Taking My Daily Medication and Supplements Challenge--Important Update

By now, you know I am not here how to  tell you how to get rid of Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue 

Syndrome, or whatever Chronic Illnesses you deal with.  Since I've been ill, there are more people talking about how to manage our illnesses, giving out comfort and encouragement, and wanting to have a dialogue than I have ever seen .  The internet has been a blessing in that regard.  However, that doesn't change that it is up to each of us to manage her health, even when she gets exhausted.  If you are at the point you can no longer care for your own needs, you may get assistance;  but for most of us, we still have to keep track of our daily routine.

And so, the balancing act goes on -- pacing ourselves, keeping track of our medications and supplements, as  well as facing each day with fatigue and pain that never entirely goes away.  Some days are better and other days, we wonder how we can keep going another day.  Most of the topics I write about  come out of my own experience and a few I have caught as I read, so I pass them on.  Today's topic is something I need to work on.

M E D I C I N E  &  S U P P L E M E N T S

A warning about medication and supplements is necessary, because small children are apt to be curious.  Please keep medication and supplements out of the reach of your children and grandchildren.  Some people even keep them in locked boxes.  Since our grandchildren do not live near enough to be here often, I put them in a place that is out of their reach when they visit.  When we visit them, I am also careful to keep medications out of their reach.

Medicine, Supplements, and Remembering to Take Them

Leftover pills that have not been taken.  These pill
containers were filled about two weeks ago.  How
does a person make it any easier than this?
Obviously, there has to be a concentration on
priorities.  The red pills are a cranberry pill
for helping to prevent UTI's.  They were not
needed anymore.  And this does not even give
you an accurate view of the pills that were in
there, which were left from previous weeks.

Confession Time has arrived for me, and I am wondering if anyone else deals with this.  Taking my medicine and supplements has been getting sporadic in my life.  I am pretty good about the medicine, but I get too busy or too tired and I don't keep up very well with my supplements.

Somehow, I have a feeling there are people out there saying, "Oh, it is easy.  Write it down.  Put them in your divided pill containers for the right time of day, etcetera, etcetera."  And I have done both:  I usually end up with lots of leftover vitamins and other supplements that are good for me.

Is anybody out there saying, "No wonder you haven't felt too great lately."?  Well,  I am sure it isn't helping that I have gotten slack on taking everything.

How To Keep Going When Your World Turns Upside Down

Have you ever noticed that children know exactly
what to do when they are worn out?  Our grandson
came into go potty;  and then, he sacked out in the
bed, wet bathing suit and all.  I love this picture.

Do you ever have a week or two that seems to turn your safe little world around?  Your routine is upside down and your body is gasping for energy.  Your brain is working, but it has slowed down to a 20 minute lag.  Everything seems to be painfully slow, and you know you need to take life at an easier pace.

Even now after years of illness, I get these guilty,  nagging, little feelings when I don't do everything I consider to be my work, my calling, my responsibility.  Does this happen to you, and what do you do about it?  Are you backed into an "I have to do it corner", whether it is detrimental to your health or not?  I have been there, and I ended up getting more ill, because I have never liked giving in to my illness.  At least, that is how I saw it.  I had to be stronger than that.  If my body was not going to cooperate, then I would trust in will over matter.  

I am not saying that I stopped praying.  I still trusted in God, but I also thought I had to push through to be well and to please Him.  However, at that point, I chalked most of my problems up to my liver, depression, fibromyalgia, and gaining weight.  I did not realize that my thyroid was compromised and I had multiple things going on in my body that added up to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  Actually, now when I look back at the onset of my illness, probably most of my problems were Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, including the depression.  It took total collapse to finally find out what was wrong with me.

Some people think they are weak because they cannot get well or work through these diseases/syndromes.  I would like to suggest most people are stronger than they realize.

The Gift

I forgot to tell you why my husband was breaking up soil with the tiller.  

A friend came over and plowed.  The soil was still too chunky, so my husband broke it up with a tiller.

On Saturday, my daughter, her husband, and part of their family planted us a vegetable garden.

What a blessing for a gardener that cannot plant and care for a garden, except for very minor details!