Sunday, May 15, 2011

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Hibernation, Blessings and Motherhood


I feel like I have been hibernating for the past few months. Feeling sick all the time and not being allowed to drive can kick a once very independent, didn't have to rely on anyone kind of girl right in the pants!  


Although I knew I hadn't been feeling well enough to write a post on my blog, but didn't realize it had been this long! That bear says it all! I have gotten kind of chubby like him too!!


I was finally diagnosed a few months ago with Hyperadrenergic POTS, (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)  I have been dealing with the symptoms for over two years and it is the reason I haven't been able to work.  I have a great doctor at the University of Washington Medical Center Neurology Clinic who knows about this condition and what to do to help manage the symptoms. Most doctors sadly do not know what it is or how to treat the condition. So I feel truly blessed to have been able to find him and that despite his busy schedule and patient load, he was still able to see me. 


During this time I have reflected on the important things in my life and those are my family and dear friends. Thankfully I have been blessed with both! 


I had a great Mother's Day, spent it with two of my sons, my hubby, daughter-in-law, grand-babies and extended family.  Once your kids grow up you start going to their houses and man is that relaxing!! No cooking or cleanup, can you say perfection?!! So empty nesting isn't all that bad!!!


Among some of my great gifts is a beautiful album my daughter-in-law made for me from Grace and Adia, my grand-daughters.  Grace is three and a half and Adia is almost one and a half. Here are some of the pages from the album:
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Album Cover
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Grace, Adia, Pancho and I
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Adia and I
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Grace and Andrew having some fun!
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Grace and Adia after their bath~
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Grace putting on my makeup!!
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Randy, Alyx, Grace and Adia
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Grace having some fun in the park!

Easter Time!

I have second guessed my decisions in life, have felt twangs of guilt while raising my boys as a working and single mom, and despite all of my mistakes I have been blessed again with great sons. They all have become great men and I am so proud of them all.  My son gave me a gigantic card with a gift card, but what he wrote inside made me tear up. He thanked me for helping him become the independent person he is today, that I am a great Mom, role model and the best Mom ever!


Why can we be so hard on ourselves? We do the best we can with the situations that are given to us and usually our kids still think we are the best!


When God Created Mothers

by Erma Bombeck

Mother’s Day column for May 12, 1974

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into his sixth day of “overtime” when an angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”
And the Lord said, “Have you read the specs on this order?
  • She has to be completely washable, but not plastic;
  • Have 180 movable parts... all replaceable;
  • Run on black coffee and leftovers;
  • Have a lap that disappears when she stands up;
  • A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair;
  • And six pairs of hands.”
The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands... no way.”
“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” said the Lord. “It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”
“That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. “One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ’What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, ’I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”
“Lord,” said the angel, touching His sleeve gently, “Go to bed. Tomorrow...”
“I can’t,” said the Lord, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick... can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger... and can get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower.”
The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.
“But she’s tough!” said the Lord excitedly. “You cannot imagine what this mother can do or endure.”
“Can it think?”
“Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You You were trying to push too much into this model.”
“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “It’s a tear.”
“What’s it for?”
“It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”
“You are a genius,” said the angel.
The Lord looked somber. “I didn't put it there,” He said. 
  

25 comments:

  1. Hi Lisa,
    hope you 're feeling better!

    lovely post and i love your vintage header.

    following with GFC from the Sunday hop.

    Have a great Sunday!
    Betty

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  2. Lovely blog and post! Thanks for stopping by from Spotlight Saturday Blog Hop! Following you on GFC and Bloglovin- would love for you to follow me as well. Hope you are enjoying your weekend! :)

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  3. Thank you Betty! So glad you stopped in to say hello! Enjoy your Sunday as well! ~Lisa

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  4. Rondi! Thank you for your sweet comment and for stopping by my blog. Have a great rest of your weekend. ~Lisa

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  5. You have such a beautiful family! Your kids are too cute!
    Thanks for stopping by Pink Dandy Chatter. Now following. Hope you have a great weekend!
    http://pinkdandychatter.com

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  6. Thank you Pink Dandy Chatter! I loved visiting your blog too! ~Lisa

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  7. Thank you for following,following you back.
    I always wish I could have been born bear, sleeping and eating, what a life!

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  8. Hi Kathy!! Yes, they do that well for sure! Thanks for stopping in for a peek!Lisa

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  9. Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog! You have beautiful granddaughters! And 5 boys, wow! I keep debating if I want a third! :) pinkpoodlebows

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  10. Thank you so much PPB! Boys are fun, didn't have the girl experience until the grand-babies and they are so sweet. Thanks for popping in and saying hi!~Lisa

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  11. Hi Lisa

    I'm so delighted to meet you - I love your blog and your way with words! I have fibromyalgia so I really related to how you feel and that bear picture which made me smile! I hope you are feeling better by the time you read this. I am your newest follower and I look forward to getting to know you!

    Ramona
    http://create-with-joy.com

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  12. Hi Lisa, what a great gift and what beautiful grandaughters you have! I hope you are feeling better soon, it is so hard when we are out of commision! Thanks for finding my via VB so that I could find your great blog. I love the vintage header on your blog too! I am now a happy follower!

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  13. Great looking blog! Thanks for stopping by and following my blog, I'm returning the favor. Take care!

    http://ourhomeschool.blogspot.com

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  14. Wow! You are a very strong woman. Also, it looks like you have such a great support system. Thank you for sharing this with us. I'd love to hear more about your progress. Please post your blogs RSS on voiceBoks so that we can view your recent blogs!

    Hope you have a wonderful week.

    Sincerely,

    Lexie
    www.voiceboks.com

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  15. Hi Lisa, your blog is full of love and tenderness. Love it! Thank you for following me. I just followed back :) <3

    I do hope you'd feel better soon and that I am looking forward to reading more of you!

    http://spanishpinaynanay.blogspot.com

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  16. What a beautiful post! I love,love,love your blog.

    Have a nice day!

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  17. Hey Lisa,

    How sweet is this post? Your granddaughter's are too cute for words. I love those photobooks...they are THE best gift in the world.

    Thanks for stopping by "our closet" - am now following along with you too!

    xo
    babymama
    avagracescloset

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  18. I'm so glad you've found someone who can help you with POTS. How frustrating to have something knock you back like that.

    Your family is beautiful. What cute pics!

    I loved that thing about mothers from Erma. That is beautiful, and so true, even if I do say so myself!

    I'm glad I found you on vB.

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  19. Your bear picture is hilarious! Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Chronic illnesses are really a pain (lol). But I've found they can be the very thing that keeps us on track and learning and growing into better people!
    New Follower from voiceBoks! Hope you can stop by for a visit.
    Thanks, Becky Jane
    http://RiseAboveYourLimits.blogspot.com/

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  20. Hi Lisa! Thanks for stopping by my blog and offering such comforting comments. I'm now following you! BTW, my SIL got diagnosed with POTS a year ago as well. Hoping you find some ways to manage it!

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  21. Well not sure where all my comments went to, ughh, now to start over!
    SocialStudiesSoubrette, so nice you came over for a visit!

    Hi Ramona! Thank you for your wonderful comment! I hope you are doing okay.

    Kathy, Thank you, Our grand-babies are so much fun! We are blessed!

    Hi Stacey, Thanks for poppin' in for a visit!

    Lexie, I am so lucky to have found your site! Love it. So glad you visited!Lisa

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  22. Thank you so much for your entries in Blogger-dash. They are so funny! You had me laughing out loud. I can't wait for the voting to start on Thursday! See you then!

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  23. Thank you all for visiting my blog, hope I didn't miss visiting any of you!

    Melanie, I had fun with those words, what a great idea you had to do that. I often think of funny definitions when I see those! I was able to recover all of mine just by going through the alphabet on the captcha box. Can't wait to see the other entries!

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  24. This is such a beautiful post - I'm so glad I stumbled across it. When God Created Mothers is so awesome. I'm going to have to keep it for future reference! Beautiful pictures of your family too :)

    Visiting from voiceBoks Members to Remember!

    Christina

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Not what we give,
But what we share,
For the gift
without the giver
Is bare.
~James Russell Lowell

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