Two for Alphie

I was on my way home from work Friday afternoon. I typically do not use the GPS to and from work, but on Friday I turned it on. Good thing I did. There was a road block and I couldn't use the roads I use every single day. The Jennifer before GPS would have called her husband in a panic not knowing where to go. However, I was able to turn down the street the cops directed me on and followed the GPS instructions.

I was able to get home easily.

Score two for Jennifer & Alphie! :)

My number

Why is my number an affirmation that I should go on the trip today? Well as soon as I saw it, I had to analyze this sign to find out if if meant I should go.

First, the sign appeared around 9:30 in the morning. It stayed for about 2 and 1/2 hours and then disappeared. As if that weren't an affirmation in itself, I had to figure out right away so I started calculating. You know since I'm a number's girl and all.

The very first thought I thought when I saw the number 7 was that God rested on the 7th day since he finished all of his work. I grabbed pulled up a calculator on the computer and started adding up numbers. You know since I'm a number's girl and all.

I added up today's date. 03 - 28 - 2010. It equaled the number 7. Here let me show you.

28 = 2 + 8 = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1 therefore 28 = 1. I will replace the number 28 with 1 in my final equation.

0 + 3 = 3 therefore 3 =3. I will replace the number 3 with 3 in my final equation.

2010 = 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 3 therefore I will replace the number 2010 with 3 in my final equation


3 - 28 - 2010 = 3 + 1 + 3 = 7

So hopefully you all see how I got that March 28th 2010 equals the number 7.

Alright I already at this point had the affirmation that the date I would like to travel on equaled the number 7. What else did I have that would positively affirm or deny that I should go on this trip. I counted up the letters in the town I would like to travel to on March 28, 2010 and got .. the number 7. You know since I'm a number's girl and all.

What else did I do to find out the positive affirmation? I looked in Numbers of course. You know since I'm a number's girl and all. I looked up a random passive in Numbers. Numbers 14:7. You know since the number 14 is twice that of 7. I got this, "And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land." (KJV).

By this point, I had pretty much decided I was going to go. I wanted to see when my sign would disappear though. I calculated it out and figured it was about 2 1/2 hours. The exact amount of time that I want to spend there and then head back home. Now you can't tell me that's not my sign.

So pray for me on my journey to J town. Pray for the 4 hours I'll be on the road and the 2 1/2 hours that I'll be there in church. Pray that great things happen the week before Easter in this wonderful church. I'm going to hug my hero. I better get ready. It is 7:00 am after all and I am a number's girl.

A Number's girl

I'm a number's girl. I look at numbers all the time. I'm constantly counting and looking at times and dates. I sometimes remember a random phone number and I have no idea who it belongs to. So I 411 it to see the owner and realize it was a friend from ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I'm a number's girl.

I know that I was sick 12 years before I got diagnosed. In 20 days, I'll be celebrating my 10 year wedding anniversary. It's been exactly 11 months since my friend passed away. That the last 4 digits of my phone number in elementary school is only one digit different than the phone number my parents have now. My first day at college I was mistaken for a 9 year old. I tend to have a lot of odd numbers in my life especially when it comes to my own telephone numbers. The last 4 digits of my college phone number was the same as my grandparent's phone number.

I've been trying to decide if I wanted to take a trip in the morning. Trying to decide if I wanted to spend 4 hours on the road for a 2 hour visit. So imagine my surprise when I saw this on my wall. You won't recognize why, but this number is the confirmation I needed to say that I do need to go on this trip tomorrow.

Did I mention

allergies?

They are kicking in big time.

I took 5 drops of the magical drops and then started my Vitamin C protocol. I usually start off with 3 grams and increase by a gram a day until I'm at a decent dose. However, I can tell that if I don't start out with a bam that I may regret it. So I started off with SIX WHOLE GRAMS of Vitamin C.

Yesterday I drank a whole pineapple.

Sounds strange doesn't it? Well, a while back we got a juicer. I bought a pineapple and put it through the juicer. It wound up with about 20 ounces of juice. A few weeks ago I purchased a Mango Slicer. It's divine and I highly recommend it. I need to go buy a pineapple slicer too. It would make my juicing life a lot easier.

Yeah. Random is my middle name.

Also a few weeks ago, I bought a new point & shoot. You'll see it at some point. You've already seen some photos from it, but here's another one. It has a feature that I just love. Pick one color and it will showcase that color only. The other parts will come out black & white.

I'm Alive

I've had a rough go of it the past week, but I'm still alive.

I'll just go through a run down of everything that has happened (good and not so good).

1. Slept wrong Friday night which caused a severe pain in my neck. I couldn't look up and down or side to side for most of Saturday and Sunday. Finally Sunday evening I started to have more mobility in my neck, but I began to wonder if I'd even be able to drive on Monday. Woke up Monday and it was better. I could move it more, but it definitely wasn't normal.

2. Tuesday I whacked my ankle on a metal stool. Immediate pain, but then it eased off. I was relieved until later. Tuesday night I could barely walk. My ankle was swollen so on went the brace & heat (would have used ice, but I was going to bed and didn't feel like getting up to dump the ice out once it became water .. I know lazy, but it hurt to walk). I had to use the brace all day on Wednesday. I took it off yesterday to see how things were progressing and they have cleared up nicely.

3. I've worked 7 & 8 hour days the last 2 1/2 weeks. I'm doing really well with the stamina. Last week I worked a full 40 hour week for the first time in almost 2 years. This week I was scheduled for 40, but it will more than likely be a 38 hour week. Hey 38 is better than almost 30.

4. Spring has arrived. So have allergies. They're starting. I felt a twinge of reaction last night so I went ahead and took my magic drops. Hopefully I can ward this reaction off to a minimum. Usually turns into full fledge sinus infections which turns into Pneumonia or Bronchitis. I'm hoping that by catching it early that will reduce it. I began even earlier by starting my magic drops Monday to Thursday. Gave myself a few days break and started again. Really these drops should only be taken 4 days at a time with a 3 days break. Though I've been approved to go longer, I'd rather do the 4 days on and 3 days off.


5. This morning I got up ... in the dark. I couldn't find the light switch nor would the remote control work for the over head light. So I wound up falling out of bed trying to reach the lamp. It didn't hurt then, but bet it's going to hurt later. Then I walked to the computer and ... thought the screen was dirty and that my glasses needed cleaning because I couldn't see at all. Uh yeah. I forgot to put on my glasses.

6. It's Thursday. Survivor had a special night showing last night and boy was it awesome! AWESOME!

Gotta Go

So about a week ago I realized that I was having the urge to "go" more often. It wasn't painful to go, but I was going much more frequently than my usual. I thought it was due to the excess water I drank prior to my blood work, but when Saturday and I was still frequently going I was beginning to get a little concerned.

When Sunday arrived, I realized that my belly was aching. I couldn't decide if it was a bladder aching pain, no gallbladder pain or some other issue. It didn't hurt when I went to the bathroom, but it was just an overall pain. I decided to sit on it the issue and wait to see how work went on Monday to decide what to do.

I rarely have to go to the bathroom when I am working. I am so busy thinking about what I have to do that I just don't even think about going. However on Monday, I was rushing to the bathroom between classes. This was about every 25 minutes for my whole day. I even had to get someone to come to a class I was covering for a lunch break to let me go to the bathroom.

It was at this time I remembered having this problem once before. It was at the beginning of my treatment and I had been diagnosed with a UTI. Though before, it was quite painful to go. So I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. I was excited though. If it was a UTI or even a simple bladder infection, I knew my treatment option could be natural.

I decided to give it one more day and then go see my health guru at the doctor's office. I grabbed my needed item and came home. I took 3 doses Tuesday night and 1 on Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon, my belly no longer ached and I wasn't needing to go as often. I'm still on this natural supplement for Urinary Tract Support. I LOVE this stuff. I mean it has a somewhat sweet taste and I can take it quickly. Here it is Thursday and there seems to be no problem.

Four years ago, I would have rushed to the doc in a box. I would have paid 20 bucks and taken a urine test. I would have been given 10 days worth of antibiotics which would have made me feel lousy and gross. I also would have spent more than 20 bucks on the antibiotics. Instead, I spent 36 dollars on Mannose Powder and felt fabulous in less than 24 hours.

Now what Mannose Powder supposedly does is sticks to the bacteria in the bladder and Urinary Tract. Then when you go to the bathroom, the Mannose Powder causes the bacteria flushes out with the urine. My first 4 doses I used 1/2 teaspoon in a little bit of water. Now I'm on 1/4 teaspoons 3 times a day and hopefully I won't have a problem any time soon.

I LOVE alternative medicine. Who would have thunk it?

St. Patty's Day

My favorite color is green. So I love dressing up for Ole St. Patty's Day. I have since I was a kid really. A few years ago Fifteen years ago, my parents bought me this fabulous outfit. I wound up wearing it frequently, but then after it became severely unfashionable ... I brought it out once a year on March 17th. A few years ago the pants ripped and it saddened me to have to throw out the beloved green outfit. I have yet to find a replacement, but this is part of my outfit this year. It may not be all green, but it will have to do.



See the "charm" on the necklace? Yeah I've had that for much longer than a decade. It's more than two decades truth be told. I love it. Every year, I find him. I used to keep him in a ballerina jewelry box. I still keep him in a jewelry box, but not a ballerina one.




Isn't he cute?

Yeah I thought so too.

All Smiles

Remember when I went and met my favorite former UNC player. Well I had him sign his Dallas Maverick NBA card.



I'll give you a hint about something else that has me all smiles too. It is IN the photo, but not IN the photo.

Score One for Jennifer

So last night I had a meeting. I am petrified of being late to things. So much so that I generally plan to arrive places up to 30 minutes early just in case "traffic" happens. Since I work about 45 minutes (on good traffic days) from home, I decided to leave only 15 minutes early because the last few meetings we've had ... it has still only taken 45 minutes to arrive. I was tired of arriving 30 minutes early. Well leave it to me to decide this on a day where there IS a traffic jam on the interstate. *gahhhh*

About 3 miles into my trip, the GPS alarms at me, "Bad traffic ahead. Recalculating." I was like, "HUH?" There was no apparent traffic on the bypass. I kept going. I got onto the interstate and still no apparent traffic yet the GPS insisted that I take an exit about 6 miles prior to my usual exit. It was getting dark and it was raining and the GPS was wanting me to take a road I *never* take. As I look ahead, I see the red lights stopped. Hmmmm I had a choice. I could listen to the GPS and go a way that I never go OR I could sit in traffic on the interstate causing me to definately be late.

So I took a deep breath and shot over one lane and went the GPS led way. Now keep in mind, I am so routine in my routes that I rarely ever travel on alternate paths. I have barely even ridden on the road that the GPS wanted me to drive much less driven on it. In the past, I would have chosen to sit in traffic rather than to take this alternate path. However, I knew this would be a growing experience and a test of the GPS.

SO I drove down these roads I've never driven listening and watching carefully to my GPS. And who knew ... I got to my destination (almost on time .. I was 60 seconds late) without tears and fears.

Score ONE for Jennnifer (& Alphie)

Blood work update

I asked for you guys to pray that my blood would be drawn easily. I will say that it was a difficult process, BUT today I had a miracle. Before I left the house, I drank over 60 ounces of water and then had more once I arrived there. I used a heating pad on each arm and patiently waited. My arms were examined and then I was left to warm again. One tourney on each arm to find the best possible site. There was a bunch of feeling, confused looks and finally she marked my arms in two places with a pen. She continued to look and feel. Finally decided to take a jab at it (pun intended). I took in a deep breath and was very verbal in my love for her when she got the needle in and the vein didn't collapse.

Now this is where things get tricky. Carefully holding the needle/pressing veins/putting tubes on to fill each tube for testing, she managed to get everything she needed for my tests. Now in the past, after about a 1/2 tube ... the needle has to be pulled and we go through the process again. However, today .. TODAY.. March 10, 2010 ... My fabulously skilled friend in the field of Phlebotomy was able to draw my blood in ONE STICK!

SO please pray for the results. I need for all my lab work to be in normal range. I would rather not have any more needles for the next year. :D

Quick Prayers

Blood work is scheduled for tomorrow.

Prayers are needed for a few things.

1. That the blood can be drawn easily. It's very difficult process with my veins.

2. That my body is making what it needs to make so that no future IV's are ordered.

3. That it won't wipe me out too much.

4. My hydration. For some reason, I'm dehydrated right now. This is horrible for my body because it will make it more difficult for them to get a vein.

My Friday

I try really hard to be positive. A few years ago, one of my closest friends asked me one question in a gentle tone and a hug, "Why don't you ever smile anymore? I miss that smile of yours." That one statement and question gave me the kick in the butt I needed. I gave myself two rules. The first rule is that I *must* smile at least once a day. The second rule is that I *must* cause someone else to smile at least once a day. I had a really great week. My health was wonderful. The only complaint I possibly had was a small sore throat and stuffy nose. Three years ago, I would have killed for ONLY a sore throat and stuffy nose.

I was in a perfectly good mood all week (especially from meeting Eric Montross on Wednesday) and then Friday happened. I woke up from a terrible nightmare. Since my dreams tend to come true, it put me on edge right away. I got to work and everything seemed to go wrong. I got home and got more news that put me over the edge. To top it off, my favorite work pants ripped in the knee. Most of my work pants either have holes or don't fit. It's very frustrating. Last year this time, I bought new pants and NONE of those pants fit any more.

Since I needed gas and had a check to put in the bank, I decided to go ahead and get it out of the way. Well as I passed the Goodwill store, I realized that I could stop by and see if by chance they had some pants I could get for work. Retail therapy is always good, but it's not good when you don't have the money to spend on pants that may not fit in a year (sometimes they don't fit even a month after I buy them which seems so unfair). So I went straight to the khaki's and started looking through the huge rack of them hoping to find something to try on. I found 8 pair that *might* fit out of all the khaki's they had. Four pair fit pretty well so I walked out with 4 pair of pants (3 of them are from Gap) for around 14 dollars.

Now as I was there at Goodwill, there was a lady scouring through the same pair of pants that I was. She was filled with anger. Her mood was definitely in the air. She would angrily pull off one pair of pants go into the dressing room and come back and slam them back on the rack. She did this a few times. Another lady came out of the 2nd dressing room and began speaking with her. The second lady was speaking kind of quietly while the first lady was screaming about how she TOLD HER there wouldn't be anything there that would fit. I was trying not to listen to their conversation, but it was so loud it was pretty much unavoidable. I realized very quickly that these two ladies knew each other.

Then, it happened. The second lady looked at the first lady and said "why do you have to be so negative all the time? Where did Anne go? I'm sure we can find something. Let's just keep looking." Then the first lady's face softened. They both started looking through the racks with kinder fingers. I wondered if Anne was struggling with a chronic illness. I wondered if she had gone through a decade plus of doctors ignoring her condition and if she was just struggling to maintain her weight. I wondered if she was, in that moment, where I was 2 years ago. If Anne is there right now, I hope that she'll be where I am in 2 years. Guess what happened next. Anne was in line behind me with 3 pair of pants, her friend and a smile. Guess Goodwill did have something for her after all. :o)

Have I mentioned that

I got to meet Eric Montross again?

I have?

Have I mentioned I'm still on Cloud 9,000?

I haven't?

Well I am. And to keep on enjoying my Wednesday as long as possible, I put this as my wallpaper on the computer. :)

Eric, Woody & me!

Nothing can be finer than going to Carolina, except standing between these two awesome men. Eric Montross, Jennifer and Woody Durham. It doesn't get much better than this.

See that green paper on the left .. it's an envelope. I wrote Eric Montross a letter. :D See the shirt I'm wearing .. that's the shirt I got Christmas 2008 from "Eric & Tyler." :D You guys would have been SO proud of me.

I decided I didn't get through this Lyme mess to miss my opportunity to meet my hero a second time. He said that I had a really familiar face! I told him it's because we've met already. Belk employee kindly took my photo with Eric & Woody. AND I got a promotional poster (not the one that is front of us on the table) that Eric & Woody personalized for me. How awesome is that?

I'll come back down from Cloud 9,000 eventually. I promise.

March 3, 2010 Snow

Last year March 2, 2009 ... we got snow. I remember that day. It may have been the only day I had ever called into work for snow/ice related roads.

Yesterday, we got a bunch of heavy snow that didn't stick.

Imagine my surprise when I got up 7 hours after falling asleep to find snow on the ground.

Sounds like a new American Idol song.

Snow on the ground
Snow on the ground
Driving like a fool with the
Snow on the ground.

You heard it hear first people!

Tomorrow's Excitement

So I found out on Sunday evening that my favorite UNC basketball player of all time is going to be at our local mall. This is so exciting. I get to be up close and personal with him again!

I hope I can get another picture, but no one will be going with me so I highly doubt it will happen. However, I might get lucky to get him to autograph something for me. I will be on cloud 9 for a few days just like the last time. :o)

Happy 3rd Anniversary

When I walked (barely) into my new doctor's office 3 years ago today, I had no idea what was going to happen. Honestly, I was anxious that this doctor would be a let down. I feared that he would say exactly what every other doctor had said the past 12 years. It was all in my head. I left out of his office (three years ago today) with hope.

Thirteen months ago I was taking these: (and that wasn't all of them ... and it doesn't include the IV's that I was on until February 2009)



I am amazed and how much better I feel than I did even a year ago.

***
It's amazing how far Integrative Medicine has brought me in THREE YEARS. I could barely stay awake and it hurt to walk. The symptoms I had were too numerous to name, but let me try:

Profound Fatigue
Severe Headaches
Fevers on some days and extreme Low Temperature on the next.
Extremity Weakness
Tingling of my hands and feet
stiff neck
difficulty swallowing
light, sound, smell sensitivity
dizziness and fainting
ringing ears and stuffed ears making it difficult to hear
history of seizures
difficulty sleeping b/c of pain
memory problems
word finding problems
decreased concentration
personality changes
spots in my vision
pain in my eyes
blurriness
rashes (EM Rash & other minor rashes)
fluttery heart
Joint Pain (most of my joints)
Muscle Pain (mainly my legs and arms)
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Intense and rapid weight loss
And then the opposite happened .. rapid weight gain
Muscle Twitches
Extreme Sweating at night


I know there are others, but I can't think right now because it was so long ago.

I gave my doctor a book and in the book there was a quote about how "believing is ninety percent of doing." I am so glad he believe in me. I am so glad I believed in him.