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Roller Coaster Weeks of May

Week of May 9th: I was still on prednisone until Wednesday.  But I was exhausted every day.  Gideon ended up staying home with a fever Tuesday through Thursday and we pretty much laid around during that time.  My head pain may have been low, but my body was completely out of energy.  So we sat, watching TV, playing on our electronics, napping a lot, even Gideon.  Head pain actually remained low until Saturday, but finally on Wednesday, I got some energy back and so did Gideon, but was still running a low grade fever so I kept him home one more day.  We had a fun day of going to lunch, Walmart, lots of garage sales and then to Miss Tammy’s (his daycare before I lost my job).  Man was I whipped when I got home though.  Friday started my day with a sore throat and pain into the chest.  I was thinking it was a yeast infection from the prednisone especially because I had it down there and on a place on my stomach…so not fun.  I just felt crappy all day.  I tried to go into town, but only lasted an hour and then back to bed for me.  I woke Saturday with a migraine starting but didn’t let that get me down…at least with the help of Imitrex it didn’t get me down.  So we packed in the car and went to a few garage sales and had lunch out.  By Sunday I was completely exhausted and slept almost all day.  Migraine most of the day when I woke in spurts.  I did rally in the evening to get the kitchen cleaned, the boys to clean their bedrooms and bathrooms and organized the laundry to fold and hang…it was really beginning to pile up.

Week of May 16th: Monday in bed all day with a horrible migraine for which I finally had to take a Toradol shot just to take the edge off.  Tuesday I woke with the migraine, but took Amerge ( a Noratriptan that takes quite a while to take effect but works for a long time) and went back to bed until 1:30pm.  I got up showered and felt like I had some energy back again.  I was supposed to meet a friend for a late lunch/ice cream but that fell through, so I13265911_10154115930606897_534315005628657821_n went and ate at Taco Bell for a late lunch by myself.  I ran a few errands and hit Goodwill for a few amazing finds…Body Glove surf suit for Gideon $8 and it fits perfect, white leather Keds for $4 for me which is what I was looking for and a pair of garden shoes for $4 and I love them, they are bright green and make me happy 🙂 And then went crazy and folded all the laundry, hung up hanging clothes put it all away..and if that wasn’t enough I emptied out my entire closet to make room for all of  my clothes that not only fit but were some amazing garage sale finds and to make room for my new addiction: LulaRoe.

The rest of this week is a mystery to me really.  I woke up on Wednesday with a great deal of energy and very little head pain (1/2).  So I called my friend Mindy and we went to lunch and hung out all afternoon and chatted all day.  Then in the evening the family went to Josiah’s school for a walk-a-thon type thing and I walked 1 1/2 miles.  I was so scared…I knew I would end up with a migraine that night or the next morning, but the mystery is…I didn’t.

So Thursday I woke up feeling ready for the day and spent the entire afternoon with my friend Carrie, hitting garage sales and Meijer towards the end of the day.  Friday I went to Josiah’s field day at school for 3 hours which was so much fun and I am so glad I was able to go and participate in something this year with the schools.

Then went to ready care because a pain in my neck, possibly lymph nodes had been bothering me, he put me on antibiotics and sent me on my way. I slept until 3:30, visited with my parents and then we all headed in to Gideon’s school for his school Carnival. And again I was so pleased and excited that I got to participate in something with the kids for their school.

Little to no head pain all day and into the evening.  I did do a Toradol shot, but that is because my body was aching 🙂  Then my parents took the kids and Dan and I just hung out all weekend, hitting a few garage sales.  Saturday night we hung out with our friends Stephanie and Jared until 1:30 in the morning.  Still no head pain.  I was even wearing my regular glasses without the tint.

Same for Sunday…I did have a bad reaction to food, but other than that another great day.  It’s a mystery!  I was actually having feelings of guilt because I had gone so long without a migraine.  How weird is that?  I was also very confused…was this going to last, was the medicine working, I just didn’t know.

Week of May 23rd: Monday was another great day.  I spent most of the day relaxing at home though just in case.  But it was nice and quiet and had no responsibilities that day and that felt good..no where to go!  Then as I was on FB a notification came up from one of the virtual garage sale sites and I just happened to click on it.  It was a piece of property.  10 acres of land, with great hunting potential.  I contacted the owner and asked if we could take a look at the property.  So after we had all eaten, we headed out 14.5 miles from our house was this beautiful piece of land.  Oh my goodness, we were instantly in love.  Rolling hills, woods, the view, the potential to maybe build some day, photography potential.  So we walked all the way to the back of the property which was quite long.  When we got to the wooded area it was tough to walk because of all the prickers, so Josiah and I chose a different path and we ended up in the swamp.  It took all of my energy to get to the back of the property and then I was digging for extra energy to get back.  We saw 4 deer and a rabbit in our short time there.  The sun was setting and we were in love.  We didn’t really think about how we would pay for the land, just how beautiful it was and the potential it had.

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And then I had no more guilt, I knew the answer to the questions I was asking myself…the13241196_10154132262611897_3871821648081814738_n head pain returned and with a vengeance.  Ugh.  I went to bed with the pain rising and woke with the head pain at a 5.  I took an Imitrex and went back to bed because I had a hair apt later that day and of course I had to make it 🙂  By the time I 13233015_468205046703984_2698938692415491479_ngot home the meds were worn off and I was back to bed and in bed all day Wed and Thursday.  Friday, I woke with the migraine still, but took Amerge because I was done with the pain.  Luckily by 1:30 when I woke up the meds had done their job.  So I went in to town to see the back about financing the property (after chatting with Jennifer our realtor, she told us that there was a possibility of financing and I made some calls and found out that was indeed true).  I got all the information about getting pre approved for the loan and what it would take to get the loan.  20% down…ugh.  If we got the property for $32,000 with realtor fees we would need $7000 to put down.  No idea really how that could happen.  So I put that aside and started driving until I found a garage sale sign which lead me over towards the property.  I decided to go look at it again.  When I got out of the car, I felt this amazing peace.  So I decided to pray about this property and if it was to be in our future or not and to please make it clear 😉  One can always ask!  And wouldn’t you know it, when I left the property, 2 houses down there was a garage sale.  If you know me, or have at the very least read this thread, I love to garage sale.  It must be a sign, right?  🙂  hehe j/k  I won’t disregard it, but I won’t put an offer in based upon that “sign” 🙂  I picked up the kids from school (a treat since they have to ride the bus and walk home) and then picked up pizza.  My parents met us at the house and took the kids off for the weekend.  After they left, Dan and I sat out front and just enjoyed the peace and quiet and listened to the birds and talked about our day without interruption.  And then the guy next door started mowing…inside I go.  Allergies are kicking my butt this year.  So now to spend Memorial Day weekend however it takes us.  But I will gather all the necessary documents needed for the pre approval for sure.

 

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Mother’s Day Weekend

It was such a blessing to spend so much time with my family but it was a very surreal weekend this Mother’s Day Weekend. It was as if I got to step out of my sluggish body and head pain ridden ornery self and got to be this happy, fun LulaRoe legging wearing, master garage saling woman this weekend. It was magical.

Friday night: I love that Gideon is still young enough for back rubs and snuggles. The best way to spend quality mother/son time for me…the hugs are healing and he loves his back rubbed…it just happens that he falls asleep very quickly when I do rub his back, so I just held him.  He will not be small enough much longer to do this.

Saturday we all hung out for the morning and then went in to town to garage sale and man did we hit a ton of sales (see Garage Sale Addiction Post for more on that).  Gideon ended up with 2 of the best things; a 4 piece suit which he loved and had to put on right away when we got home and a game with many interesting additions to the box.   As soon as he put on his suit he had me taking video of him doing dance moves…very funny!  And then my mom asked if I got any pictures of him in his new suit…good thinking mom.  No I hadn’t, but I was still up for a few pictures and he was so excited to have his pictures taken that I definitely took the opportunity to do so!

Sunday morning @ 7:30 I was woken up very quietly to ask help buttoning up Gideon’s pants, then shirt, then vest of his 4 piece suit.  After he was all dressed he climbed into bed and played on his ipad, making me a new season 😉

I came out to the living room around 10:00 and Gideon was right there asking to play one of his new games from a garage sale.  As far as the game goes, all the pieces were there but 1, so that is pretty good for a used kids game…but it was all the extra stuff that was in the box that was so strange:IMG_8589[1]

  • a little gun
  • instructions for a roku
  • a used pencil top erasure
  • AA battery
  • AAA battery
  • paper clip
  • 2 fake fingernails
  • paddle and ball
  • wrapper for a cough drop
  • 2 rubber bands
  • string
  • a piece of wood
  • metal tool of some sort

After playing the game for a little while I asked Gideon if he wanted me to cut his hair because he had been asking for a short hair cut, so I got the clippers out, got him into play clothes, and cut his hair. He was definitely due!  And I was so glad I felt good enough to cut it!

He said he was going to wear to wear his suit today and he did, but he had to have a bow tie, so after his hair cut I took him to my photo props and found him a bow tie.  Then I sent him to the shower and he got his suit and bow tie back on.  It was Mother’s Day after all.  He made me want to dress up a bit too 😉  Then we had to take pictures with his new hair cut and with the bow tie…it was so wonderful to feel well enough to be able to do so.  Josiah didn’t want a hair cut or his picture taken!   Growing up!

Josiah shows me his love is ways that can’t often be photographed and he is getting old enough that he isn’t always up for pictures for fun. He prays for me every night, he gives hugs and is always concerned about me. I have been blessed with two very living children. What more could a mother ask for 😘💕

It was a wonderful weekend.  We went garage saling, shopping and out to dinner.  But even better I got to be a mom, a photographer, a hair cutter, a mom, a photographer, a garage saler and a mom and it was delightful!

And then we were all tuckered out from a fun long weekend of Migraine free mom!

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Happy Mother’s Day to me and to my mom!

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Garage Sale Addict/LulaRoe Addict

Apparently when I feel well I tend to shop: both online and at garage sales.  I have always loved garage sales and auctions ever since I was little.  And it has been such a bummer that I haven’t been able to go much last summer.  Online shopping for LulaRoe is a new addiction but it is also difficult to do when I have migraine.  So much to scroll through, so much to look at that it is overwhelming.  But this weekend I was taking prednisone for a 5 day booster pack to give myself a break from constant pain.  That didn’t quite work out the way I was hoping, but with the help of my abortive Imitrex I was able to both shop online and go to garage sales all day Saturday and back to one on Sunday.

The first group of sales, flea markets and goodwill stops that I made, I scored big time with 18 dress shirts, 1 maxi dress, 5 summer dresses, 4 knee length skirts, 1 scarf, 1 sweatshirt, 2 Capri pants, a pair of jeans, and 2 pajama shirts…bring on summer.  35 items for $60.  Now I just need to feel well to wear them.

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Then on Saturday we hit a huge Subdivision Sale and went to probably 25 sales, but one of them was a super hit for me: I got 6 camisoles, 12 dress shirts all Lane Bryant $13 total. Happy Mothers Day to me! I Guess I better start looking for more pants 😀 But I definitely need to empty my closet to make room.

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And then just in case, since they had so many clothes still left, I asked if we could go to the sale on Sunday…it was Mother’s day after all 🙂  And sure enough they were just packing up, but they let me look through everything again.  This time I ended up with: 2 capri pants, 2 dress pants, 1 pair of jeans, 12 sweater tanks of all colors and sizes, 6 more really cute tops and 6 sweaters/cardigans for a total of $23.

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Now I need to clean out my closet to make room for all of these fun new clothes.  I could have put together so many wardrobes together this weekend for adult men/women and kids. What an awesome subdivision sale!!

AND THEN CAME LULAROE: I was gifted a pair back in April and I wore them all of the time.  Well last week I was invited to an online party for Lularoe and I thought I would check it out.  My friend Mindy and cousin Teresa also joined me…we had so much fun chatting and showing either other what we got.  My first 3 leggings LOVE them:

And then there was another sale during the week last week and I bought two more pair of leggings:

Should I have stopped, yep!  But I was feeling so well over the weekend and there was a huge 30 vendor online sale that I bought 2 more leggings and a maxi skirt:

AND NOW I HAVE TO STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Although I can’t wait to get them in the mail 🙂

So the next time I feel well again, I will have to go through my entire closet and clean it out.  Soooo many clothes that don’t fit anymore since Migraine hit and so many old clothes with holes.  It’s time for a fresh start.  Luckily my mom loves organizing as much as I do…just need to find a time when I am not down with migraine and my dresser won’t look like this anymore:

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Prednisone–>I always over due it!

Thursday May 6th: First day of prednisone 20mg!  I should have taken my friend Jennifer’s advice today when I felt so good. On the one hand it was a wonderful day. Started my day being able to fold some laundry and get some phone calls made. I went to a garage sale, had a good Dr apt, back to garage sale to get some amazing clothes that almost all fit. That’s always a big win. Then I texted Dawn to see what she was up too and we both ended up with beautiful pedicures. I had a thumb drive to drop off to Meaghan  (hopefully you got it) and realized I was 2 miles from where she lived to drop it off. One more thing crossed off of my list. I had heard back from my friend Carrie that she was nearby too so I stopped and chatted with her and her mom Ruthanne for an hour or so. On my way home I stopped at our old day care family and all the little babies just called me in. And I was off to pick up the boys just in time to get them off the bus, but talked on the phone to my mom  for the entire drive. Did I tell you that talking is a major migraine trigger. Dan had a water loss and it was beautiful outside so the boys got the burn pile done and then got out water balloons and the launcher. We had a fun time just hanging out. And if that wasn’t enough for the night we met up with Dan in Potterville for dinner at Charlie’s Bar and Grill.  Then home to put the boys to bed and crash. My head had started to hurt already but I was able to fall asleep.

Friday May 7th: Now here is when I should have listened to Jennifer, I should not have done so much on the first day of prednisone…it’s a trick, all the energy was from the pill. So I would pay for all the fun and activity and talking.  I woke with the most excrutiating pain I have felt in a long time. The pain was coming from all directions in my head. I felt like I was under attack. I tried my IceKap but it made this one worse. Finally after taking my meds including prednisone and putting warm heat on my head, I fell asleep. When I woke the pain was down but not very functional. So today I rest! And Mindy I am so sorry I can’t come for a visit today. Hopefully next week.

My neighbor also stopped by to drop off an ottoman that I bought at her garage sale and forgot to take. We got talking about migraines (imagine that) but she suffers too 😓. So I had to show her my icekap but that meant showing our house and talking for a half an hour, plus the house is a disaster but she understood. Sad to hear of another friend whose migraines are getting more frequent and more difficult to treat. Selfishly glad to have a neighbor to talk to about migraine stuff but it sucks for both of us at the same time.

13133092_10154089587201897_5739522844633282669_n (1)I did realize something today. Well not really today, but something new about one of my migraines; the one that hit this morning. Laying down isn’t the answer for this one. As soon as I stood up the pain lessened. So I made myself a Mac and cheese cup and am sitting on the porch enjoying this beautiful day. Migraines are so complex especially when you have varying types but I am so glad I decided to stand up and go outside. But now the birds beautiful songs are starting to get to me. 😕. It was still lovely getting outside but still relaxing.

 

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Test Results

I keep forgetting to post the results from testing done at Mayo Clinic. They all came back normal. So still no answers but in the long run it’s good that I don’t have cancer in the brain or spine or any of the incurable autoimmune diseases. But it’s been pretty rough week with the weather patterns the way they’ve been. So I still keep trudging along taking each migraine as they come. Finally over a 72 hr migraine…abortive meds were not helpful throughout this one.  No changes yet with new meds because it will take 8 weeks to get to the target dose and then another 5-6 weeks to know whether or not it’s working. If it works AWESOME, if not I go back to Mayo in August.  I will start the prednisone break on June 10th so that I am able to be there for my 2 boys over at least two of the summer months.  We already have a week long trip to Florida in June and hopefully we will be able to do some camping during the break.  I am also aware of the possible risks of prednisone and one of them is Headache, so hopefully that doesn’t happen to me.  And increased acid reflux, so hopefully the meds I am on for reflux will continue to keep it under control.  The side effects long term will have to be dealt with in the long term.

So for now I deal with the side effects of Neurontin: fatigue (both mental and physical).  But hopefully as soon as I make it to the target dose and stay on it for a little while my body will adust.  More importantly I hope it works!