Feeling Encouraged: THANK YOU FOR READING AND INQUIRING

Now that I know there are people reading this and even wanting to know more it makes me happy and encouraged. :) THANK YOU to those of you who shared with me that your reading and also that you are praying for my family and I- it means A LOT. Thanks also to those of you who private messaged me and shared information with me. You all have a place in my journey now. :)

Some of the questions people asked after my last post are: What is an everyday day like living with RA?  What is it like to blow dry my hair? etc. So here's a post to answer a few of those questions.

Life has had to be modified quite a bit living with this. I have had to shallow my pride because I have always been a independent person and pride myself on the fact that I can do things on my own. Even battling RA- I have lived with this and suffered for over 7 years now and I am barely beginning to share it with everyone and this has offered me encouragement that I wasn't getting before. :)

Well I believe God always gives us what we need and he did just that. He gave me an incredible daughter and husband. My daughter is the most independent 8 year old I know. This is her personality and it started long before I had RA- she would always say as a toddler," mama I do it myself." This may be TMI but when I was giving labor to her the doctor said," get ready to push one more time... oh nevermind she is wiggling out herself." That explains her in a nutshell she loves to do things herself.

Doing my daughters hair: So Katie asked about when I need to do her hair. Well mornings stopped being do-able for me about a year ago. In preschool and kindergarten I took MJ to school and picked her up everyday. First grade we did a carpool where I would have to take some mornings but I was mostly in charge of pick-ups in the afternoon. Second grade, I have only taken MJ to school a handful of times and it was scary. I would have cars honk at me because I was going too slow bc I couldn't turn the wheel quick enough to make a left hand turn. She would have to help me get my seat belt on and car door opened etc. Makenna does her own hair every morning and she is pretty good at it. She is some what of a perfectionist and likes it just a certain way. On days I feel good or games days when it is later in the day I will ask if I can do her hair and she will say, " no mom I want to."Every now and then I get to and I treasure these moments so much but she has to be patient because it takes me a little longer then it used to.

Blow drying my hair: As far as blow-drying my hair there are days I can and days I can't. There are MANY days where I throw my hair back in a hot mess bun and throw on a hat or a headband. I am ever so grateful for my good friend Liza- shes a hairdresser and she has washed and brushed out my hair for me when it is out of control! I love her and am incredibly thankful for her friendship. :) There was a couple times I couldn't get to her she was out of town or something and my sister's friend Sara did it for me she works at Todd Hamilton Salon.(thank you Sara!!)  I also paid for wash and blow dry a few times at a place by my house. I purchased the lightest blow dryer that there is available at the local beauty store.

Getting Dressed: This is an area I've REALLY had to humblize myself there have been several people who have had to assist me in getting dressed: Liza, Kassidee ( my sis in law), Tamie, Dawn, Bridget ( my sisters),my mom, Fran ( my mother-in law) and Makenna and Carl. I can't really button at all unless I have about 30 minutes to do it and some tweezers. Most days I wear yoga pants and a tank top with a zipped hoodie. The yoga pants have no button, zippers or hooks so I can get them on myself. The tank tops I can pull up over my shoulders instead of trying to get a shirt over my head, to lift my arm is extremely painful bc my shoulders/hands and wrists are some of  my worst RA areas. Fashion is definitely not a priority anymore. Easy and comfort is! I get to dress better on the weekends or Carl's days off because he can help me. 

A little extra: I cannot open most jars. I cannot open water bottles. When we buy water bottles Carl loosens the caps on all of them before we put them in the fridge. I leave the caps off on most of my vitamins, medicines, beauty car products etc. I buy shampoo/conditioner that I can pump and if it doesn't pump I place it between my chin and chest and squeeze it out that way. 

Thanks again for reading and please continue to ask questions and lmk when you read. It is tough to share cause honestly it is my pride I'm trying to overcome. I get embarrassed. I make Carl leave the room on days I can get out of bed on my own but its not very graceful and therefore I don't want him to see. I do have a video of one day getting out of bed because I wanted to see for myself what I look like. I look like the walking dead ( if any of you watch that show) literally. But maybe Ill get the courage to share it in a later post.