The Pitfalls of Being a Teacher!

I love being a teacher. I have loved it for the last 17 years. The only problem is, I catch every thing that comes into my class.  Since I'm the reading teacher, I work with small guided reading groups throughout the day to help my students who just quite aren't where they need to be when it comes to reading and comprehension. 

Not my table, but it works for my post!

Now as you can see from the picture, I am no more than 2 or 3 feet away from my students.  I meet with 5 different groups during the day.  It never fails, at least 2 of them are sniffling, sneezing, or coughing.  It's quite disgusting. I keep tissues and hand sanitizer handy, but how do you control the germs when they don't cover their mouths.  You would think that by 5th grade they would know how to do this, but I still have to remind them everyday. I have to wipe down my table with chlorox wipes between every group. 

I had built up my immunities over the years, but since my fibro diagnoses my immune system seems to be shot.  So now I get to spend yet another weekend trying to recuperate enough to go back to my germy little monsters on Monday.  They're so lucky I love them all! Do you think they would be offended if I wore a surgical mask during group?

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Thanks Julie!

I want to thank Julie from Counting My Spoons for nominating me for the Dragon's Loyalty Award. 

The Dragon’s Loyalty Award is an award for the loyal fan/commenter, whether the recipient is a fellow blogger or just someone who follows and comments regularly”. 

 

There are some rules that one must follow in order to fully accept the award and they are as follows:
1. Firstly, display the Award on your site. You earned it and you deserve it!
2. Link back to the person who gave you the award in your acceptance post;
3. Nominate 15 well deserving bloggers for the Award and let them know the wonderful news by sending them a message on their site;
4. List 7 interesting facts about yourself.

7 Interesting Facts:

1. I learned to shoot a gun when I was 11 (my dad was in law enforcement and wanted me to learn about gun safety and that guns are not toys).
2. Before my fibro I was a better shot than my hubby who was in the military.
3. I have a Master's in Educational Administration and my Principal's certificate, but I prefer being in the classroom.
4. I used to have a British accent until I was about 6 because my dad was stationed in England when he was in the Air Force (we lived there from the time I was 1 until I turned 5).
5. I'm Hispanic and the only family member who can't speak Spanish (I blame England), but I can understand it.
6. I worked as a sign language interpreter while in college.
7. My graduating class only had 10 people in it (town population of 500) and I missed being valedictorian by a tenth of a point (I took all the math and science courses while the valedictorian took typing and home ec, doesn't seem fair).  The valedictorian only lasted one semester in college (insert maniacal laugh here)! 

Nominations of my loyal followers:
1. Terri from Seeking the Gifts of Fibromyalgia
2. Julie from  Counting My Spoons

Wish I had more people to nominate, but I'm still trying to develop a following!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Cold Spots! Should I Be Worried?

Every once in a while I get this very weird cold sensation in my head.  I've had it on the top, the back, and the sides.  It feels like I have an ice pack on my head, you know the sensation, kind of cold and wet.  When I touch the spot that feels cold on the inside, I can't feel it on the outside.  It never last longer than a couple of minutes, and it doesn't cause any pain. 

It always happens at night, and always while I'm watching TV.  It doesn't matter if I'm sitting, lying on my side or lying on my stomach.  I can go weeks without it happening, and then it will happen every day for a couple of weeks.  I tried looking up information on the Internet, but there are too many sites to dig through and the information is not very helpful.

My question is, does anyone else ever have this happen to them?  Is this all in my head(literally), or should I be concerned?  Love to hear from you all!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Easily Bored!

I'm the type of person who gets easily bored with things.  I want my hair long, no I want it short, no I want it short with red highlights, no I want it layered with blond highlights, give me bangs (that was a mistake), wait I want it one length with purple highlights (what I currently have on my head).  I have had every one of those hair styles and then some. 

The same goes with my blog.  I want it purple (my favorite color), no I want it blue, wait the rain background is cool, no let's get the cool orange and pinkish splattery abstract background.  I like to change my blog around, and get ideas from other blogs.  The problem is dealing with the font.  I used to love playing with the different fonts and going all cutesy and fancy.  Then I realized that cutesy and fancy isn't always that easy to read for someone with fibro.

Back in September I posted about the fact that my vision is getting blurry.  This is becoming a daily problem, since I spend all day reading and writing with my 5th graders.  By the time I get home, my eyes are tired and my vision is super blurry.  I find that I am constantly hitting the zoom button on my computer in order to read some blogs (please do not be offended if you have cutesy fonts, this is not my intention).  It's made me more self conscious about my own blog. 

I was bored with my blog and decided to change to fall colors.  This took some doing.  I had to make sure the colors weren't too bright, the font was easily read, and that it wouldn't hurt the eyes.  This is not as easy as it sounds.  I miss my fancy fonts, but at least it doesn't bother my eyes.  I hope everyone finds it eye appealing, if not leave me a comment on how I can make it better.  Hurry before I get bored again and change the whole thing!

Gentle Hugs,
Easily Bored Bonnie

Fibro Warrior of the Week! Yay!

I want to send a big hug and a big thank you to Julie at Counting My Spoons for making me her Fibro Warrior of the Week!

Thank You Julie!

Gentle Hugs to All,
Bonnie

Snap! Crackle! Pop! Redux!

I've been going to the chiropractor for almost 4 weeks now (3 times a week).  Four weeks of getting deep tissue massages, physical therapy, electrical stimulation, and my favorite adjustments.  My lower back is actually starting to feel a little better. 

The massage therapist is determined to get rid of all the knots in my neck, shoulders, and glutes by torturing me with deep tissue massages.  She hasn't been able to make a dent in the knots yet, and let me tell you she's not giving up.  It's 15 minutes of pure torture, and I walk out of the room light headed and feeling like she took a bat to my back.

I definitely look like this after a massage and adjustment!

The physical therapy part isn't bad.  They have me doing several stretches and exercises to help my back.  I don't mind the adjustment on my back, but the neck freaks me out every time.  I keep expecting for my head to come flying right off my shoulders.  Every time they adjust my neck I swear I see stars! After a session, I'm pretty much finished for the rest of the night.  I come home and just collapse!

They did a scan of my feet, and now I'm getting orthotics because apparently when I walk I don't put any weight on my big toes.  I'm actually having to learn how to walk all over again.  Apparently this is also a cause of my balance issues.  I thought I was just super clumsy!  Thank goodness my insurance is covering this, because the orthotics are expensive.

After looking at my x-rays, the doctor was amazed that the only part of my body I don't complain about pain is the part that has arthritis (vertebrae T11 and T12).  I guess I'm just lucky that way!

Photo Courtesy of www.yogaback.com

So I will continue to go get tortured 3 times a week, and wait for that magical day when I don't walk out of there feeling like I was mugged.  They say it's going to happen! Fingers crossed!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

I Tweaked My Sign!

I decided to tweak my drawing (still not an artist) and am really considering printing it out and making it a sign to put in my window! Let me know what you think!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

To Park or Not to Park! Now that is truly the question!

 

Living with a chronic illness is bad enough, but living with an invisible chronic illness is horrible beyond words.  

I recently got my permanent disabled parking plates for my vehicle.  I often feel guilty using them because of the looks people give me when I get out of my truck.  You know the look?  The "how dare you park there when you are obviously healthy" look.   The look that makes you want to start limping and dragging your leg as you walk.  The look that makes you want to explain why you dare to park in that sacred space. The look that makes you want to scream "I dare to park here because I hurt all over, my feet feel like they're on fire and I'm walking on glass, my lower back and neck feel like someone is stabbing me constantly, and my head feels like it's about to explode!"  

Yes I look normal! I don't look like I fall under the permanently disabled category! In fact there are days when I don't use the spaces provided, but I'm so happy they are there when I need them.  Please quit looking at me as if I'm doing something wrong.  

I think that the fact that the signs have a wheelchair on them doesn't help those of us with an invisible illness.  Most people see those signs and think only those in a wheelchair should be allowed to park there.  Even my plates have the wheelchair symbol on them.  I think if they changed the signs to something like this:

Warning! Pain All Over!

people might be more compassionate to those of us with an invisible illness.  I'm just saying! So for now I will try not to feel guilty when I use that space.  Maybe I'll print my drawing (I never claimed to be an artist), turn it into a magnetic sign, an put it on the back of my truck!  Think people will get the hint?

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Rude Awakenings!

photo courtesy of: http://ic.steadyhealth.com/leg_cramps_and_potassium.html

muchphoto courtesy of : http://diabetes.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-what-your-feet-say

There is nothing worse than being woken up in the middle of the night with a Charley Horse Leg Cramp.  I'm sure everyone has had a couple of these in their lifetimes right?  Well early this morning I was not woken up by a Charley Horse in my calf, I was woken up with Charley Horses in both calves and the toes of both feet.  Talk about rude awakenings!

For about 2 minutes (though it seemed like a lot longer) I tried to relax my muscles and not tense up.  I have learned from the past that stretching out my muscles only makes the cramps worse, and that the best thing I can do is to try breathing through the pain until the cramp subsides.  This is not always the easiest thing to do, but I always manage.

I have never had both legs cramp up at the same time, and I never in my life had my toes cramp up.  My toes were bent in some very weird positions.  If it hadn't hurt so much I might have found it amusing.  My legs and my toes are sore today, but at least they don't look funny anymore!  I'm guessing that I'm dehydrated and low on potassium, so lots of water and bananas for me today.  Only problem is, I can't eat bananas by themselves (the scent of the banana is too strong for me and makes me gag), so I guess I will have to sacrifice and have a banana split! Oh Darn!

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.baskinrobbinsmea.com/

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Snap! Crackle! Pop!

No, I'm not talking about the cereal! 

What a day! First hubby and I went to my family doctor (who I absolutely love and wouldn't trade in for the world because he believes me when I tell him I'm hurting) who gave me a shot of something, a pain pill, a prescription for some pain patches, and a prescription for a muscle relaxer. Then he called his brother the chiropractor and told him he needed to see me today. 

So off we went to the chiropractor who said my back was really jacked up (though he used his doctor words) and worked out a temporary plan of treatment. First a massage (I was thinking awesome until they went all deep tissue on me and pissed off my fibro and made me seriously light headed), then some stretches (painful but manageable), time with the industrial strength tens unit , and finally I was back with the doctor. 

 He stretched me out (ouch), and then told me he was going to do an adjustment (oh-oh). I have never been to a chiropractor before, but I relaxed and let him do his thing. He popped every bone in my back (quick relief, then "Dude, I'm going to hurt you if you do that again" pain). Monday I have to get some x-rays and lab work done, and he wants to see me again. Apparently it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Right now I feel like I've been beaten with a bat, plus my back is still killing me. I did take a long nap today due to the work out my body got plus the meds they gave me. So for now I'm supposed to keep resting, and then we'll see what Monday brings. So looking forward to it!

A little humor courtesy of http://www.digitalham.co.uk/misc/chiropractor/

Gentle hugs,
Bonnie

My Spine!!!!

I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child. I was one of the lucky ones who were diagnosed early enough that it could be treated through exercise (several exercises every day for 6 years), and I didn't have to have surgery or wear a brace.

My mom was the one who noticed when I was 5 that my back looked a little crooked. I had to see the specialist twice a year for 6 years. He would x-ray me, take measurements, adjust the lift I had to wear in my shoe (left leg is 3/4 of inch longer than the right leg), and adjust my exercises. Finally, when I turned 11 he told me that he no longer had to see me because I had reached the height I would be for the rest of my life. I had stopped growing at 5"4 (I was a tall 11 year old, but quickly became a short 12-46 year old).

The point of my post is the back pain I have suffered through my entire adult life. As long as I can remember I have always had problems with my back. I threw my back out the first time at age 29 which was not a pleasant experience. For an entire week I couldn't move without experiencing excruciating pain. I have dealt with this on and off for the last 17 years.

Lately my back pain is getting worse.  By the time I get home from work the pain is so bad I can't do anything else.  I spend my weekends in bed trying to get some relief.  I have tried my tens unit, heating pad, ice pack, back stretches, and pain medication, but nothing seems to work.  I have another 10 days before my rheumy appointment (which was supposed to be today), and I hope he has something that will help with this pain.

I started wondering if there was a link between scoliosis and fibro and found this very interesting link: http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/whosatrisk/a/fms_risk.htm.  One thing mentioned in the article was that "about 25% of people with low back pain eventually developed FMS, and scoliosis or other postural disorders made FMS more likely."

So for now I get through one day at a time and hope that there is something that can help with the pain.  Until then...

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

What Do You Mean You're Taking A Few Days Off?

I called my rheumy today to confirm my appointment for this Saturday.  I've been looking forward to this appointment for about a month now since I've been in flare up mode.  Well apparently my doctor has decided to take a very long weekend (Friday-Monday) and now my appointment has been moved to the 22nd.  TWO MORE WEEKS!

I understand my doctor probably needs a vacation since he is the only fibro specialist in the city, but not when I'm in flare up! I know I'm being selfish, but I'm tired of walking around like I'm an 80 year old (no offense to the very active 80 year olds who can out walk me right now) instead of like the 46 year old I am now!

Hopefully the nurse heard the desperation in my voice and will be able to squeeze me in sooner, but the odds are slim.  So for now I will push myself to make it through the school day, and relax with my heating pad and tens unit when I get home.  Two more weeks! I can make it!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Aw Man!

Woke up this morning to crusty eyes, and thought maybe, just maybe, my allergies were going haywire and things were backing up into my eyes.  Put in my eyedrops, used my nose spray, took my allergy meds, and went to work.  I made sure not to touch my eyes all day, and by the end of the day the pain and itchy were starting to drive me crazy.  Went to the school nurse who thought it might be allergies also, but decided I should go to the district's wellness clinic just to be on the safe side!

In case you couldn't guess from my wonderful attempt at humor by photograph, I have pink eyes.  Yes eyes as in plural, both eyes!  Can't believe my luck! Had to come home and wash my bedding and towels, wipe down everything I have touched in the last 24 hours, and call in a substitute because I can't go to work for 24 hours! Luckily I have the greatest colleagues who will make sure my sub has things to do with my students tomorrow.

So tomorrow I get to rest and relax and worry that my kids are falling behind schedule because I'm out another day! Now if I could just figure out which one of my little darlings gave me pink eyes! Hmmmmm!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Sunshine Day!

Sunshine Day!

 

The Sun is out!

The rain has gone!

My pain is minimal,

I love you sun!

More rain to come,

The pain will return!

But for today,

My body does not burn!

By Bonnie N.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is my Daddy's birthday! Yes I'm 46 years old and I still call him Daddy! I'll admit it, I have no shame, I AM A DADDY'S GIRL!  Always have been, always will be! So Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you very much!

First Day Back to Work!

Well I survived my first official day back to work.  It was great seeing all my friends again, and we had a great day catching up.  The inservice wasn't too bad, but I would have wanted to spend the day doing more productive things than going over things I already know how to do! A friend of mine sent me this link that a teacher wrote about inservice trainings.  It's pretty funny, and pretty scary how accurate it is when it comes to how a lot of us feel during inservice.  I shared this with my colleagues and they thought it was pretty accurate also.

I am very happy that I haven't needed my oxygen tank at school, but I'm still getting headaches and am exhausted by the end of the day.  I came home and took an hour long nap because I was so tired.  I'm going to try to get to bed earlier tonight (couldn't fall asleep until midnight last night and was up at 5:45), and I may take my shower tonight so that I can sleep just a little bit longer.

I'm hoping by next Monday that my body will be used to the new routine and that I won't be as exhausted by the end of the day.  So for now I'm going to read some blogs, then it's off to my shower and then bed time! Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

I Braved the Pain and Won!

I decided to go ahead and get my tattoo today.  I was only going to get the tattoo of an infinity sign with my boy's names weaved into it, but then decided to add a fibromyalgia tattoo also.  I figured if I was going to risk a flare up, I might well do it all at once.  My tattoo artist could see my nerves jumping as she did my tattoos, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I managed to survive with only a small amount of residual pain and a headache.  Since pain and headaches are an every day part of my life, this really isn't that big a deal.  We'll see what tomorrow brings! Here are my new tattoos!

My love for my boys is infinite!

It's a part of my life and I know that one day they will find a cure!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

New Old Haircut!

I decided to go and get my hair done today.  I haven't been since May and was in desperate need of a touch up on my color (lots of gray peeking through).  I had put in purple highlights in May and was going to remove them before school started.  I decided to be a rebel and keep the highlights. I also decided I needed to change the cut a little to try and even out the back.

Me on July 2nd

Me today!

The purple is a lot darker, but under the lights it is definitely noticeable.  I haven't worn bangs in a while, so I decided to go ahead and add them this time.  When I got home I saw this picture and realized I had gone back to my "roots" so to speak!

Me at 5 years old!

I guess it has been a while since I last had bangs!!!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

My New School 'Do!

I had my hair cut and colored yesterday in preparation for the new school year! I needed to cover the grays and even out the back of my hair.  I like the new cut because it takes less time to blow dry (my arms and shoulders start hurting if I have to keep them up to long) and less time to straighten.  Here are some pics of the new 'do!