tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17855068376996990352024-09-01T09:18:05.666-04:00jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-87243440120610622102015-05-11T21:58:00.000-04:002015-05-11T21:58:36.437-04:00

Yes, it's been almost a year since I last published here. Life has been very busy and a few things have changed. I haven't been following a vegan diet for some time now. It was a gradual change that started with including other foods back into my diet. So you won't find any new vegan info here. I won't remove my old posts because it's been part of the journey. In other news, my husband

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-47149365246703904582014-05-28T00:37:00.001-04:002014-07-30T21:52:56.053-04:00

Can't believe it has been so long since I updated!  Spent the fall getting used to my sleep apnea diagnosis and trying to get into a healthier sleep pattern, then ended up with a slipped disc in the new year and was off work for 9 weeks.  It was very painful, and I have a new understanding of what chronic pain is like.  Thankfully, it healed up on its own, no surgery needed this

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-1224079839094765932013-10-09T11:08:00.001-04:002013-10-09T11:08:53.871-04:00

So, the results are in for my sleep test.  As suspected, I have sleep apnea.  I rated in the severe category because I stopped breathing more than 30 times per hour.  When you think that it means that I stopped breathing about once every 2 minutes, it is pretty scary!  The great news is that it is totally treatable.  I am currently using a loaner CPAP machine, but I'll

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-21212624821740186642013-09-09T20:00:00.001-04:002013-09-09T20:00:22.969-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Aviva Community Fund for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. This year marks the fifth year of the Aviva Community Fund's competition.  I'm glad to have the opportunity to share about this competition once again.  What I like about it is that the competition is all about regular people submitting ideas to make

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-58752234552460882282013-08-03T17:04:00.003-04:002013-10-09T10:59:42.360-04:00

It's frustrating when you have so many posts you want to write, but you just don't have the energy to do them or just about anything else.  That's where I've been for the last while and I think I finally know why. I went on an amazing vacation with my best friend this spring.  We live in different provinces, so we don't get to spend a lot of time together, but this time, we went away

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-86750633032876989912013-04-23T23:06:00.001-04:002013-04-23T23:06:35.659-04:00

So, it's been a long time since I've updated.  At first, I was looking at it thinking it was only a few weeks, then suddenly I realized that it's April!  I've been quiet for a very long time.  It's been a little stressful and busy in real life and I haven't felt like updating.  But here I am now. Part of what kept me from posting for such a long time is that after being off

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-83646284168212895152013-01-04T12:00:00.001-05:002013-01-04T12:00:23.735-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Insurance Hunter for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. I'll be honest, I go out of my way to avoid having to do anything with my Auto Insurance.  It always feels like a huge chore and I never know if I'm really getting the best deal or all the features that I need.  I was asked to write for Insurance Hunter, so I

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-45059399793885230672012-12-17T23:49:00.000-05:002012-12-17T23:49:54.225-05:00

I was just looking over my posts and I was surprised to see that I've been writing here for almost 3 years.  Where did the time go?  I feel like I'm starting to get my stuff together.  You'd think that 3 years was more than enough time to get fit, organized, and healthy, but it's been a journey for me.  Baby steps here and there, and some steps backwards a few times too. &nbsp

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-4786841719640067812012-11-09T22:00:00.001-05:002012-11-09T22:00:27.322-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Aviva Community Fund for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. Last month, I shared with you about the first round of voting for  Aviva Community Fund.  You can find that post here:  http://getfitorganizedhealthy.blogspot.ca/2012/10/aviva-community-fund.html.  Now it's time for the second round. The Aviva

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-27034932700508423602012-11-08T22:40:00.000-05:002012-11-08T22:40:00.144-05:00

It's been awhile since I've shared with you. Life is starting to settle down a bit. I feel a lot better since I've been off of the anti-depressants. I was talking with my daughter about it today and told her that I'm still working hard to be better. She asked me if I had any brain zaps lately, and I was able to assure her that I hadn't. Since she's 10, she understands more of what is going

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-26929793773542401612012-10-05T22:00:00.001-04:002012-10-05T22:00:29.807-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Aviva Community Fund for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. I'm so glad to have the opportunity to share with you about Aviva Community Fund again this year.  If you haven't heard about it before, the Aviva Community Fund is an annual charitable activation funded by and supported by Aviva Insurance.  There is a

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-87447259460193457702012-09-24T06:00:00.001-04:002012-09-24T06:00:24.335-04:00

This post brought to you by InsuranceHunter. All opinions are 100% mine. As parents, we often put the needs of our kids first, yet the findings of the Insurance Hunter’s safety survey still surprised me.  The study was conducted online between June 19-23.  There were 1003 randomly selected Ontario parents with kids under 12 who were also members of Angus Reid Forum panel.   

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-22962315244367475572012-09-10T21:53:00.000-04:002012-09-10T21:53:08.899-04:00

I haven't posted for awhile.  Before, if you hadn't heard from me for some time, it was likely related to my health or depression.  The truth is that lately, I've been busy doing stuff and that's why I haven't written! My health continues to improve now that I am not taking anti-depressants.  It's been a slow process, but a good one.  I feel better able to cope with things

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-62841578519488525482012-08-06T00:55:00.000-04:002012-08-06T00:55:15.667-04:00

I figured it was time for an update.  I've discovered that there are some side effects to getting healthier.  I've been anti-depressant free for about 4 months now and overall it's been great.  I find that I feel better and now that I feel better, I want to do more.  It took some time, but we got our house mostly organized.  Of course, with 2 kids and a nerd in the house,

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-4129421958394077072012-07-03T13:23:00.001-04:002012-07-05T10:18:19.849-04:00

Post brought to you by Insurance Hunter. All opinions are 100% mine. If you are like me, buying insurance is a necessary evil and a huge hassle.  It's time consuming and quite frankly, boring.  Who has time to waste getting quotes from different companies?  That's where Insurance Hunter comes in.  Insurance Hunter is an online broker for Ontario residents that gives free quotes for

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-49465837789404133472012-05-20T22:51:00.003-04:002012-05-20T22:52:15.645-04:00

I never thought I'd be able to post the above title, but it's true!  I had a friend visit from out of town and our house needed a major decluttering.  It wasn't something we could baby-step any more.  It was all out!  I lost count of the number of garbage bags and recycling bags that we racked up as we decluttered.  Since we live in a pilot area for waste collection, it

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-74683416839647838282012-04-29T01:01:00.000-04:002012-04-29T01:01:26.517-04:00

I'm amazed by how much better I've been feeling lately.  A lot of it stems back to seeing the chiropractor.  I hadn't thought that it was possible to stop taking anti-depressants before I saw him.  In fact, I was asked to write a testimonial for him and I was surprised by what I had to say. Before I went there, feeling lousy had crept up on me until it felt like it was normal. &

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-35063534361210927802012-04-22T01:54:00.000-04:002012-04-22T01:54:05.613-04:00

So, I've been antidepressant free for about 6 weeks now, give or take. Things are going well for the most part. I feel like I'm finally getting my act together. I'm finding that my emotions are still really close to the surface. I used to tear up over things like a sad story on television. Now I'm tearing up over happy stories, sad stories, you name it. Sometimes I can't finish a sentence

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-61799799698127136072012-04-11T17:00:00.001-04:002012-04-11T17:18:01.159-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. This year, I'm planning on being more organized outside as well as inside.  I have big plans for my garden, but the first place I need help with is my lawn.  It's a mess.  It has spots with no grass, all sorts of strange plant life and it just looks bad.  We tried to

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-86237128356054846152012-03-31T02:55:00.000-04:002012-03-31T02:55:54.639-04:00

Are you bored of me talking about getting off of my medications?  You must be because I sure am!  I was so focused on it for a time because I had to be, but things have changed for the better.  So let's change it up. I am a bit of a chocoholic.  I love chocolate and chocolate chip cookies are one of my many chocolate weaknesses.  I found this great recipe for Chocolate

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-48807215577899662432012-03-18T19:30:00.000-04:002012-03-18T19:30:20.389-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks now since I finally tapered right off of the antidepressant I was taking.  I'm still having some withdrawal symptoms, but they're becoming more infrequent as time goes on.  The "brain zaps" bother me most when I'm tired or trying to go to sleep. So here's what I've found now that I'm drug free: 1).  I have emotions again.  Before I felt a little

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-30042259666198449022012-03-12T09:50:00.000-04:002012-03-12T09:50:04.952-04:00

It's true!  I took my last Effexor XR pill 7 days ago.  It has not been easy, especially since I couldn't just ignore the rest of my life.  Day 1 wasn't so bad. Day 2 was bad, enough that I considered going back on the medication.  Day 3 was hell.  I had to leave work early because I felt so sick.  Between brain zaps, nausea and stomach troubles, it was bad. &nbsp

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-8905182907410109782012-03-04T20:07:00.000-05:002012-03-04T20:07:13.994-05:00

The second taper has definitely been harder than the first was. It seemed like I'd be feeling better for a day or two and then discontinuation symptoms would crop up again. I've had a lot of buzzing in my brain, kind of a zapping, electrical type of feeling. It doesn't hurt so much, but it's annoying and leaves you feeling a little off balance. I did some reading online and this site, The

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-42370690273309183142012-02-22T23:13:00.000-05:002012-02-22T23:13:43.353-05:00

Had to come by and leave a quick note.  What a difference a day makes!  Day 8 was great!  I actually found that I felt good.  It's hard to explain, but I haven't felt happy and just good for a long time.  Yes, my kids still fought with each other and I yelled at them, but it didn't spoil my whole day or even bring me down.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1785506837699699035.post-91024009861043872052012-02-21T23:53:00.000-05:002012-02-21T23:53:28.689-05:00

So, almost done my first full week at the second adjustment to my medications.  It's been funny how different this taper is.  First taper, symptoms came, got worse, then lessened and disappeared over 14 days.  This time, they've been coming and going and they range in intensity. I experienced my first "brain zap" on day 5 along with a lot of dizziness.  Day 6 was a lot better

jayewalkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15589675407326690691noreply@blogger.com0