See ya, September!

Another month has come and gone in a blink of an eye......

The weather has finally started to feel like fall, WAHOOOOOOO!!  It was a hot, DRY, DRY summer!

The Red Butte Concert season came to a close on the 17th with Billy Idol, but before him, Trombone Shorty (if you know nothing about him, google him immediately!!!) and O.A.R with Matt Nathanson (my new musical crush, he's adorable on stage and I love his music).  I'm always conflicted about the end of the season, I am happy for the crazy busy part to be over but at the same time, I always miss the music!

A migraine update, I got botox and a new medication for when one hits, and I have not had one since the changes!!!!  It feels like a minor miracle after all of the ones I had in a row.  I was slightly disappointed and teased my doctor that my botox would make me look younger, but the dosage and locations of my migraine botox does nothing for the cosmetic side.  ;)

I also had an eye exam and am officially blind as a bat and without the sonar capabilities.  I am getting used to my new prescription.  Let's just say, if they ever change that big E on the eye chart, I am in big trouble.  The good news, my vision is completely fixable with glasses or contacts to the point of 20/15.

If you went to Pioneer Memorial Theatre during the run of 'Oslo', you will know why I am about to rave about this play, and if you didn't, or don't live in the area, if you see it being performed in your area, GO!!!!!!!  Do not be discourage by its running length-almost 3 hours-the time flies and the subject matter is engrossing.  I don't want to give too much away but 'Oslo' is a Tony winning drama play and based on a real life event......

The Broadway Across America, SLC schedule, kicked in on the 30th for me with 'Waitress'.  There was a musical number that may of been one of the funniest scenes I have ever witnessed on stage.  I was crying I was laughing so hard.  People ask me all the time why I put the money into my season tickets and this show summed it up completely, I would of seen it advertised and maybe purchased tickets, but probably would of forgotten and I would of ended up missing it.  My season tickets get me to shows that I would probably miss and some that I would of never purchased tickets for, and do you want to hear something really interesting, some of my favorite shows are the ones that I would of never gotten tickets for without my season tickets.....

Bacall is massively cheering the cooler temps!  She still goes on walks, very, very slow walks, but walks nonetheless.  She is such a happy soul.....  Meeko has been in a very sociable mood lately, so if you stop by, you might actually see her....

The UofU football team is going to give me an ulcer this year.  The game against Washington State about drove me over the edge....  I'm still a fan, I will always be a fan, but good grief.

I hope September was a good month for you!
Melissa

my art for the month, a koala I knitted...

Fly By February....

If I thought January went fast,  February upped the game and went warp speed.....

my view of February as it flew on by...

I kind of had a head down, nose to the grindstone attitude this month and while I did things I enjoyed, if you weren't apart of the schedule, I didn't see or talk to you...  I am very sorry about that.  In fact, in the last two days, I've had three messages or voicemails saying "Are you alive?  I haven't heard from you in a bit..."  I need to be better about the balance thing when life is busy or I get behind and am in catch up mode.

Now for the reasons why I went AWOL sorta speak...
Remember last month how I said I had a dental issue, well I had a massive infection along with it, and it has taken a bit to recover from, in terms of getting all of my energy back.  GRRRRRR.  I had to make up client visits at work and study time for my upcoming certification exam, so work has been busier than normal.  Ya and grrr.  The best part about it all, my boss has proven once again that I am working at work nirvana.

I missed a few Winter Training sessions with my Rowing club, but continued to go, even if I was the SLOWEST on the ERGs, which DROVE ME INSANE!!!  I am just about back to my normal pace, however, so it was the right decision to dial it back.  My instructor told me that 1 week of missed rowing takes a minimum of 2 weeks to get back and that's if you just missed sessions, if you were sick or injured, it takes a bit longer.  Using over a hundred muscles at an intense aerobic rate is not for wimps.......

This is how out of sorts life has been, I only read 3 books during February.  I just looked up the books I read and was shocked how low my total was.  :(  However, I did read 'The Dollmaker' by Harriette Simpson Arnow, which is a masterpiece of Appalachian storytelling.  It is, however, one of the most depressing books I have ever read, so be forewarned..

In New Year's Resolution land, I started a 10-15 minute daily practice of Hand Lettering using the template of last month's Creating for Happiness challenge that I did and it was the right decision to tackle something that quite frankly intimidated me.  I made HUGE strides in my lettering and am now really enjoying it.  I still want to take a live class to move me along, but I'm learning and having fun.   I also kept to my water challenge upping my daily goal to 60 ounces of water a day, which I met all but 2 days and even then it was still in the 48 ounces range.  My penny challenge is fun, which I never thought I say about a money goal, but it is...  Progress not Perfection is my motto these days..

I know many of you who read this blog and are in my live are big fans of Miss Bacall, my basset hound, and I wanted to give you a bit of a head's up and a warning.  My girl is getting old, in fact she is the oldest Basset Hound I have ever had and with that age comes some complications.......  She is suffering from congestive heart failure.  She has the reverse sneezing as they call it and it is getting worse.  She is still the happy-go-lucky goofball she has always been, with a bit of added sass these days, but during her fits of reverse sneezing, or wheezing as I call it, she seems a bit uncomfortable.  I'm trying not to be paranoid, but trying to be responsible if she is suffering.  The hardest part of it, knowing my time with this bundle of love wrapped in a basset body is coming to an end.........  This is the only sucky thing about dogs, they don't live as long as humans.....

I hope February found you in a calmer place than it did me.....
and if it didn't I hope you have an end to the crazy soon.
Melissa

10 Random Things...

My writing binge of June has faded away, and ideas have come in but not enough for a whole blog, so I decided to revive a 10 random things entry, so July doesn't fly by without at least one.

#1.  Holy Cats has it been a HOT HOT and DRY summer!  It rained for about 5 minutes the other day and I was excited as a kid at Christmas!

#2.  Ice Blocks are back in stores...  I searched and searched last summer when family was in town last summer to no avail, this year, as they were visiting again, I FOUND them!!  We were able to revive a summer time tradition of tempting fate and injury and ice blocking down the hill at Sugarhouse Park.

#3.  Did you know that at the Winter Olympic Park in Park City you can do extreme tubing?  You cruise down the ski jumping hills and can reach speeds of 50 mph...  Here's a little video.. and I did it!

#4.  Sometimes you need visitors to come to town to become a tourist in your own area again.  It's fun  to do the things that on the surface seem touristy...  My tip, don't wait until someone comes to town, get out and explore your area so you know the really fun stuff.

#5.  I've started knitting stuffed animals to giveaway.  I'm leaning towards donating them to 'The Teddy Bear Cops Program' which gives them to cops for them to give to kids in accidents and other stressful incidents.  I've got to check to see if SLC has a program set up, if not I may start one up....

#6.  My tv viewing has plummeted this summer and I haven't even missed it....  It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the fall.

#7.  I have joined the ranks of Red Butte Garden Volunteers...  I am a second generation volunteer as my Mom is a volunteer as well.  I have done one shift and had a wonderful time.  I can't wait to have more opportunities to get involved.

#8.  Miss Bacall's favorite summertime activity is hanging out on the porch, so it has been a lot of fun to talk to all my neighbors and dogs as they stroll past....

#9.  My health journey is an adventure....  I am recovering, not as fast as I would like, but I am recovering.  There have been a few hiccups, but no major setbacks.  The main thing that has come out of this whole thing, I LOVE my medical team.  They are a mixture of traditional and for lack of a better word non traditional approaches and they work together!

#10.  Don't go into shock, but I am still rolling forward on my New Year's Resolutions!!!  My pushups are almost there!  My bad habit just got another reason to stay away.  My book challenge is going nicely, and for the most part, I have enjoyed the books.  I've seen movies in theaters!  My food challenge is keeping me on my toes in the kitchen.  My daily walk has had some misses, but has started a wonderful routine that connects me to my neighborhood.  The Weird Holidays have been SO MUCH FUN!!!!  and I now have others giving me suggestions now!

I hope your summer is going well!

Melissa

Goiter Free in 2016

I'm betting you read the title and went 'Huh? What in the world is she talking about now?'.  I promise by the end this will all make sense and how iodine played a major role.

Yes, iodine...

It started with a simple statement in August of 'I just feel off....'  It wasn't even anything that I could put my finger on,  just something within me just kept saying something was not right, so I went to the doctor and they found nothing.  I chalked it up to everything that had been going on and vowed to take better care of myself and I did, but I never lost that 'off' feeling.

I won't go into all of the details, but let's just say there was a cycle of colds and flu's and each time my energy levels sunk to a new lower level of  normal.  I went to the doctor multiple times, but the cold or the flu got the attention and the treatments.

By the end of February, my energy levels were in the dump.  I felt like crap and was not in a good place health wise.

And then, it got worse....
they call it brain fog, but it's way worse than that...
I couldn't function.  I couldn't read (and if you know me at all, you know that was the straw that broke my emotional back).  For a couple of weeks, I didn't feel comfortable driving because I started feeling overwhelmed at all of the things I had to process at once, so I stopped driving.  I got rides to work, made friends drive when I went out, and then I stopped going out all together.....

Thankfully, a friend, around this time, suggested that I go to the doctor and beg them to run more comprehensive tests, especially the TSH, a test to check the individual thryoid hormone levels,  because it looked like I was going through what her sister had gone through...

I had to fight to get it done, but when the test came back all of my levels were messed up, dangerously messed up.    And it explained everything, all that I had been feeling for a long time, for you see, most thyroid issues don't happen overnight, it is a long slow decline, which is one of the reasons it takes so long to get a diagnosis....

Now here is the part, where I tell you some very frustrating news, for a lot of people, there isn't a definitive reason why their thyroid goes crazy.  There might be contributors, but one specific cause, not so much.  I have a family history, but that didn't guarantee that I would have issues, it just gave the doctors something to look into...  And it gets even more frustrating, treating the thyroid isn't a one size fits all treatment plan, it can take a long time to get the right medication, dosage, and health plan.  (If you really want me up on a soapbox, ask me about the #1 drug prescribed for thyroid issues).

My tale is a bit different, due to the fact that not only was my thyroid a mess, my entire endocrine system was in trouble and that got them doing a bit more investigating and research and asking me questions, and for that I consider myself very lucky.  A simple question of "Do you use salt?" and my response of "NEVER, I can't stand the stuff...." led to questions about the foods highest in iodine which resulted in an urine test which is the best option for testing iodine levels  and it showed that I had NO traceable amounts of iodine in my system which is very bad for the thyroid.

Iodine is ESSENTIAL for the thyroid to function properly, granted it's a delicate balance of if you have too much it can mess up the thyroid and if you have too little it can't function, but ESSENTIAL none the less.  I am in the small minority of not getting enough, and hence my goiter title because a goiter is the last symptom in low iodine levels.  Here is a LINK that has a list of iodine rich foods and what iodine does for you.  One thing to remember, your body can not produce iodine, so it HAS to come from your diet.  I ate some of the foods on the list, but not consistently enough to maintain my levels.

So, you see, my intuition was right, there was something wrong...
it just took a while to find it.

It's going to be a slow, steady upward climb to normal for my body, and it has to be done that way, because adding too much iodine back in my system at once can be as damaging as my low levels, but I already feel soooooooooooooooo much better.

I'm also thinking, now, that it may of been a good thing that I hit the rock bottom the way I did or they may of missed the iodine part of my problem, which was my key to solving my health issues.

So, why did I write this blog?  For one simple reason, these bodies that we live in are in a delicate balance and if something goes even a little off, it can have dramatic effects.  You are your best indicator when something is wrong.  Trust your gut, intuition, or whatever you may call it and if you have learned not to listen to it, start trusting it again.  Relearn to listen.  Your quality of life depends on it.

Now comes the part, where I remind you about the whole balance thing, do not panic and start self diagnosing and treatment planning, so do not just add an iodine supplement without your doctor's knowledge.  If you feel like this is an issue, start a dialogue with your medical professionals!  I have a very specific plan put in place by my doctors, nutritionist, and myself (cause I'm the one who has to do it) to build my iodine levels.  Be smart and find your balance of advocating for your health and trusting your medical team (whether traditional Western medicine or holistic or a combination, which is what I use).

I hope you never have to travel down this road, or any health crisis road, but if you are struggling, I hereby offer my hand, advice and encouragement to hang in there, because as I have learned your health is nothing to take for granted....

Healing...
Melissa

Time to Review....

It's that time of year when I let you know how I did on my New Year's Resolutions for 2015...
and here is something that is very important for you to understand before we start that even if I do not totally achieve a specific Resolution, I do not in any way consider it a failure.

There is learning in the journey, not just in reaching the destination, and sometimes the errors and mistakes and missteps teach you more than the easy achievement.

I consider my life one that is always in progress.  I always want to learn, push myself and just keep trying.

Since I made these a year ago, here is a recap if you want to read it...  2015 Resolutions

#1.  Celebrate more...

       This started out good and well intentioned.  I joined an art group that I now can not imagine not being a part of.  I found my rowing club.  I attended things that I probably would not of attended, but then it sort of twisted on me...
       Sometimes you need to say no...  Saying yes when you are overbooked and overwhelmed is not a good thing.  This resolution reminded me once again that BALANCE is the key to life.  Saying yes to things that enrich and bring joy to your life is a very good thing, but don't say yes because you feel you should.

#2.  Exercise with the intention of Love, not Fear.

       I maintained my weight this year, and if you are reading this blog and are in my life, you know that there have been some major upheavals, grief, accident for another family member, and health issues this year.  I listened to my body and some activities that I used to do, I no longer do and some activities that I had never done before are now joys in my life.  I am not perfect with this, but I do feel there has been a MAJOR shift in my thinking.

#3.  Twice a month get my camera out.

      Total hit and miss with this.....  I did well some months and not so well others.  I did come up with plans of taking the pictures, but sometimes did not make it out to do it.  Need to keep going on this....

#4.  Do a Money Savings Challenge.

      I had to completely redo my plan on this one.  I laid it out here, and revamped it here, and in the end did not do a spectacular job on this one.  I had a lot of unexpected expenses this year, travel and medical, that made this VERY hard to do, but on the other hand I did not add to my debt in this year and paid some others off.  I have this set up to continue in 2016, so I believe I am on the right track.

#5.  Get the piano tuned and find a piano teacher.

       See above, but I have an appointment during January and have found a teacher.  My piano is in such bad shape that it is going to take more money than I initially planned.  I am now very excited to get this done, and play once again.

#6.  Do a Reading Challenge.

       LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this resolution!  I finished as documented in my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarter book reports.  I will be doing another reading challenge in 2016.

#7.  Cross more items off my Bucket List.

       I didn't do the ones I thought, but still made progress.  I learned to row and still do it!  I visited a psychic (weird but cool).  I finished watching the top 100 movies, some of which I will never see again.  I did some personal ones that I never mentioned on here.  Life is a journey and this year's journey kept me close to home, but hopefully travel will come back in 2016.

#8.  Don't let things sit.

     I dealt with things I had no clue I was going to have to deal with and I did.  It wasn't easy, but it was easier than letting it build and explode.  This will always be a work in progress thing for me as I still seem to struggle when expressing myself when I am really emotional to get the right words out.

#9.  Journal consistently

    My journaling changed dramatically this year by introducing Art Journaling into the mix.  I could tell what was really going on emotionally by the type of art I was doing.  I still wrote periodically, both here and on paper, but art took the stage this year.  My one regret is that I let my Gratitude Journal get out of practice, but I am currently getting that back on track.

Here's to another year of trying new things and working on myself...
and yes, 2016 resolutions are on their way.

Melissa

Just Tell Me What to Do....

I, generally, do not have a problem making a decision.  In fact, in my life, I have had a tendency in the past to make snap decisions without realizing all the consequences and then had to deal with unpleasant consequences.   One of the greatest challenges and learning experiences for me has been finding the balance of making a decision in a timely manner, but not without learning and realizing the consequences.

In other words,  I do not need someone to tell me what to do.  I like making my own decisions.

Until a little over a week ago, when my Dad had a major medical event....

I have debated everything in my mind.
To write this blog or not.
What to eat.
When to go back.
To continue my normal schedule or stay home.
Even my energy level seems to be undecided, I am either a hyperactive squirrel on a energy drink or a slug that has a hard time getting off the couch.

I consider getting dressed, making it to work, and getting things done during the day major accomplishments lately.  All I want is for someone to tell me what to do, regarding everything,  and what the right thing to do is,  so unlike me!!!

One of the hardest lessons of life, in my opinion, is learning in some situations, there is no right or wrong answer.  Guilt has to go out the window, which is far easier said than done.

Just do the best you can and realize everyone else is doing the same.

I have written and rewritten this blog multiple times in my mind and while typing it trying to find the right words, tone and intention and I'm still not sure I am writing what I need to or want to say, but a major reason I am trying is this....

I write a lot of entries on vacations and good things going on in my life but have a tendency to clam up when things are not going well or I am scared about something.  I have a friend that calls Facebook "Fakebook" for the reason that everyone is always on vacation and life is always perfect.  I stated when I started this blog that I would be writing about my life, and right now, my life is tough.

It is hard when a parent has a serious health scare.
It is hard when they are across the country, and even harder, when they are not even in the state where they live.
It is hard to find the balance of maintaining your life while not everything is right in it.
It is hard to know what to share without over sharing.
It is hard for me to sleep when I am under extreme stress.

I am so intensely grateful for the words of support and love that you have given me, whether on Facebook, emails, messages, phone calls or in person.  They have given me the strength and support to keep going without losing my mind.

My Dad's recovery is going to be a baby step process and still has some major hurdles, but we are hopeful.

And I am hopeful that my ability to make a decision will return soon
along with a good night's sleep.

Melissa

Overtime...

I think most of you know that I am a HUGE sports fan, especially football, but this post has nothing to do with sports despite the title.

I am in overtime with Humphrey.

One of my favorite pictures of Humphrey

Three weeks ago, today, Humphrey was getting off the couch on his pet stairs (we'll discuss how spoiled he is at a later date) when he suddenly seized up.  I immediately knew what it was having seen seizures in my brother.  Humphrey jerked and his eyes rolled back into his head and lost control of his bladder.  I had a brief moment of control and timed the event, because in my heart this seemed like it was going on forever. Reality shows the seizure lasted just over a minute.  When it was finally over, I was not even sure he survived the seizure.  It was absolutely terrifying.  I laid down on the floor with him to make sure he was breathing and to give both of us some comfort.

A phone call to the vet was next.  An appointment two hours later was made when they squeezed us in between other appointments.  During those two hours, I began to mentally prepare myself that this was then end.  It was brutal.  I think I cried for almost the entire time.  Humphrey was breathing, but that is about all I could say at this point.  He did not respond to his name.  He looked confused and out of it.  After about an hour, he attempted to stand up and needed some help.  He had very little control over his body.  My heart broke once again.  I could tell he needed to go to the bathroom, but he had no idea where to go.  Bacall and I led him out to the backyard and Humphrey followed out of love and trust.  We led him back in, because he did not know to come back inside.

His heart was beating, but it was like Humphrey, as I knew him, was gone.

It was finally time for the appointment, and I loaded up the dogs and went to the vet.  Bacall would not leave Humphrey's side, so she had to go, too..  She was all excited until she realized that we were at the vet, then I had two worrywarts at the vet.  Me and Bacall.

The first thing Dr. Gold did was calm me down.  He was actually pretty excited that Humphrey could walk in (it was a good sign).  I learned that seizures in dogs are more common that I had previously thought and more importantly, it was not a death sentence.  Epilepsy is even seen in dogs and with medication can be managed like it is in humans.  Whew.

The next thing that happened was that I learned I was in a 24, then a 48 hour window, before we decided anything.  Seizures can take up to 48 hours to recover from in dogs.  No medication was dispensed and we were sent home.

Humphrey was still out of it and it ended up being a very long 24 hours.  He had to be led outside when he would stand up, due to the fact, he did not remember how to go outside.  When he got outside, he would do his business and then just lay outside.  The temperatures that night were near freezing.  Bacall would go out and bark at him and nag him back inside.  During that long night, Bacall became a great sister to H.  She took care of him, worried about him, and for once did not challenge him in any way.

We made it thru the night and I called the vet to give an update.  Humphrey was starting to recognize his name and seemed a little more with it.

I was to call after another 24 hours.... the very important 48 hour mark.  Night two went better and he was starting to want food and snacks.  (A key indicator in Humphrey is whether he wants food, if he doesn't, you know something major is up)

By the end of 48 hours, I was no long having to escort him in and out to the bathroom; he responded to his name and could walk well, slowly, but well.

Humphrey was all the way back.

Whew.

Another phone call to the vet......
We now need to go 30 days without another seizure.  If he does have one within the 30 day window, he will most likely go on medication.  The vet's main concern is that Humphrey is 10 years old and seizures, especially major ones like he had, are hard to recover from.  I understood.....

I am in overtime with Humphrey.
We have had a AMAZING time during regulation and I got bonus time.
To cherish.
To enjoy.

He is a bundle of love.  He is happy.  He is not in pain.

He is, however, weaker than he was before the seizure.  He sleeps a bit more.  His walks take longer, but he still wants to go.  His back legs, sometimes, take a little bit to get going when he stands up.

We have a week to go before the 30 day mark.  I hope he makes it without another seizure.
But if he does, we'll get thru it and make the best decisions for him.

A dog lover....
Melissa

Blurred into Darkness....

In the middle of the night, on Thursday (actually Friday, because it was around 3 am), I got up for a routine reason.  A bathroom break and a sip of water.  I do not know about you, but I have a time of night that I get up almost every night for that.  Why is this blog worthy?  Normally, it's not, but what happened on that night turned out to be so.

My vision was blurry when I made my way through the darkness to the bathroom.

I have horrible eyesight.  That is no secret.  When my contacts are out and my glasses are not on, the big giant E on the vision testing board is a blur.  I honestly would not know that is an 'E' if not for the fact that the chart has not changed in all of my years of living.  A blurry trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night is not that uncommon, because I know the route I take,  I do not put my glasses on.  What made this night different?  I got into the bathroom and looked at something up close, it was still blurry.  As this occurred in the middle of the night, I didn't think too much about it.  I was half asleep and had been rubbing my eyes.  In my half asleep state, I put it in the back of my mind and went back to bed.

When my alarm went off a couple of hours later, I knew that my blurry vision at 3 am was an indicator of the massive migraine that now occupied my head.  If I had been more aware at 3 am, I would have taken my medication and been ok, but I had not, so at 6:45 I was in pain.  My vision was down to straight in front of me, my peripheral vision was gone.  I could not handle light, it made me nauseated.  Noise, like an alarm clock, was like a chainsaw on my nerve endings.  The next 36 hours were spent in an attempt to rid myself of these symptoms.  Sleep is elusive; the pain will not let you drop off into oblivion.  The medication that at 3 am would be so effective at 7am does not make a difference once the migraine has taken full effect.

This was not my first migraine, and unfortunately, I do not believe it will be my last.  Bummer.  Through out my years, I have learned about my migraines and their triggers.  I, somehow, manage to get both hereditary and environmental migraines.  Hereditary migraines have a family link, normally from father to daughter or mother to son.  Weird, huh?  Not all of the time, but according to the information my doctor gave me, it's true the majority of the time.  My dad gets migraines.  We both get them where our vision is affected.  It's not fun.  Environmental migraines are triggered by food, light, or something outside of the body.  I have issues with nuts, especially almonds and walnuts.  Flashing lights, like strobe lights, trigger them as well.  A certain tight muscle in my neck left untreated will trigger them as well.  I have spent a lot of time figuring out what causes my migraines, because I would do about anything to avoid one.  They just suck.

Since my mid-twenties, I have managed to learn my environmental triggers and my number of migraines has dropped dramatically.  Amazing progress and results, because for a time of my life, I was having way too many.  The frustrating thing about my migraines now is that when they happen I can not identify the trigger.  I posted about this one on facebook and got a couple of ideas, but none of them were it.

 (Guys turn away for a second....it's time for period talk)

One trigger of migraines, especially in women, is tied to their menstrual cycles.  Some women get them right before their period starts; others when certain hormone levels drop or rise.  Everyone is different, but this has never affected me.  There goes that trigger.....

(ok, guys, you can come back)

The reason for this post is two-fold...
Number 1, if you suffer from migraines, what are your triggers?  Any ideas for me?  I am willing to try just about anything.

and Number 2, if you don't suffer from them, Thank your lucky stars, but please also realize unlike a normal headache, a couple of advil will not solve the problem.

Feeling human again....
Melissa

Life as a Pin Cushion...

It's no secret to anyone who has been in my life lately that I have been having stomach issues lately.  My regular physician has been ruling things out, but has not been able to tell my why I am continuing to have symptoms.  To say it has been a frustrating year is a massive understatement.

Enter LivingSocial, yes the discount coupon place.  A couple of weeks ago, they had a deal for an initial consultation and treatment for Acupuncture.  I had been researching alternative treatments and Acupuncture was at the top my list of things to try, so with my MD's approval, I called and made an appointment.

From the beginning of the appointment, it just felt like it was the right solution for my problems.  They are after treating the cause not the symptoms, truly healing me.  :)

That's when I became a pin cushion for 20 acupuncture needles, trust me I counted, and no, they did not hurt when they went in.  The only one that gave me any grief was on my arm and it felt more like a power surge in the area.  It was a strange sensation.   I was then left in my treatment room to veg out for 30 minutes.  I didn't sleep, but went into that happy blissed out zone.  It was very relaxing.  After the Dr. took out the needles, we discussed diet and environmental factors and set up a plan to get my digestion system balanced out.  It's going to be interesting, but what I really appreciated is that I am taking an active role in my health plan. 

I'll let you know how the treatment plan goes and if it works,
but until then,
I'll be a pin cushion for my health
Melissa