In the middle of December, my immune system decided to crash. It did this once, several years ago. The major difference is that back then, we had an obvious trigger, and this time it just happened. It’s now the last half of February, and I’ve been sick more than I’ve been okay. Tho, I was just healthy for two weeks prior to my current issue.
I write a bit more about it here: Rough Start to 2018
Hello everyone!
I’m currently working on a different post that will be a little more fun, but it’s taking quite some time. I’ve been having an extremely rough start to this year, and it’s showing in literally everything I try to do. I’ve even started to appear sick, which is worrisome because normally I don’t look sick or tired (except facial expressions) on a regular basis – but now there are dark circles forming under my eyes, and my eyelids are always a little too pink and puffy.
It’s easiest to post on Instagram regularly, since I don’t need a computer and computers can cause me migraines. I would recommend following me on Instagram to get updates the fastest: findinglifessilversun on Instagram.
I hope you were all able to find some joy in this holiday season in whatever circumstances you found yourself in – I know the holidays can be very difficult for some people.
Personally, I extremely overdid it and my body crashed hard on Christmas day. Thankfully, our Christmas day is very relaxed and so I kept from overdoing it even more. Unfortunately, on the 26th, I woke up in extreme pain because I had managed to dislocate my L5 vertebra and my sacrum (again). My vertebrae dislocate rotationally, meaning they rotate like they’re supposed to, but get stuck rotated and won’t go back into place properly without manual manipulation. I was at a “chronic illness ten” meaning that I would have gone to the ER had I not known exactly what it was and instead just kept doing what little I could to keep my brain distracted. Experiencing “chronic illness ten” pain is frustrating, because unless someone knows you extremely well they have no idea how badly you are truly suffering.
Even though my body has been cooperating recently, and I’ve been able to do a lot more, I haven’t been “healthy.” I’m still experiencing pain, taking a slightly slower period of time to recover than an “average” person, and having to deal with some other aspects of my chronic illnesses. Even though I was able to walk around on Mt Evans and I enjoyed a car trip and short hike with my husband to look at the fall colors in the mountains, I’ve been having some struggles. Continue reading
If you haven’t done so already, please check out part 2 of my “Dan as my Husband and Caretaker” series and leave any questions in the comments! I want to interview him, to get a different perspective on our relationship, but I can’t do that without your questions! (He won’t just write something, I’ve asked him to before.) I want the questions primarily geared towards Dan, but please feel free to ask anything at all! We will do our best to answer all of your questions! (If the post won’t let you comment, please head to my Contact page and send me an email. Subject: Questions for Caretaker Interview.)
I haven’t done a lot of blogging lately, and it’s due to how low my energy levels have been.
Since January 1, 2017 (the last six months), I have had 74 medical related appointments. These appointments include doctor visits, testing (not counting some unscheduled blood draws), therapy visits, and medical related classes. I also had two urgent care visits and an emergency room visit, all of which are outlined in The Case of the Missing Lizz. I have also done two different, intense, diets for my chronic health problems (including my GI problems): the low FODMAP diet, which was not successful, and now I’m doing the LEAP diet. All of the medical stuff has, understandably, drained significant portions of my energy.
The LEAP diet has played a major role in my energy problems, sadly. Continue reading
It’s now officially fall! Yesterday was the autumnal equinox, which marks the first official day of fall here in the northern hemisphere.
One of my friends, CL, shared an interesting article on her Facebook about why fall is the only season that has two names (one thing I know I have personally wondered about many times). I thought it was an interesting, and not too terribly long, read:
Do you have a preference for what you call this season? I use both fall and autumn about equally. Sometimes I’ll even use both in the same sentence! I do really love the name Autumn, as well.
Is this your favorite season? Even if it isn’t your favorite season, what is your favorite part of the season? I absolutely love watching the trees change (so gorgeous!), the smells, the crunch of the leaves underfoot, the feeling of the crisp breeze, and hoodies!!! I also love hot tea and cozy blankets, but I get to keep those all through winter too 😉
For those of you not following my Instagram (which, why not?), I did get in to see the hand specialist on the 16th! It was much sooner than I expected to be able to see them.
After a physical exam and some x-rays, it was determined that my thumb is actually … okay. Well, it’s probably recurring tendonitis or something like that. He said I could do an MRI if I wanted, but since my thumb was starting to feel better already I figured it probably wouldn’t show anything (though the next time it flares up badly I’m going to request one). My other options were to do nothing, request specific occupational therapy or physical therapy, or steroid injections. I didn’t like any of those options so I was trying to be more specific about how I can’t even write because it hurts too much.
Hey Everyone!!!!
I have been a member of a chronic illness blogging group for a little while now, and they are fantastic. Just recently, I have been given the opportunity to try out a product and write a sponsored post for it! I just wanted to let you know that I’d be getting in to doing that so that you weren’t suddenly blindsided by this new thing appearing on my blog.
I’m extremely excited by this opportunity to take the next step in doing something that I love doing, and to also try out something that may really help me and could possibly help some of you as well!
(And yes, I’m still working on the colonoscopy post series I mentioned a while back. I had to stop as it was a little too traumatic to work on so close to the event. August was really busy, but I’m going to be working on it this next week and I’m hoping to have it published quite soon.)
Right now, we’re (my GI and I) experimenting with treatment for small intestine bacterial overgrowth – aka SIBO. I am going to be taking Xifaxan for two weeks, and hopefully the delayed gastric emptying will improve. We’re also going the motility improve.
He decided to just do the treatment instead of testing first because he didn’t like how many I’ve been thru already, and apparently the SIBO test isn’t very accurate. Xifaxan isn’t supposed to be absorbed into your system much at all, so there really isn’t supposed to be too many side effects, so I decided to just for it. I figure my daily issues are so miserable, I’d rather just try it and hope it’ll help.
So far, I haven’t been too happy: gassy and lots of bathroom trips. My fatigue is also a little wacky, but my period is also poorly timed again. However, my stomach had been marginally better. Hopefully that means it’s been helping.
Hey guys!
I finally made social media stuffs for the blog!
Finding Life's Silver Sun 