The ups and downs of the last 6 months...

Hello again,

Yes I know its been a little over 6 months since my last post here, though if you follow my instagram you will get regular postings. Though not as personal. 😂

So what's been going on since March, a whole lot, that's what! 

My daughter completed her Junior yr in HS, won 2nd place at her HS end of year talent show and (drum roll please) she made it into All National Honor Ensemble Choir, (NAfME ANHE) which is happening in about two weeks, that's just crazy, huh! 

We found out she made it in mid June, so since then she has been working hard to get all the i's dotted and t's crossed, jump thru hoops, etc... So she can actually go and thank you Jesus, she got everything needed done and turned in and a huge blessing is I also get to go with her. Did I mention it is in Florida and only two HS students from Alaska will be going (my daughter being one if them), very proud mama here. I am so thankful to Jesus for giving her this opportunity, truly all glory and praise goes to Him. 

Well as you can imagine it has been busy here, especially with my daughters Senior year started and getting everything ready for Nationals, plus just the normal stuff that needs to get done day to day.

The ups and downs of the last 6 months... 

I am happy to report more up's than downs. Yay! My diet changes have really helped and so has my new medication. I have lost close to 40lbs (woot, woot) and I am continuing working on being more active and engaged in life. I am still not where I would like to be (so that would be a down), however I am a lot closer to my goals than I was 6 months ago, ( a huge up). I would like to seriously get a job after getting home from Florida. I hope I do not need to much of a down time as it is only getting busier from here on out, with the holiday seasons, school plays and All State just weeks after we get back. 

Since the changes I have made I have more energy and less down times, so I have been slowly conditioning myself for more activity. Which for the most part I am able to do more and have the motivation to work on more. I still catch colds easily and it takes forever to recover (the last one was about a month long!) So working on my immunity is a top on my list as one cold can set me back and derail my goals. 

Its just one day at a time, and not beating myself up if I need some extra time to get my goals done. I trust God has me right were I need to be and will continue guiding and helping me along the way. He has never failed me yet, I just need to remember not to tie His hands and let Him do the steering. Amen!

I am excited about going to Florida with my daughter. I have never been to the east coast and I have family there I haven't seen in years so I am hoping I get to have a nice albeit a short visit with them. So this next two weeks is just getting everything ready for our trip. 

Halloween is also happening the weekend before we leave so that should be fun, I always love dressing up and seeing what fun and scary oitfits the kiddos have on when handing out treats. 🎃

So I pray everyone has a safe holiday and I will do my best to post how All Nationals and Florida went sooner than later, like within the month, 😂. 

Thank you for reading!

God Bless!

~RMM

p.s. I typed this post up on my phone instead of my laptop, so I hope the format turns out okay. :) 

 

When Life Gives You Lemons! Have a Birthday Cake Instead! Or in my case Cheesecake!

Hello, Hi, it's me again the rambling Ryan, attempting to blog. So this particular blog I started on Friday Feb. 5th. Well a lot can happen in 6 days... One day short of a week!

So here is the beginning of "that other post":

Make lemonade! It's Friday, another week of lemons so how to make some lemonade? 

So what kind of lemons have been tossed my way this last week, bronchitis. Yay! :| 

It started with my daughter, last week she had sinus stuff, then it moved down to her lungs, then came the gunk. On Monday, she toughed it out at school and poor girl just had a really bad day. I will let her share that story, if she chooses. Let's just say she really needed her mom when she got home. :(

Well I have something to say to that post, "It's my Birthday Today!!" Lets have some cake, cheesecake for me thanks! Forget about the lemons, diets, healthy eating! 

C'mon people I am sick at home let me enjoy the little things, like mmm coffee and cheesecake. Now I just have to figure out how I am going to get the cheesecake from the store to my house when my leg has decided to act up on me today. =/ 

I will think of something no worries, I will have my cheesecake today! =) ;)

Have I said how much I love cheese cake? I only really have it once a year! Sometimes I get surprised at potlucks, but usually it is gone before I make my way to the dessert table and then if not well I don't want to be greedy. I just take little "samples" of my favorites and usually wrap them up and save them for home. I really can't do sweets like I use to, "Oi! My Fibromyalgia!" (Yes, that is what happens when I eat the "wrong" kind of food). Inflammation! Ouch!

(We won't even get into the "diet" part of not doing to much sweets! I'll save that for another ramble. Does this blog make me look a little big?) :P 

So a quick look at the past two weeks. Last week my daughter had bronchitis, then this week I have bronchitis, plus my gimpy leg. I just got my Z-pack of antibiotics yesterday. So here is hoping in 3 more days I will be feeling much, much better. My leg overall has been doing much better since the ER trip, until yesterday...

Again no clue to what I did, but about an hour before my first appointment of the day, intense pain again (the kind that sent me to the ER last time). =(

So I made sure I took all my medication for it, massaged, iced, etc. Then had to take an extra bit of ibuprofen, it did help a little bit. Enough so I was able to make my appointment on time. Yay!

An hour later when it was time for me to go, my leg was sore and stiff but okay. That is until I was making my way to my car. Not a far walk, I was lucky and got a good spot close to the front door. Still that sharp pain starts at the sciatica, that just webs down the leg, jabs the knee and then webs down again. :| 

It was too early for my Gabapentin; (the stuff for the nerve pain that also helps w/the Fibromylagia); I was also really hungry, I had an hour before my Dr.'s appointment. The thought of trying to climb up the steps to my apartment and make myself something was just too much at the time. Nope, nope, and a big nope!

Then I thought hmm maybe a drive-thru, I would not have to walk up any stairs, could stay in my car... well then reason kicked in, nope that would just make it worse, (hello, Fibromyalgia!). "Ain't nobody got time for dat!" 

So I went to Safeway, had to get out of my car and well just, "walk it off," (ouch ooch eech). Thank you Jesus I did not have to walk far! They have a nice deli, got myself some nice chunky chicken noodle soup (good for colds), a small turkey & colby jack cheese sandwich, and a broccoli salad. *cheers* Much better, (health, cost, & taste wise), then that drive-thru! =)

By this time my leg was not as bad, the pain had eased down enough, so I did finally stop off at my apartment (I had left my Gabapentin there) :| 

Anyhoo, I got my medicine, made my way to the doctors, had time to finish my lunch and take the medicine all in the comfort of my car listening to some music. The timing was great, by the time I was done with my soup and had half my sandwich, it was time for me to go in. 

Now here comes the news that maybe some of you have been waiting for, the MRI results from Sat. the 6th. (Maybe I will tell that story in a different blog, this one is already a bit of a ramble already.)  

Okay, (cue in the drum roll).... Yes Happy Birthday Ryan you do have a pinched nerve! 

And that is not all, you also have!

"Multilevel degenerative disc disease and facet arthropathy in lower lumbar spine..." (That last part "facet arthropathy" is arthritis, phew I already knew that part.) 

Congratulations! You have three choices for your prize:
1)Physical Therapy 2-3x a week 
2) Steroid Nerve Injection (did I mention how much I hate needles? nope, nope, not happening, plz noooo!) 
3) See a Spine Surgeon and see if surgery may help (okay, that sounds even scarier than the needles!) 

;-; (those are tears for those of you not familiar with the world of emoji's). 

I picked option number 1, it is going to be a pain (literally!) I have done it before and I know it can help. Granted, I have never had a pinched nerve, but the Dr. said that sometimes these things resolve themselves esp. with the help of Physical therapy. 

I would consider a chiropractor but that is not covered by medicaid, (thanks again insurance!). 

Medicaid seems to be allergic to "alternative", "natural" methods of medicine, (that well have been around waaay longer than western meds), and just push the band-aid remedies of pharmaceuticals and perhaps unnecessary surgical procedures. (yup that just might be a whole other blog gripe!) 

Please do not get me wrong, I am so very thankful to Jesus for the insurance I do have and I know God has his hand on me! It is just the little politics of some things that get me peeved; esp. when there are alternate ways that are not only more cost effective but have a better track record to health and recovery!

Okay, enough of this, It's my Birthday!! I may not be able to do much but, I will make the best of today, enjoy some cheesecake, and well wait till I am better and maybe go out with some friends for a nice, lunch/coffee/dinner, who knows. =)

Oh, an FYI, there will be no drinking of alcoholic beverages, I don't drink anymore, except maybe once or twice a year, if that, and I leave it to under 2 drinks tops, just had to mention that here to help clarify, "go out with friends." ;)  

So long farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, adieu, to you and you and you... 

Hope you have a wonderful week until next time!

~Ryan (RMM) ;)

Smoothies to the Rescue!

So yesterday I finally opened my Ninja Professional, it had been sitting in it's box for about a month, I will get into the why later on. For now lets talk about how excited I was to give it a try!

I use to own a Jack Lalannes Juicer, (they work really well for home btw) and I know the benefits of regular juicing and really miss my juices. They definitely added energy to my day, which is what I am in need of now. 

Originally I bought the Ninja because I heard you could also juice with it as well, I wanted a product that I can use for both juicing and smoothies, not to mention something that could work like a food processor. Prior to buying my Ninja I had done some research on different things I could do to get healthy with diet alone and I read in more than a few health articles and books, how essential a high fiber diet really is.

Because of my chronic conditions, (I will get more into that on a different post), I am not able to have much physical activity a lot of the time. I need to do something that is easy and affordable, to kick start my body again. I am just sick of being sick and tired all the time!

So from my past experiences with juicing I knew some favorite combos to try, I just was not sure how they would work in the Ninja. I do not own a strainer so I was also wondering how the texture would be and if I wouldn't mind a little pulp in my drink. 

Here is the Recipe of my first drink:

2 med carrots (washed and chopped to about 1" size)
1-2cups baby spinach
1 medium apple (washed and cored, I like to leave the peel on)
2-3 oz 100% orange pineapple juice (with the ninja I need some kind of liquid)
1-2 oz  water (added as needed for a smoother texture)
A dash of ginger and cinnamon

I totally forgot to take a pictures- I did find some images online and it looked a lot like this:

And had the texture of about this:

So it was not completely smooth like a real juice but it sure comes close enough for me and I did not mind the little bit of pulp. A bonus is that my 12yr old daughter really liked it and she remembers how smooth and tasty the juices my old juicer would make. The fiber in pulp is really very filling, not to mention packed with nutrients! Our bodies really need fiber if you do a Google search you will get tons of health articles as to why it is soo important.  

Dietary fiber — found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes — is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. But foods containing fiber can provide other health benefits as well, such as helping to maintain a healthy weight and lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

The health benefits to a high fiber diet was one of the main reasons I wanted the Ninja vs a regular juicer. A friend of mine did buy me an inexpensive juicer about a year ago, but that was such a hassle and mess, plus it did not yield much juice, so it has been collecting dust. I really did get spoiled on my old juicer and would still have it if I had not moved states. I gave it to my aunt so she can try out all the new juices she learned at a juicing class, she still has it.

For my next drink I went more for a smoothie, my daughter was wanting some ice cream and though I did find a "healthy" homemade ice cream recipe I did not have any frozen banana's that was required. Don't worry I will be trying out that recipe and posting the results! 

So here is the Recipe of our Dessert Smoothie my daughter has named Rarity:

1 cup of frozen blueberries
1 med banana
2-3 oz nonfat- greek vanilla yogurt
1-2 oz of nonsweetened vanilla almond milk
A dash of ginger and cinnamon 
(you can adjust the amounts of yogurt and almond milk to a preferred texture)

Here are some pictures I found online of what the smoothie looked like:

Soooo yummy!

Okay that was the adventures of my first day with my Ninja! I did make a breakfast smoothie for my daughter this morning and it was good, but a little on the tart side- so will post on that recipe seperately. The Rarity one will be a hard one to top and I see it becoming a regular additon and alternate for a healthy treat!

Here is some more information on the health benefits of a high fiber diet- 

• Lowers cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber found in beans, oats, flaxseed and oat bran may help lower total blood cholesterol levels by lowering low-density lipoprotein, or "bad," cholesterol levels. Studies also have shown that fiber may have other heart-health benefits, such as reducing blood pressure and inflammation.

• Helps control blood sugar levels. In people with diabetes, fiber — particularly soluble fiber — can slow the absorption of sugar and help improve blood sugar levels. A healthy diet that includes insoluble fiber may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

• Aids in achieving healthy weight. High-fiber foods generally require more chewing time, which gives your body time to register when you're no longer hungry, so you're less likely to overeat. Also, a high-fiber diet tends to make a meal feel larger and linger longer, so you stay full for a greater amount of time. And high-fiber diets also tend to be less "energy dense," which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog and if you have any great smoothie ideas of your own please post in the comments below! Cheers and God Bless!

Rarity~

*All qoutes were taken from the article- "Dietary Fiber: Essential for a healthy diet" by the Mayo Clinic Staff : Dietary Fiber: Essential for a healthy diet