I live for sleep!!

When you go through something like real serious health problems and you don't get answers of why your body just doesn't want to perform as it should you do what you need to do to survive. That's sleep for me. I am lucky with having a supportive husband who gets up to deal with our kids during the night and gives me time to sleep.

Lately, it's been me getting up with the kids or if I still need more sleep I kick him out of bed to deal with the kids. Our family may not be the norm with our sleep patterns but you adjust to make it work. I seriously need sleep or I'm not good for anything.

Ever so often I need sleep. My body basically shuts down and demands sleep. I minimally sleep 8 hours a night and sometimes on weekends I take a 3 hour nap. I typically get around 9 hours of sleep a night and if I'm lucky 10 hours. I know that's crazy for some but when you have low energy related health problems you try to get all the sleep as you can. Like I said I have a great husband who allows me to get all the sleep I can get. It's nice!!

My sleep schedule kinda changed since my daughter has school everyday and gymnastics on Saturdays and now Church on Sundays so my sleeping in until 9am every morning is over. Yes, I said 9am with two little kids. We have trained them well and it's actually nice.

So I'm slowly adjusting to the sleep schedule but I'm still messed up at times.  My body is screaming at me about 1pm for the last couple of weeks to take a nap. My son still takes naps but my daughter doesn't and she's not old enough for me to just go sleep for awhile unattended.

I made the mistake once of doing that just taking a catnap on the couch when the kids were playing in there play room. I thought it would be fine because I was still close and if they needed me I was there.  When I woke up I found they got into the fish tanks and water was all over the place. I'm surprised none of the fish died and I learned my lesson not to fall asleep while the kids are awake. Big mistake....Huge!!

So last night wasn't the norm for me because I waited up for my husband to get home from his travels and I had a situation with our printer I needed to fix before this morning. My husband in his all knowledge of computer related problems fixed my printer. My daughter got her things printed out for her school project due this morning. I didn't get to bed until 1am and for me that's one enormous problem. That's real late for me and then getting up before 7am this morning well.....I'm kinda dragging. No amount of Caffeine can save me now kinda deal. I'm not used to this small amount of sleep. I want more. My body is craving for more. You can tell I need sleep because all the color drains out of my face and I'm a walking zombie.

It has been a challenge to rearrange my sleep schedule so I feel like I can get things done. Finding time for my kids and personal time with my husband and then taking care of my well being. I tend to fall short on my well being at times but my family comes first but then my husband reminds me I need to care for myself before I can take care of everyone else. Finding the balance within my life will take some time. As long as I have the energy I need to get me through the day everything will be alright. Now it's time to get some rest!! Take care, Peace!!

Life is a Balancing Act!!

For the last few months I've been doing something unconventional with my health. I stopped all prescription drugs. Some people would think I have lost my mind especially with all the medical problems I have listed on my plate. I didn't come to this decision lightly but I was getting tired of all the chemicals I was putting into my system.

I just found out recently one of the many drugs I was taking called Reglan for a digestive problem I have and it's not pleasant to know this could have happened to me the longer I took it and I don't know at this point if I have any of these side effects yet. Here's what I learned "Reglan: Gastrointestinal Drug May Cause Permanent, Involuntary Movements of the Face and Extremities Reglan, also called metoclopramide, is a drug commonly prescribed to treat gastrointestinal disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), persistent heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and a feeling of stomach fullness. However, the drug has been shown to cause tardive dyskinesia, a permanent and severe condition which causes uncontrollable movement of the extremities and the face."

How nice and I took that drug off and on since 2003. I stopped taking it last year around this time. The reason I just decided to stop all prescription drugs because I was getting tired of the Medical Profession giving me more drugs. It seemed like their answer to everything so I decided to put my health into my own hands and go unconventional with natural vitamins. I have found the last few months my health has gotten better. I don't know long term but dealing with health issues for the last 4 years and I wasn't getting any better. Doctor's didn't have answers and I was getting tired of all the bullshit. I had to do something so I decided to do something for myself. It was the best choice for me and I'm not an advocate for anyone doing this. It's up to you to make the choices for you.

There are three drugs I put into my daily life and I believe they have helped me get my body back to more stable. They are Chromium, Selenium and a Blood Builder. I also take vitamins for my Vitamin D Deficiency and I drink a daily cup of soup for my blood pressure. I eat a balanced diet for my diabetes. Once I feel even more better I'll start adding more exercise to my lifestyle. It's a process and I have more hope I can get my life back to where it was before Children. I think Doctor's are great and Nurses are even better because I've worked with great medical professionals in my past but for me right now, I'm detoxing my body from chemical drugs right now and going natural. I could change my mind in the future and go back to drugs but right now, I'm happy with my progress and what counts....I feel better and I'm seeing results. Take care, Peace!!!

Vitamin D Deficiency!!!

I don't know if I'm going to cry or laugh with joy. My body has been falling apart on me since my last pregnancy with my son. I finally got my answer today and the Doctor called saying yes, I had Vitamin D Deficiency. The blood test is called 25-hydroxyvitamin D test and 25(OH)D levels should be between 50–80 ng/ml, and my level was 10. I've started my new drug Drisdol. I take one pill once a week then in three months I go back and take the test again to see where my blood level is. I feel like I finally got some hope. I was at the end of a rope I was desperately trying to hold on too with no safely net to catch me if I fell. It was very frustrating banging my head against the wall with the medical profession I felt wasn't listening to me. So as of today, I have Diabetes (cross between type 1 and type 2), Anemia (thinks it's due two various causes), Orthostatic hypotension (irregular low blood pressure), and various complications it's two many to count. The one problem I have is dealing with severe fatigue. It is frustrating talking to my Doctor's and explaining I AM super tired ALL the TIME and lowering my way of life to the point I can barely function during the day and them telling me I shouldn't be that fatigue and my thought was something is causing me to feel this way. It's like do you think I enjoy feeling this way because it sucks and I get so frustrated and I wasn't going to sit back and accept my life would be like this for the rest of my life. I wanted answers and hope. I have a life I want to live and do things with my children instead of sitting on the sidelines. I have to work around my energy levels and hopefully I might not be doing that anymore. It's like looking at the life you want through the window but you can't touch it. I don't like feeling so sick all the time. I don't like feeling I'm not in control of my own body so today I may have gotten my prayer and answer I've been waiting so long to hear. So my new chapter to my journey starts today. I'm going to fight to get to a healthier life. This is my new beginning. I hope you will join me along the way through my good days and some of the bad. I just know life will get better for me and I can fully enjoy my life and maybe on my new journey my body will finally work for me as each day goes by. Take care, Peace!!!

24hr blood pressure!

I got the call on Friday for my appointment to do my 24hr blood pressure test so Today of my amazement having an appointment so soon I went and got hooked up today. I think the machine isn't working so in the morning I will call and find out what I need to do like take the long drive across town and go back in for a new one or if I'm okay. I kind of figured this test would be simple like any in office blood pressure machine going off every 15 minutes. My daughter thinks I'm broken and thinks it's weird I have to wear this cuff on my arm. Every time I do anything Doctor related I have a lot of guilt for my daughter. Half of her life I've been sick and I know she's smart but she understands her mother is sick and most of the time I know it's not in my control but she's 3. Our children don't go to the Doctor's office as much anymore if we can get the hubby's mother to come over to babysit. So she's not exposed to the many of Doctor appointments as much as she used to but she's full aware where I'm going. I would lie to her but that's not helping her in the long run and my pregnancy nurse advised us when I was pregnant with the son to just be up front and give a basic explanation what's going on and don't make it sound like a big deal. So doing this I hope it's not affecting her like I think in my guilty head sometimes. I'm hoping this is causing the severe fatigue, dizziness, fainting spells and the headaches. I learned from Thursdays neurology appointment this is something different from the diabetes and anemia. Fixing this new medical problem should help and I'm slowing understanding the Anemia will be something I will have to live with for along time. I'm taking the procrit once a week and this drug keeps my cbc readings in the range the hematologist likes so the anemia is stable for now. I just don't like the uncertainty with all these medical problems but so far tests have come back normal. I am blessed I don't have any form of cancer. Life is good. I'll write about more stuff later. Dinner is ready! Take care, Peace!

The Doctor came the knocking!

Well my Neurology appointment is done and over. After an hour of answering 101 questions I went through some small and painless simple tests like touch my nose with my eyes closed and walk in a straight line etc ..like how Police Officers make you do various tests after pulling you over for drunk driving and it's not like I was pulled over for drinking and driving for knowing these tests....seriously I saw it happen on lots of cop shows. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! This is my contribution.

Okay so after the questions and answers part and my silly tests were done the Doctor informs me my symptoms are not due to my brain. Yeah, I have a healthy brain but my hubby thinks that's the Doc's interpretation :) Okay the Doctor does think I have a condition called Orthostatic Hypotension. What is that you may ask? Orthostasis means upright posture, and hypotension means low blood pressure. Thus, orthostatic hypotension consists of symptoms of dizziness, faintness or lightheadedness which appear only on standing, and which are caused by low blood pressure. Only rarely is spinning vertigo caused by orthostasis. What causes this you maybe thinking? The heart pumps blood, and if there is too little blood volume (anemia, dehydration, dialysis), the pressure drops. The blood vessels in the body also can squeeze (constrict) to raise blood pressure, and if this action is paralyzed, blood pressure may fall. How fun for me but I have to get tested for it first and what they do is hook me up to a blood pressure monitor for 24 hr and see if it fluctuates drastically. yikes! And at least it is treatable with medications and it's not like I don't already take a zillion pills already so taking more isn't a big deal. It's just a vicious cycle how Anemia is a serious disease to have. I don't really understand any of this Doctor mumbo jumbo but if it means fixing my broken body then I'm all for anything at this point. Finally, it's been along day with hope! Take care,Peace!

Tomorrow's Test!

Well after all these Doctor's visits over the months and getting blood drawn for various tests I have my EEG tomorrow. I'm scared to death with a lot of anxiety and afraid they will find something yet at the same time I'm hoping they will find something so the Doctor's can fix me. I don't know how many times I can say I don't feel well and feel run down, fatigue and all other sorts. It's been really bad lately and my good days are getting farther in between. I keep it together because of the kids. It's bad enough my 3 year old knows Momma doesn't feel well all the time and it takes a lot of energy to get things done. The hubby has helped with cleaning and running down to the nearest McD's for dinner because I don't have the energy to make dinner some nights. I know lately the home cooked meals don't happen as often as I want but I don't want to burn out for my kids sake. You do what you have to do in a time like this. Even though it can be frustrating being so sick and rundown all the time but my kids need me to be there for them then sitting around feeling sorry for myself.

Oh well, maybe going down the Neurology aspect will get me some answers this time around of testing because my Hematologist needs to get his head out of the clouds and do more than watching my CBC numbers each month. Every few months I hear from him saying my anemia is stable and I'm thinking this guy is a moron and the reason I'm stable because I'm on a drug called Procrit. He's an idiot and will give him one last chance for him to give me answers. I will find a Hematologist who will listen to me and give me answers then being told I will have to live with this condition for the rest of my life because I say the (blank) with that. No way will I accept living my life like this for the rest of my life. I just need a smart Doctor to figure out what is wrong with me like Doctor House but without all the surgeries... :)

Oh, the bead business is coming along. I'm hoping to get some books this week about making jewelry and even getting some magazines. I'm really excited about going down this road and it will be a lot of fun. Okay, it will be a fun adventure. I promise to post some of my pieces here when I finish some. I guess when I have to sit and rest I won't be bored. Their is so much of Dr. Phil and Oprah you can watch when the kids are sleeping. Take care!