27 March 2023 Feeling Like Spring

Hello to you how are you today? I hope we’ll. It’s starting to look and feel like spring already here in Idaho. My neighbors flowers are starting to push up through the winter soil. Every time I walk past her yard and see them I feel like smiling. Mother Nature, this earth is so amazing isn’t she? I’m always amazed at how quickly, with just a few elements life is able to happen. Like a construction site where a mound of dirt is pushed off to the side and within a short time it being covered with life. Last year I was awed by a beautiful purple flower growing in a crack in my Aunt and Uncles driveway. God is good! So much evidence of the master of creation.

On a slightly different note, we are trying to break a cycle of going to bed late and getting up late. I try to go to start winding down at 9 pm but often don’t fall asleep right away. I wake up around 8 am automatically no matter what I do. My Aunt, Uncle and therapist have been encouraging me to just get up. I need to practice this – May be make an appt with myself. Make a coffee date or exercise appt- something. Link and I walk in the morning but he likes to dawdle and I wonder if he’s starting to feel his age (like I am!) Anyhew I have been having spinning spells when I move a certain way the past couple of days.

24 March 2023 Communication

Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. Each day my online therapist app Better Health has a suggested topic. Todays topic had to do with what communication looks like. A phrase that came to mind almost immediately was “use your words.” Sometimes I don’t have the clarity I’d like to properly communicate things. This has been happening as I’ve tried to explain what I’m experiencing on a daily basis with the Mal de barque syndrome stuff. People ask me if I’m feeling better with swaying and stuff and the answer is usually no. Like this morning I had a dizzy spell like vertigo. It was very brief – when I rolled over in bed.

I’m scheduled for an MRI on the 19th of April to see what’s going on inside my head. Hopefully nothing that can’t be fixed.

I’ve had a lot of people praying for me through this. I am so grateful for the love and support from my family and friends. God must have some sort of plan in all this.

20 March 2023 Neurology Appt

Hello to you. How are you? I’m pretty much the same. This morning my Aunt and I went to a neurologist appt. He did tests to see my reflex response like tapping my knees and wrists and touching the bottom of my feet. He couldn’t find anything so wants to do an MRI and see if anything shows up to explain why I’m experiencing the swaying motion when I walk. He was familiar with Mal de barque syndrome but wasn’t aware of any connection between getting tased and brain and nerve damage. So we shall see what happens.

I was grateful to have my Aunt there with me. When I was married, I had my husband with me all the time. Now that I’m divorced I have to rely on family and they are so happy to help! I am truly grateful and blessed to have supportive family and friends.

A reflection:

Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of social media posts from people from my generation reflecting on what it’s been like growing up when we did. I was born in 1968 and it really is amazing how much we have advanced in some ways and regressed in others. With people living longer there is a mich mesh of generations co-existing at the same time. There is a lot of overlapping between generations. A lot of people seem to want things to go back to “normal” and as I see it what we are experiencing is our new normal. Everyone just wants to do and be what they want but there are forces pushing back against it. Specifically the LGBTQ+ agenda. As a woman who has struggled at times with being born a woman and accepting my lot in life I sometimes get jealous of women who have decided to go through with trans surgery. Specifically top surgery I hate having large breasts. A lot of these types of folks end up on Tik Tok and I am drawn to their pages and stories. One person I was drawn to, can’t remember there name but they laid it out that if you are identifying as trans it is a mental illness. You have to get an official diagnosis in order to go forth with trans surgery and hormone therapy. I had never heard someone say that before. I have found drag queens fascinating. My ex and I used to watch Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Most of the contestants were gay and some trans. You don’t just wake up one day and decide these things. Most seem to know early on that they are different. I was probably 5 or 6 years old when I remember telling my Grandma I was supposed to be a boy. I was one of two female grandchildren, the rest were boys. So it makes sense I would think that. I am glad to be a woman despite the drawbacks! When I was a teenager I was anorexic and bulemic and really thin and athletic but struggled with my weight. I had short hair and was often mistaken for a boy! Anyhew it’s interesting to see the generations getting older clashing in social media. Terms like identifying as binary and stuff I just don’t understand. To me, from my own experience, everybody just seems to be trying to belong…to find their tribe. I am trying to find mine again. I had one in Texas but it split apart. I am attending a Bible study with a nice group of women from church. As welcoming as they are I still don’t feel like I fit in. Is team Jesus my tribe? Just as I am?

Since my last psychotic break or episode it’s been really quiet for me spiritually, mentally and physically. As I’ve mentioned before I get real tired easily and that’s probably due to being overweight. There is more of me to lug around. The medications I’m on have brought about silence in the creativity department and my spirituality is quiet too. I’m having trouble finding my tribe – who or what do I belong when at times I don’t have the clarity to express a single thought? This post is the longest I’ve done in a while!

Generation X seems like I’m part of a broken generation. A generation of people that worked until they got broken so now our days are made up of medical appts and new diagnosis! I have seen and experienced so much brokenness. Everything from being born when Martin Luther King was killed to stuff like Columbine, Sandyhook, the Challenger explosion and 9/11. The technology boom in just a short time. I remember computer data being processed on punch cards! I’m 55 years old and sometimes I feel ancient when I reflect on all I’ve lived through. God must have some use for me yet!

I’ll close for now. Just reflecting and thinking about where I’m at and where I want to head this leg of my journey.

15 March 2023 Belonging

Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. I’m just home from joining my Aunt and Uncle at Golden Corral in Nampa ID and members of their life group from church (Grace Bible Church Nampa). I never eat my moneys worth at buffet restaurants but it was nice and the food was decent. I quit eating when I was full which can be hard at such a place with its endless supply for you to gorge yourself on!

It was nice to meet some more people – all older than me. Most of the people my age are still working so I don’t see them except like Tuesday’s Women’s Bible study I’ve been going to and church services when I go. I am wanting to have a sense of belonging and my Aunt tries to help me with that. It doesn’t help that I get tired so easily – the Mal de barque syndrome – all my movements are exaggerated and I feel like I’m lugging around so much extra weight ( which I am!) I feel so out of shape and sluggish. Even after a month using the Steve Harvey drink powder (L’elevate you) I still don’t feel much different.

10 March 2023 Sunset

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok. My energy levels have been pretty low so me and the couch and You tube have been besties lately. When I let Link out a few minutes ago I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful sunset – the light in the neighbors tree really was vibrant. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt inspired to take a photo of natural beauty. I hope it pleases you too.

A beautiful look at my neighbors tree in contrast of light and shadow

11 February 2023 L’Evate You (trying something new)

Hello to you. How are you today? I hope we’ll. Today started with something new. I decided to try a Steve Harvey sponsored super greens drink product and I got to try my first drink today. It didn’t taste bad at all and I feel pretty good – too soon to tell of course but we shall see. I got 3 months worth so that should give me enough time to see if it’s doing anything. I normally don’t buy stuff like this but something about this resonated with me. I trust Steve Harvey and his testimony really intrigued me to buy his product. The combination of greens is meant to go towards healing at the mitrochondrian cellular level. Here is his testimony from the website for the product:

For years, I had been struggling to keep the energy up needed for my busy schedule. I felt like I was on the sidelines of my life. Not in the game of life. I was struggling with a lack of energy, gut issues, brain fog, and just not feeling right in my own body.

Thanks to my personal health team, they discovered the root cause of my issues started in my cells. Yes, you read that right! My cells. As we age, our cells become damaged, specifically the mitochondria in our cells. These little things are the energy centers or batteries of our cells. Just like when a car’s battery starts to rust, the same thing happens to the mitochondria. This so-called rust damages the mitochondria in our cells and causes loss of energy, gut issues, signs of aging, and so much more. How does this damage happen? Well, to name a few things– the standard American diet, aging, and toxins. 

Now, I’m on a mission: to make better health accessible to all, without a prescription. My personal health team created powerful greens powders with a game-changing complex called M-Charge. This complex contains 4 miracle molecules, as I like to call them, that essentially recharge my mitochondria and get them working again. After experiencing L’Evate You, I finally feel better. My best. And I’m no longer on the sidelines of my life and back in the game. 

No matter where you are in your health journey, L’Evate You is for you. It’s the tool you need in your toolkit to keep your energy up, be your best self, and feel recharged to do what matters most to you.

Welcome to the L’Evate You community! 

– Steve Harvey

My first package of L’Evate You

25 January 2023 Hearing

Hello to you. How are you? Yesterday I had an audiology appt and unfortunately it didn’t include diagnosing Mal de barque syndrome. The tester was aware of the condition but wasn’t able to diagnose it with her tests. She recommended I see a neurologist. My hearing was ok which was good. I have an appt Monday with my primary care doctor so we will discuss the audiology appt results and recommendations. I am hoping a referral to neurology will be possible. Apparently it’s hard to get an appt.

I am trying to stay positive through this process. There is a part of me that struggles to stay actively engaged in what’s happening. I am not thrilled about being in the “system.” I was trying to avoid this but it seems I cannot avoid it any longer.

21 January 2023 Falling

Hello to you. How are you? I had a rough night – didn’t get much sleep and Link didn’t either. I let him out and he wouldn’t come back in so I put in my flip flops to go after him and slipped and fell on my butt right away! I didn’t really get hurt too bad thank God just startled. Hopefully the rest of the ice will melt today!

I’m just grateful I wasn’t seriously injured as I broke a wrist before in a previous fall a couple years ago.

19 January 2023 The Chap

Hello to you. How are you today? Yesterday I had a nice visit with my cousin. She wanted to go out to lunch so we tried a place I hadn’t been to before here in town called The Chap Wine and Tap. They had a very small menu of burgers and what we ordered was really good. She got French fries and I got onion rings. It was a nice place to go and looked like a men’s group was meeting there. After lunch we went and got groceries. I had vertigo, spinning sensations off and on so I appreciated the company and help.

Today is my other cousins birthday- she’s in Arizona celebrating. Happy Birthday Laura!

17 January 2023 First Session

Hello to you. How are you today? Today I had my first online session with a therapist through better help.com. I was surprised that he was deaf so it was kind of hard to understand him at times but I think we connected. He taught me a anxiety grounding technique 3 2 1. Three things you can see, two things you can touch or smell, one thing you can hear. It’s a way to ground yourself when your having a panic attack. I shared this video with him that helps me a lot: https://youtu.be/pJWY3Bkkaew – Relax For Awhile Anxiety Attack Talkdown

Today we have sunshine which is great! I really feel bad for those people in California that are dealing with flooding and rains right now.