It's Never Convenient When Your Health Is Declining Pt 1

Sometimes (it may seem like every time), things happen when you feel it's the worst possible time for it to happen. Recently my faith has been greatly shaken as I struggle with ongoing health problems and the timing of it all. Dave is struggling in school because of this, which has made me angry with God. Why are we having to go through this? Why are things not resolving quickly? Is Dave going fail out of school, leaving us with a massive amount of student loan debt we'll never be able to get out of? Why would this happen to us when it was so clear this is what we should do? This might be a long post, but I feel I need to explain our situation because I can't quite get it right when explaining in person. I know there are people concerned, so I want to explain this for them.

The History:
I've been exhausted for many, many years. Before having kids, before getting married, possibly since Junior high. I started talking to doctors about this when I was 18. Every year I'd be tested for diabetes, hypoglycemia, and thyroid levels. Every time, the numbers came back normal. The doctors' diagnosis: it's just something your body does. Once I had children, things became worse. Doctors began telling me it was just depression. Friends and family would say it's because I'm a mom. I kept saying it was something more, but no one would listen. I would have a hard time falling asleep, then wake up exhausted no matter how much sleep I got. This caused a lot of anxiety for me. All I wanted was to feel ok, I wanted more sleep, and wanted to be the mom and wife I wanted to be and couldn't. This caused a lot of guilt, so I'd push myself. The next day I'd be so wiped out, I couldn't get out of bed. I'd be extremely nauseous being upright. Dave would take Jaron to school with him to help out. Then Lara. We did what we had to to cope.
After Ian was born, the exhaustion became worse. I thought it was my medication. I was lightheaded, dizzy, and nauseous all.the.time. I eventually got off the medication, but the lightheaded, dizzy, nausea didn't go away. Dave would have to come home from school early because I couldn't take care of Ian, Lara, or take Jaron to school. Dave struggled. He had to make all the meals, clean, do everything I should have been able to do, but couldn't. I had so much guilt. Dave had to retake 3 classes during the summer. Thankfully he passed them, and we made it through his first year of pharmacy school.

The Initial Diagnosis:
In August, after being off my post-partum depression medication for 2 months, I found my self extremely irritable. I'd yell, then cry because I was yelling. One morning, I lost it. I couldn't stop crying. Dave said, "I think you need to see a doctor." I knew he was right, and the doctor's office I contacted got me in that day. We discussed my situation, everything I was experiencing, and decided that I needed to be back on medication. He said he wanted me to be checked out for sleep apnea, and ordered a pulse oximeter test. I was grumpy about it. I thought he was doing it just because I'm morbidly obese, but I did the test. At my follow up appointment to check my medication, he just got the results back. He told me that the test showed a little bit of drops in my oxygen at night, so he was referring to the sleep specialist to look into it more. Once again, I was grumpy about it. I did NOT want to be put on a CPAP machine. The nurses couldn't get an oxygen mask on me when I was in labor, so there was no way I could handle a CPAP mask. The sleep clinic left a message on my answering machine to schedule an appointment, but I never called back. I was NOT going to be forced into using a CPAP (I wonder where my children get their stubbornness from...haha). About a month later, the clinic called back. I happened to answer the phone. The lady was really nice to me. She said that I should come in just to find out what my options were, then I could decide if I wanted to do any of them. She softened my heart, and I scheduled the appointment.

I didn't think I'd turn this into 2 posts, but I'm exhausted. The next part makes me emotional, and today has already been very emotional. So this is as far as I can get tonight. Stay turned for the rest of our story :)

Science vs. Religion

I'm going to wax philosophical for a moment. There's a lot wrong with the world today, but fortunately, its not as bad as many people make it out to be. I think a lot of what's wrong is due to a perceived conflict between "science" and "religion". Many people in the "religion" camp blame all that's wrong on a perceived creeping atheism and have harbored a major distrust in "science", even if the head's of that particular religion have either made no statements against, or have even made statements supporting, science. Many people in the "science" camp blame much of what's wrong with the world on the perceived atrocities caused in the name of a god or gods.

I personally think that both camps are partially to blame but that both should stop blaming the other. Much like how we need bipartisan/nonpartisan agreement in politics, science and religion need to, and can, work together. Its not science vs. religion, nor is it science OR religion. I believe that God is a God of science. He does not violate scientific laws of nature, rather He uses them to perform His work, however, He has access and and understanding of laws that we haven't figured out yet (a "higher law", so to speak).

If we, as a people, taught and everybody understood the scientific method/process, and if we embraced said principle, instead of fearing science or remaining in ignorance, the number of people that would fall for easily debunked ideas/claims would decrease dramatically. Likewise, the number of people that wasted money on products and services that claimed to be beneficial to health, when there is no scientific evidence to support such practices, would decrease dramatically.

Religion doesn't know everything, and needs to stop discouraging people from embracing science. Science doesn't know everything, but does its best to try to. However, it, too, needs to stop discouraging people from embracing religion. "Live and let live", as the saying goes. Science is not the enemy of religion. Neither is religion the enemy of science. By learning and embracing the scientific method, we can do our best to improve our lives, and the world, with the technology and science that God has provided to us to do so. This life is a time to learn all we can to prepare ourselves to return to meet God, and become like him. If we don't do it now, we will just have to learn the same things in the afterlife. Why not get it over with so we don't have to take the "remedial classes" in the afterlife, and we can jump straight into the advanced courses?

Love My Little Girl

Before having children of my own, I wanted all boys. I would often say, "If I have a girl, she'd probably be like me, and I might kill her." I remember watching an episode of Ellen where Pink was a guest. She was pregnant and talked about how her mom wished a girl on her. She didn't want a girl because of the same reason as me. I laughed. I was not the only one! Lara was already born by this time, and I was already in love with her.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on the sofa next to Dave. He was holding Ian, when Jaron came over to cuddle with me (Lara was taking a nap). Jaron initiated a group hug when it hit me, "I'm so happy I have a daughter!" I told Dave that too. I also said that a home full of boys is too much testosterone for me...lol
There are so many fun things you get to do with daughters. Lara is getting old enough to do a lot of girly things with her. Last week we got mani pedi's together. It was soooo much fun! I love finding girly things for her to wear. She's calmer than her brothers, which is refreshing. Although she is quite the drama queen, and her cries, shrieks, etc grate on your nerves like nails being scraped across a chalk board, the fun times make it all worth it.
I love my boys, but I'm so glad I have a girl too. I'll probably change my mind about that during the teenage years, we'll see ;)

Mosquito Prevention

With the summer months alive and kicking, many people are spending more time outside in backyards and "the great outdoors." I wanted to step into my capacity as a public health advocate and provide a little information on how to avoid mosquito bites. (hey, pharmacist-in-training here. get used to it. :) )

I've recently seen a few good links discussing mosquito repellents and thought it would be best to just share each link, but people get kinda annoyed when you share them in quick succession on Facebook, so I decided to aggregate them into a blog post, and then share that.

This first one, from Forbes.com, looks at natural products that purport to repel mosquitos. Basically, citronella candles aren't that effective. The only "natural" alternatives that show efficacy are neem oil or soy oil mixed with lemon eucalyptus. But, they wear off quickly, thus necessitating more frequent applications. But basically, nothing beats the effectiveness of DEET.

Speaking of DEET, even the Environmental Working Group, (which I almost never use as a legitimate source due to their overwhelming bias against vaccines, GMO's et al) has admitted that DEET is safe and effective, when used appropriately:

Though DEET has been much maligned, and in rare cases, intense doses have been linked to nervous system impairment, an extensive review of the scientific literature found few reports of serious health hazards when the chemical was used sparingly, as the maker's instructions specify.

and also:

EWG advises consumers that when it comes to bug-borne diseases, prevention is key. Repellents should not be the first choice for protection from bug bites, but selecting the appropriate repellent can be important for people in high-risk places. Picking the best repellent for each situation can be complicated: More intense concentrations of repellent chemicals don’t necessarily do the job when it counts. Repellents don’t need to contain 100 percent DEET to deter pests. Consumers should avoid anything stronger than 30 percent DEET.

Now, I'd like to point out that the EWG says nothing over  30% is needed, however, the CDC recommends 50% as the limit and explains: "Higher concentrations of DEET may have a longer repellent effect, however, concentrations over 50% provide no added protection." (That link to the CDC is a great primer explaining what DEET is, what the percentage means etc.)

And finally, I'd like to end with a link that discusses Five Myths of Mosquito Repellents. Among them, he points out how natural alternatives may provide some protection, but will need to be applied 3-4 times as often. He also explains the proper way to apply mosquito repellent to get the best protection.

All links are worth the time to read. Have fun out there and be safe.

 

Reading Is Fundamental

Last year, Jaron wanted Jurassic Park read to him. He loves the movie, but we weren't sure he'd really understand what was going on in the book. We decided to head to our local library, pick up a copy, and give it a shot. Dave read it to Jaron, and I worked on projects and listened as well. We were surprised how much Jaron actually understood. He'd stop Dave to tell him how the book was different from the movie. Sometimes Dave stopped and asked Jaron what was going on in the book, and Jaron knew (for the most part).
We moved not too long after we finished the book. With the move, having a new baby, Dave in pharmacy school, etc, we didn't read another long book to Jaron. Recently, Jaron wanted The Hobbit read to him. Since we already have it, and things have calmed down, Dave is reading it to Jaron. Jaron has already seen the movie, so he's already picking out the differences. This time, Jaron asks questions about what's going, or if what it being read will be in the next movie. Sometimes Lara will sit in on the readings and listen. Love my kids! I hope they develop a real love for reading.

Enjoying New Yogurt Smoothie Bars On A Hot Summer Day

There's nothing like a hot summer day for a cool treat. Thanks to BzzAgent, we were able to cool off with Kroger Yogurt Smoothie Bars.

He can't wait to dive in

Kroger's Yogurt Smoothie Bars come in two flavors, Strawberry Banana and Triple Berry. We went with Triple Berry, and they were delicious. They are low fat and one bar is only 50 calories, so you can enjoy them guilt free.

They are serious when it comes to frozen treats

Kroger new line of guilt free treats includes Ice Cream Sandwiches, Fudge Bars, and Fruit Bars as well.

Even our little guy gets in on the action

We enjoyed the Triple Berry Yogurt Smoothie Bars and can't wait to try the rest.

Yum!

As a member of BzzAgent, I was selected to try Kroger New Yogurt Smoothie Bars for free. Love BzzAgent!

What Kind Of Mom Am I?

I have friends that like to decorate for every season and holiday, friends that like to decorate cakes and cookies, friends who like to do cutesy birthday things, friends who like to make crafts for different occasions too. I think it's cute, and if it's your thing, go for it! Something I realized was I'm not the mom who:

• Decorates for every season and holiday 
• Decorates cakes and cookies
• Does cutesy birthday things
• Makes crafts for different occasions 
• Does themed Christmas trees every year
• Makes sandwiches and snacks that look like animals
• Wears make up everyday
• Makes sure my hair is perfect
• Wears the latest trends
• Has a closet full of shoes
• Is perfect

I can go on and on, but I won't...hahaha. I'm just a mom who's a low key, no frills kind of gal. I'm ok with that. I do have things I do like to do. I'm the mom who:

• Makes quilts for my kids
• Makes dresses for my daughter
• Has one way of decorating my home
• Decorates for Christmas
• Has a "homespun" Christmas tree every year
• Likes my sleep
• Takes my kids on adventures
• Coupons to provide for my family
• Gets lots of cuddles
• Wears mostly flip flops
• Has clothes that are stained from kids
• Makes up funny songs
• Loves music
• Loves to explore
• Rearranges furniture when I need a change
• Is not perfect

I'm happy with who I am. Sometimes my kids ask why I don't do something like another mom. I tell them, "That's just not me." I hope they see from my example that they don't have to be like anybody else. We are all different, we like different things, and we have different talents. I hope when they get older and look back, they think I'm a cool mom.