Tag: life

Winter Recovery

bountifulspoonsLeave a comment

I had thumb surgery on Wednesday on my dominant hand. I am in a cast for three weeks then a splint for a few weeks. Today the pain is off the charts. I can’t do anything to get my mind off of it so I thought this would be a perfect time to post.

There hasn’t been much going on in my world except doctor’s appointments. I went to my Rheumatologist, and we discussed how the infusion I am on for the Rheumatoid Arthritis is wearing off at 6 weeks, not lasting the full 8 weeks it is supposed to. She increased the dosage and wants to see if that takes care of that. If not, we will change the frequency to every 6 weeks. I just know that those last two weeks have been hell. I don’t care which way fixes the issue as long as one of them does.

We survived the brutal snowstorm. We are fortunate enough to have a wood pellet stove we use as our primary heat source. Our furnace was not continually running during the brutally cold temperatures. The heat from wood heat is so much warmer than any other heat source in my opinion. Do you agree?

We also had company during the weekend. Our oldest grandchild stayed with us and helped dig us out. he helped shovel the sidewalks and driveway. He is a good kid, always willing to help.

What did you do this weekend? Did you stay in? Have to work? Craft? Tell me how you survived the winter storm.

We made it to the end of another year

bountifulspoonsLeave a comment

I can’t believe it is already the end of the year. Where did it go? I blinked and it was gone. I had so many plans of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go, and I didn’t get to do any of it.

Unfortunately, this is what living with a chronic illness is all about. Wanting to do things, but your body telling you that that isn’t going to happen. Disappointment is the emotion of the day. Always. Then IF you do get a good day…you go crazy. You over do things and act like you used to thinking you have some time to be yourself for once. And the next day, the illness is back to remind you who is in charge. My family thinks I should learn that I should know better. And yeah, I guess I should, but I just feel so GOOD, I cannot contain myself. I get to be myself. If you could only imagine what that feels like. To actually be yourself for the first in forever. Of course, you take advantage of it. You don’t THINK, you just FEEL.

I have been sick for the past three weeks. All through the holidays. I still took my grandkids in and kept them for a few days to create memories. We made homemade sugar cookies to decorate. I got to decorate my very first Christmas cookie with my grandkids. We had a great time. Did I put myself in a huge flare doing so? You better believe it. Was it worth it? Yes, in all ways. I want my grandkids to have memories of Nana doing things with them before this disease cripples me. They knew the toll it took on me, no matter how hard I tried to hide it. They all stepped up and did little things for me. It was so touching how they picked up on it and went out of their way to take care of me in their own way.

I finally got back on my feet and of course, did it again, so I am taking it easy for the rest of the week. Just taking care of me. I ordered the new Visible band to see if it will help me monitor myself. I will keep you updated on that journey. It is a bit expensive and of course there is a membership so before you go through the expense let me test it out for you. I have the app downloaded on my phone and have joined the membership, I am just waiting on the band to arrive in the mail. I have received an email stating it has shipped so we will see how long it takes to get here. The original band was to be worn on the forearm; this band is to be worn on the wrist. After it has learned my regular rhythms, I am curious as to exactly how often I push myself past the point that I should. We will go through this together.

Back to the year end, I have had a good year. I have learned a few lessons. Like standing up for myself more, establishing boundaries to certain people in my life and resting more. I am getting more into my bible and praying more than ever. My faith has increased greatly this year. My relationships have strengthened, and we are all closer than ever, a tighter knit family.

For 2026 I wish nothing but the best for you ALL. Happy New Year

I apologize

bountifulspoonsLeave a comment

I have been absent for a while and for that I sincerely apologize. I have had an interesting time. I have been in a flare, we went on a weekend getaway, we have had MANY doctors’ appointments, I have been in a FLARE, my meds have changed, I was off my meds for a few months. Life just got interesting and I couldn’t keep up.

Thanks to insurance, I could no longer afford my wonderful RA medication, so I had to stop taking it. It was months before my appointment with my rheumatologist, so I was without meds for that time. We changed over to a new med and I had to give it time to kick in and while it works, it does not work as well as the other one did, nor did it last as long (it is an infusion). So, I just had another appointment with my rheumy and she made adjustments to the medication, and we will see how that goes. We also changed over my pain medication so hopefully I will get better relief. In the meantime, I just keep going. You all know who it goes. We see this every day. At least now I have a little hope.

Our weekend getaway, we have a timeshare that we go to every other year and this year we purchased a weekend getaway in our off year. To say it was a disappointment is an understatement. The hot tub, which is our main entertainment was a huge disappointment, the show we wanted to see was sold out and there was a horrible storm while we were there. AND, I was in a bad flare. The good part was that our suite was very nice. We were happy with that. So, it wasn’t a complete loss. We didn’t get to explore, but we did get to spend a lot of time together. That made the weekend worth it. The hot tub did end up being a funny story so there is that. Haha.

I hope you are ready for Christmas! We are. I put the tree up toward the beginning of November. Haha. I just needed some cheer. It took me a week to get it up and decorated but by golly I did it. I didn’t put out the rest of the decorations, just the tree. I am waiting for a delivery today to wrap those gifts, and our Christmas will be completely ready. We don’t do much now that the grandkids are older, but they enjoy the little bit that we do. I know that my husband will enjoy his gift this year from me and the kids. I got to pick out my gifts this year, so I am very pleased with mine.

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday.

Love and Peace to you All.

I used too many spoons

bountifulspoonsLeave a comment

This is typical of me, I have to truthfully say. I am like most of us. When I have a day that I feel decent, I overdo it. It is like I have to make up for all the times I am not abl to do the things I used to do so easily, things that are either difficult or impossible now.

All I did is go on a motorcycle ride for a few hours. That was all it took. I wasn’t even the driver, just a passenger. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, I have to admit. I feel my best when I am on the bike with my husband. I find a peace then that I do not have any other time in my life. That is my time to really connect with God. This is my time to release all concerns to Him.

I fight with feeling a deep anger for having this disease. I am, I believe, a good person, why was I dealt with this? Then I remember, everything is a lesson, Whether that lesson is for me or for someone else remains to be seen. Maybe this is God’s way of teaching me patience, something I am not know for. I don’t know I was given this cross to bear, but I will bear it to the best of my ability.

I fought hard to find a diagnosis for everything that was going on with me. It took a few doctors and a lot of persistence, but I was finally given answers as to what was taking me down. Whatever this post today may teach you, let it be to never give up. Maybe your life is a lesson to someone else, or maybe it is something you need to learn yourself. Whichever, DON’T GIVE UP! You are loved and wanted.

How long did it take you to get your diagnosis?

#RA, #fibromyalgia, #RAstrong, #chronicpain, #nevergiveup, #youarewanted