T.B.: His prescribed medication, opana, isn't working well for his pain anymore. We had one visit back to the pain management doctor after that third epidural and, unfortunately, TB needs surgery. Before, that though, he will have to lose weight. We both have an appointment to consult with a bariatric surgeon on Wednesday.
No, it doesn't mean we're getting gastric bypasses! The only type of surgery I'll consider is the lap band. TB, however, is more willingly to look at the bypass because there would be a quicker weight loss. He just would like to get relief from the agony he's in.
TB still isn't able to work and we're treading water but thanks be to God, we have not gone under.
Me: Recently, my CPAP pressure got bumped up and although I hoped that would make my insomnia go away it didn't happen. I wake up in pain several times so either that is overcoming the pressure OR the pressure isn't high enough. The CPAP tech says that the right pressure is supposed to be enough to practically put you into a coma. I have a lot of day time sleepiness, especially in the morning, but that might also be due to Abilify, a medication prescribed to reduce my manic-ness.
Kristin: We got the results back from her sleep study and thank God she does not have sleep apnea nor narcolepsy nor restless leg syndrome. What she does have is a problem falling asleep and staying asleep that might be due to behavior, anticipated insomnia. The doctor wants her to try a light box and says she must work on getting 8 hours of sleep. That means a bedtime of ten. So TB, the doctor and I are not on the list of Kristin's favorite people. So it goes.
The adult kids: Same old same old
Little T: He's regressed a little in some behaviors but is improved in others, like his signing. His new thing is to run from us and try to get us to chase him. That's okay for fun and games but not when he suddenly darts into the street or runs from his teachers!
Here's a recent picture from school. "Smile, Tomas." This is the result.
Grandchildren in TN: We might be getting for them for part, some or all of the summer, oh, boy! We're hoping it happens and are lookikng forward to it!
Except for the news about the grandchildren, you might think we are all sad and unhappy but that's not true. Things could be a whole lot worse. This is a concept I'm trying to get across to my pessimistic daughter. I got an article about 5 steps to becoming a happier person and plan to send it to her. I thought I'd share some of what I learned though. Much of it was common sense and there were several links to other websites to read through.
Whether or not you feel happy depends on a couple of things. One is--are you happy with your life? It's not just your job or your spouse, there are other things involved. Do you have supportive friends? Are you nourished spiritually? Do you volunteer in the community?
Features that promote happiness if you are positive about them:
* Health
* Self-Esteem
* Goals, Values and Spiritual Life
* Money
* Work
* Play
* Learning
* Creativity
* Helping
* Love
* Friends
* Children
* Relatives
* Home
* Neighborhood
* Community
Another (and to me, more important) factor in happiness is your own attitude. Do you feel that although things are going wrong, they'll eventually become better? Do you think that no matter what you do, things will always be bad?
Here's a link to a happiness quiz.
I took the quiz and these are my results. The lifestyle issues are my health and my finances for the most part:
Your Score: It appears that 10 answers out of 16 questions, or 62 percent of your answers show lifestyle features that promote happiness. If there are areas of your life that you would like to change in order to promote increased happiness, there are resources (above) corresponding to each question on the test.
It looks like your lifestyle may be seriously impeding your level of happiness. The good news is that there are many changes you could make to bring more happiness and life satisfaction.
I can make changes.
And if you tend to be a pessimist, you can learn to be more optimistic.
If you’re trying to make positive changes in your life, it’s important to set yourself up to succeed:
1. First, set small, attainable goals. Work your way into a new habit with baby steps, and you’ll feel more successful every step of the way, and be less likely to give up.
2. Next, reward your progress; for each small goal you reach, allow yourself to feel pride, and perhaps give yourself a small reward.
3. Don’t forget to enlist social support! Tell the supportive people in your life what you’re attempting to acheive, and tell them of your successes. This will give you added strength, and will make it less appealing to give up (and have to explain yourself to those close to you)!
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