Thursday, July 12, 2012
florida fried Steve
Do you remember the old commercial, I think it was for Solarcaine to stop sunburn pain? There was a little girl in the commercial that was sunburned and extremely red. She said "I got a sunburn and I feel like a french fry"! Some commercials just never purge from your memory. Steve and I stayed on the beach for 3 hours yesterday. I was the smart one and put on sunscreen and Steve was the one who said "Nah, I'll be OK". Guess what? Better still, I'll just show you. Take a look at his red feet.
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Needless to say, it has been an indoors day for both of us. I didn't get too red but I got enough sun to enjoy one day inside. Hermy stayed with us at the beach yesterday, barking at birds and digging in the sand. He is also lounging around today and even though he had a fur coat on, I'm wondering if his skin isn't a bit touchy. I love to pick him up and hold him in my lap like a baby. This morning when I did that, Steve said "Tammy, when the dog keeps shrinking down like that every time you touch him, I think it means he'd rather not be held". I pondered that for a minute and then thought, "He's not snapping at me or giving me his friendly disgusted low growl, so I'm thinking he stills wants his mommy to hold him". Check Hermy out at the beach with us yesterday.
The events in Sanibel the few days have been rather normal. It was kinda sad when the kids and my Mom left, leaving Steve and I all alone in this big house. It's funny how you get used to the kids being gone but you never really get used to them being back. lol I didn't want to see them leave but I did want to get this house back in order which I did immediately after they left! When Sloane comes home from college for the summer, I just put my cleaning duties to the back of the burner because I know that when I remove the dishes from the den, they'll be right back before the end of the day or if I take her clothes to her room upstairs so I can see the top of my dryer, it will be invisible again by the end of the day. I'm sure you have the same turmoil. I would take a messy house full of my kids and their love any day over a clean house lifeless and loveless!
Steve did see an egret bird swallowing a snake on his morning stroll with Hermy. We also saw one other unusual thing. Take a look at the pic below. We hope we don't end up like this guy. It may be a little hard to see but it's a frog that may have been challenged by his friends to "step on the cracks break your mommas back". I'm not sure if the air from the heat pump froze him stiff or if he panicked himself frozen stiff. It's puzzling exactly how he got here and how he stays!
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Taking cover,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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The events in Sanibel the few days have been rather normal. It was kinda sad when the kids and my Mom left, leaving Steve and I all alone in this big house. It's funny how you get used to the kids being gone but you never really get used to them being back. lol I didn't want to see them leave but I did want to get this house back in order which I did immediately after they left! When Sloane comes home from college for the summer, I just put my cleaning duties to the back of the burner because I know that when I remove the dishes from the den, they'll be right back before the end of the day or if I take her clothes to her room upstairs so I can see the top of my dryer, it will be invisible again by the end of the day. I'm sure you have the same turmoil. I would take a messy house full of my kids and their love any day over a clean house lifeless and loveless!
Steve did see an egret bird swallowing a snake on his morning stroll with Hermy. We also saw one other unusual thing. Take a look at the pic below. We hope we don't end up like this guy. It may be a little hard to see but it's a frog that may have been challenged by his friends to "step on the cracks break your mommas back". I'm not sure if the air from the heat pump froze him stiff or if he panicked himself frozen stiff. It's puzzling exactly how he got here and how he stays!
.JPG)
Taking cover,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I Am who I Am
Last week while shopping in Ingles, I was greeted by the manager of the store, Ken McCoin. Ken is always so kind and polite. He makes me enjoy shopping at Ingles and he makes Sloane happy to work for Ingles. I hope Ken doesn't mind me retelling his story.
Ken broke a tooth, right in front! He shared with me how hard it was to go around the store and talk to people trying to hide a broken tooth. Then, he remembered reading my book, Labeled by Humanity, Loved by God and he said it gave him inspiration to smile openly and not be ashamed of his broken tooth. He said to me "I am who I am". His tooth story made me smile inwardly for the next few days.
We arrived at Sanibel Island on Saturday, June 30th. Now...I don't like the beach for several reasons:
Cool pair of shoes, huh? As I was taking this picture, Ken's story inspired me! I am who I am.....shoes and socks on the beach and all! This made me smile outwardly.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July! Happy Independence Day! I'm going to look at my independence in a different way this year. Independent of everyone else, God made me uniquely me.
Shoed, Socked and Beached,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Ken broke a tooth, right in front! He shared with me how hard it was to go around the store and talk to people trying to hide a broken tooth. Then, he remembered reading my book, Labeled by Humanity, Loved by God and he said it gave him inspiration to smile openly and not be ashamed of his broken tooth. He said to me "I am who I am". His tooth story made me smile inwardly for the next few days.
We arrived at Sanibel Island on Saturday, June 30th. Now...I don't like the beach for several reasons:
- I hate sand (it never lets go)
- The ocean scares me (it goes on forever)
- It's difficult to walk in sand (it tires my feet)
- People stare at me (I have to wear my prosthetics)
- I am not a sunbather.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July! Happy Independence Day! I'm going to look at my independence in a different way this year. Independent of everyone else, God made me uniquely me.
Shoed, Socked and Beached,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Steve's Story
Steve's immune system is getting stronger every day. It is miraculous how God has and is working all this out, figuring out Steve has mold poisoning and putting all the pieces together. If you have a minute, I'll tell you our story:
It started with what we thought was eczema on Steve's hands back in late 2008. About the same time, he started recycling computer equipment for Mohawk in addition to his usual computer-related job. This required him to go into the plant out of his normal office environment. We tried everything for his hands without improvement and he was growing so fatigued he immediately went to sleep when he came home from work. He also had body aches and muscle soreness 24x7. I was just focused on his hands, trying to find help without looking at the whole body picture. He started having slight shortness of breath about a year ago but we thought it was from COPD because he did smoke for several years but has been quit for 19 years.
A friend of mine sent me an email about asperigillus, a fungus that almost killed her Dad many years ago. I disregarded the email for a while but God just kept bringing it to my memory and I took a look at it. The more I researched, the more it sounded like mold/fungus might be the root of Steve's problems. I found doctors in Atlanta, Dr. Susan Tanner and Dr. Donald Dennis that are environmental specialist that perform mold testing and voila, he is allergic to mold and his immune system was so weak it couldn't fight it so it started to attack his lungs. The lung specialist in Rome that did his biopsy couldn't tell us what caused the fibrosis, only that his immune system was attacking healthy lung tissue. If you read on the internet though, the medical community, Harvard Medical School, New England Journal of Medicine and Johns Hopkins agrees that "environmental pollutants" are the cause for pulmonary fibrosis.
Long story short, God is amazing if we will seek him, listen and then do! Now, why is Steve's immune system weak? The environmental department at Mohawk tested the area where Steve did his computer recycling in the plant, mold everywhere from a roof leak. They are having the area isolated, repaired and cleaned while Steve is in Florida. Also, our house had a leak that we were not aware of. We are having it repaired and cleaned while we are in Florida. Steve was also exposed to mold in two other Mohawk facilities, one has been condemned and the other is full of people. We haven't found the mold that his body is fighting hardest to clear out of his system, we believe it would be identified in one of those two locations.
Steve had lost his sense of smell and is regaining it so much that he can tell now when he comes in contact with mold and begins to sneeze, which is good but his throat also closes up, which isn't so good. He can also smell chicken manure and skunks now! lol The beautiful thing is he is taking supplements (vitamins, minerals, probiotics, etc) to repair his immune system. He is taking an anti-fungal drug and a very tiny, tiny dose of Prednisone to kick start his adrenal gland. His body was so depleted! Oh, and we also identified he is allergic to gluten and many other foods he regularly ate. I didn't realize either until this that 90% of your immune system is in your stomach. That's why diet is SO IMPORTANT!
Anyways, shew! It seems like a long road but the two doctors he is seeing in Atlanta thinks he can be well or much improved in six months if he eats correctly, takes the supplements and rids his environments of mold and pollutants! He needs pure, clean air to breathe. We saw a new doctor Monday, June 25th, an endocrinologist. Steve may need growth hormone to aid his recovery and Dr. Black will administer it if he does. The stay in Florida has been encouraged by all doctors we've seen. The salt air and good ozone will aid the healing process and when we return, his environments should be pretty pristine! I always thought people retire to Florida for the warm weather but that's only part of the benefit!
One more thing that confirmed it all for Steve and me.....the 2nd doctor we saw was pretty intense and he overwhelmed even me, with mold information the first time we saw him. He was very stern and a no-nonsense type of guy. Our insurance is not paying for much of this treatment making Steve and I both skeptical, this is totally not mainstream doctoring. However, on our 2nd visit to this guy (he's about 60 and looks about 35), I decided to quiet my fears and asked him how he knew so much about mold when he is an ear, nose and throat doctor. He looked at me and said, Well, it's a God thing! I didn't want to do this but it's what God wants me to do or called me to do, he said. He continued to tell us about some of his practice successes and papers he's written on the subject. The fears just melted away for both of us!
Folks like you that have continued praying for us has certainly helped our spirits and encouraged me to keep digging. Your prayers, God's amazing wisdom and knowledge has surfaced the improvement Steve is enjoying in only 1.5 months! Thanks so much!
It started with what we thought was eczema on Steve's hands back in late 2008. About the same time, he started recycling computer equipment for Mohawk in addition to his usual computer-related job. This required him to go into the plant out of his normal office environment. We tried everything for his hands without improvement and he was growing so fatigued he immediately went to sleep when he came home from work. He also had body aches and muscle soreness 24x7. I was just focused on his hands, trying to find help without looking at the whole body picture. He started having slight shortness of breath about a year ago but we thought it was from COPD because he did smoke for several years but has been quit for 19 years.
A friend of mine sent me an email about asperigillus, a fungus that almost killed her Dad many years ago. I disregarded the email for a while but God just kept bringing it to my memory and I took a look at it. The more I researched, the more it sounded like mold/fungus might be the root of Steve's problems. I found doctors in Atlanta, Dr. Susan Tanner and Dr. Donald Dennis that are environmental specialist that perform mold testing and voila, he is allergic to mold and his immune system was so weak it couldn't fight it so it started to attack his lungs. The lung specialist in Rome that did his biopsy couldn't tell us what caused the fibrosis, only that his immune system was attacking healthy lung tissue. If you read on the internet though, the medical community, Harvard Medical School, New England Journal of Medicine and Johns Hopkins agrees that "environmental pollutants" are the cause for pulmonary fibrosis.
Long story short, God is amazing if we will seek him, listen and then do! Now, why is Steve's immune system weak? The environmental department at Mohawk tested the area where Steve did his computer recycling in the plant, mold everywhere from a roof leak. They are having the area isolated, repaired and cleaned while Steve is in Florida. Also, our house had a leak that we were not aware of. We are having it repaired and cleaned while we are in Florida. Steve was also exposed to mold in two other Mohawk facilities, one has been condemned and the other is full of people. We haven't found the mold that his body is fighting hardest to clear out of his system, we believe it would be identified in one of those two locations.
Steve had lost his sense of smell and is regaining it so much that he can tell now when he comes in contact with mold and begins to sneeze, which is good but his throat also closes up, which isn't so good. He can also smell chicken manure and skunks now! lol The beautiful thing is he is taking supplements (vitamins, minerals, probiotics, etc) to repair his immune system. He is taking an anti-fungal drug and a very tiny, tiny dose of Prednisone to kick start his adrenal gland. His body was so depleted! Oh, and we also identified he is allergic to gluten and many other foods he regularly ate. I didn't realize either until this that 90% of your immune system is in your stomach. That's why diet is SO IMPORTANT!
Anyways, shew! It seems like a long road but the two doctors he is seeing in Atlanta thinks he can be well or much improved in six months if he eats correctly, takes the supplements and rids his environments of mold and pollutants! He needs pure, clean air to breathe. We saw a new doctor Monday, June 25th, an endocrinologist. Steve may need growth hormone to aid his recovery and Dr. Black will administer it if he does. The stay in Florida has been encouraged by all doctors we've seen. The salt air and good ozone will aid the healing process and when we return, his environments should be pretty pristine! I always thought people retire to Florida for the warm weather but that's only part of the benefit!
One more thing that confirmed it all for Steve and me.....the 2nd doctor we saw was pretty intense and he overwhelmed even me, with mold information the first time we saw him. He was very stern and a no-nonsense type of guy. Our insurance is not paying for much of this treatment making Steve and I both skeptical, this is totally not mainstream doctoring. However, on our 2nd visit to this guy (he's about 60 and looks about 35), I decided to quiet my fears and asked him how he knew so much about mold when he is an ear, nose and throat doctor. He looked at me and said, Well, it's a God thing! I didn't want to do this but it's what God wants me to do or called me to do, he said. He continued to tell us about some of his practice successes and papers he's written on the subject. The fears just melted away for both of us!
Folks like you that have continued praying for us has certainly helped our spirits and encouraged me to keep digging. Your prayers, God's amazing wisdom and knowledge has surfaced the improvement Steve is enjoying in only 1.5 months! Thanks so much!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Blown Away
Over the rainbow and still I'm,
The Happy Handicap
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Sloane has a "friend" coming over....
So....Sloane has a new "friend" coming over! "Not a boyfriend" she says, although he is a boy, rather a man. When my kids were young, I'd never let them invite friends over because I didn't feel like I had time to clean the house properly. They didn't like it but those were my rules. Before Sydnee was married, she would help me clean to have a "friend" over and Sloane helped me clean today. I might need a rule against "friends" coming over now but it did help me get Sydnee out of the house so I'm thinking these visits will do the same for Sloane!
About these visits...I do want my house to be exceptionally clean but I can never get EVERYTHING just right. I'm gonna give you a few examples of what I mean. First of all, we concentrated on these rooms (dining room, kitchen, den, living room and half bath). The rest of the house did not get touched. I don't know if you ever "specific room" clean like this but you should try it.
Here's the living room. At first glance, one might think all is OK. BUT NOT SO upon closer inspection. See those windows in the pic below, I have hired a carpenter to take those out and replace them with smaller, high efficiency ones because the sunlight is fading my wood flooring. He hasn't gotten to it yet and I gave my Mom my curtain rods from that window. So, in a pinch, I hung the curtains with some string rope that I had (notice the droop)! Sloane can explain it to her "friend" if he notices. Who cares anyway, especially with that big Christmas piece still on the mantel and it's March! I think it's so pretty and Christmas is every day to me that sometimes I leave it there all year long!
About these visits...I do want my house to be exceptionally clean but I can never get EVERYTHING just right. I'm gonna give you a few examples of what I mean. First of all, we concentrated on these rooms (dining room, kitchen, den, living room and half bath). The rest of the house did not get touched. I don't know if you ever "specific room" clean like this but you should try it.
Here's the living room. At first glance, one might think all is OK. BUT NOT SO upon closer inspection. See those windows in the pic below, I have hired a carpenter to take those out and replace them with smaller, high efficiency ones because the sunlight is fading my wood flooring. He hasn't gotten to it yet and I gave my Mom my curtain rods from that window. So, in a pinch, I hung the curtains with some string rope that I had (notice the droop)! Sloane can explain it to her "friend" if he notices. Who cares anyway, especially with that big Christmas piece still on the mantel and it's March! I think it's so pretty and Christmas is every day to me that sometimes I leave it there all year long!
Secondly, I always worry about my baseboards not being clean enough. I wonder how many people actually check baseboards when they go to visit people? Anyway, I'm hoping that the spit shine I put on the foyer tile will blind him enough that he won't notice the baseboards. See below!
One of my greatest fears when having visitors, especially "friends" of my daughters, is they might need to use the bathroom. I know this is a natural occurrence and I don't want them to "hold it" but my fear is a natural one too. I am scared to death he will lift the toilet lift and a curly hair will stare him right in the face! This wasn't Sloane's fear though, she just wanted me to get the dust off of my topiary roses. See picture below.
We have steam cleaned the kitchen, dusted all the rooms and I'm going to sweep the porch now. I wish that I would learn that my daughter's "friends" are not coming over to grade me on my cleaning skills. I secretly already know that whatever shine I might manage to put on my house isn't the reason they come - because the beauty of either of my daughter's would outshine my clean house any day. The thing I enjoy most about a "friend" coming over is getting help with the work!
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