I just read the most inspiring post. Yes, blogging and blog reading is a time suck, with which I maintain a love/hate relationship. But when the needs of my four children--especially my teething baby--deplete me before the clock strikes 12 noon, it helps enormously to come into my bedroom to fetch something, and to steal a few minutes to read a Christian post. Especially when the Lord manages to post just the right blog, at just the right time. Sometimes the fit and timing are SO perfect, there's no question that the Lord is responsible.
Before I share the post I just read, let me elaborate on why I'm in an overwhelmed state. Now's the time to roll your eyes. Yes, I'll wait.
It stems from a few issues. I am still trying to read through the introductory pages of my second-grade teachers' editions. It is slow going, although I've progressed enough to know that I chose very good resources for Daniel (Bob Jones University Press).
In addition, I am constantly thinking about the schedule I'll write. It has to fit with Don's school and study needs, with the girls' naps, with meals, with extra-curricular activities, and with laundry and meal cleanup. Exercise has to be worked into it, as well as grocery runs, appointments, etc. In short, the task is an all-consuming one.
Complicating everything is Anna's teething. She must have a lower tolerance for pain than the others. She is sleeping about as well as a newborn, and her discomfort seems to be stretching out to nearly three months worth of upheaval. The crazy sleep schedule is causing my migraines to worsen, which makes it harder to keep up.
Furthermore, I decided upon learning that it would go down to 40 degrees last night, that I'd better have Don get the fall/winter storage boxes out of the shed so that I can get our clothes washed and sorted for giving away, or for hanging up in closets. The house is littered with piles of clothes, which is normal for us when the seasons change; we have inadequate closet space. This time I'm trying to be more thorough and give away more, so I can reduce closet clutter. We always wear far less than I hang up.
So considerable chaos reigns right now. It would help enormously if I would start getting up before the family to shower, unload the dishwasher, start a load of clothes, and put oatmeal on the stove. My exhaustion always prevents that from happening, in addition to the fact that setting an alarm in our bedroom, which we share with Anna, would wake her up and require Don to care for her while I shower. She is a Momma's girl to the core, so being alone with Daddy makes her cry, which causes the others to wake prematurely. Anna loves having Daddy around, so long as Momma is close by. Perhaps because he isn't her milking cow? I wonder.
When things are this disorganized, we Mommas need only to remember what our mission is. Most decidedly, it is not writing the perfect schedule, having perfectly stocked closets, or rising in the morning at a time we deem unselfish. All those things help, sure. But keeping our eyes fixed on Him, and on what He would have us do as mothers, is the main thing. He would not overwhelm us. He would not require more than we can give. He would not drive us into migraine territory. It is our stubbornness, in wanting our own way, that leads to these problems.
As this blog author writes, He must increase, and we must decrease. That is the answer. And I thank the Lord for having me read it at this moment. This God-inspired blog author brilliantly spills it all out, for us hungry Mommas to drink up.
Showing posts with label migraines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label migraines. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Flashes Are On
I wanted to think these perimenopausal symptoms were more likely just signs that I'm sleep deprived, due to Anna's teething and frequent night nursing. However, last night confirmation came--I had my first hot flash.
Actually, it wasn't my first, come to think of it. When I was in my teens and twenties I had very painful periods and asked an OBGYN if it could be endometriosis--something my sister had. He thought it likely and did a laparoscopy to look for and clean out any lesions. He found mild to moderate endometriosis, removed it, and afterwards prescribed a drug that simulates menopause, so that the endometriosis would stop growing and my fertility could be preserved until marriage. I took the pills for three months and then gave up on them, due to the hot flashes. I had so many I had to bring a fan into my first grade classroom and stand in front of it in the middle of lessons. That didn't work for me (LOL), so the OBGYN gave me birth control pills and had me keep taking them all month to avoid having a period. It is the monthly bleeding that causes more endometriosis to grow and attach to the female organs--eventually causing infertility. The birth control pills worsened my migraines, so I quit taking them after a year. I got married a few years later and conceived our first son on our first anniversary (whom I miscarried at 21 weeks).
The endometriosis was kept at bay during the rest of my thirties by frequent pregnancies and prolonged nursing. I've had few periods during the last nine years.
Anyhow--after that long digression--I'm reflecting today on how hard it is to grow old in a youth-obsessed culture. I am committed to growing old gracefully, but some things I WILL fight hard against. My hair will be dyed when it becomes necessary, and I'll give up chocolate and exercise like a fiend before submitting to weight gain. Otherwise, I'll go with the flow. But clearly, I see that managing it all gracefully may be the second greatest challenge of my life.
The GREATEST challenge--you've probably guessed--has been and is still, raising an ADHD child.
Holly - thank you for the hormone-cream tip! I will look into it.
Actually, it wasn't my first, come to think of it. When I was in my teens and twenties I had very painful periods and asked an OBGYN if it could be endometriosis--something my sister had. He thought it likely and did a laparoscopy to look for and clean out any lesions. He found mild to moderate endometriosis, removed it, and afterwards prescribed a drug that simulates menopause, so that the endometriosis would stop growing and my fertility could be preserved until marriage. I took the pills for three months and then gave up on them, due to the hot flashes. I had so many I had to bring a fan into my first grade classroom and stand in front of it in the middle of lessons. That didn't work for me (LOL), so the OBGYN gave me birth control pills and had me keep taking them all month to avoid having a period. It is the monthly bleeding that causes more endometriosis to grow and attach to the female organs--eventually causing infertility. The birth control pills worsened my migraines, so I quit taking them after a year. I got married a few years later and conceived our first son on our first anniversary (whom I miscarried at 21 weeks).
The endometriosis was kept at bay during the rest of my thirties by frequent pregnancies and prolonged nursing. I've had few periods during the last nine years.
Anyhow--after that long digression--I'm reflecting today on how hard it is to grow old in a youth-obsessed culture. I am committed to growing old gracefully, but some things I WILL fight hard against. My hair will be dyed when it becomes necessary, and I'll give up chocolate and exercise like a fiend before submitting to weight gain. Otherwise, I'll go with the flow. But clearly, I see that managing it all gracefully may be the second greatest challenge of my life.
The GREATEST challenge--you've probably guessed--has been and is still, raising an ADHD child.
Holly - thank you for the hormone-cream tip! I will look into it.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
How do YOU lean?
Some of the blogs I read are like slices of life. They illustrate blessings regularly, but they also give glimpses of messiness, of upheaval, and of suffering. To live is to experience both. Some people don't care to air difficulties on their blogs. They are more reserved. Well I admire reserved people for their self-discipline, I can look back and see that I've never had a satisfying relationship with a single reserved person. They don't allow one to get too close. And without closeness, there is only superficial relating. They may welcome confessions from others, but THEY never want to confess. Eventually I stop trying to have closeness with them, and stick with only superficial topics myself, which is okay...as long as we have both types of people in our lives.
If you've been reading long, you know I believe in talking about both blessing and suffering. Put more simply--I'm a whiner. It just feels better to get it out there. Perhaps because I am less able to put it in perspective, when I hold it in?
Something new has come into my life....moodiness. Before I was a basically happy person, even in the midst of trial. Now, no matter what I might do, I can't control the effects of hormones. They are chemicals, created by God. Last night I read a comment from Liz, which suggested that maybe I'm feeling the effects of mild post-partum depression, mixed with perimenopause.
Being the problem solver I am, I looked up perimenopause. WebMD had the following to say about perimenopause:
How Long Does Perimenopause Last?
The average length of perimenopause is four years, but for some women this stage may last only a few months or continue for 10 years. Perimenopause ends the first year after menopause (when a woman has gone 12 months without having her period).
What Are the Signs of Perimenopause?
You will know you are transitioning into menopause when you begin experiencing some or all of the following symptoms:
* Hot flashes
* Breast tenderness
* Worsening of premenstrual syndrome
* Decreased libido (sex drive)
* Fatigue
* Irregular periods
* Vaginal dryness; discomfort during sex
* Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing
* Urinary urgency (a pressing need to urinate more frequently)
* Mood swings
* Difficulty sleeping
After reading all that, I thought to myself--WHAT! Just shoot me if this is what life will entail for the next fifteen to twenty years--until I'm done with both peri and full menopause! God certainly punished us women for Eve's sin. This all sounds like part of the "pain in childbearing" curse, if you ask me. That curse goes far beyond labor pains, in my humble opinion. Premenstrual syndrome (I rarely got that), hormone headaches, painful periods, miscarriage, infertility, hormonally-induced insomnia, perimenopause, and finally, menopause. They can all be tied up neatly as part of the female-hormone sin curse.
Why do some women get all of them, and others none? Why do some women get them only briefly, while others get them chronically? Only our Creator knows. Should we be one of the sufferers, what is the answer?
The Michael Jackson tragedy drove something home for me. As a chronic headache sufferer, I've taken Excedrin nearly everyday for the past twelve years. Usually only two a day are needed, so my liver is probably fine; I am extremely careful about mixing medicines. But what about the days I've had to take more, even while still following the dosing on the package? Will my liver give out one day?
When one deals with chronic pain, taking something becomes a knee-jerk reaction. Then when another type of pain or suffering comes along, we are more likely to reach for a pill for that as well, simply because reaching for a pill has become second nature. I feel that is what happened to Michael Jackson, as well as the countless others who have become addicted to prescription medicines.
While I navigate the waters of perimenopause, or simply the hormonal blues, I have to watch my tendency to reach for something. Life will throw even more things at me--that is sure. God often doesn't take away physical suffering. I can't pray this away; I've tried that with the headaches. He has answered in the sense that I don't need strong drugs to deal with my migraines, like some people do. The Excedrin works within 30 minutes about 80% of the time. But he hasn't healed the headaches, or the ADHD, or the chronic, face-changing eczema Emily has. She will grow out of it around five or six, most likely, but in the meantime it is hard to deal with. Daniel may grow out of some of the ADHD, but in the meantime it is a huge, life-altering problem for all of us. And I will likely grow out of hormonally-induced moodiness, but in the meantime it is a problem for all of us.
The answer then, is not healing. It is leaning. On Him. Year by year, month by month, week by week, day by day, moment by moment.
I'm learning that each person doesn't lean on God in the same way. For some, reading the Bible is the best leaning. For others, praying is the best leaning. Recently I've come to realize that for me, listening to praise and worship music is the best leaning. I ALWAYS feel better after worshipping through song. I SOMETIMES feel better after praying or reading Scripture. Certainly, I need to do all of them to experience all that God has for me. But when I need to reach for a perimenopause "pill" , it will be praise and worship music.
And yes, I'll check into Primrose, too, Liz! Thank you! An acquaintance from church, who also gave birth in her forties, said last night that her OB told her the moods were a combination of post-partum effects and perimenopausal effects. You are right! Count it all joy! Hopefully my hubby doesn't shoot me before it's done. A high percentage of marriages go sour during this time--or so I read. Maybe that's why I recently ran into that marriage blog? You know, the one that posts the "positions of the week"? LOL
If you've been reading long, you know I believe in talking about both blessing and suffering. Put more simply--I'm a whiner. It just feels better to get it out there. Perhaps because I am less able to put it in perspective, when I hold it in?
Something new has come into my life....moodiness. Before I was a basically happy person, even in the midst of trial. Now, no matter what I might do, I can't control the effects of hormones. They are chemicals, created by God. Last night I read a comment from Liz, which suggested that maybe I'm feeling the effects of mild post-partum depression, mixed with perimenopause.
Being the problem solver I am, I looked up perimenopause. WebMD had the following to say about perimenopause:
How Long Does Perimenopause Last?
The average length of perimenopause is four years, but for some women this stage may last only a few months or continue for 10 years. Perimenopause ends the first year after menopause (when a woman has gone 12 months without having her period).
What Are the Signs of Perimenopause?
You will know you are transitioning into menopause when you begin experiencing some or all of the following symptoms:
* Hot flashes
* Breast tenderness
* Worsening of premenstrual syndrome
* Decreased libido (sex drive)
* Fatigue
* Irregular periods
* Vaginal dryness; discomfort during sex
* Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing
* Urinary urgency (a pressing need to urinate more frequently)
* Mood swings
* Difficulty sleeping
After reading all that, I thought to myself--WHAT! Just shoot me if this is what life will entail for the next fifteen to twenty years--until I'm done with both peri and full menopause! God certainly punished us women for Eve's sin. This all sounds like part of the "pain in childbearing" curse, if you ask me. That curse goes far beyond labor pains, in my humble opinion. Premenstrual syndrome (I rarely got that), hormone headaches, painful periods, miscarriage, infertility, hormonally-induced insomnia, perimenopause, and finally, menopause. They can all be tied up neatly as part of the female-hormone sin curse.
Why do some women get all of them, and others none? Why do some women get them only briefly, while others get them chronically? Only our Creator knows. Should we be one of the sufferers, what is the answer?
The Michael Jackson tragedy drove something home for me. As a chronic headache sufferer, I've taken Excedrin nearly everyday for the past twelve years. Usually only two a day are needed, so my liver is probably fine; I am extremely careful about mixing medicines. But what about the days I've had to take more, even while still following the dosing on the package? Will my liver give out one day?
When one deals with chronic pain, taking something becomes a knee-jerk reaction. Then when another type of pain or suffering comes along, we are more likely to reach for a pill for that as well, simply because reaching for a pill has become second nature. I feel that is what happened to Michael Jackson, as well as the countless others who have become addicted to prescription medicines.
While I navigate the waters of perimenopause, or simply the hormonal blues, I have to watch my tendency to reach for something. Life will throw even more things at me--that is sure. God often doesn't take away physical suffering. I can't pray this away; I've tried that with the headaches. He has answered in the sense that I don't need strong drugs to deal with my migraines, like some people do. The Excedrin works within 30 minutes about 80% of the time. But he hasn't healed the headaches, or the ADHD, or the chronic, face-changing eczema Emily has. She will grow out of it around five or six, most likely, but in the meantime it is hard to deal with. Daniel may grow out of some of the ADHD, but in the meantime it is a huge, life-altering problem for all of us. And I will likely grow out of hormonally-induced moodiness, but in the meantime it is a problem for all of us.
The answer then, is not healing. It is leaning. On Him. Year by year, month by month, week by week, day by day, moment by moment.
I'm learning that each person doesn't lean on God in the same way. For some, reading the Bible is the best leaning. For others, praying is the best leaning. Recently I've come to realize that for me, listening to praise and worship music is the best leaning. I ALWAYS feel better after worshipping through song. I SOMETIMES feel better after praying or reading Scripture. Certainly, I need to do all of them to experience all that God has for me. But when I need to reach for a perimenopause "pill" , it will be praise and worship music.
And yes, I'll check into Primrose, too, Liz! Thank you! An acquaintance from church, who also gave birth in her forties, said last night that her OB told her the moods were a combination of post-partum effects and perimenopausal effects. You are right! Count it all joy! Hopefully my hubby doesn't shoot me before it's done. A high percentage of marriages go sour during this time--or so I read. Maybe that's why I recently ran into that marriage blog? You know, the one that posts the "positions of the week"? LOL
Monday, March 30, 2009
Dear Liz (again)
Hi again, Liz. Thank you for your input. I researched it and read that he just can't take it at the same time as the Vitamin C - it does affect absorption. The pharmacy paperwork mentioned that the pill could be taken apart and sprinkled on some applesauce. We do that, since he didn't want to take a pill. But then as I researched today, I found that one doctor advised not taking the pill apart, as that will make it metabolize too fast.
I don't want to change Daniel's energy level. The fact that he is full of life is endearing, mostly. I just want him to concentrate better, accept disappointment better (self-control), and be able to give people the space they need, so that he doesn't have social problems. He drains everyone, and it's so sad for us to witness that occurring in social situations. He is oblivious to it, unfortunately.
Is the chiropractor still able to keep your migraines at bay? I couldn't keep taking the beta blocker after the pregnancy. It caused dizziness and blood pressure numbers that were too low. When Anna loses interest in nursing, I'm looking forward to trying different remedies. Feverfew is supposedly effective, but it's not compatible with nursing.
I don't want to change Daniel's energy level. The fact that he is full of life is endearing, mostly. I just want him to concentrate better, accept disappointment better (self-control), and be able to give people the space they need, so that he doesn't have social problems. He drains everyone, and it's so sad for us to witness that occurring in social situations. He is oblivious to it, unfortunately.
Is the chiropractor still able to keep your migraines at bay? I couldn't keep taking the beta blocker after the pregnancy. It caused dizziness and blood pressure numbers that were too low. When Anna loses interest in nursing, I'm looking forward to trying different remedies. Feverfew is supposedly effective, but it's not compatible with nursing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
