Chronic Chick Talk

Living with Lupus and its Side Dishes

This is a blog entry I wrote on my other blog, that I don’t keep up to date- (Lupus Side effect). I thought I would share it with my readers.

Lupus is a lot like walking around in the dark not knowing which direction you want to go in. Each day is a new adventure in living with lupus. You never know what to expect. When a day is going along just right it’s hard to believe. It’s a lot like living in a dark room, and not knowing when someone is going to open up the door and says “IM BACK”. The life of lupus can be an agonizing nightmare or you can learn to roll with the punches and take what it gives you and punch it right back where it counts.

Life with lupus is a lot easier when you accept what it gives you to deal with then being in the feel sorry for me mode. Yes, I still have those moments but, since I’ve accepted that I am who I am and lupus doesn’t have an exit door. I do wish this disease to be a thing about the past. It has taken me years to accept that lupus has given me some gifts.

Life with lupus had given me the ability to appreciate the things that I never realized were sitting right in front of me. The sky has much to offer whether, it’s the puffy white clouds or the storm clouds rolling in. I appreciate the people around me and the things around me better. I have been made to slow down and it took me long time to accept I had to slow down. Initially, I slowed down too much and thought the world had ended because once again I was given the bad end of the stick. But I had to realize God must have given me a life with lupus to show me some kind of purpose. I am still searching and looking for the exact answers but, I know that one day I will have the answers. If the answers never come at least I know that I have kept on living and search for that small light at the end of tunnel of lupus.

One thing I would say to anyone living with a chronic illness is to remember just because your sick don’t mean it’s time to stop living. There is life after chronic illness. You have to remember to get back on the ship I call life. Sitting in a corner looking at the wall isn’t going to work in this life because once it’s got you; you’ve got to learn to live with it.

Day after Surgery ouch!!!!

Yesterday, I had my surgery and it was less then fun. I am really sore,but glad that it is over with. I’m in a lot pain right now just from the surgery, but I needed something to get my mind of the pain for a while so I decided to write a post. I hope to be feeling better soon. Not that it takes the lupus away, this just adds to the misery of the pain with lupus. Us lupies and chronic pain survivors just can’t win. I will be glad when its all healed.

Chronic Chick Talk is 6 months old!!!

It’s hard to believe I’ve had this site for a little over 6 months. It been a real struggle just to keep it up to date. I’ve been through so much in the last 6 months. Their was weeks that I could not post and other times I forced myself to post. I’m trying to be a good advocate for Lupus, Fibromyalgia and chronic pain. I hope that my words will be calming to someone’s soul that they are not alone living with these chronic illnesses that some people can not stand and commit suicide. A friend’s niece committed suicided because of lupus, so I hope you find my words helpful. Have a wonderful week and I pray that the butterflies will fly amongst you.

A lupies life is full doing too much !

Today was busy for me. Now I am paying for it by feeling like I’ve been hit by a mack truck that came strolling by in all its glory. I hate when I feel this way. I’ll probably be nursing my ouch’s for the next few days. You know us lupies know just how  to overdue things. I hope it don’t last long. I’m not looking forward to the transition into fall this year because I have gone into major flares since my life with lupus and its side dishes. Ya I know its a small entry for me, but I felt inclined to share with you all.

Daily Dealings with Teenager While Dealing with Lupus

It feels like each day last forever. I have been dealing with issues with my daughter. She’s got ADHD and has a hard time accepting that she’s going to grow up. She wants to stay that little girl. I have to admit many times I feel the same way, but I do want to see her grow up and be sucessful young lady. She has plans to go to college,just not sure what she wants to do. She is a great animal lover. Today she was down on herself real bad, but it changed when she went to tae kwon do. She got 2 strips on her belt which means she needs one more stripe until she can test out for her next belt. She has her ups and downs. Being a teen is difficult enough without all your emotions in an uproar.

Kids whose parents have chronic illness have so much to deal with. I know my daughter gets upset that mom don’t have the energy other parents have. It makes it difficult to deal with each day seeing disappoinment. She loves to run and especially shopping and the singer Avril Lavigne. I try to make up for things with her. I try to stay attune to her emotions but, at times its difficult. When you have a chronic illness our kids often miss out on somethings, but most of use make up with somethings else.

I received the Arte Y Pico Award

I was pleasantly surprised to get the Arte y Pico award from My Chronic Life . Her website includes lots of great information for anyone living with a chronic illness, just like me. It’s nice to see other bloggers having the same interests.
Here’s the information about this award:

1. Choose five blogs you consider deserving of this award. (Creativity, interesting material, etc.)

2. Each award includes the name of the owner of the blog and his/her link

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself

4. Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award

I am giving this award to:

1.Living with a Chronic Illness

2. Brainless Blogger

3. Mommysbroken

4. Arimayas Heart

5. dj-astellarlife

It felt good to receive this award from a fellow blogger who enjoys my journey of living with lupus, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia.

The Word of the Week is Economy

The word of the week is economy. It seems like a perfect word to me as so many people are affecting by it. Even people with chronic illness are affected by it. We have to pay more for food, utilities, medications, and gas. The ever raising prices make it so many of us become more and more isolated because we can’t afford to go anywhere. The food prices make it so you can’t afford to buy healthy foods. The gas prices make the food in the stores cost more money because the truckers have to pay more for the gas. It all seems to have a ripple affect.

Many of us chronic illness survivors have to live on a fixed budget that’s already stretched far enough. We begin robbing peter to pay paul and sometimes there’s no peter to rob. People are forced to rely on various charities just to be feed their families, which are running out. The gas prices are affecting the charities because they have to transport the food to food banks. Many people who use to donate to the food banks are not able to because they no longer have anything to donate. The housing nightmare has many people ending up on the street. It’s a shame that people have to lose their homes because our economy is so bad. A friend of mine was renting and the landlord didn’t pay his mortgage so she ended up with no place to live with no warning. It’s stressed in our economy that we should have an emergency fund, but where can you get one if you have no money left over.

I know that I use to be able to live comfortable, but now I’m being forced to pinch pennies to just live. I just wonder how long this nightmare will continue.

How has the bad economy affect your life?

DO you know of any resources to help others, share them here?

Introducing Ask Ms Recipe

I want to introduce a new blog to you Ask Ms Recipe all. It’s a recipe blog by chronic illness survivor. I say survivor for many reasons because I refuse to be a victim of lupus. I consider myself a survivor of this illness, even thought there are times I feel like a victim. This blogger is special to my heart so I thought I would share her food blog with you all cause after most us chronic illness survivors have to eat. Hope you enjoy blog soon to be full of lots of good eats. She’s a new kind of food blogger because she’s offering to answer some questions about food and share her many talented recipes along the way. So Enjoy, and eat your heart out.

Water is the Word of the Week

Water is the word of the week. Water is an important part of my life. I’ve learned to appreciate it more since I’ve been living with chronic pain and lupus. Warm water gives me some relief from my aches and pains. I use lavender in my bath water with some epson salt to help with my aches and pains. Lavender has its way of calming the spirit, so to speak. A hot shower can be great to have warm water run in areas that hurt. Now a days they have all sorts shower heads with different attachments and speed, which is great for chronic pain survivors. It’s important to drink plenty of water to flush out your bodies impurities and to keep everything functioning right. Another reason, I like water is it’s the one way I can exercise and be able to stand it. It does wear me out totally sometimes, so I really can’t win. I would feel like I’ve been ran over by a train for a few hours. Sometimes the water exercises aren’t worth the energy for me because of my low energy level.

Exercise is supposed to help with fatigue, but I’m not totally convinced. Pool exercises are supposed to be good for people with arthritis and people with mobility issues. I’ve seen pool exercises help me some days and make my flares worse another day. Right now I’m not doing pool exercise now because I don’t have access to a pool. The places in my town that have a pool are either in the sun or too expensive to visit. I have a lot issues with sun sensitivity from the lupus. The bright sun gives me headaches or makes me feel dizzy.

Water has its value to each and everyone’s of us. So how does water help you in your life and please keep it cleanJ?

Pictures of my Garden

Here is some pictures of my garden, that my daughter took. The tomatoes are outgrowing the green peppers. The cucumbers have just started to grow. Its pretty amazing how each one of  these grow at their own pace. Its something I enjoy doing even while I live with lupus. I may not be able to physcially do all the work to make the beautiful container garden, but I’m blessed to have the help I do have. I’ve got some more pictures I will show later of the world’s slowest growing flower. :), atleast in my garden.