Monthly Milestones 2016 {9}

Today is the ninth Monthly Milestones of 2016.  If you want to share a milestone post, just leave a comment below with a link to your milestone post, and I'll pop over and visit it and leave a comment, and hopefully some of my other readers will, too. :)  Normally, Monthly Milestones, where I will be giving you updates on how I am doing physically, mentally, etc., will go live on the first Saturday of every month, though sometimes I may be a day early or late depending on circumstances.

Here is how I am doing as of today:

Me as of today, September 2, 2016 at 232.5 lbs.

1. My weight went up a little.  My weight has been fluxing a lot this month, ending in a gain of 1 lb.  However, my clothes are fitting more loosely/better, so I am not going to worry too much about this right now.  I'll just keep watching what I eat, try to stay active, and we'll see how it goes.
       
2. I'm still able to be quite active.  I'm still working on making sure that I am doing things that require activity when I can.  I try to walk daily, do housework that needs to be done daily, etc.  However, I've had to stop hanging the clothes outside due to road construction and high pollen counts causing allergy issues that have lead to doctor's visits.  Saving a little money on gas and electricity are not worth that!  Yes, it cuts back a little on exercise, but not that much, so I figure it'll all work out. :)
    
3. Dietary/lifestyle changes are still happening.  Along with trying to stay active, I have kicked the regular coffee.  I do drink decaf, but I'm working my way on to tea with the end goal being to drink green tea and herbal teas vs. coffee of any sort within the next few months or so.  I plan to keep caffeinated coffee for days when I have migraines or focus issues - so I am using it as a medicine in a sense.  We're working more and more towards "natural" and homemade foods most of the time, too.
       
4. I had more testing done, and some med changes.  On Sunday, August 28th, I had my MRI on my thoracic spine.  Thankfully it worked out to be between church services, too. :)  Anyway, they did NOT have to use contrast (big cheer!), and I will be discussing the results with my neurologist on September 16th when I see her again.
     
   We also found out that my Levothyroxine was too high a dosage, so they changed that.  There was also a suspicion that my Vitamin D3 supplement was causing my LDL level to appear higher than it is (that is a thing), so I am going off that for a few months to see if that changes thing (my blood pressure is great, my triglycerides are awesome, and my HDL is good, but my overall cholesterol is high which I'm sure my weight plays into, but wonder if my supplement was playing into that, too).  I get labs redone in 2 months, and we'll check my thyroid levels, my cholesterol and my Vitamin D levels.
     
5. Chiropractic seems to be helping a bit.  Not only am I seeing the chiropractor, but my whole family is now.  I love his approach (holistic and gentle), and it does seem to be helping.  The issues with my left leg I talked about last time have nearly resolved.  My hearing is even improving in my right ear that's been dulled for months.  Nothing is 100%, and I still have issues, but I am hopeful!  Improvement is a wonderful thing! :)
     
6. Homeschooling has begun!  The boys started on Monarch last week, and, so far, it seems to be a good fit.  It keeps everything organized, the lessons aren't too long, and the curriculum seems to be challenging enough.  We'll see how it goes, but for now it looks like this will work for us, hopefully for the long haul! :)
       
7. More health issues have begun.  A month after my bout of weakness, I began to have vision issues.  I am still dealing with them, and I think it is related to what's been going on with me since this issue cycles (at least a month in between episodes) and varies in symptoms (there seems to be one main thing each time, normally weakness, but I've had vision issues, too).  It is both eyes, and it is like a fuzzy/blurriness thing.  It doesn't matter if my glasses are on or off, if things are near or far, etc.  There is always some form of blurry, though how bad it is fluctuates.  I've been dealing with it since August 29th.  It isn't too bad until I try to read, and then it becomes an issue.  The more plain and large the font (think Arial font, and huge), the easier it is for me to read, though there is still a fuzz.  If it is really fancy or really small, then it is harder.  Detailed objects are harder to see clearly, too.  Dusk is an especially hard time for me to see.  There is no pain, double vision or spots of blindness, though it can feel like my vision is "jumpy" or having a harder time focusing and there is always that fuzz that varies in intensity.  I do get mild headaches from it at times, but nothing serious. It seems like a stable thing right now, not getting better, but not getting worse.  I talked with an optometrist about it, and she seems to think that it is a neurological thing vs. an eye thing, she didn't think it was emergent at this time, and she said I would be ok to just talk to the neurologist about it on the 16th unless I started having pain, worsening vision, blindness or double vision.  If those things happen, then I will need to be seen by her or go to the ER.  We're praying that doesn't happen. :)  I'll keep you posted.
     
8. Thank you for all your prayers, and we would appreciate your continued prayers!  We appreciate all the prayers and support as we've gone through so much this last year, especially. It's been a real blessing! 
   
   Please continue to pray for us with the homeschooling, my health, and for some other unspokens at this time.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
         
9.  Blog updates have stalled, though posting has increased! So far, I've been able to post at least monthly to this blog and Natural and Free.  Sometimes, I have even been able to do more and make minor changes, so that's a plus.  Now that school has begun for the boys (Elaina is due to start next week), my time is less.  This eye issue is making posting harder, too.  I will do my best, but it may be hard to keep up.  Hopefully I'll be able to do at least a little.  We shall see!

That's about it for now.  How are you doing?  Are you reaching your goals?  Have you tried something new?  Come up with a new recipe?  I hope all is going well with you, and I hope you will leave a comment sharing your thoughts and/or milestones (with a link to your post, if you wish).  As always, I wish you the best of luck in all you do, and hope you will return soon! :)

(This post was originally posted on my original site, Fibro, Fit and Fab!)