 Happy Monday y’all! Note: I am not a physician. If you are sick or believe you need medical attention, please get help immediately! For some time now, I have been wanting to write a piece about chronic pain and Menzies. I just didn’t know how or where to start. Ever since my late twenties, my menstrual cramping started to increase. After talking about it with friends, I discovered I wasn’t as alone as I thought. In fact, we all thought it might be a part of aging. The last time I had an appointment with my gynecologist, I came out with a clean bill of health. Since I’ve had Fibro, I feel as though my monthlies have been worse! Common sense aside, I began to wonder what is it about Fibromyalgia that makes periods so horrific for some women! Suddenly, my blog started to take shape! Let’s begin with the no brainer! Ladies, if you have Fibro, you’ll understand that we have a more difficult time with periods versus those women who don’t. Chronic pain is challenging enough on a “normal,” day. Since Fibromyalgia increases an individual’s sensitivity to pain, the physical pain associated with premenstrual syndrome can also be much greater in women with Fibromyalgia, with greater pain in the lower abdomen, lower back, and upper legs. This article, quotes from PMS and Fibromyalgia and sums up the reason why the added stress and pain of having a period, for me is a hundred times worse. Even though my body may not always like it, I try to be as active as possible. During my lady’s days, I am forced to stay in bed due to excruciating circumstances. My mind wants to get up from the bed, but my legs argue the point. I came across this website by luck when I Googled, “Does Fibromyalgia makes periods worse?” Terry continues on with some very interesting information about Fibromyalgia and PMDD. I do recommend reading it. “PMDD Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a condition in which a woman has severe depression symptoms, irritability, and tension before menstruation. The symptoms of PMDD are more severe than those seen with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).” So many times, I often sit and wonder, what did my ancestors do when their time of the month came around? No doubt they were harder women. They did what they had to do. One by one, women all around the world learn how to put their big girl pants on and soldier on! I’ve heard that being on birth control can help. I did not have the best luck with those pills. Considering I take close to fifteen pills a day, I’d rather not add another pill unless I have too. Do you have any secrets to handling your time of the month? Eating chocolate has always been fun, but I try to stick to dark chocolate if I can! Did you know about PMDD? Please feel free to leave a comment down below! I’d love to hear from y’all! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel Reference: http://fibromyalgia.techie.org/pms-and-fibromyalgia/ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007193.htm Would you like to read more blogs like this one?
https://www.onceuponafogblog.com/blog/mindful-monday-45-heart-and-soul
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 Happy Monday y'all! As a child of the 1980’s, I love to reminisce over the shows I grew up with. I’m constantly commenting to my friends, that I wish there were more shows like them on television today. Alas, I have not found any new shows that come close in comparison. For the majority, I have found that the shows on T.V don’t have the life lessons they used to have. This is very disheartening if something is not changed. With everything that has happened in the world, maybe a network will want to bring back that old school innocence to its audiences again. One of the shows that I hardly ever missed an episode of was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He encouraged all of us to not only be better neighbors, but better human beings. Each episode he taught:
For those of you who don’t know about Fred Rogers, he was quite the interesting individual. Fred was shy and bullied when he was young and absolutely hated violence. It was a result of his youth, that initially encouraged Mister Rogers to pursue seminary school. He never approved television shows that humiliated people. From that moment on, he set out to change the world, one young person at a time. Fred Rogers, of course, went on to create Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which aired nationally for over 30 years. Beginning in 1968 and continuing until (and beyond) the end of production in 2001, untold millions of children grew up under Mister Rogers’ steady gaze and faithful care. Those children now make up much of the American public, and now many of them are flocking to theaters to see the documentary of Misters Rogers’ life, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Seven Lessons from Mister Rogers That Can Help Americans Be Neighbors Again). I can’t help but wonder, what would he say to his viewers today? I’ll bet he would have a few pieces of wisdom to share. He had a way of expressing his views, but he was careful to not offend anyone. Compared to what’s on television now, it’s what made Fred’s show unique and timeless. Even though Mister Rogers is no longer with us, there is still so much the world can learn from him. Do you remember Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood? I’d love to hear your memories in the comments down below! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to watch my vlog, and blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel Would you like to read more blogs like this one?
https://www.onceuponafogblog.com/blog/mindful-monday47-look-out-its-a-teddy-bear https://www.onceuponafogblog.com/blog/mindful-monday46-back-to-family-time  Happy Monday y'all! I am excited to be posting again for your Mindful Monday's! Even though the neighbors aren't placing the bears in the windows anymore, it's still important to remember we're all in this together. I am reposting a blog that I wrote from last year. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as you did then! Be very still, and don’t make a sound! Don’t look now but there’s a bear in that window!! A teddy bear that is! I’m so excited that I have an opportunity to write about this ongoing global trend. I am your typical girly, girl. In fact, “girly, girly” was my mama’s nickname for me growing up. She couldn’t have coined a more appropriate name for me. I don’t see there being a point where I’m not obsessed with fluffy, and adorable stuffed toys. Their design that assures me that everything will be okay. As a fellow purple butterfly, having a sweet teddy bear to cuddle has helped me get through my worst days. Having these personal experiences is why I was intrigued to do research behind the window displays. Did you ever wonder how these adorable trinkets got their name? “In 1902,President Roosevelt participated in a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi. While hunting, Roosevelt declared the behavior of the other hunters “unsportsmanlike” after he refused to kill a bear they had captured. As news of the hunting trip spread, many newspapers around the country featured political cartoons starring “Teddy" and “the bear." You can read more about this article here: How Did The Teddy Bear Get Its Name. I was first introduced to the bears in the windows from local news reports in March of this year. At the time I was half listening and I didn’t catch the whole story. A few weeks later, Dale told me he had placed a teddy bear in our front window. I recalled the times we had noticed the toys in neighborhood windows. The 'It’s Like a Silent Visual Message.' How Social Distancing-Friendly 'Bear Hunts' Are Uniting Neighborhoods Amid Coronavirus trend originated from Michael Rosen’s 1989 children’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. I found this new trend to be inspiring. What a wonderful way to come together as fellow human beings to help children get through such scary times. It is times like these that show how light shines through people. It is also a clever way to bring happiness to your neighbors when they drive by or go for a walk. Now, more than ever is the time to be positive and hopeful of the future. A great lesson for us all. I was able to obtain a copy of the book by Mr. Rosen and I adore it! Have you read yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments down below! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel #stayingsafe2021 #coronavirus2021 Would you like to read more blogs like this one?
https://www.onceuponafogblog.com/blog/mindful-monday46-back-to-family-time https://www.onceuponafogblog.com/blog/mindful-monday48-what-would-mister-rogers-say  Happy Monday y'all! I had wanted to post something for the Fourth of July, but it snuck up on me before I knew it! So, I decided to repost this one instead. I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Independence Day with your loved ones. “It didn’t matter how big our house was; it mattered that there was love in it.” –Peter Buffett. Yesterday, my husband and I recorded our first Walt Life YouTube video. Making home movies are something that we have both done throughout our lives. However now, we were in unchartered territory with this subscription box review. When I was younger, I was quite the performer for the camera. Back then the only people who saw those movies, were my family and friends. Since our video is on YouTube, the whole world can see us. I’ve done solo with three different YouTube videos. For the first few moments of my video, it’s still a bit nerve racking! By co-starring together, it definitely calmed our nerves, but the best present we received wasn’t in the box. It was making new memories! Laughing, rather than worrying about certain circumstances, has become a natural thing for the both of us. This past spring, I blogged about ways to transform your home into a getaway. Gather the family together before school or work begins! Of course, you know your clan the best, as well as what kind of activities they like. Until you make your own list, feel free to grab some ideas I came up with:
Family does not always mean blood relation. I have lots of other family members that are scattered through this country who are not related to me. I came upon some family quotes that I wanted to share with you as well. It also sums up how I feel about family, no matter who they are in my life.
Let me know if you had a favorite from the quotes that I chose! I’d love to hear from y’all! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel Would you like to read more blogs like this one?
https://www.onceuponafogblog.com/blog/mindful-monday47-look-out-its-a-teddy-bear https://www.onceuponafogblog.com/blog/mindful-monday48-what-would-mister-rogers-say  Dear purple butterflies, I’ve missed writing to you these past couple of months. Since we’re friends, I know I can share my adventure with you. The night before my surgery, I could hardly sleep. I was a little nervous, but mostly I was excited! I kept checking my alarm because I knew we had to be at the surgery location by 6 a.m. Long story short, I didn’t get a good night’s rest. I must wonder, does anyone sleep well the night before surgery? You might have questions about what happened before I went into surgery, during recovery, and how I’m doing now. I hope this answers any questions you may have. If you have missed the blogs talking about preparations for my surgery days, I will link them at the bottom of this blog. What do I remember about my surgery day? My surgery day was May, the 14th.The whole process from paperwork, settling in, and meeting the surgical team, went smoothly just like a well-oiled machine. I remember being extremely impressed. A couple of days before, my doctor’s office informed me I could only take my blood pressure the day of the surgery. Right before they took me into the operating room, I almost felt a spasm kick up. Thankfully it was not a bad one. I brought my purse with all my medications in toe for post-surgery recovery time. Surely if I had an uncontrollable situation, they would’ve let me take something for it. My surgeon reminded me where he would be placing the device. Once the anesthesiologist had given me the “good drugs,” to knock me out, they were wheeling me down to the Operating Room. By the time I got to the room, I was almost asleep. Remember, I was working on very little sleep. For anyone who might be nervous about their surgery day, it is best to be a little sleepy. It can help with any left-over anxieties. They gave me a little sleeping gas, and then helped me roll over onto my belly. A couple of hours later, I woke up to the nurse calling my name. My surgeon came by to say hello and that everything went very well. They gave me the device controller, and I was shown to squat, not to bend. I would also have a post-surgery pain meds waiting for me. I was kept in recovery for an hour until they let me go home. It may differ based on individual cases. How was the recovery time? Let me just start off by saying, thank God for Hydrocodone! At first, just doing simple tasks were a definite challenge. Poor Dale was getting less sleep than I was because he was having to assist me with everything. During my recovery, which was the remainder of May and June, I sure needed that pain medication. I was also using my device to help relieve the pain. What the device didn’t help with was the stinging, soreness of the incisions. After a couple of weeks of this, you can imagine I was emotionally and physically frustrated. I tried my best to stay patient. Before I knew it my incisions were itchy, which was a good sign that meant they were healing. The bandages covering my incisions were starting to come off. Dale and I had a trying time to keep those areas covered until I went in for my checkup. The doctor said everything looked great and replaced the larger bandages with smaller ones. I’ve got another recheck appointment with him in July. How has my pain level been since the surgery? I would say that the device is helping me a lot. Just like before, I still have pain. It varies from day to day. The device in my back works like therapy for my pain. Some days I can leave it at the same level. Whereas other times, I continually adjust how strong the signal goes into my spine. It’s not any different than someone taking more medication for pain. The good news is it has replaced one of my medications! I used to take Acetaminophen – Codeine (Tylenol #4). Will this surgery help with my spasms too? The reason I am addressing this is because I’ve had a couple of friends ask about it. How I wish this surgery could’ve helped with my spasms! Sadly no, my spasms are here to stay. They are caused by a domino effect of pinched nerves and muscles from my L4 – L5 ruptured discs. I’ve been told by several doctors that surgery would not be a good idea considering they would be dealing with nerves. Honestly, I would not want to have the surgery anyway. As long as I can control the pain, I am content. Here are the links of my past blogs talking about the surgical process: Waiting On An Answer My Experience with the XR SCS Trial System XR-SCS Here You Come Again Rachel's 6 Surgery Prepping Tips My Magical Device This link shows an example of what my surgery was like: https://youtu.be/qdeD-6f3yf0 Have you ever thought about having this surgery? Have you ever used this system? If so, what are your opinions about it? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments down below! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to watch my vlog, and blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel #Neurostimulationsurgery2021 #fibromyalgia I wanted to share just a couple of pictures during my recovery process.  Happy Monday y’all! This is an older post that I've decided to share again. Since then, things with my liver have gotten a bit better. Two years ago, I was told my gallbladder as well as my liver were in jeopardy. This blog is back from when I was first discovering that my liver was not in good shape. Since I wrote this post, I have continuously watched my weight. Yet the struggle to get my liver healthier continues to go on. To make a long story short, due to the amount of medication my body was digesting, my gallbladder needed to be removed. During the surgery, they would also take a piece of my liver to be tested. Afterwards, the test results came back that I had a fatty liver. Before the surgery I had tried my best to control my fat and sweet intake. Seeing the test results, it was more than obvious I needed to try harder. Initially we made vegetarian menus for the week. Both Dale and I grew up on meat and potato family meals. You can imagine how strange it was coming up with ideas at first. Before long it became like second nature to pick out healthier options at the store. My biggest weakness are French fries. We finally bought a Ninja Foodi which has an air fryer. We’ve made our own fries and they’re wonderful! I switched to healthier snack and food choices to grab when I was out running errands. I had a regular exercise routine and had lost fifteen pounds. Then I’m not sure exactly what happened. I cannot blame anything or anyone but myself. It was my personal domino effect. My back pains got much worse, which started the depression, and finally I wanted the “comfort foods.” Do you want to know the wacky thing? I was still active despite my back hurting, the depression, and I was losing weight. So, I didn’t think anything about it. About two weeks ago, I got really sick with what I thought was a stomach virus. There was a moment one night where I almost went to the hospital. I contacted my general physician and thankfully I got better. Naturally my doctor was worried about my pain and thought there may be some blockage in my liver. Shortly after my conversation with her, I went to do a blood test. I have this blood test done every three months to make sure my body is in good shape due to all the medication I take. Sure enough, my blood test results came back showing that my liver is worse than last year. I’ve looked up foods that can help clean my liver. If I can avoid another surgery, I will try anything within reason! 15 Foods that Cleanse Liver showed me some items that I include in my diet: Almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, and pomegranate (tea). Keep those stories and comments coming!! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Till next time! Be well! ~ Rachel #FibromyalgiaAwarenessMonth #fibroandliverhealth #purplebutterflymonth |
