Polymyalgia Rheumatica

I'm not at all sure if this post will help any of my blog buddies but I wanted to share what we've learned so far.

(and I saw an eagle this week!)

My husband was diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica and from what we've read, it fits perfectly with what happened to him.

Most of you know that we lead a very active lifestyle. We've enjoyed living here in the South where we can get outside and walk, buy lots of fresh organic produce and lead a healthy happy lifestyle. We both volunteer in our community and live in a friendly neighborhood. So what happened to us?

One night my husband went to bed after a normal day and woke up with every joint in his body sore. The following day they were worse and then the next day they were so painful that he could hardly move. He couldn't get comfortable no matter what he tried. He stood up a lot. We had no idea what had caused it or what do to do about it. Rest....take it easy? We are fortunate to have someone in our family in the medical field (thanks J!) so we got in contact with him and he gave us lots of information and sent us to the right doctor, a Rheumatologist.

Now after lots of tests and a few appointments we have a diagnosis and proper medication. We still have lots of issues to face, especially the dramatic weight loss but my husband is not in the pain he was a month ago. He's able to do most of the things he enjoys. We still haven't gone on a hike yet but we'll have to work up to that.

I thought some of the best information about the cause of Polymyalgia Rheumatica was in Wikipedia, 

"The cause of PMR is not well understood. The pain and stiffness result from the activity of inflammatory cells and proteins that are normally a part of the body's disease-fighting immune system, and the inflammatory activity seems to be concentrated in tissues surrounding the affected joints. During this disorder, the white blood cells in the body attack the lining of the joints, causing inflammation."

And with inflammation there is pain! It's been a real blessing to have all of your prayers and to have advice from family and of course a good doctor here locally. We are very thankful for our lives and look forward to happy times ahead.

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.

Lavender's Blue dilly dilly

I love these pretty pale shades of lavender! Time to dust off the camera and get back outside for some walks. I walked a small loop around the neighborhood last night and it felt great.

This was going down the road one day last week. Can you tell what it is?

It's a humongous TREE on it's way to be planted somewhere!

I hope your day is filled with happiness, and maybe some lavender blue flowers and big green trees!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

Kylee's Chariot

These photos were taken in February on a hike we took at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon. All of March went without a single hike. But we survived and things are improving!

This was a beautiful Red Shouldered Hawk that we spotted on a tree that was down in the swamp.

We met a nice couple that had just moved to Florida and they were seeing many things for the very first time. They were riding bikes and kept coming up to us when we stopped to take photos to see what we were seeing.

I'm not making fun of them....I still have trouble with many of the bird IDs. But the man was very excited and asked if it was an owl or an eagle!!! He was just as happy to learn it was a hawk.

And when we got back to the parking lot, this motorcycle went by pulling Kylee's Chariot! (there's a sign on the side)

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Bet's Bunnies and Dust Bunnies

My husband can always tell when I am feeling better. I start tearing apart my house and vacuuming everything in sight. I don't wake up and think, Oh good, I feel better. I think I'll clean! No I wake up and look around and everything is covered in an inch of dust and I can't stand it one minute longer.  Today I tore apart my bed and washed everything...even the blankets! Then I vacuumed behind my bed, oh and the window sill, under the bed as far as I can reach too! I must be on the mend!

The room doesn't look any different so I didn't take pics. But how about Bet's bunnies?

She's one of my favorite Etsy shops, Bet's Dolls and I got one of her Prim bunnies a couple of months ago. 

Now that I feel better, maybe I need another one. Hubby is still taking the extra dose of medication that is helping with inflammation and he feels better too. 

 I see lots of bunnies on my favorite blogs. 

We need to do a 'bunny hop'!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.

Fuzzy Chicks and Red Roses

Our roses are blooming like crazy!

 And fuzzy chicks are trying to make things more fun in the lanai.

It's hard to imagine 'fun' right now because I've managed to make myself really sick with the stress and strain. I have some kind of terrible cold, headache, nausea...the works.

So our house is quiet and the curtains are pulled and we are taking turns napping.

Thank you all for your prayers. I'm sure we'll see sunnier...and funnier days soon!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

Texas Longhorns in Florida?

I saved this photo of an Anhinga that I took at Rainbow Springs last month. I thought he needed a special post just for him. (no ducks, hawks or goldfinches! heehee)

 We have a lot of cattle here in this part of North Central Florida but don't see the longhorns very often.

These cows are Brahma I think and in a field between Sholom Park and the Farmer's Mkt. Don't you feel like sometimes you could visit me and know right where everything is?

 I took these out my side window with my little Nikon that I take with me everywhere. 

 And don't worry, there was NO traffic on this road!

One more photo of the Anhinga since he's so beautiful!

 I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 Thanks so much for the continued prayers for my husband. He still doesn't have a positive diagnosis but they have increased his medication and that is helping with the inflammation which in turn is helping with the pain.  I appreciate the words of encouragement, too. A special thanks to Jan at Low Carb Diabetic for her suggestions on high calorie nutritious foods. My husband has lost quite a bit of weight and he didn't have any 'spare pounds' to lose so we are trying to increase his daily calorie intake while keeping it healthy. It seems like all of the healthy choices are low calorie.

Reading, Roses and Rest for Thankful Thursday

I’ve been reading even more these past few weeks and would love to find a new mystery series to read. Any suggestions? I’ve read most of the Rhys Bowen cozy mysteries now. I have the last 2 on hold at my library. (I check them out as e books and read them on my IPAD)

We walked around the yard last night and picked a few red roses. The stems are short so I put them in a tea cup. So pretty.

And hubby is getting extra rest. The reason he does not have a diagnosis yet is because they are still doing tests. I am not a nap taking person but I even took a nap yesterday and felt much better.

 Thanks for all of your prayers and concern. I am praying for so many of you too. God bless you all.

 Any suggestions on books that are interesting but on the ‘easy to read’ side? 

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.

"Heart to Heart" for Mosaic Monday

I was going to say, we need to have some ‘girl talk’! But I have some really nice ‘guy’ blog friends now too so let’s just have a little ‘heart to heart’ talk. We are going through the most difficult time we’ve ever been through since we got married. My husband is in terrible pain and the drug he’s taking hasn’t done anything to relieve it yet. We still don’t have a diagnosis but we plan to get in touch with the doctor today. We are praying and appreciate all of your prayers.

Having said that…I thought maybe I should take a blog break. I haven’t felt like being on my computer.

But then I thought…blogging brings me a lot of joy. And I could sure use a dose of joy right now.

So I’m going to make an effort to write a few posts and do some visiting. It always lifts my spirits when I visit my friends. So that’s a good thing right now, don’t you think?

You don’t have to always say you are praying for us. I know you are. We’ll just be there for each other, like always! Blog buddies! 

I decorated before things got bad so I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE. One day I almost put it all away but then I decided to leave it out.

Late Afternoon Walks

I haven’t walked much lately but I plan to start walking after dinner now that the time has changed. 

I think these are hybrid Mallards.

I have lots of ID books but I still have trouble with the ducks here in Florida!

(a pic from another day) 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

I was overwhelmed by the sweet comments when I asked for prayers this week. I knew if everyone was sweet to me that it would make me cry…and it did! My husband is still undergoing tests and then we will get results and talk to the doctor again about a diagnosis. He is very weak and in a lot of pain. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Prayers Needed!

We’ve had the most beautiful clouds in the sky this week. It’s been cooler and a little windy but oh so beautiful. I’m sorry I have not visited all of my blog buddies. We are dealing with some health issues right now and feel like the ‘wind has been knocked out of our sails’. I’m not able to say much more than that now. Doctors…tests…appointments…you know the routine. But I didn’t want to miss ‘Thankful Thursday’ because we have so much to be thankful for in our lives.

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.

I’ll share a few Florida cloud formations with you today.

My husband has more tests scheduled today.

Please keep us in your prayers.

God bless you!

‘The Fisherman’s Encyclopedia’

I always like to tell people that the first conversation I had with my ‘husband to be’ was about fishing. I lived on a beautiful mountain stream in the mountains of NC and I loved to fly fish. So we talked about fishing. (I may have invited him to go fishing with me! lol)

A few days ago, I went to the public library and found this beautiful leather bound book in the lobby sales. It is BIG…bigger than it looks here! And it was published in 1950 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and it has the most beautiful illustrations.

It was fun reading about places to fish in Arkansas where I grew up too.

I love old books and it’s fun to get lost in an encyclopedia filled with interesting information.

Especially if you like to fish!

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

Ouchieee…that HURTS!

We have SO many goldfinches at our feeders right now that it’s inevitable for one of them to hit the living room window. (we tape streamers to it sometimes)

This little guy was pretty stunned.

So hubby gently picked him up and moved him to a grassy spot.

He recovered and flew away!

You never know when life will give you an ‘ouchie’.

But remember Spring is on it’s way and things will look brighter.

Let’s always pray for one another!

This isn’t a great photo but I still thought it was neat to see this bird through the trees in the backyard. I think it’s a seagull.

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Himstedt Dolls for “Wednesday Wee Ones”

I worked played in my doll room last week and made a big mess!

But one thing I decided to do was dress my Himstedt dolls in their original outfits.

Julika

I used to like to change their clothes for the seasons or holidays.

Silvi

But not so much any more!

Ginni

And I love the outfits they came in.

Kida

In fact, dressing these dolls reminded me of how much I love them.

They were made in Germany by Annette Himstedt and she doesn’t make them any more. It’s probably just as well. They were getting so expensive that they were out of my price range. I ‘collected’ these when I was still working and had a little extra money for dolls.

One thing I added that was not original was this cute little leather bag that I got at the thrift store.

I put all the certificates, brochures and magazines together in the process of organizing and remembered that my sweet hubby was featured in the Himstedt magazine, Undine.

Isn’t he sweet?

I’m thankful for the dolls I have, and a sweet hubby who spoils me!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays.