Happy New Year! Here's Wishing You The Best Of Health!

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Season's Greetings: Illness, Power Outage, And Adversity Can't Stop Christmas And Hanukkah From Coming!

I am home sick today and cannot be with my family. I don't need to share this with others. (I know this is the time of year for sharing but not the germ kind of sharing if you know what I mean).

While I miss my family very much and am sad that I can't celebrate with them in person today, I want to focus instead on gratitude. There is much for me to be grateful for. Rather than focus on negative feelings, I'd like to focus on things I am thankful for...

Today's top 10 reasons I am grateful:

1) I have a family that loves me who I love very much. We have lots of love in our lives.

2) We have a roof over our heads and enough food to eat. We appreciate what we have and recognize that there are people who are less fortunate than we are. Our thoughts are with them today.

3) We have health insurance and access to great doctors. We know that there are millions of people with no health coverage at all.

4) We have transportation, electricity (something we really appreciated last night when we lost ours do to a power outage), and water. We are safe.

5) We have the ability to find the resources we need to manage the adversity we encounter. We recognize that adversity and challenges can provide opportunity for growth and enlightenment.

6) We do our best to learn from our mistakes and grow from them. We help others. We share information and resources. We pass along coping tips for those going through similar experiences.

7) We volunteer our time and talents to causes we believe in. We are grateful for the opportunity to help others through difficult times.

8) We are thankful that we keep learning, growing, adapting, and connecting with others. We are happy to know some outstanding, wonderful, thoughtful, insightful people who make the world a better place each day.

9) We are open-minded. We enjoy learning about circumstances different than ours. We appreciate diversity.

10) We are free. We have freedom of speech. We have freedom of religion. We are free to make our own choices in our pursuit of happiness.

Let me say that one reason I am really grateful for electricity today (see #4 above) is that we had a power outage last night. It set the smoke alarms off (no fire but all of them going off at once was very loud & startling). We manually turned off all of the alarms we could reach. (They still have batteries in them & still work. They are electrically wired - normally - as well. So they still worked after we "turned them off" noise-wise. We just undid the electric portion but if there were a fire right now, they would still go off). We have yet to hook them back up because we were asleep when the power got restored.

So we survived the power outage last night. Opening our presents in the dark (after dealing with the smoke alarms) was interesting. (There was no fire. The problem with the smoke alarms was related to the power outage and absence of power to the ceiling fan above the woodstove... a fan which is always on when the woodstove is so as not to confuse the smoke detector which is a little too sensitive).

I am thankful that our woodstove was already working prior to the power going off. I'm thankful that we had the light of the fire to help us to find our Hanukkah candles. I'm grateful that lighting a Hanukkah candle gave us enough light to locate a small flashlight (and a cell phone to use as a spare flashlight... which we needed to manage the smoke detectors)! When things settled down, we were fortunate to be able to open our Christmas and Hanukkah gifts by firelight and the Hanukkah candle (with a little help from the flashlight).

Our power was out on Christmas Eve from about 8:30 pm to 1:00 am. The power company fixed the downed wires.

IT WAS VERY WINDY!!!

Despite all of the commotion at our house, Santa still managed to find us.

I am scheduled to have my abscessed tooth extracted tomorrow. The oral surgeon squeezed me in for an emergency appointment for tomorrow (scheduled shortly before I got sick yesterday). I hope to still be able to make it tomorrow to have an abscessed tooth extracted. I'm thinking maybe getting the infected tooth out might help me feel better with my sinuses (and stop the post-nasal drip which is irritating my throat and making it very hard to tell if I have a virus or not). I'm on an antibiotic for the abscessed tooth.

So in the morning, I need to call them to ask them if they think my tooth infection has caused a chain reaction/spread to sinus problems with a VERY runny nose and a froggy throat.

I honestly don't know for sure if I'm contagious or not. I have never had an abscessed tooth and I just don't know if it could spread and cause infection elsewhere (?) but I do know my face hurts. So I may still be able to get my tooth extracted tomorrow. If so, I will be grateful for that because the pain feels like electric shocks to where my tooth is. (I didn't know teeth could hurt this much until now).

In any event, I wasn't going to chance it today. I don't need to infect a houseful of people on Christmas. Also, my niece is just getting over pneumonia. I just didn't think it would be wise for me to go. So my husband and daughter went and I stayed here.

I'll call the oral surgeon when they open in the morning and see if they want me to come in or not. I can't eat for 8 hours beforehand because they are going to put me out for it (due to my complicated medical history they thought it best not to do it while I'm awake and I tend to agree with them on that).

If they think my symptoms are tooth infection-related, then obviously the sooner I get in the better. If not, I don't want to get them sick and may need to get re-scheduled and get stuck with the dental deductible for 2009.

Thank you to my family, my blog's readers, my friends, my local endo support group members and all of my wonderful blogger friends who have such positive spirits and who make the world a better place!

So enough talking about last night's power outage or tomorrow's tooth extraction. As you can see, I have a lot to be thankful for. After I post this, I plan to meditate for a little while before my family returns home from holiday visits with extended family. They are en route as we speak! :)

Quote of the Day from The Foundation for a Better Life:

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? [Christmas] came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

—Dr. Seuss (1904-1991); writer, cartoonist

My thoughts are with those who are cold, hungry, in pain or unhappy today.

Today I wish for world peace.

"We shall find peace. We shall hear angels. We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds".
--Anton Chekov

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah!! Happy Holidays!!

I have been trying and trying to figure out a special post for Hanukkah, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but I am, frankly, too tired to write the type of post that I had envisioned. So I'm going to keep this short and simple.

In my house we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. So things have been busy lately.

We've been lighting the Hanukkah candles every night and we are preparing for Christmas visiting tomorrow.

I am currently sick and have not decided whether I'm contagious or not. So I may or may not be able to participate tomorrow with the Christmas visits.

I'll have to decide that soon but right now I'm just not sure exactly what is going on (i.e. allergies, virus, bacterial infection?)

If it is bacterial, I'm already on an antibiotic for an abscessed tooth but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm not contagious.

If it's viral then I shouldn't go & infect others... no matter what day it is.

If it's allergies, I can go.

The problem is that I don't think it's allergies. I'm still sorting it out based on many past similar "bugs" but I'm guessing it's viral. So I probably will not be going for our planned Christmas visits.

I do not want to be responsible for getting anyone else sick. I wouldn't want to make anyone else feel like I do now. I can't get caught up in what day is on the calendar. I have to listen to my body... for my own good and for the health of my loved ones.

This does make me sad but it's not the first time I've had to sit out Christmas at home. With my immune system, this is a tricky time of year.

With various family members being especially susceptible (i.e. people with asthma) and with my niece just getting over pneumonia, I am coming to terms with the fact that I will probably be home for Christmas tomorrow.

I have learned to accept such events as part of being chronically ill.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas! Being chronically ill can be especially hard at this time of year. Keep your chins up!

Sending everyone best wishes, peace, and joy!

So... Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Season's Greetings to everyone!

As we approach a new year, let's hope for healing and comfort for those who are in pain. Peace!

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Adversity, Challenges, Frustration And The "Secret To Life" According To Tori Amos...

After yesterday's pretty somber (but important) article about toxins, I decided today is one of those days to lighten things up a bit! Many of us have heard phrases to the effect of, "you can't always control what happens to you but you can control how you choose to react to it".



(Picture credits go to http://everythingtori.com/go/galleries/)

I've written before about one of my favorite musicians, Tori Amos, who happens to have endometriosis. I decided to quote her here today because the way I interpret her lyrics (see below) is essentially that everything can be falling apart around you, you can be anxious and upset about it all, but in the end... you CAN get through it with your inner strength.

You CAN get through amazingly hard times and adversity simply by relying on yourself. That, to me, is a very simply worded yet very powerful statement.

"Well I found the secret to life... I found the secret to life... I'm okay when everything is not okay... I said I found the secret to life... Found the secret to life... I'm okay when everything is not okay... Is not okay..."

-- Tori Amos (musician, singer, songwriter, pianist)

No matter what adversity you experience, if you look for the silver lining, the positive, and the purpose in everything... you can get through more than you probably think you can.

As simple as Tori's words are, they are loaded for me because the notion that one can "be OK when everything is not OK", to me, means that one can learn, grow, thrive, be productive, and move on even when difficult circumstances make things seem overwhelming.

(Picture credits go to http://everythingtori.com/go/galleries/)

No matter how challenging or overwhelming things get, I think it's important to be grateful for what we do have and to simply appreciate the resources available to us, the information we have access to, and the loved ones who support us. In the end, though, we can always rely on ourselves and our inner strength to get through the rough patches and come out the other end OK.

Besides, this post gives me an excuse to post a picture of when I met Tori Amos backstage... Yes, that's me with Tori! In my hands are my autographed picture of Tori and my friend's camera before we switched places so that I could get a picture of her with Tori. :)

(Picture credits for this shot go to my friend who attended the concert with me!)

Tori Amos is an amazing, strong woman. Her strength gives me strength when facing the challenges of my illnesses.

For a sample of Tori's music, listen to "Almost Rosey" (on the playlist.com music player in this blog's sidebar).

As I've previously written things that reference Tori Amos, here are some related links:

Sunday, June 15, 2008 What is My Connection to Tori Amos??

Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Endometriosis Blog: "Almost Rosey" -- The Healing & Supportive Power Of Music And Other Relaxation Techniques (Video Clip Included)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Endo Blog: How Much Can Quotes & Artwork Heal, Comfort, And Enlighten Us??

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

Endo Blog: How Much Can Quotes & Artwork Heal, Comfort, And Enlighten Us??

Sometimes when we're chronically ill, we tend to focus on our physical and emotional pain. While this is certainly an understandable part of being chronically ill, sometimes it's nice to distract ourselves from the pain by focusing our energy on uplifting materials!! Today I thought I'd write a post that IS NOT focused on endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, fibromyalgia, or any other chronic illness. Instead, I thought I'd post some quotes and artwork to shift the focus off of our illnesses for a bit!

If you're anything like me, you love quotes! I find them insightful, uplifting and thought-provoking. Of course, not all quotes are uplifting in nature. Some clarify bitter truths, cause the reader to examine history, and act to educate us in how we can all be better people by helping others.

I've decided to list quotes from a wide variety of sources... in random order. Hopefully something in this list will inspire you, comfort you or support you. Also, I've included some mandala art. Hopefully you'll find this uplifting!

All mandala art contained in this post is courtesy of Jennifer at http://www.mandalaspiritart.com/

"Beauty" Mandala

Here are some quotes that resonate with me in some way:

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“Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest, 1869-1948)

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
-- Albert Einstein (1875-1955), theoretical physicist, philosopher

“Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”
-- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American civil rights leader

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
-- Buddha

"Insight" Mandala

“Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.”
-- Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC), Greek tragedian

“When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.”
-- Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), U.S. First Lady, diplomat, human rights activist

“Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.”
-- Buddha

“If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
-- Maya Angelou (b. 1928), poet

"Joy" Mandala

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the courage to surpass others at whatever cost, but the courage to serve others at whatever the cost.”
-- Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), professional tennis player, civil rights supporter

“There was never a good war or a bad peace.”
-- Benjamin Franklin

“If mankind recognizes that war is impossible...that all national rivalries are foolish...if they get together any kind of an extension of detente... then we may pull out of it all the better for it.”
-- Tori Amos (musician, singer, songwriter, pianist)

"Happy Days" Mandala

“The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons.”
-- Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), philosopher

“I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery and death ... I think peace and tranquillity will return again.”
-- Anne Frank (German Jewish girl and author of a diary of her family's two years in hiding during World War II, 1929-1945)

“If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.”
-- Chief Joseph (Native American Quote)

"Native American" Mandala

“You know that saying, bad things don’t happen to good people? That’s a lie.”
-- Tori Amos (musician, singer, songwriter, pianist)

"Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, and beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger ... Show respect to all people and bow to no one ..."
-- Tecumseh, Shawnee (Native American Quote)

“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.”
-- Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993), actress, humanitarian

"Heal The Earth" Mandala

When a white army battles Indians and wins, it
is called a great victory, but if they lose it
is called a massacre.
-- Chiksika, Shawnee (Native American Quote)

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
-- John Fitzgerald Kennedy (American 35th US President (1961-63), 1917-1963)

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Peace to each one of you!!

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.