More Fibromyalgia Talk

I wanted to continue the previous discussion of living with fibromyalgia.  Many of us who suffer tend to get caught up in the feeling that no one understands or is going through what we are.  Guess what?  There are millions of us out there.  In fact, there are at least thousands with your exact issues.

There are so many doctors out there who have no understanding of fibromyalgia and all of its aspects on your health.  In my experience, most general practice doctors either do not have enough formal training on this disease or just don't want to have to deal with the "complaints" of its sufferers.  Therefore, they send you on to a specialist, usually a neurologist or rheumatologist.  These doctors do offer a bit more information, but I haven't found one that I feel takes my disease completely serious.  They continually prescribe medication and change it up every 3-6 months if it doesn't seem to work.  Eventually, they seem to give up on trying to soothe the aches and pains and offer no more assistance.

That sounds very harsh, I know.  I am not at all saying that good doctors aren't out there.  I have had both good and bad ones.  I don't want to beat up on them all.   However, I would love to see more doctors in large urban areas that are specialized in nothing but fibromyalgia and chronic pain syndrome.

Recently, I was sent for an MRI due to severe hand pain.  Don't ask!  I know, what does your head have to do with your hand?  I asked and received a long answer from the doctor.  I digress.  The MRI found a "nodule" on my thyroid and an ultrasound was ordered.  The ultrasound found a large mass on my thyroid.

At first I was wondering why this on top of everything else.  Then I found an interesting article that described that thyroid issues can plaque those with fibromyalgia.  How did I miss this in all my research?  Anyway, here is the link for you to read the article if you like:  Fibromyalgia and Your Thyroid

I do not wish to seem like I am rambling.  Well, I kind of am.  But, my point to this post for those with fibromyalgia is:  Always be aware of your body.  If you have new symptoms or pains, do not disregard them as a side effect of your disease.  We all hate practically living at the doctor's office, but your well being is worth having checked, even if it seems you are a hypocondriac.  I would much rather carry that label than to disregard a symptom of a more serious problem which could take my life.

I am currently scheduled and anxiously awaiting the thyroid biopsy to determine if this mass is cancerous.  I will keep you posted.

DIY Flower Pot

I have been a busy, busy girl...of course.  I think that is just the way of my life.  I hate standing still, so in my down time I am creating.

Recently, I went on a search for a new flower pot for a plant in my home.  I looked everywhere for just the perfect pot to go with my new decor in the kitchen and dining room.  Everything that I looked at just wasn't right.  The pots that I could have settled for were very expensive for me.  I began to get frustrated until.....my "ah-ha" moment.  In the distance, I seen the shelves full of terra cotta pots.  I am not usually a fan of terra cotta, but there it was and my mind began creating it.

I purchased the size of pot that I needed and returned home to search through old scrapbook papers that I have stored.  There it was, the perfect paper, color, print and all.

My friend, Mod Podge, and  I got started smoothing the paper over the terra cotta pot.  At first, I tried to smooth out all the wrinkles.  This was getting more and more difficult.  I stepped back and took another look at the wrinkles.  Guess what?  They added more character, so I let them be.

It took two pieces of scrapbook paper to cover each side, which left me with a unsightly seam.  So, I used a piece of the coordinating  paper that I used on the top.  It worked out well.

A little blending and antiquing with some paint and it was coming together, except at the rim where the two papers met.  Solution:  I used some scrap jute rope from a previous project and began wrapping it.  It made the entire project some together.

Now for getting the soil in it and tranplanting the plant.  Since I have a black thumb, I hope that I don't kill it in the process.

Go out and create your world.  Always take a second look at items.  This will let you open your mind to changing that item to fit into your decor.  You might just like the results.

Let's Talk About Fibromyalgia

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia over nine years ago.  I didn't completely understand the disease and what it did.  Anyone that I had ever come into contact with who had this disease was either in a wheelchair or walking with the assistance of a cane.  I have to say that I was terrified.

I made it my mission to gather all the information I could about this disease and talk to anyone who knew anything about it.  I knew that there was no cure, so I was in for a life sentence.  Books became my most important ally at first, then I moved on to the internet.  I read anything that mentioned fibromyalgia.

I admit that after that period of time, about two years, I fell into a deep depression.  I cursed God and didn't understand why this was happening to me.  It took me a long time to come to an understanding with myself.  I could either let fibromyalgia get the best of me and end up in a wheelchair, or I could fight with everything I had to stay mobile and take back control of my life.

My first order of business was to get my body moving every single day, whether I felt like it or not.  It is hard, most days very hard.  But, I still do it.  My new motto is, "No Pain, No Gain".  I refuse to give in to this.  I will not go down fighting.  

I think that the most difficult thing for me everyday is the "Fibro Fog" or brain fog.  It is frustrating and sometimes embarassing when I can't find a word and voice it.  People look at you like you have gone insane.  Some days, that is exactly what it feels like.  

My combat for the fog is to keep my brain as active as my body.  This too is difficult.  Probably more difficult than forcing a body in pain to move is forcing a brain to function.  I read a lot, play memory games on the computer, anything that makes me think through every process.

I hope to continue putting my story out there in future posts.  I know that in my research, reading someone else's story made me understand better that I am not the only one on earth going through this.  It also made me realize that I am not as bad off as some who are fighting fibromyalgia.

You are welcome to leave your comments and stories.  I will read every one.  Support and awareness are the best defense.

Dollar Store Upcycle Rope Vase

You can surely tell that it is spring!  Things are crazy busy all the time.  The yard work and flowerbed preparation has begun.  Together with appointments and just my all around struggle with fibromyalgia, I feel like I am either spinning out of control or stuck in bed.  It greats frustrating at times and I just don't feel that my long list of projects will ever reach its end.

I have, however, been able to fit a few small ones in here and there.  The lastest is an upcycle rope vase which was inspired by something that I seen on Pinterest, of course.  I have a box full of old glass vases from old flower arrangements or dollar/thrift store finds.  I have never been able to just get rid of them.  I have no idea why.

My solution to this problem is taking a few of them and wrapping them in jute rope.  That way they can match on the exterior, but it doesn't matter what size or color they are on the inside.  It's all the rage to have mismatched shapes and sizes.  So, I began.

On a recent trip to the local one dollar shop, I was able to find skeins of rope.  It is not as thick or dark in color as some of the more expensive choices.  But, it was only ONE DOLLAR for each skein.

A little Mod Podge and the vase, and I am ready to begin.

I started by placing a piece of waxed paper on my work surface.  I could see this was going to get real messy, real quick.  I then began putting a little Mod Podge (glue) not only on the bottom of the vase, but on the rope as well.  I held the end to the vase with my finger and began slowing wrapping and stacking the rope. Remember I told you it would get mess, well it did.

Make sure that you keep glue on the vase and rope throughout the process.  It makes the rope stay in place a little better because it keeps it tacky.  Also, keep an eye on your project so that you are making sure to push the rope together (downward).  You don't want too much space showing through.

All was going just as planned until I got to this point.  The extreme curve in the vase turned out to be a bit tricky.  I solved the problem by adding some rope up the curve and keeping it as uniform as possible.  It proved difficult to keep the rope pushed down so that space wouldn't show, so I gave up on that through this point.

Once I had it applied the best I could.  I stopped and let that much dry overnight.  Don't cut the rope, just make sure it isn't touching the rest of the project.

The next day, I began applying the glue and rope the rest of the way up the vase.  At the top, I overlapped the rope a few times to give it a wider looking opening.  A trick of the eye.  Cut the rope and glue it down as good as possible.  Don't worry if it comes up a bit, you can cut it off closer after it dries.

I didn't forget about the mess around that curve.  Now you can go back to them.  Apply a good coat of glue over the rope that was applied before.  Fill in the spaces with more rope.  Stack it up as high as you want for design purposes, or just wrap it to fill in.  Use the same procedure for cutting the end as you did on the top.  

After you have let it set overnight, go back with some scissors and cut off the excess rope and any annoying frays.  The dollar store rope will have a lot more of those than the more expensive rope.  I used just over half of one skein of jute rope for this project.  So I spent less than one dollar for this vase.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS PROJECT:

• Patience...alot of patience.
• Don't use a vase with an extreme curve in it if you didn't learn the first point (patience).
• Don't be afraid to stack the rope up for a more 3 dimensional design.
• Be prepared to scrub and peel Mod Podge off your hands and nails for a while...especially if you have long fingernails.

Go out there and create your world!  It doesn't take alot of money, nor does it take alot of artistic ability.  If it looks good to you, then you are successful!

I will be making more of these and maybe use them as gifts.  I am always looking for a last minute gift for someone for a housewarming, birthday, etc.

Please leave me a comment and let me know how your project turned out.  Share what you learned from the process.

Beaded Chain Mail Necklace and Bracelet

Spring is here and I am off to a running start.  Getting the outside ready for planting, yard clean-up and, of course, spring cleaning.  Who doesn't love that?

In my spare time, which has been lacking, I have been crafting chain maille jewelry designs.  I am not sure what it is about this form of jewelry making that makes me so creative, but I love it.  I have no problem seeing what how I want the piece to turn out and just putting it together.

Chain Maille is not necessarily a difficult form of jewelry making, but it is definitely tedious.  Some of the weaves can be very intricate and hard to keep track of if you are not concentrating.  Others, however, are fairly simple and self explanatory.

I discovered this technique on Pinterest, of course.  You can visit my boards for the links to many free tutorials on this techinique.  Just follow me on Pinterest, or go to http://pinterest.com/kimberzkreation/ and visit my Jewelry Inspiration board.

Here is my latest creation, an anklet/bracelet and necklace set.  I used the single spiral beaded technique on the anklet/bracelet, and combined a couple of different techniques/weaves on the necklace.  It has the single spiral beaded technique and the flower.

This was a difficult weave to get down while introducing beads.  But, for my first beaded chain maille design, I think it looks pretty good.

I hope that this inspires you in your jewelry making.

GO OUT AND CREATE YOUR WORLD!!

Kitchen Organization Part II

I finally completed my label project for the kitchen!  Well, at least for now.  As promised a few days ago, I am here to share my results.  I hope that it inspires you, at least a bit.

As you can see, they look great on the canisters and up close, but at a distance they are still hard to read when there is product inside.  I like them, however, as I stated before, I would use a different font the next time.  Live and learn.  But look at all the extra room I have in my cabinet!  That is exciting.

Go out there and create your world.