Long Overdue Update

So I see it’s been well over 18 months since I posted something on this here bloggy thingy. What can I say, life happens and facebook is so much easier to quick post random things in my life.

Kitty update: We got to keep Papago. Imagine an all black version of Grumpy Cat…. that’s Papago, short legs, chubby round body, and 1 huge attitude (that totally disappears when he is in the bathroom getting lovies from Choppy). This makes 7 kitties in our home.

GI Joe retired. He’s been playing the VA game for 9+ months now. It’s a pain in the butt but it is a necessary evil. The VA says he’s 100% permanently disabled. Part of that disability is his back and resulting CRPS. The last year has been one of EXTREME pain for him. Nerve block injections are helping for now.

It has been kind of strange watching GI Joe go from full time HooAh to fulltime parent. At first he was upset about all the free time he had on his hands. Then he took on chores and cooking. NOW he tries daily to do what I did and he apologizes to me for not getting it all done. ~crazy look~ Took me a long time to figure out that it can’t all be done in one day. Prioritize the chores sweetie, PRIORITIZE!

TallBoy and his little family are still in Germany. They added a baby boy to the mix almost 18 months ago. Xman is an adorable critter with an infectious *snortle* laugh. Diva Rawrrrr Z is going to be 4 this year. Both kiddos run their poor momma ragged, just like kids are supposed to do.  Hopefully the AF let’s them come back stateside for good, SOON!

My oldest daughter M’ers has moved across the country to NJ. We’re hoping that lots of good things happen for her out there.

My youngest daughter J-Bird moved out on her own. We fostered her big goofy dog for awhile.

Hootie is still Hootie. Sarcastic as ever and being a tween makes it more fun.

I’m still doing my volunteer manager thing. I’m still resisting the frequent urge to throat punch stupid people. Been dealing with my mother and her hoarding issues (she’s getting much better) and clearing out the house. Still haven’t given myself the chopstick lobotomy.

If you haven’t found me on facebook I’m over here: https://www.facebook.com/ChopstickLobotomy

Random Life Observation

Being a mom to lots of kids and a wife sometimes leaves a woman running in circles.

Now that most of the kiddos are out on their own I am noticing things still happening that I used to just think happened because we were all tripping over each other. 

Here’s the tip of the iceberg:

1.     Why can’t I have an uninterrupted phone conversation? I am here, awake all damned day and half the night and nobody in this house wants/needs to talk to me until the phone rings!

2.    Can I use the bathroom ALONE…. PLEASE? Don’t talk to me from the other side of the door or from the bedroom. Just give me 3 minutes alone in the Loo and for Pete’s sake don’t let the frigging cats in!

3.    There are plenty of chores to be done around the house… why do people wait until I am doing something in a room to begin a chore? I sit down to watch the news ~ time to vacuum! Trying to prep dinner ~ must be time to put away dishes and load the washer! Trying to read ~ trance/techno music mixing session!

4.    I did not set my alarm for a reason… I don’t HAVE to be up early! If you’re going to be up early BE QUIET! Do not get the dog riled up and please keep the tv on low volume!

5.    Sit down to write a little bloggy something and I get ~ have you seen my _insert thing-a-ma-jig_? Can you help me look for it? Do I look like google?????

Is it just me that this happens to?

Is it a mom thing?

Is it a wife thing?

I need wine!

Where did the corkscrew go?

Where’s my wine straw?

Everyone takes off like F-16’s leaving me to search alone!

I gotta pee….. come on kitties, let’s go to the bathroom.

~Choppy~

Here I go again....

Another television commercial inspired rant.

http://www.mychronicmigraine.com/about-chronic-migraine/

“By the time most patients come to their doctor with complaints of headache, they have likely been suffering for years. Chronic Migraine is a type of headache, but there are many different kinds of headaches – and there are different treatment options, depending on the type. If you think you are experiencing Chronic Migraine, it’s important to recognize it early, with a diagnosis from your doctor.”

I see this advertisement frequently. ‘Chronic Migraine’, never heard that term before!  Now I will give this site kudos for giving a minimalistic list of triggers and the difference between types of headaches but they seem to lack a lot by avoiding some easy things to do and listing questions to ask your doctor.

Being that I get migraine headaches I thought I'd check it out.

I thought maybe this site could be a good place for information so I signed up to see what else they offered. They have a migraine diary but nowhere on there is there a place to track your DIET or anything else that may trigger a migraine. The site does say that food/diet can trigger migraines but there is no list. Nothing to give you a place to start in checking the foods/products you use.

I know that MSG/preservatives and certain foods and colorings, as well as the barometric pressure in changing weather systems can, and often do, trigger mine.

The biggest thing I got from this site was that MEDICATION is the answer.  

Anyone who knows me already knows I don’t like to take meds unless the problem is life threatening… my incident with Blastocystis parasite in 2006 and a kidney infection in 2008 are the last times I took manmade (synthetic) medications.

I already know from past experiences (mine and GI Joe’s) that the doctors are more than happy to throw a prescription at your symptom and move on to the next patient on the list. IMO it would be far more productive, and cost effective in the end, to find the CAUSE and treat the actual problem. In GI Joe’s case they did scans but chose to use prescriptions to mask the symptoms and now he has faced the removal of his gallbladder and is facing major back surgery.

Now I understand that doctors went to school for a really long time and know stuff about a lot of medical things but unless SUPERMAN is my doctor they don’t have x-ray vision. Is this pain being caused by something potentially lethal and we’re wasting valuable time tossing meds at a symptom? IMO let’s do a full body scan and check for something there. At the least my doctor will have a baseline scan for future reference.

Think about it.

You get frequent ‘migraine headaches’, your head hurts, you feel like vomiting , light and sound make you retreat into a darkened room, but WHY, what is causing it? There is an actual reason WHY and your doctor just tossed some pills at you and dismissed you like a child rather than creating a plan to find the WHY behind your headaches.

If you fell and had pain in your arm they’d x-ray to check for a broken bone or tendon damage. Even car accident victims and potential stroke/heart attack victims get various scans and tests to rule things out.

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/imitrex-side-effects.html

Side Effects of Imitrex - for the Consumer

Imitrex

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Imitrex:

Anxiety; burning, numbness, or tingling of the skin; dizziness; drowsiness; feeling of heaviness, pressure, or tightness; feeling strange; mild, temporary flushing; muscle aches or cramps; nausea; neck stiffness; pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site; sick feeling; stomach upset; throat or sinus discomfort; tight feeling in the head; tingling; tiredness; vomiting; warm/hot sensation; weakness.

Gosh, this list of side effects is pretty much what my migraines feel like minus the “redness at the injection site”. How would I know which is my pain and which is the drug?

What you have to search for is the long term effects and other problems associated with meds. Imitrex can affect the heart and liver, and other organs. If you don’t know you have a potential underlying medical condition this can be deadly. If you take other medications they CAN cause serious problems, even death. If your doctor isn’t READING your file and ASKING YOU questions you need to get a new doctor.