Keeping Busy

Hello Healers!!

I apologies for the lack of communication. I have been having a great time with my family, friends, and boyfriend that Im exausted when I get home. I have been pushing my body and flair one or two days a week but to me its been worth it. Hanging out with friends has been healing for me.

About two weeks ago I discovered roasted vegetables. Ive been reading from other's blogs how good they are. Once I made them I couldnt get enougph. Now Im not going back to steamed vegetables unless a recipies calls for them.

A good friend and I went to the beach earlier this week for some girl time and some R&R. We stoped at a half price book store that was near by to see if there was any Vegan Cookbooks. She had picked up a health cookbook a couple days before and that sparked my inital intrest. I found a book that was more than half off and was well worth it. The book is called "The Vegeterian Family Cookbook " by Nava Atlas. It shows you that you can make recipies vegan by adding soy yogurt vs regular yogurt, daiya cheese vs cheese made from milk. Ive made three recipies with this book and loved each one.

Today at a Garage Sale I got a book that talks about Macrobiotics. Ive heard about Macrobiotics and have been curious so finding this book for a $1 made me excited. I have a month till school starts so hopefully this will keep me busy during the days Im not keeping myself busy.

Thanks all for being great!!

My Trip To WVa, Food Poisioning, Pictures

Hi All!

I got back from WVa on Sunday evening and since then my mom, dad and I have been getting back into our normal reutein. Like I said in my last post we went down to WVa for my mom's Homecoming and a family get-together. We all had a great time visiting family and catching up with everyone.

The second night we were there we got a fruit platter to share at a cook-out that our family was having. Less than 24 hours later I was extremely sick and believe that I had gotten food poisioning from the fruit we had bought. Unfourtenetly I wasnt feeling well most of the trip but tried to make the best of everything, especially spending time with my adorable cousins.

I am thankfully feeling better and now able to resume my normal eating pattern but feel bad I missed out on some of the family fun.

Alexis, Aiden, and I

The decendents of our family

Aiden and I

Back to West Virginia!

On Thursday my mom, dad, and I will be traveling back to West Virginia.

My mom is from West Virginia and two of my Aunts and my one Uncle still live down there. We are going down there for my mom's Community Annual Reunion. She grew up with her cousins and other family around her. When we go back its great to see everyone but this reunion gives my mom an opportunity to see everyone who has moved away to different states.

Now West Virgina isn't that Vegetarian or Vegan friendly. So each time I go I have to go shopping and pack me a cooler of food. Now for me that's a little hard to do since I don't exactly plan out my daily food menu. I eat what my body craves and what food we have in the house. I do go off of recipes I want to make during the week when I go shopping but never plan out the day when I am going to make it.

Ive made vegan brownies for the hotel that I know my Aunt from Virginia will love. I have also stocked up on Yves meatless meat and Yves meatless hot dogs. I'm thinking of making cupcakes for the trip and reunion as well since I know my brownies will go fast.

I am really excited to see my youngest cousins who are 4 and 2. I got them some presents that I will be able to play with them.

I will be updating after I come back from the trip. I hope you are all having a great summer and enjoying the beautiful weather. I'm very blessed that I live near one of the fresh water lakes which provides beautiful scenery.

Chronic Pain / Ilnesses and Relationships

Hello Healers,

In my last blog I wanted to address the subject of Chronic Pain / Illnesses and Relationships. Recently I came across a question on the support group I help co-run. The question asked about how each person deals with their partner, family, and friends. I did answer the question on the group but also wanted to answer it here. Dealing with RSD has been trial and error in the relationship department just like it has been in the treatment department. We each have to do what seems right and natural for us, but here is what works for me.

* Significant Other: With any guy I am going on a first date with or seeing I don't mention my RSD. I want my personality to shine through and not the fact that I'm living with a Chronic Pain Condition. I want him to get to know me and if he has any questions I am glad to answer them. If him and I got more serious, I would make sure he understood about my RSD but knows that its not all of me even though it has made me a part of who I am.

* Family: My family has been 110% supportive since Ive been diagnosed. Its been tough to explain to my immediate family about my symptoms and how I am able to manage the symptoms without them thinking that I'm not able to work, be independent, ect. The best way to get your family to understand that you may not need as much help as you once did is to sit down and talk to them. Also easing your way into the activity you want to accomplish will help show your family that you can manage it and may be able to handle a bit more.

* Friends: Its hard for us to understand why our friends tend to "leave" us during a time of crisis in our lives. Others may stay but after awhile they may get frustrated of us never getting better and "leave" also. I have found friends who respect me for who I am and see past the aspect that I have RSD. When I meet them I didn't bring up the aspect that I had RSD. I clearly let them ask any questions they had and still let them.

I hope to do more posts like this. If you have any questions you would like me to address please let me know.

NYC and Relationships

Hello All!

I am back once again. Like I said I had a wonderful and busy trip to the wonderful City of New York. My mom, sister, niece, and I took this trip to participate in the Achilles Hope and Possibility Walk with Team RSDSA. I absolutely love that the Achilles Hope and Possibility Walk was founded. It has brought together people who are able bodied, those who have amputated limbs due to war or other reasons, those in wheelchairs, and those that can walk but barely just make it across the finish line. This walk helps bring awareness of all of the conditions out there that people live with on a daily basis and brings every person who participates either in person or virtually, hope. I love participating in this walk and meet others who have RSD as well. The first time I participated in the walk was in 2007. My RSD just came back the January before and my mom believed that coming to the walk would be good for me to meet others who had RSD. I couldn't get over this overwhelming feeling I had that I felt normal. There were others around me who understood and felt the same pain I did. So when we went back this year I was excited to feel that again and meet others like me. The final numbers according to RSDSA were that 300 people showed up in person and 190 did the virtual walk, this was the biggest walk to date. I did see my good friend Marsha, whom I meet the first time around. We have stayed in contact since and we were both excited to see each other. I was able to finish the full two miles of the RSDSA portion of the walk. The previous time I could only walk the first mile and had to be pushed the second. I had set my goal for accomplishing the two miles so I was excited I was able to do it. I hope and pray Marsha and I will be able to walk the two miles together in the near future.

*Marsha and I at the Walk *

*Jim Broatch and I - He is the director of RSDSA*

* My sister, niece, mom, and I*

For the rest of the day the walk occurred my family and I explored the city. We took a tour bus and went down to Soho where we grabed some lunch. Later that night we took a night tour of the city which I highly recommend. For the night tour we crossed into Brooklyn over the Manhattan Bridge to see the lights of Manhattan at night. Since I ended up pushing myself at the walk I ended up with a severely swollen right foot and leg. So that my body could get a bit of a rest my mom, sister, and niece went on the rest of the tour the next day while Marsha and I met up and did our own tour. We went to Madison Square Garden and then out to lunch. Due to her initial injury she has a hard time on the phone so her and I text for the most part. It was great being able to talk like we never were apart for 3 yrs.

*In Little Italy*

* NYU Medical Center*

*Times Square*

*The WNBA Basketball Court at Madison Square Garden*

Having had a great time in NYC just showed me that I need to do something to help my family and friends understand a bit more about my RSD without scarring them. I feel like people either treat me like I'm 100% healthy or 100% disabled. There are many times when I can walk a long distance but I may not be able to the next day. That is simply the RSD and its hard to predict how I'm going to feel day to day. Its a hard concept to grasp, and would think it would be hard for some people to grasp. I'm going to addressee this topic more as I believe it needs addressed, not just in my life but for all of us who have chronic conditions .