Make health a priority

I’ve lost several friends and two aunts to breast cancer. My sister-in-law is a survivor and I fully support the effort to make women aware of the need for a mammogram annually. But I’ve met few women who weren’t aware of this need. I’m sure there are some but do you know what the real problem is? One cannot get a mammogram free or at a reduced rate if one doesn’t have insurance.

I’ve had annual mammograms since I was 40 but have not had one since I lost my insurance. I simply don’t have the money and every October someone thinks that if they simply stress the need for one I’ll magically be able to reallocate money from my mortgage, dinner table, or other necessary expenses to do this. I can’t help but wonder if all the fancy lunches the hospitals put on for “awareness” couldn’t be foregone and replaced with low-cost mammograms.

Why does no one address this?

That’s me. In spite of taking daily additional D supplements for the last 3 years I am still deficient! So I have to take 50,000 units once a week until I get it under control.

And he’s almost certain I have a severe Vit. D deficiency. A blood test will tell for sure. How is this possible with me taking Vit. D supplements every stinking day for years? Yet now that I read up on this, I realize I should have had this test years ago because the treatment for it is 50,000 IU per day for a month. Compare that to the 2,000 IUs I’ve been taking and one can see the problem. Argh. This would explain both my osteoporosis and my unstable mood. We’ll see.

Maybe I’m just run down from not sleeping. Maybe I’m just old. Maybe I can’t do anything about my chronic pain, but then again, maybe I can. We’ll see.

I am way too young and healthy to have so much pain.

My back is in bad shape. Can’t afford to slow down. Traveling in circles here.

Really hurts. Dang. Do I push through the pain here or lose time? Why do I feel like the universe is agin me?

Making all these pots makes my back hurt. I’m going to have to get a massage just so I can move.

Also, I have to be careful because I feel so run down from lack of sleep. Saturday night I didn’t sleep at all. My poor dog. Then when I did sleep I had one of those dreams that are so real you can’t believe they are not happening. My little Honey was in that dream, she came to me, head down, tail a-wagging just like she used to. I rubbed her and could feel her soft fur, like it was before she got sick. I swear I could feel her soft undercoat. Then I woke up and cried.

In all honesty I’m anxious about everything: my ability to make enough good pots, money, the general economy, my dog, all the upcoming travel I have to do and all the shows I have ahead of me. Gotta chill.

My weight is now under control, though I still want to lose more. My blood pressure is back to it’s normal low numbers. My cholesterol is also normal again, though not as low as it was a couple of years ago. Just a few years of stressful living really took a toll on my health and the battle back has been very hard but it has been rewarding. Yesterday someone I hadn’t seen since last year came to my booth at a crafts fair and the words, “You’ve lost weight!” just fell out of his mouth, before even hello. I could have kissed him. The people around me can’t really tell because they see me every day and I continue to wear comfortable, loose clothing.

I still want to get my cholesterol down more and I have to find some kind of exercise that doesn’t result in injury. Swimming is the best for me but I can’t afford the expense. I’ll keep working on this goal.

Last night I did not get two consecutive hours of sleep all night. I was a wreck all day. I cried at the drop of a hat. I can’t go on like this. I need sleep.