Am I joining a new club?

Might be! My FMS has been pretty interesting lately. I finally gave in and went to the pain clinic. Was put on an med regimen that seems to help in the pain sphere. A side effect has been loosing more weight. I am down to 148 at last doc visit. One not so fun thing has been a complete lack of appetite. I have never been a large eater but now I actually have to remind myself to eat or I can go the whole day without a bite and not notice. It has however made me notice more when I am having sensitivities to food. My most recent flare began after eating my favorite meal. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and brown gravy. Within hours I was in the bathroom with stomach cramps that were excruciating. I proceeded to be sick through the night. I was so weak and sick through the next day that I stayed on the couch all day. Then the next day I woke with a horror of a migraine. I think our presidential candidates tried to have a boxing match in my skull and caused my brain to swell. It was awful. I luckily already had an appointment at my clinic scheduled. I am loving them. I was very against going due to my past history with drugs and the horror stories but they are a whole body wellness kind of place. I have done physical therapy there and message therapy. Been great. Anyway my doc had some big concerns. Due to my sensitive stomach she suspects Celiac's or at least some significant food allergy issues. Hence the new club. So I need to find a good GI and get checked out. She also wants me to find a new primary doc. They handle a lot of my needs but some needs need a PCP and mine just hasn't done some things I guess she should be. My hematologist who monitors the lymphocyte issue said as much when I saw him in April but to have another of my team make the same recommend must mean its true. She feels I need more blood monitoring due to being a chronic illness patient. She also thinks I need someone who does more than write a prescription. Which I agree with. I guess I just figured she was doing what she was supposed to be doing. So wish me luck. I am trying to take my health in hand but the road is a long one, longer than I ever dreamed. I had really hoped that a diagnosis would mean fix but at this point I will take what I can get. Much love to all!

Being in limbo sucks so let's talk FLU!

While we work on the whole home buying thing it leaves the preparedness issue a bit in the "will get to soon" category. Don't want to add to what we need to move, lol.

Sooooo that leaves me with a lot of time to ponder other things. So the Swine Flu issue has been in my thoughts. I am hoping the reason for no American deaths is due to our vaccines, immunities, and health care but I figured it was important to remind people not using the vaccines and health care that they need to. Even if you know you have the flu please get it confirmed by your doctor. With so many strains out there it can help the CDC get a fix on trends and risk areas to have the data of our tests.

Also flu facts seem prudent to share here. Flu 'season" is typically October - May in the U.S. with peak falling somewhere between December and March. Being vaccinated is good but is not 100% protection as the vaccine is formed from the data I told you about earlier. Better to be vaccinated then not though.

The best fighter we have against flu are anti-viral meds. These need to be started within 12-48 hours of onset of symptoms hence another reason seeing the Dr. is important. Another good reason for anti-viral meds is that if a family member catches the flu the meds can help protect you from catching it.

All my info came from fluFACTS.com. Remember children and the elderly are most at risk but anyone can catch it!