Uprooting and Stress: Is There a Better Way?

Imagine this with explosive diarrhea

     

Nature's Pain Relief

       Dude. I don’t even know where to start. It has been such a whirlwind and at times it feels as if I am barely hanging on, fingers about to slip into the swirling vortex of stress, anxiety, and, at times, depression. Fun times, right? Let’s not forget about the physical effects of this emotional turmoil, as I live with fibromyalgia and small fiber neuropathy, which can be aggravated by stress. Good thing I am not stressed, right? Oh, and diverticulitis and IBS are also affected by stress, so we’re over here playing naked Twister, trying not to soil ourselves. Great visual, right?            

So, how did we get here? Trees and heat. Seriously. See, I am not a fan of the heat and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the use of air conditioners was not something that was common, as the fog would often roll in, working as Mother Nature’s air conditioning. I currently live in the desert. Sure, there are some trees, but nothing like I lived among in the Pacific Northwest, where I was living prior to moving to Texas, then New Mexico. Fortunately, I work from home, so as long as I have an internet connection and WiFi, I’m good. Well, my boyfriend has been putting in for jobs with his company in various states, but all of which had cooler weather and either medicinal or recreational marijuana. Those were our main criteria.

Animals are friends for life. Not disposable. Not ours to eat or breed.

            Fast forward a few months and DING-DING-DING, we are bound for Durango, Colorado. Oh, and his supervisor wants him there in about two weeks. TWO WEEKS. TWO. MOTHERFUCKING. WEEKS. Not a problem. Let’s just work on finding a place, packing up all of our belongings, including our dogs, a turtle, and fish (because we are not the kind of people who put dogs up on Craigslist for “free” because they are moving to a new place that doesn’t allow pets), and move to another state in two weeks. Simple, right? Fuck.

            So, in order to ensure that we are not homeless once we arrive in Durango, we took a trip up there. Leaving a little before 5am and getting back after 10pm, it was a long day. But, we met with a realtor who showed us a place that we had been talking with the current tenant and landlord. Everything was going well until Monday morning, today, when I received an email from the current tenant, who stated that the landlord was not satisfied with our background check (namely my credit report), and as such, we would not be considered further for the house that we wanted to rent. Hopes? Dashed to smithereens. My heart sank.

Guaranteed to make you feel sexy as hell

            Perhaps my mood to hearing that we wouldn’t be able to rent the house we looked at was intensified due to an event that occurred earlier in the day. I have been having terrible post nasal drip for the past few months. It got to the point where I physically collapsed several times, hitting my head on a hard surface a few times due to becoming very lightheaded while trying to clear my throat of stuff that can only be described as having the consistency of cold molasses. I finally conceded to go to our local VA health clinic, where they gave me a shot of an anti inflammatory and prescriptions to the EXACT SAME FUCKING THING I HAD BEEN TAKING. Same dose. They then told me to come back into the clinic within the following week if I am not feeling better.

Not so Breaking News

Well, I am not feeling better, so I went back to the VA clinic this morning, prior to hearing the news about the place. Good thing too, as I would have probably been placed on a 5150 hold and unable to do the things I need to do in regards to the move, school, and work. After filling out the triage form, I took a seat and waited to be called back to be seen. That would not happen today, as a nurse (?) called me up to the window and told me that they can’t see me anymore since I had been referred out via the Choice program and had a civilian primary care provider now. Well, I saw that person once, for about five minutes, and she didn’t listen to me at all during that time. I was also told the previous week to return to the clinic location if I wasn’t feeling better. See the frustration?

Not actual house

So, we’re back to square one, looking for a place to live, while residing in a different state, seven hours away. We have expanded our search radius. I didn’t want to, as it snows there and my boyfriend will have to drive in the snow, which is why I wanted to be relatively close to his work, which is in Durango. We will be filling out more applications. One place looks like a murder house, but it’ll do for now, as the owner will be fixing it up more come the warmer months and then put it up for rent for a much higher price I presume.

You can donate by hitting the word PayPal

I am not one to ask for help lightly. I often pride myself on my ability to do things all by myself. However, I am not sure I will be able to maintain my sanity without a little help. I have been diagnosed with a number of chronic pain conditions, which are intensified by stress. I am trying to keep myself together, as the next month will be very stressful. If possible, if you feel so inclined, I have set up a link via PayPal if you would like to help me to maintain some sanity while we go through this stressful time. My boyfriend’s company isn’t providing any relocation assistance, so it’s just us, our savings, and rescues. After we get settled in the new place, wherever that may be, I will be working on my mental and physical health, finishing up my last course towards my MS degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Applied Research, and hopefully able to breathe once again.

Thank you for reading and feel free to share this post with others 😀 

Funky Mon(k)ey

            Do you ever start a day and it goes well for a few minutes, then it all, just, changes? Yeah, that was me yesterday morning. My allergies have progressively gotten worse, now both at night and during the day. Postnasal drip. That feeling that you just need to either continuously clear your throat or sacrifice a virgin to the allergy overlords. I was able to take three of our dogs for their walks and strip the bed to wash the linens. However, the annoyance level increased when it came time to walk the last dog. She just did not want to budge. Her dad was off today, so his car was in the driveway. Princess, who most certainly lives up to her name, loves riding in the car more than walks. However, she (and I) needs to exercise. We tried four times to go for her walk, but as soon as we walked past her dad’s car, she just put the brakes on and just would not move.

            I do not know why that annoys me so much, but it just puts me in a mood. A funk. Well, that, combined with my allergies make me a right cunt sometimes. So, what’s the remedy if I can’t go to bed and call a do-over on my morning? Put some treats in a large Kong toy and watch my OG Peggy Sue try to get the treats out. I picked up this toy yesterday at a thrift store and it turns out to be the best $3 that I have ever spent on a dog toy. So far, my OG, who is the oldest out of our dogs, is the best at figuring it out. It’s fun to watch.

            See, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to find some happiness, it can be found in watching a dog gleefully explore a new toy from the thrift store! Too often we try to buy things in an attempt at finding happiness, when, in reality, the saying, money can’t buy happiness, carries much weight. Why not look inside to identify what is the real underlying issue, rather than shelling out money in an expensive, and often fruitless, attempt at finding happiness? Yes, it takes motivation, dedication, and perseverance. However, the outcome is, well, happiness (duh!) and a cut back in unnecessary spending. Which would you prefer?

I feel you in my bones

Yes, I did just publish a blog post earlier today, and look at this...TWO posts!

            For the past two years, I have been experiencing an annoying and painful sensation in my upper back. The pain occurs every day. Every. Day. Typically it shows up by 7pm, but sometimes as early as 3pm. There is no position, other than lying on my back, that makes it feel any better. My primary care practitioner took me seriously (finally, after suggesting the pain is just a part of growing older) and placed a referral request for chiropractic care.

            Well, yesterday was my first visit. I was a little scared, as I had never been to a chiropractor and I didn’t know what to expect. For example, would I have to get naked? Do I need to shave? You know, the normal type of questions (LOL). I was also a little scared due to my history of back injuries (herniated two discs in my lower back in my previous life). Well, I worried, again, for nothing. My chiropractor is very nice and a prior military member himself.

            One thing that was a bit uncomfortable, but not necessarily attributed to the chiropractor himself was that I can be a little funny (not ha-ha) when it comes to my personal space and being touched, even by people in my family. In order for the chiropractor to adjust my spine and neck, he needed to “manhandle” me. I’m not sure if you know this, but manhandling requires being touched and for the chiropractor to basically use his body and leverage to twist my body into all different positions. This issue caused me to be a little more tense than normal, which prevented me from getting all of my vertebrae adjusted.

            There were a few pops in my neck to one side, then the other. Next up was my back and hips. Nothing really hurt during the procedure, which was nice. Next up was a wonderful massage, followed by the use of electric stim with heavy ice packs wrapped in a blanket, which was placed on top of the electrodes that were attached to various locations on my back. I also got additional x-rays done on my neck, as the ones I had done a few weeks ago, which revealed the presence of scoliosis in my upper back (thoracic region). I go back tomorrow, as well as Friday. Three times a week for as many weeks as the VA will authorize. Good thing I work from home and have a relatively flexible schedule!

            Stay tuned for future updates. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram as well. Remember, your health is important. Both emotionally and physically. Take time for yourself. Nurture your body and mind daily.