The Healing Properties of Water

Water is good for us. Our bodies are made up of mostly water. Pink bags of water if you watched Enterprise. 60% water -I believe!

I drink mostly water. I find it helps with many of my problems. It reduces fluid in my ears, it helps with inflammation and soothes my thirst. 

When I took a boot camp exercise class, my body ached everywhere and I could barely walk, so I took a bath. Oh the relief I got from soaking in the tub was tremendous! 

So now when I overdo, which is easy, because I am out of shape. Also, with the fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis I get sore easily... so baths help restore me. 

The next time your muscles ache, instead of reaching for pain killers or a rub, try a bath, a pool, the ocean, a hot tub... It may help you. I know it helps me. 

Tips for Traveling with a Chronic Illness

Today began with me feeling dizzy & drunk. Yes, MD often makes me feel that way. It began about 3:30 am when my DH woke me. We showered and headed to the airport bound for San Antonio. 

Tips:

1. Preorder wheelchair assistance. Also, you get to board first. It helps on days like today when I am not too steady on my feet. You can tell your assistant to slow down if you’re getting motion sick. Boarding 1st means I don’t have to bounce off people going up the aisle.
2. Pack in advance. Make sure you have whatever you need to make your vacation fun. Rescue meds, medication to last the trip plus a few extra. I carry a folding cane in my backpack for days like today. 
3. Try not to stress out about the what if’s. In my experience it makes my illness worse. If I should have a vertigo attack or feel like today, I will take it easy and even take a nap if necessary.
4. Relax! You are on vacation or holiday after all, so take it easy. Don’t be rigid in your schedule. If you cannot do what you want or even everything you want don’t worry about it. 
5. Take lots of photos so you have memories. Not just of the places, but the people who are with you.
6. Make sure the people you are with know what to do if you have an attack. 
7. Have Fun! This is probably the most important thing. Try not to dwell on what’s wrong, but live in the moment. Laugh & enjoy! 

Despite how I felt earlier, I feel much better now. We have done a bit of sightseeing before checking into our hotel room. Now we are resting before dinner. Yes, resting, because if you have an illness rest rejuvenates. 

I hope you are spin free!

Love, Peace and Light! Rita 

5 Great Things

A very talented friend of mine asked her Facebook friends to tell her 5 great things. I decided this will make a great blog. I hope so anyway. 

I think is important to be able to find 5 great things in my life. If I can’t then my life needs improvement. Sometimes just getting out of bed is a great thing. With a debilitating chronic illness, it’s not always possible. 

It helps us to be able to assess and re-assess our lives. After living for years in the depths of depression, it is important to be able to find the great things in life. Because my depression is chronic I still fall into it, but I don’t stay there for long. Winter seems to be the hardest time for me. 

I used to be a pessimist who hoped for the best. I was never disappointed. Now I am more optimistic. Changing my mindset helped tremendously. I try to see the positives rather than dwelling on the negatives. 

Some people make this harder. I found its best to eliminate them from my life. It’s not always easy when those people are in your family, but I limit my association.

It’s like the old song says, “eliminate the negative... accentuate the positive. I like to start out my mornings thinking something positive. Something simple like, I’m lucky to have my husband. Sometimes, it’s I managed to get out of bed.

The meditation (autocorrect wanted to change that to medication) that I do has been helping tremendously to get rid of my natural obsession of focusing on negative things. I am still a work in progress. 

Here are my 5 great things:

1. My husband- I love him more everyday.
2. Laughter- without laughter eliminating the negatives would be next to impossible for me.
3. Travel- I have been blessed to be able to travel. It’s something I always wanted to do and even though I may need breaks because MD & FMS let me know they’re around, I still do it.
4. My Ménière’s Worldwide Family- I wish no one had to suffer from MD. it’s good that I have people I can talk to who really understand what I go through. I am lucky mine is not as bad as others. 
5. The Good Days- having a debilitating illness makes me cherish the good days. 

So there is my list of 5 great things and this is what I keep in mind on those days that I can’t get out of bed. They are gifts that I have been given and I need to remember to take the time to appreciate them. 

What are 5 great things in your life? Please feel free to tell me in the comments.

I hope you are spin free!

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

A Little Insanity

I found the best website for corn muffins. It’s called A Little Insanity. These muffins are so delicious I could eat them all day. 

Since finding out about my allergies to cows milk and wheat, I haven’t had many bread products. So this is a win for me. I did follow her recipe and used the eggs. I have a minor egg white allergy and didn’t feel like separating the yolks. 

I used the corn meal as I didn’t have corn flour. I had the dairy free butter & the milk alternative. I opted to use Soy milk over the coconut milk, because I didn’t want the coconut to overwhelm the corn taste. 

My cupboards are starting to hold things that I can eat. There is a lot of trial and error in my kitchen. Not all recipes are created equal. 

There is a bright side to being unable to have wheat or cows milk. Technically more than one. I have lost weight. I am down to 195 from over 215. It’s coming off slowly, but I think this is good. I may be able to keep it off this time. 

My scarf hides the too big neckline of my sweater. I think clothes should change to fit the body. LOL!

I am excited when I find things I can eat. Some Italian Restaurants have a gluten-free pasta alternative. Mexican always has corn tortillas. And I am finding fantastic recipes online. 

I hope you are spin free!

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Laughter

Laughter is truly the best medicine. While it may not cure all that ails me, it helps me cope. Like getting photobombed by a goat. We wanted him to photobomb us. We had a lot of giggles trying to get this photo. 

Laughter also has the added benefit of releasing the chemicals that keeps depression at bay. Most people who have chronic illnesses are susceptible to depression. I have an ongoing battle with the fiend. Laughter helps me through it. 

I will be the first to admit that I have a warped sense of humor. Some people might not realize that I have one at all. Still I enjoy laughing. It takes special people to make me laugh. Fortunately, I am surrounded by special people. My husband and online support group. Ménière’s Worldwide is not for everyone, but it’s perfect for me. 

I am able to laugh at myself. This is important, otherwise I would cry. I mean bouncing off walls, bumping into stationary objects and tipping over are part of my daily life. I am able to laugh it off and make fun of myself. For instance when others see me tip and my arms go out, I say, “I’m practicing my ballet moves.” 

My advice is to surround yourself with people who make you laugh and don’t take yourself so seriously. If you can do this it will make life better. And if you have a chronic debilitating illness, it will make it more bearable. 

I hope you are spin free!

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Thankful

Thanksgiving is this Thursday in the US so I thought I’d take a minute to tell you for what I am thankful. 

First of all my husband and the new experiences he brings to me. 

We watch baseball’s Astros, hockey’s Vegas Golden Knight and NASCAR. Who knew I’d ever enjoy watching sports? 

We travel by plane, car and cruise ship. Whether we’re camping, cruising or staying in a hotel, we enjoy ourselves. I have done so many new things and visited places I never thought I could. Ralph and I are on an amazing adventure together. 

I love my furry children. 2 dogs and 3 cats. Holly, Chewy, Renegade, Blitz and Lazarus. I am thankful to have them nearby to love and be loved.

I am thankful for my sister, brother and dad. All my nieces and nephews and my extended family. 

I am thankful for my ability to write and speak my mind. That I am able to advocate for myself and others with invisible disabilities. To write and speak about my own struggles and successes. 

I am grateful that I found a group with others with Ménière’s who understand what I am going through. I don’t know how I would have gotten through coming out of remission without the members of MWW. They were with me when I had a full blown episode in May and through all the mini spins and even when I had vertigo from my food allergies, giving support and advice. 

I am thankful for my life! 

I hope you are spin free.

Love, Peace and Light! Rita

Celebrating Life

It’s been beautiful in Las Vegas this November. Now it’s just light jacket or hoody weather. I have been feeling better than I have in months on most days. 

The Ménière’s and Fibromyalgia still inform that they are still around.

So today as I am about ready to face the treadmill for my stress test, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate life. I have a wonderful husband, pets and family who love me and I love back! 

I belong to a wonderful church community here in the desert. In Zanesville I belonged to one as well. I have a wonderful online support group on Facebook that allows me to talk with others who share my disease. 

I am blessed in so many ways. So I celebrate life today. Life is beautiful if you allow yourself to see the good around you. I try to look for the positives. I’m not always successful. 

So here is my moment today to say Thank You for this wonderful life. I will try to make each day more beautiful for those around me and to look for the beauty even on cloudy days. 

I hope you are spin free!

Love, Peace and Light! Rita