My Perfect Day!

My Perfect Day!

As many know, I have suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Myofascial Pain and Fibromyalgia for over ten years.

Most of the time I am not able to indulge in any lengthy project at home or elsewhere due to a very limited amount of energy which is nearly always prresent in these neuro/immune disorders.  Typical days involve getting the bed made, cleaning up the kitchen, maybe a load of laundry and sweeping the floor.

The majority of my time, therefore, is spent on the computer or watching an interesting documentary or baseball game on the television.  I communicate with so many that I have come to know through wordpress, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.   I love my online friends and feel like I truly personally know them as we share so much together.  This goes for men as well as women.  I have more men friends now than I’ve ever had.  I enjoy you all and hope to keep you as friends and followers for some time to come.

But today was a treat for me.  I was able to get outdoors on a beautiful sunny morning with a light breeze.  My husband delivered numerous six packs of pansies, petunias, marigolds, etc. for beautifying the deck and yard.  This has been a gift.  I was able to spend almost 2 hours planting, digging in the soil, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.  My husband was riding the mower so the sweet scent of fresh cut grass permeated my every pore.  Reds, oranges, yellows and purples feasted my eyes and the puppies played in the grass, wrestling and chewing on each other in the newly mowed lawn.  I was in my glory.  I didn’t want the gardening gloves on, I wanted to feel and smell the rich soil fully.

Once I was finished sweating and toiling, lol, I had a quick lunch, still had energy to do the dishes after a lengthy rest, and am now enjoying watching a replay of last night’s Minnesota Twins victory over the Texas Rangers.  It was a sweet win coming in the bottom of the ninth for our team.

Yes, today is a good day.  The leaves have opened up almost overnight after taking forever to come to life with our very cold spring here in Minnesota.  Now we are already moving into tornado season.  Just yesterday a monstrous twister hit the Dakota’s and we live in an area of MN where warnings are frequent.

I love sitting in my chair, looking outdoors to see all of the greenery, the beautiful flowers.  My peonies are already two feet in height and they will provide numerous full bouquets for my home quite soon.  The lilacs are yet to bloom which are absolutely heavenly fragranced.

Today I thank God for my many blessings.  I thank Him for my extra energy to spend outdoors.  I thank Him for His beautiful creation in this world.  God is in my body and soul.  He cares for me every minute of the day.  He took my health challenges and worked them into the best saving grace I could ever have imagined receiving.  Today I am super happy.  Today I look forward to seeing my adult son for the first time in two years.  Thursday he flies into Mpls./St. Paul for a four day visit to see his ailing grandmother.  Life is good.

Allyson Clayton Photography

Allyson Clayton

THE DREAM

 

Free copy of kindle edition of Courage Times Three on Amazon.com

Get your free copy of “Courage times three” for your reading pleasure. Available through Amazon.com, the kindle edition or Barnes and Noble for under $1. Here are the links for you. If you do not have a reader, you can download a free version of kindle on your pc. Will share all of these links with you.

http://www.amazon.com/Courage-Times-Three-Brenda-Elliott-ebook/dp/B00EZY2ELA/ref=la_B00F46EOFW_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399659752&sr=1-1

http://www.barnesand…noble.com/w/courage-times-three-a-novel-brenda-brown-elliott/1117050235?ean=2940148813712

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1000426311&tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=43940380608&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7764349170487000455&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_9ns220msf3_b

See More

Courage Times Three. A Novel

COURAGE TIMES THREE. A NOVEL is a heartwarming while eye opening epic saga of life in Europe during the world wars. WWII left millions more jobless, homeless and even worse, without families than WWI. Their biggest challenge was…

amazon.com

 

Brenda Lee Elliott shared your photo.

1 hr ·

 

 

F R E E starting Friday, May 9th through Tuesday May 13th, get Courage Times Three. A Novel on Kindle in recognition of May 12th – International ME/CFS & FM Awareness Day.

Treat Myself with Kindness

Today I will treat myself with kindness

and let go of all harsh self-judgments.

Today I will hold myself accountable in all I do.

Today I will live with integrity.

Today I will reflect on what it is that I truly value.

Today I will make every effort to make my

actions match my values and beliefs.

Today I will remind myself that living

with integrity brings peace of mind.

Today I will not betray myself or others.

Today I will not dwell on mistakes that I have

made in the past, but I will acknowledge

the lessons that I have learned.

Today I will open my eyes to the good

things that surround me.

Today I will pause long enough to appreciate today.

-Kristin Barton Cuthriell, MSW, MEd, LCSW

Off to see the judge!

Today I pack my bags and tomorrow I leave for the city (Mpls) to report to a Skype session with a judicial judge who will, once again, make a determination as to whether or not I am eligible to receive disability benefits for my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Myofascial Pain Disease.

My first claim was denied through the process four times.  There are no tests that can prove these are the illnesses that one has.  They must go by what the patient states.  Various meds are prescribed for us by bewildered doctors who are guessing at what they can do for us.  Many become angry thinking it is just impossible to have all the symptoms accompanying the illnesses with not a trace of any of our bloodwork being out of sync or scans or vitals, something to indicate something is awry.

More frustrating, of course, is the fact that those of us with these illnesses cannot prove we are so very very  sick.  I have spent months being bedridden, so weak and fatigued I couldn’t shower, or make a sandwich, or play with my grandchild.  We are talking massive fatigue, pain of every kind and duration, along with IBS, weight gain from a sedentary lifestyle, reactions to meds, normal exercise exacerbates our symptoms,   the list goes on and on.  I am merely stating the fact here.  I look normal unless you see me in bed for days or weeks.

So tomorrow, after being denied three times again on this second claim of mine, I will plead with the human kindness of one particular soul who will make a determination as to whether he believes me or not.

I pray!  My connection with God is now entirely impenetrable.  I seek nothing more than His kindness, approval and grace.  He has used my struggles and challenges to serve Him by teaching me to do for  others on the computer.  I cannot serve Him physically but I can by spreading His Word to those who are in desperate need of it.  Because, you know What?  There is no other way to get the peace and joy within, than through Him.  Jesus is my Lord and Savior.  The Holy Spirit guided me through the entire novel that I wrote, “Courage Times Three”, which has a positive impact on people to be the best they can be.

Please pray that my judge, this time around, will hear and see my pain and suffering for what it is.  I struggle, yet I am content in Him.  Blessings going out to all today that your day, your week, your health will be all it can be.  Brenda

 

Patty

“Are you here by yourself?” she whispered as I sat near the back of the church.  This church that was oh so familiar to me but that I hadn’t seen in at least 25  years.  “Yes, I am alone” I modestly responded to this tall beautiful woman who looked half my age and had the prettiest smile I had seen in a long time.  One of those people whose eyes smile when their mouth does, you know?

“Would you mind if I sit here next to you” she asked in a continued whisper of a voice.  “Oh!  Please do sit with me” I cheerily stated as a huge smile spread across my solemn face.

This church, the church I attended Sunday School at and was confirmed and married at.  My family church growing up that had closed down for years was now newly occupied by a non-denominational group with a Baptist background.  And Patty!  Patty who saw a need in me to be befriended by herself and others here in this bride of Jesus’.  My instant sense of comfort, of course, came from the familiarity of knowing this building.

My greatest gift, however, came not entirely from this beautiful group of fine Christians who were mostly middle aged and had a genuine love for the Lord that spoke volumes in their kindnesses and kindred spirits, but from Patty.

Patty and her husband, Kenny, were two Christians who had been walking the walk for several years and truly lived the life of good faith  in serving our Lord’s purposes for them.  Such kindred spirits, they took me under their wing, taught me how to live with peace, joy and contentment in my sickly life with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.  God used them as a tool to help me learn to lean on Him with all of my woes.  As time elapsed and I learned to do just that, soon I received a miracle from Jesus after crying out for Him to give me sleep.  He did.  I never had to take another sleeping pill to sleep at night.  That was nearly five years ago.

I first met them in 2005.  I had been sick since 04 and had been living alone without a husband or children since 2001.  Jesus gave me sleep in 2009.  I was already a born-again Christian but my walk had a long way to go and still does.  But I learned one thing, my health?  my spirits? my self-worth?  all improved in knowing God.  Know God!  You will never ever be sorry!

When my life turned upside down!

 

At the age of 51 I was poisoned by accidental carbon monoxide.  Several months of sickness, sleeping, infections, followed until I fell into a deep sleep not being able to stay awake more than a few hours a day. After a couple of months that changed to complete sleeplessness.   I had to leave work on short term disability until they could find the reason for my issues.  Then my heart was attacked and I had congestive heart failure which was severe.

Soon pain started in one shoulder, intense pain, which led to my elbow, wrist and fingers.  Down into the hip, femure, legs, knees and ankles.  Then it proceeded to do the same on the left side of my body.  Fevers started daily, fatigue so intense I walked around like a zombie.  It never changed and never left me.  Today I am 61, it’s been ten  years, and I still remain ill.  It aged me so much in just a few years it was amazing.  My hair turned all gray, I went through menopause also during the first few years.  Potent, high dosage meds put forty pounds extra on me and I began my life as a recluse, a disabled old woman who just a few years earlier had been full of life, ambition, drive, determination.  But this I could not fight.  Stress majorly caused relapses and this is how it behaves.  Slight improvement for days, weeks, even months.  Just when starting to feel half way normal, BAM!  I knocks me down again, hard, heavy, ruthlessly tearing up my body, my mind, my hopes and dreams.  It is called “The Monsters Within” and is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Disease.

There still is no known cause for these diseases so hope is fleeting.  The FDA, CDC, NIH and DHHS are not spending adequate amounts of money on these diseases to find causes and cures.  Why they are not is beyond me.  Do you know how many millions of us there are around the world with these ailments?  And most of us cannot work to provide a living for ourselves.  I met and married a good Christian man just a few years ago who now takes care of me in every way.  Lost revenue from no taxes being paid into the system by employed people results in their using your tax money to support us.  Yes!  Millions and millions of dollars.  And we suffer.

Some say I have withstood the test of time and illness quite well while I say it’s taken its toll on me bigtime.  On top of these neuro-immune disorders are all of the auto-immune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.  Many of us eventually develop cancer.  Our immune systems are majorly compromised along with many other organs and systems in the body.

I do, however, have God with me and Jesus gave me the miracle of sleep when I quit taking my sleeping pills after four years.  I haven’t had to take one in five year now.  Still take nine pills a day but working on getting that reduced too, if my body allows.  Gotta keep on trying…Later peeps!  Enjoy your good health and to those of you out there that suffer in any way, may God bless and keep you safe.

 

 

 

Oka!  I am a little baffled.  I seem to re-blog others’ exceptionally upbeat or powerful posts when I get them as I want more and more people to gain from it.  I must not have re-blogging types of posts because nobody re-blogs my posts.  So, what’s the secret.  What makes one re-blog better than another, worthy of the carry through?  Scratching my head……..