29 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

I just read a blog post by a scrapping friend of mine from last week about it being Invisible Illness Week. (See http://invisibleillnessweek.com) I had no idea there was such a thing, but it sure sounds like a good idea to me. I found the questions that my friend and over 70 bloggers answered last week to bring awareness to invisible illnesses, and I wanted to share with myself and you how I feel about my illness at this point in time.

1. The illness I live with is: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 2007

3. But I had symptoms since: Probably almost my whole life... at least since my teen years. However, I believe that what really set it off was a stomach bug I had in March of 2007.

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: not being spontaneous anymore. I have to think through what I eat, where I'm going, where the bathroom is, etc.

5. Most people assume: that my symptoms are caused by something in particular I ate. I mean, what I eat does have a lot to do with it, but I can eat a McDonald's hamburger today and be fine. But I eat the same hamburger tomorrow and have an IBS attack. For instance, my husband loves to grill out on Sunday evenings, and many times, it is steak he grills. For several weeks, every time I would eat a steak, I'd be sick. But then suddenly, everything was fine. I have eaten steak a couple of times in the last three weeks and had no problems whatsoever. There is really no rhyme or reason to it.

6. The hardest part about mornings are: I actually have fine mornings, unlike many people who suffer from IBS. The time of day when I most likely suffer an "attack" is 5-6pm, which really cuts into the cooking supper time, as my husband can attest.

7. My favorite medical TV show is: I don't watch them.

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: my throw that the neighbor's daughter made for me. I use it to cover up with when I have an attack because I have chills.

9. The hardest part about nights are: avoiding heartburn (which I never had until I got IBS).

10. Each day I take 5 pills & vitamins. Only one is for symptoms... an antacid to avoid the heartburn I mentioned above. I was given a antispasmodic to take when I thought I was going to eat something that would set off an attack, but I haven't taken those in months. I also have anti-anxiety medication to take as needed, because as I told my doctor, worrying about where the closest bathroom is at all times causes anxiety!

11. Regarding alternative treatments I: am open to most and may have tried a few... such as peppermint.

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Definitely invisible... though there are times that I wish I could wear a banner so that people understand why I'm acting the way I am. I read once about a woman who has IBS who had made up cards to explain to people why she needs to cut in line ahead of them in a public restroom. I've never had to resort to that, thank goodness, but I can sure understand it!

13. Regarding working and career: I have been out of work for 2 1/2 years. One of the reasons is my IBS - in the beginning, I could not have held down a job. Now, my symptoms are better, and I could go back to work if I so chose. Right now though, being a homemaker is fine with me.

14. People would be surprised to know: that I am constantly aware of what I am eating and how it will affect me and where the closest bathroom is. (Oh, and that I never burped out loud until I was diagnosed with IBS!)

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: Having to take so much down time. I wasn't used to that, but now I may have to lie down for awhile every day, waiting for an attack to pass.

16. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: eating at Wendy's and Red Lobster!

17. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: I have managed to eat Wendy's a couple of times recently.

18. The commercials about my illness: I haven't actually seen any commercials about IBS. There are no specific medications for it. You just have to manage it yourself.

19. It was really hard to have to give up: milkshakes. I sneak ice cream sometimes, but milkshakes are a no-no. And my mom makes the best!

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: I haven't taken up any new hobbies... I am fortunate that I am able to scrapbook and read like I always have.

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: eat lunch at Wendy's and dinner at Red Lobster. AND go hiking to a waterfall!

22. My illness has taught me: that resting and down time is OK. I didn't believe that before... I always had to be on the go.

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: "Well, it must have been that (insert whatever food here) that you ate. You may not be able to eat that anymore."

24. But I love it when people: don't look at me funny because I just spent 20 minutes in the bathroom.

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: "This, too, shall pass."

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: It is not the end of your world. It is just a bump in the road that will smooth out as time goes by. And you will be stronger for having been through it.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: how many people do. I have met so many people with IBS since I was diagnosed... I had no idea. Including members of my own family!

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: cook supper, clean house, put a wet washcloth on my forehead... and all of this has been done by my wonderful, understanding husband.

29. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: vulnerable... because I have just shared way more with you about my digestive habits than you ever wanted to know. But also glad if I bring more understanding about IBS to someone.

August 2009 Roundup

What books did I read this month? Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe

Magazines? Real Simple; Reader's Digest; Guidepost

What movies did I see this month? Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Netflix); Seven Pounds (Netflix); The Ugly Truth (theater); Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Netflix); Ratatouille (TV); Music and Lyrics (TV) (Repeat); Ghost Town (Netflix); Seven Pounds (Netflix); Bonnie and Clyde (Netflix)

TV Shows? 24; Leverage; Burn Notice; America's Most Wanted; John Edward's Cross Country; In Plain Sight; The Bill Engvall Show; The Cleaner; Dog the Bounty Hunter; Army Wives; CMT Insider; Golden Girls; Dateline on ID

What special days did I celebrate and how? Karen Tisdale's 40th Birthday party in Montgomery

What illness or health concerns did I have this month? Bronchitis

What fun things did I do with friends and/or family? Trip to Jacksonville with my sister; dinner with Missi and family while there; went to Montgomery for Karen's birthday party and had laughs with her and her friends; cropping with Carolyn at Archiver's

What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month? A couple of new restaurants in Jax - nothing too memorable

What special or unusual purchases did I make? Lots of scrapping supplies on that trip to Jacksonville!!

What were this month's disappointments? Just the usual loss of faith in humankind... :(

What were my accomplishments this month? Pulling together my sister's birthday gift... a tote bag of scrapbooking supplies!

Jacksonville Trip: Day 4

Pat and I got up and going about 7am. It was nice to not have to move rooms this morning!

Pat wanted me to take her back to the good sale at Jo-Ann's (LOL!), so I did. She got a pack of cardstock and one of the Nana's Kids paper stacks.

Next was the cemetery. The flowers I had left there in February were still there! I removed those and put new ones there. It affects me deeply to visit here. I miss him. I know I can talk to him anytime, but I feel more close to him in this place.

After another morning stop at Chick-fil-A (I do love those Minis!!), we headed on back to the scrapbook store. We cropped (other than a quick lunch) until about 3:30. I got six pages done over the last two days... the last one I worked on today was of the elephants at Busch Gardens, and I'm real happy with how it turned out.

We found a Hobby Lobby and did more shopping. They didn't have much on sale, but they had a good clearance rack this time around. I got several Cuttlebug dies. My sister got her a rolling tote for her scrapbook supplies, along with several embellishments. I tell you, I have created a monster! She is a scrapping machine! It is really too bad we don't live closer... she kept saying she'd love for us to be able to scrapbook together once a week. And that would be great... IF she would just quit bragging about how many pages she has finished! LOL

We went back to the motel and rested for a couple of hours. Then we met Missi, Jon, Brittany, and her BFF, Britteny, for dinner. (Brandon was out of town with his father.) It was great to see them. I really, really like Jon... he's so funny! Brittany is just a teenager... she had wanted to go to the scrapbook store, but she never called me to pick her up. I guess she changed her mind and wanted to do her own thing. Just typical kid stuff. We took a bunch of pictures, and she seemed to enjoy that. She even let me get a picture of her new braces! I think we all had a great evening - I know I did!

Like last night, my sister is sound asleep with the light on and the TV on! I guess I'll sign off and get ready for bed myself. I have a long day tomorrow - I'm going to drive all the way home.

Trip to Jacksonville - Days 1, 2, and 3

August 12: Last night I began to get a little nervous about my trip... I've never spent this much alone time with my sister! How would it go? We are actually going to be sharing a motel room! Will we get along? Will we get on each others' nerves? I mean, I think everything is going to be fine, based on our phone conversations and Facebook chats, but you never know!

I had lots to do before leaving... pack, give the cats their fluids and meds, clean out litter boxes, get gas, pick up prescriptions, etc... Busy, busy morning. But I actually got away earlier than I had feared and was on the road out of Covington by 12:00 Noon.

It is about a 4 1/2 hour drive to my sister's house in Waycross... mostly all back roads. The only interstate is 5 miles on I-75 in Macon and 50 miles on I-16. Many times I had no cell phone reception. I was officially in the country! Tracy had gone down earlier in the day to pick up a refrigerator we bought from my sister and brother-in-law and was already on his way back home with it... so we met for a FEW minutes in McRae. After that stop, I didn't think I would ever get there! I thought they had moved Waycross! But I did make it to their house about 4:30.

They have a beautiful home and made me feel soooo welcome. My sister cooked supper (yummy) (oh the black-eyed peas were to die for!!) and breakfast the next morning! Pat and I rode over to see her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. My great-niece is almost two and totally precious!!

August 13: We got up and going and left for Jacksonville about 9AM. We made a stop in Folkston, GA... gathering information about our father. Interesting tidbits there. We tried to visit the scrapbook store Callahan, FL, but it didn't opoen until 11 and we had too many stops to make to hang around. Maybe another time. Then we went to Fernandina Beach to pick up something re: Pat's family... and that's where the 'interesting' things started happening to us. Pat wanted to get a copy of her grandfather's death certificate. The Health Department doesn't have them anymore so we had to go to another location downtown. There the lady seemed totally put out that the death certificate was from 1990!! She said "1990?!! It'll take me a while since I have to dig back that far!" And wait we did. When she finally brought it out and handed it to Pat, she made it clear she was irritated about having to do her job: "Well, here you go." With a tone. And an attitude. And that was it.

I then took Pat to eat lunch at Firehouse Subs. She had never been there, and thank goodness she really liked it. I think I like it because the subs are warm. I don't care for cold sandwiches.

Anyway, we then went on down to Jacksonville. Our first stop was the Vital Statistics to pick up more birth and/or death certificates. Well, almost all of the people working there seemed to have attitude. But after about 45 minutes, we finally got all we needed. We then headed downtown to the office to get marriage/divorce records. That was another 45 minute wait! And after paying $15 to get the records the same day (as opposed to $5, but a 2-3 week wait) and more attitude, it wasn't even what we wanted!

So off we went to find the courthouse! Thank goodness for a GPS! "Samantha" as I call her, has saved me more than once, and she came through this time, too! We found the Clerk of Court's office and finally, got a really nice lady who was very patient while pulling those huge, heavy deed books for us. We made several copies here... and while not exactly what we were looking for, it gave us more than what we had. By this time, it's almost 5pm and we're exhausted! So it's off to the motel... in rush hour traffic. But we made it.

We were supposed to have dinner with our cousin, Ronnie, but his mother was put in the hospital and he needed to be there. So Pat and I found a hole-in-the-wall Mexican Restaurant right up the street and ate our fill of some yummy chips, salsa, quesadilla, and carne asada!! We went back to the motel and zonked out!

August 14: I didn't sleep very well... I never do on the first night in a strange place. I was hot most of the night and finally got up about 4:30am and turned the air on down to 68. It finally got bearable in the room. (Luckily, Pat is as hot-natured as I am!) But then about 6:30 am... barking! Yes, there was a dog on our floor - and it was only a couple of rooms away! And it barked non-stop. I got up and called the front desk. They said they would call that room. And the dog did get quiet for a short while, and then started again. Non-stop. We figured the owner had gone out and left it alone. Poor thing! We called the front desk again. There was no going back to sleep, so we started getting ready. When Pat went down to get coffee, she stopped at the front desk to talk to them about it. It seems that the dog's owner checked in on Tuesday and had been leaving the dog alone every day. The motel had been fielding complaints all week and giving away free nights right and left! They had been trying to get in touch with the dog's owner but he was not answering nor returning their calls. The guy has been sneaking in at night, taking a shower in the mornings and then sneaking back out, leaving the dog alone in the room! The motel has been checking on the dog, but can't take it out of the room.

Anyway, the motel moved us to a new room on the next floor and gave us tonight free! We appreciated that at least! And we cannot hear the poor puppy anymore.

We left the motel and drove to Orange Park (about 10 minutes away). We ate breakfast at Chick-fil-A - love those Chicken Minis!!! - and went to TJ Maxx and Jo-Ann's. Jo-Ann's was an ETC and was having a GREAT sale - 40% off just about every last thing for scrapbooking. We racked up! We were going to the cemetery for me to put some flower's on our nephew's grave, but Navy Captain Scott Speicher, the first soldier killed in the Gulf War, was being buried there today! So we had to put that off until tomorrow.

We went to Pictures In Time and did a little shopping, but their tables were covered up with boxes, and there was no room for us to scrapbook there. We went to Scrap 'n Stuff - also in Orange Park - and cropped there until almost 4pm. We went out about 2 to get some lunch. We decided to just grab something at McDonald's and take it back to the store. Well, this McDonald's is one of the old-timey looking ones - with the arches stretching along both sides of the building. Pat wanted pictures of it. While I waited on our food in the the drive thru, she got out and went to take some pictures with her camera. Almost immediately, an employee came out of the restaurant and asked Pat what she was taking pictures of. Pat told her she was taking pictures of the golden arches! The employee asked her why. Pat said, "To scrapbook!" And the employee told Pat that she understood, but that there were people in the restaurant having to duck and cover their faces because they thought she was taking pictures of them!!! Unbelievable!! Are they on the run? Having lunch with someone they shouldn't??? Who knows! Just another example of the crazy stuff that has happened to us on this trip.

When we left the scrapbook store at 4pm, it stormed hard. We went to another store and shopped for a bit and then came back to the motel. It was storming so badly, we sat in the car for about 30 minutes.

Ronnie couldn't meet us for dinner again tonight, so we went up the street to St. John's Seafood and had sone shrimp. They were good!

As I type this, my sister is sound asleep (and has been for about an hour and a half) and I'm ready for bed myself.

Good night.

July 2009 Roundup of Memories

What books did I read this month? Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (book club); Digging to America by Anne Tyler; In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (audio book)

Magazines? Guidepost

What movies did I see this month? Kung Fu Panda, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (at the theater), Mr. Brooks, National Treasure, Clueless, Failure to Launch (again), The Holiday (again), Bonnie & Clyde: The True Story (1992 version), The Italian Job (again), Hancock, Transporter 3, Mutiny on the Bounty (Clark Gable), The Proposal (at the theater)

TV Shows? Burn Notice, Leverage, 24, CMT Insider, America's Most Wanted, Saving Grace, The Cleaner, The Bill Engvall Show, Saving Grace, Lie to Me, 30 Days, Chelsea Lately, I Survived, The Soup

What special days did I celebrate and how? Another one for my birthday - w/Donna Joseph

What illness or health concerns did I have this month? Retaining fluids in my legs - blood work done and put on a diuretic. High blood sugar - lowered through diet.

What fun things did I do with friends and/or family? Tracy and I went to Myrtle Beach; cropping with Christy and Carolyn every Wednesday; Lunch and movie with Donna Joseph; visited Fernbank Science Center with my mom

What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month? Sticky Fingers (ribs) in Myrtle Beach - great baked beans and corn meal muffins!!; Rico's World Market in Buford - excellent Shrimp Po'Boy!

What special or unusual purchases did I make? We bought a down comforter with a duvet cover - it's pretty comfy! Bought several magnets and T-shirts while in Myrtle Beach. Got some more Sizzix alphabets and other dies.

What were this month's disappointments? The condo we stayed in at Myrtle Beach; the probability that I will not get my $200 deposit back from the condo where we stayed in Washington DC

What were my accomplishments this month? Getting through the busy weeks!

June 2009 Roundup of Memories

What books did I read this month? "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou (book club)

Magazines? Guideposts, Real Simple Travel

What movies did I see this month? The Blue Dahlia (Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake) (1946); Rain Man; Arsenic and Old Lace (Cary Grant); A Few Good Men; Juno

TV Shows? Ghost Whisperer, CSI, The Mentalist, Bones, Desperate Housewives, Lie to Me, America's Most Wanted, Dateline: Taylor Swift, NBS Special: Day in the Life of the Obama White House, 24, CMT Insider, Dateline on ID, Law & Order: CI

What special days did I celebrate and how? My birthday! Lunch with Stacey; Lunch at Varisty and visit to IKEA with Donna B; cropping with Christy and Carolyn with a cake; lunch with Lisa; visit from Mom with cookie cake; dinner with Tracy.

What illness or health concerns did I have this month? None! Just the usual allergy and IBS stuff.

What fun things did I do with friends and/or family? Lunch with Yvette; Went with Mom to pick out her new kitty cats; my birthday and all it entailed; cropping with Christy and Carolyn every week; visiting my cousin, Wesley, in Kite.

What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month? None that I can think of. Tracy was working on a big project and was gone a lot so I didn't cook much.

What special or unusual purchases did I make? We bought a car! A 2008 Mercury Mariner. More Sizzix (including several alphabets!), a table for my laptop; a desk chair for Tracy (which Patches is using WAY more than he does!)

What were this month's disappointments? None!

What were my accomplishments this month? Not having a car payment!

Better late than never - my birthday

I'm way behind on posting to my blog. I seem to do several posts in one day and then nothing for a month! So I'm just now sharing some thoughts on my birthday last month.

As always, I talk up my birthday so much that my friends have no choice but remember it! But I do love my birthday. So many do not understand why... but I'm sure it goes back to my childhood... like so many things. My father must have hated Christmas cause he was always in a foul mood that time of year. He ruined many of them, so now I'm not crazy about Christmas myself. Over the years, my issue has become that Christmas is so commercialized now... they have the Christmas stuff out before Halloween! It's this big push to buy the "just right" gift for everyone on your list. The very people who tell you that "Jesus is the reason for the season" are also the ones who are rushing from store to store trying to find that perfect gift. There is no extra politeness at Christmas time... people are too hurried, too rushed, too pressured to get way too much done in a month's time.

Anyway, with that said... Daddy didn't like Christmas, but his birthday and Father's Day were all about him, so he was good with that. And his birthday was 3 days after mine, and Father's Day was right around then, too, so he was always in a pretty good mood that time of year. When I was a child, we were usually on vacation at Lake Lure, North Carolina, on my birthday. But my mom always had me a cake and presents in that motel room. My birthday was never glossed over or forgotten in the busy-ness of vacation.

So thus... I have fonder memories of my birthday. Plus as I've said many times, your birthday is your own special day... it should be celebrated. On the day you came into this world, for someone, be it your mother, your father, your grandmother, your adoptive parents, or your sibling, it was the best day of their life. Now THAT's something to celebrate!

For many, it's just a reminder that they are getting older. Well, I'm not thrilled about aging either, but it is what it is. There's no stopping it. There's no changing it. All the diet and exercise in the world is not going to make us live for 150 years. Part of the human experience is aging and dying. Can't change it so I might as well make the best of it. Thus, I have happy birthdays!! :)

This year was really great. With joining Facebook, I was able to hear from so many people I wouldn't have heard from otherwise. I had lunches with friends, crops with friends, dinner with my husband, a visit from my mom, cards and calls from so many people, plus more I'm probably not remembering to mention here. I even had one friend who kept me going on text messaging, trying to figure out who she was for about 2 hours!! LOL

But I wanted to share the most ironic moment of my day...

I'm at the Varsity with my friend, Donna B., on June 16th. (Isn't that a great place to eat your birthday lunch??!!) Anyway, I get a phone call from Brittany. (Very sweet, right? for her to remember my day!) This is how I remember the conversation:

"Happy Birthday, Aunt Lizzie!"

"Thank you, Baby!"

Some idle chatter here.

Then...

"I miss you so much, Aunt Lizzie!" (And I'm thinking... 'Then why don't you bring your butt to Georgia this summer???!!!!!')

Then I told her:

"I told Uncle Tracy that with the money we're saving from you guys not coming up this summer, he should take me to the beach!"

And she said... (Are you ready for this?!)

"You should come down here to the beach and see me!"

Oh, yes she did. Like only a teenager can do. Luckily, I can laugh at it!

And let me just add... Tracy and I are going to Myrtle Beach next week... NOT Florida!! LOL

Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful friend and family who made my 42nd birthday so GREAT!!