Managing not only your illness, but the side effects, treatments, infections, secondary illnesses and more can quickly make it feel like God handed you a bag of rocks. Surprisingly, I have adapted over the years and learned to be content in circumstances I never thought I could find joy in. I've stopped comparing what’s in my bag of life with what those around me are getting out of life. I have learned to find joy by living the inspired life!

Oscar Wilde once said that "to most of us the real life is the life we do not lead." Today I am going to talk about envy. Do you enjoy feeling envious? I'm sure none of us enjoy feeling envious, but I am almost sure there are times we find ourselves wishing we had what others do.

Find out to concentrate on all its joys and treasures that your life offers you on a daily basis, here:

Envy and Chronic Illness

 

 

40 simple ways to enjoy life to the fullest

Man.
Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;
the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.

– The 14th Dalai Lama

 

Do you want to live a happy life? If you say yes like most people do, then it’s important to learn to enjoy life. Some people may think that they can only enjoy life when they already have a lot of money or have a successful career. But that’s not true. You can enjoy your life where you are with what you already have. You can enjoy your life now.

As you know, with modern life, it is so easy to get stressed. There are so many things you have to deal with such as bills, overload work, family responsibilities, and so on. Yet, how can you reduce, even abolish all the stress all negative emotions and depression and really begin enjoying life with happiness and peaceful mind?  

Click on the link below  for 40 simple ways to enjoy life to the fullest.

40 Simple Ways To Enjoy Life To The Fullest

 

 

 

Going to my happy place.......

What a day of mixed emotions! Awesome art class! Preparing myself mentally and physically for the stomach procedure tomorrow.....now I'm told that a possible source of the bleeding that I have been having for the last several months has been found, but what was a two centimeter fibroid last year is now about tripled in size, "and it may be a type of sarcoma, so I'm writing you this script for a pill to slow the bleeding while we do some more tests." (Paraphrased of course)

God, my knees are sore. Can we do knee replacements first, please!?!?! I said, please!!!  Prayer seems to be my stronghold right now.  I seem to always be praying.  That's a good thing, of course.

As I write this, I am in the process of drinking a gallon of bowel-cleansing solution referred to as  NuLYTELY Lemon Lime (polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution).

What is it?

Polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution is a laxative solution that increases the amount of water in the intestinal tract to stimulate bowel movements. This medication also contains potassium, sodium, and other minerals to replace electrolytes that are passed from the body in the stool. 

 

I can honestly say that I have had some challenges, but drinking this has got to be among the top. I exaggerate, of course, but I don't care how much lemon-lime flavor has been punched into this solution, it tastes like.....well I'm sure you can figure that out.

When I first posted that I was going to be drinking this solution and asked if any others had experience with it, I got so much feedback and suggestions on how to get through the experience.  One suggestion that popped up frequently is to "go to your happy place."

This solution is supposed to "provide optimal bowel cleansing" for the biopsy of my stomach and small intestine tomorrow.   At the moment it is working a little too well, but I don't think that the bathroom is what anyone meant by my "happy place,"  although I have spent quite a bit of time in it over the last few hours.

It's a good thing this solution did not cost me anything (as my insurance company paid for it) as it would literally be money down the "proverbial" toilet.  I also can't help but wonder if this couldn't be harmful in the long run.  I've spent so much time trying to heal the gut.  After all that's where up to 75 or 80 percent (depending on what documents you read) of the immune system resides.  By drinking this solution, I am literally "flushing out all the bacteria, good and bad, from the system.

Is this for a good cause?  I guess I will be able to replace those good bacteria lost, using fermented foods, kombucha, and other forms of probiotics.

So, back to this happy place.....What and where is your happy place?  How do you get there?

It's literally like a mind game, isn't it?  We sometimes think of a happy place as a physical place and it can certainly be that.  Taking a walk in nature.  Playing with our kids.  As I was thinking of places that make me happy it's always one of two places....or I should say countries, and my children and/or family and friends are always involved.

So I started to think about all the reasons why I love my birth country so much...and I was yet again flooded with joyous memories.  One of my favorite places to hangout  was on the beach in East End across from my Aunt Marie's house in a hammock, especially on a Tuesday night, watching the cruise ships pass by as the moon rose over the horizon.  My aunt has long passed on into heavenly realms, but my memories of those visits with her long remain.  Of course, I have so many areas that envelope my mind when I think of my "happy place."  I highlighted them in article I wrote recently here:   http://hubpages.com/travel/Reasons-to-love-AND-visit-the-Cayman-Islands

How do you get to your happy place?  How does doing this impact your life?  I’d love to learn your perspectives.

What I learned from a walk in the dark.

In two days I will once again be plunged into a world of darkness, when I will be given anesthetic to put me to sleep.  You see, I will be undergoing a biopsy of the stomach and small intestine, and, unlike the uterine biopsy that I had last week (for which I was awake), I cannot be awake throughout this one.  I've been informed that a tube with a camera at the end will be inserted down my esophagus into my stomach and small intestine.  Another tube with an apparatus at the end will take a few "clippings" from the stomach and small intestine, which will be later tested for a variety of things.

When I first learned that I would have to have this procedure, of course I started to think about the other times that I was "put under:"

• the DNC after suffering a miscarriage
• The breast surgery
• ovarian cancer surgery

I flat-lined during the ovarian surgery, so of course that has been on my mind recently.  Even though I know that God himself brought me back from the brink of death, it still makes me wonder, and be a little anxious about this coming Wednesday.

I will be taking a trip into the darkness, again.  Now normally the darkness does not bother me....at least not like it did when I was younger.  Some, or most,  of you can probably relate to having a fear of the dark as a child.

The gift of imagination has granted us the ability to invent ground breaking technology and to surpass nearly every hurdle that mankind has faced. However, this talent has a flipside. The power of imagination is so potent that it is capable of destroying lives and reducing the strongest of men to gibbering wrecks. These terrifying thoughts generally need a catalyst, and the most commonly responsible is the dark.

From an early age, fear of the dark has plagued young children. Sleepless nights wondering what monsters await under the bed or what manner of aberrations live inside the closet are common place.

Fear of the dark has its roots from early man when we were perceived as prey by all manner of fearsome beasts that roamed through the shadows of night. The discovery of fire was hugely influential in primitive engineering circles but perhaps more than anything, it gifted man the ability to overcome darkness and keep perceived and very real dangers at bay.

There is so much that I have learned about darkness, as I have grown. Click on the link below to see just some of the lessons that I have learnt from the darkness, and that I believe the darkness teaches.

http://hubpages.com/health/What-I-Learned-From-A-Walk-In-The-Dark

March 12th, 2017

Since this article was written I have undergone a major surgery, a complete hysterectomy in November 2016, in which the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix and a massive tumor were removed.  Since that surgery I have had several complications.

There are days that I have sever migraines, where I am screaming.  At other times I am shaking as in in a seizure.  I have developed tremors and am in chronic pain.

Has the thought to give in ever entered my mind?  Sure it has!  It has been a challenging last few months, but I am not a quitter, even though I consider this to be the darkest period of my life.  I hold onto faith and know that things will get better.

.....but you look so good!

Tip for living well with chronic illness:
Remember that some friends and family won't understand what you're going through, especially when you look the same on the outside.
True friends will stick with you no matter what!
Do your best to educate them on your illness and what you experience from it, if they are willing to listen.  True friends  will come to visit, help with errands and chores, laugh  and cry with you and understand!!

Navigating Motherhood and Chronic Illness

When you have a chronic illness, parenting has a whole new set of challenges and worries.

If these words, Chronic illness and parenting, relate to your life, chances are they are enough to keep you busy indefinitely. They can easily become a large part of your identity, and they both fight for control over your energy, time, and some days, your sanity.

Today has been especially tough, as I have been recovering from a procedure done a few days ago.  I have been a little tired, and really have not been able to do much, except fix meals, rest and think about what I'm going to write for my next blog. 

Handling chronic illness is about learning to live in balance.  You can't dwell on questions like, 'Why is this happening to me?' or 'What if it gets worse?' But you do have to be constantly conscious of your health status, and take the time to rest, exercise, and have fun. It's important to focus on feeling well and to maintain a positive outlook.

Read about my journey as a parent with chronic illness here:

http://hubpages.com/health/What-Its-Like-Being-A-Chronically-Ill-Parent