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Showing posts from October, 2017

A Good Night's Sleep

  I slept really good last night. I haven't slept good in quite a while. I know fellow ankylosing spondylitis sufferers know exactly what I go through during the night. I've been off my biologic medicine for weeks now, the pain and stiffness increases the longer I am off of it. My hips are the current problem area. Whichever hip I am laying on wakes me with searing pain. I do what I call a roll onto my other side, but anyone seeing this process would call it anything other than a roll. I have to lift the top half of my body as high as possible then twist and slide to maneuver onto my other side. I always worry, I will wake my husband as I perform this feat of uncoordinated movement.   This morning when I woke, the very first thought I had was "no hip pain". I think after you've experienced pain for many days or weeks, you appreciate the "pain free" days hundred times more.   I am still awaiting my quantiferon TB test results so I can begin Cosentyx.

The Result Of My Halloween Project

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  I posted about my Halloween DIY crafts the other day.   As I stated in that post I had never heard of a horror doll when my husband suggested I make one. It was a fun project.  I found a cheap, $1.99 used doll at a thrift store.  I used a knife to jab out her eyes first. Next I painted all her plastic parts black (legs, arms, & head) After the black paint dried, I used a cosmetic sponge to lightly cover the black paint with dabs of white paint. I used red paint to highlight around her missing eyes, to appear they had been pulled from her eye sockets. While I had the red paint out, I painted around her mouth to appear that blood is running from her mouth. It's suppose to appear that she's just fed on a human neck. I used my cosmetic sponge to place random blood splatter on her feet, hands, and a white cloth I used to make her dress. I thought her eyes needed a little something more so I added cracked black crevices coming from her eyes. Since she is suppose t

Cellulitis Came To Visit On Christmas Eve

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Christmas shopping is the last thing I want to think about on this beautiful autumn day. However, last Christmas I made a promise to myself that I would do all my shopping and wrapping early. Normally I procrastinate until Christmas Eve for last minute gifts, wrapping, and food prep. Last year taught me a great lesson on not putting off work until the last minute. It was December 24, 2016, my husband was off from work and my kids were home. I had my day all planned out. My intention was to sleep in a little later to hopefully give myself a boost to face the holiday hecticness. Of course my unwelcome enemy, Ankylosing Spondylitis, had other plans for me. I woke with my hips in such severe pain it felt like someone jabbed knifes in each hip joint. I slowly made it through my morning. The stiffness I feel in the morning lasted longer that day. I chalk that up to the stress of the holidays. One thing I have learned the hard way is stress can cause flares. Anyhow, I had put the turkey in

Car Shopping With Ankylosing Spondylitis - Not As Fun As It Sounds :)

My husband needs a new, actually a gently used, work vehicle. Why, oh why, do I not have patience to deal with used car salesmen? Is it because I am already in pain when we arrive at a car lot. Add walking around the lot looking at different vehicles, to an already wore out spine, feet, and hips and you get me at my worst. I realize it’s not really the salesman’s fault. I understand he is trying to sale a vehicle to earn a living. He may have a family at home that depends on him. I know he has no idea what I am experiencing. That is one of the biggest issues with an invisible disability. People can not see all the degeneration going on in your spine and hips. They only see your outward appearance. I’m sure my face reflects my pain but unless you know me, you may mistakenly see my facial expression as grouchiness. I know many of us Ankylosing Spondylitis sufferers have disabled parking placards. In my support group, many of the younger members have had people comment on their use

Inspiration Through The AS Battle

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  It's important for us to have an outlet. One of my outlets is this blog and spreading AS awareness. I thought tonight I'd share another one of my enjoyments. 1966 Shasta Compact   A few years ago, my son brought home a 1965 Scotsman travel trailer. His plan was to disassemble and recycle the materials, but I feel in love with it. I convinced my son we could restore this cute little camper with it's funny front hump. Hence began a Pinterest search for restoring a vintage camper/travel trailer. The more I immersed myself in finding ideas to restore our Scotsman, the more vintage campers I saw. I was intrigued by people who "glamped" these little vintage campers. You can search "glampers" or "glamping" on Pinterest and see hundreds of the blinged out campers. We decided a more traditional route of restoration was what our little Scotsman needed. We named our Scotsman, Dexter, because apparently all little vintage campers need a name of the

Is It Good News???

  Good news.... my insurance approved Cosentyx. That's step 1 of the process. Now to follow through with the other requirements.      Step 2- My doctor wanted me off the Enbrel at least two weeks before starting the Cosentyx. I've actually been off Enbrel three weeks. Each week that passes I hurt more. The last few days my hips have hurt terribly during the night and for about an hour upon rising. So I am excitedly, anticipating starting the new medicine. If you're a biologic medication user you know how crazy that sounds. Even with the doctor's warnings of IBS risk, cancer, infections, etc which the medicine can cause, I need something to slow the hip degeneration. When I hurt like I have the past few days I imagine this monstrous disease is progressing toward taking more away from me. Walking is a gift. I try to think how blessed I am to still be mobile. Never take anything for granted.   Step 3- Due to the medication risk factors, my doctor requires I have a year

Book Giveaway to Spread Awareness

 I want to share a book, that I found helpful when I was first diagnosed.  After being told I have Ankylosing Spondylitis, I wanted to learn everything I could about the disease. Much of the information  I found was either outdated or for medical professionals.  Luckily, I found a book on Amazon that was written by an actual Ankylosing Spondylitis fighter.  In trying to spread awareness of this nasty illness we face I have teamed up with Amazon to sponsor a giveaway. One person chosen at random by Amazon on Oct 27, 2017 will receive a copy of the first book I read about AS. I will post a link at the bottom to the giveaway. Amazon will ship directly to the winner, I will not have access to any personal info on the winner. Contest rules are listed on the Amazon page. My only regret is Amazon limits the giveaway to the US. So sorry as I have several friends overseas. Hopefully next giveaway I can find something for everyone. Gentle hugs my friends. J Holman Also known as fightin

Halloween Happenings

  Guess how I spent my day??   I crafted a horror doll. If you don't know what a horror doll is, you're not the only one. I didn't either until my husband shared a YouTube video of a lady making a horror doll. With Halloween approaching it seemed like a fun project. Plus it gave me a purpose.   Between waiting for her layers of paint to dry, an idea popped into my head. I admit I am a Pinterest junkie. On Pinterest I have saw so many cute signs made out of old wood. Since I already had paint and brushes out, I decided to make a fall sign. Luckily my husband, who is a pallet hoarder haha, had disassembled several pallets this past weekend. I scoured through his stack of pallet boards, until I found an old, weathered looking board that was split a bit on one end. I figured the split would give it character. Plus the board probably was unusable for my husband's next project.   With board in hand, I headed back inside. I considered doing a horizontal sign but in the e

Beauty All Around Us!

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Enjoying the beauty all around us. Even in unexpected places.

I Can Still Be A Mom While Fighting Ankylosing Spondylitis

  Last night was very chilly. We had to use our furnace for the first time this season. Snuggling under our covers felt so good this morning. It made getting up even more difficult than normal.   With the chill in the air and leaves starting to fall, I am reminded the holiday season is just around the corner. Which means it is time for me to start thinking about birthday and Christmas gifts.    I have 3 children, two are adults. (Although, I still think of them as kids.) Also, I was blessed to welcome a wonderful son-in-law into our family this past July.   My husband and I try to make our children's birthdays as special as possible. With two having birthdays right after Thanksgiving, it can be overshadowed by holiday events. As a mother with an autoimmune disease it can be a stressful few weeks. Each year I want my sons to know how special they are to me. I want to celebrate the blessing I was given when each were born.    My mind wanders back to my early 20's before A

Weight Loss vs Ankylosing Spondylitis........Who Will Win?

  I keep saying I am going to focus more on my health. I have gained so much weight, I don't even recognize myself in the mirror. I am the heaviest I have ever been.   My weight issues are contributed to by a number of things. If you have a chronic illness like ankylosing spondylitis, you know what I mean when I say exercising is a pain. Some days I do not feel like dragging out of bed, let alone exercise. On the days I feel well enough to exercise I usually overdo it, trying to make up for lost time. Which ends with me spending the next couple days in severe pain.   Another contributor is my medicines. Several of my medicines have weight gain as a side effect. Just what I don't need! Why can't I have a medicine that has weight loss as a side effect?? Is there even such a medicine out there??   Also, depression helps add to my unhealthy eating. When I start feeling down and stressed, I eat mindlessly.    I was barely 100 lbs when I married my husband. I actually tru

Where Would You Draw The Line On Medication?

  Even as my doctor says it, I cringe....      Why do most medicines have those nasty, horrible side effects?    As my doctor explains, this new medication has been known to cause or worsen, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I'm thinking... really, really??!! She has got to be joking. Why would anyone take a medicine that can instigate another disease.   I mean, I'm no fan of stomach cramps or diarrhea. As a matter of fact, I experience that enough without the aid of a medication side effect. There are some rather embarrassing moments, I definitely wish I could erase from my brain.   As I sit there listening to her voice I'm thinking no way, no thank you. I am NOT going to use that medicine. Nope, not this girl!    At that point my doctor checks my most recent lab work. She explains my current medication isn't helping my inflammation levels. She does a physical "feel" of the joints in my shoulder, elbows, hands, and feet. A majority of those are sw

When You Can't Work But Don't Have Enough Work Credits

  On top of dealing with AS, Fibro, Neuropathy, Osteoarthritis, and Scoliosis, I am very stressed about money.   My family is struggling financially. In December 2016, I had to make the hard decision that it was time to give up my job. The fatigue and pain from my diseases and working was overwhelming. I would come home from work and go straight to bed. Some days, I would get up about 8pm and make myself a bowl of cereal or a sandwich. My mother lives beside me, she would cook healthy meals for my teenage son. Many days she would save me a plate, which was a blessing. Toward the fall of 2016, my mom realized how horrible my struggle had become and cooked every day for us.   My husband works second shift, 3pm - 11:30pm. By the time my husband drives home from work, it's 12:30am. Therefore, he only saw me in the morning for a half hour or so before I left for work. It was a rough schedule, not being able to see each other. We made it work for 3 years but I don't think it wo

Ankylosing Spondylitis - My Social Planner

  This morning was one of those mornings, the kind where you would like to stay in bed all day, but can't.   Normally, I try to not commit to too many engagements on the same weekend, let alone the same day. Ankylosing Spondylitis has taught me very quickly who controls my social agenda. As many of you with autoimmune diseases wholeheartedly know, our minds and hearts may be set on doing something but our bodies may say, "no way, not today".   I had confirmed months ago, I would attend my cousin's wedding at 4 p.m. today. I was expecting I would have all day to get this ole body moving and ready to attend. Of course, it doesn't always go as planned.   For several years, I have attended an annual Women's Conference in the fall. I enjoy these conferences very much and value the time with my friends and community. I found out a few weeks ago that the conference was today from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. That's how you end up filling too many activities into one