Going Green

So I was diagnosed with Lupus 2+ years ago.  But in reality, I''m pretty sure i have had it for quite some time.

See - I had an endometrial ablation done 7 or 8 years ago.  And when I went to the hospital for the surgery - the doctor didn't really want to do the surgery because I was running a fever (102 to be exact).  But I felt fine so he did the surgery and I didn't think anything of it.

Then 2 years ago I went for routine blood work that I have done every so often because I get my thyroid checked due to a tumor that was removed over 20 years ago.  And the marker came up for Lupus.

And let me tell you - lupus is no fun whatsoever.  I've been lucky so far.  My main complaints are I'm tired, my joints and my bones ache, I have headaches most of the time, my skin hurts and itches and feels like a pins and needles sensation and I run fevers.  Some days the fevers are mild. Other days I'm functioning with a 103 degree fever.

And I can't do the meds.  Mainly because they are so darned expensive.  And with my current situation I don't have $400 to be throwing away on meds.  I did get into a clinical trial for a year which helped.  But that trial is long since over.

I went to see my rheumatologist last week because I had a tick bite and had to be treated for Lyme disease.  And he sat me down and said if I can't or won't take traditional medicine we need to explore other options.  Which involve diet changes, lifestyle changes, watching my chemical exposure and using essential oils for support and medicine.  It was kind of cool listening to him tell me I need to quit do all these things that mainstream media would have you believe are ok but in reality could very well be hurting me and making my lupus worse.

The diet changes will be easy.  No gluten, no processed food, no sugars and no caffeine. My kids won't like it but they do want me around for a while:)

The lifestyle change will be hard for a few more months but doable.  More rest, more exercise and less stress. But I'll try it.

The chemical exposure?  I work in a factory.  Granted, I'm in management and not out on the floor but I still come into contact with the compounds and various chemicals.  So I have to manage this part at home.  No harsh cleaners, detergents, etc.  So I'm making my own cleaners, laundry detergent, etc.  Which truth be told I've been doing that off and on for years.

The essential oils?  I jumped on that bandwagon years ago.  And I must say I use my oils a lot for the minor things - headaches, muscle pain, hives, and the like.  But to hear my doctor say they could alleviate a lot of my symptoms? Pretty cool.

So over the past few days I've made some cleaners, made some laundry supplies.  I'll share more with you over the next few weeks.  And if you want to join my tribe - leave me a comment and I'll be in touch.  I must admit that after just a few days, I'm seeing some improvements in the way I feel.

The epic party

It's over.  I honestly didn't think I would pull it off and get everything ready.  But thanks to family and terrific friends we did it.

It was hotter than hell.  And we were outside Friday night putting up tents and tables and chairs.  And of course, I got no pictures.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early making lemonade, making iced tea and cooking all the food except for the pulled pork.

In between cooking all the food I was running outside to decorate, pick up and arrange everything.

I gave Jessie just a few things to do.  Her pictures and awards she wanted displayed and run to the store for me.  LOL.  She did a fantastic job putting everything out.

We found a 7 foot tall hollow log for the fire.  I wish I had gotten better pictures before it got dark but it was so cool for the bonfire.

I'm just bummed that I hardly got any pictures during the party.  But it seemed like there was always something that needed doing.

My 90 year old grandmother (Jessie and Tyler's great grandmother) gets around very well.  I hope I'm half as active as she is at 90 years old.

I'm really going to miss Jessie and her friends when they all go off to college.  It just won't be the same without them all here most nights.

As much fun as the party was - I'm so glad it's over!  And I didn't have to cook much the week after the party - we survived on leftovers.

Now I'm off to make laundry detergent and all sorts of natural cleaners.  My doctor gave me a stern talking to this last week.  I'll let you know how this goes.

Decorations

So my daughter is very opinionated. Thank goodness we share similar taste.  

Last week we were off work Thursday and Friday for the holiday.  So we went with a good friend to Hobby Lobby.  I could get in some serious trouble there.

And most of the decorations are done for her party!  We got some really cute things.  She kept telling us "classy not trashy" was what she wanted.

I think we succeeded.  I still need to dig out a dozen or so mason jars and paint them white.  And get more silk flowers.

I have a wooden box that we will use for the cards.

But so far I'm in love with the decorations.  And they really weren't that horribly expensive.  We do have to make another banner and I'm in the middle of painting a bunch of wood with chalkboard paint.

Hard to believe her party is less than a week away.  And the best part?  I'm putting all this stuff back because I'll have another one graduating in 4 years.  Which makes me feel really, really old.  Lol.