On Christmas eve husband and son went to the farewell Raiders game in Oakland. I wouldn’t make that. I’ve been in a flare. Instead, I got our daughter Rikki who came from Texas for me. Spent the night with her. Husband met up with us on Christmas day and we watched the movie Christmas Chronicles together. 

When I found out our daughter was in San Francisco I panicked. At that point I hadn’t had a bath in nearly a week. 
It’s just a winter rumble I’ve been telling myself. Come summer you’ll be fine enough again. Summer is when I bust my butt doing water PT, stretching, movements that are more difficult without weightless benefit. 

Trading a bath in order to make our food is what I’ve needed to do. Eating out or buying fast frozen foods is a rare option for us. That crap will disease us too. 

My husband gifted me a diffuser and essential oils. I love it. 

The gifts I’m interested in are always in the form of possible pain or symptoms relief. I’m fond of aroma therapy anyway.

My Rikki gave me a dozen CBD/THC cannabis capsules. Helpful for spasms and similar to a muscle relaxant for me. 

Made a little ham yesterday. Now I can rest the weekend with food ready. 

When I thought I’d be alone Christmas eve, my plan was to turn Facebook back on for a bit to be with family even at a distance. I haven’t done that yet. Tomorrow will be 6 weeks off it. Maybe New Years. 

Erik and Ozra had an amazing time at the game and I had an incredible time with Rikki. 

New memories and precious gifts.

Pieces and parts of lines running out of time for rhymes. 

Was in bed by 6:30 p.m. last evening. Woke near 11:00 p.m and watched a movie with my husband. We had our cheat treat pizza earlier. 

A good friend who I love dearly messaged me after midnight. Suicidal ideations from intense chronic pain. She doesn’t know how to continue living this way. How would I encourage her. I’ve been there too many times myself. 

I certainly wasn’t going to shame her or make her feel worse. Can’t really tell people in this state of mind to stay, nor can we somehow insinuate it’s the wrong thing to do or think of. It’s not wrong to not know how to live in pain. Physical, emotional or both. 

All I could tell her was I don’t know how we live, survive either, but we have to keep trying. Just try.

Ironic that I was feeling and thinking the same way yesterday. Not suicidal but the thoughts kept replaying, how would I too make it into the future. 

I do what I told her, just try. 

Encourage without stigma.

Today’s my husband’s 51st birthday. Tomorrow is our sons concert set. Unfortunately, I’m too unwell right now. I won’t be able to go tomorrow. Last time I ended up sitting on the venue floor, but at least I was there. My husband will be there for Ozra for both of us and if he remembers record it for me. Ozra’s performing all new songs.

I take a step with my right foot/leg my spine seizes and feels like my left arm is being torn from my collarbone and neck. I’m not sure which of my ailments is the cause. This has happened before in my right arm and lasted over a year. I lost part feeling on that side in 3 fingers, part hand, wrist, up to elbow as a result. 2 fingers of left hand, part hand and wrist over 6 months ago.
I middle finger pick my phone or Kindle to type. Takes a long time yet it’s possible. Not easy cooking, prepping food, yet I still manage, mostly.

Went to bed early last night in order to be able to make my husbands dinner today. Not happening. I’m bummed out over it. Can barely move without severity. Painful to lift my head too.

Plan is to soak in an Epsons bath soon and wish for the best. Find a movie for us to watch and order a little pizza for his day. 

We’re alive and we’re together and that’s what matters the most.

Celebrating life.

I’ve been meaning to do an MLT update. I used to be an average 7-9 on the pain scale using various prescription medications. Since MLT treatments and my post protocols, home PT, I’m a 6-8 with fewer flares. I’ve only reached a 9 a dozen times maybe. The 10’s haven’t returned. 
Depression is stable, suicidal ideations are minimal, suicidal thoughts are nil. Mobility is limited, yet my years of discoloration, massive swelling and lack of blood flow is decent. Atrophy is better. Stretching I learned from the Gohl Method (MLT) continues to help keep my tissue, fascia, and muscles from binding. 

I do struggle with controlling anxieties. Random panic attacks that don’t always accompany a trigger.

Even on my bad days I sweet talk myself and sugar coat my issues to make it through. It doesn’t always work as much as I wish it to yet negative self talk doesn’t help either. Pain is in my body and mind. It can’t have my spirit too. It’s a continuous process. My spinal cord stimulator helps disguise those pain signals, I have to disguise my emotions. After MLT, I was able to keep my SCS off for several months. Haven’t been able to accomplish that again since the summer of 2017. 

People lose their minds from pain everyday even with medications. I’m trying to keep mine without them.

Spent the day with my daughter Rikki yesterday. Hours in text messaging.where she helped me Christmas and birthday shop. Next weekend is my husband’s birthday. I sent her Amazon links to order for me. Maintaining pain levels is hard enough, even online shopping is a chore for me.. Grateful for her time, energy and assistance.

My Workers Comp care is still up in the air. Nothing since February of 2016. I found a doctor and was able to see him once. Further care was denied. I have lifetime medical for the January 2001 injury that led to CRPS. No medical at all though. It’s not so much that I think I’m entitled to care, I can’t even get other care because of it. My CRPS and SCS progress, progression, ability, instabilities and setbacks should at least be being documented. 

My husband headed to work about an hour ago from his weekend off.  

I just took a Naproxen and a dose of Monkey Mix Kratom. I ordered Burdock Root with my shopping orders yesterday. 

This will be the first time using it. It should arrive in a couple of days. 

Happy Monday.

The worse natural event I’ve ever been through. I don’t think it’s over yet. I admire the ladies who come through it relatively well and for those it’s  rough on I feel ya. I won’t be able to tell when I’m done since I had the Nexplannon re implanted in June of 2017. The year long period wasn’t working for me. Ha! Took about 6 months after that to cease. It’s good for 3 years. I’m not using it for birth control but rather symptom relief.

My mom told me today that the process causes much moodiness in most. I can’t tell if my emotions are part of this because I’m an emotional sensitive creature anyway. The.good thing about hot flashes in winter is they keep me warm until I need a cold shower. Kinda funny. 

I’ve used Estroven and Valerien Root specifically along with the numerous other suppliments I take. I’m not entirely sure what else relieves those symptoms. I’m just ready to be done with it. It’s been over 5 years already. It’s exhausting. 

Dinner is in the crockpot. Few thin slices of tri tip. Serving with veggies and a salad. 

Yesterday’s copay was $195.00. Ouch! They let us pay part and will bill the balance. 

I hope he’s having a decent pain day on that leg. Pain medications are rarely even prescribed for those type injuries anymore. Ibuprofen was suggested. 

Other than my female symptoms it’s a fairly good pain day for me. 

Any suggestions on other symptom relief for pre or full menopause would be appreciated. 

He fell. Went to urgent care just this evening. Medial Collateral Ligament tear, sprained ankle. Should heal in a few months.

Medications and weakness.

Last week.

Today. Left and right side of foot.

I didn’t share previosly because he never missed a day of work. Still wont.

Learned also from xray he previously broken that same leg. Old fractures. Never knew.

I so love you.

Many people with physical health conditions are adamant that they’re sick and in pain only. Additionally they believe there’s no mental health involved in their circumstances. This cannot be true. All that we are affects our mental health. Our physical pain, diseases, incurables. Our emotions, joy, happiness, mindsets, everything that we feel, are, is primarily our mental health first and foremost.

Some like to announce that pain and illness is solely in the body Yeah. Trust me my friends it’s in our heads too. In order to cope our minds also dictate ability. The brain itself doesn’t feel pain, our minds do. 
People diagnosed with any chronic pain illness, cancers included, should receive integrated pain care. 

Physical and mental health management should be a tandem effort. 

I’ve come a long way. My 2015-2016 posts reveal…

Well, I’ll leave that up to you to decipher. 

Don’t let suicide become your choice. 

Hard, I know. Surviving those attempts is harder than completing the act itself. For one, wouldn’t be here to deal with it, secondly the backlash on self, family and friends is…..

 You’ll never be respected or viewed the same again.

Heart with you.

Crockpot style. I made this for the first time a few months ago. It’s easy especially for those who have trouble cooking or for the busy working families. 

I don’t have an exact recipe for you, yet I can share with you what I do. 

Lean ground beef or ground turkey. 1 lb. 

Large can of crushed tomatoes. Tomato paste. Season to taste. 

I used oregano, parsley, cilantro, garlic powder. 

1 medium to large yellow onion. Fresh garlic. 

Make it like you would make your spaghetti sauce. 

Frozen cheese Ravioli. I bought the large bag last time. This time, 2 small bags that contains about 12 pieces in each.

Large bag of mixed shredded cheese.

Begin – 

Spread a layer of sauce in the crockpot.

Single layer of ravioli. 

Spread another layer of sauce

Layer with cheese.

Another layer of ravioli

Sauce

Top with cheese.

I’m cooking it on high. Approximately 3 hours.

This would feed 6 or more people depending on portion sizes. This will feed us dinner tonight, a lunch for him and I’ll freeze left overs for a heat and serve supper night. 

That’s it. You can’t go wrong.

This isn’t exactly heart healthy, yet it isn’t the worse splurge either. I didn’t add any salt to the sauce. There’s sodium in the cheese. 

Enjoy!

Good energy and negative energy. Good vibes and bad ones. My husbands cardiologist asked us if we knew he had heart failure, too. No, we didn’t. It was in his electronic medical records. This is why the Echocardiogram was repeated as a baseline of comparison to his older one.

He had applied for Disability several times and was denied. That was an energy vampire. After his last denial he had no choice but to return to work. Our home was in foreclosure, liens placed by the utility company. Massive hardship. He’s been back 15 months now. I’m not sure how the HF was missed by previous doctors or SSDI. Could have made a difference in qualifying.
Could have also made a difference in others perception of him. It was assumed he could do whatever someone needed or wanted of him. Like many of us it took on a glimpse of laziness. 

Good vibes, good energy is that by working he’s getting daily cardio instead of what became primarily a sedentary lifestyle. He’s lost 50 pounds this year. 

He’s on Coreg now. Fairly high doses. 1 of several medications again. Last year he was without health insurance and the Obama care wasn’t at all affordable at the California minimum wage.

Stuck. No care, no medication management. He needed the blood thinner the most.

My wish now is that there’s still time to strengthen his heart. 

He runs a forklift now and drives a bobtail truck to Folsom and Stockton for company deliveries and pick ups in addition to other work. Fast paced. Am proud of him. 

Can’t believe it’s December already. He’ll be 51 in 12 days. Neither of us celebrated our 50th though there’s much celebration in just being alive. 

As for myself, I found my missing MP3 player. He bought It for me about 8 years ago and it’s been missing for 3. It has my meditation and relaxation programs on it. Progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, guided imagery and more. Yay. The music is a plus.

I may smudge our home with white wage today. If not, tomorrow.

Remove negative and painful energies in myself and my surroundings. It’s amazing aroma therapy, too. 

Happy Monday!

Todays Menu.

There’s many variations to my soups, as I’m sure there are for many of you. This one is simple.
1/2 chicken breast. Lightly seared (in water) on all sides. Boil remainder in 1 half cube of chicken boulon, ( I do 15 minutes, medium high heat) Mrs. Dash table variety, 1 teaspoon. 0.5 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning. Garlic powder, fresh garlic, 1 whole yellow onion. Oregano, cilantro and parsley to taste. Remove chicken, shred or dice. 

Broccoli and green beans.

Spinach pasta. Break 2 inches apart. Cook together with the above. Approximately 12-14 minutes for pasta to be ready..

While sodium exists in the boulon, I used half. More chicken is appropriate for most. 1/2 breast was to minimize meat content, yet provide protein and flavor.

Heart and diabetes healthy. 

No other salt was added. No sugar. 

Enjoy.