Category: spoonie

Story Time- I Bought Band Aids

~ jesusluvsall ~ 17 Comments

I have been poked and prodded to the point that watching my blood be drawn for a blood test does not bother me. It is just part of life for anyone living with autoimmune problems or other chronic health issues. But I have observed that stickers, fun band aids, or lollipops are not given to me on such occasions at the doctor. Perhaps they think I am too old for fun.

Au Contraire. I want some fun. I think after poking and prodding me, that I deserve a little fun. Case in point, I went to a dermatologist to have a new rash looked at. He wanted to get a sample to check for psoriasis, a few things I cant pronounce, and also sarcoidosis. After scraping off a sample, he put a boring plain brown band aid on it. Not to be denied of my fun, I stopped off at a pharmacy and found a much more fulfilling replacement.

Yes, a Star Wars band aid. I bought a box of them. I need to find more fun band aids so I can have some variety. I can use them for my weekly injections too. 🙂

As I tell people, I am getting younger. Actually there is truth in that bit of humor. Think about it. For everyone who believes in Jesus, eternal life is in our future. Since I will live for all eternity because of what Jesus did for me, it means I am not getting older. I am getting younger. 🙂

This earthly tent may be aging and having problems, but my body is not the same body I will live in for all eternity. One day Jesus will resurrect my body to be a glorified body like he has now.

Until then I will enjoy my fun band aids. 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Burgers With A Friend

~ jesusluvsall ~ 14 Comments

The doctor appointment went well yesterday. My blood tests were good, which was a relief because I did not study for them. 🙂

After the appointment, my friend who drove me up to Omaha and I went to lunch. What could have been better after a doctor appointment than cheeseburgers?

Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina Food Photographer/Stylist on Pexels.com

On the way to Omaha, on the way back, and during lunch, we had time for some good conversation. My friend oversees missions and outreach for our church, so as someone with a ministry for refugees and immigrants my friend and I had a lot to talk about.

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One of those topics was helping new arrival Ukrainian families in my city. We have 25 new arrival families so far. I anticipate more will come. One of the things will be partnering with the Ukrainian church to offer English classes for the families. Another is coordinating with medical and dental providers for care for them.

About the doctor’s appointment, I knew he would look at my feet as part of the exam, So when he said he wanted to look at them, I told him that he didn’t need to worry because I wore clean socks. 🙂

So I survived yet another doctor appointment. The adventures of this spoonie, person with chronic illness, shall continue.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Doctor Day Is Here

~ jesusluvsall ~ 13 Comments

The day has come. Not a day that is exciting like one’s birthday or a holiday. Today is doctor day. This afternoon I will make the one hour trip to see my Rheumatologist. Fortunately this doctor is one who is easy to talk with and I can joke with.

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Even better my friend, who is one of the pastors from my church, will drive me to the appointment. He oversees outreach for my church. We will have time to talk about and plan how our church will partner with a Ukrainian church to help some new arrivals from Ukraine in my city. So it will be an afternoon of combining a doctor visit with ministry.

We will have lunch after my appointment, so I feel a cheeseburger day coming. I have not had a cheeseburger since last week. Not to worry I am surviving.

So it is off to see the doctor today. If I post tomorrow, it will be because I survived the doctor. 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

FriYeah Is Here :)

~ jesusluvsall ~ 12 Comments

On the last Friday I will need an alarm clock until August, an epic failure occurred. I woke up an hour before my alarm clock went off. I know it is like a horror story. However, I survived the ordeal, so no need to worry.

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Today is celebration day for both of my classes. Today is also methotrexate day meaning by the time my afternoon class finishes, I will be ready for a power nap. That will be followed by binge watching some shows while laying in bed.

My friend from Venezuela, who I usually meet with on Saturday mornings, has been sick, so we won’t meet tomorrow. I sense a full day at the coffee shop coming. Hopefully they will give me a good coffee mug to use. The last two times they gave me one with flowers on it and one with little birds and hearts on it. Such mugs should be reserved for repurposed sodas like lattes and are not fitting for a coffee purist. A super hero mug is fitting for a coffee purist. 🙂

Anyway back to it being Friday. I counted and I have 14 Fridays coming with nothing to do. That puts a whole new meaning to it being FriYeah. My summer break is almost upon me. If you hear a thud, it will be the sound of sudden relaxation hitting me. 🙂

What are your weekend plans?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Friday Finally-Teacher Appreciate Week

~ jesusluvsall ~ 5 Comments

Coming to the end of a crazy busy week, Friday is a most welcome day. I took on a Monday/Wednesday evening class because the instructor could not finish the quarter. Telling myself the class is in Zoom, so no driving, made it seem easier.

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But as a Spoonie, person living with chronic illnesses, somehow I forgot to factor in fatigue. But the good news is no evening class today, so as soon as I arrive home it will be nap time. 🙂

It is teacher appreciation week this week in the USA. Today we will have ice cream sundaes at the school where I teach in the mornings. Mentally that makes it easier to get up and get going. Ice cream is an essential food group for me. In fact when I meet a nurse or nursing student, I ask them to remember me, so if I am ever their patient to bring me ice cream.

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Speaking of Teacher Appreciation Week, it is not too late to show a little appreciation. A simple card, a thank you, a little candy or whatever to let your child’s teacher know they are appreciated can mean a lot. We are coming to the end of the third year of teaching that was affected by COVID.

If you are a fellow educator, as one myself, I wish to say I understand how it has been this year and the previous two. So thank you for what you do.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Confession Time- No Coffee Shop Yesterday

~ jesusluvsall ~ 13 Comments

In my post yesterday I shared that my agenda included a trip to my coffee shop. Confession time- alas I did not make it yesterday. Methotrexate got the better of me and I ended up needing two naps yesterday. Such is spoonie life.

However, today was a rebound day. Thanks to the naps of yesterday, I went to church this morning and am happy to report that as I write I am currently at my coffee shop. I had a free order of nachos from the organic store deli next door thanks to a punch card and now I am enjoying coffee.

The barrista is a young woman who I connected with while writing about my idea of writing a bible study guide for people who have experienced trauma. We chat every time I come in. She picks out fun mugs for me too. 🙂

There is something about this coffee shop that stimulates the writer in me. There are so many interesting people to see.

Is there a place that stimulates the writer/blogger in you?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Saturday Is Here- Naps?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 9 Comments

Saturday is here. What shall I do? It feels like a double nap day. But they need to be perfectly timed because a friend from El Salvador texted me that his sister is making pupusas today. This afternoon he will bring some to me. My Saturday meal plan is all set. 🙂

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So I think perhaps a late morning nap. Then I will start reading a new book my pastor recommended to me. After the pupusas are delivered and I partake of some, then it will be time for another nap.

Why two naps you might ask? Good question. I had my medication increased at my last rheumatology appointment and the whammy hits. By whammy I mean the methotrexate hangover. That means wake up, get out of bed, and the oh oh moment hits of not today. That’s okay because after a nap day tomorrow I will be ready to go.

So the highlights for today will be naps, pupusas, and a new book.

What are your Saturday plans?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Friday Happiness

~ jesusluvsall ~ 6 Comments

I woke up sluggish this morning, which is nothing new for me. It is Friday, so it is injection day for methotrexate. I had planned on rewarding myself with a delivery cheeseburger and fries, but something much better came my way. One of the moms in my morning class gave me some briyani.

I like knowing people who like to cook because I like to eat good food. 🙂

I have been telling people at school that I have a happy story to tell. My happy story- It is Friday. 🙂

After a cloudy rainy week, we finally have some sunshine today. But I already have big plans after I teach my afternoon class. Perhaps you might think the big plans include a visit to the coffee shop. While that is always great, that is not part of my big plans today.

What are my big plans? I am glad you asked. My big plans are to go home, take a nap, watch movies, and take a nap. That way I will be rested up for the weekend.

How is your Friday?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

I Love Nurses

~ jesusluvsall ~ 28 Comments

Yesterday I went for a follow up for my CT Scan last week. I have a condition know as white coat syndrome which basically means doctors stress me out. But nurses do not stress me out and yesterday was a great example.

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The nurse who talked with me to go over meds I take, how my symptoms were etc, is from the Philippines. As we talked, I felt more relaxed than I have for a long time at a doctor’s office. We talked about how long she has lived here, her missing good seafood, and how she feels about winter. The last thing she did was check my blood pressure and it was the best numbers I have had in a long time at a doctor’s office.

Another good example is from when I had a minor surgery in 2017. I was in the recovery area and had to stay there longer because my room wasn’t ready. The recovery nurse wheeled my bed to an area she could wrap a curtain around. Then she asked me what I wanted for lunch, One of the things I asked for was ice cream. When my lunch came, she gave me two ice creams.

After that whenever I see Nursing Students or Nurses in the coffee shop, I joke with them that if I am ever their patient to remember to bring me ice cream. 🙂

Nurses have been on the front lines of this pandemic. Can you imagine where we would be without nurses?

Let’s be kind to nurses.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Pinball Patient Time Again?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 13 Comments

A couple of years ago, I shared a post Pinball Patient to describe the experience of living with autoimmune and bouncing from doctor to doctor to find out what is the issue. If I could have saved the money I have spent on doctors over the past several years, I would have a really nice new car like a Mercedes or something.

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So my CT Scan showed nothing of concern the CT could find. That’s the good news. The bad news? I will probably be sent to a specialist for a different test or maybe two. Or I could just forget the whole thing. I like that idea. 🙂

This week is a cloudy rainy week, so along with the whole doctor thing it is tempting to just get a sub to teach, sleep in, and go to the coffee shop, but I won’t do that.

How is your week going?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.