Vertigo

June 10, 2013 By

 

 

20120715-192457.jpg

 

Many moons ago I went on a trip to the Bahamas. It was lovely and my friends and I did a ton of great stuff. Of course we flew down, then we took several boat rides and one Booze Cruise where we ended up snorkeling. Problem is my body did’t really like all that stuff and I developed a horrendous case of vertigo.

When I say horrendous, I mean majorly bad, bedridden for 2 weeks, can’t even cook for myself, kind of vertigo. And once you get vertigo you are more susceptible to getting it again. So that is what has happened to me. I keep getting bouts of vertigo. Sometimes they are brought on by a particular event such as a plane or boat ride, other times they seem to be connected to an illness, but once I learned about the vertigo exercises/maneuvers I have been able to mitigate the symptoms and return to a normal like.

Every time except this time.

Right now I’m suffering from a pretty bad case of vertigo. It seems to have started about a month ago, with occasional, short lived bouts that didn’t require any maneuvers to correct the problem. Then about 2 weeks ago it started to get worse. Of course that was when I had to go to Chicago for the Autism One conference. Having been on the plane I suspected that was the problem, but I also caught a cold. I tried the Epley maneuver several times but nothing helped. I took over the counter Dramamine just to see if I could get it under control, but all that did was make me tired.

When I got home from the trip I was a mess. I slept almost constantly for 2 whole days. Finally I went to see my doctor and she said she had no idea why I was feeling so dizzy. I did not appear to have the typical vertigo. She has now recommended I go to see a neurologist that specializes in vertigo.

As I wait for that appointment I decided to try our acupuncturist. He provided me with a little improvement but feels that I will need an additional treatment to get it back to normal. I surely hope he knows what he is doing because this is getting to be crazy. It is impacting my life and the life of my family. My husband has had to take over a ton of the work because I just can’t do it. I can barely keep up with normal activities.

And I’m scared of what the neurologist might say. I hate that I often go to the worst place, but I do. So now I just wait for all my appointments and pray someone can fix me up right fast.

 

 

Post to Twitter

DIY Salt Hair Spray

April 4, 2013 By

 

DIY Salt Hair Spray

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have wavy hair and I love the way it looks when I get out on the beach. I get these really beautiful, soft beachy waves that only come from salt water. An easy way to get the look every day is to use this DIY salt hair spray. I love that I can control the amount of salt so that it isn’t so drying. I also added some conditioner and natural oils to help keep my hair looking fresh and refreshed whenever I use my DIY Salt Hair Spray.

I simply spray the DIY Salt Hair Spray on my dry hair and scrunch. As it dries I get a great natural wave patter that is reminiscent of days at the beach. You can play around with the amounts

This recipe can be doubled.

5.0 from 7 reviews
Print
DIY Salt Hair Spray
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 4oz spray bottle
  • 4oz of water
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon leave in conditioner
  • 5 drops shea oil or essential oil of choice
  • dab of styling gel (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a microwavable container heat the water, salt and conditioner for 30 to 45 seconds.
  2. Mix until salt, conditioner and styling gel (if using) dissolve.
  3. Add oils.
  4. Pour into spray bottle and allow to cool completely before use.
  5. Spray mixture on dry hair and scrunch into waves.
  6. Allow to dry for full effect.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

 

Post to Twitter

I’m Falling Apart: Plantar Fasciitis Or How I Lost My Butt

March 19, 2013 By

broken egg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I am truly falling apart. A little while ago I told you about my back problems and showed you this horrible photo of myself and how my head and neck were protruding forward. Well, now we find out I have plantar fasciitis and no real core muscles, plus I LOST MY BUTT! What that means is that my glutes don’t really fire when I am standing or walking or doing pretty much anything. That allows my hips to flop all around which causes leg and back pain, not to mention the darn plantar fasciitis.

As I sit here typing this I have my left foot taped up like some pro-athlete. Which I most certainly am NOT. The plantar fasciitis is getting so bad that my physical therapist is making me wear shoes all day long. That includes some sort of support when I shower and I have to keep something next to my bed that offers some stability; no bunny slippers for me.

Then she has me doing all these fun exercises including pulling my belly button into my spine. Yeah, if I could do that we wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place, now would we? I am definitely feeling my age lately. The upside to all of this is that my PT thinks she can fix all these problems, but I didn’t know I was so broken. I have lost over 12 pounds so far, so that has got to help and I am walking on a regular basis. My PT won’t let me run, because, well I can’t do that right either. Due to those floppy hips of mine I cross the mid-line with my feet when I run. Apparently that is a no-no in the PT world and the running is just exacerbating my hip problems. And to think, I was actually getting into it. I always said I hated running, then the first time I start to like it I have to quit. Story of my life.

So I’m falling apart. Hopefully someone can put me back together again, cause I don’t know too many King’s horses or King’s men. And anyway those guys didn’t do much for that Humpty fellow if I remember correctly.

Post to Twitter

Dairy Free Irish Cream Recipe

March 7, 2013 By

 

Dairy Free Irish Cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being 1/4 Irish I have to celebrate St. Paddy’s day properly. And that means with a good quality Irish Cream. Since I have pretty much given up real dairy I wanted to see if I could come up with a delicious dairy free Irish Cream recipe that would make my ancestors proud. I think I did it.

4.9 from 8 reviews
Print
Dairy Free Irish Cream Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Beverage
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup Irish Whiskey or Blended Scotch
  • 7 oz sweetened condensed coconut cream (recipe below)
  • ½ cup milk of choice
  • 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (recipe below)
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • Sweetened Condensed Coconut Cream
  • 1 can coconut milk (full fat)
  • 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • Chocolate Sauce
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup coconut sugar or organic sugar
  • 1 dash salt
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Irish Cream
  2. Combine all ingredients in blender
  3. Mix well
  4. Refrigerate for up to 1 month
  5. Shake well before serving
  6. Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
  7. In a sauce pan mix ingredients and heat over medium heat
  8. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick mixture forms and mixture reduces by half
  9. May take 20 to 30 minutes
  10. Remove from heat and allow to cool
  11. Store in refrigerator
  12. Chocolate Sauce
  13. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a sauce pan
  14. Over medium heat, cook until mixture thickens to your preference
  15. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla
  16. Store in refrigerator
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

Serve over ice or in your favorite coffee. This is a delicious and complex dairy free Irish Cream recipe.

Sweetened Condensed Cardamom Coconut Milk

Post to Twitter