Evil Flare Up

As I wrote previously, I have Crohn's Disease. My first course of treatment was prednisone and Asacol to knock the inflammation down and keep it down. Well after finally being weaned from the prednisone and feeling like a million dollars after hovering around a penny for so long I started feeling the symptoms return and they returned with a vengeance.

I think it's a combination of not having the prednisone coursing through my system and a lack of firm diligence on my behalf towards keeping an eye on a proper diet. I have been avoiding preservatives, additives and such like the plague, but some things (chocolate, an occasional latte) started appearing on the scene too much and I'm now paying the price.

So now I have a wicked flare up of my Crohn's and I'm back on the prednisone until my new meds kick in. That will take a few months but they are supposed to have fewer nasty possible consequences that come from being on prednisone for too long of a time. This is something I'm going to be dealing with for the rest of my life and it is going to be a very difficult thing to maintain considering our culture of food. I love to cook so it's not a problem, the problem is planning ahead far enough to cover the bases if I'm out of the house too long. I've got some serious sorting out to do with this because I don't want the list of meds to continue to grow and I don't want a hospital stay and I don't want to be one of the many who end up having surgery as a result of this disease.

I also will have to take a calcium/Vitamin D supplement twice a day and have regular blood work done to make sure everything is balanced properly with the new med. And I do so love getting poked and having my blood drawn...NOT.

So expect the occasional rant about this. It's got to go somewhere...

My 10 Finish Challenge on The Wagon

Here's my list of items to finish for my challenge:

1. 12 Days of Christmas cloths
2. Bath Mitt
3. Ghost cloth
4. Bat cloth
5. Skull & Crossbones cloth
6. Weave in the ends, wash and block 8 finished cloths (separate from the above)
7. Pumpkin pin cushions (6)
8. Simplify cross stitch
9. Farm cross stitch
10. Eric's quilt (which is a little over due considering he's now 2 and I started it before he was born )


Okay, so far I've been weaving in ends. I've been a bit under the weather and with that and all the other work around here it's been hectic, but it's nice to have a list to work from. I'll update as I finish them.

It only seems like forever

Since I made my last post, that is. The summer has flown by. Most of my time has been spent tending to the chickens and selling at the markets which is how I make my living, hence the title of my blog ChickMistress Crafts.

As the chickens (and lately turkeys) have been taking up the vast majority of my time, my crafting has suffered greatly. Lately I've been knitting dish cloths, two for a fellow vendor at one of the markets I sell at. She requested that I make her a set of frog dish cloths to match the ones I gave her at Christmas. I have 1/2 of the final one to make, then I weave in the ends, wash and block and hand them over.

It's not so much that I lack inspiration, it's just a matter of finding the time. Summer is our prime season so everything else pretty much goes on the back burner.

However, in an attempt to rectify that I have joined "The Wagon." The Wagon is a board for crafters that has various groups and challenges to keep help keep you on track with project challenges, etc. I'll be starting a 10 finish challenge as soon as I figure out what 10 items I'd like to complete soon. Shouldn't be too hard to figure them out, it's the doing part. But I'm hoping the site will make me focus more. The also have a group that promises to only work from their stashes. I'll try that one after the 10 finish challenge, or maybe I'll go to a 25 challenge then.

There are some brave souls on there who list 100 finish challenges. I get dizzy just thinking about it.

For now it's off to bed, tomorrow I'll figure out the 10 and list them here as well as The Wagon board.

The Bloat

I have now been on my meds for 4 weeks. I have to admit that I am feeling nearly 100 percent better. I have my appetite back (almost too much of an appetite). I'm seriously going to have to watch my intake. But as of Friday I began retaining water. Retained to the tune of 29 pounds as of this morning. I know I haven't eaten enough to gain that amount of weight and it is definitely bloat because I didn't look like this Thursday night.

After a call to my gastroenterologist I was told that I should have been tapering off of the Prednisone by now. Only problem is they didn't give me any tapering instructions and the next appointment I have isn't until July. How the heck was I supposed to know to taper? Anyway, I'll be tapering down for the next few weeks at a rate of 1/2 pill per week. Maybe now the "moon face" that is typical of Prednisone use will begin to fade too.

Right now my legs look like stuffed sausages and my tummy jiggles from all of the water when I walk. I'll be going in to see my primary care physician tomorrow and hopefully I'll get a diuretic or something because it's painful around the legs right now.

But other than the weight gain, I'm feeling really good. I've been drinking kefir smoothies once a day. They are good and seem to be helping get the bacteria levels evened out. I'm still reading "Breaking The Vicious Cycle" and making notes. I'll be tackling that food plan in earnest once I fully understand what's expected. If it puts me into remission and keeps me there, I'm all for it.

Well that's it, I've gone from bony to bloated and from literally starving to can't get enough to eat. I need to find the happy medium already!

Presenting Nathan Christopher

Born on May 25, 2007 at 6:39pm, weight 7 pounds 14 ounces, length 21 inches and he's as gorgeous as his two big brothers Matthew and Eric.

New teapot set

I have a thing for tea pots. Love them, love them, love them. I had quite a collection going until it was taken out by the big quake in Los Angeles. I didn't quite have the heart to start collecting them again, but they've slowly been returning in various ways.

My most recent acquisition is from My Other Sissy Paula. My sissy Lory sent along some wonderful teas and honey that are supposed to be good for tummy ailments.


Paula found this at her mom's house and sent it along for me to have and take care of. I was blown away when I opened the box, it's absolutely beautiful. I don't want to use it, but I may have a feeling I'm going to have to so I can just sit and stare at it. Thank you very much Paula and Lory!!!

First goslings of the year

While sitting at my desk I glanced out the window and saw a group of little fuzzy yellow creatures sitting with their mom. Our first nest of goslings has hatched! We've got about 7 or 8 more nests to go. We got six with the first group. Last year we had a total of 21. We're going to be overrun by geese!! Anyone need any pet geese?

As you can see the security force is on alert to protect the babies. I love the social interaction the geese have. They really band together to protect the little ones.