THE PLAGUE AND SHOES APPROXIMATION

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?
The plague.

I went out a couple of weeks ago. I was actually feeling pretty good! I was feeling so good that I wore my black heels. The heels that were my mainstay. The heels I could run in and not trip. The heels I desperately missed.  The heels that came off the minute I walked in the door.

Then I got the plague.

There's an icky virus going around.

It's a cross between the flu and a really bad cold. 

And it doesn't go away.

Believe it or not, I've had this for a month. It started out as a sore throat and I went downhill rapidly from there. I bought all the packages of Chloroseptic that CVS had in stock. After a week of fevers coming and going and feeling like crapola I broke down. I went to the doctor. 

So, between the plague and the fibro...

This feels like the worst flu (without the stomach stuff) that you could ever imagine. Except it doesn't go away. All you want to do is go to bed and put the covers over your head. Everything hurts and aches. Kinda sounds like Fibromyalgia doesn't it? You wish it would disappear. (Just like the Fibro!) I've watched every crap show on Direct TV that I could find. I'm bored and my attitude is in the toilet. Please, please go away and take this stuffy and alternately runny nose and hacking cough with it. It's hard enough to sleep at night. Waking up every hour because of coughing just doesn't make it easier. So.....here I go chugging Robitussin all night. (hey doesn't dextromethorphan help the pain of Fibromyalgia????)

The antibiotics make me feel worse than I already felt. I don't do well on certain ones and now, it seems, I can add another one to the list.  First, you have to eat when you take them otherwise they tear up your stomach. That is a killer for me in the morning. I try to eat a piece of toast but I just don't like to eat when I first wake up. I only want my coffee and diet coke.  After I take the antibiotic, I'm so tired that I just want to crawl back in bed. I can't hold my eyes open and I just feel lousy. Sick and tired.

After a week of this something doesn't feel right. I should be getting better. This just can't be right. I call the doctor and he agrees. The first set of antibiotics didn't do the trick. I had to go back for a second helping. Yep.....let's change the antibiotics. Now, I'm starting ANOTHER seven days of medication. I have to be on the antibiotics because it's gone into a bronchial infection and he's worried about pneumonia. Yippee. 

What do I hate the most about this? I look terrible. My nose looks like a clown nose. Every touch of a Kleenex makes it even worse.  I think I've gone through 10 boxes in the past week. My face is red, my eyes are watery,  my nose is red, my cough is icky and my bones ache. My hair is hanging and I've worn the same t-shirt to bed for a week. I stopped looking in the mirror a few days ago. I'm breathing in essential oils that helps my breathing. Poor little Buster, he stays right by me and won't go out until I get out of bed. 

The fibromyalgia makes our bodies feel lousy on a daily basis. 

So what does this do? 

My favorite saying......

Add a tiara.

Hmmmm......a clown nose and a tiara......

I don't think the circus would take me right now. 

Bleh......

I'm feeling too lousy to change my sheets...

I'm feeling too lousy to change my t-shirt.

I'm feeling too lousy to do much of anything.

Snoopy had it right......

THE SUGAR DELETION EXPERIMENTATION PROJECT

Sugar.

Sweet.

Addicting.

Crack.

I have to say that sugar is my drug of choice. I love it. I can't have too much otherwise I go into a hypoglycemic sugar crash that is terrible. There are certain things that set it off. If I would have a regular soda......the sugar glaze that is on ham......cotton candy. Definitely not good.

Then there is the gray area.

Lemon Oreos fall under this category. So does cake without a ton of icing. M&M's, Lancaster caramels and sour gummy bears. For some reason I can have these without going into a severe crash. I have no idea why. 

Here's the funny thing. I'm a food snob. I love fresh, good food. I rarely go out to dinner and if I do it better be a great restaurant. I love to cook so if I can make it better......I'd rather. My dream is Masterchef but I don't have the presentation or knife skills.

BUT.

I DIGRESS.

Food is one thing and sugar is DEFINITELY another. You'd think I'd kick it to the curb but it took one lovely lady to help me do it. Her name is Judith Westerfield and she writes a blog called Curious to the Max. I had written a post and she had commented on how bad she'd been feeling and that she was ready to kick sugar.

Was I in?

I have to admit that apprehensive wasn't even close. 

I was making a commitment and I'm a commitmentphobe. It's like taking a medicine long term. I probably wont. Anyway, knowing that it was time and that I should......I agreed. She even posted it on her blog so I was all in.

Day 1-3 I was beyond snarly. Now, let me come clean. I didn't count sugar free stuff in this little venture. My coffee has sweet and low, a sugar free vanilla powder. That and a diet coke is my caffeine hit for the morning. It doesn't count any little bit that I use in dressings or food. I gave up my nightly ritual of Oreos and sour gummy bears.

I don't usually have THAT much sugar.....(ok.....I do but I don't think I do). Again, I use a little in cooking at times and everything else is sugar free.

Oh, I forgot. 

I love ice cream.

Good ice cream.

Like McConnell's salted caramel chip.

Anyway, I gave that up too.

So.......here I am missing desperately my sugar. You'd think I'd mean a person but.....no....

You must ready Ms. Westerfields blog about the sugar shun.

She says it much better than I do.

I gave in and had my ice cream last night.......

But, hey.........

no Oreos!!

Here's the link and while you're there check out Freddie Parker CDT. (canine dog therapist)

Thanks Ms. Judith........

I'm getting there!

http://judithwesterfield.com/2014/09/06/sugar-shun-parenthetically-yours-8-steps-to-kick-sugar-cravings-to-the-curb-ouch/

EVER SEE THE MOVIE ALIENS?

No question about it. 

Fibromyalgia kicks our fanny.

Just when I thought I looked pretty donning my Fibromyalgia dress for the day...........I realized I forgot my tiara!

You know, when you add acute appendicitis to the mix and emergency surgery to follow your body tends to rebel, just a tad. I have to love Judy Westerfield. She has a wonderful blog, or blogs actually, and uses imagery to describe her emotions and physical well-being. Her article on Living with God-Aliens and Pain is wonderful but her alien is a little different than mine. Mine has taken over my body with sharp aches and pains. 

Mine is menacing because I haven't fully accepted my limitations and I have a hard time accepting what this has done to my life.  

Let's go back a couple of days. I'm just starting to have a relatively decent day and my appendix decides that I'm starting to let my guard down, just a bit. Oh no, no no. She must not do that....not in the play book! Let's take a couple of sharp stabs and see if she listens.

Nope.

Okay, full blown appendicitis. Has anyone tried to heal when the weather is starting to change AGAIN and the old familiar ache is washing over you and your abdomen wants to take first place in the "let's see what can hurt her more" contest?  I knew it would be a little rocky but it is like getting bashed between that proverbial rock and a hard place. No one can be declared a winner but they'll keep duking it out anyway.

Here is what ticks me off the most.

I know we all tend to gain a "little" bit of weight with the Fibro due to the inactivity or WHATEVER  reason your body will give you in the moment but wouldn't you think after not eating for 4 days you'd lose a little bit of weight? Monday....didn't feel good enough to eat.....the attack coming on. Tuesday......had the surgery......nope, no food there.  Wednesday......one bite of oatmeal so they'd let me go home. Thursday........finally one bite of chicken and a spoonful of rice. Friday.....a few graham crackers AND THAT'S IT. That isn't a huge caloric intake in anyones book. What do you think my body did with that?? Did it shed a couple of pounds, even as a get well soon gift??

NOT ONE FRICKING POUND!

Do you believe that one?

Well, neither do I!

So my body is trying to heal but it feels like someone took an eggbeater and scrambled my insides around a bit. I know they put camera's inside to look around but it feels like they put a whole crew in there. I don't know how long it takes to heal from all of this but I was hoping that I'd get a little break from the Fibro pain.

Not even close.