My health during the winter is not a pretty sight. Heres the kicker though, I have an immune system like no other. I'm not sure if its genetic or diet or what but I am one of the lucky few that has a steel immune system. I rarely get a cold or virus and haven't had the flu since I was in my early teens. T isn't quite so lucky. I tend to assume that part of that is the man in him though. Have you ever met a man that had the sniffles and wasn't convinced he was dying? If so, I hope you married him and had a million babies with him.
Of course there is always the problems I encountered with my heart after D was born. That was a long, drawn out drama for another day though.
My winter health problems run a little more deeply. When I was 17, I started having problems with my knees. They would bend backward a little too far or if I turned to quickly, they would almost give out. Sometimes they did just that. It was a weird, loose feeling. Then I noticed the grinding feeling and sound when I stood for too long or, say, spent the day walking the mall with my friends. In the coldest of winter months that year, it was worse. Not unbearable, but worse. I told everyone it was fine, I had some old injuries that I knew of and it was nothing to worry about. It would heal on its own.
By the time I graduated high school at 18, I was wearing a brace on my right knee a lot of the time. It kept it from hurting as bad and kept it from twisting and leaving me on the floor. I continued to do pretty much what ever I wanted even when my knee would be so painful in the evenings I couldn't sleep. Gradually it started to affect both knees. I still refused to go to the doctor.
In my 20th year of life, the pain had gotten so intense over the winter that I could hardly stand. There was a grinding noise in both of my knees that I could no longer ignore. The pain would get so intense some days that I could feel my femurs. That couldn't be right. My mother finally convinced me to go see a doctor.
The first doctor didn't believe me. He prescribed me some hefty ibuprofen and sent me on my way. The second doctor said that he was fairly sure everything was fine, told me to rest and did what he deemed "mind resting" tests basically to shut me up. He ordered some x-rays, blood work and a couple of movement tests. They drew the blood that day and I got a call that evening that everything was fine.
"See, you are perfectly healthy! Nothing to worry about!" He told me over the phone. He almost had me convinced to skip the x-rays that were going to cost me 200 bucks out of pocket but I decided to keep the appointment after I fell in the grocery store again that evening.
The x-rays were the next day. I went, did the whole paper gown shebang and my legs posed their little hearts out. By the time I got home from the hospital, I had a message from the doctor. He told me he wanted me to cancel the movement tests and to see him again soon. He needed to go over my x-rays and discuss where to go from here.
No, I'm not sure if any of you have ever gotten a message from your doctor like that but my mind of course jumped to the worst. By the time I found the number and called I had worked through all the stages and reached the acceptance stage that I had some sort of weird, unheard of knee cancer that meant I was going to perish before I got to say good bye to those I loved. I may have jump to conclusions.. a little.
Okay, a lot.
Anyway, I called the office and burst into tears when the receptionist answered the phone. I told her about the message and how I was pretty sure I was dying and I wanted the next available appointment. She calmed me down and went to get the doctor to talk to me on the phone. He reassured me that I was, in fact, not dying and apologized for scaring me but he still wanted me to come in so he could show me instead of trying to explain what was up. My appointment was set for the next morning.
As it turns out, I had a lot of damage in my joints. There were spurs on the ends of my legs bones on the (should have been) knee ends. The top leg bones and bottom leg bones were almost touching. He showed me an x-ray of a normal persons leg and how there should actually be space between those bones so they aren't practically rubbing together. He explained that he wanted to have a few more tests, an MRI and a joint fluid analysis, to confirm it but the news was that I have what is called Osteoarthritis.
Basically, the protective cartilage on the ends of my bones in my knees was worn down and almost gone. A classic sign of OA but then there was the fact that I was only 20 years old. Most people would have said (actually did say and still say to this day, 10 years later) that I was too young for an "old people disease". The other tests confirmed it though. Osteoarthritis it was.
Over the years, I learned ways to ease the pain. I have learned the tips and tricks and things to make the bad days of pain go father and farther in between. I learned my limits and have come to terms with things that I may never be able to do. There are a myriad of drugs and homeopathic treatments that make my life a little easier and when the going gets particularly rough, I turn to the heavy meds that mostly just put me to sleep.
The bad news it, Osteoarthritis gradually worsens with time, and no cure exists. Over the last ten years, it has spread through my body to my shoulders, elbows, and hands. Obviously there are day and months where it hardly affects my day to day life at all. I appear to be a healthy (granted overweight) mama to two little wild men.
Then there are the days like the middle of last week when the temperature drops quickly. It went from 65 to 35 in a matter of a day. I spent most of that day in the bed. Anytime the weather changes, I know it before the weather people know it. I can tell you any day when it is going to rain, almost to the hour. I still feel it in my knees first, then my hands. My nerve start to ache and shoot, then they get stiff. Once the pressure evens out though, I am fine.
When that doctor first diagnosed me, he told me to expect to be in a wheelchair by the time I was 25. I have fought with that sentence tooth and nail. I refuse to give in to the old lady disease. So far, I am succeeding. I guess I will see where the future takes me. Hopefully I can be an exception, no? For now, I have a doctor's appointment this week to check up on everything. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Photo Mojo: 30 Day Challenge
Part of my 2012 list this year is to work on my photography skills. Or lack there of. For the last several years I have attempted to complete a 365 type project where you post a picture a day for an entire year. Yeah, nice thought but lets face it, I don't have that kind of time. Also: I have better things to do. I would get about a month or so in, forget a day once and slowly just stop. Maybe some day when my kids are older.
The thought came to mind that maybe I should just do one of the several 30 day photo challenges I have on my Pinterest boards. Except, when I got to looking at all of them, I didn't care for them. They seemed to lack any inspiration for me. Not saying that the challenges or the people that created them lack inspiration, they just weren't for me. They didn't tickle my creative fancy so to speak.
With the thought still buzzing around in my head, I got on my computer and came up with my own list. Some of the things are standard on all of the lists, some of them are a little more challenging. My goal is to take one picture every day according to the list and post them for you all to see.
Don't forget to Pin It
Here is the thing though, I would love for you to join in with me! The more the merrier and all that! I will be making a post every Wednesday with the past week's worth of challenges (so 7 pictures per post) and adding a linky down below for everyone to link up their posts for the week. I am actually going to be posting this as my Wordless Wednesday posts, so this week will only have two photos. Then, next week will have the full seven and so on. All I ask for you to do is add the button to your post, post the pictures, and then add them to the linky! If you are not a blogger but still want to participate, you are more than welcome to link to your photo from anywhere else (Twitter, Flickr, etc)! If you chose to do a post a day, thats fine too, just remember to link up all of your posts here on Wednesday so I can check them out!
Are you ready? Get set! GO! The first week will be up this Wednesday (1/11)!
Link up here if you plan on participating if you'd like! Just a show of hands so we can keep each other accountable!
The thought came to mind that maybe I should just do one of the several 30 day photo challenges I have on my Pinterest boards. Except, when I got to looking at all of them, I didn't care for them. They seemed to lack any inspiration for me. Not saying that the challenges or the people that created them lack inspiration, they just weren't for me. They didn't tickle my creative fancy so to speak.
With the thought still buzzing around in my head, I got on my computer and came up with my own list. Some of the things are standard on all of the lists, some of them are a little more challenging. My goal is to take one picture every day according to the list and post them for you all to see.
Here is the thing though, I would love for you to join in with me! The more the merrier and all that! I will be making a post every Wednesday with the past week's worth of challenges (so 7 pictures per post) and adding a linky down below for everyone to link up their posts for the week. I am actually going to be posting this as my Wordless Wednesday posts, so this week will only have two photos. Then, next week will have the full seven and so on. All I ask for you to do is add the button to your post, post the pictures, and then add them to the linky! If you are not a blogger but still want to participate, you are more than welcome to link to your photo from anywhere else (Twitter, Flickr, etc)! If you chose to do a post a day, thats fine too, just remember to link up all of your posts here on Wednesday so I can check them out!
Are you ready? Get set! GO! The first week will be up this Wednesday (1/11)!
Link up here if you plan on participating if you'd like! Just a show of hands so we can keep each other accountable!
Friday, January 6, 2012
DIY Milk Jug Lunch Container
Okay, lets be honest, we all know that sandwich baggies are bad for the environment. That much plastic headed to the landfills is no good. No good for anybody. Are they convenient? Yes. Are they healthy? Not really. Are they sometimes unavoidable? Yeah, okay, I'll admit they are. If you had the chance to make a sandwich container out of something that almost all of you have in your homes right now in less than five minutes, would you?
I came across this idea on Pinterest* a few weeks ago and thought it sounded too easy to be true. Making a reusable, washable sandwich container out of a milk jug? I'm game. Here is how I did it:
1. Take an ordinary milk jug. One with out milk in it is best. Less messy. If it has milk in it, chug it until its gone. Then rinse it out. No need for a deep clean, thats easier to accomplish later.
2. This marker isn't wholly necessary but it is for this tutorial because otherwise I couldn't explain it well. You are going to want to leave one of the full, flat sides intact. and cut the handle bit off. Cut down the spout and around the handle as close as you can and throw that part away. Now is the time to clean out the bottom of the jug with soap and hot water.
3. Now, look at the bit of jug that is left. There are seams that hold the sides of the jug together and a weird seam that goes around the bottom of the jug holding the bottom bit to the top bit. Usually the part under this seam is textured so look for that. You are going to cut straight down the side seams to the top of the bottom- attaching seam and stop. Do all four sides. Then, just round off the edges to make them easier to fold in on each other, remembering to leave one of the full, flat sides in tact.
4. Fold the four flaps in on themselves to crate your sandwich box! Tada! Told you it was going to be easy. You can use really anything to keep the lid of your box closed. Tape, velcro, or if you are lucky enough to have a snap press, that would work well too. You can always decorate your box if you want to also.
The box is big enough to hold a sandwich and a few other things. Maybe a cheese stick or snack of some sort. Its not air tight though, so you can't freeze sandwiches and I wouldn't suggest taking them camping or anything but I am a fast fan of these little upcycled boxes!
Like this tutorial? Pin It
*You can view the original post that was pinned here
I came across this idea on Pinterest* a few weeks ago and thought it sounded too easy to be true. Making a reusable, washable sandwich container out of a milk jug? I'm game. Here is how I did it:
1. Take an ordinary milk jug. One with out milk in it is best. Less messy. If it has milk in it, chug it until its gone. Then rinse it out. No need for a deep clean, thats easier to accomplish later.
2. This marker isn't wholly necessary but it is for this tutorial because otherwise I couldn't explain it well. You are going to want to leave one of the full, flat sides intact. and cut the handle bit off. Cut down the spout and around the handle as close as you can and throw that part away. Now is the time to clean out the bottom of the jug with soap and hot water.
3. Now, look at the bit of jug that is left. There are seams that hold the sides of the jug together and a weird seam that goes around the bottom of the jug holding the bottom bit to the top bit. Usually the part under this seam is textured so look for that. You are going to cut straight down the side seams to the top of the bottom- attaching seam and stop. Do all four sides. Then, just round off the edges to make them easier to fold in on each other, remembering to leave one of the full, flat sides in tact.
4. Fold the four flaps in on themselves to crate your sandwich box! Tada! Told you it was going to be easy. You can use really anything to keep the lid of your box closed. Tape, velcro, or if you are lucky enough to have a snap press, that would work well too. You can always decorate your box if you want to also.
The box is big enough to hold a sandwich and a few other things. Maybe a cheese stick or snack of some sort. Its not air tight though, so you can't freeze sandwiches and I wouldn't suggest taking them camping or anything but I am a fast fan of these little upcycled boxes!
Like this tutorial? Pin It
*You can view the original post that was pinned here
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