Sunday, April 28, 2013

Not Exactly What I Wanted

I sat in the car as my husband went in our neighbor's house. Not because I wanted to, but because I thought I needed to.  After all we were on our way to my daughter's house for a quick visit and then to eat supper.  All of this after working all day.  It was just too much for me!

 Interstitial Cystitis (IC) is a constant battle for me.  Should I rest or should I try to "be normal?"  But this neighbor was not just any neighbor this neighbor is the one that bought the first house that we built.  We built our first house in 2005.  We sold it to them in 2008.

We wanted to build another house on the other side of town, but we could not find the land we wanted.  We ended up building another house on the same road.  Yep,we have built two houses on the same road.  How crazy is that??!!

 I would have loved to go into my neighbor's house and see what they have done with the place, but I also knew I needed to conserve energy.  Not exactly what I wanted, but necessary for now.

We went to my daughter's house only for a few minutes and then headed out to eat.  The meal took a little longer than usual.  Toward the end of the meal, I was in too much pain to enjoy myself.  After I finished eating, I told Alan I needed to stand up.  I was so uncomfortable from sitting that I went outside and just stood by the car.  This time it was not the chronic fatigue that was screaming the loudest, but the sciatic nerve pain.  Not exactly what I wanted, but necessary for now.

Since I have been diagnosed with IC, I have to really think about the choices I make each day.  How much energy is this going to consume?  Is there a soft chair that I can sit on?  Am I going to be awkward and stand up when everyone else is sitting down? Are my clothes and shoes going to be comfortable based on the symptoms that are screaming today?

But we all know life is about choices. Sometimes we make good choices, sometimes we make bad choices and sometimes we make really, really bad choices! Do you just go through life just making choices without any guidance or do you seek God's wisdom in your choices?  I think the latter is better, but not always easy to do!

IC (insert your own struggles here) can rob you of parts of your life. It can take away time from family and friends. It can take you away from your job, your interests and many social events.  It can even take away time you spend with God...if you let it.

We all make choices in our daily lives.  I would have never chosen to have IC (again insert your own struggles here), but I do not know the ultimate plan God has for my life.  I choose to seek God's picture perfect plan no matter what is going on in my life.  It may be a life of struggles and heartache...not exactly what I wanted, but necessary for now. 
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
I heard this song the other day when I was having one of my meltdowns.  I was on the way to physical therapy and decided to listen to some music to calm me down.  I turned off the radio and started listening to CD that I already in the player.  It was on this song and it made me feel better, I hope it makes you feel better too!

What are some choices that you have to make in your daily struggles?  What do you do when you are having a meltdown to calm you?  Please share your comments below.




Share MayFlowers is a public health and awareness campaign focused primarily on the under-discussed topics of female pelvic and perinatal health, launched by Women's Action Initiative.
To learn more about Interstitial Cystitis:



You can follow me on Twitter:



You can follow me on Pinterest:



You can email me:

bbbennett65@gmail.com





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Monday, April 22, 2013

Giddy Up Y'all

Giddy up y'all we're going to a wedding!  My husband and I went to his cousin's wedding on Saturday.  The backdrop was a unique farm in Monroe NC.  A nostalgic place with lots of rustic charm.  The weather was sunny and slightly cool.  It was perfect weather for an outdoor wedding amongst the farm animals. And I was having a good day! Yee haw!!!

We picked up Alan's Mom on the way. We stopped at the Little Country Kitchen in Monroe NC for lunch.  The food was homemade and the atmosphere was charming.  I asked the waitress about the section that was closed off and she said they had wedding receptions in there.  She told me I was welcome to look around.  My mother in law and I ventured into this room and it was like stepping back in time.  The room was full of quaint, antique furniture and even had a old stone fireplace.  The food was good and the people were friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone.

We arrived at the wedding just in time to find a spot to sit.  The seats were wooden benches.  What??!! I can barley sit in a soft, cushioned chair.  How am I going to sit on a wooden bench??  I decided we could find a spot on the back row and I could stand.  Since I have been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis (IC), I have also been diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction (pfd).  "The “pelvic floor” refers to a group of muscles that attach to the front, back, and sides of the pelvic bone and sacrum (the large fused bone at the bottom of your spine, just above the tailbone). Like a sling or hammock, these muscles support the organs in the pelvis, including the bladder, uterus or prostate, and rectum. They also wrap around your urethra, rectum, and vagina (in women)."  Since I have pfd, it causes me pain in my legs and bottom to sit.  I can tolerate it better on a softer seat and with a heating pad to help with the pain.

It was such a casual setting that I felt very comfortable standing for 99% of the wedding.  As a matter of fact, I was not the only one standing.  I guess when you are at wedding that is right in front of the turkey pen it is a little more of a relaxed atmosphere.

How Elegant!
The bride arrived on a horse carriage.  The carriage was pulled by a beautiful, black horse.  What a majestic touch to the wedding.  The vows were said along with the crowing of a rooster and hen.  Who knows maybe they were in love too.  The turkey put in his two cents worth also.  Maybe he has a thing for the hen as well.  It was quite entertaining and added to the natural setting.  The setting was as natural as falling in love itself.  


Weddings are a chance to celebrate love, family and friends.  Weddings are a public profession of love and commitment to another person. To celebrate the personal relationship we have with our true love.  To let everyone know how proud we are of the special person in our life.

Jesus wants us to have a personal relationship with Him.  He wants us to grow in our relationship with Him. If we grow in our relationship with Him, we will love and obey Him more.  But how in the world do we do that?  “Jesus replied: ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.’” (Matthew 22:37-38)

God communicates to us through the Bible.  If we read our Bible, we will know what God wants to communicate to us personally.  We need some quiet time every day to open God's word, so that He can reveal Himself to us as an individual.

How Purdy
We communicate with God through prayer.  We simply talk to God.  We tell Him what we need.  We thank Him for all that He gives us.  We can ask Him to open our hearts, so that He will reveal Himself more to us.  We ask for His peace over our lives.

Communication is essential for all of our personal relationships.  We open our hearts for love and commitment from our spouse.  Likewise we should open our hearts, our Bible and our communication for a personal relationship with our Lord.

My Mother in Law and Me
The Beautiful Bride, Her Mom and Her Aunts





Share MayFlowers is a public health and awareness campaign focused primarily on the under-discussed topics of female pelvic and perinatal health, launched by Women's Action Initiative.
To learn more about Interstitial Cystitis:

You can follow me on Twitter:


You can follow me on Pinterest:

You can email me:
bbbennett65@gmail.com









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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Memory Lane

I went to a place that we all know.  Sometimes it can be a good place.
Sometimes it can be a painful place.  It can be a place where we go to learn from our mistakes.  It can be a reminder of our failures.  It can be a place of great joy.

This place where we all have been, is memory lane. Merriam-Webster defines memory lane as "an imaginary path through the nostalgically remembered past."


I have been thinking about how things in my life have happened...really big things.  I have been thinking about how I started dating my husband.  My friend and I always went roller skating every weekend at the skating rink.  That is where my future husband made me notice him.  It's not where we met, because we were in 3rd grade together...aww,how sweet.  But I liked Billy then and did not notice Alan much at all.

Anyway, when I wanted to go to the prom in the ninth grade, I asked Alan.  Yes, I asked him out for our first date.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  But what if I hadn't been friends with a girl that liked to go skating?  I am so thankful for roller skating now that I had my walk down memory lane.  And he wonders why I won't throw my roller skates away...good memories, that's why!

Ms. Wash was my homeroom teacher in the sixth grade.  That is where I met and became friends with a girl named Tracy.  Tracy and I have been best friends ever since.  What if I had been in Mr. Dansby's homeroom??!!  I might not have met Tracy and my life would not be the same!!!

Tracy and I have been best friends, even though she moved to New York after she married.  She usually comes to town once a year to visit.  So, on these annual visits we get together with some of our school friends and go out to dinner.  We did that this week and I enjoyed it very much.  It is great to have everyone come together.  We probably would never do it on our own.  But when Tracy is here, it is a great reason to have a small reunion.

Tracy and I have been through a lot together.  We endured the hardship of puppy love and breakups when we were younger.  We went to church together.  We helped each other with school work.  We laid out in the sun on her trampoline with butter all over us...um, well, maybe that wasn't such a good memory. 

When the results from my daughter's pap smear showed she had precancerous cells a couple of years ago, I talked to Tracy and she helped me through that difficult time.  When we are down about our daily struggles, we can pick up the phone and help each other through.  Even though she lives far away now, we still stay in touch.  

When I was first diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis (IC), Tracy was there for me.  She suggested things for me to try and genuinely seemed to care about me. I can always count on Tracy.  She has been a great friend and I know she is always there for me, no matter what is going on in my life.  I thank God that she is my best friend.


My life could have turned out completely different, if certain people were not in my life.  I am glad that my friend liked to skate.  I am thankful that I was in Ms. Wash's homeroom.  Our friends have a big influence on our lives.  So much so that we often behave the same way our friends do.

The Bible tells us to choose our friends carefully.  Proverbs 13:20: “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”   You can actually suffer as a result of the company you keep.  You can also benefit greatly from good friends.

The apostle Paul talked about this in 1 Corinthians 15:33. “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character."  Love me some Paul!!

When I was younger, I didn't have a clue that friends could have such an impact on my life.  I now know that God was looking out for me when he blessed me with certain people he placed in my life.  I am thankful for all the people with good character that God has blessed me over the years.  I am thankful for wise friends!
Me and Tracy, best friends for life!





Share MayFlowers is a public health and awareness campaign focused primarily on the under-discussed topics of female pelvic and perinatal health, launched by Women's Action Initiative.
To learn more about Interstitial Cystitis:

You can follow me on Twitter:


You can follow me on Pinterest:

You can email me:
bbbennett65@gmail.com






 
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Sunday, April 7, 2013

A Pain Connection

When I was on my way to physical therapy this week, my legs and back were hurting a lot. I took a pain pill for some relief.  It helped a little, but after therapy I felt nauseated.  My therapist had given  me an ice pack and a TENS unit for my pain and soreness.  A TENS unit has sticky electrodes that are placed on the skin around a painful area.  It delivers a light current through electrodes to the skin and tissues just beneath it.  It feels like pins and needles. It is one of several treatments that my therapist uses on me for my pain.

I was sitting in one of the wonderful massage chairs after therapy, but the vibration from the chair was not helping with my nausea.  I finally turned the chair off and took a Zophran.  Zophran is often given to cancer patients to help prevent nausea and vomiting.  I felt better for a little while.

By the time I got back home, I was extremely nauseated again.  I just wanted to eat a little something and go to bed.  Before I went to bed, I took another Zophran.  I went to the bathroom right before I went to bed because I thought I was going to throw up.  I guess the Zophran helped enough, so I didn't have to after all.  Although, sometimes after I throw up, I feel better.

My week was not off to a good start.  I struggled throughout the week with extreme exhaustion, sciatica, back, bottom and leg pain.  Thursday evening I asked my husband to do some trigger point releases on my bottom.  He also did some stretching on my legs.  I think that combined with lots of extra sleep and rest finally made me feel better by Friday.  It takes me so long to get over being tired now that I have Interstitial Cystitis (IC) and other related conditions such as fibromyalgia.

I once met an amazing woman who told me she has fibromyalgia.  She talked about how hard it is for her to work and to even walk sometimes.  Fibromyalgia is widespread pain in the muscles. It causes chronic fatigue and sleep difficulties She says it causes her to miss work, but most of the time she just works through the pain and extreme fatigue. She was truly an inspiration to me.

I felt a connection to her because she has some of the similar pains that I do.  As I struggle with my pain, I seek comfort from the Lord.  I feel a pain connection to Paul as he writes:
   
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Cor. 12:7-10


Our difficulties may or may not be removed from us.  Paul could have resented the fact that God did not heal his affliction.  Instead, he saw it as a strength because it made him rely on God more.  As frustrating, stressful and lonely as our pains may be, we can find comfort in the fact that when we trust God more we are made stronger in Him.




Share MayFlowers is a public health and awareness campaign focused primarily on the under-discussed topics of female pelvic and perinatal health, launched by Women's Action Initiative.
To learn more about Interstitial Cystitis:

You can follow me on Twitter:

You can follow me on Pinterest:

You can email me:
bbbennett65@gmail.com
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