Impromptu dinner date on the beach in Seaside Park.
Gorgeous night with my most favorite people on the planet!
Best. Beach. Therapy. Day. Ever!!
My cup runneth over!!
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Beach Therapy: Belmar {4-27-17}
On Thursday, Sarah and I went to Belmar Beach. The weather inland was gorgeous...mild and sunny. However, when we got to the beach we quickly realized that it was totally the opposite...foggy and cold. We actually had to buy a cover-up for Sarah at a little shop across from the beach because she was wearing a sleeveless shirt!! {We got it on clearance for $5! Thank goodness because the sweatshirts were $35.00!!} Sometimes the beach has it's own weather. But, we're Jersey Girls...nothing a little cover up can't fix.
Sarah brought her kite along. There was a constant breeze that kept her kite up in the sky the entire time we were there. As I walked along the shoreline, she walked a little further up flying her kite. She laughed, ran and smiled the whole time. She was so happy, and that made me happy.
We found lots of treasures on this trip. Sarah is drawn to "Mermaid Purses". She must have found six or seven of them. Since they kinda creep me out, I took a picture of her holding one and left them all on the beach where they belong. We also found a toy car. It was so smooth from being tossed around in the ocean and sand. Sarah "needed" to take it home with her! We also found A LOT of shells, sea glass and a very interesting rock with a hole in it.
Even though the weather wasn't perfect, the trip was. I was in my favorite place on earth with my favorite girl on earth! Can't get much better than that!
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Beach Therapy: Long Branch {4-18-17}
Oh what a gorgeous and absolutely perfect beach day this visit was.
I decided to go to Long Branch beach right after my appointment with Dr. C. The beach is literally a couple of blocks from the wellness center, and I have never been on the beach in Long Branch. I also didn't have a lot of time to be able to travel to Ocean Grove. I'm so glad that I decided to visit this beach...so glad!
The sky was so blue.
The sun was shining so brightly.
The beach was empty, except for a few people strolling the shoreline or sitting in their chairs.
There's a little boardwalk there so there were people walking and riding their bikes.
The tide was a little high, so collecting seaside treasures was a little difficult. I only found one small piece of sea glass but found lots of delicate and beautiful shells.
I enjoyed the feel of the sand between my toes, the cool ocean on my feet and the warm sun on my face.
It really amazes me how different the beaches on the Jersey Shore are. Even though they share the same coastline, their appearances and feel are all slightly different. Some have more beach than ocean. Some have more ocean than beach. The texture and color of the sand seems to vary from beach to beach. The seashore treasures are different on each beach. Even though each beach is different and unique to itself, they all share three special things in common to me...every single one takes my breath away, is my haven and my home!
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| One of the first things I saw when I approached the beach. So cool!! |
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| "Hello Beautiful!" |
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| I sat here for quite a while. It was amazing to me what the tide had created. It was far enough from the ocean that I didn't get wet, but close enough to enjoy every bit of it! |
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| I scribbled this in the sand. I am truly home when I'm at the beach! |
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| This little lady came by to say hello as I sat. I have never seen a ladybug on the beach! |
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| Good-Bye Long Branch. Parting is such sweet sorrow! |
Day 132: Operation HOPE...Updates, Updates and More Updates
I'm on Day 132 today. I so wanted to get this update out earlier this week, but this week has just flown right by. On top of being busy, I've been battling what I though was allergies, but turns out that I have a full blown out cold! What started out on Wednesday as a sore throat, quickly turned into a cough, stuffy nose with mild headaches.
Dr. C thinks this is all viral (and also because I've run myself down). He told me to take a massive dose of Vitamin C, licorice root tea and oregano oil {which is like drinking gasoline...good times!}. After telling him today that I'm really not feeling better, and after admitting that I pushed myself too hard yesterday, he told me "you have to recover lady...you had a virus!"
So, doctor's orders, I'm resting today (and probably tomorrow). I'm taking this time to catch up on computer work that has gone to the back burner and catching up on my blog. So, here's what's been going on since my last post 12 days go.
NUTRITION: I saw Dr. C yesterday, Tuesday 4/18/17. I'm down a total of 31 pounds...still burning fat and gaining muscle! That's all good news. Dr. C will possibly be making some modifications to my nutrition plan in the next month or so, but that's not set in stone. He's made some modifications to my supplements (which I'll update below). He wants to see how I do with those changes and with de-stressing before he makes these changes.
DE-STRESSING: My goodness. This part is so hard! There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to do all I need to do for everyone else, and then take time for me. I started a journal to jot down what triggers my stress, what I think I can do to change that, things that I would like to do and places I would like to go. I shared some of these ideas with Dr. C and he said that I'm doing the process. Everything starts with a thought and a plan...and that's exactly where I'm at right now. He said that now I need to start making plans to do the things that I said, write them on the calendar and execute them little by little. I did make it to the beach again on 4/18/17, and will blog about that later. Dr. C said that since the beach is so therapeutic to me, that I need to try and get there at least two times a week. It's been hard because the weather has been so cold and rainy here...but rest assured just as soon as the weather changes I'll be there!
5-HTP & TRYPTOPHAN: Dr. C has switched me off of the 5-HTP onto Tryptophan. I quickly maxed out on the 5-HTP, and about a week and a half ago I started having some adverse reactions to it. I was very agitated and aggravated. I couldn't settle down no matter how hard I tried. My mind was constantly jumping from one thing to another. I was exhausted, and my pain level was much higher than it had been. I wasn't myself, and really didn't like how I was feeling.
Dr. C told me yesterday that he recently read an article that 7% of people who take 5-HTP have these type of adverse reactions to it. Of course, I would be in that 7%! I've heard many times in this 4-1/2+ year journey that I'm "not like other patients", that whatever I was going through "wasn't normal", I even heard the phrase many times "in some patients" this or that happens. So, why shouldn't I be in this elite 7% group? {sarcasm definitely intended}
I've been taking Tryptophan since Tuesday night, and see a night and day difference! I've been sleeping much better than I have in a few weeks. I've had some dream recall (which is huge). I'm more relaxed, not agitated, aggravated or jittery. It will take some time, again, to level this out and find the right dose for me. I will continue to work closely with Dr. C (contacting him daily to let him know how I'm feeling). He told me yesterday that when I came to him in December, he knew that I had many issues that needed to be resolved, but as we chip away at this he's realizing there's more to what's been going on in my body than he truly knew. He reiterated that this will all take time, but he's confident that I will get better.
CHIROPRACTIC: I saw Dr. P on Monday, 4/17/17. He's been treating my lower back with heat, electrical stimulation, light massage and stretching. I see a remarkable difference in my back since starting these treatments. I was even able to wear heals on Easter Sunday with no pain! My back is still healing, this I know. I still get fatigued and have discomfort if I've done too much in one day. However, I do not have that excruciating pain and pressure that I've experienced for the last 4-1/2+ years. I will start seeing Dr. P only once a week instead of twice a week.
ACUPUNCTURE: I'm not loving acupuncture. Not at all. I've had three treatments. The first two were okay, but this last one on Monday, 4/17/17 was terrible. I couldn't relax. I felt most of the needles the entire time. Some were hurting. And, for about two hours after I had burning and tingling in my right leg, and tingling in my arms where the needles were. I talked to Dr. C on Tuesday about stopping the acupuncture and replacing it with massage. The masseur that does the light massage on my lower back is amazing, and, at this point, I really feel like massage would benefit me more. Dr. C was totally fine with that, but he wanted me to run it by Dr. P when I saw him. I talked to Dr. P and he was also fine with me switching from acupuncture to massage therapy. Unfortunately, I cannot start massages until the end of May because of the masseur's and my schedules. In the meantime, will stick with the once a week treatments with Dr. P until the massages kick in, and then we'll decide if I can stop treatment with Dr. P and only do the massage therapy.
So, that's it! Things are definitely moving in the right direction. As hard as this has been, and sometimes still continues to be, I'm so grateful that I am on this path to wellness.
Dr. C thinks this is all viral (and also because I've run myself down). He told me to take a massive dose of Vitamin C, licorice root tea and oregano oil {which is like drinking gasoline...good times!}. After telling him today that I'm really not feeling better, and after admitting that I pushed myself too hard yesterday, he told me "you have to recover lady...you had a virus!"
So, doctor's orders, I'm resting today (and probably tomorrow). I'm taking this time to catch up on computer work that has gone to the back burner and catching up on my blog. So, here's what's been going on since my last post 12 days go.
NUTRITION: I saw Dr. C yesterday, Tuesday 4/18/17. I'm down a total of 31 pounds...still burning fat and gaining muscle! That's all good news. Dr. C will possibly be making some modifications to my nutrition plan in the next month or so, but that's not set in stone. He's made some modifications to my supplements (which I'll update below). He wants to see how I do with those changes and with de-stressing before he makes these changes.
DE-STRESSING: My goodness. This part is so hard! There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to do all I need to do for everyone else, and then take time for me. I started a journal to jot down what triggers my stress, what I think I can do to change that, things that I would like to do and places I would like to go. I shared some of these ideas with Dr. C and he said that I'm doing the process. Everything starts with a thought and a plan...and that's exactly where I'm at right now. He said that now I need to start making plans to do the things that I said, write them on the calendar and execute them little by little. I did make it to the beach again on 4/18/17, and will blog about that later. Dr. C said that since the beach is so therapeutic to me, that I need to try and get there at least two times a week. It's been hard because the weather has been so cold and rainy here...but rest assured just as soon as the weather changes I'll be there!
5-HTP & TRYPTOPHAN: Dr. C has switched me off of the 5-HTP onto Tryptophan. I quickly maxed out on the 5-HTP, and about a week and a half ago I started having some adverse reactions to it. I was very agitated and aggravated. I couldn't settle down no matter how hard I tried. My mind was constantly jumping from one thing to another. I was exhausted, and my pain level was much higher than it had been. I wasn't myself, and really didn't like how I was feeling.
Dr. C told me yesterday that he recently read an article that 7% of people who take 5-HTP have these type of adverse reactions to it. Of course, I would be in that 7%! I've heard many times in this 4-1/2+ year journey that I'm "not like other patients", that whatever I was going through "wasn't normal", I even heard the phrase many times "in some patients" this or that happens. So, why shouldn't I be in this elite 7% group? {sarcasm definitely intended}
I've been taking Tryptophan since Tuesday night, and see a night and day difference! I've been sleeping much better than I have in a few weeks. I've had some dream recall (which is huge). I'm more relaxed, not agitated, aggravated or jittery. It will take some time, again, to level this out and find the right dose for me. I will continue to work closely with Dr. C (contacting him daily to let him know how I'm feeling). He told me yesterday that when I came to him in December, he knew that I had many issues that needed to be resolved, but as we chip away at this he's realizing there's more to what's been going on in my body than he truly knew. He reiterated that this will all take time, but he's confident that I will get better.
CHIROPRACTIC: I saw Dr. P on Monday, 4/17/17. He's been treating my lower back with heat, electrical stimulation, light massage and stretching. I see a remarkable difference in my back since starting these treatments. I was even able to wear heals on Easter Sunday with no pain! My back is still healing, this I know. I still get fatigued and have discomfort if I've done too much in one day. However, I do not have that excruciating pain and pressure that I've experienced for the last 4-1/2+ years. I will start seeing Dr. P only once a week instead of twice a week.
ACUPUNCTURE: I'm not loving acupuncture. Not at all. I've had three treatments. The first two were okay, but this last one on Monday, 4/17/17 was terrible. I couldn't relax. I felt most of the needles the entire time. Some were hurting. And, for about two hours after I had burning and tingling in my right leg, and tingling in my arms where the needles were. I talked to Dr. C on Tuesday about stopping the acupuncture and replacing it with massage. The masseur that does the light massage on my lower back is amazing, and, at this point, I really feel like massage would benefit me more. Dr. C was totally fine with that, but he wanted me to run it by Dr. P when I saw him. I talked to Dr. P and he was also fine with me switching from acupuncture to massage therapy. Unfortunately, I cannot start massages until the end of May because of the masseur's and my schedules. In the meantime, will stick with the once a week treatments with Dr. P until the massages kick in, and then we'll decide if I can stop treatment with Dr. P and only do the massage therapy.
So, that's it! Things are definitely moving in the right direction. As hard as this has been, and sometimes still continues to be, I'm so grateful that I am on this path to wellness.
Day 126: Operation HOPE...In My Easter Best
This picture was taken by my beautiful daughter on Easter Sunday 2017.
I was on Day 126 on my wellness journey.
I found this dress and shawl at a local consignment shop, and fell in love with them the moment I saw them. I had reservations as I took them to the dressing room. The dress looked way too small for me, but "something" said "try it on anyway". I'm so glad I did because I fell even more in love when I put them on and they fit me like a glove! The outfit was completed when I found those adorable, strappy shoes at Marshall's. Easter couldn't come quick enough!
It has been years since...
I had a new Easter outfit.
I wore panty hose.
I wore heals.
On this day I felt...
So pretty.
So confident.
So proud of myself.
So thankful to the Lord...for all He has done for me and in me!
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Beach Therapy: Seaside Park {4-11-17}
This beach trip found me at North Avenue in Seaside Park, NJ. I had company on this trip. My kiddos tagged along, and my best friend and her kiddos met us there.
It was an awesome spring beach day. It was windy and there was a chill in the air, but that didn't stop us from being there! After all, we're Jersey Girls...nothing will stop us from being on the beach. All we needed were our sweatshirts, and we were good to go!
This trip was filled with so many things that I love {not in any particular order}...
- That intoxicating sea air
- Bright sunshine
- Gorgeous blue sky
- My favorite green beach chair
- Sand between my toes
- My kiddos
- My longest, bestest friend and her kiddos
- Walks and talks along the shoreline
- Sweet seashore treasures found! {A LOT of sea glass!!!}
- Kids playing in the sand
- Sandbars {so many}
- Seagulls
What a tremendous blessing it is to live so close to the shore. And, what a tremendous blessing it is to have a best friend who loves the beach just as much as I do, and is more than happy to meet me there!!
My cup runneth over!!
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| My view for the afternoon!! |
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| Where my toes belong!! |
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| Our Kiddos...boy to I love this crew!! |
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| AH-MAZ-ING SANDBAR!!! |
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| 2 BFFs with their 2 BFF daughters on the sandbar! Absolute Perfection!! {I. Love. This. Picture!!} |
Monday, April 10, 2017
Beach Therapy: Ocean Grove {4-10-17}
This beach day was so different from the first one. The sun was shining so brightly and there was a gorgeous breeze. When I got to the beach I noticed that it was low tide. I saw a gorgeous sandbar. I haven't seen one of those in ages. There were kids playing on it and three seagulls just walking around on it. As I walked along the water's edge, the surf welcomed me and kissed my feet over and over. I found myself thinking, "Well, hello to you, too! I've missed you so."
As I walked along, I hunted for seaside treasures as I always do. I had asked God for some sea glass before I even got there. I know that sounds a little silly to ask God to provide sea glass, but that's what I did. And, sea glass is what I found! The first one I found was in my favorite color, green! I walked a little further and found another green one...then another...then another. Every time I found a piece of sea glass I felt as though the Lord was saying, "I love you, Lisa". I was so overwhelmed to the point of tears as I walked and found bigger and bigger pieces. As I walked, I let my tears flow as I collected sweet treasures from Jesus, and as he collected my sweet tears. {Psalm 56:8}
As I continued down the beach, I wound up at the jetties. I stood there watching the waves crash upon the massive rocks. It was so awesome being that close to the rocks and waves.
After that, I decided that it was time to head back to reality. I made my way toward the boardwalk. I stopped at the cross before I left. I knelt down to soak in all that I was blessed with on this trip "home". I was overwhelmed. I sat and took some more pictures as I soaked in all the beauty that surrounded me. It was finally time for me to leave, so I collected my things and started to walk to the boardwalk. I got almost there and realized that I didn't have my cell phone. So, I carefully retraced my steps back to where I was sitting. I immediately saw my phone laying in the sand near where I took these these pictures. As I walked toward my phone, I glanced down to my left and found another gorgeous, big piece of sea glass. I held it in my hand and said, "Yes, Lord. I know You love me."
Beach Therapy: Ocean Grove {4-5-17)
There was a chill
in the air, wind was lightly blowing and it was actually quite foggy. The sun was struggling to break out from the
oppression of the fog and clouds. Not a
perfect beach day, but perfect for me.
The conditions of this day matched how I’ve been feeling lately.
As I approached the beach, I immediately
filled my lungs with that all familiar intoxicating ocean scent.
Home.
I stepped on the sand and felt its cold temperature on my bare feet. It felt so great to finally have sand between
my toes. It’s been way too long. I walked down to the waters edge and allowed
it to rush over my feet. The frigid
temperature jolted me and took my breath away, but I soaked it all in.
As I walked along the shore, I collected
sweet seashore treasures. Among them, I
found a shell in the shape of a heart. I
felt as though God placed that there for me as an extension of His love and
presence. I also found a gorgeous blue
scalloped shell that had a piece broken off the top. As I held that shell in my hand I thought, “Broken
but beautiful”. That spoke to volumes to
my heart, as I’ve been feeling quite broken this week. There is beauty in the broken. My most treasured find was a piece of sea
glass, which is one of my all time favorite things.
My soul was refreshed by this trip home!
Day 120: Operation HOPE...Cells, Acupuncture, Lower Back and De-Stressing
Today is kind of a big deal in my journey. I've earned brand new, clean, healthy cells!! It takes 120 day for cells to rejuvenate and basically become new. This is so huge for my healing process. With new, healthy cells my body is on the right track to continue to heal itself. Dr. C asked me today on a scale of 0 to 100 how much improvement do I see/feel. I told him that I thought I'm about a 25-30. He said that that number should double in the next 120 days.
I had a second acupuncture appointment today. I have so many feelings about it. It's different, a little weird, and relaxing at the same time. After both appointments, I felt much more relaxed after, which is really good.
Dr. P is continuing to treat my lower back. And, I have to say that I definitely feel I'm moving around better than I was. I've noticed that I'm not hobbling or wincing in pain half as much as I was. I do still have to be careful about how long I sit or stand, and how much I do in a day because it still gets sore and fatigued. But, all in all, I see a definite improvement!
Cell rejuvenation is good.
Acupuncture is good.
Lower back is good.
De-stressing, not so much! At times, I think that trying to de-stress is harder than following the food plan. It. Is. So. Hard!!
I'm burnt out. I feel at times that I'm holding on by a thread. I've been having a hard time processing everything going on, and at times I'm having a hard time controlling all my emotions about it all. I'm really not liking this phase. I would love to snap my fingers right now and be done with this phase.
Dr. C assures me that this is all part of this process. He said that I'm like an athlete that has been training very hard & burns out, that's where I am at this point. He said that my brain just cannot handle my every day stresses and responsibilities along with the rigorous new lifestyle that I'm trying to adapt. At this point, this is where he talks excessively about de-stressing. He keeps reminding me that fibromyalgia feeds on stress, and if I do not get some time for myself and de-stress I will never get better pain wise.
With Dr. C's help I'm working on a game plan of what I need to do to de-stress. Some of it will be very difficult, as I will need to shift my responsibilities and commitments in many areas of my life. Some of it will be quite refreshing, as I will begin to make time for myself doing things that make me happy {something I haven't done is quite a long time}. A lot of what I need to do and change I don't have quite mapped out. At this point, I really don't know how I'm going to execute most of what I need to do. So, right now I'm in the "planning" stage of this phase. I have to have a road map planned out by my next appointment with Dr. C on Tuesday, April 18th.
One thing I have implemented is what I affectionately call "Beach Therapy". Dr. C told me a few weeks back that, since I'm a beach girl, that I should go and let the minerals from the sand and surf soak into my body. I've gone twice in the last five days, and will be blogging about those days soon.
Even through all the rough patches, not once have I lost hope in this journey. I may kick and stream a little, and not like what I'm walking through, but I knew when I started 120 days ago that this journey would be hard {probably harder than anything I've ever done in my life}. And, hard it has been. But, I tell my kids all the time, "Anything worth having takes hard work". Being pain-free is definitely worth having. With God's help, I will walk through and endure all the hard this process has to give until I walk on the other side of this journey healthy, healed and pain-free!
I had a second acupuncture appointment today. I have so many feelings about it. It's different, a little weird, and relaxing at the same time. After both appointments, I felt much more relaxed after, which is really good.
Dr. P is continuing to treat my lower back. And, I have to say that I definitely feel I'm moving around better than I was. I've noticed that I'm not hobbling or wincing in pain half as much as I was. I do still have to be careful about how long I sit or stand, and how much I do in a day because it still gets sore and fatigued. But, all in all, I see a definite improvement!
Cell rejuvenation is good.
Acupuncture is good.
Lower back is good.
De-stressing, not so much! At times, I think that trying to de-stress is harder than following the food plan. It. Is. So. Hard!!
I'm burnt out. I feel at times that I'm holding on by a thread. I've been having a hard time processing everything going on, and at times I'm having a hard time controlling all my emotions about it all. I'm really not liking this phase. I would love to snap my fingers right now and be done with this phase.
Dr. C assures me that this is all part of this process. He said that I'm like an athlete that has been training very hard & burns out, that's where I am at this point. He said that my brain just cannot handle my every day stresses and responsibilities along with the rigorous new lifestyle that I'm trying to adapt. At this point, this is where he talks excessively about de-stressing. He keeps reminding me that fibromyalgia feeds on stress, and if I do not get some time for myself and de-stress I will never get better pain wise.
With Dr. C's help I'm working on a game plan of what I need to do to de-stress. Some of it will be very difficult, as I will need to shift my responsibilities and commitments in many areas of my life. Some of it will be quite refreshing, as I will begin to make time for myself doing things that make me happy {something I haven't done is quite a long time}. A lot of what I need to do and change I don't have quite mapped out. At this point, I really don't know how I'm going to execute most of what I need to do. So, right now I'm in the "planning" stage of this phase. I have to have a road map planned out by my next appointment with Dr. C on Tuesday, April 18th.
One thing I have implemented is what I affectionately call "Beach Therapy". Dr. C told me a few weeks back that, since I'm a beach girl, that I should go and let the minerals from the sand and surf soak into my body. I've gone twice in the last five days, and will be blogging about those days soon.
Even through all the rough patches, not once have I lost hope in this journey. I may kick and stream a little, and not like what I'm walking through, but I knew when I started 120 days ago that this journey would be hard {probably harder than anything I've ever done in my life}. And, hard it has been. But, I tell my kids all the time, "Anything worth having takes hard work". Being pain-free is definitely worth having. With God's help, I will walk through and endure all the hard this process has to give until I walk on the other side of this journey healthy, healed and pain-free!
H.O.P.E. = Hold On Pain Ends
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