Life is hard isn't it! I have seen so much loss over the past few months and so much suffering happen to others and it has just been hard to watch people go through such hard times and not be able to do much to help them. In addition to loss of loved ones I've seen loss of jobs and other temporal losses.
Also, my sister, Dana's husband, who is in the Special Forces in the Army, is deployed right now. He missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, the birth of their second grandchild. My sister only has her little family to celebrate with as she doesn't live near any of us or her in-laws. I have felt so bad for her and her family. I feel bad for the families who's soldiers have lost their lives.
Words cannot express the feelings of sadness I have had for the people in Connecticut who lost loved ones or who have loved ones who survived it and will struggle with it the rest of their lives. It breaks my heart to think that there is such evil in our world. Truly horrific!
We had a wonderful Christmas. We are truly blessed in so many ways. My brother, Nathan, and his family are here and have been since the 18th. They live in Florida and it's been a year and a half since we've seen them. It's been wonderful having them here!
My sister Steph and her husband J.J. are part-owners of a cabin. This year they were able to stay in the cabin from December 26th to January 1st. They were nice enough to invite our family, my parents, KayTee and Chris, and Nathan and his family, to spend that time with them. It was so much fun! The kids and Brian rode snowmobiles and went sledding and played in the snow. I stayed inside the entire time as one of the main triggers for my Trigeminal Neuralgia is cold. Cold air. Cold food. Cold drinks. Cold. I read a book, relaxed, held Steph's darling 2 month-old son, Jacob. It was so nice! Matthew came down with a fever on Christmas Day and had some breathing issues so he had to stay inside the whole time. He did get to play outside for a little while one day when he was feeling a lot better but then he was back to square one again afterwards so we kept him inside the rest of the time. It's beautiful there!
Sometimes it's hard for my extremely sympathetic/empathetic heart to enjoy things to the fullest when I know of other people's trials and suffering. I know that "men are that they might have joy" but still! I just sincerely hope and pray that those who have cause to mourn are comforted and blessed in the ways that they are in need of. Sometimes it's hard to snap out of depression when it rears it's ugly head. I'm trying to overcome it and be joyful but it's hard. I have so very many blessings and I am trying to focus on that and to be what my family needs. And to be grateful for all that I have. I desperately want to help those around me who are in need of a lift. Can anyone suggest ways that I might be able to do that without making their suffering worse? I'm not very good at this! I so want to be though!
So, I know it's been a while since I've posted on here but I'm still here. Just haven't known what to say...
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Lots of Gratitude
Well, it's been a while since I posted about what I'm thankful for. The #1 thing I'm thankful for is that Brian doesn't have cancer!!!
That was so scary having to wait for 2 weeks to hear the results since they had to send the biopsy to California.
I'm also very grateful to be able to spend time with my Mom. We haven't always lived where we were able to spend so much time together so it's nice to be able to now.
Another thing I'm thankful for is music. I like how hearing a song can affect you so much. It's my favorite part of church (besides partaking of the sacrament) (and when they choose to sing songs that I've actually ever heard of :)!). It's one of my favorite parts of celebrating Christmas. Songs make me laugh. They make me cry. They make me feel and learn and grow. I always tell Brian that at my funeral I want everyone to sing A Poor Wayfaring Man Of Grief...ALL 7 verses! It's one of my favorites. I like to read it during the passing of the Sacrament. I like to sing I Love To See The Temple when we see the temple. I like to sing My Heavenly Father Loves Me as we drive around town looking at all of he beautiful Lilac trees, Apricot trees, and every other tree that has pretty little blossoms on it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE music!!!
I am SOOO incredibly thankful to be the mother of 4 beautiful children. They are so AWESOME!! They are smart, funny, fun to be around. They remind me every day of what really matters in this world! Blessed doesn't even begin to express my feelings about them but I'll use it. I am incredibly BLESSED!!! They are also a constant reminder to me that what I WANT isn't always what I really NEED and that Heavenly Father is the Captain of this ship so I need to just trust in Him and His plan for me!!!
I am SOOO incredibly thankful to be the mother of 4 beautiful children. They are so AWESOME!! They are smart, funny, fun to be around. They remind me every day of what really matters in this world! Blessed doesn't even begin to express my feelings about them but I'll use it. I am incredibly BLESSED!!! They are also a constant reminder to me that what I WANT isn't always what I really NEED and that Heavenly Father is the Captain of this ship so I need to just trust in Him and His plan for me!!!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
My body
Well, today I am grateful for my body. I remember, after I had Zackary, thinking one day about just how amazing my body is. And how divine our bodies are. Anyone who has ever had a baby just marvels at the beauty of the creation of life. It's still kind of mind boggling to me that we, together with our husbands :) and Heavenly Father, bring forth life. I remember counting every toe and finger and hair on my kids and just marveling at their perfectness. It truly is divine in nature! This is the definition of Divine-Of, from, or like God or a god. Synonyms: heavenly - godlike - celestial - supernal No, I'm not saying I'm a god or anything I'm just saying that life is "of God". We become partners with him in this beautiful journey. I am so grateful that my body was finally able to carry, grow, and deliver babies. My body was not working right in that area for lots of years and I wasn't able to breast feed my babies. It made me so frustrated with my body. Things may not always come easily with my body and it may not always do what I want it to, but still I am grateful for the beautiful gift of life that I have been given and that I have been blessed enough to give, as well.
I have not been very careful or nurturing to my body for quite a few years now. I have had the desire to change my bad habits and improve my body but I just haven't had the drive to do it.
About 4 or 5 years ago Brian bought Tony Horton's 10-Minute Trainer. He's the P90X dude. Well, basically he developed some workouts that only take 10 minutes to do. It comes with a couple of DVDs with different workouts on them. There are 5 workouts to choose from. Each workout is designed to work multiple parts of your body all at once so that you don't have to work your arms for 10 minutes, then your abs for 10 minutes, then your legs for 10 minutes. You work out for 10 minutes and you've worked all parts of your body. The 5 workouts are: Total Body. Lower Body, Abs, Cardio, and Yoga Flex. Now, if you do the Lower Body workout, it still engages your entire body with some really intense work on your lower body. Still counts for all over.
Anyway, we did the Total Body one once and the Cardio one once and I was out. It may only be 10 minutes but it kicks your butt! I'm telling you, you can't believe how much it works you out in just 10 minutes. Craziness! Well, I decided to give it another try. I did Cardio and Yoga Flex last week. I tell ya, I LOVE Yoga Flex! It's tough but it's really great for my body because I feel so much more relaxed, less muscle and body aches and pains.
Today I decided to try the Total Body, Lower Body, and Abs. WOWZERS!!! Tough stuff! I was just pouring sweat! It's amazing what he's come up with in just 10 minutes. Gracie crawls under me, around me, and on me half the time but I figure I must be burning even more calories with her around.
My blood pressure is through the roof and I am 100 lbs over the weight I want to be. I am so ashamed that I have let myself go like this. I want to be healthy. I really do! I don't want to have to take blood pressure medication. I don't want to have to have knee surgery but I tell ya what, this last 30 lbs I've put on since my Trigeminal Nerve crap started up has really been wreaking havoc on my poor knees. I know that it is a lot harder for my body to handle things I need it to when it has all of this extra weight to lug around. I'm pretty pathetic!
Anyway, I'm trying to make some changes. They aren't big ones. I know I need to commit to making some major changes with my eating habits but I'm just not "there" yet. I'm trying to make some little changes. Nothing major. I've cut back a bit on my sugar intake. I'm really and truly addicted to sugar and carbs in all forms! This morning I was so proud of myself for not eating the yogurt that Gracie took one bite out of and then refused to eat the rest of. Also, the cereal that she just HAD to have but left half of. I didn't eat that either! I had already eaten a yogurt and some cereal. I hate throwing away food. It's just so wasteful! But, under the circumstances, I think it's better that I throw it away rather than actually eating food that I'm not hungry for and will just add to my weight problem. I ate salad for lunch today instead of the piece of lasagna that I really wanted. I didn't eat any of the delicious french bread that my mom made either. I'm choosing to eat a piece with my dinner but it's better than eating it 2 or 3 times throughout the day.
Also, I have been making more trips up and down the stairs than I already was. I swear I go up and down them like ten billion times a day already. But, sometimes I ask the kids to get me something from another floor so I've starting to make more of those trips up and down so that I'm still moving and not being so lazy!
I just want to be healthier, and to make some changes, hoping that it really will make a difference. We'll see how it goes...
I have not been very careful or nurturing to my body for quite a few years now. I have had the desire to change my bad habits and improve my body but I just haven't had the drive to do it.
About 4 or 5 years ago Brian bought Tony Horton's 10-Minute Trainer. He's the P90X dude. Well, basically he developed some workouts that only take 10 minutes to do. It comes with a couple of DVDs with different workouts on them. There are 5 workouts to choose from. Each workout is designed to work multiple parts of your body all at once so that you don't have to work your arms for 10 minutes, then your abs for 10 minutes, then your legs for 10 minutes. You work out for 10 minutes and you've worked all parts of your body. The 5 workouts are: Total Body. Lower Body, Abs, Cardio, and Yoga Flex. Now, if you do the Lower Body workout, it still engages your entire body with some really intense work on your lower body. Still counts for all over.
Anyway, we did the Total Body one once and the Cardio one once and I was out. It may only be 10 minutes but it kicks your butt! I'm telling you, you can't believe how much it works you out in just 10 minutes. Craziness! Well, I decided to give it another try. I did Cardio and Yoga Flex last week. I tell ya, I LOVE Yoga Flex! It's tough but it's really great for my body because I feel so much more relaxed, less muscle and body aches and pains.
Today I decided to try the Total Body, Lower Body, and Abs. WOWZERS!!! Tough stuff! I was just pouring sweat! It's amazing what he's come up with in just 10 minutes. Gracie crawls under me, around me, and on me half the time but I figure I must be burning even more calories with her around.
My blood pressure is through the roof and I am 100 lbs over the weight I want to be. I am so ashamed that I have let myself go like this. I want to be healthy. I really do! I don't want to have to take blood pressure medication. I don't want to have to have knee surgery but I tell ya what, this last 30 lbs I've put on since my Trigeminal Nerve crap started up has really been wreaking havoc on my poor knees. I know that it is a lot harder for my body to handle things I need it to when it has all of this extra weight to lug around. I'm pretty pathetic!
Anyway, I'm trying to make some changes. They aren't big ones. I know I need to commit to making some major changes with my eating habits but I'm just not "there" yet. I'm trying to make some little changes. Nothing major. I've cut back a bit on my sugar intake. I'm really and truly addicted to sugar and carbs in all forms! This morning I was so proud of myself for not eating the yogurt that Gracie took one bite out of and then refused to eat the rest of. Also, the cereal that she just HAD to have but left half of. I didn't eat that either! I had already eaten a yogurt and some cereal. I hate throwing away food. It's just so wasteful! But, under the circumstances, I think it's better that I throw it away rather than actually eating food that I'm not hungry for and will just add to my weight problem. I ate salad for lunch today instead of the piece of lasagna that I really wanted. I didn't eat any of the delicious french bread that my mom made either. I'm choosing to eat a piece with my dinner but it's better than eating it 2 or 3 times throughout the day.
Also, I have been making more trips up and down the stairs than I already was. I swear I go up and down them like ten billion times a day already. But, sometimes I ask the kids to get me something from another floor so I've starting to make more of those trips up and down so that I'm still moving and not being so lazy!
I just want to be healthier, and to make some changes, hoping that it really will make a difference. We'll see how it goes...
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Health Insurance
Today, I am thankful for health insurance. There have been so many times over the years that we haven't had health insurance. Brian's job doesn't pay quite what we need it to so I just HAVE to figure out a way to bring some money in for us, but I have to say that the benefits he has at his job are really wonderful so we can't complain. Especially since he and I have health issues all of the time.
Now, Brian has some nodules on his thyroid that he had biopsied last Thursday. He has had problems with his thyroid for years and has been on medication for it for quite some time now. He also has had low testosterone. The combination makes for one very exhausted man all of the time. He has no energy and just feels worn out always. So, he was on thyroid and testosterone medication a few years back but the testosterone medication is SOOO expensive. It costs $700.00 a month for the dose he is on now. In the past our insurance covered about half of the cost and his dose was a lot lower so it cost us $150.00. Once he didn't have that insurance anymore it was costing $300.00 out of pocket. We couldn't afford it. There was just no way. So, now his levels are really low and it costs $700.00 a month but our insurance covers all but $75.00 of it and then his Dr. gave him a card that is from the manufacturer of the Androgel and it covered $50.00 so he only had to pay $25.00. His thyroid medication is only like $4.00, thankfully! So, it's wonderful that he can have his medication and that he can have the appointments with the specialists who actually know what to watch out for and how to treat his particular problems. He had always gone to family practitioners in the past.
Now we are waiting, not so patiently, for the results of his biopsy. We won't know until November 15th. It's just brutal waiting for results isn't it?!
My medication costs $200.00 a month so it was really stressful when we didn't have insurance for those months while Brian was out of work. Without my medication I am in such excruciating pain that it is so hard to function. We only paid $200 for it once. The rest of the time my wonderful Dr. and friend gave me samples from her office to get me by until he started working again. Also, Pfizer, who manufactures it has a program that I applied for which is based on your income from the previous year, which he worked most of and got severance pay for so even with getting an entire year's salary, we qualified to have my medication paid for in full. What a blessing that has been!!! After Brian got his job I called and asked if I needed to reapply based on his current pay and they said no, not until it's been a whole year since my last application. It is such a blessing to be able to take my medication without worrying about eating less food or something so we could still live.
Insurance is such a blessing and something that I am grateful for every single day of my life!
Now, Brian has some nodules on his thyroid that he had biopsied last Thursday. He has had problems with his thyroid for years and has been on medication for it for quite some time now. He also has had low testosterone. The combination makes for one very exhausted man all of the time. He has no energy and just feels worn out always. So, he was on thyroid and testosterone medication a few years back but the testosterone medication is SOOO expensive. It costs $700.00 a month for the dose he is on now. In the past our insurance covered about half of the cost and his dose was a lot lower so it cost us $150.00. Once he didn't have that insurance anymore it was costing $300.00 out of pocket. We couldn't afford it. There was just no way. So, now his levels are really low and it costs $700.00 a month but our insurance covers all but $75.00 of it and then his Dr. gave him a card that is from the manufacturer of the Androgel and it covered $50.00 so he only had to pay $25.00. His thyroid medication is only like $4.00, thankfully! So, it's wonderful that he can have his medication and that he can have the appointments with the specialists who actually know what to watch out for and how to treat his particular problems. He had always gone to family practitioners in the past.
Now we are waiting, not so patiently, for the results of his biopsy. We won't know until November 15th. It's just brutal waiting for results isn't it?!
My medication costs $200.00 a month so it was really stressful when we didn't have insurance for those months while Brian was out of work. Without my medication I am in such excruciating pain that it is so hard to function. We only paid $200 for it once. The rest of the time my wonderful Dr. and friend gave me samples from her office to get me by until he started working again. Also, Pfizer, who manufactures it has a program that I applied for which is based on your income from the previous year, which he worked most of and got severance pay for so even with getting an entire year's salary, we qualified to have my medication paid for in full. What a blessing that has been!!! After Brian got his job I called and asked if I needed to reapply based on his current pay and they said no, not until it's been a whole year since my last application. It is such a blessing to be able to take my medication without worrying about eating less food or something so we could still live.
Insurance is such a blessing and something that I am grateful for every single day of my life!
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