Such A Busy Week

Hi Everyone,

 Well I haven't been scrapping pages lately. I think that I have only done 2 this entire week. I have been so busy!
 My friend did put out a new kit called Asian Beauty and so I made this scrap page for her as she has been really sick. She has MS and has been in a lot of pain and then caught a nasty cold on top of it and had the blues. No one had made any pages with her kit and she thought no one liked it. So to cheer her up several of us made pages.
 It is a gorgeous kit. I just love the Koi fish. Unfortunately this is the only page that I have had time to do with the kit. I am sure that as soon as Christmas is over then we will be able to settle down and I will have more time to play at the computer.
 And of course I am having issues of my own. It has just been too hard to rest. So much had to get done and no matter how I tried to pace myself it has not gone according to plan.

 Kyra, it is really hard to explain Fibromyalgia. Basically everyone experiences it differently. It is usually caused by something very stressful in your life and it could have started years ago and lay dormant until something else triggers it. They symptoms at first can be confused with Rheumatoid Arthritis  because it starts out affecting joints ad so forth. There is really not much clinical information. A lot of studies are done on it and a lot of doctors do not even believe that it exists. I was one of those people who didn't believe that I had it and went for a second opinion and then I seen another doctor, a Rheumotologist who confirmed it.
 For the most part I do ok. I have days that I have no problems at all and then others that are very difficult to get thru and sometimes I don't pay attention the way that I should and I over do. For me the pain or Flare Ups start in my right elbow. Then other spots in my body start to become inflamed and hurt and swell.

 Edna, this support group is really awesome. I have met some incredible people on there. Some who will just send an encouraging message to me on Messenger or private message me on Facebook and of course there is the group. They really take the time to talk with you. That has been so wonderful for me. I am so glad that I found this site and don't you feel guilty for using your handicap parking sticker. You have a valid reason to use it.

 When I was 19 my niece was in a basketball tournament. Her mom and my brother both had to work so I took off work and went with her because for her it was a big deal to be in this tournament. When we got to the school I bought both of us a soda from the concession stand. The first game went well and they were going to play another game and some how during the games our drinks got mixed up. So we drank after each other. Right after that she came down with the flu or so we thought. I was back working and not feeling well either but I worked that week. On Friday night my sister in law and I went to the grocery store and I got really sick while we were shopping. I bought some Tylenol and we finished shopping and went home. My dad was there and said that my boss had called and someone called saying that they needed me back to work the next day so I left. My niece was still sick and we figured that it was just the cold/flu type thing. On Sunday after my shift was over my dad took me to the hospital. They admitted me right away because all of my nymph nodes in my whole body was swollen and inflamed. I was so sick I don't even know how on earth I was able to work that weekend. The tests came back that I had Mononucleosis. The famous kissing disease that I got from drinking that soda at the basketball tournament with my niece. I was in the hospital for several days. My sister in law took my niece to the doctor and she had the same thing. In fact the entire school had to be shut down because so many had contracted it.
 My niece was young and rebounded fast. Most people do. Most people never even know that they actually have it. For me it had attacked my internal organs, spleen, liver and so forth so healing was a big deal for me. They wanted me to stay in bed 6 weeks after I went home. Well that was impossible. I had a job that I didn't want to lose nor could I afford to lose it. I had an apartment and I had a car payment. I had to go back to work.
 I never regained my strength or energy after that. When I talked to my doctors they blew it off and said after my first baby was born, "Your a new mom of course your going to be tired" and that was mainly the trend of things.
 Some days I felt good other days I could barely function but you do what you have to do with a family. More than likely my Fibromyalgia was triggered then and just lay dormant until a series of other heath issues became too much for my body to handle and these flare ups are now pretty obvious since so many doctors are acknowledging it. Not all of them, but this support group has really been awesome.
 The sensitive skin, the pain, the bone tired weariness and so much more, I really know that I am not the only one out there saying... What's wrong with me.

 Ok so now on to some other things. When I last ended my blog post I told you that I would explain my neck and shoulder pain. 4 years ago my girlfriend and I were leaving Walmart. We were stopped at the entrance/exit and a car rear ended us. Not hard, just a good jolt, but as I went forward the seat belt snapped me back and my neck popped.
 I was very angry with my friend because she got out of the car and talked to the people and said that there was no real damage to either car so she didn't call the police or even write a report. I told her... I hurt my neck... well come to find out the reason she didn't report it was because she didn't have insurance on her car. I didn't know that for  several weeks. My neck got better and I let it go. Then it would start hurting again and finally I had to go to the doctor. I have a bulging disc in my neck and sometimes it it becomes inflamed and causes me some pain and problems. The only thing that I can do for it is surgery and there really isn't much to say that would even help, so I just deal with it for now.

 Ok now on to some other things....
 Let's talk Christmas...
 I have my tree. I have a few more decorations on it now, but these pictures are from the day that I bought it.  I love it. It is a Norfolk Island Pine. It looks like it should have come from somewhere cold but actually it was grown from a seed on an Island in Hawaii. Interesting little story. I read it on the tag with the directions on how to care for it. Here is my pics...

It has some bows. Just click to see it in a larger size. I also bought a Christmas Cactus. I have been wanting one and so I have been saying I was going to get one and I haven't and I finally did. I chose this one because it is loaded down with pink buds. I was actually thinking of getting a red one but they were already flowered and had very little buds on them. So that is why I chose the pink and Oh wow.. Tomorrow I have to take more pictures because it is flowering out so pretty.

It is so pretty and see all of those buds on it and this is just this side of the plant. Not the back side which has a lot too.

 Here are a couple of other pics I have.

I did some reading on the Christmas Cactus. In September I have to put it in a place that is dark so it can go to sleep for 4 weeks then I can bring it out and it can start the flowering process. It is a succulent so it requires very little water. In fact it is supposed to dry out completely before watering.

 So many pretty flowers this year. But when I spotted the tree and the cactus I knew they were meant to be.

 And I have a little funny to show you before I go. But first I want to wish my friends on Google Plus a very happy week. I love hearing from you all and thanks for the notifications that you send to me. Yes I do get them and thank you...

 I hope that everyone is having a great Christmas Season.... I know that I am really enjoying the time that I have shopped even tho I was having a hard time later I did enjoy myself.

 Oh before I go, I bought my ham for Christmas dinner. I caught it at a wonderful price and I also bought my everything to make Kyra's cabbage. I still have to get the cabbage yet. A bit to early for that just yet.
 Karyn wants baked beans and Potato Salad. I told her "Sure, if you make it" lol... she frowned at that... "But Mom your's is sooooo good" and I smiled and said... "And your's is just sooooo delicious" so more than likely she will do the potato salad and I will do the beans lol.
 I want to make some Ambrosia this year or a fruit salad. But just a small one as fruit is very expensive this time of year.

 Ok well I am off and headed to bed. I have a quiet day tomorrow. Other than my laundry and I plan to just hang out here at home, in my room with my dog. I have Foxy right now until tomorrow. Karyn will come and get her then. They had laid carpet all thru her apartment so they had to come today and pull it up and put down the right floor. So far she has been really sweet to Cisco which is good or she would find herself out in the cold... lol... Good night and BB