Gastroparesis and the trails involved....

What is gastroparesis???

• It literally means paralyzed stomach.  It's a slow or sluggish emptying of the stomach.  It is no fun to live with.  There is no cure for it, and if you get it, your life and eating habits have to change or you'll continue throwing up, feeling nausea all day long, or just flat out not eat because it's too painful.

Why am I writing this?

•  Because I suffer with this disease and I thought maybe I can help those with the things I've learned thus far.  I've only known I've suffered from it for a few months, but in those months, I've had to learn to deal with the pain and uncomfortableness.  I've had to look up ways to relieve my pain. 

What have I learned?

• That you are more prone to indigestion, sour stomach, bouts of nausea that even Zofran can't help.  If I eat too much, I'm going to suffer.  I have good days and really bad days.  I have to take medicine to be able to digest food properly and the side effects of the medicine are no fun to live with either, but it is either take the Reglan I'm prescribed or take a medicine that I'll have to buy from another country.  These are things that aren't explained much on the internet.  I think the other medication is called Domperidone.  It is NOT sold in the US.  My doctor said it is not FDA approved because of political reasons, but that it's perfectly fine to take.  As of right now, the Reglan is working well when I take it.  I have been at home this last year, so I get lax on taking my medications and suffer the consequences every now and again.  As long as the Reglan is working, my doctor will keep me on it.  
• I've learned that nausea is no fun, and can strike at anytime.  It's best to eat small meals throughout the day to keep from getting sick.  I however haven't gotten into that regiment very well.  The medicine helps so well, that sometimes I forget I suffer from this disease.  It helps me be able to eat bigger meals.  It also causes me to get really hungry if I take it and only eat a little bit.  
• I've learned that if you are suffering pretty bad from the side effects, then it is best to eat pureed foods.  I however do not like the idea of cooking just to blend up my food and eat it.  It's NOT appetizing at all.  I have gone the other route that isn't mentioned much on the internet.  I eat baby food.  Not all the time, but when things are bad, I swap to baby food.  It's mushy enough to be able to eat and digest without any medication or any nausea. 
• You have really poor nutrition with gastroparesis because you are limited in the foods you can eat.  It is best to take vitamins every day.  It's recommended to take gummy vitamins.  I made the switch and like it a lot.  It actually take vitamins now because they taste good.  It is hard for your body to digest the vitamins that are pill, but your body can digest the gummy vitamins with no problem.  
• I have NO idea how I got this disease.  Most people that get it have some reason as to why they got it.  Most people who get it have diabetes, but I do not have that.  The closest thing I've found to a reason is that some depression medications can cause it.  Once you have gastroparesis, you have it for life.  I've been on depression medication for about 3 years now.  I've been on so many types of it, that I do not know which one would have caused me to get this dreadful disease.  I still don't know if that is the reason or not.
• Reglan can cause depression.  I already suffer from depression, so if you are put on Reglan, you may need to be put on and antidepressant too.  
• Reglan can cause lactation, so if you find milk coming from your breast don't be surprised.  It will stay that way the whole time you are on Reglan.  It took about 4 months after starting the medication for me to get this symptom.  I went to several different doctors before finding out that my medication was the cause of my lactation.  
• You'll find you have a very sour stomach at times.  My first instinct was to take acid reflux medication.  Till I read up on the internet and figured out that the reason for my sour stomach is because food is fermenting in my tummy.  The best and fastest way to get rid of it is to either take ex-lax or some other medication that is similar. 
• Nuts, popcorn, high fiber foods, whole wheats, celery, and  lettuce are just some of the foods you are not allowed to eat anymore.  I've found that I can still consume these foods when I take my Reglan.
• High fiber foods cause the stomach emptying to slow down and can be the cause of a bezoar form in your stomach.  So using high fiber foods to lose weight is out of the question. 
• Great website for knowing what you can eat.  It provides recipes too.  http://uvahealth.com/services/digestive-health-1/images-and-docs/gastroparesis-diet.pdf

If you have this disease, it isn't the end of the world.  It is manageable, but you have to watch what you eat.  There are some good sites on the web that gives recipes.  I have not tried any of them yet.  I keep saying I'm going too, but until we have more money for me to go purchase the needed ingredients, I have to wait.  

If anyone reads this and has gastropresis, I would LOVE to hear what you've learned from having this disease.  Please comment below so I can hear your thoughts.  I hope this helps.

Seedlings and the Annoyance they Propose...

So, a few weeks ago, I planted some seeds.  I love to garden, and I wanted to save on gardening costs.  I know I won't get to see the beautiful blooms they hold till next year, but I figured this would be a great time to start working with seeds.  As some of you may know, buying flowers already in bloom gets expensive really fast.  I don't want to do that this year, as I did last year. 


My problem has been that in my haste to properly sow the seeds I forgot to label the seeds that I planted.  I have all the seed packets, but when you have seedlings growing there aren't pictures on the packets to identify which seedlings are for which flower.  So, now I'm having to figure that out. 

My hollyhocks are ready to be bedded outside.  I think.  They are about 2 1/2 inches tall and they are one of the few that I did label.  For any of you who are deciding to research this as I am working on today, I'm going to post pics of my seedlings and which flowers they go to for anyone who needs to know. 

Above are  - Summer Carnival Rosy Pink Hollyhocks and it's seedling.  This beautiful flower gets to be 4 1/2 feet tall.  That is literally 1 foot less than I am.  So needless to say, they are tall plants.  :) I'm planning on making a new flower bed to put them in.  I haven't decided where to put the flower bed yet, but I'm running out of time b/c these need to be planted soon.  I think.  :)

Next: Shasta Daisy Alaska and it's seedling

Although planted the same day as the hollyhocks, these aren't nearly as tall.  They are just starting to bud.  :)

Now here's where the tricky work comes in.  I've found other seedlings and I will post them here.  

This is a Salvia Blue Bedder Seedling that I found on the internet.  I did see that those have started sprouting in my little seed garden. 

This is called Blanketflower - Gaillardia Aristata.  I haven't seen these sprout yet in my seed garden, but at least now I know what it will look like. 

My journey to find these seedlings, may be long, but these are just a few of the ones I've found.  I hope this is able to help others in their quest to figure out their seedlings. :)


Happy Gardening!!!!!

The Value of Supporting Others

I have long (27 years) lived a life in need of support.  Support from family and friends.  It’s not always come in ways I thought of, and sometimes it’s not even come at all.  Through the years, I’ve had to lean on others and God to help me get through the trying times in my life.   I often take for granted that others should support what I do, and what I want to achieve, but that isn’t always the case.  It’s been tough to accept and learn when those I thought would support me have let me down.

I looked up the meaning of support and I’m going to take the time to break out these meanings so that we can glean some value from the definitions given by dictionary.com.

1.      to bear or hold up (a load, mass, structure, part, etc.); serve as a foundation for.

• I’ve had many loads in my life as everyone does.  No one can make it through life without ever experiencing tough times.  In these times, when I’ve been overwhelmed and ready to give up, God has given me someone to help me bear my burdens.  (Example:  When my grandmother was dying, my Granddad and I shared the burden or load of taking care of her.)

• God wants to carry our loads for us.  He wants us to rest in him and make them his so we can get through life without stressing out, but to do that we have to trust him.  It’s often very hard for me to do this b/c I have a nack for wanting to take things into my own hands and control them. (Example:  I’d like to march my brother right to a divorce lawyer b/c his wife is making him miserable.)  I know however that no matter how much I want to control a situation or an outcome, I have to give it to him.  He carries our loads.

• Loads often weigh people down.  They become unproductive because they feel they have too much on their hands to deal with so they give up. 

2.      to sustain or withstand (weight, pressure, strain, etc.) without giving way; serve as a prop for.

• As mentioned in the previous meaning we need the support and encouragement of others to help us with our “loads.”  These burdens we bare can cause us to be under more pressure than we desire.  When someone comes along to relieve the strain and pressure we are often very thankful. (Example:  My Uncle Rickey and Granddad helping to bear some of the burden of taking care of my dying mother who lost her fight to cancer in July 2010.)  The strain of that load put more on me than I ever thought was possible.  I was under pressure to be at work, and I pressured myself to be home with my mom.  I was under pressure to make sure my mom made it to all of her infusion appointments, and to be a wife to my husband and keep the house clean.  Talk about a load.  I was drowning. But God provided me with support through this trying time in my life. 

3.      to undergo or endure, especially with patience or submission; tolerate.

• Patience is not a virtue of mine.  At least I don’t think so.  I want things accomplished or done asap.  That however doesn’t ever happen.  I was probably the least patient with my mother throughout my entire life because of her disability (head injury).

• Endurance is hard especially when the “going gets tough.”  It’s in the times where we are having to endure pain and suffering that we need the support of others the most.  (Example:  Even though it may sound like a breeze to someone whose never had a major responsibility, the absence of the responsibility of taking care of my mom is a burden I’m having to endure.  It’s harder than one might think to go from having a lot of responsibility to virtually none.) 

There are more definitions and I could keep going, but I’ll stop here for now. 

Everyone needs a friend or a family member to support them in what they are doing or what they want to do.  It’s the absence of a support system that leads people to make poor decisions and wrong choices. 

I recently gained a new support system that I’d like to share about.  This is a place of support and encouragement that I never would have dreamed I would have.  It all started when I was sitting at home stressing about money.  I didn’t and still do not want to get back out in the work force.  It’s not something I enjoyed and after the last couple of years, it drained all my energy and patience having to balance my life with work, a dying mother, and a husband. 

I learned about a company called Internet CEO Moms in my search to find something to do at home to pass the time till I would want to get out and work again.  I heard about this company through Facebook, and so I clicked out the link, filled out some information, and waited for a call.  Sounds like nothing, but for me, it was something good.  I just didn’t know it yet.

I got a call that came soon after I registered for information.  I was skeptical like most people, but I took the time to listen, ask questions, and learn more.  I found out the information, and talked to my husband.  He wasn’t thrilled with what I was wanting, but he was mildly supportive.  He gave me the green light, so I signed up to try to work from home and make an income. 

My enroller is awesome.  She’s been super supportive and answered every question I have.  I’ve found a ton of women who all want the same things I do, and who want to stay at home.

What I’ve gotten from this group of women is SUPPORT, ENCOURAGMENT, FRIENDSHIP, ASSISTANCE, GUIDANCE, etc.  It came from out of now where when I was at a point of desperation.  Now that’s God for you.  He brought me to this place and has since given me the aid of people who I never even knew.  I’ve been reminded of the importance of people and being there for them when they need you.  I felt like I had lost that in my life.  I had friend, and family, but I was and still kind of am in a not so great place, but I’m daily getting new advice and help. 

It’s nice to know that others still care.  :)  So today, I’m letting everyone know to reach out and let others know you care.  Don’t leave them hanging and wondering if anyone will support them in their decisions.  You never know who might need help with something.  I know I did, and I’m very thankful for all God has brought me.  :)


Gina Bruchac
Internet CEO Moms
Helping Families Work From Home Since 1999
www.ceomomsonline.com/ginabruchac

Social Network and other things

So tonight I was watching The Social Network.  I can not believe most of the stuff in that movie happened.  As most of you know, I'm trying to do a stay at home business, and I would LOVE to know how Mark Z. could possibly get 22000 hits to a website in one night.  I would LOVE to have that many hits to my blog.  Not sure how I'm supposed to manage that though.

On other news, I spent a nice quiet day at home.  Our heater has been out for a week or so now and I got around to calling Herring Heating and Cooling.  They are awesome.  They've always fixed our heating and cooling problems.  Alex and I were so stressed that the issue would cost us a fortune, but fortunately it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought.  Our thing on the heater that ignites the pilot light was broken so the repair guy replaced it. :)

After he left my wonderful friend, Amy, came over and watched The Social Network with me, and we went out to Waffle House to satisfy her craving for eggs and hash browns.

I need to get by Jenn's soon and see her and Kyler.  I am going to try to do that in the next couple of days b/c I really want to see them. :)

Now I'm sitting here with my hubby.  :) :) He's frustrated b/c when I'm blogging I tune him out.  :) Whoops.  Guess I'll stop blogging for now.  :):)

No! No! No! How Many Times Can One Hear the Word NO.

So part of my work at home job deals with having to hear the word "NO" a good bit.  It's not a pleasant word, and it's not a word I like to hear, but in this day and age, people are weary of anything that might actual be good for them.  Odd as it seems, people say "NO" to the good things.

After a week and a hearing the words "No.  I'm not interested.", I've learned a few things.

1. People say "No" out of fear. - They either fear they will not be able to purchase a certain amount of products each month and therefore say "No. It's not for me." Or they fear the aspect of referring people to a website whose products could actually help them in their home. 

2, People think they know from preconceived notions how a work at home job will turn out so they say "No" to keep from getting trapped in something they think will fail.  I'm hear to tell you that it only fails if you aren't willing to put the work into it.

I'm glad my granny taught me at an early age that the worst thing a person can say is "NO."  She says I used to be scared when people told me "NO." So she was trying to teach me that it is okay for someone to say "No."  Life isn't going to change just b/c someone says "NO" to something. 

I like the life lessens I've learned.  I guess God was preparing me for a time when I'd hear a lot of "No's".  However if I want to continue forward with a company that I'm highly impressed with, then I have to get through the No's till I get a "YES." 

The yeses will come in time.  Till then I'm getting lots of practice with hearing "NO," and overcoming the rejection and hurt that brings.  It's not supposed to hurt, but it does especially when it comes from those we care about and are just trying to help. 

My mission with this job is to help others.  I want to help people.  I love helping people.  I really believe in Internet CEO Mom's because their whole mission is to help others.  There's no lying or cheating or dishonesty involved.  It's real people sharing their real stories with others, and then helping those that do join to make a career out of it.  Thankfully, the messages and encouragement is very uplifting and help me get through the No's easier. 

I guess I'll never understand why people clearly know that something would be better for them, and could help them make some residual income, but still say NO to the opportunity.  Hopefully I'll figure that one out in time.  I'm still a newbie and as a newbie I'm learning and going with the flow.  I'm not taking NO for an answer to mean that I'm going to fail at this.  B/c I'm not going to fail.  I've been there and done that and overcame failure when it was hitting me in the face every single day.  This is just simple rejection from others. 

It's easier to take rejection from strangers or people that you don't know.  I guess that's why so many people that do home businesses are fearful of reaching out to their friends and family b/c they assume the worst.  Fortunately I have a supportive husband that is okay with me hearing NO as long as it's getting me where I want to be. :)

So next time someone tells you "NO." Just shrug it off and keep going.  Their one NO is only going to hinder your dreams if you let it.  I however do not intend to let NO's stop me from anything. :) :) :)

No = good for learning and practicing
YES = great opportunity for my business. :)

If you are interested in a stay at home opportunity with a great company just click here.

Stressing the Importance of Relationships

There's so much more to life than waking up, going to work, and making money.  Relationships are key to life.  At one point in my life I never would have thought this was important.  I had plenty of friends, but I was so focused on achieving my goal of getting my B.S. degree.  I couldn't see past that.

Then, as we all know, life happens.  I alway thought I had an ok life.  It wasn't what I would have picked had I had the chance to pick it, but it was alright.  By this point in my life, I'd come to terms with having a disabled mother, and a father that wasn't around.  I did have a grandmother that supported me through everything.  I so took her for granted.

I was going through the 1st bad experience in my life that I realized that people are important and it's not worth it to take them for granted or to treat them badly.  I was 20 when I learned this.  But even though I learned this very important lessen, I pulled away from the people that were most important to me b/c I was so afraid to feel.  I didn't want to get close to anyone because I didn't want to experience that kind of pain ever again.  Little did I know it would be seven very short years till I experienced it again.

I'm not going through my sob story, but I do want to stress the importance of good relationships. Friends are great, but dont' take them for granted.  They will not be around if you aren't willing to put forth the effort to stay in touch with them.  I am personally terrible at keeping in touch with people except for those closest to me.  As I am writing this I am realizing that I need to call people more and talk to them more and keep the friendships alive.  Do not expect the other person to keep the friendship up.

I have recently joined a wonderful work at home business called, Internet CEO Mom's, that stresses the importance of keeping and maintaining relationships.  They have such a positive outlook on life and it's easy to catch the bug and want to have the same outlook.  I feel so fortunate to have found this company.

As I end this though, take a look at those around you and remember how important they are to you.  Tell them.  Show them.  Be a good friend to them.  You won't ever regret the time you've taken out of your day to spend time with those that you care about.

The Joy's of being an Aunt :)

So today I got to go see my wonderful nephew, Kyler.  I'm so in love with Jenn's baby.  He's so precious and sweet.  I went over there to spend time with them both today.  I got to hold Kyler for about 3 hours or so while Jenn cleaned.  He slept almost the whole time.  He was so sweet. 

I never realized just how relaxing holding a baby is.  I guess it's b/c I don't ever hold one for that long of a time.  I was so relaxed today.  It was like everything was going to be okay b/c Kyler was in my arms asleep. :) I guess I'll have that feeling when I one day have a child.  Till then, I practice with my friends babies. 

That was the highlight of my day. 

Oh and my brother and his wife are thinking about separating again.  At least she mentioned it tonight to him.  As much as I don't really believe in divorce, I really want him to get one b/c she treats him so awful.  But I'm trying to mind my own business and keep my mouth shut b/c only negative things will come out about her.  He's the one that has to live with his decisions. 

So that was my day.  :)  It was a great day and I'm glad it was. 

To all those that have babies, I envy you.  But I know in time it'll be my turn.