Just A Short Note

Hello Everybody,

I just wanted to drop a short note because I am truly fatigued. I am truly struggling with this phase of my fatigue and pain. I need to focus on taking care of myself however, I have too many loved ones that need me and require my time and energy. I was able to sign up on twitter today:)

Please pray that I will be able to sleep in tomorrow and fell better when I wake up. I need to get back on my supplements soon. Perhaps a miracle will come my way.

Keeping the faith:) I just wanted to say hello.

I hope and pray everyone is experiencing joy in their lives and that everyone has had a pain and fatigue free day.

My Grandchildren with Pumpkins

Hello Everyone,

Here are some individual pictures of my grandchildren, Lorena and Alessandra. They will be 2 years old on October 31, 2009.






I hope and pray everyone has a pain and fatigue free day.

Sharing Photos - Family

Hello Everybody,

Here is a recent picture of my grandchildren, daugther-in-law and middle son at the pumpkin patch.

A Lovely Award

Hello Everybody,

I have just received an award from a special blogger friend, timethief (Latief), always willing to help anyone. Surging the net, reading and writing, works from home, whose goal is to be a good blogger. He always shares information, loves blogwalking and leaves comments. He created an award meant for people Meme and is always willing to visit your blog and help out. So check out this meme award:



A Lovely Award


I thank timethief and I am adding additional people. Please read their blogs, they are interesting and gifted people.

Here are the rules of the “One Lovely Blog Award”:

1. Accept the award.
2. Post it (the image) on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
3. Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

To spread the love to these terrific bloggers whose blogs are new additions to my reading list. Please take part in the meme and please also visit each others’ blogs.

1. Living Chronically – Artist. Wife. Mom. Slightly rebellious in a non-threatening way. Dog lover. Cat lover. Housework hater. Coffee, chocolate, wine, shoe, and purse addict. Thrifty. Closet writer. Gourmet wanna-be, but oh so bad - and not in a good way.

2. Let's Get Better – These stories are meant to be motivational. By use of analogies. In the first story is a made up analogy about a horse called "time" and in the second story a true analogy about a "Smörgåsbord" restaurant.

3. A StellarLife - Living a life with Multiple Sclerosis and all the rest. This blog will include my views on current events, disability issues, entertainment and silliness, politics, health issues, and I am sure to offend some; but the celebration of diversity is my main goal.

4. Abba's way – Mary333; I am a committed Catholic, a wife and the mother of one.I am pro-life and love praying the mercy chaplet and the rosary. My favorite saints are St. Teresa of Avila, St.Faustina and St. Padre Pio.

5. theBluesman – Who says that life has to be so serious...take it easy. An individual with a loving and compassionate heart and has so much to share.

6. The Life and Times of La Jenno - 26 years old. Daring. Disenchanted. Different. Trying to live in a friendlier yet more honest world. There is sometimes no larger dilemma.

7. Fibromyalgia Is Not My Life - Living and coping with the strange symptoms and chronic pain associated with Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Discussions on medications, alternative medicine, diet and other therapies.

8. THE MINDS OF BEADS - Shares artistic beauty; Grandpa made a dollhouse, I was hooked on making minatures from then on. A fascination for the hunt of vintage and antiques grew. Thrift stores, antique malls, that is my kind of shopping. This grew until I became an Antique Dealer. What also grew was my passion to create and open my first booth in a craft mall.

9. Tea Art Blog – Discovering Tea of Art is an well rewarding adventure hobby. Build your interest in it and you will enjoy the fruit at the later stage. All the best to you.

10. Alyson's CFIDS Blog – 30 years old, and I have had Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) -- also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) -- for my entire adult life.

There are so many more worth mentioning and I wish I could list everyone. I am just too fatigued to continue. Please don't forget to check out timethief

I hope and pray everyone has a pain and fatigue free day. My thoughts are with everyone.

Focus on Accomplishments

Hello Everyone,

What a week it has been. Jerry lost his wallet and we have no idea where. He did not notice it until about three days after we had been out with a friend to dinner. No telling where it is. Oh well, I am ordering new a Medicare card, his license (he can no longer drive) or id. Thank goodness I never let him carry much money because this has happened more than 2-3 times. Poor baby, he feels badly, but what can we do? I will not stress over this because I don't have enough energy to do it. Stress is not good for our family environment.

Jerry almost ended up in the hospital on Monday fortunately, we went to see the doctor and he figured out a different means of administering the only IV medication that helps Jerry's breathing issues. Usually they only administer this medication in the hospital, there is a place called Austin Infusion Center where they use the IV's. The only problem was I had to take him to two places on Monday, he had to have the medication on Tuesday (twice) and he had two other appointments this week. We found out he had to have nasal surgery this week. So, I have to plan out budgeting money for surgery. You have to pay upfront, no payments arrangements.

I have not had much sleep this week and have had to drive around more than usual. I was so fatigued on Tuesday, I stayed in the car while Jerry went in for his dose of medication.

Lets get down to what I wanted to post about. Due to our chronic illness and disabilities we are unable to accomplish certain tasks or complete the number of chores we want to. We must focus on what we have been able to accomplish. While I have not been able to take care of certain chores, I have completed some, so I feel good about it. I have been able to drag myself out of bed, take Jerry to his appointments and somehow managed to visit my Mom during the process. That is great and I thank my Lord for giving me the strength to walk, drive and support my family.

I am ashamed of myself for not recognizing I can walk unlike some of my other Blogger friends. Shame on me. I pray to God for forgiveness.

Do yourself a favor and focus on the positive aspects of your life and recognize how blessed you are. Don't fall into that trap of not noticing others with much more pain.

Thinking of everyone and I hope and pray everyone has had a pain and fatigue free week.

Reflecting on My Goals

Hello Everyone,

My goal has been to share my experience, tools and how I deal with my ME/CFS. I am trying to remain positive everyday and take control of my health. God has chosen us to take on this challenge and it is up to us to make peace with it and then transcend all our emotions and feelings with a full understanding of what his plan is. I believe he wanted me to share my own experience, share tools, and information. I have met so many people dealing with this health challenge, many are alone.

While I enjoyed my career and found it to be a great learning experience, I wasn’t doing what I originally wanted to do. So, maybe this is God’s way of granting me the opportunity to help others. Here are some questions to ask yourself and I would like others to give me feedback.

1). Has this illness changed my personality? Have my priorities in life changed?

2). I know I had to make lifestyle changes? Would they have happened for another reason? Perhaps due to age, wisdom or life experiences?

3). Am I accepting my path in life?

4). The choice is mine, am I embracing this illness and learning to think about all the other great miracles in my life? I do have many things to be grateful for, so am I focusing on those things? If not? Why not?

It helps me to ask myself these questions, it reminds me not to feel sorry for myself and focus on what I have accomplished in the past and present. Remind myself of the blessings in my life. I don't know if I would have ever been interested in blogging or reading other sites, perhaps this illness had lead me to this wonderful path of making new friends from all over the world.

I hope and pray people that suffer from chronic illnesses are able to cope with everyday challenges. I have been given the opportunity to learn about how others handle their challenge in life and the many gifts people have to offer.

I want all of you to know I am grateful for having this wonderful opportunity of meeting you and reading your personal posts, or viewing your photo's, art, and so much more.

I ask God to forgive me when I am weak and to give me the strength to continue to focus on the positive aspects of my life.

I hope and pray everyone has a pain and fatigue free day.

Still Trying to Find Ways to Earn Money

Hello Everyone,

I have been surfing blog sites and reading interesting posts. I found one where I might be able to earn money. Here is what the other post noted:

One of the fast way to earn money is by doing offers. I would recommend sticking to one program. Most of the places that have you sign up for free offers are all the same. You can actually only sign up for the offer once. You will get to your payouts a lot faster this way. This individual said "I have made some money from this site, and its been around for a lot time."

This individual went on to note their site. So I decided I might try this out. If you are interested, here is my site id so I can get credit for your free share:

CLICK HERE

As long as it doesn't cost me any money, I will try it out. I know you have to spend money to make money. It is hard to do that when you have no money, right? Wish me luck.

I pray and hope everyone is having a pain and fatigue free day. Soft Hugs to everyone.

The Past Two Days

Hello Everyone,

The past two days have been tough. The weather changed again and it is cooler outside. Rain is not my friend, it is my lawns friend, but not mine. It is not very cool, but any cool weather does not agree with my body. It has been difficult to get up and get going. I had to go pick up a script of medication to help me stay alert. Since I am unable to afford the Concerta ER I am taking Methylin 10MG. I take two in the morning with my pain medication to help me wake up. I am pretty useless without it. I am to take two more in the afternoon to keep me awake. However, my memory is not as good as it used to be, so I forget and later realize why I am not alert. I know it sounds crazy, but that is what my life is like.

The Methylin is not doing the job and I am looking forward to January 2010 when my new deductible on medication starts and I have not met my donut hole. Does anyone know what I am talking about when I mention donut hole? Your Medicare Part D prescription covers only so much of the medication and once you have met that limit, you have to pay a higher price. Thank goodness, my pain medication and this new medication only cost $16.00 because they are generic. Starting in January I pay $70.00 for Concerta versus over $200.00 a month. My doctor will not prescribe Adderall or anything like it that comes in generic form. Darn. Oh well, I am adjusting to the new medications.

I am experiencing Fibro Fog and caught myself unable to remember words. It is so frustrating when you forget simple things. I also slur my words on occasion and I do not even notice it. When I am speaking, it sounds clear to me however, my family will let me know they cannot understand me. This morning I was trying to use the word taking and said smaking. Sadly enough I knew I was doing it. I will not allow my family to let me talk on the telephone or do anything of importance for at least a couple of hours after I wake up. Why? The reason is I cannot even recall my conversations with people. I have asked my family not to ask me anything of importance until I am more alert. Please do not feel sorry for me, just pray I am not taken advantage of! Just kidding, I know my family would not take advantage of my inability to remember important conversations. What worries me is when someone calls and insist upon speaking to me. That has happened in the past, but I put a stop to that.

I believe my journey in life is a bit comical and leaves a lot of room for humor. I guess what I am trying to tell those of you that suffer from Fibro Fog, do not let this get you down. Perhaps we are even forgetting some of our pain in the process. I believe the journey we are experiencing makes us stronger. If we figure out our shortcomings, we can find ways around them, which in a way encourages us to keep our mental health in check. This is why it is so important to keep a journal. Trust me, I have gone back to read some of my old journals and do not even remember some of my most painful experiences. Things happen for a reason and it is our job to make the best of what is happening or change.

My tip is do not be hard on yourself, so what if you do not remember, and write down what you think you have to remember. That is if you can remember what you wanted to write down! Just a joke, keep your sense of humor. I hope this post is not confusing. If so, my apologies.

My thoughts are with all of you and I pray and hope you had a pain and fatigue free day.

Viv