Went for a wonderful walk again this morning with bear. Squirrel has been kind of hungering for chili (not the kind of chili that you mostly find around here… more like back home chili (beans mean tomatoes…) with a little … Continue reading
Been a weird few days… This morning I was poking around the Market on my Android phone (Oracle may be my bread and butter… but hey… Open Source kicks butt). I didn’t know what I was looking for… I didn’t … Continue reading
I was wasting time this morning waiting for my work computer to load and be all happy and I found this in RA Warrior’s listing… The Goal Is Not Perfection. Don’t give up the things you love… It is linked … Continue reading
It’s o-dark-thirty. I’ve been up for over an hour and I can’t get back to sleep. “Little People Big World” is on the television. There is a train going through down on the tracks. The cuckoo clock just sang it’s … Continue reading
I’ve been watching Everest: Beyond the Limit lately on Planet Green. It fascinates me. It irritates me. It is amazing. Don’t get me wrong… I have the utmost respect for the people who train for months and years to be … Continue reading
What you are experiencing with your RA (for RA, insert whatever situation or condition you want to put in there). Are you getting everything out of your life that you want? What can I do to get more out of life. How does RA impact your body? More important, how does RA impact your emotions?
This morning, there was a really interesting commercial on TV about living with RA. It WASN’T selling a new drug, it was a motivational speaker who has RA who is trying to get across to others with RA that they (we) can impact our lives. I guess there really was a reason I was awake really early (besides the silly dog had to pee)… hello… yes, I’m listening… and yes, I’m listening mom…
The website was Real RA Living and it is put together by Bristol-Myers Squibb, but it isn’t in your face selling drugs. It is about how you can take charge of your life and how you can learn to live with RA in many different ways.
The website has information about how RA affects your body… and how it affects your mind… about your moods… and kind of some (maybe not as much as I would have liked… but… hey… that is why I really like Yoga so much) about the mind body connection. It is a well put togehter website, even if it isn’t incredibly deep on help or information, it gives you a place to start digging and start thinking. And it gives you likes to other online resources (like the Arthritis Foundation, Arthritis Support and Let’s Talk RA) where more information can be gotten.
Some of what is on the website is stuff that I learned because I’m me. I dug as much as I could when I was diagnosed and I learned as much as I could… but a lot of it even if I did “know it” I needed to be reminded of.
I can take control. I can affect the way I feel… and the way I look at things.
Posted in motivation, rheumatoid arthritis
Okay… no always… Sometimes things just suck really bad and simply being Mary Sunshine doesn’t help. BUT for the most part, you can alter your day by altering your choice of attitude to your day. Amandya’s local analyst keeps telling … Continue reading
I got this in an email from a good friend (thanks Aunt Vicki)… and it was very much needed this morning… Attitude There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had … Continue reading
We lead such busy lives, sometimes its hard to slow down, take a deep breathe and, as they say, “be in the moment.” I ran across this the other day and thought it was worth sharing. So, please take a moment, read and just “be”.
A Dog’s Purpose
A veterinarian had been called to examine a 10 year old dog, Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron and his wife, Lisa and their little boy, Shane, were very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. The vet examined Belker and found the dog was dying of cancer. He told the family there was nothing that could be done and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As arrangements were made, Ron and Lisa told the vet they thought it would be good for 6 year old Sharon to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, as Belker’s family surrounded him, Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, the vet wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes Belker slipped away peacefully. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. As they sat together for a while after Belker’s death, they wondered aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.” Startled, everyone turned to him. What came out of his mouth was the most comforting explanation the vet had ever heard.
He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six year old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When a loved one comes home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face be pure ecstasy.
Take naps. Stretch before rising.
Run, romp and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass
On hot days drink lots of water and lie under a shade tree
When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simply joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you are not.
If what you want is buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Enjoy every moment of every day.
My hope for you this week is that you that you Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly and just “be”.
Okay… something is definitely wonky on wordpress for me (thank you, Scotty for giving me the heads up…)… so I will try again…and again (I only had to publish this one three times…
Okay… so it is a Mary Sunshine kind of day yesterday. It may not last, but I’m enjoying it while it does.
Went to Rheumy today. I spent the majority of the day taking stock of myself and of how I am feeling both physically and emotionally. I have known that I’ve been feeling some better. After the last doctor appointment I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to be too optimistic, but hey… I am terminally optimistic and a disgusting morning person so… it is hard to get away from. I know the bump on my knuckle is smaller and I can almost make a fist even first thing in the morning without aleve. And I know I haven’t taken prednisone in almost a month. I walked 9 miles Sunday (I really enjoy our weekly walk in the park) and I even made 3 miles at lunch yesterday at the gym (the hot shower felt fantastic!).
Doctor confirmed that I’m not sniffing something good… not even sharpie… When I started this ‘adventure’ I was up to 26 joints affected. Today (even in the rainy weather) I was only achey a 2 and she only found 7 joints still swollen. My right hand, of course, will be my problem child. IF YOU ROLLER BLADE WEAR WRIST GUARDS!!!
She said that my body is running right now on the 6 MTX level… while I’m taking 8 a week… so I should keep getting better and better (especially when I will be starting on 10 pills Friday). And I don’t have to go back until May.
She did start me on an anti-inflamatory med for days (like while Squirrel was in the hospital and stress was a 14 on a scale of 1 to 10) and aleve doesn’t really take the edge off and suggested zantac 150 to keep from the anti-inflamatory eating holes in my stomach. But I don’t think I will really need them much. Will carry them just in case, but will think very hard before I take them.
I got an ‘atta-girl’ for taking Yoga class and she said that, even after the class, keep it up.
AND she told me that I need to push for blood work for Squirrel because Keppra tends to mess with blood counts.
I was thinking a lot about why I have all of this going on… and I was thinking a lot about how there is a purpose for everything and there is very little “chance” in life… and I realized that I can honestly say to Squirrel (not just a mommy saying it but really meaning it) that pills can be truly crappy but your body does adapt to the new meds and the side effects get smaller and smaller and you will eventually realize that the feeling better is just there and not always the crappy feeling.
Am I mary sunshine? Probably.
Posted in Journalling, motivation, rheumatoid arthritis
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