health

Sick

Posted on January 7, 2013 Written by Tonya

My head is pounding.

I move from our bed to the couch and back again.

There have been long nights of coughing fits, propped up pillows, extra blankets, a humidifier blowing eucalyptus into our space and a very confused puppy.

Lucas went to preschool today with a runny nose and severe bed head. Sue me!

It was the first time I’d driven in three days. I wore my slippers.

I haven’t washed my hair since Wednesday. Talk about bed head.

I’ve taken so many doses of Alka-Seltzer Serve Cold & Flu and Nyquil that I should have started feeling better yesterday.

I’ve personally gone through almost three boxes of Kleenex.

I’ve played (and lost) countless rounds of Words With Friends, Scrabble, Scramble and Solitaire.

We’ve gone through two jugs of OJ and tons of water.

There have three trips to the drug/grocery store.

I’ve read one book and made a vat of my favorite soup.

This is not how I wanted to start 2013.

Being sick sucks! It might be time to call the doctor…

I know our home isn’t the only one that has been hit by this plague, so take care and get well soon!

From The Mother Of A Precious Preemie

Posted on January 31, 2012 Written by Tonya

My Letters For You guest today is Erin of My Little Miracles. This woman is a true survivor and has a thing or two to say to prematurity in preemies and does it with only the grace and stye that a mother can.

Please welcome Erin!

Dear Prematurity in Babies (in particular MY baby),

You think that you may have won, laughing at me all the way. Bringing my baby, my youngest into the world 8 weeks early. Were you trying to prove something? Did you just want there to be another Virgo in the household? Maybe you knew we had just bought out house 2 weeks prior and were scheduled to move the day after you threw my youngest into the world?

You have done several things in bringing him into the world so early; you have made me fiercely over protective of my baby. I worry about him constantly, he didn’t meet “normal” milestones. He didn’t crawl until almost a year, I had to carry him everywhere until he was 18 months. At 2 he still wasn’t talking. We went through testing for autism followed by speech therapy and countless sleepless nights wondering if I was a good mommy.

You brought him into this world not breathing, you gave him a narrowed airway and to top it all off you threw in a little asthma. Thought that would be fun did you?

Because of you we have spent to many days in the hospital for RSV, more than enough hours in the ER, way to many nights being woke up in the middle of the night by that croupy cough and that struggle for breath that sends us running and we have had our share of breathing treatments, steroids, antibiotics and worry.

But two things you didn’t count on, Me being his mom, and Him being able to stand up to you. Aside from all that you have done to try and strip me of my happiness with him, and drain his spirit for life, you have failed, miserably.

You may get him down and out every now and again, and you may have me up worrying and crying for all that he may be missing out on. A childhood where he sometimes needs to say “I can’t run and play today with the other kids because I have asthma”.

I wanted to let you know a few things you failed to do, you failed to destroy the bond that he and I will always have. You haven’t taken away his ambition and his strive to be everything he was meant to be. And most importantly, despite all the oxygen you have deprived him of, he is the smartest 3.5 year old little boy and only getting smarter!

If that isn’t the biggest flip of the bird from him to you, I don’t know what is!

You really should think next time you bring another baby into the world before they are ready, because they will give you a run for your money!

Have a nice day!

Sincerely,
Erin, mother to a precious preemie.

If I Could…

Posted on November 27, 2011 Written by Tonya

Everyone in my house has been sick for weeks.

Nothing more serious than colds, but the lingering cough has become beyond annoying.

Poor Lucas has suffered the longest and I feel terrible for him. His sleep is disrupted and play time hindered.

His life would greatly improve if he could only blow his tiny little nose.

We run a humidifier at night and have gone through a tub of Vicks VapoRub.

Like every mother, I don’t want my son to suffer from anything. Ever. And if I could, I’d take away his cough.

I would also make sure he never had a blister, ice cream headache, pimple, paper cut, cold sore, food poisoning, heart burn, hiccups, allergies, body odor, carpal tunnel syndrome, sleepless night, heart break, skinned knee, hang nail, chafing, sprained ankle, jet lag, heat stroke, tennis elbow, crick in his neck, bruise, pink eye, dandruff, stubbed toe, sunburn, tooth ache, dislocated shoulder, cracked rib, electric shock, torn ligament, fever, sore throat, or hacking cough.

I would just settle for being able to prevent my family from passing this nasty cold back and forth and make preschool a healthy place to be rather than a cesspool of germs and ick.

I’m just saying…

Calming The Mind

Posted on August 31, 2011 Written by Tonya

The lights have been dimmed and the curtains drawn.

There is pleasant flute music playing in the background and I smell lavender.

I’m trying to quiet my mind.

I feel the warmth of a heat lamp placed directly above my stomach as I lay flat on my back with a circular pillow supporting my knees.

The faint sound of bass rises from the fitness center downstairs and interrupts my thoughts, but only for a moment.

I am careful not to move.

I wish I were getting a massage, but the effects would not be as lasting, instead I have 14 tiny needles in my body; two in each ear, two in each leg, one in each foot, three in my stomach and one in my left wrist. I’m still uncertain of each of their functions, but I trust in the ancient, time-tested technique.

The needles don’t hurt at all, but I feel ridiculous. I will stay like this for 20 minutes.

This is my third treatment, all in an effort to increase blood flow to my uterus, flush out my system and reduce stress and anxiety.

I am optimistic.

If I’m Lucky

Posted on March 10, 2011 Written by Tonya

I am pushing 40 with both hands.

40.

I remember when 40 was old.

I’m not dreading growing old(er) all that much. I honestly don’t mind the numbers of years I am because I don’t feel a day over 33. I believe aging is both a state of mind and a physiological fact.

Sure it takes me longer to bounce back from the flu, lose the customary holiday five pounds I gain and hangovers feel like death, but I still feel 33.

It’s hard to believe that in just 15 short months, I’ll be ringing in a brand new decade.

Some of my best friends are already there, the big 4-0 and they exude high energy, vitality and youthfulness. They look amazing and I hope to be just like that in June, 2012.

Too bad there are always the ugly voices. You know the ones…. the voices in our heads that tell us that everything of value is young and new and I’m simply not anymore.

The voices that both criticize and curse every new wrinkle, flaw, blemish and gray hair that sprouts up.

The voices that convince that jumping out of an airplane, getting a tattoo, taking up pilates, learning a foreign language and getting Botox will make us feel and look young again.

Some days my face feels so disorganized. Everything is shifting and it’s almost as if it’s been hanging in the closet for too long. I feel unattractive, haggard and tired. Perhaps it’s just motherhood? I don’t feel that way on the inside, so it’s hard to witness the changes occurring on the outside.

If I’m lucky, every once in a while the voices subside and I recall why I have crow’s feet, furrows along my brow and lines around my mouth and I see the pure and simple beauty in them.

I’m proud of my lines and my age because I’ve earned them. I’ve laughed until I cried and cried until I laughed. I have lived, loved, lost, fell down, picked myself back up, traveled, read, seen, met, stuck my foot in my mouth, tasted, heard, touched, experienced, shared, learned and still want more!

I love each and every single line on my face because they make up my beautiful life. All 38 years of it, but only if I’m lucky.

This post is for The Red Dress Club’s writing assignment, Red Writing Hood. This week’s prompt was to write a short piece, either fiction or non-fiction, about something ugly – and find the beauty in it.

post signature

Mindful Eating

Posted on February 16, 2011 Written by Tonya

I love food!

I love chips and salsa (the spicier the better), deep dish pepperoni pizza, big fat juicy cheeseburgers with all the fixings and a side of French fries, chocolate chip ice cream, sandwiches never without a bag of potato chips nearby, several glasses of wine at the end of my evenings and at least two Diet Cokes a day.

I didn’t eat poorly every day and when I did, I’d pay for it at the gym, on long walks to and from parks or by depriving myself for days following.

That was then and this is now.

I don’t think about food the same way any more.

It’s been one week since my husband I started the 3-day Ritual Cleanse and all everyone seems to want to know is how much weight we lost.

We didn’t do the juice diet to lose weight, but I did drop three pounds, all of which, I’m sure I have gained back because it was probably just water weight.

More important than the weight loss, I feel good and I did throughout the entire three days of the cleanse. Well, except for a minor headache at the beginning of Day 2, but it was nothing a little green tea couldn’t cure.

Day 1 was just odd. Drinking only juice and peeing A LOT and by bedtime, I was really hungry, but I pressed on…

Day 2 was my best day, I had tons of energy and felt absolutely amazing. Not having that bloated or tired or run down feeling was new to me and I liked it and wanted more of it!

Day 3 went very well too, but I was starting to get nervous about eating “real” food again the following day and didn’t want the goodness I was doing for my body to stop after I had used so much will power to stick to this three day detox.

Day 3 also prompted a lot of conversation about the way we eat as a family and different choices we wanted to make to our diet going forward. I still haven’t had a Diet Coke and don’t know when or if I will. I’m reading more labels at the super market and trying to buy only fresh organic produce and products.

My husband and I are already talking about doing the cleanse again this Spring. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!!

If you are interested in doing something wonderful for your body in order to reset it and make more mindful eating choices, I highly suggest Ritual Cleanse.

If you have any questions about my experience or want to read more about why we did the cleanse and my half way point, here are two previous posts: Time To Detoxand Ritual Cleanse – Half Way Point and I can always be reached at smadaaynot@yahoo.com.

Thank you, Ritual Cleanse!

post signature

Ritual Cleanse – Half Way Point

Posted on February 10, 2011 Written by Tonya

It took every ounce of willpower that I had this morning not to head straight for IHOP. I woke up ready to eat like a horse and had a nasty headache. Instead of a full stack of pancakes with a side order of bacon and a large Diet Coke, I drank another Ritual Cleanse juice and went on a 6.50 mile walk!

It’s the end of Day 2 of my juice detox and I feel fantastic! I’m serious. Maybe it’s because I’m a big believer in the power of positive thinking, or maybe, just maybe, this stuff really works.

I feel energized and focused and I’m loving the juices…. There are six different flavors per day made with fresh, organic, nutritious and delicious fruits, vegetables and spices: pomegranate, coconut water, spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, ginger, lemon, apple, cashews, agave, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and more!

It’s hard to believe I haven’t had anything to eat since Tuesday night and while there have been some very tempting moments, I have not cheated once! This is huge considering there are toddler snacks all over my house and I’m feeding my son three meals a day. Macaroni and cheese never looked so good.

I knew going without caffeine/my beloved Diet Coke was going to be the hardest part for me so I kept waiting for the headache. When I finally woke up with it, I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it through the day, but as soon as I drank some green tea, I instantly felt better. I doubt I’ll ever be able to give up my Diet Coke addiction, but I am certainly going to cut WAY back!
Not feeling full and bloated has been great too.

Since all I’m doing is drinking juice and lots of water, I’m peeing a lot more than usual. I had to stop twice on my walk.

And, I know this will sound strange, but I missing chewing, so I’ve had two pieces of SUGAR FREE gum, for what it’s worth.

Yay me! One more day to go….

post signature

Time To Detox

Posted on February 8, 2011 Written by Tonya

My husband and I are doing something utterly insane this week. Well, okay, it’s not that crazy, people do it all the time. In fact, little did I know, Todd has actually done it several times in the past and for a lot longer period of time.

What are we doing?

We are cleansing! For the next three days, we will eat and drink nothing but juice and water.

We are using a friend of a friend’s product called Ritual Cleanse. We are doing the Seasonal Reset Cleanse; which consists of six fresh pressed pure vegetable, fruit and nut juices a day, one every two hours for three days.Before signing up, I tasted these juices and they are delicious! I’ve also heard nothing but great things about the outcome, so I am really excited (or as excited as one can be over starving themselves for 72 hours).

I digress…

People cleanse for many different reasons; it’s a quick, easy, efficient way to flush the whole body and reset all its systems. For some it’s all about the weight loss. For me, I’m not interested in losing any weight, although, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be thrilled to see a lower number on the scale after three days of not eating. Between moving and the holidays, there has been a lot of late night eating, take out, fast food and alcohol, so my personal goal is to detox my insides and jump start my body for a healthier way of eating.

I’m sure by the middle of Day 2, I’ll have a raging headache and want to eat my arm off, but I’m trying to stay positive and I am very committed to doing this.

We start tomorrow and I will be tweeting about my experience follow me here: @letters4lucas and I’ll post an update here next week.Stay tuned and wish us luck!

post signature

Aches & Pains

Posted on May 7, 2010 Written by Tonya

Aside from the sheer exhaustion, I never knew that motherhood was so physically demanding or dangerous. Most nights, I feel like I’m getting enough rest, but I am still sore ALL. THE. TIME.

You weigh almost 25 pounds and I swear your diaper bag does too!

My back hurts, my feet hurt, my shoulders are tight, I have a constant crick in my neck and in the last 11 months, I have stubbed my toes and have more tension headaches and broken nails and than ever before.

I can visibly tell that the muscles in my left arm are more defined than the ones in my right arm because I favor my left when holding you balanced just so on my hip. I must remember to alternate.

I chase you around the house all day long keeping you out of harm’s way and making you laugh.

I crawl around on my hands and knees when we play together.

I bend over so many times a day to wipe up the floor and pick up toys that you’d think I’d have six-pack abs by now. Sadly, this is not the case, and before you chime in, I know, I know, I should be bending at the knees.

I slouch, hunch, lean, contort, reach, twist and turn in the most peculiar ways out of pure necessity.

At the end of the day I often discover mysterious bruises on my body, usually on my butt and probably from either the car door, door leading to the garage or baby gates.

My hands have always been dry but have gotten worse with all the bottle washing and diaper changing. I should own stock in Purell hand sanitizer. I still can’t wear my wedding rings without breaking out in a rash.

I am using muscles and a physical strength I never knew I had in order to multitask and care for you in the best way I know how and while it is all worth it, this mama needs a massage… pronto and at least once a week!! Maybe a good long soak in the tub will do for now.

The best is yet to be.

Day 73/100

Shaping Your Future

Posted on January 30, 2010 Written by Tonya

Lucas has been diagnosed with in utero left sided plagiocephaly (significant flattening and asymmetry of the back of the head and face and ear misalignment) and we have been seeing a physical therapist for his torticollis (a condition in which the head is tilted toward one side, and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side) for three months.

The good news is that plagiocephaly and torticollis are not life threatening and are easily treated.

Yesterday, we were told Lucas is a candidate for the DOC Band, a lightweight 6-oz helmet, that works by applying mild holding pressure and redirecting growth to less prominent areas. The band must be worn for 23 hours a day, only removing for bathing and dressing for up to four months.

The use of DOC Band is NOT a cosmetic fix, it is a restorative fix designed to bring the infant’s head back to its normal head shape and balance the asymmetry.

I am devastated.

I don’t want my baby to wear this device.

I think my son is perfect exactly the way he is.

I don’t want strangers to stare at him in the band. I don’t want to hear their comments or questions and I certainly do not want to respond to them.

I am angry that my OBGYN and ultrasound technicians didn’t see in the umpteen ultrasounds I had done that my baby was crunched up in my womb. We could have possibly repositioned him.

I am vain.

I am also a mother who wants the very best for my child. A misshapen head can lead to vision problems, ear infections, headaches and speech disorders. Not to mention the psychological impact of society’s often cruel view of deformity.

This is going to be a difficult four months for me, but Lucas will never remember it and in the long run will probably thank us for making this decision.

The best is yet to be and you’re welcome, my love.

Sick

Related Posts:

From The Mother Of A Precious Preemie

Related Posts:

If I Could…

Related Posts:

Calming The Mind

Related Posts:

If I’m Lucky

Related Posts:

Mindful Eating

Related Posts:

Ritual Cleanse – Half Way Point

Related Posts:

Time To Detox

Related Posts:

Aches & Pains

Related Posts:

Shaping Your Future

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

What I Write About