Category Archives: Sharing is Caring

KmS Mineral Essentials Clear Skin Challenge – The Beginning and Week 1

This product was given to me by KMS Mineral Essentials for trial use. Even though I received this product as a gift, all opinions expressed in this posting are my own, and all results are genuine. I do not receive any additional compensation if you click on any of the links included in this post.

A few weeks ago, I applied for consideration to participate in the KMS Clear Skin Challenge… And I was chosen as one of four women who get to participate! I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity, and can’t wait to share my progress with you!

What is the KMS Clear Skin Challenge?

KMS Mineral Essentials is a mineral makeup specially formulated for people with sensitive skin and acne. Kristi Shannon-Brooks founded KMS Mineral Essentials 9 years ago, specifically to help those of use with “problem” skin. See, most of us with problem skin cannot wear mineral makeup of any kind without it causing even more problems for us; that’s because most mineral makeups contain bismuth oxychloride. Bismuth oxychloride can cause skin irritation for everyone – even those people with “normal” skin can have problems with products containing bismuth oxychloride! So, Kristi created KMS Mineral Essentials, a makeup line with formulas free from bismuth oxychloride, other common irritants, talc, fragrance, gluten, and parabens. The makeup doesn’t just make you look good without irritating your skin, it is also designed to help your skin! Yes, while wearing it, the makeup works on your skin to help reduce various problem conditions!

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What is POTS? A Short Video by Dysautonomia International

What is POTS?

  • POTS is an acronym. POTS = Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
  • A type of dysautonomia
    • Dysautonomia = dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system
  • Characterized by a rise in heart rate by 30 beats per minute (or more) within ten minutes of standing
    • or a standing heart rate of 120bpm or more
  • Blood pressure can either increase, decrease, or stay the same
  • A collection of symptoms that can impact every part of your body
  • A life altering condition
    • quality of life analogous to congestive heart failure and COPD
  • Worth fighting!

Video from Dysautonomia International‘s Facebook Page

October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month!

Dysautonomia Awareness Month is here!

I am being quite active this year. I don’t think I was even really aware of it last year, or if I was, I was still kind of embarrassed and confused by my diagnosis so I definitely wasn’t as active and excited about it. But this year, oh my goodness! If you are following me on Facebook or Instagram, or both, you have probably been quite surprised in the uptick of my postings and the sheer amount of turquoise.

By the way, dysautonomia’s official awareness color is turquoise! And, if you also weren’t aware, that is one of my favorite colors and has been for years now, so it’s an awesome coincidence and just makes this even better!!!! ALL THE TURQUOISE! *cough sputter* Sorry about that.

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Supplements Carry Risks Too

Don’t get me wrong, I am not just blindly wanting you to follow “Big Pharma” down the rabbit hole of taking more drugs and needing drugs to counteract the side effects of those drugs. Actually, I am all for all sorts of different combinations of lifestyles. If you love taking pharmaceuticals, then go take your pharmaceuticals and I’m so happy that they make you feel better! If you love taking supplements, then please go take your supplements and enjoy your life! If you love combining the two, then go do that too and enjoy feeling better! Woot for feeling better and managing our symptoms the best way we know how!!!

Anyway. Now that that is over, here we go. The point of the post 😛

Some people don’t realize that supplements can carry just as many risks as pharmaceuticals can. In fact, I would argue that, because of the state of “common knowledge” they are more dangerous. Why do I say that? Simply because people read an “all natural” label and are willing to pop it into their mouth without learning anything else about it… leading to potentially deadly consequences.

Wait, did I just say deadly?

Yes, yes I did. Continue reading →

Nausea and Dysautonomia

Today, Dysautonomia International shared an article to their Facebook  about nausea and vomiting, and how the two don’t always go hand in hand and how they tied to the nervous system. The text that accompanied D.I.’s post points out that nausea is a common symptom for dysautonomia patients.

As many of you know, I have been suffering with chronic nausea for years. Lately, it’s been so bad that, at times, I struggle to eat. That’s actually part of why my GI decided to do the colonoscopy. As of my last appointment, he didn’t believe I had primary gastroparesis, but he did say I definitely have what is called “delayed gastric emptying” which is caused by my whole system running slow so it tells my stomach to stop working. Very similar, but different causes. He is thinking he might do more testing though, later, just to be sure.

I am wondering if the reason my nausea is so bad is because it has multiple causes?

Anyway, I found the article extremely interesting and really wanted to share:

Nausea and Vomiting: Not Always in Sync by Pharmacy Times

“Grieving The Life I Once Had” – from HuffPost

A little while ago, I read this post on HuffPost:

Grieving the Life I Once Had
by Naomi Sakin

(I actually got there from Dysautonomia International‘s Facebook page.)

Facebook is really the only way I get any of my news. The only news source I follow directly is National Geographic, and that’s primarily because I have admired their photography for as long as I can remember. Anyway, that’s off topic.

The article, is heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking because it’s real. So devastatingly and painfully real. You don’t find out what she has until the end, but it doesn’t matter. I think anyone with a chronic condition can relate, especially one that you weren’t born with, or that you were born with that didn’t get diagnosed or show up until later in life, or one that changed as you grew, or one that is progressive that suddenly throws you curve balls that alter your day-to-day. Really, anyone. Anyone that no longer can do what they used to.

Take caution reading the article. If you are fragile, you will cry. I teared up, but luckily I’m not doing too badly, mentally, right this moment so I didn’t lose it. Yesterday, I would have flat out bawled for hours.

I am kind of proud as to what my unconscious and fingers decided to add to my Facebook share and wanted to share it with you:

The life we once lived gets torn from us in an instant. The life we once lived gets replaced by pain and pills. Still, we are somehow expected to carry on. We adjust, and we move forward.
– Elizabeth Bulfer

Sometimes, we don’t know how we move forward, but we always seem to move forward. That’s why I started this blog: to move forward, to remember to always move forward, to give me a reason to move forward (if only to make one more post), and to remind others to move forward.

Together, we can carry the enormous weight of these illnesses and our grief.

Together, let’s move forward.

Featured Image from the article

Empathy vs Sympathy by Brene Brown

This video is a very short and beautiful way of describing the difference between empathy and sympathy. Empathy is important and how we connect with people. Empathy is what everyone needs, what everyone wants. Learn empathy. Practice empathy. Foster connection. Foster love.

Summary of A Pilot Study Using AVS for Insomnia in Adults and Chronic Pain Patients

Here is my paper. I had to write a summary of the article that I read. At the bottom is the reference, which includes all of the information for the article if you are interested in finding it for yourself.

Summary of A Pilot Study of Audio-Visual Stimulation as a Self-Care Treatment for Insomnia in Adults with Insomnia in Chronic Pain

Chronic pain and sleep disturbances are comorbid conditions, meaning they are often diagnosed in the same patient. It is estimated that one in three Americans suffers from chronic pain, and as many as 88% of those suffering from chronic pain also suffer from some sort of regular sleep disturbance (Tang, Vitiello, Perlis, Mao, & Riegel, 2014); that equates to about 78 million American adults suffering from chronic pain, with about 68 million also suffering from sleep difficulties (Howden & Meyer, 2011). These statistics show a shockingly high level of comorbidity, and a need for a solution. It has also been suggested that the relationship between pain and sleep may be bidirectional, meaning that increased sleep disturbances increases pain levels and increased pain levels increases sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances have also been linked to other physical and psychiatric problems, which have also been shown to cause chronic pain problems, suggesting that treatment for chronic pain should focus on sleep disturbances.

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Myofascial Release – My First Experience

Today I did my first myofascial release session with Wendy, a specialist that works out of my Pilates studio. I can’t really report on any sort of long-term results yet, since she said it can take 3 days before the body settles. However, my immediate experience is interesting. It’s unlike anything I’ve done before.

myofascial tissue between ribs

The cobweb looking stuff is the myofascial tissue. This is between ribs.

The myofascial system runs through literally every cell in your body, and it’s all connected. It’s the structure that holds us in a 3D form. It communicates almost instantaneously around your entire body. If you get punched in the stomach, the force can be distributed through your entire body extremely quickly due to the myofascial tissues. The tissue helps you absorb impacts and force, but it also can get stuck when doing so. When the tissue contracts, it also squeezes out it’s fluids; sometimes that fluid doesn’t return and the tissue stays contracted. Emotional things can also imprint on the fascial tissue, meaning that releasing the tissue can sometime release emotions.

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