Posts Tagged With: infection

Life Interrupted…Again

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Nahleen

I’ve been sitting here on the couch. That is all. And yet there seems to be movement going on in my body. Movement of sickies taking over. The sinuses are getting fuller. The chest is getting a bit tighter and the cough is happening more and not just a little bit. This time it’s not looser like this morning. It’s getting tighter and the cough is turning more into a “bark” as I’ve called it. And this is just as I’m sitting here.

The cough came on apparently just for fun at about 10am this morning. It was more like a tickle. It was looser like it has been if I start to feel sick at all these days. Things have changed a lot since I started seeing my Chiropractor earlier this year and it’s been helping to boost my immune system with each session. Usually when I’ve felt sick now it starts up just a bit and then an adjustment or my own body fight it off.

Actually, I thought that’s what I was doing last week. I can’t really describe how I felt last week. I felt a wee bit sick and it was kicking my whole body into a bit of an edge-of-a-flare-overdrive. I was also exhausted. So I did a lot of sleeping and seemed to finally fight it off by the end of the week. And then yesterday what I believe are allergies, started.

This is my typical sick path. It starts with just getting that “pre-sick” feeling. Hard to describe but I’m guessing you know what I’m talking about. Then it comes on heavy, starts as allergies and immediately transforms into a full on infection. Been doing that pretty much my whole life off and on. I’m very sensitive to stuff. Stick me in a bubble and I swear I’d still get sick. It’s ridiculous.

So I started taking care of my almost chronic infections with a Pulmonologist almost 2 years ago and he helped me turn a corner to a much better version of “better”. There were actually breaks in between infections. And then earlier this year I started seeing a Chiropractor who has helped me keep the sickies away at least 6 times. Well not this time.

I saw him today. So my “allergy sickies” started yesterday…again. And they have been relentless. And then this morning the cough started at about 10am. I saw my Chiropractor at about 12pm. I told him about it and he said, “Well it sounds like you need an immune boosting Chiropractic adjustment”. I agreed. I felt much better from the adjustment. I start to take a walk outside again after the adjustment and the here come the full sinuses. Here comes the cough. They picked right up where they started.

So I’m thinking at this point in the afternoon that perhaps the adjustment dragged out the sickies. Perhaps I’ll be feeling a bit worse before feeling better. Well OK.

PERHAPS.

But at about 5pm I wasn’t thinking too much about it as I rested on the couch and debated getting up to feed Cleo and perhaps have dinner myself and then do some paperwork…

UNTIL I COULD FEEL THE INFECTION MOVING INTO MY BODY AND TAKING OVER.

It’s pretty much what it felt like as I sat there.

This is my LIFE.

LIFE INTERRUPTED…AGAIN.

So hard. So frustrating. So uncool. I’m trying to get some things done. I have my parents visiting in 4 days. I had plans this weekend. Yes I have learned to be flexible but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t get in the way.

Yet again I have to STOP.

STOP.

My body needs me to give it love. My poor body. My poor mind. My mind had other plans. There is life happening around me. I get so tired of resting. I get so tired of drinking and taking yucky medications and teas and special concoctions in order to TRY to feel better. I get so tired of feeling crappy. I have symptoms 24/7 of some sort. They have not stopped for at least 11 years. There is always some kind of discomfort going on in my body.

I have MS, lupus and IBS as my main crap.

THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH.

But it isn’t. ‘Tis the season for getting sick. I’ll need to stay up tomorrow morning after feeding my Cleo Kitty and call my doctor’s office to try to get squeezed in for the day.

ON A FRIDAY.

Yuck.

I’ve found myself in a lot more acceptance in these almost 11 years since my multiple sclerosis diagnosis but I really just want it all to stop bothering me to be honest. I am tired of not feeling good. I am tired of all of it. I am tired of having a disability. I am tired. This is my life.

LIFE INTERRUPTED…AGAIN.

Don’t get me wrong. I know I’m still living. I know I can still have a life when I’m sick. But so much of it has to stop. I need to rest. I can’t be going out a lot. I can’t be using my brain too much or I get fatigued. We all know what it’s like to be sick. We have to really stop everything in order to get better. It’s just the way it is.

And I’m told I can work. Well tomorrow morning I need to try to get in to see a doctor. That doctor would probably tell me to be out sick for a few days. This can happen anytime and for numerous reasons for my body. It is not that easy to work. I’m not employable right now and that can really upset me if I think about it too much. I need to see doctors, I need to rest and try to recover, I need to deal with crappy bills and insurance, I need to have medical tests done and I need to have time to be me…

Last week I fought what is probably this same sicky bug and didn’t do much for almost a week. This week has been much better but here I go again. I’m trying to have a life flow here and get some things done.

But my body needs love and attention.

It needs to be Priority.

Again.

And so now that my sinuses continue to fill up and the cough hurts me when I breathe as I write this I will stop writing.

Because yes, my life has been interrupted again.

 

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CAMBRIA HERE WE COME!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Nahleen

YIPPEEEE!!!!

Heading to Cambria today at some point when we can pull ourselves together! We have reservations at a spa/hotel/resort in a room that has a king size bed, jacuzzi style tub with spa jets, a fireplace, a pillow top bed, a spa to get massages and facials, supposed live entertainment on Saturday nights, a luxury continental breakfast in the mornings, a walkway that connects to a boardwalk that leads through a State Park straight to the ocean and the list goes on and on! I can’t wait!

Yesterday was the kind of day that went really well in the beginning and it all flowed really well and then about halfway through after making a business call it sank and it sank fast. I don’t want to get into it but this trip has come at the PERFECT TIME!

Not only is Cleo Kitty doing quite well (and we have a lovely lady coming to watch and stay with her who has bonded with her in the past which I tell you is a VERY RARE THING if you’re not Corey or myself), I am feeling much much better from taking care of myself and going to the doctor and taking antibiotics that IMMEDIATELY kicked that infection’s buttinsky and from the storms happening last night that ACTUALLY INCLUDED ONE HUGE BRIGHT FLASH OF LIGHTNING AND THEN A HUGE CRAZY CRACK OF THUNDER RIGHT OVERHEAD (which is VERY RARE AND EXCITING IN LA) so that helped me get some physical relief, I’m actually feeling up to taking a road trip (WHOA! LOOK AT ME GO!–haven’t been able to plan a road trip or trust that I could do one longer than 2 hours and that was pushing it…for AGES it feels like), I’m going with Corey and I can’t remember the last time we got away just the 2 of us to a place that wasn’t connected to anyone we knew (don’t get me wrong I love my peeps but we need some REAL TIME AWAY), and well IT IS JUST TIME.

So off we go at some point today. Part of this whole trip is the road trip. We will get there when we get there. I used to love road trips with Corey. We have the best time if we just go with it. I keep thinking we should be hurrying up and leaving now but then that’s not either of our styles to be honest and that would kick my already emotionally fragile lupus and MS butt that has made my physicality a bit fragile too today. So when it’s meant to be that we go, we go.

To be honest, after that phone call yesterday regarding YET ANOTHER BIG LIFE DECISION (HAVEN’T I MADE ENOUGH OF THOSE LATELY!? A GAL NEEDS A BREAK HERE AND THERE!), if I wasn’t already getting away and planning on running away anyway to try to relax and clear my head, I would’ve run away anyway. I have mentally had ENOUGH!

So enough of this writing chatter. Gotta get back to my self care so we can get the heck outta here.

THE ONLY DOWNSIDE?

… (sad face here) Leaving Cleo Kitty. I haven’t left her since the whole “cancer” episode (I say that because she is so resilient and awesome that she doesn’t seem to have cancer (really long story–but she does have some other serious health problems and sensitivities. Never did get a definitive diagnosis because she’s a kitty and didn’t need to be more traumatized than she already was for goodness sakes) and that was in December 2011. We are quite attached to each other and have been each other’s caretakers since then. So as much as I know it is for the best, it will still be hard. But we will be back Sunday night. And I have to remember that the fact that we can even leave her at this point is amazing. In November we had planned a similar trip to celebrate 15 years together and 6 years of marriage and had to cancel it because her health was so questionable and we couldn’t leave her. Now I look at her and it’s hard to believe that happened. She’s so in the mood to keep living and we finally got to the bottom of her health stuff too so that’s good.

Anyway, I keep babble-writing. Off I go!

Write soon!

Oh and to my new followers HI! Yay! Thanks for joining me on my crazy path. To my commenters–yay thank you for commenting! I plan on responding next week.

Have a great weekend y’all! I know I am not the only one going through this thing we call life and holy moly it can be hard and intense…

Love to all!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

THE COUGH DECIDES TO START NOW?!?!

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Nahleen

I’M COUGHING TODAY?! TODAY?!

I’ve been waiting for and fighting off something like a sick bug that I could feel trying to start for what seems like 2 months and it has worked. I have held it off. AND TODAY IT WANTS TO START GETTING BAD?

UM HELLO! COREY AND I ARE TRYING TO GET AWAY THIS WEEKEND TOGETHER TO GO TO CAMBRIA!

We’re overdue for it. This is supposed to be to celebrate 15 years together (actual Anniversary was in November) and 6 years married (in November too). We weren’t able to go because our poor Cleo Kitty was sick and I don’t blame her for that.

And all has been going pretty well with my health (I mean ups and downs and IBS stuff yesterday if you read my Blog post about that–it’s better if you’re wondering at least for the moment) and it’s been pretty manageable till NOW?!

NOW?!

I TRIED not to have any expectations about whether we would really take this trip but of course I have some. Of course I’m feeling like I should go into CRISIS MODE and think EVERYTHING’S OVER.

I should just crouch in a dark corner and not come out for goodness sakes. I mean, if the cough has started on Wednesday, how can I be better enough for Friday? I know how my cough is. And how can I get those “things” done I think I HAVE to get done in time for then?

WHY ME? WHY NOW? DANG IT!

So action time it is. No not running around like a wild mess (just…yet…anyway…). I got up, called my doctor and have made an appointment for 2:15pm. HOW COOL ARE THEY TO BE SO AVAILABLE? Oh and I get to see my favorite PA there too so another positive. I’m moving in the right direction. It is currently 12:45pm. I have to finish up writing this ASAP (and that’s true) so I can shower (always a big event for me with MS and lupus and now this dang sickness that’s coming on that has also turned into a fever–OK 99.1 but for me that’s a fever no matter what ANY doctor says) and drive over there and get to the solution ASAP. I have been told time and time again and even lectured by my doctors to not play with my cough. I have asthmatic tendencies that could EASILY turn into full on bronchitis or pneumonia especially with a messed up and compromised immune system so I CANNOT (emphasis on the NOT here) play with this. There is NO WAITING. If I feel a cough I do my best to get to the doctor ASAP.

And I have more of a MOTIVATION. Let’s kill this now. NOW.

DID I SAY NOW ENOUGH? You know, as if I have any control over a sick bug…..

Ha ha ha. Yeah right.

But I will do what I can to kill it.

Earlier this year I declared it was the year of OPERATION NURTURE NAHLEEN 2013!

Well…this is it.

OPERATION NURTURE NAHLEEN IS IN FULL EFFECT!

……….

P.S. I will do my best NOT to go past the NOW, not to go past TODAY and NOT to jump into the FUTURE which is only an illusion ANYWAY.

GOLLY I HOPE THIS HELPS AND WORKS.

I really really really really really (I can’t stress the reallys enough here) wanted to get away for a few days. THAT’S ALL. I haven’t gotten away in so long.

PLEASE.

I guess I’ll be flip flopping between Crisis and Operation Nurture all day. Suppose I’m human right.

Hmm. Interesting.

I’m a HUMAN…

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Moments of Peace Part 15

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Nahleen

Well it has been quite an intense week.  I wasn’t sure I’d be able to write this post today because I’m currently sick with some sort of infection that includes laryngitis and since I’ve started antibiotics last night I’ve been feeling better.  To be honest, that is AMAZING!  I’m not exaggerating.  I can’t remember any time I’ve been sick that I’ve taken antibiotics and felt better the morning after starting them the night before.  It was a good thing to catch this really early.  My body can’t afford to get HORRIBLY SICK.  Fortunately, I have doctors who agree and push that on me.  So here’s hoping I can get back on my feet again soon.

On another note before I get on with my Moments of Peace, I’ve been getting inquiries from people reading my Blog asking if they can recommend my Blog to others.  YES PLEASE!  That would be great.  One of my goals is to connect with others.  The more the better.  We can all help each other.

And now for my Moments of Peace:

08/10/12 My view in West LA in the afternoon. It was so dang hot that day. I think the intensity of the sunlight really shows it. Something about how green these tree leaves are struck me. It’s not like we get rain here but it sure is more humid than it used to be.

08/10/12 My view in Culver City, CA in the afternoon. And the heat continued. LOVE the bold color!!! Caught my eye right away.

08/10/12 A lovely view of my Cleo Kitty and I. She loves to cuddle with me on the couch in this position. Love her so much!

08/10/12 My view from my balcony as day turns to night. The evening skies have really been catching my eye this week no matter where I am. Summer skies are gorgeous!

08/10/12 My view from my balcony as day turns to night. I’m always in awe of how the sun reflects on the clouds–notice the edges here.

08/11/12 My view from the sun deck as day turns to night. Summer sun setting with little white wispy clouds.

08/12/12 My view from the sun deck as day turns to night. All kinds of clouds happening at once up there.

08/13/12 My view from my doctor’s office in Santa Monica, CA today. It was another really hot day with mega intense sun. Everything is so bright. Loving the view on the horizon.

08/13/12 My view on my walk in Santa Monica, CA. Hello bright sun!

08/13/12 My view on my walk in Santa Monica, CA. These were a pretty color and so calming. Anyone know what they are?

08/14/12 My view from the sun deck as day turns to night. You can’t really see it here but there were levels of color that were fascinating me. The color right near the horizon was purple.

08/15/12 My view from my balcony as morning arrives. I was breath taken by all the sights in the sky. The sunrises this week have been beautiful.

08/15/12 My view from the sun deck in the afternoon. There was an artist in the sky that day. I could see so many images in those clouds. What can you see? And look at that blue!!!

08/15/12 My view from the sun deck in the afternoon. There’s even more artistry in another part of the same sky. Loved how these clouds fell into place here.

08/15/12 My view from my balcony as day turns to night. The show just kept going from my balcony. I had to catch these moments.

08/15/12 My view from my balcony as day turns to night. ‘Twas quite a remarkable sky all day. And thus the pinks started showing up. I couldn’t stop gawking at it.

08/15/12 My view from my balcony as day turns to night. The pink flames started.

08/15/12 My view from my balcony as day turns to night. These pictures don’t do this sunset justice but I think you get the idea.

08/16/12 My view from my balcony as morning arrives. Billowy clouds…more pretty.

08/16/12 My view in West LA as day turns to night. So white and so blue. I was walking next door to pick up my antibiotics for my sickies and saw this. Helped me to relax a bit. (And yes, I’m very lucky to have my pharmacy right next door.)

08/16/12 Thought I might’ve heard some grand declaration of music in this one with the way the sun’s rays are declaring themselves through the clouds! Loved it!

Categories: Moments of Peace/Pictures | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sicky Icky

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Nahleen

Yep. I guess I don’t feel yucky enough and now I’m sick.

Not terrible sick. Been dealing with laryngitis since last Sunday and every time I think it’s cleared up it comes back. My Pulmonologist (yes I have one of those too) had told me awhile back to do a gargle with salt water and honey and it really helps a lot. BUT it wasn’t the answer to the issue. It just sorta soothed things.

So today I woke up and I felt OK. And then I started to feel really heavy and it felt like my body was crashing. It’s been a pretty intense week. I thought it was probably my body catching up with me. So I went back to bed to get some more sleep. When I woke up later I felt worse. You know, you go back to bed to try to get some more sleep to try to feel better right? Ha! This was one of those sucky times of waking up feeling worse.

This time I felt an overall feeling of yuck–I’ve since learned it’s malaise but what kind of word is that? It’s yuck. It’s bleh. Sick. My laryngitis had gotten lots worse and I felt heavy and gross. Then a bit of a cough started. I’ve learned a long time ago to address my cough immediately if I even get a slight hint of one starting. I can’t play the game and wait to see what happens. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS…

And NOW my doctors all agree that I need to not only address it on my own (go figure) BUT I need to call them right away so they can help me take care of things. Amazing really that I have doctors that pay attention to this and are proactive. They DON’T want me getting sick–so sick that I can’t function even more. I have a tendency to go from slightly sick to HORRIBLE.

Soooo, even though I kept thinking in my head I could tough it out and do it on my own (been working out really great since Sunday as the no voice nonsense started), I dialed my doctor and found myself talking to someone on the other end right away.

And after waiting for hours for a response I did get a call back and ANTIBIOTICS it is. Good times. These have messed up my digestive system in the past so we’ll see what happens. My doctor told the nurse to tell me (don’t remember the exact words of course), “This is the deal. I understand she has stomach issues and she has a concern but we need to take care of this infection now. She can’t afford to get worse with her immune system the way it is. Tell her to take the Z-Pack and then call us and tell us how she’s doing. Tell her to promise she will. We know she has a tendency toward infections and it’s been awhile and we don’t need to be on a cycle of never ending infection if we can help it. But she has to PROMISE she’ll call me.” And she made me promise and I did like a good girl.

I really don’t need to be more sick. I addressed this early I think so hopefully it nips it in the bud. I decided I didn’t need to be coughing up a lung this time and to be completely miserable. But I’m sicky icky. I’m so tired of not feeling good. I’m so tired of all of this.

Yet somehow living in the solution helps a lot.

So I should probably go start the meds. Here I go. Wish me luck!!!

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

I HAVE A CRUSH ON ACUPUNCTURE!

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Nahleen

I have to come clean.  I have a crush on acupuncture.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!  I can’t get enough of it!  I had an appointment today and my body is thanking me for taking the time to help.

It all started a little over 5 years ago when I finally took that long awaited leap into the well of Eastern Medicine.  I had heard rumors since I’d been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the time that acupuncture really helped.  To be honest with you I was scared.  I also had been taking an injectable  medication for my MS every other day for those 5 years and the last thing I wanted to do was add more needles to the mix.

Then a co-worker of mine just wouldn’t STOP talking about this acupuncture treatment she was getting from this really nice lady in Beverly Hills, CA and how I should try it sometime.  Well my goodness, I think I kinda went just to shush her up about it and it was absolutely THE BEST decision I have ever made about anything having to do with my overall health and well-being and it changed my life!!!

Not only is the acupuncture amazing but the acupuncturist is one of the nicest, most compassionate people I have ever met.  She sat there with me for two hours that first night and helped me learn all about me.  I was blown away.  She knew more about me than I did about myself.  She was able to pull diagnoses out of my mouth that I hadn’t even brought up to her yet.  I was thoroughly baffled.  And you know, to this day, she is able to pick up on things about my body that my other doctors haven’t even come close to considering.  She was the one who wondered if I had lupus, or what else could be going on besides MS.  She was the one who wanted to know what was going on with my digestion and thought it should get examined and the answer was a small intestine bacterial infection.  The list of her conclusions about me are endless.

That night I had my first treatment and there is no turning back.  She said my prominent issue was that I carried heat and have too much dampness in me.  I knew about the heat.  I didn’t tell her that I was always hot.  She could tell.  She said my skin felt like it was burning.  I didn’t know about the dampness but it explained why I have a hard time with the rain and with humidity.  So after she put the needles in my body she asked me how I was, put on some relaxing music, gave me an eye pillow and left the room.

I had the most profound experience.  I thought I was always going to have to be stiflingly boiling hot.  Within minutes it was like the dam broke and my walls started breaking down within me and the flood gates of cold started rushing through my body and I specifically remember the cold feeling started on my lower right leg and worked its way toward my head and over to the other side.  I thought someone had turned on the air conditioner or put a fan on me.  Nope.  That was acupuncture and that was only the beginning.  The feeling of RELIEF was an absolute miracle.  I didn’t know I could feel “better” like that.  I’m getting emotional just thinking about it still.

The other symptoms she has been able to help are fatigue, stress, hormonal, allergies, asthmatic issues, pain, stiffness, weakness, digestion, sore throat, sinus issues, upper respiratory infections and she has helped me find relief with my overall feeling of malaise.  The only time we hit a wall with my treatment was almost 2 years ago when I had my major lupus flare and we didn’t know I had lupus at the time and she really needed my doctors to help find the diagnosis in order to give me the best benefits.  She told me she thought she was flying blind.  Once she found out the diagnosis (lupus is one of the hardest diseases to diagnose) the treatments greatly improved again and I have been feeling even better ever since.

I have had a crush on acupuncture from then on.  After she and I agreed that I would benefit from acupuncture, she asked me if I wanted try acupressure and I took the next leap of faith.  Sure why not?  WOW.  That was amazing too.  My main flame of love starts with acupuncture and then follows to acupressure because for me I don’t get as much benefit with just the acupressure.  My treatment really needs to start with acupuncture and then go right to acupressure.

It is AMAZING!  I really feel like I have a crush.  I get all giddy thinking about having the appointments/treatments and I can’t wait to feel some relief.  My body is always active with some sort of autoimmune disease running rampant and it needs a “Pause and Calm Down” outlet.

Acupuncture has been the answer for me and I plan on continuing for as long as possible.

Categories: Appointments | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Blog at WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: