Hate Migraines!

I got another migraine on Friday which lasted through the weekend.  I went to my doctor on Monday who gave me a massive dose of toradol right in my tushy, and finally woke up Tuesday with a clear head.  Went to a local football game last night where I lost my footing and whacked the daylight out of both my knees on the bleachers, so I'm wobbling today! Being clumsy is going to be the death of me! :-)

Well that's all I have for this week! Hope everyone has a great, pain free week!

Gentle Hugs!
Bonnie

Another Migraine!

Got another migraine on Wednesday! Can't figure out why I have managed to get migraines 2 weeks in a row.  I checked my food diary to see if I could find any commonalities that might be the cause, but nothing was out of the ordinary.

I'm starting to get a sore throat which is not making me happy at all! My oldest son had strep throat last Monday, so I'm hoping I'm not coming down with that!

Speaking of my oldest son, he had all district competition this week for choir.  He didn't think he would do that well since his throat was still hurting due to the strep.  There were 26 Tenor Twos competing for 10 chairs, and Spencer placed 4th chair.  Not bad considering he was under the weather.  He also qualified for the honor choir which is made up of the best of the best in the district! Very proud of my Spencer!

Well, we shall see how this week goes.  Hopefully my throat starts to feel better.  I have already missed 2 days of work (I only get 12 days for the school year) due to migraines, and 1 day due to a major flare up.  At this rate, I'll be out of days before February.  Out of days means I get docked for every day missed (about $250 per day).

Hope everyone has a great week!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Migraine!

I was having a good fibro week until Wednesday when I got a migraine! I  stayed home Thursday to rest up, and that seemed to help with the migraine portion of the headache.  I still have a headache and my neck hurts, but at least it's manageable pain and not "leave me alone" pain! Anyhow, I feel better and am up and moving around.

Going to a movie today with my babe, and a spaghetti dinner my church is hosting with my family! Tomorrow I'm going to a comedy club with the Parental Units and my aunt and uncle.

Hope everyone has a great week! Until next time!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Fibro Update!

On Monday, my rolling chair rolled out right from under me! I was going to sit down, and I guess I must of sat on the edge instead of the middle.  All I know is that one minute I was standing, the next minute I was on my A$$!  I instantly got a headache, and by the end of the day I felt as though someone had beaten me with a baseball bat and then threw me in front of a moving truck!
Needless to say, I spent most of the week in pain! To make matters worse, I had a meeting everyday after the students left, and a training this morning.  No time to rest and recuperate.  I finally got rid of the headache on Thursday, and I am only a little sore today.

On the brighter side of things, my little man earned his green belt today in Karate! So very proud of him.  They had to test by running for 30 minutes straight (at least we were inside an air conditioned gym), do a whole bunch of exercises, and do their karate forms!  He did all that, and still came home and started running around. Oh to be an energetic 8 year old again! Very proud of my little man!

Shane after running for 30 minutes!

Shane after getting his green belt!

Gentle Hugs!
Bonnie

Now What!

I have been having some serious pain in my left ear, and finally went to the doctor thinking it was an ear infection.  Well my ears were fine, but apparently my TMJ is in serious overdrive.

I have always had popping in my right jaw when I ate, but my left side has never bothered me.  Well apparently my left side has decided to join the party.  My doctor said my jaw was all over the place and sent me to the dentist.

Since we changed insurance companies, I had to get a new dentist (which was fine, because I didn't really like my previous dentist).  Well as soon as I told him the problem, he stood behind me and barely touched both sides of my jaw and said "yep, you have severe TMJ."  So he took ex-rays, moved it around a bit, and told me whoever my orthodontist was when I was a teenager was a severe idiot! 

I have a severe overbite if I try to clench my jaw together (which I hardly ever do), and he said that was something they should have taken care of when I had my braces.  Apparently since my jaw is misaligned, that is what is causing the TMJ.  My hubby and I were in a minor car accident in July, and I told my dentist I saw it coming so I closed my eyes and waited.  Well he figures I probably also clenched my teeth (which I can't remember doing or not doing), and this is what probably caused the left side to start hurting. 

So now he's talking braces again to align my jaw, a specially molded for my face night guard to keep me from clenching while I sleep, and the usually cleaning.  I'm so far looking at about $4000.00 out of pocket unless they can convince the insurance that this is not for cosmetic reasons!  If the insurance won't approve it, my dentist is nice enough to offer a payment plan!

If it's not one thing it's another!

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!

He'll Be Dancing Soon Enough!

Brian had his left hip replaced last Tuesday morning and has been recovering quite quickly.  He stayed in the hospital 3 nights (I stayed with him on the most uncomfortable roll away bed ever made), and has been at the rehab facility since Friday (their pull out bed was a little more comfortable). 

I stayed with him until yesterday morning, then we decided it was time for me to come home.  I made sure that he could get in and out of bed by himself, take a shower and get dressed by himself, and walk to physical therapy without any support. 

I hated leaving him, but my boys were anxious to come home.  They love staying with my Parental Units, but they were missing the comforts of home.  Shaney especially missed his XBox. Plus I was really missing my boys.  They will going on vacation with the Units and my nieces for 2 weeks beginning July 8th (my birthday) to California and Las Vegas, so I needed to get my fix of them before they leave.

Anyway, Brian is doing so well at therapy they are letting him come home tomorrow.  They had him practice going up and down a set of stairs (don't know what we were thinking when we decided to buy a 2-story house with all the bedrooms upstairs), and he said it was a "piece of cake." 

So tomorrow Spencer and I are going shopping for a shower seat.  The facility is going to give him a walker (well they're going to charge the insurance for it anyway) and a raised toilet seat.  They have given him some other cool gadgets to help him get in and out of bed and put his socks and pants on without rotating his hip.  Apparently if he rotates his hip, it could dislocate and we would have to do this all over again!

My Talented Older Son!

 

I never get tired of hearing Spencer sing.  This is part of his end of year concert for his choir. Forty students auditioned for 14 slots in the solo/duet showcase. This was Spencer's solo performance.

Metal Clips on my Underwear?

Ended up spending another 4 hours at the hospital yesterday to have my arthrogram and hip MRI done. The arthrogram was much more painful than the injection they gave me Tuesday. Having dye injected into the hip bone without the benefit of a numbing medication was not what I was expecting.

After surviving the arthrogram, they wheeled me down to get my MRI. I had to go into the tube feet first all the way up to my neck (being claustrophobic this was not fun). I had to have my arms stretched over my head hanging onto the bar for almost 45 minutes. It was freezing in the room, so everything started hurting (dumb fibro). About 30 minutes into the procedure, the technician comes in and asks if I have metal clips on my underwear (WTF, why would I have metal clips?). After I answer no, he says okay 3 more minutes. Fifteen minutes later he finally comes back to say we are finally finished. When I asked him about the metal clips question, he said he saw an anomaly on the screen but it was probably nothing to worry about (probably is not a word I wanted to hear). He did say my doctor should have the results by tomorrow.

It was very painful to walk yesterday after they were finished.  I still hurt today, but at least I'm able to move about (though I'm moving very, very slowly)! I hope to never have to do that test again!

What a Day!

 After waiting for a little over an hour, they finally come and get me for my arthogram (or so I thought). The radiology tech tells me I'm not getting an arthogram, but an injection in the hip bone that will numb the pain, then after that I'm getting an MRA. I ask what an MRA is, and she says it's to study the arteries and blood vessels. I ask her if she is sure, because I could have sworn my doctor said arthogram plus MRI. She goes to call the doctor, and whoever she talked to agreed with her. She then preps me for the doctor, who also questions the orders, and she replies that she has called the doctor's office and has verified the orders. He then proceeds to give me the shot into the hip bone (not as painful as it sounds, but not a walk in the park in either).

Next she puts me in a wheelchair and rolls me to the MRA lab. The technician looks at the orders and tells Brian and I she will be right back. We sit there waiting for about 1/2 an hour while she walks back and forth telling us she'll be right with us. Finally she sits down with us (never a good sign) and proceeds to tell us that they did the wrong procedure. They were supposed to do the (wait for it) arthogram and an MRI!!! 

Apparently the first person they talked to didn't bother to check my file, only went off what was in the computer. The second time they called, they pulled my file and realized their mistake.
The tech at the hospital was very apologetic, but said they would not be able to do the test today since I was already injected with the other medication. Now I have to go back on Saturday (they were very accommodating with the new date), and get another shot into my hip bone plus my MRI! Really looking forward to doing this again! To make matters worse, the numbing medication hasn't done a thing for the pain in my hip! :(

Yikes!

I went to see my orthopedist on Monday for a follow up on my hip pain.  I have tried the cortisone shot, physical therapy, medication, and nothing seems to help.  He took another x-ray and still cannot find anything wrong with me.  So now I have to get an MRI next week to see if we can figure out what is causing all this pain.  As I was leaving the doctor's office, I noticed that my orders said "Needs Driver."  I have had MRIs before and have never been told I needed someone to go with me.  I asked the nurse why I needed a driver and she said it was because they were doing an arthogram first.

I have never heard of an arthogram, so I asked what that entailed.  Apparently they have to inject dye into my hip joint in order to take a look at everything on the inside.  Then they move me to the MRI and do that test.  All in all I'm looking at 2 hours of good times! Really looking forward to this! NOT!!!

Leg Cramps!

Lately I have been getting cramps in my calves at least once a week.  Most of the time it affects my left leg, and on occasion the right one will feel left out and join in on the fun.  Last night it was a regular party for my calves.  I was woken up at 3 different times last night in severe pain from a leg cramp.  First time it was my right leg, and then the second and third time it was my left leg. My calves are extremely sore today, and I'm afraid of stretching them too much in case that sets off another cramp.  I'm sure my students would find it hilarious if I all of sudden began making funny noises to hide the fact that I was in pain.

I don't know if it's part of the fibro, if I'm dehydrated or if I'm lacking some major potassium, but I do know that I didn't get an invitation for the party my legs held last night.  I'm drinking a gallon of water and eating a dozen bananas just in case. 

Gentle Hugs

Down to a 2!

After my horrible Saturday, I am finally feeling better.  I am down to a 2 on the pain scale, and was able to come to work and have a good day with my students.  I wish for the day when I can say I'm at a 0.  One of these days it might happen, but for now I'm thrilled I'm not a 9.

Gentle Hugs!

Nine!!!!

Today is definitely a bad flare up day! On my pain scale I am easily a 9, maybe even a 10.  It was a long week that left me feeling like I have been hit by a semi truck.

I had to have a brain MRI on Tuesday to see if my neurologist can figure out why I'm still getting massive headaches and little sleep even though I now have my CPAP machine.  I had to lay absolutely still for almost an hour in the tube.  My arms, neck, and back really started to hurt during the test.  After the test I had a massive headache that I haven't been able to get rid of yet.

On Wednesday we walked our 5th graders to the middle school where most of them will be going next week.  The middle school is only about 1/2 a mile away from our campus, so the walk was no big deal. We took a tour of the entire campus, and then walked back to school. All in all, I was on my feet walking for about 2 hours.  Now my knees were starting to get into the act.

I probably would be feeling okay by now if we hadn't taken our students to the local University for career opportunity days on Thursday. Yep, more walking! We were there all day, and had to walk up and down numerous stairs. My hips decided to join the party!

Going to work yesterday was a feat all by itself.  I woke up this morning and every inch of my body seems to hurt.  I had to get up early to make breakfast for my oldest because he is taking his SAT's today. Can't have him going to test with only pop tarts in his belly.

So I am going to spend the day trying to rest as much as possible. I have to do laundry, but I should be able to relax between loads. Hope everyone has a great day!

Gentle Hugs!

My Poor Hubby!

My hubby has been having a lot of trouble with hip lately.  He went to the doctor who took an x-ray and said he couldn't see anything.  He then sent him to my rheumatologist who said it he thought it my be his gout moving to his hip.  He gave him a shot of cortisone, upped his gout medication, and sent him on his way.

After 2 weeks without relief, he went back to the doctor.  What he forgot to mention the first time he went to the doctor was that when he walked the pain went away, but would come back after sitting for awhile (not gout symptoms).  So the doctor sent him to get an MRI.

Well the MRI showed that he has AVN (avascular necrosis) of the hips (yes plural).  Both of his hip bone joints are literally dying.  He is going to have to get a hip replacement for his left hip and bone graft for the right hip.  The specialist said we could probably wait until June (when I'm off for the summer) for the surgery, but he will need to x-ray his hip again in a month to make sure it isn't getting worse.

We are in for a long, fun summer!

Happy Easter!

May your day be filled with blessings and family fun! Happy Easter!

My Talented Son!

I'm so proud of my oldest son Spencer. He has become quite the wonderful singer.  Last week his show choir group performed at a local festival promoting the arts.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend because I was right in the middle of a horrible flare up (stupid fibro), but my hubby was nice enough to record the performance for me.  So here is my son singing the late Amy Winehouse's song "Valerie."

LUKE, I AM YOUR MOTHER!

This is what I get to wear to bed!

I have finally received my CPAP machine and will begin wearing it tonight.  My hubby has the same mask, so all we need now are light sabers and everything will be complete!

My Karate Kid!

My Little Man and I!

So proud of my little man.  He went through graduation this weekend and moved up from a blue belt to a blue/green belt.  He had to go through a series of movements. He had to kick his dad's hand 75 times with each leg and then punch 100 times with each hand.  His final task was breaking a board with his foot. He had to do it 3 times before he finally broke it, but he didn't quit even though it hurt. Very proud of my Shaney!

100 punches for Dad!

Breaking The Board!

Bad Day!

Woke up this morning in really bad pain.  I have a massive headache, my neck, shoulders, back, and hips are killing me.  Thank goodness I have a very capable student teacher to take over my class when the pain gets to be too much.  I have no idea what is causing this flare up, but I hope it goes away soon.  My medication doesn't seem to be doing any good today! I found this funny pain scale and thought it expressed my feelings of pain exactly! I am hanging between an 8 and a 9!

And So The Torture Begins!

I started physical therapy last week, and I thought this isn't so bad.  A few stretches, some ultrasound treatment on my hips, and some electric stimulation on my back. Piece of cake! Well on day 3, they decided it was time to add some exercises! The first day wasn't too bad. Time on the treadmill and some weird bicycle thing for the arms.  Well everyday they add 2 or 3 new exercises which still haven't been too bad. They're taking it slow because of the fibromyalgia and want to get my body conditioned to do more. 

So where does the torture begin? At the end of all the exercises and ultrasound and electric stimulation, the therapist comes in to work out the muscles that run down the side of my leg from the hip to the knee.  This is the most painful part of my body right now.  Because of the fibro, my legs feel like someone has taken a baseball bat to them.  He uses the palm of his hand and starts at the hip and pushes all the way down to the knee.  He does this about 10 times, and each time he does it I want to slap the man silly.  As soon as he pushes down the first time, I get an instant headache from the pain.  He keeps telling me that it will get easier as time goes by, but I am starting to have my doubts. We have done this for 3 days now, and each day it feels like it is getting worse.  I have to go back today and I am totally not looking forward to it.  I just have to keep telling myself that things will get better soon, and that all this torture will eventually help with my fibro pain! Positive thoughts!

Well That Explains Things!

I finally got the results of my sleep study. I definitely have sleep apnea. Apparently I stopped breathing a total of 255 times during the study, or an average of 38 times per hour. They said this would explain my constant headaches, total exhaustion, and blurry vision.  As if that wasn't bad enough, my oxygen level drops down to 87% while I'm sleeping (95% is considered ideal) so I also have hypopnea (not enough air gets to the lungs). 

I go next Friday night for another sleep study, but this time I will be using the cpap machine.  Now Brian and I can have his and her breathing contests.  I'm sure we will look adorable! Even though I'm dreading the machine, it's going to be nice not always being exhausted.

Happy Birthday Shaney!

1st Official 8 year old picture!

My little man is 8 years old today! Where does the time go? I am so happy he came into my life! He makes me laugh so much at some of the silly things he says and does. I'm very happy to call him my son!  Happy Birthday Shaney!

I Like Him, I Really Like Him!

Went to see my new rheumatologist on Friday, and I left feeling very relieved.  He did all sorts of tests, asked Brian and myself many questions, and determined that it is definitely Fibromyalgia. He didn't make me feel like I was crazy or making up the pain.  He was very caring, and spent a good amount of time with us and didn't rush us through the appointment.  He changed several of my medications (plus gave me one to help me sleep), and gave me cortisone shots in both of my hips to relieve some of the pain there.  He is sending me to get a bone density test and some xrays, plus more blood-work. He did tell me that I have carpal tunnel in both of my wrists and gave me some braces to wear for that, plus he is sending me to get physical therapy to help with the pain in my arms and shoulders.   He told me that we would work together to figure out a way to manage my pain.

So as I said, I like him, I really like him!!!

Finalist

Just found out that I'm a finalist for Teacher of the Year! Not sure how I feel about this! I know it's an honor to be nominated, and I really do appreciate the nomination. My problem is that Teacher of the Year is voted on by your colleagues. I love my colleagues, but how do they know what I do in the classroom? I think Teacher of Year should be voted on by administration since they are the ones who are in and out of the classrooms everyday. To me Teacher of the Year is more of a popularity contest.  To make matters worse, I'm up against the math teacher in my grade level. So now I have to deal with the pressure of whether or not my colleagues like me better than her! I feel like I am back in high school!  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Just kidding! As I told my students, whether I win or lose, I know I'm a good teacher who does everything in her power to ensure her students succeed! I really am happy and honored to be nominated!

I Admit It, I'm Spoiled!

My parents left town yesterday to attend a funeral in Colorado. They will not be back until Friday night.  My husband is also out of town at this time.  So right now it is just me and my boys. I realized just how spoiled I was yesterday morning when I had to get the boys up, fed, and ready for school. Not to mention making the little one's lunch and snack for school. I am so used to getting up, getting dressed, waking up the boys, and dropping them off with my dad. My dad then deals with breakfast, snacks, etc... Brian usually deals with after school pick up for the teenager since it's on his way home from work, which allows me to go home straight from work.  I really miss my family.

I admit it, I'm spoiled and I love it!

Neurologist

Well I survived my first neurologist's appointment.  They did a battery of tests, upped my dosage of cymbalta, scheduled me for a sleep study, and sent me for more blood work (7 tubes worth). The doctor wants to rule out sleep apnea before determining the next course of action.  I have my sleep study scheduled for Saturday night.  Should be fun, NOT!

Fibro Fog Moment!

I have my appointment with the neurologist this afternoon.  I've known about this appointment for almost a month now.  The appointment is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., so I figured I would work half a day, and call in a substitute for the other half.  I get to work this morning and one of my colleagues asks me why I'm there.  I look at her and say "I work here?"  She then asks me why I had a sub in my classroom.  I give her my best confused look and say "I don't know!"

So I go to my room, and sure enough there is a sub there. Luckily this is a sub I have called in many times over the last 11 years, and I look at him and say "What are doing here so early?" Now he gives me the confused look and says "you put in for me for a full day."

Me: Really?
Him: Yes.
Me: Wow, I'm losing my mind! Oh well, I guess I'll enjoy my full day off! Have fun! See ya!!!

And I ran out of the building before anyone could change their mind!  I seriously thought I had put in for a half day.  I could have slept an extra hour this morning before getting the boys up and ready for school.  I guess I better double check all the other days I have requested off for doctor's appointments to make sure I have put them in correctly.

Extremely Bad Day!

Yesterday was a very bad day.  I woke up with pain in both my hips, knees, feet, and elbows.  It hurt my shoulders to carry my coffee cup down the hall at school, and to top it off it was Science Expo day at school. This required us to move about all over the building watching other students explain what they are learning in Science. By the time I got off of work, I could hardly move.  I was walking like a little old lady, and had a difficult time getting up and down from my chair.  The good news is, my headache hasn't been too bad this week. I'm finally going to see the neurologist on Tuesday, so we'll see what happens there.

On a brighter note, it looks like Spencer is going to be okay. The doctor took xrays and said that while his neck muscles are inflamed and bulging, nothing appears to be broken.  He gave him a muscle relaxer for bed time, and told him to take ibuprofen during the day.  Spencer says he is still a little sore, but the pain isn't nearly as bad as it was last week.  I talked to the assistant principal at his school again on Tuesday, and he told me the coach has been reprimanded and written up. This will go in her permanent file.  Hopefully she has learned from this, and doesn't do anything to hurt another child.  She is lucky that Spencer wasn't seriously hurt.

She Better Hope I Never Run Into Her in an Alley!

Last Tuesday was the beginning of the new semester for our school district.  Spencer had finished his foreign language requirement and signed up for an SAT prep class to replace his Spanish class.  His school somehow managed to screw up this simple change and he ended up in a Weights and Conditioning 2 class (he's never taken Weights and Conditioning 1 and let the coach know that this was a mistake). He let her know that he has never taken a weight class and has no idea how to lift weights. 

Now normally this wouldn't be a big deal.  All we had to do was call his counselor Wednesday morning and have her make the change for him (she wasn't there on Tuesday so he couldn't change his schedule then).   Since this was his first period class, we were told the change wouldn't go into effect until the next morning.  Still not a big deal, right? Wrong!!! This is where it gets ugly!!

Spencer comes home Wednesday night barely able to move, and is complaining that his neck hurts. I asked him why he is hurting.  He tells me that he got to his Weight and Conditioning class just as the tardy bell was ringing.  He and 2 other students got there at the same time.  The coach does not like anyone to be tardy to her class, and proceeded to have the three of them do 50 lunges with a 40 pound weight bar on their necks (remember he had told her he had never taken a weight class before).  She didn't show him the proper technique to use the weights with the lunges, and as a result he is still hurting.

I met with the assistant principal Friday and let him know that I was not happy with this situation, especially since we are a non-corporal punishment district (I made sure to wear my school shirt so he knew I worked for the district).  I also let him know that if Spencer's neck continued to hurt, I would be taking him to the doctor for x-rays.  Luckily for the assistant principal, he was in agreement with me.

I'm taking Spencer to the doctor tomorrow, and the assistant principal is going to wait for the medical report before dealing with the coach.  She better hope she didn't damage my child!!!

Bonnie Bon and the Funky Bump! (Sorry Marky Mark)

A couple of weeks ago the back of my knee started to hurt. I figured I must of overstretched it somehow, and pulled something back there. A few days later I discovered a bump on the back of my knee. It is kind of sore and I have to make sure I don't keep my knee in one position for too long. Of course this is the same knee I had surgery on 2 years ago for a misplaced kneecap and torn meniscus.

I went to the doctor (AGAIN), hoping that it wasn't going to be anything serious like a clot. Luckily it turned out to be something called a Baker's Cyst. Apparently this can happen after surgeries like mine because the joint fluid bulges to the back of the knee to form this cyst. So now I need to go back to my orthopedic doctor and see if they need to do any kind of surgery, or if they can simply stick a needle in there and drain it (not really looking forward to either of these options). Hopefully it will go away on its own!

I Will Not Be Afraid! (Yeah Right!)

I have never understood those people who enjoy the thrill of being scared! You know the ones, the people who love haunted houses, scary movies, jumping out of airplanes, etc...

I definitely do not fall into the category of adrenaline junkie! I hate scary movies, refuse to enter a haunted house, would never jump out of a plane, and even have a hard time getting on roller coasters. So imagine my dread when I realized my oldest son is becoming one of these people!

He has recently decided that he enjoys watching horror films. Now this hasn't been too bad because his grandma (my mom) also loves horror films (she is one of these adrenaline junkies who would probably jump out of a plane if her health permitted it). So anytime a new horror film comes out, they go see it together thus saving me from the inevitable heart attack! This arrangement has worked out wonderfully for the last year or so, until my son decided that he needed to buy these movies on DVD.

'Now normally this wouldn't be a problem because he has his own DVD player in his bedroom. The problem is, while he enjoys horror films, he does not like watching them by himself! This is where I come in! Being the good mother that I am (after much begging of course), I have become his at home horror film partner!  It's bad enough I have to watch these movies with him, but to endure the laughter that comes from him every time I jump is just a little too much! Seriously!

I just hope he doesn't decide to take up skydiving!!!! :-)

Long Week!

This week was super long! I didn't get any teaching done this week, instead I spent the entire week testing my students.  They had to take district benchmark tests every single day this week. The benchmarks only took 90 minutes a day, but then my schedule had to be modified to meet both my classes. Instead of meeting each of my classes for 2 1/2 hours a day, I only had them for 1 1/2 hours. I had to use this time every day to do mid year reading assessments.  My poor kids spent the entire week testing and working independently while I did their individual reading assessments.

I don't know why, but testing is exhausting! This week has left me drained and in pain.  I woke up with pain all over this morning.  My body feels like it has been hit all over by a baseball bat.  Luckily it is a three day weekend, so I should be able to recharge for next week.  I'm relaxing today, and hopefully will feel well enough to spend the rest of the weekend doing something with my family.  Maybe we'll go to a movie!

Weekend Fun!

Today has been a pretty good day. My headache is down to a dull ache, and my body isn't hurting too bad. I went and watched my boys bowl today (Spencer bowls with his grandpa and Shane bowls with his dad), and then we went to Bahama Bucks for some shaved ice. Not sure what the rest of the day is going to bring, but at least I'm up and around!

So hopefully the rest of the weekend goes smoothly!

One Day Back and a Migraine!

Yesterday started out pretty good. I was excited to see my students, and they were on task and ready to get back to work. Halfway through the day, MIGRAINE!!! Who knows what set it off, but the rest of the day ended up going down hill!

I had managed to go a whole 3 days without a headache, and now it's back with a vengeance. I have my appointment with the neurologist on January 31st. Hopefully he can help with the headaches.

On the plus side, at least it is a short week!

Last Day of Winter Break!

This break went by way too fast. I spent the first week of it in severe pain, and the second week of it getting used to the new medications. My headache is finally gone, but my neck and lower back are still hurting.

I am looking forward to going back to work to see my kids, but I'm afraid of having another flare up. I've spent most of the break trying to rest up, but once I'm back at work life will be nonstop again. I spent most of November in severe pain, and missed several days of work. When I was at work, the headache was so bad, I really wasn't able to give my kids the attention they need. I really hope I'm able to get back into a routine, and am able to give my kids the quality education they deserve. I love teaching, but the last couple of months have been trying!

So tomorrow it's back to reality!

A Brand New Year!

I have decided not to make any resolutions this year. I don't see the point! Every year I resolve to lose tons of weight, and by March I have quit trying.

This year I have decided that instead of resolving to lose weight, I'm just going to try and live a healthier life. Now that I'm dealing with fibromyalgia, it is imperative that I change my way of life if I don't want to have major flare ups. I have read about how different foods and preservatives can cause a flare up. I have already started cutting back on my coffee intake (which believe me in not an easy task), and will be switching from artificial sweeteners to a more natural sweetener.

Tomorrow my hubby and I are going to join weight watchers, and take it one day at a time. I'm hoping all the new medications I'm on will not work against me in trying to lose weight.

So no resolutions this year, just going to try my best to live a better, healthier life!

Happy New Year!!!