Three by Three

I've felt increasingly anxious over the past week so I started writing about the events of this past week only to quickly realize that the craziness boils down to 3 events and 3 things we need to change:


1. All I did all week was drive, and I really don't like driving. Especially in downtown traffic during morning rush hour. Thank goodness a lot of the city was on spring break this week so that those particular drives weren't as heavy as they could have been.

2. I have seen enough of the inside of hospitals this week, and I'd like to take a break, thankyouverymuch.

3. We didn't school enough this week (due to #2) and the house is a bit of a disaster, but we did have the best field trip ever on Monday.


The grace in all of this is that we finally have some answers for my health issues and a treatment plan begun. So what has been the problem for the last several months? An auto-immune disorder called Sjogren's Syndrome that did something weird and started attacking my nerves, in what is called mononeuritis multiplex.


Yeah, I had never heard of any of that either.


But it explains why I haven't had any feeling in my left hand for almost 3 months and why my left leg is so numb that walking has been... interesting. I shuffle like I'm 92, and take the stairs one at a time like my toddler. Hopefully in time the nerve related symptoms will go away and my body will start to behave like it's 32 again. Maybe just in time for my 33rd birthday.


{Usually there would be a picture of something here, but I didn't really want to take a picture of the 3 tiered pill box that I have to manage my meds, as if I really am 92.}


The draining schedule of the last few weeks has also shown me a few areas we need to adjust around here if we're going to continue forward in health and happiness.


1. We have white space built into our calendar for a reason and I've been narrowing the margins over the last two months to fit more in instead of recognizing that we might need MORE space during this period of time, not less. I am tired, and that's not just the Sjogren's talking.


2. We need to fuel our bodies better. Real food has fallen to the wayside over the last few months, because it takes time to plan real food meals into a busy schedule. We are getting back on the train this weekend and working hard at staying there through the end of the school year. I'm planning a few things to make this weekend to make our week go more smoothly and to make healthy meals an easy choice.


3. I really need a block of creative time to feel healthy and whole, and I just haven't had much of it lately. I've been needing extra sleep so my early mornings awake by myself with coffee and yarn and a book had dropped away (I've been working on picking them back up this week) and then my regular time on Fridays has slimmed down since Miss Ellie has decided sleep is somewhat optional. The little bits of knitting I've been fitting in here and there haven't cut it. I really need to dive in to a bigger project, but I just haven't had a block of time where I also had the mental energy to tackle something new.