Life happens…Right?

Things sometimes come at us that we cannot control. Pillar #4 deals with stress management. (Scroll all the way down to review all eight.)

Unexpectedly, seven weeks ago, Husband was taken down by a kidney stone, his first. His blood pressure shot up to 204/99. (Anything above 180 is stroke territory.) Pain 10/10 at times. Plus, a  distended abdomen from bowel complications that felt like his insides would explode. 

Side Note: Sometimes patients would come into the large clinic where I worked as an RN reporting pain levels of 20/10. I guess they didn’t do well in math class.

Anyway, during the first 13 days, there were 3 trips to the ER, one to Urgent Care, and one doctor’s office visit. Our life has been challenging to say the least. At least at one point or two, Husband thought he was going to die, and at least at another point or two, Husband wanted to die the pain was so bad.

Too many times to count, people shared the famous quote that “kidney stone pain is worse than childbirth”. Well… I finally found a female who had actually given birth, AND had had a kidney stone. She said that “the kidney stone was pretty painful, but it was a different kind of pain than labor, so it’s hard to compare.” Shortly after that, another female who had experienced both labor/childbirth and a kidney stone, reported that the kidney stone was definitely worse.

I feel the jury is still out on that one. Anyone want to do a research project on this and get back to me and my readers?

Anyway, things were really bad for Husband over a month. He recommends that you avoid getting a kidney stone. Only in the last week has he felt almost back to normal.

Curiosity Corner ~ Kidney Stones

80% of kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate. 

Causes and Risk Factors:

There are quite a few, but in my opinion after looking at some research, dehydration and eating a high oxalate diet are two of the biggest risk factors.

Most common symptoms of kidney stones:

• Flank pain, back pain

• Nausea, vomiting

• Abdominal pain

• Chills and/or fever

• Blood in urine, cloudy urine, difficulty urinating

Treatment:

Treatment varies, but according to the Cleveland Clinic, 80% of kidney stones pass on their own.

How to prevent:

• Avoid dehydration

• Gradually lower your intake of high-oxalate foods.

Wonder of Words

Inimical ~ Dehydration is inimical to good kidney health. I challenge you to use this one in a sentence of your own today.

According to Dictionary.com, inimical means “adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable; harmful”.

So, many of you are wondering not just how to use inimical in a sentence, but…

What the Heck is Happening with my 100-Day Wellness Adventure

I will just give you a brief summary and then go into it more at the end. So, due to the acute downturn of my husband’s health, my own tanked about 12 days later. I had some autoimmune flares, mostly MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) which resulted in moderate to severe pain, severe fatigue and weakness, and horrible brain function.

However, I stuck to my plan. Mostly. But I am pretty positive that I would have made better progress with my goals had “Life not happened” the way that it did. But I was really convinced that it is essential to keep on keepin’ on and not let things deter you.

The Positives (well, 7 that stand out to me at this moment):

• I am down 6 pounds, but I have built muscle, so I have probably lost more than 6 pounds of body fat. My body composition is definitely changing.

• Sleep has improved ~ I no longer have long awake periods in the middle of the night.

• I have had more energy in the last 3 weeks than I have had in about the last 2 years.

• No more GERD (acid reflux).

• Mood has significantly improved. I feel more cheerful and resilient.

• Fasting blood sugar levels have improved.

• I am happy that I am doing the 100-Days. And I am still curious about what results I can achieve by the end even though there have been some serious hiccups.

I am on Day 73. Twenty-seven left to go. I am not even thinking, “When will this end”, but rather, “What should I do after this? Another 100-Days, tweaked maybe”?

Have you heard about the Sugar Fast or the Sugar Diet yet? It sounds like a sweet option. I sure love marshmallows and cupcakes.

Hoping you drink a lot of water,
~Vanessa
www.vanessamarsden.com
Instagram @wellnessadventure_RN

Note: I am an Amazon Affiliate and I may make a small amount of money when one of my links are used, yet at no additional cost to you. Thank you in advance.

Here again are the 8 pillars that your basic health rests on:

1. Eating quality, nutritious, life-giving food and avoiding life-sucking food

2. Activity that builds muscle, stretches various parts of the body, and oxygenates your organs & tissues

3. Quality sleep with adequate quantities, with periodic times of rest and relaxation

4. Stress management, and reduction when possible

5. Avoiding toxins - cleaning products, skincare products, smoking, too much alcohol, unnecessary pharmaceuticals, fried foods, excessive social media

6.  Nurturing your emotional, psychological, and spiritual health

7. Enjoy the outdoors - get fresh air, sunlight, be exposed to various microbiomes

8. Stimulate your brain by learning, solving puzzles, trying new things, going to new places

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