This Is My Fibro

How To Not Make A Teacher's Gift Off Pinterest

2016-05-26T08:56:00.001-07:00

The It's that time of year again. So much to do. Including, a gift for your kid's teacher. You want them to like it but also want to be crafty. You looked at Pinterest but let's face it… that's time, money, energy. Not to mention skill. And I will bet, if you think it's cute the other moms do too. which means they're going to get a lot of the same thing. So this year I thought what do I still have that a child gave me all those years ago? And it's on my couch all these years later. A little travel pillow with a homemade pillowcase. Let's not get crazy. I'm not going to make a homemade pillow case. So I adjusted her idea. A travel pillow with case, a book that you enjoyed, a postcard, all tied up with a pretty ribbon. I got it all at Walmart so no running all over town to get it done. Address the postcard to the teacher and write a sweet note from your child. It is budget friendly. You can even give them used books and write your note on the inside of the book, "I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Love, little Johnny's mom"

My Life is Written in This Wood

2016-04-09T20:50:00.001-07:00

Welcoming a new kitchen table to our home. I may cry. I helped my husband buy the old one when we were just friends. Then came dating and marriage. Almost 14 years of marriage, in fact. I fed all five of our babies at that table and many others, hosted countless guests. It has dents from kids banging, stains from "washable" markers and one chair has a chew mark from the only thing Bradley ever chewed on. One chair completely retired from the kids breaking it in an MMA fight. It was an excellent table. I shouldn't be this attached. Yet, I am. But we need more space. So here's our new table. Another good bargain. This one from a garage sale. Nothing to fuss about when the kids dent it, scratch it and stain it. And they are young enough to still do all of those things so I can become firmly attached to this table. So please, bring your babies to eat and play. Come sit at my table.

Stock in Parent Life

2016-04-08T07:35:00.001-07:00

Krazy Glue.… just one of the many things to buy stock in when you become a parent. Nothing stops tears faster than saying, "I can fix it."

Book Club is Not for Cowards

2016-03-17T19:01:00.001-07:00

If you have not joined a Bookclub, I highly recommend that you do so. When I first joined it took me a long time to really get involved. I didn't immediately click with the people. I did not always finish the books because of my home life. But in the last few years I have found solace in my monthly book club. And I hate to miss it. And I have found some of my best friends in this book club. I have revived my joy for reading which helps me to escape this difficult life. And reading is something that I can do with the fibromyalgia. With the new Kindle unlimited immersion program I can switch from reading to listening in the same book. When I put my kids down for bed I put headphones on and listen to the book while I am doing housework. But then when I'm ready to go to bed I simply switch over to reading text. It will save your spot. It syncs from phone to Kindle or apps. Yes, I like a paper book. Yet technology has made reading easier.

Author Callie Newman joined our Bookclub last night as we discussed her book We're All Mad Here. Check it out on Amazon. I really enjoyed it. I told her that when I finished, I immediately went to Amazon to find her other books only to find that this is her first. Sad because I couldn't jump into another one right away but delighted because if the first one was this good then they should only get better.

Burned

2015-06-30T11:48:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since I have burned myself while cooking. I just touched my thumb to a muffin pan. Thank goodness for boo-boo buddies. I am in so much pain!!!!!!! At least it wasn't stoneware. I'm glad my kids are asleep so they don't get to see me be this weak. Going to try out my new correct-x for the first time. I hope it heals fast because I got summer to do!

*essential oils are not FDA approved. All comments in this blog are my sole opinion and based on my personal experience.

Still Recovering from D & C

2014-08-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's been many months since I went in for my D&C to clean out the candida. Of course, it takes me a long time to recover from the pain of surgeries and injuries. When I went in I was having pains in my vaginal canal. That turned out to actually be a hernia also known as prolapse of the uterus. The muscles in the walls of the vagina weaken and my bowels are creating a bulge. Yes, it's painful also. Some people actually have their uterus fall down. Fortunately, I've never had biological children so that is less likely to happen to me. Mine is probably caused by chronic constipation. So I'm now on daily stool softeners and activia yogurt which totally goes against my Candida diet because of the sugar content. But whatever! After the surgery I had pain in my entire uterus, of course, it had been cleaned out. But it hasn't gone away. Back to the Candida. Yes, the procedure worked for a while. I felt so much better. ALIVE! I could tell I had been living with a infection and was free! This is what it's like to be healthy. I was great while it lasted. I was told to stay on the diet (except for the activia) for 3 more months and slowly come off of it. I did that exactly. But as I came off the diet the Candida came back. I can feel the sludgy feeling coming back, the exhaustion, what it's like to live with an ongoing infection. And I'm still in pain. Except now I have the pain from the hernia and now my entire uterus hurts. My Candida level is very low. Let me stress that. Very low Candida right now so I am going to try a cleansing and some other stuff to see if I can get "healed" where as I couldn't before because I was just so riddled. As far as medication I did have to take the oxi and ibuprofen for about two weeks afterward, but I came off as soon as I could. I have kidney damage and I can't afford to run medication through my body if I don't have to. I'm trying to stay off the donor list if I can. I do take tramadol now on the days that I absolutely need to. I get asked a lot, "So what do you do for pain?" For me, since a lot of mine is due specifically to inflammation I am able to use lavender oil. I put 5-6 drops straight lavender oil in my palm and rub it right on my lower abdomen and it actually helps. I do have to do it several times a day, but it works almost immediately and I'm not hurting my kidneys or having other side effects. Plus I smell great! Lavender has been my best friend through this procedure. It is what got me off the drugs. I'll post some Candida fighting recipes using essential oils. Thanks for being patient with me while I disappear for long periods. Hope you all are staying strong!

*essential oils are not FDA approved. All comments in this blog are my sole opinion and based on personal experience.

Taco Soup

2014-07-21T10:13:00.001-07:00

Taco soup

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 lb. ground turkey

1 taco seasoning mix

1 ranch seasoning mix

1 can hominy

1 cans rotel

1 cans chicken broth

Brown the meat with the seasonings. Then just dump everything into the pot until heated through.

Sunflower Painting

2014-07-20T17:14:00.001-07:00

Fibromyalgia: Is It In Your Head Or Your Hands?

2014-06-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late on this. But new research is showing the cause of Fibromyalgia may very well be in our hands, not in our brains. This is not necessarily bad news, just different. So don't freak out. Read these articles and tell me what you think.Healthline and INTiDYN.

Ouch That Hurts!

2014-06-11T09:21:00.001-07:00

This is a pre-nap story time gone awry. Yes, it hurts. But I try not to let my kids know that their touching me hurts. I put on a happy face and bear it. In fact, you can see me grimace in the bottom left picture. But I don't do that when they can see my face. I try to keep it under control. Of course I say "ouch" and "that hurts" when they do something exceptionally painful. And maybe two or three times a week I make them get off of me telling them, "That hurts mommy, please get down." But I think that's realistic for any parent. I do not want my Fibromyalgia to make me and mommy that they cannot touch. I want them to have all the love I want to give even if my body is not capable of giving everything that is inside my heart. These are the affectionate years. It is important for their development both emotionally and physically. And it is important for me too. These days will not last forever and they will not always be this affectionate. I will miss holding their squishy little bodies and how easily they ran into my hugs and kisses. I will admit, though, that as soon as they go down for nap it's time for a big break. I do the things that I must get done. And then I rub some oils on, take medicine if I need to, lay back on a heating pad and read to escape. That is how I am surviving lately. When they wake up the first thing I do is get those little arms wrapped around me for a huggy huggy, kissy kissy.

Short, Sweet, Point

2014-06-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

I've obviously been having a hard time blogging. I'm exhausted all the time. These toddlers are kicking my butt. The only time I can do anything is when they are asleep. During their naps I have to do stuff around the house because if I try to do it while they are awake they are, ya know, inside the dishwasher, washing machine, etc. And when they go down at night I am literally right behind them. I maybe last an hour. Long enough to eat and shower. But as I was writing our friend Chelsea, I told her about our trip to the zoo for just a few hours one day and how it took me a week to get over it. You're going along starting to feel like maybe you're actually a normal person and then something happens to remind you that your not. I realized that I have these thoughts occasionally that I can try to journal. Short ones, mind you, because I usually can't complete a, finish a. . . what was I saying? Anyway, the only problem is that I say that I'm not a Debbie-downer. And some of these one liners may sound like I am. So please forgive me if my future entries sound like I'm complaining. I just may not have the energy to put coherency to the positive thoughts in my head. I assure you, they do still live there.

If you can't beat them, join them.

Best Fibromyalgia Blogs of 2014

2014-05-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

I am so honored that my blog was chosen as one of Healthline’s Best Fibromyalgia Blogs of 2014. Especially considering how sporadically I write. It does bring me great joy to know that something I've said or put together may be helping someone. And that comments left have generated conversation to spur on support and further resources for each other as we fight this together. Thank you to everyone who patiently waits for me to post and submits comments with your advice and helpful tips for others. I am continually learning from you all.

You can see the full list here: http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/best-fibromyalgia-blogs

Wildseed Farms

2014-04-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

We visited the Texas wildflower seed farm just outside Fredericksburg. We wanted to get pics of the kids in the flowers and they have beautiful fields. I called ahead to make sure that we could take a stroller on the pathways. They told me that it was handicap accessible. I will warn you that it is gravel paths so rolling the stroller, and I assume walker or wheelchair, can be a little challenging. But it is free admittance and it is seriously gorgeous. They raise wildflowers native to Texas and then harvest the seeds for selling. You can purchase seeds, plants, bulbs, etc. Of course there is an enormous gift shop for pottery and other garden treasures. I was surprised, however, to see the live band and restaurant. It was really very pleasant. There is one section where you can walk a path through the flowers to take pictures. I would recommend calling ahead if you are going specifically for that. We took my in-laws back for a visit when they were here and they had recently harvested that field to plant something else. But it was still worth the visit because we visited fields that we never took the time to go through since we spent all our time before taking pictures in the one field. If you're interested you can visit the website here.

Dust And Clean

2014-03-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

On Friday, March 7th I went in for my D&C with hysterescopy. I did have polyps removed along with some scar tissue. The D&C should clean out all of the Candida. He said that the polyps can make it difficult to get rid of infections. When the Lord said you will have pain in child birth I don't think it was limited to the actual birthing process. I think just having the equipment is painful. I tell you what, all kinds of stuff just grows up in there. Doesn't it? Polyps, tumors, endometriosis, yeast, bacteria. We might as well hang up a welcome sign. He said stay on the diet and give it three months to heal. If I'm feeling fine I can skip my appointment and come back for my annual. Right now I think I'm doing ok. My biggest complaint is the pain from the procedure. I am still having pain. I started on Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen. I was on that for the first week. Now I'm on Tramadol. I guess I thought I would be better by now, but I shouldn't be surprise. It always takes me longer to recover from anything.

Seaweed Shmeeweed

2014-03-04T05:45:00.001-08:00

I tried roasted seaweed the other day. I saw it in the store. The package said MSG free, gluten free, sugar free. Oh look, something I can eat. It was like licking the inside of an aquarium. You know how your fish tank smells when it needs to be cleaned? That's exactly how it tasted. Why do people eat this stuff? I let the kids try it. They can't talk yet but I know they were saying, "You wouldn't let me put that leaf in my mouth the other day but you want me to eat this!" Even the dogs wouldn't eat it. Then my husband tried it. Seriously, after seeing all our reactions you're still going to try it? I can't get you to try good food but you'll try something that almost made me throw up. I will remember and remind you of the day you tried seaweed forever.

Circumcising Candida

2014-01-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

I went back to the ob/gyn for a follow-up on my Candida. I still have it, which I could have told you that. I also had a bacterial infection. I took some pills for the bacterial infection and did a cream suppository for the vaginosis. Three nights of Terconazole. He said that because of where we live, almost subtropic, there is a genetic strain of yeast that is particularly hard to kill. He also showed me a chart of something that could be growing in my uterus, polyps I think, that could be causing the yeast. I really need to start recording my conversations and taking pictures of the charts because when I leave I don't remember much. I'm supposed to do the treatment and wait 6 weeks. If I still have the vaginosis we can do a D&C with hysteroscopy to have a look and clean it all out. In the conversation I mentioned that I don't ever hear of men having Candida. He quickly corrected me and said that they do indeed, especially uncircumcised men. He told me of one man who was circumcised when he was 32 to control the Candida growth around the penis. He told the doctor he wish he had just been circumcised as a child because then he at least would not remember it. Then I was talking about circumcision with someone else and she said that her husband had to be circumcised in his thirties due to recurring UTIs. So men do suffer the same things us women go through it's just all hush, hush. I'm not happy that men suffer. However, I was about ready to have a hysterectomy. You know when you're desperate you'll try anything. I was at that point where I figure if I'm not going to bear children, and if men don't get this, obviously not having a uterus is a plus in the battle. But I guess not. And of course, I don't really want to go into early menopause. But you know you get irrational when you're at wits ends and malnourished. So now I'm hoping this is just something he can go in and scrape out and be done with it. We'll see.

Introductory to Essential Oils

2014-01-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

I've been so fascinated with how well the essential oils have been working on our kids. In addition to the lavender oil I've been using on her eczema, I've been using the lavender for their teething pain. So instead of using Tylenol I've been rubbing lavender oil directly on the emerging tooth and it does seem to calm them. Especially when they start grinding their teeth. That drives me nuts!
I've been so impressed with the oils. I love being able to treat ailments without taking medicine internally or giving medicine to my children. So, I decided to buy the introductory pack that includes the lavender, lemon and peppermint oils. Evidently those are their top three selling oils because they are the most versatile. It comes with a CD that tells you how to use them. Of course, I've been using the lavender on her eczema. But my husband was congested so we used peppermint on his chest and sinuses. It worked! I've also used the peppermint on my stomach when it's been upset.

You may remember that this time last year I wrote about getting so sick when we traveled at Christmas that I felt like I was allergic to the climate of my home state. This year I went prepared with the nausea patches that you wear when you go on a cruise. However, I didn't have to wear them. I don't know if it's the diet that I've been on or luck. I did get a little nauseated a few times at night in the car when on windy roads in the country. But that's always a complication for me because of my sensitivity to lights. It's just hard at night because it's dark everywhere and then bright lights from a car or signs, etc. and it makes me sick. I used a combination of this oil Motion Eaze that I got at Walmart for less than $10 and Peppermint essential oil rubbed on my stomach or just inhale.

I decided to give the PastTense® Tension Blend a try for headaches instead of popping Tylenol or a migraine pill as soon as it's coming on. With two toddlers I don't have time to wait for a full blown migraine to hit me so unfortunately I do try to cut it off early. It did work, but I will say that when the directions say to apply to your neck, forehead and temples then lay back and relax what it really means lay back so that the oil on your forehead and temples don't run into your eyes because it will bu-urn. I usually don't have time to sit back and relax. So I'm just putting it lightly on my temples and neck then continuing on with my day. Honestly the headache does come back after a couple of hours, but mine do with my RX meds too. Usually only a night's sleep get rid of mine. Sometimes I even wake up with it again. But this at least buys me a little time, med free, to keep going.

*essential oils have not been approved by the FDA. All comments are my sole opinion and based on personal experience.

Yeast Away Product Review

2013-12-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

Yeast Away is a homeopathic remedy made by Boiron. This is the same company that makes Oscillococcinum, the flu medicine. I've had success with Oscillococcinum so I wanted to try this product for my Candida. It is a seven dose suppository treatment that you use at night. The main ingredient is boric acid. I had great relief while using the product. In fact, so much that I let myself hope that I had been cured. Sure enough, just as with the end of my menstrual cycle, the symptoms did return when the treatment was over. They did not return nearly as severe. However, I could tell that I was not healed because I still had the milky leakage. It was not until I slipped on my diet that the itching and burning began again. The product was a bit of a hassle to use though. It's pretty much a two person job. The instructions tell you that you can insert the suppositories lying down or sitting. I did not find this to be true. Every time I tried to do it sitting down they would just fall out. I recommend not inserting it until your lying in bed ready to go to sleep. The problem with that is that it only comes with one application wand which means it has to be washed and dried after each use. Of course, you are now stuck in the bed. So your loving helper gets the task of washing the applicator and throwing away the trash. I also recommend using heavy sanitary napkins and sleeping on a towel because this will leak through the night. On occasion I even had to change my clothes in the night. Very inconvenient. All in all, though, the results were worth the trouble. I just wish the results were longer lasting. It may be something that needs to be repeated every few months or a couple of times a year depending on your severity.

Love Like A Foster Mom

2013-12-14T17:38:00.001-08:00

Someone emailed this to me and I wanted to share it.

Interpretation of the 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 through the lens of foster care

"Love waits through the lengthy court process. Love doesn’t try to prove you’re the better parent or manipulate for your own good. It doesn’t insist on things happening on its timetable. It is not irritable when visitation schedules change ...or resentful when goals aren’t met. It does not rejoice when Mom is arrested or tests positive for cocaine or fails to show up for a visit, but rejoices when progress is made and family connections are built. The love of a foster mom bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things."

love like Jesus

www.amusingmaralee.com

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV)

Lavender Oil for Eczema

2013-12-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

Our daughter has horrible eczema. I've changed our laundry detergent, her shampoo, body wash, lotion, everything. It all started when she had her first ear infections and got a yeast infection from the antibiotic. Before that she was totally fine and had no problems whatsoever. But after several ear infections and rounds of antibiotics she evidently formed eczema too. I was treating some diaper rash with coconut oil when a friend who sells doTERRA oils suggested lavender oil to treat her eczema. She gave me a sample that she mixed with fractionated coconut oil and within one application I could see a huge difference. So I started to treat her eczema with lavender oil. What a change.

My, Oh, My! One Little Word And Suddenly I'm Famous!

2013-12-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

I wrote an article about Morgan Freeman. Someone left a comment below the article to tell me that a photo was posted on a Facebook page with a quote from Mr. Freeman that very closely resembled the tag line from my blog. Hmm?! I'm glad to know that I said something so astounding that someone would use it to be quoted as coming from Morgan Freeman. It would definitely sound better coming from his voice than mine, that is for sure. You know, he probably just repeated it after hearing me say it in one of our many lengthy conversations he and I have had, right? I can forgive him for that.

"I only get one life and I will not let Fibromyalgia take the joy from my living it."

This is the tag line from my blog and has been for several years. Of course, the creator of the Morgan Freeman photo did leave one word out which I guess makes it okay to take a quote from one person and attribute it to someone else. Although, I doubt Mr. Freeman knows anything about this. I sure didn't. I've been too busy trying to figure out how to be a mom to two one-year-olds while living with a body that seems to continually betray me. But I'm glad that my article about Morgan Freeman made such an impact after he shared his diagnosis with the world. So, have you noticed the one little word that suddenly turned me into a famous person? "My." Which is exactly what this blog is all about. Fibromyalgia effects every person differently. This is My Fibro. This is My Life. This is My Choice to not let Fibromyalgia take the Joy. Let this be the mantra for all of us. After all, Mr. Freeman and I are very wise when we speak.

Moms with Fibromyalgia: Solutions for 6 Months to 1 Year Old

2013-12-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

As I traverse the earth with my kids most people look at me and think "She just has to have everything, doesn't she?" I know this because some people actually voice this out loud. It's not about having things. It's about having Fibromyalgia. The following are products that I have been using and recommend for the mom with Fibro who needs that little extra help to make life easier. Yes, I know our parents didn't have them and we turned out fine. But just because they didn't have access to them doesn't mean that we shouldn't use them to make our lives easier. It doesn't mean that we're totally spoiling our kids. We're spoiling ourselves. Now that we're the parents, we can do that. To read the previous posts, click here and here.

Poo~Pourri Jr. Lil’ Stinker

From the makers of Poo-Pourri: before you go toilet spray. So the regular spray for the bathroom really works. So when I saw this for diapers I grabbed it. Any nursery stinks, wreaks! It's hard to handle. But especially if you have sensitivity to smells. This says that it is actually for cloth diapers, but I use it on our disposable diapers. And it works. It doesn't cure the problem, but it does help.I bought mine at Sam Moon, but you can find a wide selection of Poo-Pourri at boutiques or you could visit their website.

Silicone Bib

Feeding time is so messy. Yes, I say feeding time like they are animals at the zoo. Many days it's best to just feed them in their diaper. But it still pays to wear a bib to save their little chest from unnecessary scrubbing. Cloth bibs stain, get wet and must be changed and washed frequently. The plastic bibs with fabric backs wipe down, but still need to be washed and then have to air-dry and the fabric back takes a while to do so. The silicone bib can be wiped clean and dried immediately. It can be run through the dishwasher. And the teething babes love to chew on the edge. Okay, that's actually a down side since the back gets dirty and then gets on them. But I still like these the best. I wash mine after every meal with dish detergent and run it through the dishwasher periodically for sterilization. You can find them easily and affordably by Tommee Tippee at Babies 'R Us or Target. However, I don't like it the best. The tightest the neck will go still leaves quite a gap and food constantly ends up down my daughter's shirt. Many times the closure comes undone completely and she just pulls it off. And the pocket at the bottom doesn't really stay open to catch food. I prefer the brand Make My Day, pictured above. It cost more, but it's worth it. The pocket stays open and it has double closure. Plus, there is a super cute design. Boys' looks like a tuxedo and girls' looks like they're wearing pearls. I bought mine at a boutique, but you can find them on Amazon.com.

Fisher-Price Rainforest Booster Seat

Love these high chairs. We have this model and another one. We got them because we are limited on space and we wanted to be able to strap them to our kitchen chairs. The toy tray can entertain your baby while you make lunch or clean up. I say "can" entertain because my babies just wail while I prep. So I've learned to fix breakfast before they wake, lunch while they nap and dinner while they nap in the afternoon. Otherwise I have one hanging on each leg. However, we do take these chairs with us when we go out to eat and the toy trays come in very handy then. When it's time to eat, just pull the toy tray off and you have the regular tray which can also go in the dishwasher. So far we've never been to a restaurant whose chairs our booster seat did not fit. I ordered one of them from Babies 'R Us but you can also get them on Amazon.com.

WubbaNub

Wuv our Wubba. Our son had no self-soothing abilities. None. It was at about 7 months that he finally began to self-soothe thanks to the WubbaNub. It's a little stuffed toy that is attached to a Soothie brand pacifier. With work and practice we taught him how to bring the pacifier to his mouth himself when he was upset. This was much easier for him with the Wubba than the pacifier alone. He eventually began to find it in his crib and soothe himself in the night. Finally, at one year he is now sleeping through the night. He is still very dependent on his Wubba. But he's pretty much only using it at night now. There is a very limited selection at Babies 'R Us but you can purchase them at, you guessed it, Amazon.com.

Grabber

We call this the Wubba Rescue Squad. No matter how many pacifiers you put in the crib they will all end up behind the crib, out of your reach. After using hangers, wrapping paper rolls, and everything I could we ended up buying this at Walgreen's.

Oball O-Links

I always loved the links so that I could attach toys to the stroller and play pens, etc. It keeps me from having to bend all the way over to the floor saving my back and keeping the germs at bay. But as much as I love them they do tend to come apart. Then I found this handy thing. Made by Oball who usually makes toys. The only openings are at each end. And the closures are really tight so they hold firm. I use them to for toys on the strollers, car seat because they love to throw their toys down while I'm driving or line up several to hang along the edge of the play pen. This is much better than the links. We still have our links. It's nice to have the option of lengths and the kids like to play with them individually but this is much better as mommy's helper.

Praise Baby

Praise Baby Collection is better than Baby Einstein! I had tried several different baby videos that were just music and pictures that were supposed to entertain,stimulate and education my baby without feeling like I was just sitting him in front of the t.v. I wanted him to play while this was playing. I saw this in the sale flyer of the local Christian bookstore. I had no idea what it was, but I bought it for the sale price. When I put it in and saw his reaction, I knew we had struck gold. He was enamored with this video. A few days later I went back and bought every one they had. I don't know if it's the camera work, the set design, or the uplifting Godly music. But it is truly set apart from any other baby video. People would always comment that Quito was the happiest baby they had ever seen. I really attribute that to the fact that we worked really hard on his media intake. The television was never on when he was in the room unless it was an age-appropriate, child safe program. But most of the time I only played Christian music all day long. He never heard violence or even arguing. So, really, what was there ever to be upset about, right? Check out these videos. They are awesome.You can get them at Barnes and Noble.

Amazon.com

So, this isn't actually a product. It's a service. Honestly, lately, if it doesn't have to do with my kids, I don't leave the house unless I have to. I don't have time to shop, I barely have time for errands. Amazon makes it easier. And we are prime members so we get the free 2-day shipping on lots of things, plus we can watch a lot of movies and television shows, too. And since we never, never, never watch t.v. having Netflix and Amazon Prime are a great way to be able to watch television. Of course, we are usually several seasons behind. But there's no commercials and we don't have to wait between season finales and the next season's premiere. But then again, once then kids are in bed, we only last about 30 minutes before we fall asleep in our chairs.

Thanksgiving Set Back

2013-11-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

After being on a strict Candida Diet for almost a month I thought I could try a few bites of something a Thanksgiving Dinner. I was talking to my friend. After everything I've tried with the diet, probiotics, antifungals and nothing is working I thought what is the point of trying if nothing is working. Granted, I've only been doing this for a month and people live with it. After one month I at least have my major symptoms under control. The discomforting ones that is. But the internal stuff is still there so I know that I still have this. At Thanksgiving I literally took three bites of cheesecake. The next day I was raw and blistered with increased levels of discharge, obvious discomfort and itching. It was like I started all over. So now I know what the point of the diet is even if it doesn't cure you. It at least controls the symptoms. I will remember this the next time I consider taking just a few bites of something with sugar. Then, of course, I told myself that if I'm really good maybe I can have something by Christmas!

Do Or Diet

2013-10-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

I've had this yeast infection since July. It started when I had to take those IV antibiotics and ZPack that I took back when I wrote this post. I did the two rounds of Diflucan and Fluconazole but it didn't go away. I've been doing oral probiotics and oral antifungals. The only time I have any relief is when I am on my menstrual cycle. The moment it is over I start itching and burning again. I've decided to bite the bullet and go on the Candida diet. Many of you know I've been on the GURD diet for a couple of years now. So my diet is already very restricted. Although these two diets do overlap in some areas, adding yet another restrictive diet will decrease the amount of foods I can eat even more. So I am not thrilled about this treatment option but I don't see any other way.

Lyrica As A Narcotic

2013-09-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

I tried a new doctor today. I've really been unhappy with how difficult it is to get refills on my prescriptions for Lyrica. I don't like that my doctor was making me come in and get written refills every three months for everything I was on. Back in January I quit taking Cymbalta because my insurance changed and it was going to cost me over $200 a month after my insurance. I just can't afford that so I decided to go without it. And with the restrictions we are under as foster parents it's nearly impossible for me to get childcare to go to the doctor myself so I can't run to the doctor every two months in order to keep up with a prescription that needs to be refilled every three months. So I decided to try a different doctor. This one actually explained to me that the powers that be are now classifying Lyrica as a narcotic. That means that you have to go in for a face-to-face office visit with your doctor to get your prescription written every three months. I guess the other doctor just figured since I was coming in every three months for that one that she would only write all my others for three months at a time as well. At this time in my life, I just can't do that. I have very little childcare. My husband takes off enough work as it is. He can't take off work just so I can constantly go to routine doctors' appointments for no reason other than bureaucracy. So I'm quitting the Lyrica too. I told her that we'll see how I do when the weather gets cold. I've been doing so much better since moving to this climate, losing so much weight and changing my diet habits. I'm still on the Topirimate to prevent migraines and nausea. And I'm still taking the Nortryptaline at night to help with sleep. So I'm kind of back to where I was before I was diagnosed with Fibro. I'm treating some of my symptoms and not taking the medications that actually prevent the problem. But this time it's not because I don't know what's wrong, it's because the medical field, pharmaceutical companies, insurance and government have made it difficult for us to get the treatment we need.