So today I have an expert guest post weighing in to give us tips on how to handle your pain while traveling this summer.

A lot of Americans suffer from chronic pain, and if you go through the same, handling everyday tasks can also become very difficult. On top of that, if you have to travel, pain can be hard to handle. In this article, we help you plan and take the right precautions so that you can handle pain while traveling. 

Before the Trip:

Here’s what you need to do before you start the trip.

Speak to a physical therapy team 

The first and most important thing you need to do before you start the journey is to speak to a physical therapist. If you have someone who is treating your chronic pain, you need to see them as they will have a deep understanding of the conditions in the body. You must communicate with the care team before you travel and explain your chronic pain to them. Share details about the trip duration and all the ways you expect to travel. They can create a plan to reduce the pain and enhance your comfort based on travel activities. 

Take time to focus and pack well 

When you have adequate packing time, it will help reduce stress before, during, and after the trip since it gives you the confidence that you have all you need to manage the pain. The moment you start packing, you need to place all the pain management must-haves in the carry-on. Carry a detailed printout of your exercise program for the entire duration of the trip. If there are any prescriptions or pain medicine, you need to fill them in advance and carry enough for the time of your trip. Do remember to pack the pain relievers and medications in the carry-on and have a record of the condition with you at all times. Pack disposable heating and cooling pads with you. Once you land, you can find a compounding pharmacist near your accommodation, but if you need something on the flight, you will have to carry it with you.

Buy your tickets in advance 

The sooner you can book the travel, the better opportunity to select a seat that is most comfortable for you. If you can afford it, buy a first-class or business-class ticket and always choose a seat that allows extra space. Choosing an aisle seat will allow you to get up and stretch easily during the trip, and you will also have more breathing room while seated. 

Ship luggage and all the other bulky items to the destination

When you are already suffering from chronic pain, you do not want to carry a lot of luggage with you. You can find companies that can handle your luggage and deliver it directly to the hotel or at any other location. If you can afford it, this service is a game changer. All you have to remember is not to ship the necessities for comfort and keep all the pain management essentials with you. 

During the flight:

Here’s what you should do once you are at the airport and ready to fly.

Skip the security lines 

A major concern for a lot of chronic pain patients is standing still and then walking. It is natural for you to be worried about how you will manage the long lines at the airport. This is why you should consider getting a TSA PreCheck since it will fasten the security screening process at the airport. You could also qualify for medical assistance or ask for a wheelchair and guide. Most airports provide assistance, but you must check with the airline you are flying with and then speak to the airport officials to confirm the same. Give at least 48 hours’ notice and ensure that assistance is arranged for the airport entries as well as the exits. 

Waiting for the flight

After you have gone through the security, reach your gate early. When possible, move around and keep up good circulation since it will not be as easy once you get on the plane. Inform the gate attendant that you would like medical assistance even on the plane.  

Make the most of airline services

You need to take advantage of what the airlines have to offer. It could be boarding before everyone else or asking for better legroom. Even if you do not need a wheelchair, you can use the accommodation. A lot of chronic pain is not visible to others, but you can self-identify as someone who requires this service. Another tip is to check out if the airline or credit cards give access to the airport lounges. It can be a spacious place for you to relax in comfort before you take off. Many airports also have massage stations and airport spas for you to use. 

Ground travel:

Once you land at your destination, it is time to get into the bus or car to head to your final stop.

Every stop is a rest stop  

If you travel for long periods of time without stops, it could make the pain worse. It is very true for older adults and the ones with chronic neck and back pain. You need to use the rest stops to your advantage. This is a good chance to treat yourself or take a brief walk and get the circulation moving. 

Rent a car 

Choose to rent a private cab whenever possible. It will give you enough space, and look for a vehicle that comes with automatic opening doors. Not a lot of companies will offer this, but if you search well, you will find the right company to work with. 

Accommodation 

Choose to stay in a hotel that has a quality mattress to ensure comfortable sleep and proper body rest. If you are staying in a hostel, you need to ask for a lower bunk bed so that you do not need to climb a ladder.

More than anything, look after yourself with good daily habits like staying hydrated, stretching regularly, and getting enough sleep. Do not let pain stop you from exploring the world, and look for a physical therapist who goes out of their way to ensure that you have a comfortable and memorable trip. 

For more tips on managing pain:

Top Back Pain Tip from the Arthritis Lady

Why Holistic Health is Life Changing

The post How to Manage Pain When Traveling appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Alan and Mom. Mom was such a huge help the week of my procedure. Thanks, Mom!!

The Move

Yesterday I started cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and drawers. No, I’m not packing myself. Alan’s job hires people to do that, so why would I?

What I’m doing is trying to eliminate all things that I do not want or use so that I don’t have to unpack them in a few weeks. We have way too much junk.

Junk. Just junk.

How do we all accumulate so much of it?

Is it the result of retail therapy gone overboard?

The inability to let go? I don’t know. But somehow every two years, we haul off truck loads and truckloads of our old stuff to Goodwill and the dump.

Occasionally, we sell a thing or two. I got $25 for an Ergo baby carrier…

Bye-bye, Ergo, we had a love/hate relationship anyway.

I sold a Mickey Mouse Cake Pan for $5. Because let’s face it. I bought it 2 years ago and never used it. I’m obviously too intimidated by the directions and the hand cramping to actually decorate a Mickey Mouse cake.

My hand hurts now, just thinking about squeezing out all those icing stars.

So yeah, we’re moving. We still don’t actually have a house to move INTO yet, but we hand over the keys to this one on June 25th.

Do you know what the funny part is? The funny part is that my California Health Crisis earned me a plane ticket with JD, so I don’t even have to participate in pack and load week or the cross-country road trip. I leave on the 20th.

……Oh. my. goodness. Daniel is watching Teletubbies. I thought we killed those obnoxious things off years ago. How? How are they suddenly back here, back into our lives????

“Daniel, please, please, don’t watch this show. I can’t take it. It’s too dumb.”

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed. Now we’re watching an alphabet video. It’s not too bad.

What was I saying? OH YEAH! Our moving plan. I ended up getting the super-sweet side of the stick, thanks to my psoriatic arthritis issues.

Mom and Me at Point Lobos. We’ve established that Pt. Lobos is what I will miss most about California, right?

The Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is basically pronounced sorry-attic arthritis. In my head, I also call it sorry ass arthritis because that’s what it makes me feel like.

It’s back, and it’s ugly, and I’ve just stopped playing around about it. My big toe swelled, but I’ve figured out a way to walk without using it, and then I bumped it just a tiny bit on JD’s potty stool, and now it’s swollen, bruised, and bloody.

The ligament that connects my knees to my hips is inflamed all the way up, on both sides, and my left thumb is permanently bending slower than all of my other fingers. The shoulder tendonitis is back too. But at least the plantar fasciitis finally went away. So, there’s that.

The Heart

I asked my cardiologist about what anti-inflammatory meds I could take. I need them right now, for this flare-up and the up-coming travel.

He was obviously not too concerned. He said, “As long as you don’t take cocaine or meth, I’m good.”

As you can see, my cardiologists are super worried. Not.

I had my last appointment the other day. Dr. G is my super-soft-spoken but very personable electrophysiologist, a.k.a. a highly educated heart doc that specializes in electrical problems of the heart, arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia.

He was actually kind and sympathetic about my Linq monitor. Wait. A kind and sympathetic doctor? What is this new thing?? I’ve just had bad doctor luck these past two years, so this was a nice change.

He’s funny too. I asked if anything had shown up on my Linq monitor. He explained that he has the parameters on the thing set so that the v-tach won’t register unless it’s over 195 bpm or at least 16 beats in a row.

“Ha! I don’t think it’s ever that bad,” I said.

“Well, I set it that way because that’s the point at which we would need to do something about it.” he explained.

Sure.

“Can I put off going to a cardiologist for a while because I’ve got so much to do with this move… I feel like I’ve been to the cardiologist enough for one year anyway…”

“Yes, of course, you have a lot going on. Take care of that, and then you can get a new cardiologist. UNLESS you have symptoms.”

“I have a lot of symptoms lately, but none long enough to set off the monitor (16 beats), so what do I know?”

“Well, that’s because you got a plate full of s***.”

Haaa!!!  Ain’t that the truth.

I’m always surrounded by children or other stay-at-home moms or home school moms, so I don’t hear a lot of conversational swear words. So now when I do hear them, it’s really hard not to giggle. Yeah, I probably did snicker.

Oh, well. Dr. G says he’s not worried about my v-tach. My heart is structurally fine.  His actual words were, “You’re not going to die suddenly in your sleep or anything.”

Ha! So there’s my good news of the day, folks. I’m not going to die suddenly in my sleep, at least not this year. It sounds like a joke, but that DOES happen to v-tach sufferers when there is heart disease present or with an inherited condition, like Brugada. However, when those things aren’t present, and the v-tach is short, like mine, it is considered benign.

JD was seriously THIS small when we moved in!! 2 years ago!!

I have a good sense of closure from this California Health Crisis chapter: the pain, the fevers, and the heart thing…Most of it was all from psoriatic arthritis, which mostly goes away if I don’t eat wheat or get too stressed. So there you go. I’m learning how to better take care of myself.

And the funny part…

So did you catch the part about Alan? Did you read that right? They wrote me out of the cross-country move and the pack week. SOOOO..  Alan will be overseeing the pack out and the cross-country move by himself, along with our three oldest children. That’s right. Alan is  doing a week-long road trip with Joshua, Caleb, and Daniel.

I know. Poor Alan. What kind of a wife am I? Well, I’ve done all the other pack and moves, thank you, most of them by myself. But yes, I usually shipped off the kids.

I’ve asked him repeatedly to send another kid on the plane with me, to lighten his load. But Alan says it will be fun.

I’ll give you a minute to laugh…

It won’t be dull, anyway. You gotta give him that. A friend of ours suggested that we should strap a Go-pro on Alan for this trip. It would surely make for a funny video.

Nah, what am I saying? Our kids are perfect angels, and so are we.

In fact, today I gave Cherielle a ride home from church, and Alan had all four boys with him because we’re trying to keep the van CLEAN, in order to sell it.

Alan decided to take all the boys with him to the grocery store.

While he was there, there was quite a spectacle. A certain five-year-old boy took a gold “good behavior” reward coin from his big, eight-year-old brother.

“Hey, give that back!” the eight-year-old demanded.

But the little guy only clutched the good-behavior coin even tighter. Oh, the irony..

So the two ended up WRESTLING IN THE FLOOR of the check-out line over this coin. The oldest boy, a ten-year-old, was dismayed and embarrassed at his younger brothers’ behavior, so he started punching the middle one in the back saying, “Cut it out! Get up! Cut it out!”

my little wrestlers with Aunt Janet and Nonna

Don’t worry. They were quickly apprehended, and upon their return home, appropriate consequences were measured out. I’m sure those weren’t our little angels, scrapping it out over a Sunday School coin in the floor of the grocery store….Nah….

I’m just thankful I was not at the grocery store. I was at home putting the frozen pizzas in the stove.

Just another day in paradise, y’all. Have a great week!

The post The Move, My California Health Crisis, and The Grocery Store Scuffle appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Have you ever felt old before your time or just achy all over the place?  I keep wondering. Is this just getting older? Or is this a problem that can be fixed? And how do you know which is which?

Several of my readers liked the video with the stretching tips for hip pain, so today I’m including a stretching video for heel/foot pain and swelling. This is another nuisance that I deal with that I think is very common.

So I’ve learned a few things, for those of you on the age-speed-train with me.

#1. For the heart as well as the back: Walking. Just walk everyday. It’s good for every single thing about you, so as long as your body allows you to do so, walk.

#2. For the shoulder: I’m ordering this book:

They say that not taking time to do relaxing things can actually cause strained muscles and tendonitis, which my body has in multiple places. Stress could actually be killing us. Who knows? It’s worth a shot!

#3. Swollen heels are often caused by tight calf muscles, so my physical therapist gave me this exercise:

#4. CONSTANTLY monitor your posture. Sit and stand as straight as you possibly can. 

#5. Do something relaxing. Today I am going shoe shopping and eating lunch BY MYSELF. Some of you may not find that relaxing, but for me it is perfect.

Or maybe I should have JD give me a head rub.

Here’s a perfect example of #5, doing something relaxing. JD calmed his cousin ever-so-easily with a little head rub:

Crying baby, meet John David.

calming baby

His work here is done.  

#6. Buy bigger shoes. Never wear uncomfortable shoes or high heels.

my tired, achy, red-arround-the-edges feet…(Truth is, I’m a stay-at- home mom. I mostly don’t even wear shoes.)

Did I just post a photo of feet!!??  I’m seriously all girl, so this one is terribly sad for me. I mostly gave up high heels around 5 years ago, and that kept my feet problems at bay for a long time, but that alone is no longer cutting it. Today I’m buying bigger tennis shoes. It’s important for shoes to fit.

#7. Become a better friend.

I received my very first get well card in the mail last week, and I can’t tell you how much it meant to me. Several people have come up to me at church to tell me that they are praying for me and ask how I’m doing. Wow! How encouraging to know!

I’ve always said that I have the best friends.

From this, I am learning how to be a better friend. This goes back to that lesson about not over-scheduling yourself too because if we are so busy with all of our own obligations, how can we ever take time to encourage anyone else?

#8. Pray and read your Bible! Allow the Lord to go to the mat for you.

The other week, I was at yet another doctor appointment, for even more medical tests. There was some confusion about my appointment time, which threw off my whole schedule, and getting an appointment with this cardiologist is difficult. My results appointment was for Tuesday, so the tests needed to be done before that, or there would be no results to share.

The receptionist said, “There’s no way we can get you in before Tuesday. Well, we could have it done at the hospital, but then that might be hard with billing….”

I was so finished caring, or maybe I cared too much. Either way, I leveled with her, staying as calm as I could, though I’m sure I had tears in my voice.  “I have been through so much this year, I do not care. I don’t care what you do or when you do it, or how. You just tell me where to be, and I’ll be there. I’m going to go sit down in the waiting room.” (I still had another test to do.)

I know, I wasn’t easy going. I was not breezy.  I’m afraid I’m becoming Maxine, way before my time.

OKay. So you’re wondering what this story has to do with prayer. Hang with me.

I sat back down in the waiting room, and I prayed, “Lord, I’m so done dealing with this! I don’t even want to go to any more of these stupid appointments, but Lord, if you could just help me. You fix it. I can’t. I give up.”

It didn’t take long for the desk girl to reappear. “April?”

I slowly walked back to the desk.

“You can come tomorrow. Anytime you want.”

Prayer, people. I’m telling you. Prayer.

“Can I come at 4:00?”

“Yes.”
“Great! Thanks!”

Glory.

#9. Hang out with people who make you laugh.

My people are funny. (Don’t worry. He’s doing the crossed-eyes on purpose.)

Laughter is healing.

#10. Get more sleep.

…because that’s my answer to everything..

The post 10 Things to Try When You’re Feeling Achy appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Well, if you have it, then you know, and if you don’t, I’m sure you have your own problems. Ha! No, I just mean that I found this video that explains well what we are doing for my hip pain. (I do live in fear of sitting. Sitting hurts.)

I still have to do one more MRI to check for inflammation in my SI joint, but for now, we’re going with the theory that all of my problems are mechanical.

Meanwhile, my physical therapist and my chiropractors have told me that my pelvis has a lateral tilt. My PT says that the left side is usually “way higher” than my right. He even taught me how to even it back out, so just in case any of you share this problem, which they say is common, I wanted to share this video with you all.

Perhaps if I do this everyday, I could stomp out this pain in my rear altogether:

This makes a lot of sense. I’ll try anything to be able to take a car trip!

I’ve been going to so many doctor appointments, tests, etc., etc. Getting actual answers keeps getting postponed, though.

Last night, I was standing in the kitchen, and BAM! It felt like my right shoulder was on fire. It was intense. Then today I couldn’t turn my neck to the right. Then the same thing happened to my husband, but on his opposite shoulder! Weird! I hardly slept last night. It hurt all night long. Alan slept well, but his shoulder still bothered him during the day today too. We are a pitiful bunch.

I’ve had tons of x-rays at this point, though, and I can tell you that they are clean. I have beautiful, happy bones. My rheumatologist says that I do not have an autoimmune disorder, which is good. Although, actually, psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder in and of itself, but I guess he didn’t think that one counts.

Yesterday, I was feeling down about the whole, “What in the world is wrong with me??  I’ll never get to take my kids to Disneyland,” thing.

This morning I drove all the way to my cardiologist appointment, only to find that the doctor was at the hospital. I rescheduled with his physician’s assistant. I liked her anyway, so no heart test results for me until next month.

I used my surprise free time to drive to the beach and think and pray and watch people try to surf on tiny waves.

I have so much to be thankful for! My friends have been so insanely supportive. McKenzie baked me gluten-free bread. Joy bought me the most delicious loaves from Costco. Cassie has been so encouraging. Hillary brought us dinner. Alan’s friends brought us a bread maker to borrow. My Classical Conversations mom friends have prayed over me. I feel so loved!!

Do you know what I was reminded to do today? Have fun! When did I stop doing things just for fun? I’ve decided I need more happy in my life. Our nanny, Analise, always opens all our blinds and curtains. I was amazed at the difference in mood that it creates!

Here are a few simple ways to create happiness:

-opening windows, or just the blinds and curtains

-listening to music

-taking walks, even better, taking walks with friends

-taking the boys to the park

-buying and reading a magazine that you love (I chose Glamour. Next up: Vogue!)

-talking to a good friend or your mom on the phone

-doing something fun with the kids

So I took the boys swimming today. I couldn’t swim with my spontaneous shoulder injury, but it was still rewarding. I got in with them.

I think it’s time to stop worrying about what is wrong with me and just get back to doing my job, but with more music and more happiness. I’m not promising anything about the messy house, though. That’s a side effect of the homeschooling. We’ll be tidier once that’s over.

The post The Fear of Sitting Down and Little Tricks for Bringing Happy Back appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

A couple of weeks ago something strange happened. Four mornings in a row I woke up at 4am with my heart pounding and my chest all tight and uncomfortable.

“What. Weird. Why can’t I go back to sleep?” I thought, as I stared at the clock. 4am. That’s a time I usually only see if we make foolish airplane travel plans. April does not do early.

Pound.Pound.Pound.Pound.Pound. Well, I can’t possibly go to sleep like this!

I felt more like going running than going back to sleep.

On the 4th or 5th morning of this nonsense, I decided to go to the ER. My resting heart rate and blood pressure were both high, and one of my doctors had urged me to go to the ER or urgent care the next time this business happened, so I did.

I’ve never seen doctors move so quickly. Wait. That’s not true. I haven’t seen them move so quickly since the emergency c-section of 2011.

They ran all sorts of tests, and by the time two hours had passed my heart rate was down to beautiful numbers, and my heart was working like a well-oiled machine.

“Maybe you were having an anxiety attack,” the ER doctor suggested.

“At 4am, out of a dead sleep? Really?”

“Do you have stress in your life? Are you worried about anything?”

Hahahahaha  Do I have stress in my life? Me, the woman home schooling a house full of male children, sweet, spirited boys who belong nowhere other than a farm with sixty acres?

“Well, I’m worried about my hip pain. And I mean, yes, I have stress. I have four kids!”

“But I mean are you worried about anything other than your health?”

“No.”

Why doesn’t worrying about my health count? I think it counts.

Anyway, I left, and it didn’t take too long for my heart to crank up again, and after watching people freak out about it, I started to feel rather uneasy myself.

“Ok. So I have to just get to Monday with my heart like this, and maybe on Monday my doctor will help me,” I thought to myself.

Don’t worry. She did. She pulled up my records, saw the pattern that dated back to at least 2012, and she put me on a beta blocker medication that has helped immensely.

But that’s not the point of this story.

The point of this story focuses on those days between the ER morning and the appointment on Monday.

I knew I had to get through those two little days with my pounding, schizophrenic heart, and it was uncomfortable, and it was worrisome, and you know what I had to do?

I had to literally “trust God with my heart.”

In church circles, we hear that all the live long day. “Aw. Little Johnny asked Jesus into his heart.”

“You gotta get your heart right with God if you want his blessings.”

“Give your heart to Jesus.”

“Don’t harden your heart towards the Lord.”

When we say heart, we really mean the soul. I get it. But wait. Do we also mean more than that?

Do we just mean the soul? Or do we also sometimes mean life?

Because I noticed something pivotal in all of this rig-a-ma-roar.

The ER people, and even my general practitioner, sure treated me a lot differently when my heart was in distress than they did when my hip was hurt, and my hip hurt way more than my heart ever did.

But my hip is not my life. I could lose my hip, get a replacement, and keep on livin’.

The heart is the life. Once the heart gives out, it’s over. The fat lady is done singin’!

(Sorry. I think bad grammar helps emphasis sometimes.)

Now what these folks are missing is that if they’d bring down my hip pain, my heart might not get so upset, but that’s a topic for another day…

Now let’s apply the heart=life idea to a church phrase or two.

1. “Little Johnny gave his heart to Jesus.”

Little Johnny gave his life to Jesus. Jesus isn’t just there to take you to Heaven. Jesus wants  us to trust him with our life! He wants us to come to him in prayer and to follow his teaching.

2. “You gotta get your life right with God if you want his blessings.”

But let’s not put the cart before the horse. We have to ask for Him to forgive us, and then we have to trust him to help us “get our life right.” It will never look perfect, but you will see a difference.

The biggest take-away for me was the reminder to truly trust the Lord. When you’re consciously trusting Him with the very beat of your heart, it suddenly gets very REAL!

“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely shall be delivered.”  Proverbs 27:26

“The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.”  Psalm 25:17

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

*****It took a few months to figure out that this episode was actually a ventricular tachycardia episode. Read here for the next part in the story.*****************

The post When Trusting God with Your Heart Gets Very Real appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

“‘Together’ is a really good word. Together is what we need when we hit tough patches in life. Making decisions when life is making you cry shouldn’t be done alone.” –Lysa Terkeurst, in The Best Yes

Today I went to my very first cardiology appointment ever. It was both helpful and confusing at the same time.

My cardiologist thinks all of my pain and heart issues are probably related. Structurally, my heart looks superb, but the beat and the blood pressure are too high. She thinks this may be autoimmune in nature.

And then she said two things I would rather have not heard. Don’t worry, it’s actually kind of funny:

1. “No exercise until we figure this out.” (I can’t wait to see the look on my physical therapist’s face when I tell him they do not want me to exercise yet. Hahahaha!)
2. “I think you need to be gluten free.”

Bread and walking. Two of my favorite things in life. Walking is one of the primary ways that I manage the throbbing pains. Can’t I just give up sugar instead?

I’m kidding. I’ll do it, but first I need time to figure things out. I mean, who knows. We still basically have no idea what is causing the pain or the heart issues.

I’m so tired of even thinking about all this health mess. Right now it sure would be fun to forget about it and go shopping for a beautiful new outfit instead. Maybe I’d even buy a copy of In Style magazine. Then I would have a Cinnabon, and I would eat the whole thing unashamedly and wash it down with a little jug of whole milk…  These are my fantasies…

Oh, well. At least they still let me take Motrin. My friend Lisa and I were joking the other day about the things you wish you’d known earlier in life: Target and Advil. If ever there were two things we should have bought stock in, those two things are the cornerstones of life right there.

It’s not just me. I remember when I went to Ladies’ Retreat. I put my Costco size bottle of Advil on the counter, and I was constantly saying, “Yes, you can have some,” to all the other ladies.  Haha!

Everything is going rather well though:

1. I feel better.
2. One of my favorite people brought us dinner last night. (Thank you, Hillary!)
3. My doctors are running tons of tests, so maybe we will find what is wrong.
4. Oh! And I DON’T have a fever today, not even a little bit. Hurray!
5. I had those boys doing school work like crazy this morning. I’m going to get some serious house cleaning done too, while I still feel well.

Hard times make such fertile ground for growth. Being hurt and confused was awful, but it was also like rain. We all run from the rain, but if we don’t have it, our soul starts to look like a desert.

So I think I will come out of this stronger than before. I mean, physically I’m weaker, but inwardly I’m feeling all gladiator-like. That’s right. I’m 10 feet tall and bullet proof, in the Lord.  I’ve seen so many answered prayers. It’s almost tempting to take them for granted.

But instead, I will give thanks.

I have had so much help. I owe so many of you a great deal of gratitude, especially Alan. Alan has shouldered an enormous amount of responsibility during all of this. I can’t tell you how many ways he has covered down for me.

Alan and Joshua, spending time with our niece: They are both so good with babies.

I feel so thankful and full of hope today. If joy were a commodity that I could walk around and hand out to all of you I’d do it! To feel the way I feel, right this second, is a delightful thing. My joy is just spillin’ out all over the place.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”  Ephesians 3:20-22

I finally received a diagnosis! Click here to read it: Ventricular Tachycardia Health Update

The post Update on my Pain Battle: Things are getting better! appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Learning how to suffer well looks like the theme of my life lately. 

Have you ever been through something hard that you knew could not be walked around? Life is a muddy puddle for me right now, but there’s no way around it. It must be walked through.

Do you know what I mean? We all have our things that we go through.

My chosen theme for 2016 was to fix my SI/hip/back/leg pain.

That’s the goal. Instead, 2016 has been the most painful year I’ve had in a long time. I’ve pulled out of this before though, so that encourages me that perhaps I can overcome it again.

At least none of my ribs have popped out of joint this time, ha!

My body is becoming a huge obstacle to me. It is stiff and painful and worst of all, it is incapable, and I hate that. Don’t you hate it when people call you “weak’?

Who wants to be weak? Not me.

I want to shout, “No! I’m not weak. I’m raising four little boys. I’ve sent a husband away to war for a year straight each time. I am not weak! I’m TOUGH!”

But my body disagrees. My body is sad. I’ve taken to going to the gym this week to walk in the evenings.

Thoughts in my head at the gym:

“Geesh, why is my heart rate so high? Oh, I should be taking my medicine right now. Ugh.  I’ll be okay for just a 20 minute walk. I’ll take my medicine when I get home. Why am I like 90 years old??

Oh my goodness! The girl next to me is running on speed 7.2, and her heart rate is only 120!!

What’s mine? Oh, 180. Let me slow it down to 3.1 for speed. 180 just sounds bad. I wonder if it is. I wish I had gone to medical school. I wonder if I look like a pathetic, frail old lady to her (girl running).”

I’ve had sacroiliitis pain for years, but now there are all these new pains to go along with it. Plus, I want to hurry up and get it all seen about, but insurance is taking forever.

I’m kind of nervous when I get out of bed in the morning. I have thoughts like this:

“Will it be a fever day? (Yes, yes it was.) What is it about fevers that knock you down and render you useless?

Where will the pain will be today?

I have got to act at least normal enough that the kids don’t get behind in school.

I’m afraid that no one will ever be able to fix this. I said I wanted to put Humpty back together again, but the thing is that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put Humpty back together again.”

I want to have more empowering thoughts.

I want to learn how to be the kind of sufferer that doesn’t tell others about the pain, but if they don’t know, how will they ever be able to give me the grace that I need?

So there must be some sort of balance. Lay down the pride enough to ask for help. I had to do that today, at the park, when I couldn’t get my body to cooperate with pulling JD out of his baby swing.

But I do not want to become so consumed with my own pain that I can’t do anyone else any good. That scares me.

And you know where we should go when we’re scared? On our knees, on our knees in prayer for help. The Lord is still in heaven, and He knows exactly what we’re going through.

Here are a few verses that have given me comfort on my quest to suffer well:

“I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply, I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, “Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.” For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me.”    Psalm 38:14-17

“If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me your consolations delight my soul.”  Psalm 94:18-19

But you know what the thing is? If you want to hear God’s consolations delighting your soul, you have to be quiet and listen to Him.

If you never listen for His voice, no, you probably won’t ever hear it.

So I’m making time to listen. I am getting low, real super low, down close to the ground. I’m carrying my troubles to Jesus because while doctors have failed me before, the Lord never has.

I encourage you all to try it too. Get low and get quiet. No electronics. No t.v. Just you on the floor, hiding from your children if necessary. You, on the floor, listening for the voice of the one who made you.

“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.”  Micah 7:8

Editorial update:

I wrote this during a hard time. Things did eventually get so much better. I sit here seven years after writing this, not dealing with chronic pain at all anymore. How? Well, while the doctors I turned to mostly could not help me or find anything wrong with me, I found one who did.

I saw a cardiologist who told me to try life without gluten. This would never have occurred to me. I wrote about that here.  It was life changing. That will NOT work for everybody, but if you happen to have no idea that you have celiac, it will help you.

So my advice is to specifically ask for a blood test for celiac if you deal with random pain problems like I did with no clear explanation. Once you go gluten free, they cannot detect it, so get the blood test first if you can.

If you do not have access to good health care, as is surprisingly common, just try going gluten free and see if you feel better. You might be amazed.

My prayer for you is that these clouds will pass for you soon, and you will no longer have to worry about how to suffer well at all. 

For more on this topic, see these posts:

You can have the gluten, but you’ll never get the chocolate

Trusting God When Your Problems Just Won’t Go Away

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