November, Day 26: I Need To Have My Head Examined #NaBloPoMo
No, seriously. I’ve had headaches every day for at least the last 5-6 weeks. I was chalking it up to just an annoying symptom of Fibromyalgia because everyone knows I’ve been dealing with frequent headaches since I was a child. After watching Mystery Diagnosis the other day, I started thinking about this past summer when I bought a trampoline for the kids. I always LOVED jumping on them, and even though I’m a mom of five I’m still young and I love playing with them so I was looking forward to jumping on the trampoline with them.
Problem: every time I did, my head would hurt SO bad afterward and I thought perhaps it was just overexertion. Then, it got to where my head would hurt immediately when I would jump. I would go up and as soon as I came down, it felt like my brain was moving in my skull; it is hard to explain, but it was excruciating. So I just stopped trying to jump, which was disappointing because I really enjoyed it. It was exercise, but it was fun… and I could do it with the kids… but the pain was unbearable and made it totally not worth it.
So, thinking about these things I’m starting to wonder if maybe it’s more than just the Fibromyalgia affecting me, especially since I had a bone tumor removed when I was a child. I’m really getting worried because the headaches keep coming like clockwork every day. I’m terrified of the possibility of finding out something serious is wrong with me… I have five young children; the thought makes tears come to my eyes. But not knowing is driving me nuts and if something is wrong, waiting will only allow more time for it to get worse. I’ll be going to the doctor soon to get this checked out so please keep me in your prayers… I don’t even want to mention this to Barry with him being offshore without being able to come home until January; to make him worry about me would be cruel, so I’m sort of alone in this :(
#NaBloPoMo:
For the entire month of November, I’m participating in National Blog Posting Month. Read more —>
Female Body Builders: My Son’s Perspective
Tre didn’t believe me when I told him that there are women in the world stronger than his daddy. I decided to prove it by pulling up a bunch of Google images showing female body builders. His reactions:
Eww. That’s gross. Why did you have to show me that? I haven’t been bad today. I didn’t deserve punishment.
Women body builders are not hot. At all. They look like men with long hair and bras on. Yuck.
I don’t ever want a wife that looks like that. My wife has to be little. Or even a little pudgy. Like you. (Gee, thanks Tre…)
Daddy could still beat them up. Well but boys can’t hit girls. But most girls don’t look like that. Can boys hit girls if the girl could maybe beat him up? (My response, of course, was no. lol)
So there you have it… my 8 year old’s views on muscle-bound chicks.
Update on Talia’s Headaches
Earlier this week, I voiced my concerns about Talia’s headaches and my own medical history. Today, we visited her pediatrician to figure out what is going on. After a series of questions about her activity, the pattern of her headaches, and my experience at her age, the doctor began to inquire about her eye sight. She has had her vision checked at school and has never had a referral sent home, so we assumed her eye sight was fine. However, since Briyana (oldest daughter) wears glasses 100% of the time he did a repeat vision test to make sure Talia’s headaches aren’t due to the absence of necessary prescription eye glasses. Happy to say, her vision is 20/20. Considering the circumstances, that’s both good news and bad news. Good for obvious reasons; bad because we still have no idea why she’s having such intense, frequent headaches.
After all was said and done, Dr. S decided to order a round of x-rays… I took her to the Radiology lab at the hospital to have eight x-rays done. She was a little scared that about the prospect of getting x-rays done, but that fear turned into sheer terror when she found out she would also have to have bloodwork done which meant getting stuck – AGAIN (she had JUST gotten a shot at the doctor’s office for an immunization that she would need prior to the next school year) and this time they wouldn’t be putting anything IN, but would rather be taking something out. That didn’t sit well with her. She crawled up in my lap and cried the entire time we waited for the x-ray tech to call her back.
While she was laying on the table in radiology, Barry sent her a text message to my phone that said, “I love you and everything is ok.” She replied, “No it’s not. I’m scared. I love you too, Daddy.” I stayed in there with her and held her hands while they took eight x-rays of various points. By the time they had finished the first couple, she realized it wasn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be and her mood lightened up :) She had to take her skirt off because it had buttons and a zipper on it which seemed to REALLY embarrass her. It was so odd seeing her acting so shy and unsure; she’s normally the toughest, most take-it-all-on child you’ll ever see. The whole thing was like deja vu; only this time I was in my mom’s shoes and Talia was in mine.
The lab tech was AWESOME; she joked around with Talia while she collected samples for the bloodwork and told her every step of the way exactly what was going on… second by second, she talked to her about what she was doing and how it would feel, what to expect. Talia had been SO apprehensive about going to the lab. I thank GOD that this particular tech was working today – she was outstanding!! For now, all we can do is wait until her doctor reviews the x-rays. If he doesn’t find anything in them, he’s going to set up a CAT scan for the week after school lets out at the end of the month. In the meantime, I will be monitoring her and charting her headaches to see if we can find some sort of pattern to them because “all the time” doesn’t really tell us anything meaningful. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for her!! Your support is greatly appreciated. I will update when we find out more next week!
Talia’s Headaches & a Doctor Appointment
Talia (my 7 year old) has been having recurring headaches for several months. At first they weren’t quite so frequent and I would just write them off as effects from her playing too hard in the heat, going too long without eating something, or not getting enough sleep. Over time, however, I’ve begun to get concerned. They’ve become more and more frequent, last longer than before, and I’ve started noticing that they’re happening when she’s had plenty of sleep, eaten full meals, and been fairly inactive so the excuses I had previously made for her headaches aren’t working anymore.
She will come in from school with a headache and immediately go to sleep and sleep well into the evening. She will get up on a weekend and lounge around for a while then come to me asking for acetaminophen because her head is hurting… minutes later, she’s in the bed for the next few hours. I was her age when doctors discovered that the discomfort my mom had assumed to be growing pains was actually a bone tumor which ended up requiring just shy of 5″ of my tibia to be removed the following year. Around the same time, I developed some seriously intense headaches which would literally incapacitate me for long durations of time. My mom would have to turn off all the lights, make the house silent, and shut me in a room no one was moving around in because I was so sensitive to light and sound. It would make me feel hot and nauseous. Twenty years later, I still remember them vividly; it was a miserable experience.
Within two years, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at one of my semiannual checkups to monitor the growth of my bone where it had been shaved away to remove the tumor. Since then, I’ve dealt with just about every symptom attributed to the disorder, including chronic fatigue and relentless pain. Last year, my mom was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. When I was diagnosed, it was not believed to be the type of illness that runs in families… in recent years, they’ve found the opposite to be true. Now, knowing all of this I’m praying that I haven’t passed down a predisposition for this monster to my kids. My mom’s heart breaks when we talk about what I go through on a daily basis and (not to sound selfish, but…) I don’t want to know that pain. Even more than that, I don’t want Talia to know my pain. And of course, the horrid thought of tumors and all the terrible possibilities creeps in which I rebuke in the name of JESUS.
It’s so scary to just consider the prospect of something being wrong with your child that you can’t protect them from… that you can’t bear for them… I can’t imagine what mothers go through that have children with birth defects or physical ailments or chronic disorders. I don’t know how my mom held it all together when she was the only one holding my hand through it all. I may sound whiny, but I don’t WANT to know. I just want all of my kids to live normal, healthy lives; I don’t think that’s unreasonable – that’s what we all want. I called today to make an appointment for Talia to visit our family pediatrician which has been seeing all of the kids since 2004 so he can tell me what he thinks about all the headaches. I may be overreacting but I would rather be proactive knowing what I know than wait until something has had time to run its course and do preventable damage because I was waiting on something serious to react to. Thursday, I’ll have more to update after her check up. Until then, please keep Talia in your prayers!
UPDATE:
The lot number on the bottle of Children’s Tylenol she has been taking is part of the recall, which concerns me even more :( UGH!
Body Detoxification Tips
I’ve had several people ask me if I am following a certain program for the body detox I’ve been talking about this week. Initially, I said that I was going to do a 2-week fruits and veggies ONLY detox. I’ve come to my senses and decided against that, but I AM still doing a detox. lol While I’m not necessarily following any specific program, I will share the information I found about detoxifying your body which I’m trying to do my best to follow.
First of all, I’m not big on mixing up concoctions or taking magic mystery pills. Everything to promote health and wellness was created naturally just like ME :) Mainly, the information I was seeking was which fruits and vegetables are BEST and HOW those things work with my body to cleanse itself of the toxins that build up over time for people like me who may or may not always eat the best things… I’m making my best effort to NOT eat anything BUT fruits from the time I wake up until at least noon because this is the time my body is going through it’s own detoxification process from the fasting period it went through while I was sleeping. Being careful as to what I put INTO my body throughout the day makes the process much more efficient!
Not eating really heavy, fatty foods makes your body feel lighter and less sluggish. We may LOVE how the food we eat tastes, but I think we can all agree that a lot of it makes us feel not-so-great after we eat it… you know, like those super fudgy brownies with whipped topping and a glass of cold milk on the side? Mmm hmmm. Not good. haha We rob ourselves of the energy we need because we don’t feed our bodies the things that give it the fuel to keep going. What I’ve found to be a rewarding realization is that I find fruits like strawberries and blueberries to be SO much more enjoyable than unhealthy sweets. I used to bake brownies every few days. Yes, that’s confession number one. LOL Now, I haven’t bought them in the last week and haven’t missed them at all. My melons, grapes, berries, and my snacky cashews with sea salt have totally curbed my desire for such heavy satisfaction of my sweet tooth.
It’s not just sweets and junk that keep our bodies from performing optimally, though. It’s too-large portions of even the moderately healthy foods we eat. It’s alcohol, caffeine, sodium, sugars, saturated fats, and red meat which is arguably the source of more concentrated toxins than any other food! The toxins in our bodies are the cause of SO many health issues. On a small scale, they contribute to fatigue, pain, headaches, and skin problems. Body detoxification is like getting regular maintenance on your car… it makes it run smoother, longer, and better. Your body naturally undergoes its own process continually, but some of the things you put into it from day to day have much the same effect as keeping the same oil going through your motor… eventually, your body’s filtration system needs a little help which entails YOU not introducing things into it that turn into sludge!
Broccoli and blueberries are two of the superfoods of the detox world.
Holy cow! Really?? That’s awesome because I LOVE broccoli AND blueberries. The only catch here is that I’ve read cooking broccoli kills a TON of nutrients so it is best to eat it raw. If you must cook it, do it by lightly steaming it. Blueberries are delicious, have great detoxification benefits, AND *ding ding ding* are rich in antioxidants (which broccoli does too, by the way)! SCORE!
Spinach supports your body’s own detox process AND gives you energy!
Spinach is often referred to as a nutritional powerhouse because it contains calcium, folic acid, vitamin K, iron, vitamin C, fiber, carotenoids, lutein, AND bioflavanoids. Now I know why Popeye loved it so much… haha
Cranberries are MAGICAL!
Okay, so I lied. They aren’t magical. But cranberries pack a mean punch when it comes to flushing out your entire system. I don’t know many people who can just sit and eat cranberries. I know I can’t… but the good thing is that cranberry JUICE is just as great – and much easier to ingest than those bitter little berries LOL
The high acidic properties of lemon juice have outstanding detoxifying effects!
If you value the enamel on your teeth I wouldn’t recommend eating a ton of these babies straight out of their skin, but their acidic properties present a gold mine of cleansing agents into the body. Try a little freshly squeezed lemonade or lemon juice in a glass of water. Your body will thank you!
Grapes, oranges, and other Vitamin C containing fruits work WONDERS…
One thing I found extremely interesting is that Vitamin C converts toxins into water-soluble forms. This means that Vitamin C paired with the right detoxifying agents gives you a double bang since water soluble elements in the body can easily be flushed out during your detox.
WATER, WATER, WATER!!!!
If anyone has a question about why increasing your water intake is important, I’ll just have to shake my head. This one is common sense, homey :)
Later in the week, I will be posting some great ideas for how to introduce foods that support your body’s natural detoxification process into your daily diet. I will also be letting you all know how it’s going for me. In addition to the detox, I’ve also started an exercise routine which I’m going to talk about in a separate article :) Stay tuned. My body is going to be loving me a WHOLE lot more soon!
Zoe + Blood = :(
A couple of nights ago, I was sitting here working on a graphic and my husband was laying on the couch watching a movie. The kids were in their rooms doing whatever kids do in their rooms… Zoe was in Briyana’s room watching her put up posters out of her Hannah Montana book. All of a sudden, we heard this loud BOOM followed by a crash and shrill screams from a very unhappy toddler. Barry and I stumbled over each other trying to race to the back of the house and we found Zoe amidst a ton of broken glass with cuts/blood on her back, belly, arms, and legs.
I have to admit, this was one of the scariest moments I’ve ever experienced with one of my children. I just kept thinking WHAT IF, ya know? I immediately took her diaper off and checked to see if there was any visible glass on her – thankfully I didn’t see any. Zoe is a soldier baby. As soon as I picked her up, she calmed down… so I ran some bath water and put her in. She played in the water while I cleaned her war wounds. I got her out, dried her off, and put triple antibiotic ointment on each of her cuts then got her dressed in some soft nightclothes. I’m thanking God that she’s okay. I was even more thankful when I caught a minute to really digest what had happened.
By the time I got back into Briyana’s room, Barry had nearly finished cleaning up all the glass, but I saw enough of what remained to scare me witless. Bri has a side table next to her bed that is basically a wooden living room end table with a very thick glass top. On top of it, she has her alarm clock and a small castle figurine … apparently, Zoe climbed on the table from Briyana’s bed and SLAMMED the figuring onto the glass. I’m guessing the impact combined with her weight pressing down on the glass caused the glass to crack – and she FELL THROUGH! Just thinking about it makes me cringe and squint my eyes, knowing that the long glass pieces my husband threw out could have done some major damage to my baby. :( Oh, God, thank You for protecting her!
Needless to say, IF we had any other glass furniture around here, it would have been waiting at the curb for the trash pickup this morning. But we don’t. And never will. I cried, just knowing how terribly I would have felt if something like that would have happened to my sweet ZoeBug… I felt horrible enough just with what DID happen. Soooooo, this is my warning to any parent who has similar end tables, coffee tables, or nightstands in their home - be CAREFUL and don’t let your kids around them out of your sight. Briyana said she had just turned around for seconds to tape the other side of a poster up and Zoe went from the bed to the table just that quickly and then BAM everything went crashing through the table top.
Again, thanking God … it’s been 2 days and these are what remains of that scary situation:
{She also has a tiny one on her hand and a tiny one on her belly,
but neither were visible for the camera…}
Zoe is in PERFECT health :)
As many of you already know from Twitter, Zoe had an appointment yesterday morning. She was weighed and measured, had her hemoglobin levels checked, etc. The verdict? She’s in perfect health. She’s right where she should be on the growth chart and her iron is great! Here are a couple of videos as they weighed and measured her …
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