God Manifest

Feeling a little stunned right now. At lunch yesterday, Caitlin and I were talking about living passively as opposed to living actively, and how we can change our lives if we choose to do so. She's found a book along the lines of the principles of attraction, and was talking about manifesting her dreams. Of course, my approach is a little different, but she asked me, "Why not manifest perfect health for yourself?"

I thought a lot about that yesterday, because the day before I'd heard from the doctor about my blood test results, and they were terrible. Several years ago, I prayed for God to heal my mother's kidney disease, and it is ever so slowly (but noticeably) reversing itself. I know several stories of divine healing, and I began to wonder why I never asked for it for myself. So last night, I told God that I don't need to manifest perfect health for myself, because He can manifest it if He chooses to do so.

This morning, this article about corn gluten appeared in my Facebook feed. I followed the link and found this article detailing all the diseases that have been connected to non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Everything I've been diagnosed with is on this list. Everything.

So I decided to see if any doctor who follows the principles of the Gluten Free Society is in the area. Guess what? The founder is in Sugar Land. A 3-hour drive. And there's a life coach in Round Rock who's been through the first level of his GF certification. Round Rock. I drive there regularly to visit friends.

Could the solution really be that easy? That close? All I have to do is reach out and take it? And there are two guides within driving distance who can help? If I can recover and maintain perfect health by eliminating all gluten from my diet, why should I not do it? It's such a simple solution. And by "simple" I do NOT mean "easy." From what I can tell, what the GFS calls a "true gluten free" diet is actually grain-free.

I will need coaching and guidance and encouragement, but it would be all worthwhile if my body would heal and start working properly.

The timing is so significant. Rarely have my prayers been answered so promptly. "You want perfect health? Here. Here's the way to do it." God is so amazing.

Living with a Chronic Illness - To Clean or Not to Clean?

It's hard enough to keep your living space clean when you're not ill. So how can you keep up when you are? How do you clean the bathroom when you can barely stand? Keep the floor clean when you don't have the strength to push a carpet cleaner around?

Obviously, the easiest thing to do is to hire someone to do it for you. But really, how many of us can afford that? So if you, like me, have to do it yourself, here are the products that help me try to keep the dust and cat hair under control. Hopefully some of them will help you.

1. A good vacuum cleaner is a must. If you're like me, you don't want a heavy carpet sweeper, and you need something that will clean both carpet and hard floors. I use the Miele Neptune. It's a bit pricey, but it's a great canister vacuum with all the necessary attachments. The wand and heads will fit under most furniture, and it has two filters. Lightweight, easy to carry around, and very good suction.

2. For mopping, the Swiffer Wet Jet is everything the commercials promise. The liquid is safe for children and pets, and when you've finished mopping, just take the pad off and throw it away. Nothing could be easier, and it smells fresh and clean.

3. Dusting is a chore no matter what. I love the Swiffer Duster because it gets into all the nooks and crannies and traps the dust in itself. And again, when it's full, throw it away. I love disposable stuff, can you tell? :-)

4. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser line of products are fabulous. It wipes off counters, cleans grease from the stovetop, gets dark spots off from the stainless steel sink, and I even cleaned the metal part of my crock pot with it today. Also works great in the bathroom to get hard water spots off the counter and spigot. They have the regular, the extra strength, and big ones for the bathroom.

5. Speaking of bathroom, the easiest way to clean the toilet ever is with Scrubbing Bubbles Fresh Brush. The brushes have the cleaner inside them - insert them into the wand, swish around the bowl, and release the brushes when you're done. They flush! I am such a big fan of these. There are also scrubbers for really tough stains. And then to finish the bathroom, wiping down all the surfaces, Scrubbing Bubbles also makes flushable antibacterial wipes!

So what have you found that makes chores easier? Particularly vacuum cleaners, because I know that Mieles don't fit everyone's budget.

Living With an Invisible Illness, Part 2 (I think)

Quick post today to offer two items for your consideration.

1. Helping loved ones understand what you're feeling - if you haven't utilized The Spoon Theory, I highly recommend it. It's written for lupus, but works for any chronic invisible illness, in my opinion.

2. I was talking to someone last week who said that there is a new theory that fibromyalgia is related to PTSD. So I'm wondering - for those of you out there in ReaderLand who have fibro or another chronic autoimmune disorder, did you suffer a traumatic event?

That's all there's time for today. Hope your week is going well!

Living with an Invisible Illness, part 1

Many people I know suffer from invisible illnesses. I wrote this today during a bad flare. Nothing practical here, but hopefully in the days to come we can change that.

Fibromyalgia haiku


This flush on my face
So cheerful, seeming healthy
Lies – All is not well


“You look so healthy”
Appearances deceive you
This body - broken


Trigger points scream red
Without external pressure
Pools of pain inside


Large muscles spasm
Small ones clench, no release
No relief exists


Cannot filter noise
Near or far, it all pierces
I’m flying apart


My brain, wrapped in gauze
Thoughts disappear in the gray
What was I saying?


Sleep may be reprieve
Or not – hours pass, but still
Bone-deep exhaustion


Flares may fade away
“Normal” return for a day
But “Health” never will


This is my life now
Hurt, tired, and misunderstood
God is my refuge