Monday, July 31, 2006

In The Good Ol' Summertime

I know many CFS/FM folks say they feel much better in the summer. Not me. Not in recent years. I don't know if it's the heat intolerance or the pollens or the air pollution. Whatever it is my body doesn't like it much. And yet I don't exactly like winter either. Winter's just really not that pretty---well, okay, when the trees are all laced with frost maybe it is.

(and nope, I didn't forget it could be from MCS too)

A week ago we had neighbor's asphalting driveway and a stinky teen times two and something else I've now forgotten, any and all of which could have thrown me into these weird symptoms. For days my legs were like lead and weak--how can they feel like both at the same time?? --and tingling intensely. The tingling isn't new for me at all. In fact it was one of the first symptoms I had 26 yrs ago. But the intensity, weak-lead legs and duration were.

Tip- [I have no clue if any of these made one wit of difference of if one of them were the reason the problem had subsided a lot the next morning]

  1. I had my husband adjust my hip sort of like my old myopractor used to do
  2. Had him tug on my legs like myopractor used to do
  3. I laid with heating pad under low back for a while

---or it may just have been a reaction that finally wore off... or a shift in the direction of the breeze...or that old Fairy Fluke that seems to wave her wand and rotate symptoms faster than a Nascar pit crew rotates tires.

I got up the next morning minus the intense tingling, able to stand for thirty seconds without my legs feeling they'd go out from under me. However--- the old rumbling, girgling gut thingie complete with bubbling feeling in chest had taken it's place! ARGH!

Sometimes it seems like there's a very mean old crone out there somewhere with a lot of very looong pins and a doll fashioned to look like me, else a renegade virus with a very baaad sense of humor!

Did I tell you it was a pretty trying week?

Time to play Literati with my sister. That's one sanity saver ....

Sunday, July 23, 2006

It's Hot !

A whole week has past since I posted last during which time I had a neighbor asphalting their driveway, kids show up stinking, other annoyances and a not so fun time with teenager. And it is hot!

Today the thermometer on the back porch said 104F. No igloos here I assure you. I melt down when it goes over 84. Been a little puddle here in the only room of the house that has a/c, my bedroom. The rest of the house is uninhabitable, therefore the housework is piling up. Daughter dear is inhabiting the rest of the house though I sure can't see how! (and yes, I did invite her to hibernate in here with me).

For days now I've had a terrible headache, not typical for me, especially not this type of headache. Who knows if it's the asphalt, the heat, stress or dumb ol' CFS/MCS/FMS. I'm too wiped to care to figure it out. But then it could also be a resurgance of the crud I had a week ago as the earaches, sore throat etc are back too and my friend told me that is what would happen. Her family had it the week before I came down with it...

I had wanted to post something else but for now this is what I did...LOL Just too tuckered..

Friday, July 14, 2006

Fumed ?

I had planned on writing something uplifting and cheery next time I posted. Well, it ain't going to happen. I guess it's just been one of those months. Between the bad fall, and 'bugs' and now ... well... the air ... I guess on a positive note I could claim I'm still alive?

It began with an unexpected visit from a stinky teen. I hibernated in my room after exiling him to the backyard with my daughter but the smell had made it's home in my living room by then despite the fans and air purifier.

The next day I was standing out on my back porch when the wind kicked up and suddenly my legs started to tingle, which used to mean pesticide exposure but these days seems to come from a variety of things I think. Who knew what this time?

Then yesterday my neighbor asphalted his driveway which goes all along my side yard. I knew this was going to happen but had hoped for a pre-warning so I could again hibernate in my bedroom. For some reason the smell wasn't as strong as when they did the road nearby a few years ago--- but then the other road is all dug up and about to be repaved too sometime soon. argh.

I woke up feeling horrid and felt short winded all day. Sometimes CFS can cause that but this time it seemed more linked to the ongoing bloating from a few days ago, most likely compounded by the exposures. Usually if I wake up that way it will go away in a short while. Not today. Today it has been all day along with crushing fatigue and weariness...

Then I picked up the newspaper and read the headlines: "Acid spill alarms city". Turns out the waste treatment plant a half block upwind away that we've long suspected to be a source of air problems here reported a high amount of phosphorus in the water. It was high enough to suspect a spill though the culprit has not been found.

I looked at the date this happened and wondered if it was the explanation for my tingling legs and other things these last few days?

Fun and games on the home range...

My uplifting blog will have to wait until another day!

Monday, July 10, 2006

Life Happens

I had to procrastinate posting here as both dh and I have had some 'bug' going around...still do it seems. So I'm late here with the news...

I'm a grandma! (again) My grand-daughter was born July 6th, the same day as another grand-daughter of mine. How about that?! Of course this blessed event is exciting...but yet too a bit brought a bit of sadness too, as my kids live so far away from me I haven't been able to see them for a long time including the last baby who is now 5 yrs old already. I'm wondering how old this one might be by the time I get to see her too?

I have the unusual situation of having a grand-daughter (the oldest one) who is just three years younger than my youngest child. Did you follow that? My youngest, now a teenager has been like an only child with the number of years between her and the next oldest. Back when I first started getting these grand-children we did all live in the same town and often I found myself with six kids all under the age of 6 in my home, typically three of them still in diapers!

Obviously with CFS, FM and MCS even one young child was enough to manage. Can you imagine six?! Even though I lived close by I found it difficult to play grandma and mom at the same time and eventually had to ask my kids to not deposit them at the same time. Now I'm days away and can't see them at all except via the net. Thank God for the internet and webcams etc. !

So today I sit here both filled with joy and a bit of sadness. Events like this too often brings it home just how much being ill affects our lives in soooo many ways.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Sunnydale Funny Farm - Open to visitors !

Announcing the opening of Sunnydale Funny Farm, home of the looniest bunch you'll ever met! Come hear the latest antics of the patients on Ward A, Ward B, C, D... well you get the drift. Under the oversight of the renouned Dr. Wolfgang Wisenheimer himself (on the right with Quackers the Duck) our Head Shrink and Chief of Staff.

Come over and see what's happening with this wackie gang. Perhaps one of the therapy sessions will help you too? You never know ya know.

I can tell you that it really helped me. I found the underwater basketweaving therapy to be one of the best around. There's nothing like a little weaving to unwind your day. I will confess that Quackers is my favorite, though he doesn't talk. Kind of like the old proverbial invisible friend.

You'll find the link over there ----> on the right under Links or just go to http://sunnydalefunnyfarm.blogspot.com from here : )

Cheers!
Zona