I haven’t had much to say lately. My next round of respiratory tests and labs are in two weeks. I did recently undergo a biopsy of endometrial material. I won’t have those results for two weeks also. But, I have noticed some of the following changes lately. Please be advised that these may or may not apply to you and I will be bringing them up to the doctor.
- Mosquito hands – every now and then I will have what I call mosquito hands. What does that mean? Well, during the process of trying to wind down and fall asleep, it feels like a bunch of mosquitos attacking my hands. Only my hands. This is not to be confused with the random pin pricks I normally feel as I fall asleep. It usually takes a dose of aspirin and a valium to get them to calm down so that I can sleep.
- Avoiding grains does make a difference – I have regressed now and then to conserve on time or convenience to eating foods that contain grains that are gluten – free. This usually causes me to wake up the next morning with an achy body and/or a rash on my hands. After two days of avoiding all grains, rash is healed and body aches are gone. Avoiding grains does not seem to affect the amount of coughing.
- Body breakdowns – recently I have been experiencing what I want to call body breakdowns. I don’t really know how to describe it except that it starts with me feeling a little chilled. Then it feels like a lead blanket (like the one from the dentist) being laid on me. I am usually in bed before this lead blanket feeling overcomes me. I am unable to move for about two hours. I don’t fall asleep. I don’t have a fever. But I am unable to do more than lay there and assure my dog verbally that I am okay. After about two hours, it feels like the blanket is lifted and I am fine. There does not seem to be a trigger or anything to bring it on. I actually took a day off from work, stayed home on oxygen and drank about a gallon or more of liquids to see if it helped. It did. The next event lasted only 45 minutes. But as soon as I got chilled, I drank a big glass of water and ran upstairs to lay down. I can only guess that maybe I am getting dehydrated during the day causing this event. I can’t explain it any other way. It will be interesting to see what the doctor says.
- Quality of vitamins do count – I used to take a general multi-vitamin by Centrum and any generic of probiotics, calcium, biotin, iron and D3. Well…..My labs steadily were getting worse regarding my hemoglobin. So, I have been slowly switching to a “food -based” vitamin company. I do admit that they are not cheap. It has been three months since I have switched the iron, calcium and D3. My labs in February were one point higher. I have now added a more costly 16 strain probiotic to my regimen and a different multi for women over 50. I have labs in two weeks to see if the hemoglobin returns back to normal. If it does, then my investment in these particular brand of vitamins and other supplements will be worth it.
- Remember Turmeric – I have recently discovered that taking turmeric at night is a must for me. I forgot one night. The next morning my hands were puffy and stiff. This herb is great for reducing inflammation in the body.
- Getting back social events – I have been blessed by friends and family to have scheduled once a month for me to attend some kind of community social event. January, I saw chinese dancers. February, my son took me to a piano concert and recently this month, my best friend took me to an opera. Understand that the day before each of these events, I stayed at home on oxygen and rested. It takes planning, but each event was thoroughly enjoyed. So, if you can afford it (if you can’t- there are free concerts out there, you just have to find them), schedule yourself for something once a quarter or even once a month. Plan ahead to get rest the day before and enjoy.
I hope these few insights help you with what you or your loved one is going through. I am not in their shoes, so do not count this as advice. Count this as my walk. If anything I share helps you to feel better, wonderful. If not, keep researching. I am always looking for new information on treatments, complimentary medicine and psychological information to help me deal with my personal journey.
As God closes doors on what I can’t do anymore, He opens His arms even bigger to receive me and help me with what I can do.