All About Trying Something New

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January 20, 2010

Today I dropped my daughter and son off at their schools and then went to the Healthy Home Market to get some organic produce, steel cut oats, and Agave sweetener.  I also picked up some raspberry incense, something I’ve never done before but it sounds like it might be nice.  I’m all about trying new things lately.

I bought myself flowers last week.  They had two dozen miniature yellow roses for $5 that I simply couldn’t pass up, and they really brighten up my kitchen on the table in a pretty vase.  I also recently got a hummingbird feeder and attached it to my front window.  So far I haven’t seen any hummingbirds, but maybe it’s not the season yet for them.  I’m clueless, but thought it would be nice to have some bird watching going on now that I’m home a lot.

The other new thing I’ve been doing is lighting candles and taking a nice, hot bath at night.  I’ve been locking the door, and my son calls from the other side saying, “Mommy, are you taking a candle bath?”  It’s so cute.  After I get out and dressed he wants to blow them out.  There’s something relaxing about candles.  I’m all about relaxation lately, too. :)

After I pick up my son from preschool I’m going to take him to see the movie Princess and the Frog.  He’s so excited.  When his eyes opened this morning those were his first words, asking if we were still going to see the Princess and the Frog.  I’m really enjoying having more time to spend with my kids.

Next week my daughter’s orchestra is visiting some elementary schools to recruit new students for middle school orchestra.  I volunteered to transport the instruments in my van and go with the kids to lunch afterwards.  I’ve always wanted to be able to participate in this way, but never was able to because of work.

I saw my psychiatrist today.  She’s giving me a prescription for trazodone to help me sleep at night.  I told her I’ve been waking up at 2:50 a.m. every morning and she said that the adrenal glands kick in mid morning, plus I have increased levels of cortisol from stress that is causing me to wake up.  She said I should take my prozac in the morning instead of at night.  I’ll take the 2.5 mg of Abilify with the trazodone at bedtime.

My 12 year old daughter is going to talk with her next week for psychotherapy.  She has lots of anxiety and I think it will be really good for her to have someone to talk to about things.  Besides, we’re all about trying something new lately.

Categories: Energy, Fibromyalgia, Kids.

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Joy of Not Working

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January 19, 2010

Last week I was able to get an appointment with a really great psychiatrist in the area.  She said that in addition to my medications not helping me, she thinks my hormones are out of balance.  I’m going to have the IUD my primary care physician told me to use for birth control taken out because it’s making my body believe it’s pregnant, thus leading to tears, anxiety, and a nesting instinct that has me cleaning my house like mad and not wanting to leave home much.

She took me off Zyprexa and put me on 2.5 mg of Abilify.  So far I’ve lost 3 pounds in one week!  I haven’t had to take a nap, although a few days I went to bed early.  She said when I see her this week we’ll go over the medications again and make adjustments if needed.  I’ll probably need to take the Abilify in the mornings because I’ve been waking up like clockwork at 2:50 a.m. everyday!  Maybe she can give me something to help me sleep at night.  She also says I’m not bipolar, so I guess that’s something!

The other, possibly even more important, discovery she made was that she believes I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  The symptoms sound very familiar!  If the blood tests she ordered for my thyroid antibodies come back showing I do have this, then there is medication I can take that will do the job my thyroid isn’t doing, and my symptoms will reverse!  I’m so hoping that this is the answer.  I’ll let you know when I find out.

In the meantime, I’ve been busy taking my 7th grade daughter to school everyday, before I drop my son off at the gym where he has a half day of preschool from 9-1.  I figured out that there is water aerobics on Monday, Wed., and Friday from 9-10, and yoga on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:15-10:30, so I’m going to begin going to those classes.  I think it will help me feel more energetic and maybe less moody.  Not working for the past week has made me less stressed, for sure, and more patient with my family.  I think it’s going to be a great thing for all of us.

I’m also spending time with my parents and my sister which is nice.  I took my parents to see Avatar yesterday.  They don’t go out to movies very often so I think they really enjoyed the outing.  Today I’m making appointments, getting organized, cleaning house, and doing laundry, including washing sheets.  It feels so good to have the time to do these things.

Categories: Depression, Energy, Exercise, Fibromyalgia.

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Taking a Break from Work

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January 9, 2010

Well, the tires came to a screeching halt when my family life hit some major potholes.  My depression and fibro flareups created enough tension in the home that something had to happen.  I decided to take a personal leave of absence from work for several weeks. 

My leave begins officially on Monday.  For now we are saying I’ll be out for 30 days and we can update that if needed.  Last Friday I was able to stay at home and be a mom. 

My daughter missed her bus: no problem…I took her to school!  I cleaned my refrigerator and pantry in the kitchen and worked on my knitting (I’m making a scarf…it’s my third one but I’m still a novice at knitting at this point).  I visited my parents during the day, and after school I spent time with each of my children, made spaghetti, a nice salad, and garlic bread for dinner, and felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. 

I had no idea that the stress of my job was causing me to close myself off from my husband and children, but it was.  I was able to be patient with them almost immediately after learning I didn’t have to worry about my job.  I didn’t have to hold my energy in reserve so that I’d be able to perform at work the next day for 8 hours.  Normally I am sleeping when I’m not working, or I’m awake but mentally and emotionally shut down to preserve my sanity.  I think this is going to be a much-needed rest for me.

Categories: Children, Depression, Energy, Fibromyalgia, Finding Balance.

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