, she had been in a helicopter that had been hijacked and shot down. There are a lot of days where I feel like I’ve had all those things happen during the day. Yes, I’m a stay-at-home mom and yes, I only have one child. However, Daniel isn’t your normal child and I feel like I’m constantly on my toes trying to reinforce what we do in therapies and also trying to keep the “terrible two’s destructiveness” to a minimum.

— 3 —

KFC has a new famous bowl which features bacon and cheese. I can’t believe people eat stuff like this. It’s mashed potatoes, chicken, cheese, and bacon in a bowl. They were talking about it on KLOVE on Wednesday with people calling in and playing “can you top this?” with worse foods. One mentioned was on the Denny’s menu and it’s a patty melt with mac n’ cheese in it. My dearly departed gallbladder is seizing in a specimen jar someplace.

— 4 —

Speaking of food, I made quinoa for the first time this week. For those not in the know, it’s a “pseudo-cereal” grain-type plant from South America that is a complete protein and has a number of nutrients like iron and calcium. It looks like birdseed and it has a nutty flavor that’s kind of like that of some wild rice components. Daniel didn’t care for the texture though I ate it quite willingly. (I had made my family’s chicken recipe and the sauce will make anything taste good.) I’m scanning all my recipe websites for other things to do with it because it’s not something that would work with pesto. (The grains are too small — it really does look like birdseed.)

— 5 —

I’m currently reading Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Therese of Lisieux by Heather King. I’ve gotten partway into the introduction and I think I’m going to have to read the chapters in their entirety like I would an essay. It’s so new that it’s not available for my e-reader so I have an actual paper copy. (I like my Nook but I also love real books.)

— 6 —

We have a new speech therapist for Daniel. His former speech therapist is having surgery so Easter Seals put us with a new one. She’s a sweetheart and just engaged Daniel in whatever he wanted to do, which was putting things into a sorter and opening/closing the doors of it. (I learned the signs for “open” and “close” today.) It was educational for me because it showed me that I need to stop flipping out about Daniel not engaging and going with the program. As my mom reminded me, these therapists get paid to do this and it’s not the first time they’ve dealt with an obstinate child. His new therapist is also just going to piggy-back on whatever we’re doing in other therapies.

— 7 —

I have had to change some of the names in my NaNo piece to protect the stupid. If I were to ever edit my piece and submit it for publication, I would have to go back in and redo all the names of the stupid people because I based them on the initials of the real life people from whom I was drawing the inspiration. (Believe me… there could be some really good slander suits if the real life people could reasonably connect themselves to what I wrote.) So… I’m having to go back into my plans and do a “find and replace” — I just wish OneNote gave me the option to replace whatever I found.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes — Whine and Maybe Some Cheese

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7 Quick Takes

Hopefully, I’m at the Sacramento Zoo as most of you are reading this and we haven’t had to cancel again due to weather. The Sacramento Zoo trip is on!

–1–

I got my flu shot on Wednesday. (I also keep being tempted to add an “e” to flu.) It was my annual exam and they were already doing unpleasant things to me so I figured that one more wasn’t going to make the occasion any less wonderful. At least mine is out of the way now and I can focus on making sure that Jon and Daniel (especially Mr. No-Immune-System-To-Speak-Of) get theirs.

–2–

I probably could have avoided going in for my annual exam. One of the FNP’s at the practice (which is huge — 12 providers) had called in a year of refills on my birth control pills. (We’ve been through this.) The only reason I’m so good about going in for my annual exam is so that said doctor will refill my birth control. After all, I believe that I should be monitored by a doctor if I’m going to be on a medication like that. It was so tempting though to cancel the appointment because the refills were called in anyway… (Can you tell how much I hate my annual exam?)

–3–

I hate Lion Brand Homespun yarn. If the super-secret project(s) I’m working on didn’t call for it, it would still be in its bin at Michael’s. The only benefit is that it crochets up relatively fast. (I’d post pictures except that people close to the recipients read my blog and I don’t want the secret to get out.) My doctor did also criticize my mad crocheting skillz.

–4–

Crocheting with fibromyalgia is an adventure. I have a prayer team dedicated to praying for my joints as I work on these projects. So far, I’ve been amazingly lucky and the arthritis in my right thumb isn’t messing with things too much. I have to be aware of what I’m doing as far as my wrists, fingers, and elbows but my thumb has behaved.

–5–

I still haven’t caught an episode of The Biggest Loser this season. Tuesday has become NCIS night for me and I’m too addicted to switch. I’ve been meaning to catch The Biggest Loser online but haven’t yet. Uff da!

–6–

I have a strange craving for Brie on crackers. (I needed some cheese with my whine, right?) Seriously, I do crave Brie right now. I could theoretically pick some up at Trader Joe’s (along with some crackers) but I haven’t because I don’t usually think of it while I’m there. There’s also the lactose-intolerance issue and the fact that it would probably cause some major IBS issues.

–7–

I’m craving stinky cheese in general. If I had my druthers and could eat anything in the world without gaining a pound or adding to my liver damage, I’d be noshing on some Pub Cheese and vegetable chips from Trader Joe’s. *sighs*

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.