Living la Vida Lupus

Hey ya’ll,

It’s been a while…longer than I realized. Well, I moved into my new home last month…been busy, end of excuses.

Okay, now I have to share my Reflexology experience with you. Susie Kruse, CRP, RN, Certified Reflexology Practitioner and a member of my “Zumba in the Circuit” class at the Curve’s Club on Louetta was offering 10 minute intro sessions yesterday. Of course being an advocate for alternative treatments I had to give it a try.

You’re not familiar with Reflexology? Well, Susie’s brochure tells us that Reflexology is an ancient science and healing technique based on the theory that the 7200+ reflex endings in our hands and feet directly correspond to all our organs, glands, and body parts. By stimulating these reflexes with thumb and finger pressure, any physical and neurological blockages may be cleared, thus helping to restore health and equilibrium to the corresponding body part.

“How cool is that?”

It is amazing that someone touching your feet can affect your entire body. Really, 10 minutes was equivalent to a full body massage, and less expensive.

After my session yesterday I drank lots of water and soaked in an Epsom Salt bath as recommended. I taught two “Zumba in the Circuit” classes prior to my session so after my soak in the tub I had a short nap, zzzzzzzz. This morning I feel great.

I visit my chiropractor regularly and utilize massage therapy, including lymphatic drainage massage to aid in my health challenges. Reflexology is definitely being added to my arsenal.

If you want to know more about Curves, www.curves.com, Zumba in the Circuit, www.zumba.com, Reflexology, email Susie at SUSIEDRUSE@ATT.NET.

Thanks for following along as I face life with lupus.

Please take a minute to “like” my Living la Vida Lupus FB page.

Peace, love, lupus…

Hola,

Your “Nutritionista” here. How’s it going? Are you swim suit ready yet?

No?

What’s holding you back?

Want to feel better about your body and health?

Then you are in the right place…

Today I want to discuss “kale” (again) and all it’s nutritional glory. I would love for you to participate (that means leave a comment), but just sharing in my thoughts is good too…no pressure.

I only discovered kale a couple of years ago and I really can’t get enough of it. I was dining at Olive Garden with my husband recently and as our waitress recited the soup choices I asked the ingredients of the “Tuscano”…when she said kale I was sold. I make a lot of soups and never thought about throwing in a hand full of chopped kale!

I usually steam or saute my kale, but I recently read a suggestion to toss kale in your salad greens. I have really been missing some primo opportunities.

I opt for an anti-inflammatory diet because of my autoimmune disease so that is one reason I love kale. Other reasons include:

Kale is rich in Vitamins A and C, high in potassium, calcium and iron, and is a good source of fiber.

Kale has powerful antioxidant properties and is considered to be anti-inflammatory.

Ornamental and edible what more could you ask for?

If kale isn’t one of your favorite veggies I encourage you to try it. Already love kale? Share the love by commenting below.

I am convinced that kale everyday helps keep the doctor away, along with my apple <smile>

Thanks for following along as I live life with lupus.

Hey ya’ll, I have to admit, when I started blogging,  posting a monthly conversation was not what I had in mind, but it is better than bi-annually (tee, hee, hee).  My original goal was to post three times a week, lofty goal, right?!?

Enough self- recrimination… what shall we discuss today?

If you are a FB friend you know that my husband recently had kidney stones, again. He was in the hospital for three days, but luckily passed the one causing the obstruction a few hours before his scheduled surgery. He is still waiting on the analysis of his stones so the doctor can prescribe some medication to help him stop producing so many. He is a kidney stone making machine!!!

Well, as you may or may not know, I am an advocate for preventative care (not pharmaceuticals), I think food, and exercise, herbs, vitamins, minerals, and common sense are the best medicines. Ok, calm down…we are talking prevention here not curing cancer. I agree there is a time and place for prescription medication.

The following information is from a friend of mine, she is an herbalist and a regular member of my Zumba in the Circuit classes.

Kidney stones can form when urine contains too much of certain substances. These substances can create small crystals that become stones.

The biggest risk factor for kidney stones is dehydration.

Kidney stones may not produce symptoms until they begin to move down the tubes (ureters) through which urine empties into the bladder. When this happens, the stones can block the flow of urine out of the kidneys. This causes swelling of the kidney(s), causing pain. The pain is usually severe.

Supporting supplements:

Remember to drink a lot of water (lemon or lime added to the water can be helpful).

1) Marshmallow (not the bags from the grocery store, duh) - there are many testimonies of this helping relieve the pain of passing stones better than morphine. This herb coats the tubes so that the passing can be tolerated better. Take 3 capsules every 2-3 hours as needed for pain/discomfort. If pain is excruciating, you can take 4-5 capsules every 3 hours. (Take this supplement with food if you have severe hypoglycemia.)

2) Hydrangea – used to break up the stones. Take 3 capsules 3 times a day for 3 weeks.

3) Vitamin B-6 and Magnesium - may be helpful in prevention of kidney stones.

Remember, I am sharing information concerning this topic. I am not a medical practitioner in any form or fashion. Do your own research, be an informed consumer, and your own health advocate.

From my moderate amount of online research it doesn’t seem that persons with autoimmune disease are any more likely to suffer from kidney stones than anyone else. They obviously don’t understand the stress of having a husband who seems to be going through child birth! Kidney involvement in Lupus rarely causes discomfort or pain. Do keep in mind that along with our brain the kidneys are potentially the most serious organ involved in lupus because they may be “silently” involved – meaning the patient does not know there is disease process going on.

Be sure to friend me on FB! Include a message that you are a member of the Lupus community, Zumba, friend or foe (just kidding about the last one, surprise me).

Hugs and kisses,

Ruby

God bless America!

It’s ok to leave a comment below, really.

Hey Y’all, it is rodeo time hear in H-town, Texas, and I can’t think of a better time to get back in the blog saddle.

Wow, it has been a while since we had a conversation. A lot has happened. The short and sweet of the past few months…I became unemployed on December 22, 2010 due to health reasons, you know what that means don’t you? No unemployment, almost half of our income gone (yikes). So, as I have been reeling from all the changes in my life our conversations have fallen by the wayside.

The exciting news is I am no longer transitioning into the role of fitness professional. You guessed it; I jumped in feet first in January. I will be updating my “about me” and “Zumba, baby” tab’s shortly to reflect my class schedule (big cheesy grin).

So, what shall we talk about today?

I am at Starbucks working on my music playlist for tonight’s classes, that’s correct, I said classes, plural. You can tell I’m excited, right?

I hope y’all don’t mind me sharing my new life changes along with our autoimmune, health and fitness topics. You know things like budgeting, less stress, getting a good night’s sleep, taking afternoon naps (on an as needed basis only, lol), grocery shopping during the week when it’s less crowded, our granddaughter sleeping over during the week, yard work, not worrying about sick days or annual leave, two hours of commute Monday thru Friday. Wow, this list could go on and on. It’s all part of the Lupus life.

The main thing I want to share today is “It’s ALL Good!”

Ok, that’s it for now. If you have been missing our conversations, are a new participant or want to offer a topic suggestion, please leave a comment below.

And as always…

Thanks for following as I live life with Lupus,

Ruby

I do believe that in Tennessee and probably in Texas, this is known as “making hay when the sun shines”, you can correct me if I am wrong…oh, never mind about that last part.

If you don’t already know, this is exceptionally true for lupies! We never know how we are going to feel or what might incapacitate us at any given moment. I may have a perfectly marvelous day today and not be able to get out of bed tomorrow because of some kind of pain, muscle or joint, or perhaps some other strange malady. Before I was diagnosed with lupus I had paralysis in my left hand. For six months. My doctors finally decided to attribute the paralysis to some kind of virus…true story!

So for those of you with autoimmune disease I don’t think I have to tell you twice to “get while the gettin’ is good”. And for those of you who love someone with an autoimmune disease, now you will understand why we might leave the sink full of dishes to rush off to Zumba class. The dishes will be waiting for our return, unless they miraculously do themselves, because we might not feel like exercising when the next Zumba class rolls around.

Grab your board when the surf is up ya’ll and thanks for following along as I face life with lupus,

XOXOXs Ruby

Hey ya’ll, are you ready to discuss tuning into your energy cycle? I say let’s go for it.

If you are just joining us you will need to read the previous post “Thrive After Lupus” to get up to speed. Go ahead; read it, Carol and I will both appreciate you for it.

Lupus peeps, you have probably forgotten what your true energy cycle is. Medications can really screw up your energy cycle…some meds keep you awake…then you need other meds to help you sleep…there are so many side effects…then you need meds for those.

Fortunately I am not on any meds for my Lupus, but my energy cycle is still a train wreck. Let’s see, four adults on different work schedules, stress, pets, etc. There are so many things to disrupt my “feeling of being in flow”. How about you? Are you a morning person? Night owl? How’s your vitality?

Here in Texas our weather isn’t as seasonal as most places and I don’t have school age children to aid in any rhythm of my energy cycle.

So how can I get back my “feeling of flow”? I start by eating healthy, nutrition filled meals. Eat within an hour of getting up in the morning to set the tone for the day, stop eating three hours before bedtime. Add some activity (that means exercise), crank up some tunes, sing along, and dance a jig, okay, maybe not a jig. Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. You can do it! And you will be soooo happy that you did.

Am I 100% with all of the suggestions in the previous paragraph? No, but I chisel away at it every day. I am closer to 100% than to 60% and I am good with a consistent 90% goal.

Thanks for following along as I face life with lupus.

Ruby

Hey ya’ll,

Happy Monday to everyone. It feels so good to be able to sit here, sip my Grande Pike Place and share some conversation.

I am taking some creative license with today’s topic and in the process introducing you to Carolyn Ellis.

I don’t know Carolyn personally, but her website is www.thriveafterdivorce.com. I can’t even tell you how it is I ran across her website because for me personally…divorce is soooooo yesterday! Been there, done that. And “yes” I am thriving. I hope you will check out Carolyn’s website, especially if you are going through the big “D” and I don’t mean Dallas.

Anyway, at some point in time I signed up for Carolyn’s newsletter and one popped into my mailbox today. The subject, “Productivity and Energy: 4 Strategies to Managing Your Energy Cycles”, really jumped out at me. So, today’s conversation is going to relate these strategies to “Us”, the autoimmune community, no divorces required (that’s my personal disclaimer, grin).

The article started out by asking if you struggle to become more productive and get ahead of your “to do” list,

“He-llo” often times when we have serious health concerns I don’t know about you, but I shut down. “To Do” list? What “To Do” list? I ain’t got no stinkin’ “To Do” list!

Next we are given a gentle reminder that:

An important, yet often overlooked, aspect that is critical to your success is your energy cycle.

Carolyn’s tips are to:

1. Tune into Your Energy Cycle
2. Grab Your Board When the Surf is Up
3. Dig for Clams When the Tides are Low
4. Shift Gears When You Need to

For the sake of not overwhelming you I am going to share my insights on each of the four items in separate conversations…because I have so freakin’ much to say about each one, LOL!

I would like to tell you that I will share my insights on Tune into Your Energy Cycle in tomorrow’s post, but alas, if you have been paying any attention to this blog at all you know that I am not exactly on a schedule.

On a lighter note, don’t you just hate it when you hold down the key on your laptop for a capital letter and you just get a string of lower case letters? Please tell me I am not the only one who does this…pretty please.

Thanks for following along with me as I face life with lupus, join me next time as we discuss “Tuning into our Energy Cycle”. And I hope you will have some input, aka comments…one way conversations are ok, but joint conversations are “Priceless”.

Later,

Ruby

I’m Baa-ackkk, did ya miss me? Did ya, did ya, did ya?

Hey ya’ll, I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but I have been off the radar again. The good news is I just read an awesome article about “Back Sliding”. The article was written by Carolyn B. Ellis.

Carolyn reminded me that:

• Progress is never a straight line. Often it’s a matter of one step forward, two steps back.
• Backsliding after we’ve started some new habits or set new goals is common.
• The choice you make after you’ve “fallen off the wagon” that is critical.

The best of intentions can get crushed by procrastination, old habits or disempowering thoughts. Here are a few tips Carolyn gave to get (me) back on track.

1. Celebrate Your Awareness

Do you immediately launch into self-recrimination and judgment when you backslide? Instead of beating yourself up, choose to celebrate your awareness. Within the seeds of the breakdown are the keys to creating a lasting breakthrough.

Action Step: Come up with a positive mantra or affirmation to use when you discover you’re out of integrity with your goals. Try “Hey, I’m curious about what took me off course,” instead of “Hey, you loser, you blew it again!” Love yourself forward.

2. Patience is a Virtue

In a world addicted to instant gratification, creating empowering new habits and thoughts takes discipline, repetition and, often, time. How many years did it take to create the bad habit in the first place? A few decades perhaps? Is it so unreasonable to think it may take you a few weeks or months of focused intention and action to unlearn a lifetime of mental programming?

Action Step: Catch yourself when you get impatient and stop. Impatience is a quality of the ego-self, not the Higher Self. While sometimes a permanent shift can just take a split second, often we simply need to be more patient with our process.

3. Think Outside the Box

Einstein said it best when he observed that trying to solve problems at the same level of thinking that created them is an exercise in futility. It’s like trying to hammer a nail, when the only tool you have is a saw. Breaking out of deeply ingrained subconscious patterns often requires thinking outside the box.

Action Step: Realize there’s a lot you don’t know you don’t know. Work with a coach, find an accountability partner, or connect with like-minded people who are achieving the success you want to create as a way to break loose from old patterns.

I hope ya’ll like Carol’s advice as much as I do. FYI, Carolyn B. Ellis is the founder of ThrivePrinciples.com and BrillianceMastery.com. To learn more about the life-changing THRIVE Principles ™, visit www.ThrivePrinciples.com

Thanks for allowing me to share as I face life with Lupus,

Ruby

In closing, I have never met Carol, but her article lifted me up, so I decided to lift her up.

Gluten Free Love…

Hey ya’ll, I am totally off course with my posts, please bear with me as I attempt to get back on track. If anyone is reading you will love this conversation though.

I recently shared that I would be teaching Zumba classes again next month <sad face> lost my studio space. So, I am back to the drawing board. Oh, well, the time slot that was available wasn’t ideal anyway, probably for the best.

My “Test Don’t Guess” project is not going well…I have a follow up appointment with my doctor tomorrow for labs. I will update you on that adventure. The good news is that I am maintaining the weight I have lost, just can’t seem to lose any more.

Sport is getting an attitude because I haven’t been posting his page. Jeesh, celebrities!

I know you have been hearing some buzz about gluten. We have discussed gluten a little bit in previous conversations. Remember? It causes inflammation and autoimmune disease is inflammatory…yes, my lips are moving…no, I am not saying blah, blah, blah, I am sharing some really good news with you if you love popcorn. Following my hormone balancing food plan doesn’t really include popcorn unless it is organic and then only one cup…why bother, right? Well I found a great popcorn fix today. Maybe you have already tried it, but just in case you haven’t it is called “Just Honest Popcorn” and sold by the Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company. It is portion controlled, comes in several flavors, is gluten and nut free, hot air popped, no trans fats, and you can actually read the list of ingredients! Check out their website www.rmpopcorn.com , http://twitter.com/RockyMtnPopcorn , and http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=187228145243&ref=search .

Let me know if you try this yummy product and more importantly let Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company know.  They say their product is “Real and good. Good and real.” I have only tried the Butter flavor so far, but look forward to investigating the other flavors, except Kettle Corn, there is just something messed up about sweet and salty popcorn, yuk.

Thanks for allowing me to share as I face life with lupus,

Ruby