Thursday 31 January 2013

Thoughts

Another quiet day at home. I'm feeling a bit better emotionally, but i've been quite sore. Especially my R hip and knee.

On a different note, i'm seriously considering taking an animal naturopathy course after i'm finished my degree. I've found some courses in VIC and NSW that look promising. I would like to be able to combine my love of helping with herbs, and my love of animals :).

Also i'm looking forward to when I actually get to have the operation on my knee, because it really hurts!

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Blah

Feeling tired and a bit sad. No particular reason I think...although I have a theory that having a lot of sugar yesterday maybe has something to do with it. Hip/back pain on the right side is not so nice, and my right wrist and hand are a bit sore. Blah

Monday 28 January 2013

Days of Rain

It continues to rain, but we had a respite for most of the day off and on. Milo was able to get out for a much needed walk. I was able to get some laundry done for the upcoming week. Bran ate soup :). I'm still feeling very tired, but I haven't taken any supplements or medicines for the past two days so that may be effecting me. I had a nap again despite having a decent nights sleep. I do enjoy the quiet days at home with my little family :).

Sunday 27 January 2013

Short Stack

Quiet day at home. It's been storming.
We've had some floods in the area.
I'm thankful we are safe here.
Bran is feeling sick.
I made cookies.

Saturday 26 January 2013

Tramadol Trouble

I had a not very nice time last night :(. I was in a lot of pain after carrying around a little lost dog (who is safely back home) so I decided to take some pain killers. Tramadol.

About an hour after I had taken it I woke up with a pounding heart, nausea, and high anxiety. I tried to go back to sleep but really couldn't and I was worried I was having an adverse reaction, so I asked Bran to stay up with me while I waited it out. He, of course, stayed up with me and would until I was alright. Honestly, I wanted him to stay up incase I stopped breathing. I hadn't actually taken very much, 100 mg, but I had also has a voltarin and a panadeine forte earlier in the day, so maybe it mixed somehow? After about an hour and a half I was through the anxiety attack and falling asleep, so we wen't back to bed. I still ended up waking up  with a pounding heart over the course of another hour and a half every time I started to fall asleep, but it calmed down quickly. Not so much fun. I felt very sick today as well. I barely moved from the couch and needed Bran to help take care of me. I'm feeling mostly better now, after having taken a few naps through out the day.

So lesson learned. Tramadol does not agree with me and i'll need to find an alternative. I don't want to go through such a scary situation again. Also I was/am still sore :( so it didn't really help so much...

Thursday 24 January 2013

Housesitting

I've been away for a few days, I bet the 1-2 of you who read this missed me ;). The truth is that my husband, pup, and I have been housesitting for my MiL as she went down to Sydney for an interview about the book she's written. I'll write more on that when it's available. It's been a nice few days over there, being able to take a bath and wriggle the wrinkly skin of her shar pei Cimba (who is a 12 year old rescue dog whom she adopted last year <3). Milo had fun having another dog around and being able to walk around his old stomping ground.

But now it's nice to be home. It's nice to have my ingredients for cooking, my bed, my pots and pans...

I did have two days over there were I was feeling very low. I'm not sure if it was just changing things around so much, or the increase in st. john's wart, but it wasn't very nice. I've bounced back though, and i'm feeling much better. Pain wise I haven't been too bad, my back was very sore for a day, but it's gotten better. I've continued to use the tennis ball to help with tight muscles in my back as well as adding in magnesium. I think it's been helping with the generalised muscle pains. I need to find an acupuncturist to try next as I think the one I went to before had shut up shop for the time being.

Saturday 19 January 2013

Maybe Wheat Sensitive?

Remember those mini-hamburgers I made yesterday? Well...I think i'm reacting to the gluten in them. Either that or i'm going to end up with gastroenteritis again (although i'm pretty sure they were cooked through...) I had a very bloated feeling all day, with little spasms of pain. I only really felt hungry this evening. Blah, we'll see what tomorrow brings...

I don't want to be sensitive to wheat :( I love making bread. It isn't even baking in general, it's working with the bread dough, the feel and the smell of the yeast mixing with the wheat flour and the elasticity of the gluten forming bonds... From my experience, it can't be recreated in a gluten free bread. While some gluten free breads are tasty, they seem more like a batter to work with. This makes me feel a little sad.

Friday 18 January 2013

Burgers and Resumes

So sometimes I actually like to write about relevant things...but that time is not today.

I continue being tired. I was able, though, to get out and hand in my resume to a health shop down the road. Alas, they weren't looking to hire anyone. I also visited the "vampires" today to get my monthly blood tests done. Always fun to have an aching arm for a few days >.>.

I also made chicken burgers for dinner. Mini ones :). They came out alright, but I think I would only use half an onion next time and grate it. But i'm someone who doesn't like big chunks of onion. They were a big hit with the hubby ;).

Hip wasn't too bad today. I did have a horrible cramp in my calf that started Milo with my yelling...and my R knee has been wonky....but other than that not too bad pain wise!

Thursday 17 January 2013

Portobello Almost-Pizza

I really want pizza :/.

I tried to make pizza using a portobello mushroom, pasta sauce, and cheddar but it just wasn't the same (although it was tasty!)

Still feeling tired today, but a bit better than yesterday. I had every intention of going to Nundah and handing the owner of the health shop my resume, but alas, Milo's spray collar was out of batteries. Still better I discovered it now rather than when I had an appointment or something.

Hip was still sore, but the tennis ball thing helped again.

I was also feeling a bit irritated and restless today. I'm not sure if it's just because i've been stuck in the house, increasing the st. john's wart, or just from being tired...not my favorite though.

And some good news, I got a distinction in human bio 1 :D thats a good grade!

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Pity Party

I was very tired today. Tired and in a lot of pain from my R hip. I spent almost the entire day on the couch. It's days like this that make me worry I wont be able to do very much with my life. I'm only 23, and already i'm restricted on how much I can work, what kind of work I do, how far I can walk, how much I can accomplish in a day, my immune system is lowered, and of course lets not forget the pain.

So I did have a bit of a pity party.

After that, I got on the floor and stretched. I used a tennis ball and rolled around with it under my hip. It was painful, but it helped release the muscle. Bran was very sweet and made dinner. I'm thankful to have him :).

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Soup Loop

I had a quiet day at home. Not too much to report on. I've been feeling tired all day, maybe lack of coffee? The green tea I got isn't very nice :(. I made some soup with the chicken stock I made from yesterday's chicken. It came out alright, but I feel like i'm not very good at seasoning soup :/ it's often bland even when I use nice ingredients and stock. My hip is still out of whack, it feels like the muscles are all seized up and weak. I'll have to go see the osteopath again soon I think.

Monday 14 January 2013

Visit with the NP

I had a nice meeting with my Naturopath today. We've decided that it might be a good idea to up my romotiv (it's a mix of hops and st.john's wort mostly) and add in the magnesium powder to see if it will help with pain and muscle problems. Other than that keep steady with cutting out gluten, sugar, and dairy. Fun stuff.

I cooked a chicken. It didn't end up being raw this time ;).

Sunday 13 January 2013

Short Stack

Day spent at home.
Doing a bit of cleaning.
Morning abdomen cramps.
Made fish for lunch, it turned out well!
Nachos for dinner.
X2, good movie :)
Sleepy time.

Saturday 12 January 2013

Funny Little Pub

Today was a pretty usual saturday. Cleaning, grocery shopping, resting. Although we also went out for a birthday ;). A good friend of ours had a birthday party out at a funny little pub/restaurant in the valley. Of course it was nice to catch up with people, but the pub was the main event for me. They had blue drinks! Not gross blue daiquiris  but electric blue things with a pineapple slice :D! They also had brightly coloured fruity looking drinks and one in a pineapple! Alas, I didn't want to put more stress on my poor liver so I did not indulge in any of these drinks, but now I know where to find them ;).

Pain levels were up and down today. Woke up feeling groggy and tired. I think it was the cheese. I also had normal milk with my coffee, and almost immediately felt my gut gurgling. Really not liking dairy it seems. Within the past few hours the tendons in my feet have become inflamed. I don't know if thats related but it's worth noting.

Friday 11 January 2013

Long Day is Long

Looong day.

I had my deferred human bio final today. Well....if I hadn't already passed the class I would be concerned...but as I did i'm not going to be too worried about it. I know I did really well on a quarter of it...>.>...

I also had a migraine...all...day...It was only really bad on my way home, but man is it ever hanging in there.

On top of that i've had an MTX hangover and Bran has a stomach bug :(.

Now i'm going to go have a luke warm shower (since the cold water pipes aren't actually cold) and pass out.

Thursday 10 January 2013

Coconut Flour Muffins

Spent most of the day studying and doing a few house chores. Also brought Milo to the vet for his vaccines.

Now for something more interesting; I made some GF coconut flour muffins! The recipe I used is from Heavenly Homemakers. Mine didn't end up looking quite as lovely, but they are yummy! They may be a bit sweet and a bit oily though, so next time I make them i'll play with the recipe a bit. I was quite surprised at how much the coconut flour soaked up, also that it wasn't too eggy. I did use my lovely new electric beaters, so it came together in a flash :D I found that you would probably have to do a lot of mixing to get all the lumps out, so that something to keep in mind.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

So Many....

Studying for my exam on friday. Why are there so many words?!?

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Sleepy Time Soon?

Today I took Milo for a little walk. Then I went to the store. When I got home I made dinner. After dinner I did dishes. Now i'm considering skipping a shower (despite it getting into the 90's today) and going to bed. I'm just feeling so tired after just doing a few things. I didn't even study today for my final on friday! Which I may still squeeze in...It's amazing how tired I get after only doing a few little things.

In other news, my R knee really flipped out today. As in shouting from pain. I'm wondering if the doctors aren't so correct and the little bit floating around in there are getting caught under the knee cap. Either way not so much fun. I'm thinking tonight might be a good panadol with codeine night. Maybe with some diclofenac thrown in for good measure.

Ugh. I really need to meet people.

Monday 7 January 2013

Elimination Diet Day 1

So today was fine. As i've mentioned, i'm not cutting out a whole lot of stuff yet. I did have a little bit of cheese, which tends not to bother me, but I think i'll really need to cut out all dairy. I'm not going to be too hard on myself though because I know i'll just want to stop. I have stayed gluten free though, and found some interesting recipes using coconut flour that i'm going to try after I get the chance to get some coconut oil.

We also got our couch cushions replaced today. O.M.Gs! What a difference that has made! We previously had cushions that had springs under a bit of foam. The springs ended up going every which way within 3 years >.< and this isn't a cheapy little couch either. So finally we had the cushions replaced by a local re-upholstery man. He did a great job and used good quality foam which is guaranteed for 7 years. He was late, which I don't like, but he was polite and gave Milo a pat. Plus he said if the foam was too hard then he would be happy to replace it with softer foam. It's that kind of thing I appreciate :). Plus he got it done all in one day! I've already noticed that my hip doesn't hurt as much :) very nice.

Sunday 6 January 2013

Pre-Elimination Diet

I did not sleep very well last night. Didn't get to sleep until 2 am x.x. Other than that i've had a pretty good day! Kind of. I also had some pretty bothersome pain in my R hip and R foot. The hip pain lessened after a walk, but of course the foot pain is tendon related and was less happy about the walk.

Bran and I also watched the documentary Forks over Knives. It was mostly information I knew, but interesting to watch anyway. Very pro-vegan.

Tomorrow starts my elimination diet! No dairy, wheat, refined sugar, and cutting down soy. More whole foods, cutting out processed foods. I think there was something else I was going to cut out but I forgot now o.O. If I don't notice a difference in a month or so i'll try cutting out something else such as nightshades...or something....Yay! Go me! >.> did I mention i'm pretty tired?

Saturday 5 January 2013

French Onion Soup

Still sick, but a bit better today. Stil tired, but I was able to get out and do some grocery shopping with the MiL. I'm so thankful that she comes all the way over here to see us and give me a take me shopping :).

I also made some french onion soup using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I wiggled the ingredients around a little bit, but generally stayed true to the recipe. It turned out wonderfully of course and even Bran ate it! He hates soup! But loves cheese and bread ;). He said he would even eat other soups! This may the the start of something :D. He's really been very sweet while i've had this cold. I'm so thankful for such a kind husband :).

Pain-wise, my left ankle and left knee have been unhappy today. Which is odd, usually it's the right side. I also woke up with stomach pain and reacted badly to milk today. I'm set to start an elimination diet on monday.

Friday 4 January 2013

Sick

Ugh. Sick. Blah. Nose is both stuffy and running. But mostly i'm just very very tired.

Thursday 3 January 2013

Quiet

Quiet day at home
I caught Bran's cold :(
Love the smell of laundry,
That had dried in the sun.
Wish I had a bathtub.
Sore shoulders.

Wednesday 2 January 2013

2012 Recap

Happy New Year :)

A warm welcome to 2013

Not the end of the world yet.

Looking back over 2012, i've had a lot of ups and downs. I've learned what it is like to cope with slowly increasing disability. I've dealt with more people in person and on the phone than I ever really want to in a year. I've been lonely both alone and surrounded by people. I've been afraid of losing Milo, and felt anger at injustice. I've gained weight.

We've become home owners. I've met some wonderfully interesting people. I've learned of my interest in biology. I've experienced both pharmaceuticals and natural medicines which will help me in my career. I've seen the smiles of my family on a saturday morning. I've grown my own herbs, and i'm learning how to grow more. I've continued to do well in my studies. I've found things that work and stopped things that don't work in regards to PsA and fibro. I've watched people look forward to and enjoy my cooking. I've made a Thanksgiving feast. I've held a job, at least for a while.

And so much more.

Now comes 2013. This is the year I am going to try a very strict dietary change to see if it will help my diseases. I will continue to try new holistic practices to help in dealing with pain. I'll get a gosh darn job! And i'll work to integrate myself with a community.

Welcome 2013