I also garden ...

I'm still battling with some of the worst pain I've experienced so far. I realized the other day that I am going on about a year since the hand pain first started. This weekend though, regardless of the pain, I have to get my garden in. I have lots of baby plants that need to get moved outside. I need to get my seeds in the ground. So, as I posted before I just keep going as best I can. I often am moving at a snail's pace, but I'm moving.
I'll post some photos after I get things in so you can watch them grow with me.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend.
Sarah

Pain is at all time high ...

My doctor has upped my medication but so far i'm not seeing a huge improvement. Hurts to do many everyday tasks. I'm rather grumpy. I should probably sit in the chair and rest today, but i won't. Because sitting really just makes the stiffness worse, so how's that going to help. I will rest some, work a little and just repeat. Keeping moving and at least accomplishing a little bit is my goal right now.

Still struggling...pain is at worst it's been...

I am continuing to struggle with pain. My joints and my muscles are both flared up right now. I am struggling with some very simple tasks of every day life, like stirring - I was so upset Sunday when I made a potato salad for our Mother's Day cook out and I had to stop several times while trying to stir it, my hand was hurting so bad, even up into my arm, and I felt like I had so much weakness. Lots of other tasks are the same. But, I'm such a hard headed, determined person that I refuse to give up. I just keep trudging through my every day life the best I can. I certainly don't accomplish as much as I'd like but I try to at least accomplish some. I have done some sewing, though not nearly as much as I need to do. I've also done some gardening and outdoor work, again not as much as I should or would like to do but it's something. It's a refusal on my part to let this disease win. I have a call in to my doctor to ask what I should do next, I'm hoping maybe an adjustment to meds with give me some relief.

Well enough sad me stuff, here is a few pictures of what I've been up to lately.

Perhaps dumping my Dr wasn't the best idea :(

I haven't posted much. I'm just not sure where to go from here. I wanted to believe that going gluten free was going to help the RA pain, it hasn't. It has definitely helped other areas, but not the RA pain. I wanted to believe getting rid of the extra medicines would get rid of some of the foggy "side effects" and help me stick to my affirmation that the Dr was just prescribing "roulette" style, and to some degree I guess I am right there. I don't necessarily feel any better than I would have with the meds, so adding them back in wouldn't really "cure" anything. But, I have to admit that something has to be done I suppose. I can't keep up with the painful joints & muscles. I want to live a normal life, but something as simple as a long walk, or an hour gardening leaves me achy and sore for days. How is that possible? I just keep moving and doing what I want, but I'm grumpy and sore and sad because of the pain. For now I'm just trying to figure out where to go from here....
I don't know that anyone but me is actually reading this blog, so I guess I'm just getting the idea out there for myself. I'll update myself when I decide where to go next ;)
For now though I have a show coming up in 1 week and I am not ready, so off to the sewing room I go for the weekend.
Sarah

And SEW it starts

The sewing room is almost totally done, okay so it will likely never be "Done". But after tomorrow everything should be here in this house. The organization will likely be an ongoing project as I find what works and what doesn't work for me.

I am currently working on the last custom order I will be taking on for a while. It's organic cotton pillow covers. I will have those finished today and my reward will be to move on to some fun upcycled dresses. I will likely lose a dress or two to my daughters wardrobe, but the rest will be for sale in the Etsy shop.

You're probably thinking, what is an upcycle? Well it's a "new" term used to describe taking something and repurposing it into something new. In my case I take a clothing item and add to it to make something new and fun. Yesterday for a quick break in the mundane I took Olivia's too small John Deere overalls and made them into a new dress.

BEFORE -

AFTER -

So I am gonna make the Dr. mad ...

Okay it's confession time. I took myself off most of the medications the Dr has given me. They weren't working and every time I'd suggest to them that they weren't working, I got an attitude that I didn't know what I was talking about. I HURT, all the time. And I need it to stop, I don't want or need to spend months taking a bunch of crap that isn't helping. SO, I just took myself off of most of it. I am still taking a couple of the pain medications to help with the daily pain.

I also started the gluten free diet in hopes it would help with the pain. So far it's not helping with the pain, however it has helped my digestive system immensely and I'm also sleeping better. So it's helping something which is a plus.

I am very hopeful that with the weather FINALLY taking a turn towards spring here in NNY that I will start to see a change in my pain level. I'm also hoping that when I can get outside and exercise a bit, I will begin to see more progress in decrease in pain.

I am also continuing to see my chiropractor, that helps more than any of the drugs the rheumatologist throws at me.

Stay tuned to see if I regret my decision to "fire" the rheumatology Dr.

Sarah

Sewing room progress....

Finally making some project in the sewing room move & organization. Check it out! Happy monday!