Harsh Reality

Thought this picture said a thousand words: This post is completely devoted to migraines and this new natural remedy I found for the nausea because it’s my new favorite item! Reed’s Rx Natural Ginger Nausea Relief. I love it. Recently, I have been getting migraines about everything other week and that is a lot of pain and a lot of nausea.

I am going to try to be as descriptive as possible because I want just even one person to understand the horrible feelings of a migraine and the nausea that comes with it! It seems the majority of people I talk to have never experienced a migraine and probably think I am exaggerating but everyone that gets them understands that they really are just plain awful. I Googled “migraines” and searched for images and thought it was funny that all the images came up with people rubbing their temples. It is totally something that I do every time I get a migraine so I thought it was random that so many other people do too. Anyway – so hopefully my description of a migraine is universal as well so everyone can know what it’s like.
If you have never had a migraine you may not know that they throw your whole body out of whack. Your eyes throb like a million little kids are tap dancing on the surface; light, no matter how bright, is blinding and sends spasms of pain through every nerve connecting the eye to the brain; the brain, typically one side (for me it’s the left), feels like a thousand different firecrackers were shoved into the crevices and they keep exploding causing throbs of pain.

If that isn’t enough, it makes you nauseas. Nauseas as in, the other day I woke up with a migraine, walked up one flight of stairs and vomited. Making it up one flight of stairs was good; typically I am so dizzy I don’t even want to think about sitting up. The nausea is always there, like weighted foam that expands from the pit of your stomach to the top of your throat. When I get migraines I can’t sleep because of the pain but I don’t want to be awake because of the pain. All I do is lie in bed and try to think of ways to describe the horrible pain I am feeling and try to remember what it is like to not be in pain. I can’t ever remember what that is like.

I hated taking medication when I was younger and always just lied in bed, in pain, waiting for it to go away. I have since learned that whether I like it or not, I need the medication! I have three different migraine medications (prescriptions) plus a nausea prescription. Two of the migraine medications have failed to work each time I attempted using them and the nausea medication has never succeeded in settling my insides.

So… in lieu of a recent discovery (and all of the sporadic migraines) I am writing this post hopefully to help someone else who gets migraines. I was Google’ing (?) natural migraine and nausea remedies. I have yet to find a migraine remedy but I have found my natural nausea remedy! I found a $1 off coupon for Reed’s Rx Nausea Relief and decided that I wanted to give it a try. I am a fan of natural remedies and I was to the point that I would try anything.After the excitement of getting it I was hesitant to try it because I wasn’t sure how the ginger would taste, especially already being sick I didn’t want the Ginger to make it worse; however, it actually tastes good, and best of all it worked! I have had three migraines since I got my first 4-pack. Each time I drink one can of the natural ginger nausea relief and within what feels like no time at all, the nausea is gone. I wish it was a natural migraine relief as well because after the nausea is gone I still have the migraine but it is so wonderful to have one less thing to worry about.

Anyways, if anyone knows of a good migraine remedy – let me know. In the meantime, if you get nauseas – try Reeds Rx Natural Ginger Nausea Relief. It says it works for as a nausea rememdy for basically any type - travel sickness... morning sickeness... As I said before, I totally love it and you really won’t regret it!

Anyway.. those are my thoughts for today :)

Biking Again

Last week I started biking again. Well I had been on one really short ride prior to this one but I almost wrecked on my bad leg so I stayed away for a while deciding I'd heal a little longer. This ride was fun though, my friend Bethany and I tried to follow the Latoja trail and biked out to Newton and back. Still not very long but my ankle was getting shocks sent through it every time I would push down on the petal. After a while of not riding like this I decided we should turn around although I did not want to. I felt fine, it was just the ankle. Shoot. This is where stationary bikes come in handy because I said, "I will ride as far as I can until it hurts," but then it starts to hurt, I go a mile farther hoping it will get better, it doesn't and then I have to bike the rest of the way with it paining me. LOL. No bueno. Oh well, it was so fun and so nice to get out and be doing things again!
Apparently my ankle is still "unusually swollen" (I am told) so the Doctor and my physical therapist gave me a pair of socks that are supposed to help the swelling go down. This is how hott my legs looked on the ride with my special sock on. LOL.

Bye Bye Boot!

Yee-ha!!! So monday I went to the doctor and guess what he said!? I am so good to go without my boot. The appointment was at 8 am and I didn't get home until the evening so I more or less started going without the boot Tuesday. I feel so good about myself. I feel almost normal. I can do nearly regular stuff now! ;^) At first it hurt A TON and I wanted my boot back, but I figured no pain, no gain. So I kept at it and now I am walking like a star. I only remember the limp when people mention it. Whoop whoop. So as a tribute to my boot - I am gonna miss it, but really, not that much! :)

Life - Nothin to it!

Well I really have no updates, but I have been instructed to update via Becky. =^) So here is the latest on my life...

I am now crutch-free!!! Whoop-whoop! The doctor told me to walk with 50% of my weight for basically a week and then to let go of my crutches and walk without them, full-weight bearing. Wow!!! I started walking without crutches a week ago today, school was in session and I have this thing with crossing the quad... I have to do it to get to classes... I have some good friends in my classes and they walked with me and they were like, "Jen! You look like you are in so much pain!... WOW! That looks so awkward... Ya, you look really stupid... At least you have the boot so people know why you are walking like that." LOL. Good times. It really did hurt so the rest of the day I used my crutches. In the mornings it would be really tender but bit by bit I have been able to walk on it more without problems. YAY!!!!

I am measuring my time like I'm pregnant... when I go back to the doctor to see if I can get my boot off it will have been 16 weeks! Whoa huh!? Nearly enough to be half-pregnant! Haha.

Oh so these first couple weeks of school have been MADNESS!!! I haven't been able to do anything fun! I would wake up at 6:00, go to school at 6:30, have class straight through until 1:30 or 2:30, 2 days a week have physical therapy, come home straight after and start during research for a company in Boston. I finished the research today and I am SO HAPPY!!! It was really tough! I was researching conferencing services in Latin America and since I don't speak spanish, there were quite a few barriers and the research often hit a dead end. It was a good learning experience. I learned that I will stick to editing and writing. (Or researching in English might be good... I just didn't feel like it ended up as good as I wanted it to...)

I am moving out this Wed. and I am so excited! Not because I don't like living with my family but because it is all about being social! I am switching ward boundaries and a couple weeks ago the Bishop asked me to stay in as Relief Society president for the year. I said that I would do whatever he felt like I needed to do. I was really worried about this because I was going to be living out of the ward boundaries and I have always gone to the ward that I live in the boundaries of. I didn't know what to tell the bishop and although I don't often get stressed... I was worried! It was such a simple thing too I probably didn't need to worry, but I did. So I prayed and prayed and asked my dad for a blessing and just tried to figure out what to do. On sunday morning the Bishop called me to come in and meet with him. My initial thought was, "Oh, I hope he has felt the spirit prompt him that I shouldn't be president anymore..." but I started getting together all the other information he would be asking for. Well I went into the meeting and he sat back in his chair and just sat in silence. I was like, "Is this good!?" He said, "It depends on what you think is good..." I was like, "Well... Let's hear it." He said, "We have fasted and prayed and have felt that we need to call a new RS President this year." I was like, (all smiles) "Really!? Well that actually works out perfect because I am moving and was going to be going to a different ward..." and I just started talking about a mile a minute. I am so so so thankful that Heavenly Father knows us and knows our hearts desires. I was completely willing to continue serving but I wanted to go to the ward that I lived in so as I left I couldn't help but think, "What a testimony builder that Heavenly Father answers our prayers." Like exactly what I wanted & had been praying for - for the spirit to tell the Bishop to call someone new! Haha! I know it doesn't always happen like that but it must've been a righteous desire! I have loved the calling though, I loved all the girls that I got to serve and I am going to miss it for sure. But I feel like moving on is what I need to be doing in my life. I really am thankful that Heavenly Father trusted me to serve and I know I needed it more than I was needed but now that chapter is closed I suppose. I will let you know how the new ward goes...The first presidency I served with: Brianna Harris, Danielle Cutler, Jenni Bingham, and me!

The second presidency I served with: Me, Abby Moser, Mandy Bowman, and Wendi Rock

Update on my favorite foot

Well it has been about 11 weeks since I broke my foot. For 77 days now I have been unable to put any pressure or weight on it. I look at it and I think it looks nearly better. I am ready to walk. The doctor's say otherwise. It is still pretty much permanant purple/blue. At times it looks like it is a dead person's foot... this is when Alli flips out. Nobody really likes looking at it, except me of course. I am enjoying seeing it improve. And I thought I'd post my progress. :) Because i am still bed ridden and have nothing else to report on... this is it. Enjoy!

Which leg is the broken leg!? Haha.

"That was a great break..."

Well I am sure everyone is tired of hearing about the broken leg. I know I am. I went to the doctor today to have my two-week post-op and figured they'd tell me I could start walking a little. (Other people who got a plate & screw put in said they had two weeks of bed rest and then they were putting 25% weight on their leg for a week then 50%, then 75%, then by the end of the 6 weeks they were 100% walking again.) Well they took some x-rays and then the doctor showed me what was happening and then he said, "You have 4 weeks of no walking." I kinda knew he meant 4 more weeks but I said enthusiastically, "Okay, 2 down 2 to go." He said, "Uh-no. 4 more weeks... 6 total. Then we will talk about putting a little pressure on it." He drew me a picture on the paper I was sitting on and showed me exactly what happened and exactly why the break messed everything up. He said, "That was a great break. Yep, you broke it real nice."

So I still can't walk and I am pretty much on bedrest except now I can sit with my foot up. Not just lay. Awe yeah! I am feeling good!

2 weeks broken... New Pics!

I just got some new pictures from the Doctor's office in Uganda from Lorna. I thought they showed my foot a little better so I thought I'd post them.

This is how they cut casts off in Uganda. No nice little clean saw. It jerked alot and I think was harder for the doctor than what we use here in the U.S.
Above: If you look at the leg/foot on the right you can see the pink on the side from where it is swollen and bruised. It actually swelled from the mid-calf point down to my toes. I just thought it was interesting that you can see the color change in this picture!

Above: After two weeks the bruising on the ankle/calf had calmed down a little bit but the bruising on the foot/heel was still pretty purple. (Obvisouly.) And I thought it had improved since I first fell into the hole and pulled it out broken and swollen.

Surgery & Bed Rest

This is me right after surgery. I look good right!?

Well all I can do is lay on my back with my foot elevated. FOR TWO WEEKS!!!! After that I still can't walk for 4. That on top of the time I spend in Africa not walking will add up to a total of 10 weeks! Oooiii! Honesly, this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I just want to get up and go. Somewhere. I have watched multiple movies, slept a TON, and tried to do just what the doctor ordered. After a month of not walking in Africa I came home and went to the American doctor. He wanted to do surgery the next day. I guess there were more problems than they caught in Uganda. We went for a second opinion and that doctor was just as adament. As soon as he saw the X-Rays he said, "You need surgery and you need it like now." Ugh! So I guess that the fibula is still just as broken but now there are added problems that the doctors in Uganda didn't catch and the ankle is all messed up too. So now the surgery is over I have metal permanently inserted into my body. I want to do just what the doctor says so that I can be up and moving AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***Also I have to say THANK YOU to all my friends who have stopped by to keep me company while I have been healing! You're all so wonderful and I have appreciated it SO MUCH!!! It's nice to get a break and to enjoy seeing people and having a conversation! THANK YOU!!!!

My new cast!

The ER doctor wanted me to come in to get a new cast once the swelling had gone down. But since we were so far away I had to wait until there was a taxi going to Kampalla before I headed out. So a little over a week after the accident I headed back up to Kampalla and got a new cast. The doctor cut off the old cast with what looked like sharp wrenches - it was not the most smooth cut in the world and it shook my leg a lot which pained me - but I got my new cast! Yee-ha! It is so tight and the leg is still swollen that it pains me now more than it used to. I figure maybe the pain is a good sign because maybe the doctor is forcing it to heal. It's all I can hope. The kids were thrilled that I got a new cast and excited to again sign their names. People stare at me no matter where I go. #1 because I am a Buzungu (a white person) #2 because I have crutches #3 because I have a cast and #4 because there is writings on my cast. I have to explain to everyone that in America we have people sign our casts to say, "get well soon." It is so funny how random adults will come up to me and say, "Sorry... Can I sign your foot!?" So really, the fun of signing casts isn't just for kids - adults everywhere are getting the same joy out of writing their name on someone's leg/foot.

*Oh and the doctor made my day! I don't know how most people are when they see the doctor but this guy loved me! Ha ha. He kept on commenting about how fun I was. He said, "You are very happy for being in so much pain." It probably would have helped to take pain killers after the first night, but I didn't want to load up on the medicine so I just tried to focus on other things. Although it hurt, I was fine. The doctor just made me laugh because he was so thrilled that I was a happy patient!