I'm Back!

Hello all,

I know it's been awhile, but I just got really lazy this summer and decided to take a computer break.  I actually had a great summer.  First summer in years where neither my hubby nor I ended up in the hospital for some kind of illness or surgery.

Our summer started with a whirlwind trip to East Coast for Memorial Weekend.  We actually went for a 30th birthday party for a girl I worked with one on one for 2 years when she was in elementary school.  I taught her life skills and she became a very important child in my life.  She taught me patience and tolerance, and I thank her for making me the teacher I am today.  Her birthday was a very special one because she only had a life expectancy of 25 years.

Her parents threw her a major party at the Baltimore Orioles stadium.  Since we were going for her birthday, my hubby and I decided to make it a family vacation.  My oldest was born in Columbia, MD and we wanted him to see where he spent the first 2 years of his life.  My youngest is a history buff, so we spent a day in DC, and then we all decided that a quick trip to NYC was in order.  I was exhausted by the time we got home and had to take an extra day off to sleep.  I was able to keep my fibro pain at bay with a lot of pain medication.  I hurt, but I wanted to make new memories for my boys.

We went to AZ in July to visit my brother and his family.  We spent a week there celebrating both the 4th of July and my birthday.  We went kayaking one day, and I actually managed pretty well.  I couldn't move my arms the next day, but well worth the pain.  Both my boys and hubby also had a blast kayaking.

I spent the rest of the summer just hanging out with my youngest.  We chilled, went to the movies, and just enjoyed our summer.  I hardly saw my oldest because he was always out with his boyfriend.  Now that school is starting and he has a job, we might see him every once in awhile.  Luckily for him we love his boyfriend, and they come and hang out at the house when they're broke.

I went back to work on Monday the 18th.  Trainings and getting my room back in order was exhausting, but I look forward to meeting my new 5th graders and having another fun year.

Finally, I went and got my hair done for the new school year.  Last year I went with purple highlights.  This year I decided to add purple and teal highlights.  I love my new color.  It makes me happy!

Last August

Anyway, hope every one is doing fine and the pain is manageable.  I hope everyone enjoyed their summer as much as I did.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

15 Days of Rest!

I am finally off for our winter break.  I don't have to go back to work until January 6th! Going to spend the next 2 weeks enjoying time with my boys and my hubby. I will not stress over the holidays like I did for Thanksgiving and end up in a major flare.

My hubby and my youngest went out and bought a monster tree for Christmas (13ft. Noble Fir).  It's finally up and the tree and house are decorated.  My hubby decorated the house yesterday during his day off so I wouldn't have to do it.  We all decorated the tree Thursday night.

I've decided that we will go to Christmas Eve service and then to my cousin's house for her annual Christmas Eve party.  Christmas Day will be spent at home with my guys.  I've invited my parents to come over and join us for breakfast and the opening of the gifts.  My mom is upset with me because I don't want to have a bigger family gathering and has said she will not be coming over.  She tried to give me guilt by saying "it's time to start your own family traditions."

I refused to be guilted into doing something I don't feel up to doing and told her the invitation was still on the table for her and my dad.  I also told my dad.  Whether they show up or not is entirely up to them.

 I'm going to enjoy my Christmas Break and rest up for the second half of the school year.  The second half is always the craziest because of statewide testing.

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 Get Up and Go has Got Up and Went!

This is definitely me!

My body has been in flare up mode ever since the rainy week we had.  It's been almost 3 weeks and the pain seems to be getting worse not better.  I feel bad because I'm conserving what energy I have to make it to work everyday.  Anyone who teaches can tell you that it is not a sit around and relax kind of job.  I get home so exhausted and in so much pain that I just change into my jammies and climb into bed.

Luckily for me I have the best hubby in the world.  He knows I'm hurting and he takes care of me and the boys.  I know it hard for him sometimes having to be the one that takes care of everything, and I feel guilty that I have to rely on him so much. 

The problem is, that I don't have the energy to do anything with him or the boys on weekends.  My feet, back, shoulders, and head hurt so much that I just want to sleep my weekends away.  My parents don't understand what I'm feeling.  My mother is constantly at me to just get up and deal with the pain.  My dad thinks the solution is to just get on the treadmill and everything will be alright! I know my boys wish I could do more with them, but they know how much I hurt.

I have an appointment to see my rheumatologist in 2 weeks, and I'm going to ask him to refer me to a local physical therapy place that deals with fibro.  They have aqua therapy, massage therapy, plus exercises and yoga.  I'm hoping that they will help with some of my pain issues.  It might also be time to adjust or change my medications.  I have hydrocodone for when the pain gets to the unbearable stage, but I try not to use it that often.  I have an addictive personality, and the last thing I need is to become addicted to pain killers.

So for now I will rest and recover and ignore my parents (I know they love me and mean well).  I will continue to lean on my best friend and hope that I don't end up pushing him to his breaking point.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Grown Up Time!

I'm feeling good this weekend, only have a few aches and pains, and the hubby and I are going out tonight!  It's my aunts birthday this week, and we are celebrating by going out to dinner and then to the local comedy club with her and her hubby and my parents.  It's so nice having an 18 year old who can take care of his 9 year old brother so we can have a night out.  This is one good reason for having children so far apart in age. 

I'm going to spend the day relaxing and resting.  I don't want to do anything that is going to prevent me from going out tonight.  I have been looking forward to this all week.  I know my aunt is going to be resting also since she is a fellow fibro warrior.  I know she's been hurting a lot lately because of our crazy weather.

On a totally different note, I developed a new symptom yesterday.  We were having professional development in the gym (which is really hot and humid because of the swamp coolers), and my principal decided to be nice by bringing in fans to cool us down.  Well he set up one of the fans right behind me which felt great at first.  About 30 minutes later, my shoulder really started to ache.  Thirty minutes after that it really started to hurt.  I've never had pain due to temperature changes.  I hope this isn't something that is going to start affecting me all the time.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Gentle With Myself-Positive Affirmations-art by RobynNola.com and music ...

I saw this on my friend Terri's blog and thought I would share it on my blog. This is such a beautiful video and great for relaxing and getting out of your own head for a few minutes. Enjoy!





Gentle Hugs, Bonnie

Happy, Exhausted and In Pain!

Well I survived my first official week back at work.  It was great catching up with my friends and colleagues, I went to some great inservice trainings, and I finished setting up my classroom.  I am ready to receive students on Monday, and have at least the first 3 days planned out.  I'm planning on using the weekend to finish planning for at least the next 2 weeks.

Today was a very busy day! I got to work this morning and walked to my classroom.  I realized when I got to my room and was breathing heavily that I had forgotten to use my inhaler before leaving home this morning.  Luckily for me I keep an extra inhaler in my backpack, so I used it right away and sat down for about 5 minutes and was ready to go again.

I spent a lot of time it seemed running back and forth from my room to the workroom or office.  Our building isn't huge, but it isn't small either.  My room is located at the end of the second hall in a 3 hall building.  I wear a pedometer every day, and today I managed to log in 3.21 miles.  This was just in my building and in my classroom.  Needless to say, my feet are bothering me again.  My back hurts, and I have a monster headache.  To make matters worse, it's supposed to rain tonight so the rest of my body is starting to feel achy!

Regardless of the pain and exhaustion, I'm extremely excited for the first day of school on Monday.  I have missed teaching and can't wait to have students again.  I will not let the Fibro dampen my spirits! I will rest up this weekend and will be raring to go come Monday!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Not Always That Easy

I regularly get email updates from WebMD.  Depending on the title, I either delete it quickly or take a few minutes to read.  I got this email today:

12 Tips for Coping with Fibromyalgia

After reading this, my first thought was "Duh!"  Then I thought to myself "I really know I should be doing these things, but it's not always that easy!"  Let me break it down:

1. De-Stress: I'm married and have 2 sons! One son is looking for a job and getting ready to start college (stressed about the cost), the other son is obsessed with learning how to do tricks on his bike (emergency room anyone?).  I'm a teacher in a state that is big on assessments (nope, no stress there)!

2. Jot it Down: We all know about Fibro Fog. I try to jot things down, but then I forget what I wanted to jot down. I guess I could carry a small notebook around all the time.

3.  Exercise Regularly: No excuse, I just hate exercise! Guess I could dust off the treadmill and quit using it as a clothes hanger!

4. Do some serious soaking: This I can do, but I have to lock all doors to keep the children out (they always need something or want to talk when I want alone time, other than that they usually ignore me).

5. Reach for Decaf:  How about half and half? I really do like my morning coffee, and it's the only time I get any caffeine at all.

6.  Take some me time every day: see #4!

7.  Make Work Life Better:  Flexible planning? Hello? Teacher!

8.  Talk about it!: I definitely do this (my poor hubby)! Thank goodness for blogging!

9.  Just say NO!: This is hard when you get guilt from the person asking.  I'm getting better at it though!

10. Make Your Bedroom a Sleep Sanctuary: I like my TV and computer time! I don't know if I can give this up. Will have to sleep on it!

11. Keep a Daily Journal: Does blogging count?

12.  Join a Support Group: There are none in my city, and when I tried to start my own the only people who showed up were my family! After 4 months of this I gave up!

So, there you have it! 12 Tips for Coping! How do you do when it comes to this list?

Gentle Hugs!