As Always, "Shi*" Happens, and it if will happen it will be me... 3 strikes are enough for sure, home repair, chronic illness, expenses rise, and benefits fall....

Well of course when it "rains it pours with me"... first it was the ceiling fan in the living room, of which is still sitting in my back bedroom not put up yet, then the dryer goes out and I STILL do NOT have MY new washer and dryer... they were going to bring them yesterday BUT I've felt like heck now for about 3 or 4 days, a BAD, BAD HEADACHE, a very, very nauseated stomach, and I've just not felt well at all. I STILL did not sleep last night, and I woke up with my head still hurting and my fingers are so bad with the eczema or whatever is wrong with them, that they are bleeding cracked, and then at night they swell, and throb so badly it wakes me up...

they really got bad after the colder weather hit... anyway, I just about got our decorations all on the tree, in fact I took pics but I don't think I even put them up here yet., so yesterday I was getting out of my HUGE HONKIN TUB as I call it, in fact I will post a pic of it, I found one just exactly like it a bit ago... anyway, I looked up at one of the side panels and thought I saw a "crack" in it! I was like it can't be... there is no "strain" on the 3 back panels, and I am the only one in it, unless I give the pups a bath, and then when I got to looking there were 2 in one panel and then on the other side I saw a crack in it! Now I bought that tub in 2006, several months after we moved in. When we did all of the remodeling, made the bathroom larger, put in new plumbing, electrical and lots of other work to the house, I ordered that tub... and it came in in about 5 huge crates, and we actually put it in ourselves. 

So, I got to thinking about it, and the 

ONLY thing I could come up 

with is that the panes of glass that enclose it are HEAVY!!! There are the two that slide, but then on each side, there is also panes... so that is a great deal of weight on those two panels over the years, especially with the two sliding back and forth to open and close it, and then like I said they are very heavy. Other than that I could see if it was in a bottom, or bottom side of the tub itself but it just does not make sense for cracks to be on those side panels... Anyway, I am going to silicone them for now, because about 3 months ago,

I began to notice the closets, and one of them opens into the back of that shower, and we have it where we can take a piece of the back of the closet down and see all the plumbing and electrical for the shower, I began to notice some kind of "odor"... well I know due to the humidity here in TX anyway, then the heat of the summer especially, it can get kind of a musty smell, and I keep stuff in the closets to absorb moisture, and change it frequently due to the moisture from the tub also... and I have to wonder now, if those small cracks are beginning to cause a bit of a seep from them, and that maybe causing that musty smell, if so, I don't know of a thing to do, but take out that shower, and put a smaller, just walk in shower with a bench for me...

I knew someday it may come to me having to do something else, because of the hip fractures, all of my joint surgeries and so forth, it can be a bit slippery now getting in and out of this particular type of shower, sauna/tub ... I pray it waits though after the mess with NOT getting the guy to finish my house outside, and taking all of that money, now the washer and dryer, the ceiling fan, and last night dammit, I was washing my crock pot and it slipped and knocked a piece out of the handle of it... It is not inside anywhere and I glued the piece back on, but I doubt it holds long, and my crock pot is one of my most used items in my kitchen almost! So, when it rains it pours as I said... I HOPE "Murphy's Law" leaves me alone for a while, I am going broke with things BREAKING! Below is the exact one I have...

An Herbal Green Tea - Matcha that I found very interesting as well as "tastes" good to me also, antioxidants, concentration benefits, help with immunity and so forth...

I usually am not one to "push" a product... but a couple of days ago I was in the market, and looking for some "herbal tea" to drink hot during the winter. I have tried all kinds and some of them are just not "tasty" for me... so I found this "Matcha" tea, and this happened to be Lipton Brand but I am sure buying some of the other brands that deal in the herbal tea's may be "better"... but this one is a "green tea" that is grown a very certain way and the "monks" used it and I am sure many still do... it is supposed to create "focus" and concentration, and it is really interesting... 

when I read just what bit was on the box, and then came home to look it up, I am really kind of "anxious" to see if it has some of the qualities that I've read about... it has MAJOR antioxidants, and I am including a page, out of many I found through just a search about some of those qualities. Now whether buying the "loose tea leaves" would be better, I have no clue, but I tried it this morning and I also really LIKED the taste of it... 

so that is a plus for me, and I am NOT a huge coffee drinker, and after about a cup if that much, I am really unable to drink much coffee... so this really helps to give me another choice that is "warm" during the cold months, PLUS if it gives more FOCUS, I NEED TO DRINK GALLON OF IT A DAY! :)

AND then the other "health benefits" are really many... so it is called "Matcha Green Tea" and I hope you find the story about it as interesting as I did....

https://www.healthline.com/nutriti…/7-benefits-of-matcha-tea

https://www.eater.com/…/everything-you-need-to-know-about-m…

*by the way the 1st one I posted was of course also "selling" it, so I've tried to find a couple of places that talk about the "tea" rather than trying to sell it to you....

I am NOT "pushing" any "one" brand, I just happened to have found it locally by Lipton, so that is what I bought. I wanted to find out more before I decided to feel like I needed it form some type of opinion and decide how I liked the taste before seeing if a "more expensive" or different brand would be any better. 

Is there a way to "combine" all of "Life & Stresses" & also "stay somewhat healthy, especially with chronic health issues and chronic pain problems

I've been it seems almost "lost" this entire year of 2017. It seems the "less" I think I may have to do and take care of, the MORE I find is "hitting me" in my pocket book, with my health, and in my trials of getting back to the basics. Which for me is my blog, my social media in some ways, and in my writing...


My blog, as well as my writing, and posts in Facebook, Twitter, my daily newspaper, and so forth are "crucial" I feel to keep myself "out there" working somehow on them, yet between doctor's visits, tests, health problems that arise suddenly, trying to recover from an extremely complicated cervical neck surgery from last April, I feel as if I am "drowning" and treading water to keep afloat.

After last year about this time, the tragedy of my fall that led to 2 fractures of my right hip, a total of 31 days of surgery and inpatient physical therapy to be able to walk on it, and then months of recuperating at home, I felt like most of my year has been taken over once again by my own health issues.

In 2016, when Mom became suddenly so ill, with Lewy Bodies Dementia, and I spent all of that year taking care of her, then her passing away a year ago in July, that things although never being the same may "calm" down somewhat where I could get more quality time in to my own projects, from this blog, to more advocacy work, to getting down to truly finishing and having my 3rd book published. Once again I feel as if I have "failed" myself, and in many ways failed my readers.

It was a great loss of my Mom, and then after I fell and spent so much time as an inpatient, and the loss of my dear sweet "Bub's" loss, because he "mourned" himself to death because of me not able to be home.

I swore that night he laid in my bed with my at the rehab hospital never again would I allow anything to "part me" from my fur babies. They will be able to come and see my as they should if again I cannot be home with them.

I am so fortunate to have Peanut, who was so little at the time, and now my sweet, sweet Bella Doxie, who just turned 4 months old on the 2nd of this month and the both of them are the LIGHTS in my heart and life that give me the courage to get up each morning and try to "seize" the day ahead. Yet I have now such a fear of losing one of them, or something happening to me, that I am in fear on some days, just leaving to run errands or pick up things from the market.

I've been fighting my own battle about this ordeal over the Opioid Issues. I was in a "meeting" online and on the phone last night with one of my advocacy groups about that subject. The thing I found interesting is that there were many questions being added to the list as we listened to the speaker, yet one of my POST QUESTIONS was the very 1st that was brought up.

How do you "try and avoid Opioid therapy" for a person who has "multiple health problems"? For instance, take my example. I have osteoarthritis, RA, Lupus, Osteoporosis, Chronic issues of degeneration in my neck and lumbar spine. I've had 2 heart attacks, MULTIPLE SURGERIES especially JOINT surgeries, & I STILL have chronic pain daily. Now of course, I try to do other things to help the pain, that is why the surgeries rather than allowing joints to become totally incapacitating, but hernia surgery, bladder surgery, my neck that now is so "eaten away" by osteoporosis that I face a "total fusion" with "equipment" IF the GRAFTS do not Heal and harden the way they should,

I have to be diligent in taking my other medications for some of the health problems, for my heart, for the Lupus, for the RA, for the osteoporosis, then there are meds for the other health related problems I have. YET, due to "some" of my health issues, I am NOT able to take NAIDS for instance. I have severe GERD plus after a heart attack, you should not use NSAIDS.

I do my exercises, I am NOT one to sit around and cry, whine, and be "still" just because I hurt. But, I do also know that some of the "other forms of ways to help chronic pain" would cause  me to have further problems, and/or pain

I've tried just about any and every other type of "chronic pain" alternatives there are. I've been through injections into my spine and joints, I've had one hand repaired my carpal tunnel, many of the surgeries were to "repair" issues that were causing me pain. But PT, (Physical Therapy) has really never worked much for me, other than with the hip fracture, always made me hurt worse, than before I had the PT. I've had my occipital nerves in my neck injected for migraines.  And I have to say, Yoga, Tai Chi, Chiropractic techniques, other forms of stretching, exercises, swimming, and acupuncture WORK for some people!

But, when you have a "complicated complex patient" that has several different problems that can cause severe daily chronic pain, most of us do have to have some type of Opioid medication in order for us to "live our lives with some kind of quality"..

I've used that phrase often since I began my quest for answers about chronic pain, "quality of life".... and when I look back to just not that many years ago, even when I was in my teen's... and as far back as I can recall... Even "Adults" in my family and surroundings in my home town were not "plagued" with the severe illnesses and chronic severity of pain, that so MANY of us NOW have to live with!

I've questioned that now for a long while... "Why"?? is it that many of the horrible illnesses we see now, just were extremely "rare"... you didn't hear of so many with Lupus, RA, or the other number of autoimmune illnesses. Fibromyalgia is yet another that was very rare.

What was it about their lives back then that either kept them "healthier", or led them to "not endure pain" like many these days'.. was it diet, was it because they did work harder physically and less sitting around and enduring the mental hardships of computers, and complicated times we live in now? Is it because they grew much of their own food, they ate many things that we would consider "bad" for us today, they grew their own "animals", most of their grains, or bought them locally from a small grocer, they had milk from their own cows, that they made cottage cheese, or other milk products with, they had "fresh" eggs, and then chickens that were not full of hormones or other things to cause them to "produce or grow quicker".... everything was more of a natural stance. From the clothing they made from flour sacks, to the corn, cotton, plums, peaches, tomatoes, and other vegetables they grew. They had hogs they killed and cows... nothing or very little came from a "store" or from "mass production".., and the LAND at that time was not COVERED IN CONCRETE AND GLASS... plastic was probably very rare... there were few "cars" and they walked to the town, or doctor if there was one, or the doctor made a house call if he could. Medications were not all that "manufactured" but they used natural things, what we now call "home remedies" or old "folk remedies"... well those remedies kept them living, and not experiencing the cancers, and afflictions we see in this day and age.

As I sum this post up, I would call it a time that life was more simple, not complex, you had what you had, and were happy with it.... you didn't try to life "above and beyond" their means, and the neighbors a mile or two away, were good neighbors, that helped in the fields, helped build barns, and houses.... and when you had an orange, apple, and a small toy in your stocking for Christmas morning, life was GOOD!!!!!!

Check out my Daily Newspaper for the latest articles on Chronic Pain, Autoimmune Illnesses, such as Lupus, RA, & joint issues, plus many more "health related" information!

This is just one article from today's addition, and I have discussed this several times over the years, even my Mom used to say before she passed away last year, she did not know people could go and withstand the types of chronic pain she saw myself and many others go through....

 

http://www.clinicalpainadvisor.com/chronic-pain/suicide-attempts-in-chronic-pain/article/697827/

Here is the Latest Addition of my Newspaper for today Friday 24th, 2017

http://news.autoimmunearthriticsystemiclife.com/#/

Life Chronic Pain Autoimmune Systemic Diseases & Dementia

Wishing All A Happy, Safe, Love Filled, Thanksgiving!

I wish everyone a very Happy, (Safe) if you are driving, Cheerful and thanksgiving full of family, friends, and finding what things in your life you are
 

 

Grateful and Thankful for. Although like some of you, it will be myself, Bella Doxie and Peanut, my daughters family can't make it up this time, and my son is preparing to start a new job, training next week so I won't get to see them. But, I am "thankful" and blessed to have my two grown children, my Grandsons and Granddaughter, A wonderful Son-In-Law, and I am full of joy with my 2 "Little Devils but they are my Best Friends" the two fur-babies, and am Happy to be able to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to ALL of my "ONLINE FRIENDS"... 

 

so there are things to be thankful for on this day.... I will be reflecting on the past memories of Thanksgiving with my Aunts and Uncles, and Grandparents, and all of the cousins... and how the holidays were so filled with cheer, food, and laughter.... love all around... and wish all a continued "Hope" surrounding you....

 

 

"A Kind & Thoughtful Gesture" that is my "Blessing" for this Thanksgiving Holiday

A little something that was really "huge" to me yesterday. I had gone to "Wally World" to pick up a couple of things, and pick up the HUGE 22 INCH pot planter for my HUGE FERN! It had came in (I had to order it in order to even get one this time of year) so I came home, and I had that HUGE box it was in, 2 gallons of water for the pups, (I by them the filtered water or sometimes the spring water, I HATE the smell of "chlorine" in our tap water, and then I had some pipe wraps, and a bag of potting soil, and now I am OUT and did not quite have enough, even though I had THREE bags, and I still need a little bit for the fern itself...

and then a couple of things as far as groceries. So, I go out, get the potting soil from outside, and the wind is blowing like a "son of a gun"..LOL... but I got home, and as I started to get things out of the car, I heard a car pull up behind me, and thought it was the neighbors that  "kind of share" a driveway... anyway, so a woman's voice said "Maam"" and I almost jumped out of my skin, I was so busy getting things out of the car, and she said "We have some zucchini squash, some melons, and some banana's left over from the "Food Bank"....

if you would like some come back here and get what you want, well of course I did, WE eat LOTS OF FRESH FRUIT, and it is EXPENSIVE!!! I feed the pups some, they love apples, and melons, and just about all of it that I can give them that is okay for them to eat, and the zucchini, they were awesome and fresh looking, so she gave me several and I said that is plenty, but I will make bread out of some of it, and then a casserole out of some of it, and then the banana's were even "organic" which is not a real thing for me, but they were so "fresh" they were even "too green" for me to eat, and I love them on the green side... and then the cantalope looked good.


 I was so THANKFUL BECAUSE I was running LOW on fruit anyway, and the idea that she made a special trip around the neighbor offering it to those who would like some, and honestly as HIGH as groceries are now, even it just being me, because I try to buy as "healthy" as I can, my grocery bill is expensive.... so she told me "God Bless me" as I told her I was so thankful to get all of it, and I thought to myself, just a day or two ago, I got a letter in the mail from the "Meals on Wheels" folks... and I wanted to send something in, because I know that it helps LOTS of elderly people or those who can't get out of the house or don't have relatives, even if you have had a surgery and can't get out they will deliver you a hot meal...

but I couldn't "afford" the donation they asked for so I sent about half of what they were wanting, and put a note in there, that I always wanted to try and support them, but me being alone and living off my social security, I wanted to give what I could to help... so I felt like although it was not as much as I wished I could have given, that it almost "came back around to me" from the food bank and that kind lady who stopped by to ask if I wanted some... we STILL have those who are "amazing" in this nation... although we must deal with so many "mean people" we have those that give their all to help, and for me that was the best 'THANKSGIVING" BLESSING I could have gotten.....

Pain News Netowrk and & CONGRESS, DEA and governement STILL CAUSING GRIEF TO CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS!

ALL OF THE STORIES BELOW THROUGH THE PAIN NEWS NETWORK! BARBY INGLE ONE OF OUR HUGE VOICES FOR CHRONIC PAIN HAS PENNED ONE OF THESE ARTICLES ALONG WITH SEVERAL VERY GOOD COLUMNISTS.... STAND UP AND NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN - THIS IS INSANITY!!! THE MAJORITY OF TRUE CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS ARE NOT "ADDICTS" AND DO NOT GET THEIR MEDICATIONS ILLEGALLY OR USE ILLEGAL DRUGS SUCH AS HEROIN!!!

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2017/11/12/managing-your-emotions-while-living-with-chronic-pain

DEA Cutting Rx Opioid Supply in 2018

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2017/11/10/dea-cutting-rx-opioid-supply-in-2018

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2017/11/3/fda-may-require-opioids-be-packaged-in-blister-packs

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2017/11/6/3-reasons-the-opioid-crisis-is-getting-worse

Diatomaceous Earth - "A Natural Health Benefit for yourself, your pets and a cleaner home... You Decide but here is some information on it!

Diatomaceous Earth Health Benefits for Humans, Pets, Natural Pest Remover, & Way to Make Your Home Healthier.   their links that talk more in depth about this amazing (natural) product, even to aid in the symptoms of "Leaky gut", Autoimmune illness symptoms, IBS, Colon Issues, and to 

 

Cleanse the body....
 https://richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp   


 https://diatomaceous.org/ 

(by the way I am NOT "promoting" any of these sites as far as them "selling" this... I happened to have been researching it, so I've looked at many websites, some of those who may "sell" this product, and others that have lots of information on it... by the way the ONLY type of Diatomaceous Earth that is "FOOD GRADE" would be the one you would want to try for you, or your animals etc... 

there are other "grades" and they are used for other issues, but the "Food Grade" type can also be used as a Natural bug killer, and still be "consumed" by humans and so forth... so I am not saying "yeah" "try this"   I just bought mine and it came in from the big "Amazon" (but I buy LOTS of my things there) so it didn't come from any other site... and you do your own research to decide if this is something you may want to try .... speak to your doctor (which some may say sure, but since it is NOT making LOTS of big "Pharma" money, probably many "professionals" may say "nope"... so you do your own thinking and research..

3 Reasons the Opioid Crisis is Getting Worse!

This is such a great article and SPEAKS MY MIND EXACTLY! "chronically ill pain patients" are NOT the ones causing the issues for the most part, those that use ILLEGAL DRUGS, OR GET THEM ILLEGALLY, are the problems.... and it's not fair for us that DO what we are supposed to, get "dinged" for those that are the ones who are abusers!

 

3 Reasons the Opioid Crisis is Getting Worse: By Roger Chriss, Columnist The opioid crisis is now a public health emergency. The CDC reports increasing rates of fentanyl overdoses.  And The Economist warns the crisis is entering “a new and deadlier phase.”

Trying to "find a new path" and Easier "lifestyle" for me, because i simply am not able to do all the stuff around my house I need to...

Lots going on, and much of it to do with my house, the lease on my car, and trying to "cut down" on my stress level, on my expenses, and get myself where I can spend more of my time doing the things I want to do, rather than drive myself insane with worry over "fixing" something every week at my house, and my own health, and pouring money into it that it is getting out of hand..

I never thought I would "want to live" in an apartment agai, BUT with the ways things are, the expenses of trying to keep a house "together", painting, roofs, inside work, floors, putting walls up in the laundry room, MANY trees that either need to be cut down or trimmed, and more.., the list is endless, and I have to face the fact I can no longer, "hang ceiling fans" and stand on a ladder to paint, or buff hardwood floors, fix a dryer again that has gone out, try to "fix" what the "scam artist" made a mess of with the repair and paint "job" he was "supposed to do on the outside of my house, and again, everyday there seems to be more, that keeps me away from my writing, my blog, my advocacy work, spending time doing the things I "want" to do, rather than a never ending realm of "repairs"..... so after the holidays, I am selling my home, and moving probably closer to my daughter around the Corpus Christi area, in an apartment, where I am no longer having to do ALL OF THE UPKEEP, MAINTENANCE, AND EXPENSE OF LAWNS, AND SUCH!!!


Well Hell, Just AS I THOUGHT! The dryer had the thermostat for some reason "short out" I think by the looks of it... so it (I can see) it "burned one of the tiny connections on the heating element... the element looks "okay" but with that piece damaged, I didn't take a chance. I ordered the ENTIRE ORDEAL, thermostat, the thermo fuse, heating element, and then the wires that go onto the thermostat and heating element. This is just about what happened before. I looked it up and it was in mid 2013 that we replaced all of that before. 

Thank goodness for AMAZON and keeping up with orders. I could go back and see exactly what I ordered then and so I knew exactly what I needed!!! It does piss me off that in 4 years it has gone out again, BUT when I MOVE, if the apartment does NOT have a washer and dryer, I am leaving mine to go with the house, or selling them and will buy a new washer and dryer. I bought them 2005, or early 2006 when we first moved back to Ennis, so they have served their purpose. We did have to replace the parts before 4 years ago just like this in the dryer and then I know there was also the front "button" in the door that broke, and we replaced that, and I "think" something on the washer had also gone bad at one time and we replaced it also.,, SO ON THIS DREARY VERY COOL, RAINY CRAPPY DAY, I'VE been pulling the back off my dryer in that very TINY damned laundry room that has NO light worth a damned, so I was trying to hold the flashlight and the the damned hex screws loose from the back of the dryer, LOL..."Tis done and I've put the order in for the parts, which will come in on Friday! But, of course I may not get them early enough to put it back together until Saturday... 

I was SUPPOSED TO ONCE AGAIN GO TO THE CASINO ON SUNDAY! But, now I am not sure if I will, Bella has surgery next Wednesday bless her little heart...I had to postpone it from this past Monday, I've been under the weather with a headache, sore throat, very hoarse, and my right shoulder and elbow are about to drive me nuts. I guess I've been using it painting outside and putting down that edging that I have to use a rubber mallet to drive the stakes into the ground that hold that edging down... plus cut more tree branches down and still need many more. but today I "think" I am just about through for the day..., I got up again very, very early and didn't sleep worth a damned, and I am exhausted honestly..  it seems to be non stop worry over this house, the yard, how many trees need to either be trimmed or cut down, and I am just no longer able to do even with the "cordless" mower, weed eater, chain saw, and so on...

If my neck and shoulder specialist "knew" what I've been doing he would probably have a cow! I am really taking a chance with much of what I have been having to do myself, between the hip fractures last year in December to the 4 month ordeal getting over neck surgery this past April, along with my lower back, now the shoulder that has been replaced and that elbow on the right side just giving me hell with pain, and the weather does NOT help for sure...,

I "PROMISE" to get back TO YOU GUYS, MY READERS, AND THOSE THAT FOLLOW MY BLOG, MY NEWSPAPER, MY FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND SO FORTH... AS SOON AS I AM OUT OF THE HOUSE, IT'S SOLD, AND I AM SETTLED INTO AN APARTMENT, MY HOPES ARE THAT I CAN ONCE AGAIN FOCUS ON THE THINGS I WANT TO DO, BLOG, WRITER, BE WITH MY TWO FUR BABIES, AND SPEND MORE TIME ON MY ADVOCACY WORK!!!!