Hello!
I know I have a problem with not updating my blog very often, I attribute that to being busy and forgetful! I have good intentions but when it comes down to it I falter.......I'm sorry for that, I really am!
So, it's been a year since I had my thyroid removed and I can tell you that I notice nothing different. My levels are still wacky, I'm losing hair by the handfuls, I still lack energy and god forbid I want to lose a little weight - it takes an enormous amount of effort and it always comes right back. So, having my thyroid removed didn't help me with any of my major issues. At least I don't have growths anymore but my levels still have not leveled out. I started on 150 mg of Synthroid last year and am now on 100 mg - I continue to be adjusted to lower levels without it helping.
So since it's been a bit since I've updated let's see what's been happening:
January-March 2016 - I started back to college at an online University - Ashford University. It's been 7 months and I'm doing great! I have straight "A" grades and just last week was invited to become a member of Alpha Sigma Lamda Honor Society. This is an honor society for exceptional adult learners. It was such a great surprise and honor. So being that I have such great grades should also tell you I spend a lot of time with my schooling. I haven't had time to be sick or tired or sore or anything other than focusing on school. My intention of going back is to complete the degree I started right out of high school - which was a long time ago.........I'm studying "Social and Criminal Justice" and will graduate with my BA in 7/2018.
Regarding my FMS and CFS I'm still holding steady. I haven't had any major flare up of either condition. I have learned to just listen to myself and if I'm tired, I go to bed. I still have issues with my hips being achy and locking up after sitting down for a bit but overall I can't complain. I have a lot of contact with people who have FMS really bad and I feel terrible for them but at the same time am grateful I have been able to reverse a good majority of my issues with FM and keep it under control.
April - July 2016 - I ended up in the ER on my birthday, April 5th - with what I thought was chest pain - it was bad, had me convinced I had a blockage - after a night stay and many tests that came back negative I was sent home and referred to a cardiologist. A few more tests and nothing. I still get these weird chest pains but haven't gone back to the cardiologist because he already determined it's not my heart but of course, as with most things they don't know why I'm having these pains. I thought maybe heartburn but I really don't think so since I never get it. So chalk it up to another strange thing related to FMS I guess.....
I was just talking with my mom about when I first got sick back in 2010 and took up juicing to get better. It definitely worked after a period of time - between juicing AND taking many supplements I brought my nutrition levels back to where they needed to be and was able to reverse a lot of my symptoms that had me bedridden for several months. Everyone also is different so what worked for me may or may not work for another - but it's all worth a try! In fact, coming back to my juicing information I've decided to juice a metabolism boosting juice and see if it helps me shed a few lbs like it says it does.
In other news, I've been off work since the first week in June and it's been great! Since I work in a school, I have the same schedule as the kids do and it's fantastic. We go back in just 3 wks from now......summer vacay goes way too fast! But it will be good to get back on a schedule. When I have no schedule not much gets done because I don't have to....it's bad.
My daughter is going into her senior year of high school - I can't believe in just a short year she will be going to college. My "baby" girl is grown into such a beautiful young woman. Makes me sad that she will be leaving but I know it's coming quickly. My son is starting his sophomore year - he is another one that I can't believe has grown so much both physically and mentally. The past several months have been big in the growth area for him. My daughter will be playing volleyball with the school over the next few weeks leading up to try outs - in fact next week we go to a big college camp with some girls who were invited from the school - should be fun!
I hope this update has found you all well! I would like to say that I will update in a month but, I've said that before and 7 months later I show up ...... I know I suck at this but I'm trying! I will be back soon, how is that???
Showing posts with label juicing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label juicing. Show all posts
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Spring Break time, family time, VOLLEYBALL and me.......
So here I thought it's been a few weeks since I've posted and when I looked I realize it's been a month already - sheesh. Things are "Status quo" with nothing really "new" to report. Well, one thing is new, my sister had her 2nd baby! So we have a new family member, Ms Audrey Rose Gordon. She is precious of course!
As most of you know I'm always on the look out for new and great things that will help with CFS/ME, Lupus and FMS symptoms. Well I have recently found a product and I want to tell you about it because I'm excited about it's potential. It's called "Aloha" - basically it's a dried green juice powder! SHUT UP! I literally was just thinking about how I wish there was a product that would give the benefits of juicing in a much easier form such as a powder or pre-made but good drink that was affordable....I know, I know, in my dreams! Or at least I thought! Then I see an ad on Facebook pop up one day that caught my eye - it was EXACTLY what I had been thinking about - weird I know!
They appear to be a relatively new company and the product is exactly what I've been looking for. I was able to get a sample of it and so far have found it to be just as good as it seems. I mix the powder into my daily protein smoothie because on it's own it's quite harsh tasting! I made the mistake of mixing it with just water when I first got it - ACK - I drank it but man, I won't make that mistake again! If you have ever had spirulina straight, that is exactly what it reminds me of - but I find mixing it with my smoothie drowns out the strong taste and it's palatable. I'm always looking for ways to easily incorporate lots of vegetables and goodness into my daily diet and this seems like a great way to do just that without the time/money/mess it takes to juice all the same things (and then some). Don't get me wrong, I love juicing and all the amazing health benefits but it is just too time consuming for me to do it on a regular basis anymore. For the same cost, if not less, I can get the same benefits out of a package of dried juice - easy, fast and most of all convenient. Check it out here Aloha - The Daily Good. As anyone who is dealing with the affliction of a chronic illness knows, the more good stuff we can put into our bodies, the better off we are all around. I really encourage you to check it out if you are like me and want to put the good things in but just don't have the time and energy to juice 3x or more a day. With this, you take it once a day and you are good to go. There are 14 organic ingredients that promise to help detoxify, energize, hydrate and best of all BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM function! The process they use to dry the ingredients doesn't take away the nutrients or fiber which a lot of the time juicing does - so there is another bonus! I've been using it just for a few days now so I can't honestly report anything over the top with it but I do plan on continuing to use it for the internal benefits I believe it will deliver. A strong immune system is a huge plus for me. I can also say I have noticed a temporary increase in my energy when I take it so that is always of course a huge plus!
In other news, it's spring break for myself and my kids - very much needed I might add! I was thoroughly exhausted by the time it came along. Last Friday was the first day and honestly I haven't done a whole lot since. We did have an all day volleyball tournament on Sunday, but aside from that I've pretty much been a lazy lounger......of course I'm still keeping my normal schedule of going to be around 8 or 9pm but I'm able to sleep in past 5:30 am which has been nice. I'm finding myself getting up around 8am, still tired but unable to sleep any longer. I also have been noticing I wake up a lot at night, which isn't uncommon and surely part of why I'm always so tired, I'm not getting restful sleep.
So I wonder how many of you feel like I do - lazy. I often feel like my illness has made me very "lazy" for lack of a better term - I feel lazy because I just don't want to do ANYTHING most of the time. It makes me feel bad because I know I "should" be outside enjoying the nice weather, exercising, taking the kids out to do things etc.......so I start to get on myself and negative thinking hits. I can sit here all day in my PJ's - easy. So I wonder, is it just me being LAZY or is it truly because it's not often that I get to do it and when the opportunity shows itself I'm all over it? Am I lazy? Some would say YES. I on the other hand am not sure at this point. While I know I'm chronically sick, it's hard to convince even myself at times.
Volleyball is coming to an end soon - this has kept us very busy and on the go most of the time. With 3-4 practices a week and an all day "power" each Sunday we find very little time to do much else. Early mornings and late nights tend to be our M.O. during the club season. As of May there will be a little break in the action before the summer camps start up with the school. My daughter loves the sport and we are so blessed to be able to give her the opportunity to play for a club and in school as well as the countless other things she gets invited to do. My husband and I love watching her too. Our son on the other hand, not so much. He isn't a big fan of noises so volleyball is really something that stresses him out. With his sensory issues it's not the most accommodating sport for him.
Now I have a question for those of you with CFS/ME and/or FMS. What strategies have you found work for you to keep you in a good place with your illness and struggles that come with it? I feel like I do all the "right" things most of the time but still find myself very tired - some days more than others. Some days it's very hard to get myself through and I can't wait to get home and collapse in my rocking chair/recliner. I'm just curious what methods or things you do that keep you on top of your illness and what things you find make you crash and burn?? Thanks in advance for sharing as I know it can be a very personal thing.
Personally, I find that every day is so different from the last, especially dependent on what I did or didn't do for myself. Things we put into our bodies will effect how we feel in the near and sometimes not so near future. I find it hard to stay away from sugary things though, which for me is a downfall as I'm sure that lends to a lot of my symptoms of being extra tired. I also have a very hard time managing my weight NO MATTER WHAT I DO....Since being on the Body By Vi challenge I have found it easier to maintain my weight and I enjoy the fact that I'm getting great nutrients from the protein shakes but I wish I could LOSE weight as effortlessly as it seems others do.
At any rate, I hope this finds you well and enjoying spring! Please send me comments if you have anything to share or say about anything I've put in my blog. Let me know you are out there! I am beginning to feel like I'm writing to a black hole! I'm off to get some laundry done (the never ending pile seems to get bigger by the day) and then spend the evening in the volleyball gym - it is our life for now!
To your health!
Gerri
As most of you know I'm always on the look out for new and great things that will help with CFS/ME, Lupus and FMS symptoms. Well I have recently found a product and I want to tell you about it because I'm excited about it's potential. It's called "Aloha" - basically it's a dried green juice powder! SHUT UP! I literally was just thinking about how I wish there was a product that would give the benefits of juicing in a much easier form such as a powder or pre-made but good drink that was affordable....I know, I know, in my dreams! Or at least I thought! Then I see an ad on Facebook pop up one day that caught my eye - it was EXACTLY what I had been thinking about - weird I know!
They appear to be a relatively new company and the product is exactly what I've been looking for. I was able to get a sample of it and so far have found it to be just as good as it seems. I mix the powder into my daily protein smoothie because on it's own it's quite harsh tasting! I made the mistake of mixing it with just water when I first got it - ACK - I drank it but man, I won't make that mistake again! If you have ever had spirulina straight, that is exactly what it reminds me of - but I find mixing it with my smoothie drowns out the strong taste and it's palatable. I'm always looking for ways to easily incorporate lots of vegetables and goodness into my daily diet and this seems like a great way to do just that without the time/money/mess it takes to juice all the same things (and then some). Don't get me wrong, I love juicing and all the amazing health benefits but it is just too time consuming for me to do it on a regular basis anymore. For the same cost, if not less, I can get the same benefits out of a package of dried juice - easy, fast and most of all convenient. Check it out here Aloha - The Daily Good. As anyone who is dealing with the affliction of a chronic illness knows, the more good stuff we can put into our bodies, the better off we are all around. I really encourage you to check it out if you are like me and want to put the good things in but just don't have the time and energy to juice 3x or more a day. With this, you take it once a day and you are good to go. There are 14 organic ingredients that promise to help detoxify, energize, hydrate and best of all BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM function! The process they use to dry the ingredients doesn't take away the nutrients or fiber which a lot of the time juicing does - so there is another bonus! I've been using it just for a few days now so I can't honestly report anything over the top with it but I do plan on continuing to use it for the internal benefits I believe it will deliver. A strong immune system is a huge plus for me. I can also say I have noticed a temporary increase in my energy when I take it so that is always of course a huge plus!
In other news, it's spring break for myself and my kids - very much needed I might add! I was thoroughly exhausted by the time it came along. Last Friday was the first day and honestly I haven't done a whole lot since. We did have an all day volleyball tournament on Sunday, but aside from that I've pretty much been a lazy lounger......of course I'm still keeping my normal schedule of going to be around 8 or 9pm but I'm able to sleep in past 5:30 am which has been nice. I'm finding myself getting up around 8am, still tired but unable to sleep any longer. I also have been noticing I wake up a lot at night, which isn't uncommon and surely part of why I'm always so tired, I'm not getting restful sleep.
So I wonder how many of you feel like I do - lazy. I often feel like my illness has made me very "lazy" for lack of a better term - I feel lazy because I just don't want to do ANYTHING most of the time. It makes me feel bad because I know I "should" be outside enjoying the nice weather, exercising, taking the kids out to do things etc.......so I start to get on myself and negative thinking hits. I can sit here all day in my PJ's - easy. So I wonder, is it just me being LAZY or is it truly because it's not often that I get to do it and when the opportunity shows itself I'm all over it? Am I lazy? Some would say YES. I on the other hand am not sure at this point. While I know I'm chronically sick, it's hard to convince even myself at times.
Volleyball is coming to an end soon - this has kept us very busy and on the go most of the time. With 3-4 practices a week and an all day "power" each Sunday we find very little time to do much else. Early mornings and late nights tend to be our M.O. during the club season. As of May there will be a little break in the action before the summer camps start up with the school. My daughter loves the sport and we are so blessed to be able to give her the opportunity to play for a club and in school as well as the countless other things she gets invited to do. My husband and I love watching her too. Our son on the other hand, not so much. He isn't a big fan of noises so volleyball is really something that stresses him out. With his sensory issues it's not the most accommodating sport for him.
Now I have a question for those of you with CFS/ME and/or FMS. What strategies have you found work for you to keep you in a good place with your illness and struggles that come with it? I feel like I do all the "right" things most of the time but still find myself very tired - some days more than others. Some days it's very hard to get myself through and I can't wait to get home and collapse in my rocking chair/recliner. I'm just curious what methods or things you do that keep you on top of your illness and what things you find make you crash and burn?? Thanks in advance for sharing as I know it can be a very personal thing.
Personally, I find that every day is so different from the last, especially dependent on what I did or didn't do for myself. Things we put into our bodies will effect how we feel in the near and sometimes not so near future. I find it hard to stay away from sugary things though, which for me is a downfall as I'm sure that lends to a lot of my symptoms of being extra tired. I also have a very hard time managing my weight NO MATTER WHAT I DO....Since being on the Body By Vi challenge I have found it easier to maintain my weight and I enjoy the fact that I'm getting great nutrients from the protein shakes but I wish I could LOSE weight as effortlessly as it seems others do.
At any rate, I hope this finds you well and enjoying spring! Please send me comments if you have anything to share or say about anything I've put in my blog. Let me know you are out there! I am beginning to feel like I'm writing to a black hole! I'm off to get some laundry done (the never ending pile seems to get bigger by the day) and then spend the evening in the volleyball gym - it is our life for now!
To your health!
Gerri
Sunday, March 20, 2011
I'm still here, still fighing wtih my chronic illnessES.......still
It seems like things get better then worse then better then worse - I wonder when I'll just be better!?!?! Earlier in the year I was super hopeful that I was onto getting myself better but a recent bout of extreme fatigue has just sent me back to ground zero!
It's been a bit over a month since I last updated. At that time I had been doing some pre-spring cleaning and it was great - I had some energy to get that done and felt ok overall. Since then things have taken a drastic change.
My father in law passed away on 2/14.....that ended up taking us to California to help make arrangements and be with my mother in law for that week. That also took me off course with my exercise and juicing......once we returned we got consumed with final planning for my business convention which was only 3 wks out.
I've been juicing the Dr Oz Green stuff mainly because it has the items in it that I was primarily juicing, it tastes good and is easy to purchase those ingredients to have on hand. They aren't expensive which is another plus of that particular drink. I've gone away from the fruits mainly because of the sugars in them and have just stuck with that one.
Fast forward a few weeks - we went to New Orleans over the week of 3/9 and enjoyed some time away for my annual business convention with Slumber Parties and had a great time. As usual the time there is full of tons of activities, very little sleep, a lot of walking, dancing, eating of various Cajun foods and of course the hurricanes and hand grenades! It was a great time for all!
While there I felt ok - tired but attributed it to the lack of sleep and late nights out. Upon returning home I felt ok, but ended up feeling as if my chronic fatigue symptoms really flared up towards the end of the first week home. I couldn't get enough sleep to save my life. I am sure the trip to New Orleans is the root of that flare up - it has to be the reason that my energy sank to level 0 and I couldn't get out of bed for days.
As I write today I am feeling OK - I did a party last night so I'm a bit tired from that but feeling a little better than I have, in regards to energy, than I have in the last couple weeks.
I have an appointment this week with my Endocrinologist to check my thyroid nodules - every 6 months I get those checked. I still believe that my thyroid is not functioning regardless of what she says - I'm not sure what to do though - if the blood work says all my hormone levels are "within normal range" and everything appears to be ok - how do you argue with that? I do however wish to dig deeper into these nodules and somehow figure out if they have taken over the function of my thyroid, secreting hormones and "faking out" the blood tests - I'm sure that's a possibility......or maybe I'm just reaching for something - hell I don't know.
I just wish someone, somewhere would help me feel 100% human again - I feel like I've somewhat "checked out" on life at this point. Especially when I spend an entire day of my life in my bed sleeping because I just can't wake up. That's how I spent this past Thursday......after I got my kids off to school which was a task in itself, I went back to bed and slept the rest of that day......woke up a few times but couldn't keep my eyes open. It's really sad and makes me sad that I'm missing life because of this chronic fatigue I'm suffering from - in fact I'm tearing up just writing about it because I feel like there is nothing I can do about it.......right or wrong, that's how I'm feeling right now. I need to keep searching but honestly I think I've done all the research I can on my own - I just keep finding the same things I've already read about.....is there really no more help out there?
When I think about living out the rest of my life struggling with this extreme fatigue it makes me sad because it's hard to fight it...along with being completely unfunctional at times there are also body aches/pains to deal with as well. Someone who doesn't have issues with fatigue/pain can't even imagine what it's like to always feel like you have been up for 24hrs straight, everyday - even though you have made sure you got 8hrs sleep, eat right, get your vitamins in and exercise - I'm telling you, it's terrible and I wouldn't wish this kind of illness on anyone anywhere.......
Sorry for the "downer" but this is where I am suppose to write how I feel, and there you have it........I'm just in a bad place right now with my fatigue and struggling to trust western medicine after all this time I've gone and nothing real dramatic has changed with my health. At times I feel like nothing is ever going to change - but something has to change........I know there is someone out there that can help.
There is actually a clinic here in Denver that deals with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia however they are not "insurance approved" because the treatment methods they use are more holistic than medicinal and have not been "proven" to be eligible to be included in insurance plans. Upon checking into it they informed me that treatment is $500 a month which pretty much stopped me in my tracks there. After looking into them I really feel they might have some answers for me BUT we definitely don't have an extra $500 a month to put towards that. I'm tired of being in the hole with our medical bills so that is the last thing we need is to put ourselves more in the hole in that area. It's really a catch 22 because I think a more holistic approach is what will help me but the expense of it stops me - crazy.......
Well, I guess that's it for now.....I am thinking of doing a whole body cleanse starting this week to see if that doesn't help me in some way......honestly I think I will do ANYTHING at this point to just feel better, have just a little energy and see the light at the end of what has turned into a very long dark tunnel I'm in....
Until next time!
It's been a bit over a month since I last updated. At that time I had been doing some pre-spring cleaning and it was great - I had some energy to get that done and felt ok overall. Since then things have taken a drastic change.
My father in law passed away on 2/14.....that ended up taking us to California to help make arrangements and be with my mother in law for that week. That also took me off course with my exercise and juicing......once we returned we got consumed with final planning for my business convention which was only 3 wks out.
I've been juicing the Dr Oz Green stuff mainly because it has the items in it that I was primarily juicing, it tastes good and is easy to purchase those ingredients to have on hand. They aren't expensive which is another plus of that particular drink. I've gone away from the fruits mainly because of the sugars in them and have just stuck with that one.
Fast forward a few weeks - we went to New Orleans over the week of 3/9 and enjoyed some time away for my annual business convention with Slumber Parties and had a great time. As usual the time there is full of tons of activities, very little sleep, a lot of walking, dancing, eating of various Cajun foods and of course the hurricanes and hand grenades! It was a great time for all!
While there I felt ok - tired but attributed it to the lack of sleep and late nights out. Upon returning home I felt ok, but ended up feeling as if my chronic fatigue symptoms really flared up towards the end of the first week home. I couldn't get enough sleep to save my life. I am sure the trip to New Orleans is the root of that flare up - it has to be the reason that my energy sank to level 0 and I couldn't get out of bed for days.
As I write today I am feeling OK - I did a party last night so I'm a bit tired from that but feeling a little better than I have, in regards to energy, than I have in the last couple weeks.
I have an appointment this week with my Endocrinologist to check my thyroid nodules - every 6 months I get those checked. I still believe that my thyroid is not functioning regardless of what she says - I'm not sure what to do though - if the blood work says all my hormone levels are "within normal range" and everything appears to be ok - how do you argue with that? I do however wish to dig deeper into these nodules and somehow figure out if they have taken over the function of my thyroid, secreting hormones and "faking out" the blood tests - I'm sure that's a possibility......or maybe I'm just reaching for something - hell I don't know.
I just wish someone, somewhere would help me feel 100% human again - I feel like I've somewhat "checked out" on life at this point. Especially when I spend an entire day of my life in my bed sleeping because I just can't wake up. That's how I spent this past Thursday......after I got my kids off to school which was a task in itself, I went back to bed and slept the rest of that day......woke up a few times but couldn't keep my eyes open. It's really sad and makes me sad that I'm missing life because of this chronic fatigue I'm suffering from - in fact I'm tearing up just writing about it because I feel like there is nothing I can do about it.......right or wrong, that's how I'm feeling right now. I need to keep searching but honestly I think I've done all the research I can on my own - I just keep finding the same things I've already read about.....is there really no more help out there?
When I think about living out the rest of my life struggling with this extreme fatigue it makes me sad because it's hard to fight it...along with being completely unfunctional at times there are also body aches/pains to deal with as well. Someone who doesn't have issues with fatigue/pain can't even imagine what it's like to always feel like you have been up for 24hrs straight, everyday - even though you have made sure you got 8hrs sleep, eat right, get your vitamins in and exercise - I'm telling you, it's terrible and I wouldn't wish this kind of illness on anyone anywhere.......
Sorry for the "downer" but this is where I am suppose to write how I feel, and there you have it........I'm just in a bad place right now with my fatigue and struggling to trust western medicine after all this time I've gone and nothing real dramatic has changed with my health. At times I feel like nothing is ever going to change - but something has to change........I know there is someone out there that can help.
There is actually a clinic here in Denver that deals with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia however they are not "insurance approved" because the treatment methods they use are more holistic than medicinal and have not been "proven" to be eligible to be included in insurance plans. Upon checking into it they informed me that treatment is $500 a month which pretty much stopped me in my tracks there. After looking into them I really feel they might have some answers for me BUT we definitely don't have an extra $500 a month to put towards that. I'm tired of being in the hole with our medical bills so that is the last thing we need is to put ourselves more in the hole in that area. It's really a catch 22 because I think a more holistic approach is what will help me but the expense of it stops me - crazy.......
Well, I guess that's it for now.....I am thinking of doing a whole body cleanse starting this week to see if that doesn't help me in some way......honestly I think I will do ANYTHING at this point to just feel better, have just a little energy and see the light at the end of what has turned into a very long dark tunnel I'm in....
Until next time!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A funny thing happened........
You aren't going to believe this.....
The other day (Monday) as I was pushing vegetables though my juicer one of them must of gotten stuck as it slowed down and then sped up again which isn't a normal occurance. So I finish up what I'm juicing and when I took it apart to clean, this is what I see:
The feed tube cracked at the bottom!! Bummed, YES! The part with the little wheel also is now coming out of the feed tube...it seems like it might of been able to come out prior to this and I just didn't realize it but I'm not sure - so I clean it up and it seems to be ok, the crack doesn't seem to effect it ... for now...but I'm a little concerned about pushing anything hard through there now.....
Oh yea, this thing came with a 2yr warranty - crap, I better register it! So I complete the process to register it and will give it a few days before I call in to see if they will replace the top part of the unit for me. I hope they will as it's not in my plans to go buy another juicer so quickly!
So moving onto to Wednesday I stopped into GNC to browse around and as I'm standing there looking at some supplements I hear another customer asking the sales clerk "How much is that juicer".....and as that conversation progresses I hear "oh it's on sale for $35.99...."......my ears perked up and I went to where they were talking - the juicer looked to be a nice one.......power was good - looked very similar to the one I have just not a "name brand" - so I think what the heck, for that price I'm getting it as a back up! LUCKY DAY FOR ME!
So I get the juicer and make my merry way on home with my super find. I love when I find things like that!
Of course when I got home I had to check it out - so I opened it up and made some juice in my new machine - it works nice, it's a bit different of a set up than my original one and as of now I'm not sure I REALLY like it, but it serves it's purpose until I can figure out what I'm going to be able to do about my original one.
Fast forward a few days to yesterday (Saturday)..............
I'm juicing away with the OLD juicer as it seems to be doing fine and as I am pushing some carrots through........I hear a big loud noise, like something shouldn't be in there! I stop my juicer and there it is..... that big chunk of plastic with the wheel on it finally broke loose during juicing.......opps - it's from the bottom of the feed tube - ut oh.......are you serious?? WTF?!?
So I take it apart, clean it and it seems to have broken a little further - now I REALLY need to call the customer service line and see what they'll do. That's my plan for today...wish me luck with that! I'm hoping, at the very least, they will replace the top section of the juicer and that will be that - but nothing is ever that easy so we'll see if luck is on my side!
On another note.......I did a salt water flush on Tuesday.....that was interesting.....if you ever do one of those - please make sure you pay attention to the cautions given and STAY HOME! You'll be thankful to be very close to your toilet for a while! One of the side effects is a headache due to all the toxins leaving your body - as stated, I did end up getting a headache the following day which has pretty much stayed with me since - so I'm not sure what's up with that but I'm trying to just plug along taking ibuprofen but this waking up with a pounding head is no fun...hopefully it'll be gone soon as the flush was several days ago and I THINK I shouldn't be still releasing toxins but who knows. At any rate, if you have never done a salt water flush - here is a link about it - it's pretty simple and effective to clean out your digestive tract.......http://www.colonzone.org/salt-water-flush.php
I know in a previous post I had said something about cleaning out my "medicine cabinet" - that's on the plans for this morning - I'm getting ready to go take care of that now...it's a pretty scary looking cabinet as you'll see in my next post either later today or tomorrow........until then have a GREAT day!
The other day (Monday) as I was pushing vegetables though my juicer one of them must of gotten stuck as it slowed down and then sped up again which isn't a normal occurance. So I finish up what I'm juicing and when I took it apart to clean, this is what I see:
The feed tube cracked at the bottom!! Bummed, YES! The part with the little wheel also is now coming out of the feed tube...it seems like it might of been able to come out prior to this and I just didn't realize it but I'm not sure - so I clean it up and it seems to be ok, the crack doesn't seem to effect it ... for now...but I'm a little concerned about pushing anything hard through there now.....
Oh yea, this thing came with a 2yr warranty - crap, I better register it! So I complete the process to register it and will give it a few days before I call in to see if they will replace the top part of the unit for me. I hope they will as it's not in my plans to go buy another juicer so quickly!
So moving onto to Wednesday I stopped into GNC to browse around and as I'm standing there looking at some supplements I hear another customer asking the sales clerk "How much is that juicer".....and as that conversation progresses I hear "oh it's on sale for $35.99...."......my ears perked up and I went to where they were talking - the juicer looked to be a nice one.......power was good - looked very similar to the one I have just not a "name brand" - so I think what the heck, for that price I'm getting it as a back up! LUCKY DAY FOR ME!
So I get the juicer and make my merry way on home with my super find. I love when I find things like that!
Of course when I got home I had to check it out - so I opened it up and made some juice in my new machine - it works nice, it's a bit different of a set up than my original one and as of now I'm not sure I REALLY like it, but it serves it's purpose until I can figure out what I'm going to be able to do about my original one.
Fast forward a few days to yesterday (Saturday)..............
I'm juicing away with the OLD juicer as it seems to be doing fine and as I am pushing some carrots through........I hear a big loud noise, like something shouldn't be in there! I stop my juicer and there it is..... that big chunk of plastic with the wheel on it finally broke loose during juicing.......opps - it's from the bottom of the feed tube - ut oh.......are you serious?? WTF?!?
So I take it apart, clean it and it seems to have broken a little further - now I REALLY need to call the customer service line and see what they'll do. That's my plan for today...wish me luck with that! I'm hoping, at the very least, they will replace the top section of the juicer and that will be that - but nothing is ever that easy so we'll see if luck is on my side!
On another note.......I did a salt water flush on Tuesday.....that was interesting.....if you ever do one of those - please make sure you pay attention to the cautions given and STAY HOME! You'll be thankful to be very close to your toilet for a while! One of the side effects is a headache due to all the toxins leaving your body - as stated, I did end up getting a headache the following day which has pretty much stayed with me since - so I'm not sure what's up with that but I'm trying to just plug along taking ibuprofen but this waking up with a pounding head is no fun...hopefully it'll be gone soon as the flush was several days ago and I THINK I shouldn't be still releasing toxins but who knows. At any rate, if you have never done a salt water flush - here is a link about it - it's pretty simple and effective to clean out your digestive tract.......http://www.colonzone.org/salt-water-flush.php
I know in a previous post I had said something about cleaning out my "medicine cabinet" - that's on the plans for this morning - I'm getting ready to go take care of that now...it's a pretty scary looking cabinet as you'll see in my next post either later today or tomorrow........until then have a GREAT day!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Grapefruit, apples and Carrots - YUM
2 fuji apples
2 large carrots
1 pink grapefruit
1/2 cup purified water
Juice all and then add water
This is an isotonic juice and is great before, during and after exercise. Pink Grapefruit is a great source of folic acid which is essential to athletes as deficiency could impair aerobic performance. They also contain Lycopene, an antioxidant which protects the body against some cancers and lowers the risk of heart disease.
This juice is also a great source of vitamins A, C, B1, B6, folic acid, potassium and provides useful amounts of calcium which is essential for healthy bones.
Yields 3 cups - serves 2
Per serving:
210 calories
1g fat
50g carbohydrates
1mg iron
95 mg calcium
Noted from the book "Power Juices"
Friday, January 14, 2011
Morning Energizer
3-4 carrots
1/2 beetroot
1/2 lemon
1 cucumber peeled
1 inch piece gingerroot
Cut all to fit in your juicers feed tube and enjoy - don't let the blood red color fool you, this is a really mild tasting juice
This is one juice that is recommended for those who suffer from CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) as carrot juice is helpful in treating fatigue, beetroot and cucumber help cleanse the gallbladder and liver. (Especially beetroot juice)
1/2 beetroot
1/2 lemon
1 cucumber peeled
1 inch piece gingerroot
Cut all to fit in your juicers feed tube and enjoy - don't let the blood red color fool you, this is a really mild tasting juice
This is one juice that is recommended for those who suffer from CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) as carrot juice is helpful in treating fatigue, beetroot and cucumber help cleanse the gallbladder and liver. (Especially beetroot juice)
Monday, January 10, 2011
What's the difference between FRESH juice and store bought juice?
Simply stated, juicing has amazing benefits for your body. Many people think purchasing a carton of OJ at the grocery store is the same when in fact they are simply purchasing a carton of juice that has been stripped of it's potential health benefits because of the processing and preservatives that are added to make it last long enough to get to the store and be purchased by the end consumer.
Fresh juice is "live food" with it's FULL complement of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and enzymes. It also has a living ingredient - "light energy" that revitalizes the body. You feel different when you drink FRESH juice.
Commercially processed, canned, frozen, bottle or packaged juices have been pasturized, which means it's been heated to HIGH temperatures and many of the vitamins and enzymes have been killed or removed. This allows your juice to have a longer shelf life but won't give your body the kind of life you get from drinking Fresh Raw Juice.
Making your own juice also allows you to get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as stems and leaves you wouldn't otherwise get. Most of your processed juices won't have Beetroot, Jicama, celery leaves and parsley to name a few of the good things that you can put in your own juices.
A lot of people have also asked me over the past few weeks if it's expensive. While I find that my grocery bill is slightly higher, I have many more fruits and vegetables in my basket and I'm not going to the grocery store as often so it actually ends up less expensive overall. When you break it down, it's actually economical in the long run to make your own juice and the benefits will outweigh everything else. You will most likely save money on Dr visits and medications in the future as well.
In addition to the above, it is recommended that we get 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day compared to the old "5 a day" most of us grew up being told. It's very difficult to get 9-13 servings a day for most people, so doing it through juicing makes it MUCH easier.
To give you an idea, in order to get your 9 servings a day it looks something like this: 2 cups green leafy vegetables which is about one good size salad, and 4 cups of fruits and vegetables....that's A LOT!
Take it from me, it's really easy to incorporate juicing into your life. If you have a busy schedule you can juice what you need for the day and take it with you to enjoy throughout your busy day - it will give you a nice energizer in the morning and afternoon as well.
I've also had people asking me what kind of juicer is a good one to get. The juicers you can find on the market vary in price from low end $30 ones to higher end upwards towards $200 ones. I purchased one that was $90 and works great! Now remember, a BLENDER is not a juicer - the difference is a blender liquifies everything you put in it, a juicer seperates the liquid from the pulp.
From what I understand here is what you want to look for in a good juicer:
*Horsepower of at least .5
*sustainable blade speed while juicing - you don't want the blade to slow down or stop when you push things through it
*able to juice all types of fruits and vegetables
*Large feed tube
*Ejects pulp into different area than where the juice goes - a machine that keeps the pulp in the same section as where the juice goes can't juice continuously as it will get too crowded
*Only a few parts to clean - juicers with many parts to clean are difficult and time consuming thus you are less likely to want to juice regularly. Not only that, juicers with too many parts tend to have parts that are difficult to clean.
My juicer is called "juice man" and has 3 parts to clean. The main basket, the blade and the pusher. It's easy to clean and put back together thus I'm juicing 2x a day because of it. I can imagine if it were more than that I wouldn't be likely to want to do it 2x a day.
The entire machine ready to go:
The Blade and separate Pulp area:
The pusher to push your items through the tube (two sizes for different size items)
Large feeding tube area:
For those of you interested in all this I hope this post was informative and helpful for you if you are considering purchasing a juicer. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I'll do my best to answer your questions based on what I know as of now - I'm still learning about all this you know!
Fresh juice is "live food" with it's FULL complement of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and enzymes. It also has a living ingredient - "light energy" that revitalizes the body. You feel different when you drink FRESH juice.
Commercially processed, canned, frozen, bottle or packaged juices have been pasturized, which means it's been heated to HIGH temperatures and many of the vitamins and enzymes have been killed or removed. This allows your juice to have a longer shelf life but won't give your body the kind of life you get from drinking Fresh Raw Juice.
Making your own juice also allows you to get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as stems and leaves you wouldn't otherwise get. Most of your processed juices won't have Beetroot, Jicama, celery leaves and parsley to name a few of the good things that you can put in your own juices.
A lot of people have also asked me over the past few weeks if it's expensive. While I find that my grocery bill is slightly higher, I have many more fruits and vegetables in my basket and I'm not going to the grocery store as often so it actually ends up less expensive overall. When you break it down, it's actually economical in the long run to make your own juice and the benefits will outweigh everything else. You will most likely save money on Dr visits and medications in the future as well.
In addition to the above, it is recommended that we get 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day compared to the old "5 a day" most of us grew up being told. It's very difficult to get 9-13 servings a day for most people, so doing it through juicing makes it MUCH easier.
To give you an idea, in order to get your 9 servings a day it looks something like this: 2 cups green leafy vegetables which is about one good size salad, and 4 cups of fruits and vegetables....that's A LOT!
Take it from me, it's really easy to incorporate juicing into your life. If you have a busy schedule you can juice what you need for the day and take it with you to enjoy throughout your busy day - it will give you a nice energizer in the morning and afternoon as well.
I've also had people asking me what kind of juicer is a good one to get. The juicers you can find on the market vary in price from low end $30 ones to higher end upwards towards $200 ones. I purchased one that was $90 and works great! Now remember, a BLENDER is not a juicer - the difference is a blender liquifies everything you put in it, a juicer seperates the liquid from the pulp.
From what I understand here is what you want to look for in a good juicer:
*Horsepower of at least .5
*sustainable blade speed while juicing - you don't want the blade to slow down or stop when you push things through it
*able to juice all types of fruits and vegetables
*Large feed tube
*Ejects pulp into different area than where the juice goes - a machine that keeps the pulp in the same section as where the juice goes can't juice continuously as it will get too crowded
*Only a few parts to clean - juicers with many parts to clean are difficult and time consuming thus you are less likely to want to juice regularly. Not only that, juicers with too many parts tend to have parts that are difficult to clean.
My juicer is called "juice man" and has 3 parts to clean. The main basket, the blade and the pusher. It's easy to clean and put back together thus I'm juicing 2x a day because of it. I can imagine if it were more than that I wouldn't be likely to want to do it 2x a day.
The entire machine ready to go:
The Blade and separate Pulp area:
The pusher to push your items through the tube (two sizes for different size items)
Large feeding tube area:
For those of you interested in all this I hope this post was informative and helpful for you if you are considering purchasing a juicer. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I'll do my best to answer your questions based on what I know as of now - I'm still learning about all this you know!
Another week.....and returning nasty "symptoms"
So I woke up at my normal time today with Taylor but we went back to bed because it's a snow day - we didn't get too much snow to call a snow day but due to the frigid temps they called it to keep everyone off the dangerous and icy roads this morning. So back to bed I went which probably wasn't the best idea. I find that if I go back to bed I'm even more tired when I wake up the next time..oh well, it was nice to get some extra snooze time anyway.
Today I'm dealing with dizzy spells - not sure why other than I took my meds a little late - but usually I don't get dizzy spells from taking my meds late, only when I completely miss a day of them - I hate being dizzy - it's the worst feeling to have your head spinning....hopefully it'll pass and isn't the beginning of another month of dizziness - I don't think I can do that again. As long as I don't make sudden quick movements I'm ok, but if I get up too fast, turn my head too fast or anything like that, I'm spinning and dizzy.
When the cold weather came in on Saturday I noticed that I started not feeling well - I think I'm seeing a pattern here with cold weather - my hips start to hurt, my headache comes back and I just don't feel well - hmmmmm maybe the dizziness has something to do with it too, I don't know - they do say that colder temps cause symptoms to flair so I guess that's true because it happened. I'm hoping I can figure out a way to plan for cold weather and avoid the symptoms that go with it - not sure how I can but I'm going to try to figure it out, if there is a way then I'll find it - it would stink to have to move because of it - although Florida doesn't sound so bad :) I even have friends there so if we were to ever move from here I think that would be one place that would be in the running for us just for the climate - warm weather is a good thing for Fibromyalgia.
Last night we went to the annual Colorado Slumber Parties holiday party. We also do it in Jan as it's less expensive and more people can attend since they aren't dealing with all the December parties going on. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone. The food was fabulous and all in all it was just a super fun night. I'm really glad I went, for a bit I wasn't going to go due to my headache but I went ahead and sucked it up and went - and I'm glad I did. It was a masquerade ball so everyone was wearing their fancy masks....
I'm still juicing daily - I've read that I need to have a diet of 75% raw foods - so juicing is definitely the right thing for me - now to figure out the other things I need to add to the juice such as powders to include protein and vitamins. I'm getting there, it's just a slow process to figure it all out.
Until next time!
Today I'm dealing with dizzy spells - not sure why other than I took my meds a little late - but usually I don't get dizzy spells from taking my meds late, only when I completely miss a day of them - I hate being dizzy - it's the worst feeling to have your head spinning....hopefully it'll pass and isn't the beginning of another month of dizziness - I don't think I can do that again. As long as I don't make sudden quick movements I'm ok, but if I get up too fast, turn my head too fast or anything like that, I'm spinning and dizzy.
When the cold weather came in on Saturday I noticed that I started not feeling well - I think I'm seeing a pattern here with cold weather - my hips start to hurt, my headache comes back and I just don't feel well - hmmmmm maybe the dizziness has something to do with it too, I don't know - they do say that colder temps cause symptoms to flair so I guess that's true because it happened. I'm hoping I can figure out a way to plan for cold weather and avoid the symptoms that go with it - not sure how I can but I'm going to try to figure it out, if there is a way then I'll find it - it would stink to have to move because of it - although Florida doesn't sound so bad :) I even have friends there so if we were to ever move from here I think that would be one place that would be in the running for us just for the climate - warm weather is a good thing for Fibromyalgia.
Last night we went to the annual Colorado Slumber Parties holiday party. We also do it in Jan as it's less expensive and more people can attend since they aren't dealing with all the December parties going on. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone. The food was fabulous and all in all it was just a super fun night. I'm really glad I went, for a bit I wasn't going to go due to my headache but I went ahead and sucked it up and went - and I'm glad I did. It was a masquerade ball so everyone was wearing their fancy masks....
I'm still juicing daily - I've read that I need to have a diet of 75% raw foods - so juicing is definitely the right thing for me - now to figure out the other things I need to add to the juice such as powders to include protein and vitamins. I'm getting there, it's just a slow process to figure it all out.
Until next time!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Bet you didn't know .........
All the different health benefits from various fruits and vegetables - but I'm going to tell you! Starting with:
Honey Dew Melon
The basics you need to know when purchasing and consuming a Honey Dew Melon. I've included a link to the source where you can read even more information about this amazing and yummy fruit.
The edible portion is an excellent source of Vitamin C, provitamin A and potassium, zinc, and valuable digestive enzymes. They are fairly low in carbohydrates but since it is big you can usually get enough of your recommended daily requirements. The simplest way to know if its mature is its ground color ranging from greenish white (immature) to creamy yellow (mature).
Nutrient Value: per 100 g
* Vitamin C: 18 mg
* Fiber: 1 g
* Protein: 0.5 g
* Carbohydrates: 9 g
* Sugar: 8 g
* Sodium: 18 mg
* Fat: 0.1 g
Buying Tips:
* Quality is determined by the honeydew having a nearly perfect round shape with a smooth surface free of defects.
* Honeydew should feel heavy for its size and have a waxy (not fuzzy) surface.
* The honeydew that weigh about 2.2kg, have creamy yellow stem ends that is slightly soft when pressed, are bound to be the sweetest and best tasting. Avoid melons that are as hard as bowling balls because its flesh is also hard. The hardness is maybe because it is picked too early.
Honey Dew Melon
The basics you need to know when purchasing and consuming a Honey Dew Melon. I've included a link to the source where you can read even more information about this amazing and yummy fruit.
The edible portion is an excellent source of Vitamin C, provitamin A and potassium, zinc, and valuable digestive enzymes. They are fairly low in carbohydrates but since it is big you can usually get enough of your recommended daily requirements. The simplest way to know if its mature is its ground color ranging from greenish white (immature) to creamy yellow (mature).
Nutrient Value: per 100 g
* Vitamin C: 18 mg
* Fiber: 1 g
* Protein: 0.5 g
* Carbohydrates: 9 g
* Sugar: 8 g
* Sodium: 18 mg
* Fat: 0.1 g
Buying Tips:
* Quality is determined by the honeydew having a nearly perfect round shape with a smooth surface free of defects.
* Honeydew should feel heavy for its size and have a waxy (not fuzzy) surface.
* The honeydew that weigh about 2.2kg, have creamy yellow stem ends that is slightly soft when pressed, are bound to be the sweetest and best tasting. Avoid melons that are as hard as bowling balls because its flesh is also hard. The hardness is maybe because it is picked too early.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Morning Treat
makes about 2.5 cups of juice
1 red pear
1 orange
2 wedges of honey dew melon (about a 1/4 of a small melon)
1 large golden delicious green apple
1/4 of a lemon
1 small piece of ginger
It's a New Year with tons of hope for the future
Well here we are! 2011!! WOW - I'm sure we have all made some "resolutions" - I try not to make "resolutions" as that tends to only lead me to fail - however I do try to make new promises to myself - it's just how I like to look at it and I do feel that with a promise to myself I am more apt to keep it and not let myself down. I know, it's the same thing just worded differently :)
In my last update I had mentioned the pending sleep study - well after I posted that things changed. We had a snow storm come through the area and due to the amount of snow I wasn't able to go. Being that my insurance deductible has now started over I am going to try to work towards finding a way to combat my chronic fatigue using exercise, weight loss and healthy eating choices. We'll see how far I get with that but for now I am confident there are other ways to deal with it other than using that apnea machine and/or medications.
I am currently dealing with some excruciating pain in my right shoulder/arm/hand every morning that is really very frustrating. I have been waking up for several months now with my fingers (index, middle and ring finger mainly) tingling and numb. Some days my pinky is included, some days the thumb but always those three fingers. More recently over the past few weeks a new pain has joined the party. I think it's a nerve issue as I can feel the pain go all the way up my arm into my shoulder where I do have quite a large knot (or two or three or four) but one in particular that when you rub it you can feel it roll - it's quite the party conversation piece. I do everything from get up against the wall with a tennis ball and roll it over the spot on my shoulder (around the curve in the scapula) to massage it, rotate my arm, scream, cry, roll around the floor, stretch...you name it - anything I can try to do to ease the pain. It use to go away relatively quickly after I would get up and rub that spot but now it is taking a good hour up to 2 hrs for it to stop being tingly, numb and painful. I think a few chiropractor trips are in order to get things straightened out and possibly release whatever is causing this - of course it won't completely "fix" it but will at least give me some relief for the time being. Continual work on it is what is going to be needed and I guess as I can afford to pay those professionals who can help me I will (Chiropractor and massage)
I continue to juice with my new machine and have come up with some really good mixtures that even my kids are enjoying. I'm thrilled about this as they rarely eat vegetables or fruit for that matter so getting these things into their bodies makes me one happy mom. Glenn is also enjoying the fruit/vegetable combinations so it's a great thing that we have brought into our home. The cost of purchasing so many fruits/vegetables will be worth the benefits it gives us all over time.
Here is a really good juice recipe that even the pickiest of children will drink down willingly - I only know because my son is one of them and LOVED this one! We'll name it "Child's Choice"
1 orange
1 beet slice (about a quarter chunk of a med size beet, peeled)
2 red pears
2 large golden delicious green apples
50 red grapes
1/2 med size lemon
4 small/medium carrots
Push all through the juicer and enjoy! You can't taste the beet in this recipe as the sweet fruits will cover it up - beets should be used sparingly in any recipe as they tend to not be liked by many people but are very good for you.
Today is a great day - kids are back in school and it's time to get life back on track after the 2 wk holiday break. It's been a bit slow going this morning with the 20 degree weather, pain and all but it's time to pick up and get the day under way - lots to do including taking down the Christmas tree, putting away the ornaments, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry - the list is so big, hopefully it'll all get done today......wish me luck!
In my last update I had mentioned the pending sleep study - well after I posted that things changed. We had a snow storm come through the area and due to the amount of snow I wasn't able to go. Being that my insurance deductible has now started over I am going to try to work towards finding a way to combat my chronic fatigue using exercise, weight loss and healthy eating choices. We'll see how far I get with that but for now I am confident there are other ways to deal with it other than using that apnea machine and/or medications.
I am currently dealing with some excruciating pain in my right shoulder/arm/hand every morning that is really very frustrating. I have been waking up for several months now with my fingers (index, middle and ring finger mainly) tingling and numb. Some days my pinky is included, some days the thumb but always those three fingers. More recently over the past few weeks a new pain has joined the party. I think it's a nerve issue as I can feel the pain go all the way up my arm into my shoulder where I do have quite a large knot (or two or three or four) but one in particular that when you rub it you can feel it roll - it's quite the party conversation piece. I do everything from get up against the wall with a tennis ball and roll it over the spot on my shoulder (around the curve in the scapula) to massage it, rotate my arm, scream, cry, roll around the floor, stretch...you name it - anything I can try to do to ease the pain. It use to go away relatively quickly after I would get up and rub that spot but now it is taking a good hour up to 2 hrs for it to stop being tingly, numb and painful. I think a few chiropractor trips are in order to get things straightened out and possibly release whatever is causing this - of course it won't completely "fix" it but will at least give me some relief for the time being. Continual work on it is what is going to be needed and I guess as I can afford to pay those professionals who can help me I will (Chiropractor and massage)
I continue to juice with my new machine and have come up with some really good mixtures that even my kids are enjoying. I'm thrilled about this as they rarely eat vegetables or fruit for that matter so getting these things into their bodies makes me one happy mom. Glenn is also enjoying the fruit/vegetable combinations so it's a great thing that we have brought into our home. The cost of purchasing so many fruits/vegetables will be worth the benefits it gives us all over time.
Here is a really good juice recipe that even the pickiest of children will drink down willingly - I only know because my son is one of them and LOVED this one! We'll name it "Child's Choice"
1 orange
1 beet slice (about a quarter chunk of a med size beet, peeled)
2 red pears
2 large golden delicious green apples
50 red grapes
1/2 med size lemon
4 small/medium carrots
Push all through the juicer and enjoy! You can't taste the beet in this recipe as the sweet fruits will cover it up - beets should be used sparingly in any recipe as they tend to not be liked by many people but are very good for you.
Today is a great day - kids are back in school and it's time to get life back on track after the 2 wk holiday break. It's been a bit slow going this morning with the 20 degree weather, pain and all but it's time to pick up and get the day under way - lots to do including taking down the Christmas tree, putting away the ornaments, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry - the list is so big, hopefully it'll all get done today......wish me luck!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
My diagnosis and finding my way................................... slowly
So it's been a couple weeks since my last update. I hope you all had a great Christmas and are gearing up for your New Years celebrations. Whatever you do, please be safe and use common sense. People can get crazy on New Years Eve, don't let them find you and drag you into their craziness. Have fun but be safe about it!
We are going to be in Estes Park for New Years. Our friends, who are also our neighbors, invited us to spend the weekend with them there. They have been there all week. They also invited two other families so it will be 11 of us in a house on the mountain - could be fun, could be crazy - could be CRAZY FUN! Either way, we are looking forward to getting away for a few days to relax and enjoy friends company. All the kids are friends and all the adults are friends so it should be a really nice little getaway. We are expecting snow today so I am hoping it doesn't interfere with our travel plans. The location is only about 2hrs away so it should be ok getting there. We might have to take the truck if the snow is too bad.
I've been doing pretty good with my Physical Therapy. Today is my last day that I go in and then I will continue to do the stretches and exercises they have shown me that will help me with my stiffness and overall pain in various areas. Mainly I have pain in my right shoulder area and down the right side of my back. My left side is ok for the most part but still a bit stiff. It seems that the things they have had me doing work so I just need to keep it up at home. I still wake up everyday with numb fingers which is extremely annoying. It has been taking about an hour for that to go away then I'm fine the rest of the day. There is a good knot in my back on the right side that we believe is the contributor to the numbness in the morning - at physical therapy we tested my right hand for carpel tunnel and determined I do not have that since the numbness encompasses more fingers than carpel tunnel does.
Headaches have been few over the past couple weeks which has been nice - I would say I have had about 3, one of which I went to bed with and the others were mild. So at least that is getting better!
Over Christmas we got a Wii along with Wii fit. I plan on using this to assist with daily exercises as I get going. My mom and I are also going to walk 1 mile on days that are not too cold and possibly start "the biggest loser" on the Wii. That sounds fun and will be a good motivator for both of us. I need to lose 20lbs and wouldn't mind losing 30 - but 20 for sure.
I received a juice machine for Christmas too. This is going to be a great help to my weight loss and increasing my vegetable and fruit intake. I've already been using it and creating all kinds of fun concoctions that are pretty tasty. The kids are even trying new things and enjoying it as is Glenn. I figure if I can get any extra goodness into them along the way I will! I would really like to find the right combination of foods, juices and vitamins that will help me feel better consistently along with giving me more energy. Eventually I would LOVE to get off the medications I've been on although I'm not sure that's going to happen considering that one of them is also used to treat Fibromyalgia - in fact, the Dr thinks one reason I haven't had too much trouble over the years up until recently is because of this particular medication I've been taking. So we'll see - if I can get the right things in my body to take the place of the meds then that will be great!
So along with my updates I will be posting juice recipes as well. Feel free to try them if you want and let me know what you think. If you have any fun, yummy recipes you want to share, feel free to do that as well!
Tonight I go in for my sleep study. Part of treating my fibromyalgia is also getting my chronic fatigue under control and seeing how bad my sleep apnea is - I might have to start sleeping with the machine used to treat the apnea depending on what the results of tonight's sleep study come back as. The one thing I'm not looking forward to is the cost of the machine. Hopefully it's less than I am thinking it will be. Wish me luck! I go in tonight at 9pm and they said I will be out of there by 6am - that means getting up EARLY, way earlier than I ever do......(do you feel sorry for me yet?)
I hope you have a GREAT New Years Eve! It has started snowing since I started this update so I guess we are in for a snowy cold day as the forecast suggested. I hate it when they are right!
I will leave you with a good juice recipe we made this morning:
1/2 a small pineapple
1 pint strawberries
10 blackberries
1/2 a lime
1/2 an orange
1 celery rib with greens at top if still there
Push through juicer and enjoy!
Until next time ... Happy New Year - see you in 2011!
We are going to be in Estes Park for New Years. Our friends, who are also our neighbors, invited us to spend the weekend with them there. They have been there all week. They also invited two other families so it will be 11 of us in a house on the mountain - could be fun, could be crazy - could be CRAZY FUN! Either way, we are looking forward to getting away for a few days to relax and enjoy friends company. All the kids are friends and all the adults are friends so it should be a really nice little getaway. We are expecting snow today so I am hoping it doesn't interfere with our travel plans. The location is only about 2hrs away so it should be ok getting there. We might have to take the truck if the snow is too bad.
I've been doing pretty good with my Physical Therapy. Today is my last day that I go in and then I will continue to do the stretches and exercises they have shown me that will help me with my stiffness and overall pain in various areas. Mainly I have pain in my right shoulder area and down the right side of my back. My left side is ok for the most part but still a bit stiff. It seems that the things they have had me doing work so I just need to keep it up at home. I still wake up everyday with numb fingers which is extremely annoying. It has been taking about an hour for that to go away then I'm fine the rest of the day. There is a good knot in my back on the right side that we believe is the contributor to the numbness in the morning - at physical therapy we tested my right hand for carpel tunnel and determined I do not have that since the numbness encompasses more fingers than carpel tunnel does.
Headaches have been few over the past couple weeks which has been nice - I would say I have had about 3, one of which I went to bed with and the others were mild. So at least that is getting better!
Over Christmas we got a Wii along with Wii fit. I plan on using this to assist with daily exercises as I get going. My mom and I are also going to walk 1 mile on days that are not too cold and possibly start "the biggest loser" on the Wii. That sounds fun and will be a good motivator for both of us. I need to lose 20lbs and wouldn't mind losing 30 - but 20 for sure.
I received a juice machine for Christmas too. This is going to be a great help to my weight loss and increasing my vegetable and fruit intake. I've already been using it and creating all kinds of fun concoctions that are pretty tasty. The kids are even trying new things and enjoying it as is Glenn. I figure if I can get any extra goodness into them along the way I will! I would really like to find the right combination of foods, juices and vitamins that will help me feel better consistently along with giving me more energy. Eventually I would LOVE to get off the medications I've been on although I'm not sure that's going to happen considering that one of them is also used to treat Fibromyalgia - in fact, the Dr thinks one reason I haven't had too much trouble over the years up until recently is because of this particular medication I've been taking. So we'll see - if I can get the right things in my body to take the place of the meds then that will be great!
So along with my updates I will be posting juice recipes as well. Feel free to try them if you want and let me know what you think. If you have any fun, yummy recipes you want to share, feel free to do that as well!
Tonight I go in for my sleep study. Part of treating my fibromyalgia is also getting my chronic fatigue under control and seeing how bad my sleep apnea is - I might have to start sleeping with the machine used to treat the apnea depending on what the results of tonight's sleep study come back as. The one thing I'm not looking forward to is the cost of the machine. Hopefully it's less than I am thinking it will be. Wish me luck! I go in tonight at 9pm and they said I will be out of there by 6am - that means getting up EARLY, way earlier than I ever do......(do you feel sorry for me yet?)
I hope you have a GREAT New Years Eve! It has started snowing since I started this update so I guess we are in for a snowy cold day as the forecast suggested. I hate it when they are right!
I will leave you with a good juice recipe we made this morning:
1/2 a small pineapple
1 pint strawberries
10 blackberries
1/2 a lime
1/2 an orange
1 celery rib with greens at top if still there
Push through juicer and enjoy!
Until next time ... Happy New Year - see you in 2011!
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