Has it really been over 3 months?!

Wow! Time flies! So much has happened since April. I've started some new treatments that I'm excited about.

A couple friends introduced me to Essential Oils! I'm in love with Young Living's PanAway! Since I started using this, I have not had to take pain pills! It hasn't taken the pain completely away, but helps keep it manageable! I'm looking forward to trying some other oils once I get a little extra money.

I also got up the nerve to start chiropractic treatment. As I suspected, my spine was very misaligned! I've been 5 times & I'm a believer! After my 2nd visit, I walked out with NO pain in my neck. Now, I was really sore by bedtime & had to ice my neck. As my chiropractor, Dr. Kevin Storm, works on getting my spine in alignment, I am feeling better & better! He is also working on my tight neck & back muscles. Tight muscles have been a big complaint of mine. Between treatments & the exercises he has given me, I'm feeling more relaxed.

But, that is not all that's new! Dr. storm is also doing accupuncture on me! I've had 2 sessions so far. After the first one, I was a little sore & was very tired. After the second, I walked out pain-free (for about 12 hrs or so) & had lots of energy! I was able to weed my garden & still had energy to spare.

I now find myself looking forward to my treatment days. Each time I leave feeling a little better & the effects tend to last a little longer each time!

I know these new treatments will not cure my fibromyalgia. But I do feel certain they will make it more manageable & will give me more good days than bad! I am just praising God for opening my eyes to these alternative treatments! I was so resistant to them. They have been an answer to prayer! I'm excited to see the progress I make toward getting healthy! I now have hope that I can increase my activity level, which will lead to some weight loss!

So keep checking back for updates!

 

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God is Faithful

As I've been struggling a lot with my health recently, God has been reminding me more & more of His Faithfulness! The following video has become a new favorite of mine. It's called "Never Once" & it's by Matt Redman.

Many times, we walk through trials that overwhelm us. Yet when we stop looking at our trials & look up, we see that God has been there all along! He never promised us an easy life. But He did promise that He would walk with us through each & every trial.

I've been through many trials, especially in regards to my health. I can testify that Jesus has been faithful! He walked with me through the darkest nights. Because I've seen His faithfulness to me, I know He will carry me through whatever the future holds!

Come to Him! Cling to Him! He is faithful & will see you through each & every trial! It may not be the outcome you want, but He will be with you every step of the way. God is Faithful!!!

 

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Meds, side effects & more

So much going on with my health & I haven't felt up to posting.

On Jan 28th, I was switched from Celexa to Wellbutrin because the Celexa was fatiguing me. Since I started on the Wellbutrin, I have had headaches every day. It took me till yesterday to think it was probably a side-effect. So after contacting my doctor, I am stopping the Wellbutrin now & seeing him on Monday morning.

Between hormones, headaches, depression & pain from crazy weather, this has been a rough year so far. I'm usually fairly even keeled & seem to be able to ride the storms of fibromyalgia. But this has been hard. Rather than be constantly negative & posting how bad I feel, I've chosen to just be quiet.

I know God has a reason for me going through all this. But sometimes it's hard to see the big picture. I know that I am very blessed. I know my struggles are are very small compared to a lot of others. So many are facing cancer, MS or worse.

But in the midst of the pain, my outlook becomes cloudy. I have to work harder to keep my mind focused on Christ. Only then can I walk through this life.

 

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Fibromyalgia Setbacks!

Life with fibromyalgia can be so frustrating at times. I'll be doing really good. Walking 4-5 days a week, having low pain levels & losing 15 pounds. Then it all grinds to a halt. My weight loss stalls, daily headaches kick in as well as fatigue & achiness. It's frustrating because it hits out of nowhere.

To top it off, I've been dealing with my heart trying to race. This is something I've not had to deal with for 18 years. In 1994, I had a RFablation to kill a short circuit pathway in my heart (Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome). I've been trying to tell myself that I'm imagining it, but it's not working. Looks like I'll be heading to doctor again soon.

Sometimes it feels like my body hates me. I think my body parts get together to see how they can throw me for a loop today! Hey, let me pop a fever for no reason. Hey, how about a headache, we haven't had one of those for awhile. Hey, how about a pain here or there for no apparent reason.

It sure makes it harder to get healthy. I mean, it's hard for anyone to get healthy, but when you have fibromyalgia, your body fights it. You can't push your body really hard or it breaks. And then sometimes it breaks when you are not doing anything. Now I have to fight mentally. I can't let a setback by my body undermine all the good I've done so far. I have to convince myself that just because my body isn't showing the results of my discipline doesn't mean what I'm doing is worthless. I have to convince myself to keep going, to keep eating healthy & to keep walking. I have to convince my mind that this is not hopeless, it's just a small setback. I have to fight with my mind, my body & all the strength I can muster...

 

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Still no diagnosis!

Well, my appointments have come & gone. I'm fighting a headache. I'm not sure if it's weather, stress or hormone related, maybe all 3. Time to rest, but first I want to update y'all on what's new.

I saw the neurologist on Tuesday. Based on my symptoms, it's looking like I have a couple of different things going on possibly. So, I have to have a Spinal Tap on 4/23 & I'm also having a nerve conduction test on 5/4.

Then I saw a rheumatologist today. He did confirm that I have Raynaud's Phenomenon (feet/hands turn blue when cold). He is running a whole slew of lab tests & also referred me to a dermatologist for rash on my face.

The good news from the week is that I love my team of doctors! They are committed to finding out what all is going on with me & are wanting to know what my other doctors are doing.

The bad news is I still don't know for sure what is going on. And the things they are testing for/suspecting are pretty scary. I'm being tested for Neuropathy in hands/feet, MS(Multiple Sclerosis) & Lupus.

I know that whether it is 1 or all of these, God will carry me through. I've seen God's Faithfulness time & time again as I dealt with a heart arrhythmia & fibromyalgia. I know He won't fail me now!

I am also blessed with a wonderful Hubby who will be by my side no matter what we have to face. I'm blessed with 3 great kids who love me & are great helpers. I have awesome parents & in-laws who love me & help me when needed.

I am also blessed with tons of family, church family & friends who will pray for me, encourage me & help out where needed.

So although the future looks scary, I know I'm gonna be alright!

Good & bad moments

It's been a weird week. Lots of changes in life happening here including our Pastor of 19 years stepping down as God is calling him somewhere else. Also seeing some other changes coming.So I think this week my health is being affected by stress.

I've also been affected by the weather changes this week. Our week has included 70 degree days, 23 degree nights & every thing in between. We've had sunshine, rain, wind & even a little snow.

With all these changes, my health has been up & down all week. I've had headaches that have come & gone. I've had some really good hours in which I decorated for Christmas, cleaned my kitchen & cooked some yummy stuff. I've also had some bad hours where I just laid on couch praying for headaches to go away & muscles spasms to cease.

All in all, I feel I've stayed upbeat and persevered.  Sometimes you just have to ride out the bad so you can enjoy the good moments.