"Through my heart's work of writing, I share with you my complex journey a top the mountain, sliding down, crawling up, & living through the realms of Autoimmune Arthritic Illnesses. Taming "The Wolf" Thru each Day... One Step at a Time … Together We Are Learning to Survive. Please follow along, to New Beginnings - looking Thru the Window Pane of Pain in life where we shall find our journey leading us to - New Perspectives
Saturday, February 27, 2016
NERVEmber and IPF! Have YOUR Voices Heard about Chronic Pain!
The NERVEmber 2016 committee has been created and the 2016 director is Rachel Smith. *\O/*
Friday, February 26, 2016
National Pain Report and President Obama Speaking Up for Those in "Real Pain"
This is exactly the type of support we need! Great News and Thank you President Obama for addressing that our pain is "REAL"!
Please spread this link on to everyone you can. We NEED support like this to fight back against those who don't believe our pain is "real" and that we "need" our medications to be able to have some type of normal in our lives!
Please spread this link on to everyone you can. We NEED support like this to fight back against those who don't believe our pain is "real" and that we "need" our medications to be able to have some type of normal in our lives!
Thank YOU President Obama for your words about this devastating illness often "invisible" yet very REAL!
The Latest Daily Addition of my newspaper "All Things Autoimmune".... For Friday morning February 26th....
The Newest Addition of my Daily Newspaper "All Things Autoimmune" from Chronic Pain and the possibility of Yoga and mindfulness & the Science it, to Green Tea helping Ra (a possibility) a great deal of new information for all of you! Interesting, I drink green tea usually iced especially in the Spring and Summer months, plus I have taken a green tea supplement for years, but more for helping "weight control" due to it's boosting of your digestive system, plus new information from the CDC about about effective the flu vaccine is....
I put my newspaper out daily, and usually I update it and put it out twice daily. The subjects that I usually put out there are things about Lupus, RA, and autoimmune illnesses, BUT, there are also many articles about chronic pain, our environment, about technology, the latest in medical science and its technology and more. So, there is something for everyone in most additions...please check it out and I will post a link daily here for everyone!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Eldery parents,caretakers,your own illnesses,surgery,family matters, Humana and insurance,doctors offices and issues, and more...
Life is not always BED OF ROSES... but I would settle for a few soft petals for now...
I am so excited - My NEW CORDLESS Weed Eater Came in yesterday! No more trying to pull those heavy cords around the yard, and I can take this out into the "back forty" also. Plus it is really almost lighter in weight than the corded one, and certainly lighter than the "gas" one. I can't weed eat for any long length of time, but I did discover, as long as I take it slow, and take breaks fairly quickly in between, then I can do lots with it. I can't start my darned lawnmower, because I do not have enough strength in my arms anymore to pull it quickly enough for it to start. It sucks, because I just put almost everything new on it last summer. I put the new pull cord device on it, a new air filter, changed the oil, a new spark plug, and fixed the "baffle" on it that deflects the grass. So, I am hoping my neighbor who used to mow the lawn will still do so, and he can see if i did a good job in the "overhaul" I guess when it plays out on me, I may have to get one that is "push button" for starting or something. I no longer can pull the cord quickly enough to start those kind. Anyway, right now I hope "nothing else" breaks or needs replacing around here.
I've got the surgery to pay for, a doctors visit tomorrow that will have to be paid in full right now by me... he is my PCP and the ONLY doctor NOT on my "preferred provider list"... Hopefully since Aetna bought Humana, (they are on Aetna's plan) finally it will come together and they also will be on Humana's also... it is so odd, Humana used to carry them as a preferred provider for years.... anyway, I am having HELL with the surgeon's assistant that is doing my neck surgery. I go through hell with them on insurance every time... I FOUND THEM AND CALLED NOW 3 TIMES to make sure his clinic is on the "preferred provider list"... and I have seen it and they told me AGAIN ON THE PHONE YESTERDAY, that they are on Humana's "preferred providers list".... BUT the doctors office said the insurance said that they are not... well the issue is they have it listed under their "clinic name" which Humana tells me that means "the doctor" is covered... and I even got a special number on the phone yesterday as a confirmation that he is a preferred provider that I faxed to the doctors office... anyway, I have a 750.00 deductible on any "non preferred" provider then the insurance will pay 60% of the bill anyway, and then I pay 40%... so if it comes down to it, once that 750 is met, I would owe 40% of whatever, office visits, etc... and sometimes that 40% is actually "cheaper" than the co-pay which now is 20.00 for a PCP and a specialist is 45.00 in co-pay.... anyway, between that, trying to get Mom all figured out as far as her medications, and so forth, making sure I have someone to get me back and forth to the surgery next week on my neck and I think my son will be able to, he has to check with his work, then I will be in a neck brace for about 4 to 6 weeks...
I will be able to drive after a week or so, but being in that neck brace makes it a bit more difficult, plus my pain pump has to be refilled around the 18th or so.... gosh always something... I won't be able to bend over, so I will have to get "creative" in changing the dogs paper and feeding/watering them... the little one is so full of "pee and vinegar" as the old saying goes, LOL, I will have to be extra careful with him after surgery so he does not trip me, or make me do something to "injure" my neck for the first couple of weeks... anyway we have all of that going on, and some others things, with family going on... I think all of us are more stressed out than we can almost handle... keep your thoughts and prayers with all of us right now.... I know my family will appreciate it for sure...
My daughter and her family are under a great amount of stress due to jobs issues... things are so up in the air with the oil and has industry, and her husband, my son-in-law has worked with that type of thing now for over 10 years... yet with the extreme drop in oil and gas prices, of course it is taking a toll on so many of the companies that have anything to do with oil and gas right now... It is wonderful for us when we go to the gas station, but a nightmare for so many who may lose their jobs, and so forth. Talk about a double edged sword... so I have her and her family in my heart and am concerned for them, as I know this is a difficult time for them also. He does not really know from one day to the next if he will have a job with the company or not, and after having that security, benefits, insurance and so forth for over 10 years, that is difficult to deal with.
I am so excited - My NEW CORDLESS Weed Eater Came in yesterday! No more trying to pull those heavy cords around the yard, and I can take this out into the "back forty" also. Plus it is really almost lighter in weight than the corded one, and certainly lighter than the "gas" one. I can't weed eat for any long length of time, but I did discover, as long as I take it slow, and take breaks fairly quickly in between, then I can do lots with it. I can't start my darned lawnmower, because I do not have enough strength in my arms anymore to pull it quickly enough for it to start. It sucks, because I just put almost everything new on it last summer. I put the new pull cord device on it, a new air filter, changed the oil, a new spark plug, and fixed the "baffle" on it that deflects the grass. So, I am hoping my neighbor who used to mow the lawn will still do so, and he can see if i did a good job in the "overhaul" I guess when it plays out on me, I may have to get one that is "push button" for starting or something. I no longer can pull the cord quickly enough to start those kind. Anyway, right now I hope "nothing else" breaks or needs replacing around here.
I've got the surgery to pay for, a doctors visit tomorrow that will have to be paid in full right now by me... he is my PCP and the ONLY doctor NOT on my "preferred provider list"... Hopefully since Aetna bought Humana, (they are on Aetna's plan) finally it will come together and they also will be on Humana's also... it is so odd, Humana used to carry them as a preferred provider for years.... anyway, I am having HELL with the surgeon's assistant that is doing my neck surgery. I go through hell with them on insurance every time... I FOUND THEM AND CALLED NOW 3 TIMES to make sure his clinic is on the "preferred provider list"... and I have seen it and they told me AGAIN ON THE PHONE YESTERDAY, that they are on Humana's "preferred providers list".... BUT the doctors office said the insurance said that they are not... well the issue is they have it listed under their "clinic name" which Humana tells me that means "the doctor" is covered... and I even got a special number on the phone yesterday as a confirmation that he is a preferred provider that I faxed to the doctors office... anyway, I have a 750.00 deductible on any "non preferred" provider then the insurance will pay 60% of the bill anyway, and then I pay 40%... so if it comes down to it, once that 750 is met, I would owe 40% of whatever, office visits, etc... and sometimes that 40% is actually "cheaper" than the co-pay which now is 20.00 for a PCP and a specialist is 45.00 in co-pay.... anyway, between that, trying to get Mom all figured out as far as her medications, and so forth, making sure I have someone to get me back and forth to the surgery next week on my neck and I think my son will be able to, he has to check with his work, then I will be in a neck brace for about 4 to 6 weeks...
I will be able to drive after a week or so, but being in that neck brace makes it a bit more difficult, plus my pain pump has to be refilled around the 18th or so.... gosh always something... I won't be able to bend over, so I will have to get "creative" in changing the dogs paper and feeding/watering them... the little one is so full of "pee and vinegar" as the old saying goes, LOL, I will have to be extra careful with him after surgery so he does not trip me, or make me do something to "injure" my neck for the first couple of weeks... anyway we have all of that going on, and some others things, with family going on... I think all of us are more stressed out than we can almost handle... keep your thoughts and prayers with all of us right now.... I know my family will appreciate it for sure...
My daughter and her family are under a great amount of stress due to jobs issues... things are so up in the air with the oil and has industry, and her husband, my son-in-law has worked with that type of thing now for over 10 years... yet with the extreme drop in oil and gas prices, of course it is taking a toll on so many of the companies that have anything to do with oil and gas right now... It is wonderful for us when we go to the gas station, but a nightmare for so many who may lose their jobs, and so forth. Talk about a double edged sword... so I have her and her family in my heart and am concerned for them, as I know this is a difficult time for them also. He does not really know from one day to the next if he will have a job with the company or not, and after having that security, benefits, insurance and so forth for over 10 years, that is difficult to deal with.
Monday, February 22, 2016
A DATELINE EXCLUSIVE ABOUT SYNTHETIC DRUGS, AND HOW DEADLY THEY ARE.... I felt I needed to share this....
A DATELINE Exclusive from Sunday Night - "Synthetic Drugs that are Deadly"
I am not sure how many of you watch Dateline in the evenings. I usually don't but I had seen an advertisement last night watching the news "just before the unexpected thunderstorm rolled in and caused all hell to break lose at my house" LOL.... then later I did watch it, and it was about some teenagers in a small town in Missouri, all honor roll students, all had never really partied, drank, or did drugs... and one of the girls decided for some "odd" reason she wanted to try "LSD". She had just "aced" her ACT scores for college, and got what she thought was two small "squares" of LSD from a friend, who knew a friend... all of which thought it was LSD, and nothing else. Although the "dealer" KNEW it was one of the new "designer drugs" that were coming out of China, not regulated, some of them even the DEA were really not aware of, and they found their way into this high school. Well, it was NOT LSD, but something so powerful, with a "synthetic chemical" in it, that you cannot even handle a tiny square of it without gloves on, because it can soak into your skin and be deadly... and you can't tell from one "square" to the other how much of this "drug" is in them... none of it is regulated, or made in a "lab" like anything we know of... well the
Senior had a girl friend over, and (I thought it odd to think of them knowing much about LSD because you really don't hear of it much anymore) and her parents did not know that her and this other friend took each a square of this "drug".... one lived and the other DIED! It took awhile to track down through the pipeline of how she even got hold of this drug, but it was through some other kids at her school, none of which "sold drugs" or even did drugs, but did this as a favor for their friend... even though some of her best friends tried to talk her out of it... well, the parents and a younger girl left that morning, thinking the girls were sleeping in after being up late until they got a phone call from the other girls Mother. She had come over to pick up her daughter and here this other girl was not moving, no pulse, lips already blue.... and it is known that LSD in itself is usually NOT deadly... it may cause people to do stupid crap like jump off buildings etc... but not in itself kill people... anyway, it was some type of designer synthetic drug that NONE of the kids, parents or even the police dept or anyone who even heard of... and here it was in the kids high school.... it was a heartbreaking, but EYE opening story.... that can happen anywhere, in any town, large or small... I know the China has been stopped by the DEA of exporting MANY of these to the USA, and they have confiscated TONS of this cheaply MADE yet they make "millions" off of this stuff dealing it KNOWING IT CAN BE DEADLY!!!!! As I said, it truly was an eye opener... I've heard of a few "designer" drugs, but I had no clue either about how prevalent they are because they can be gotten to kids very easily, and are not costly like some of our other illegal drugs, even "pot" at times is known to be "laced" with this stuff... thus you think you are smoking it, and yet you are ingesting something deadly.....
Here is a link for more information.....
http://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/how-to-protect-your-teen-from-synthetic-drugs-626272835722
Here is one photo of what some of these can look like, but some are in packages, and I guess even sold in some stores across the US
Here is another link for more information:
http://www.crimestoppersatlanta.org/blog/2014/06/synthetic-drugs-what-they-are-and-how-they-can-harm-you/
I am not sure how many of you watch Dateline in the evenings. I usually don't but I had seen an advertisement last night watching the news "just before the unexpected thunderstorm rolled in and caused all hell to break lose at my house" LOL.... then later I did watch it, and it was about some teenagers in a small town in Missouri, all honor roll students, all had never really partied, drank, or did drugs... and one of the girls decided for some "odd" reason she wanted to try "LSD". She had just "aced" her ACT scores for college, and got what she thought was two small "squares" of LSD from a friend, who knew a friend... all of which thought it was LSD, and nothing else. Although the "dealer" KNEW it was one of the new "designer drugs" that were coming out of China, not regulated, some of them even the DEA were really not aware of, and they found their way into this high school. Well, it was NOT LSD, but something so powerful, with a "synthetic chemical" in it, that you cannot even handle a tiny square of it without gloves on, because it can soak into your skin and be deadly... and you can't tell from one "square" to the other how much of this "drug" is in them... none of it is regulated, or made in a "lab" like anything we know of... well the
Senior had a girl friend over, and (I thought it odd to think of them knowing much about LSD because you really don't hear of it much anymore) and her parents did not know that her and this other friend took each a square of this "drug".... one lived and the other DIED! It took awhile to track down through the pipeline of how she even got hold of this drug, but it was through some other kids at her school, none of which "sold drugs" or even did drugs, but did this as a favor for their friend... even though some of her best friends tried to talk her out of it... well, the parents and a younger girl left that morning, thinking the girls were sleeping in after being up late until they got a phone call from the other girls Mother. She had come over to pick up her daughter and here this other girl was not moving, no pulse, lips already blue.... and it is known that LSD in itself is usually NOT deadly... it may cause people to do stupid crap like jump off buildings etc... but not in itself kill people... anyway, it was some type of designer synthetic drug that NONE of the kids, parents or even the police dept or anyone who even heard of... and here it was in the kids high school.... it was a heartbreaking, but EYE opening story.... that can happen anywhere, in any town, large or small... I know the China has been stopped by the DEA of exporting MANY of these to the USA, and they have confiscated TONS of this cheaply MADE yet they make "millions" off of this stuff dealing it KNOWING IT CAN BE DEADLY!!!!! As I said, it truly was an eye opener... I've heard of a few "designer" drugs, but I had no clue either about how prevalent they are because they can be gotten to kids very easily, and are not costly like some of our other illegal drugs, even "pot" at times is known to be "laced" with this stuff... thus you think you are smoking it, and yet you are ingesting something deadly.....
Here is a link for more information.....
http://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/how-to-protect-your-teen-from-synthetic-drugs-626272835722
Here is one photo of what some of these can look like, but some are in packages, and I guess even sold in some stores across the US
Here is another link for more information:
http://www.crimestoppersatlanta.org/blog/2014/06/synthetic-drugs-what-they-are-and-how-they-can-harm-you/
And these can be sold a Gas Stations!
Friday, February 19, 2016
Arthritis Symposium in Dallas at Presbyterian Hospital Tomorrow Free Event!
I am thinking about going and for more information and/or to register, see this page!
The event is free, and a Campus Map is on the page also.
https://www.texashealth.org/dallas/event/arthritis-symposium-thd-art
The Arthritis Foundation and Arthritis Introspective - Two Creations as One to Give Us Advocates a "Voice" in Our local communities
This is only a tip of the total iceberg from a teleconference I attended last night, but I am totally thrilled about the idea!
The AF has teamed up with Arthritis Introspective to finally create ways "we" as advocates, and Ambassadors and so forth can have our own local community Outreach and Groups available for our towns and counties. I am totally thrilled about this idea and have wanted to do this now for years. So, now seems like the time to get involved in this.
Here is the link to the URL of the non-profit:
The AF has teamed up with Arthritis Introspective to finally create ways "we" as advocates, and Ambassadors and so forth can have our own local community Outreach and Groups available for our towns and counties. I am totally thrilled about this idea and have wanted to do this now for years. So, now seems like the time to get involved in this.
Here is the link to the URL of the non-profit:
They have a Facebook Page also:
I will be posting MUCH MUCH MORE ABOUT THIS OVER THE WEEKEND!
Thursday, February 18, 2016
I'm Kind of Out OF it these past couple of days...
Sorry gals and guys. I have been in kind of a "funky" mood, state of mind, whatever you want to call it this past couple of days. It's not any "one" thing I can put my finger on, just a lot of little things here and there that I have kind of had to "mull over" and have reminders of awesome stuff, like my Tazzy, and then "not so great stuff" that I will not even mention... plus some of my family have been having "stuff" in life go on also, so I am concerned for them, and for Mom, and what the outcome will be on her visit Monday to the doctor. She has not felt "well" again now all week long... and I realize she is 80 years old, BUT, it is "not just age". Up until about 7 or 8 months ago, she had some issues, but nothing like I see now daily... she called me early this morning to ask me if I was "having surgery today"???? I told her Mom you know I just saw my Heart doctor yesterday and we have put off the "neck" surgery till the first part of March, and I do not even have a date yet.... and how she could "think" with no one "taking me", and me not saying a word, even yesterday when I went by... but those are just the things that tell me it is much more than just "age related".... anyway, I just have not even been able to post on my blog, which is unusual for me... I think I am just also worn out... I had been "running" since last week Before we went to the Casino last Thursday and then this week I have had stuff all week long I needed to do, catch up on etc... so I think I am just tired and probably need to take a break... and allow my mind to catch up with my body LOL! Have a good Friday everyone tomorrow... and hopefully by Saturday I will feel more like getting into posting etc... after over $130.00 YESTERDAY between MY CO-PAY AT THE DOCTOR, THEN THE CAR INSPECTION AND THEN I CAME HOME AND REGISTERED THE DAMNED THING ONLINE, AND ALL OF THAT WAS 135.00 JUST YESTERDAY!!!! INSANITY!!! Rhia
Monday, February 15, 2016
Thank You for the "Happy Birthday"!
Since some of you may not be on Facebook, I wanted to tell you "Thank You" for all of the Happy Birthdays!
It is so wonderful to have my "extended" online family here, on FB and so forth! You guys and gals really make me feel great when the days that I feel "not so great" come along!
So, I post a "Happy Birthday" and "Thank You" Graphic for ALL of you!
I hope from this day forward to give you many more very good posts, articles and information on all types of health issues, and especially those related to these autoimmune illnesses that plague so many of us.
Much Love and Thank you to ALL who read and follow!
Rhia
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Happy Valentine's Day to All!
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I really have SO MUCH to try & catch up here on, so I am going ton"Post"n some of my ongoing chronic health issues, things abo...
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How can our kids feel safe when WE as adults don't???? I fear Wal-Mart or just walking across the parking lot at HEB in my small lo...
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I finally made a trip to Urgent Care with what I feel is a very bad Lupus and RA flare, but there are several "symptoms" strange t...