So Many Challenges So Little Time To Complain About Them All!

So as a stay at home mother of 5 children, I have very little time to myself. On top of having very little time to myself I also have many challenges aside from the standard 5 children.

Our oldest daughter has Type 1 Diabetes. She wears an insulin pump and also does injections of another medication to help manage her blood sugars.

I have chronic pain in my arms from cubital tunnel syndrome of the ulnar nerve...in both arms. I had decompression surgeries way back in 1994 which helped a lot but since they took so long to figure out what was wrong (this was before ergonomics) I have permanent nerve damage in my arms. Chronic pain in my hands and arms causes some issues with household chores and every day life that normal people never have to even think twice about.

One of our 12 year olds has asthma. It is very seasonal but has caused many hospitalizations for her throughout her life. One minute she starts coughing and then boom full blown pneumonia!
So we don't have real Christmas trees, live pets, or even indoor plants. Its amazing how much havoc these things can cause to someone with asthma.

Our 2 year old son has reactive airway disease. That's what they call it when it happens only occasionally and your under 6 years old. If you can't do the peak flow meter than they can't actually diagnose you with asthma. He only has wheezing when he gets a cold or virus. So breathing treatments and sometimes prednisone.
So the above precautions we already take for our daughter with asthma covers him too.

My wonderful husband deals with chronic knee pain. He hurt both of his knees in the Air Force and medically separated from them about 3 years ago.
We often joke that combined we make a whole normal healthy person.

I have suffered from Complex Migraines that mimic stroke symptoms since I was 13 years old. People who put their hand to their head and say "oh, I have such a Migraine" have no idea what a real Migraine is like. That's not to say that there aren't different levels of pain and symptoms for people. But a Migraine is nowhere close to a normal headache. And let me tell you, Excedrin Migraine or regular is just aspirin with caffeine, if you have severe Migraines you laugh at people who take Excedrin for their Migraines.

So my Migraines are almost always the same ever time with a varying degree of intensity of pain. First my arm and hand go numb and tingly. I loose the fine motor skills in my right hand. Then the feeling starts to come back. I then get a kaleidoscope affect of the top or side of my vision. The lasts for a few minutes and then goes away...the next symptom makes things difficult, I loose the ability to speak coherently. I can talk, it just doesn't make any sense. I remember one time I answered the phone at my now ex-step dads business saying "Humboldt Rock Quarry" when his business was actually Humboldt Carpet. That one hit quick. So anyway I think I am going to say one thing and something completely different comes out or I can't seem to think of very simple things, like my name or my own birthday or address. That passes and all of my senses become extremely sensitive...smells, hearing, light sensitivity, even touch...and that's when I get nausea's, sometimes actually tossing my cookies most of the time not though...and then, then, the pain. It comes in a huge wave on one side of my head, the opposite side that I had the numbness in. The pain isn't something you can just work through. No driving, working, watching tv, nope...nada! Dark and quiet room with very little smells (good or bad).
I used to take Maxaalt when the symptoms (or aura) started and if that didn't work a pain medication and nausea medication. Now I am taking a low dose of Topamax daily. Which has a lot of side affects that are starting to go away after being on it for over a week now, thankfully.

So...in addition to the many challenges life throws at us because we have a 15 year old, 12 year old twins, a 7 year old, and a 2 year old we also have many health and medical challenges that have entwined themselves into our lives. And yet we are still ok...and happy! Go figure.