Our 2013 Thanksgiving (personal story)

This year it is just the 2 of us and no family in the town we moved to.  First thanksgiving that I have not been with my family and it felt a little odd.  Yet, I didn't miss trying to get out of my husband's family's dinner.  Two in one day was always too much and now with my gastroparesis, there is no way I could do that.

So we decided that I would make a turkey breast with some mashed potatoes and stuffing (for him).  Then my loving husband of now 14 years together (25th was our anniversary) added the cranberry chutney I do -to the list.  Okay, I can freeze the rest, if needed (since I can't eat it).  Then the list grew some more to deviled eggs.  Mmmm, okay.  I could eat those later in the week.  Lastly, apparently we needed pumpkin pie. 

Now, my head is spinning and I worry that my body will not hold out to do it all.  I gave myself the much needed pep talk, put my big girl panties on and got to work on my day-by-day list of what I could do when.   All finished with that, I looked it over and was very pleased!  I should still have time to work on a project at home I have neglected for over a week!

Let's stop the happy dance there!  Why?  Well, hubby comes home from work and tells me that he wants to take his team dinner on thanksgiving.  Yes, the place he works for is open on that day (grr... pet peeve I have on that subject).  Okay.  So he looks over the store ads and finds a good deli deal where a meal for 4 people is $10 with all the fixings.  Great!   I can make an extra batch of pies and he can take those to top off the meal.  Since the side items are only a total of 2 lbs, I offer to just cook up the bag of potatoes I got at the store (I never made myself the potato soup I wanted to and they will be going bad soon) to help out.

The next few days I keep asking if he called the order in.  Knowing the deli, we need to move fast or they will not have the food.  By Monday he still had not done it.  Then Tuesday he placed the call, just to find out that there are no turkeys available.  They offered him chicken for the same deal.  For some odd reason our store was never shipped the turkey.  He gets 2 roasted chickens for the team of 20 - 30 people.   Since one roasted chicken will serve 2 - 4 people... I put the offer out there that I could cook a turkey for them, if I could find one.  <Shoot foot now>

Tuesday night I run to the store to find a turkey breast.  Going down the isle, there were 2 other people looking for birds too.  I hurry, there are only 3 left.  None of which exceed 8 lbs.  Can't be picky at this point.  I grab 2 and head to the check out.  Get home and give it the much needed bath in the sink and cross my fingers it will thaw for the morning when I need to cook it.  He needed the thanksgiving meal for 10am on Thursday, so Wed I had to cook it all.

I think I made it to bed about 2am on Tue night (wed morning) making 3 batches of cranberry sauce, 3 batches of pumpkin bars (no time for pies) and making our stuffing.   Wed I was up a little early and got started on the turkey, made 8 lbs of mashed potatoes, made our deviled eggs and he made the gravy.   When it was all done, I packaged it all up, did clean up and hit the bed!  

Thursday came too soon.  I was up at 8am to reheat the mashed potatoes and turkey.  Put the pumpkin bars in tins to go and help load the car.  I know my husband would have done all that without me, but I was awake after he got out of bed, so why not.  After that I fell asleep a little too long and our turkey didn't get put in the oven on time.  I really had to push myself to go do it, or I was just going to continue to sleep.  Around 2pm it went into the oven.  The dressing and corn just needed to go in after the turkey was done.  Then we would be set, dinner would be done and it would all be over!   I think I was a little too quick to rush it.   As I proudly told hubby dinner was done and he needed to come do the gravy and cut the turkey I realized I didn't make us mashed potatoes.  The instant kind in the pantry came to the rescue.  I was upset that I forgot something for our dinner.  It's my guess the 8 lbs I did for the other people got me confused.  The good sport he is, he didn't care (too much), we all know the real ones are better!   Then, during clean up I found our cranberry chutney and deviled eggs in the fridge.  Really?!   I can't feel too bad, as he didn't realize they were missing either.

Next year I will certainly do things different!

At least my tummy is hanging in there.  It's not the greatest and certainly not the worst.  And I know that I was the one that put the extra pressure on myself to try to do everything.  Days like this I really do miss how much I could accomplish pre-GP,   I also know that I need to enforce my limits by saying 'no', since I already know most of my limits.  That is a part of me that will be very hard and I will slowly work on.  I had to with the new job I have now and after breaking down in tears in front of my new boss, I know my tummy is thankful for less hours.  Realizing it and saying it out loud are two very different things.

Knowing that any one of those people may not have had a hot dinner to go home to, and we helped provide that for them, made me feel good.   That is what THANKSGIVING is all about.  Giving Thanks.  And it was my way to say thank you to them and in turn they told my husband to tell me what a great job I did and how much they appreciated it.   That made the GP suffering well worth it.  

Food wise?  I did just fine with a few bites of turkey, fake potatoes and a small amount of dressing.  Sipped my mint tea and snuggled in for a movie.  What could be better?  

Hope you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving as well as a Good Tummy Day!

Thanksgiving With Chronic Illness

 



It seems that much of the holiday gatherings revolve around food.  Thanksgiving is now an endless bounty of food, rather than what is was intended "Giving Thanks".  To those of us with gastroparesis, our holiday invite is torture, not joy.   Being in a room filled of food as far as you eye can see... counters covered with it, stove top, oven, table, end tables, you turn around and the sweet shop has taken over the top of the dryer and washer, looking outside you see the back yard fryer and BBQ going.  There is no escape!   People walking around eating and drinking.  Asking you a hundred and one times if you need anything.  You reply kindly, "No, I'm fine.  Thank you".  By the last time they ask, you don't want to be rude, so what do you do?  Give into temptation, knowing you will be ill, but hope you get home in time.  Or, hurt their feelings?  You could try to educate them, but lets face it, that may be like talking to a brick wall.  Or worse yet, they are the part of the family that does not believe you are sick, rather they think you are anorexic.

Any person with a chronic illness truly understands that Thanksgiving is about THANKS and not food.  But to the average person it's about food and the plan of attack for shopping the next day.  Which would be reason #2 that we don't want to be in a room full of these people.  Chances are slip that we will not be going out the next day or at 2am to score that great deal.  If we make one false move with our food, drink or time (see The Spoon Theory) we will be headed for a spiral downhill quickly.   Plus, we all know about the anxiety of going out.  Doesn't matter if it is to the bank or doctor, we worry of we will be okay for the car ride, if we will get sick on the way.  And I 'm sure you all know where the restrooms are for each place that you go to!

For us, our THANKS are simple:  we had money to pay for our medication, we got out of bed today, we got dressed today, we were able to keep food down, that our family supports and understands us.  Our thanks may appear humble or small, but our way of life is much different than most people realize.   Being thankful for a promotion at work that landed you a shiny new red car, will probably not be us, since most of us don't/can't work.   We are thankful when we can afford to make car repairs, if we have a car.  I really wish that people could look at the whole picture of their life and not take for granted the little things their life.  Be thankful for what you have and not focus on what you don't have.  Life is not a competition of stuff.

So, on your day of 'thanks' take a moment to figure out what you are truly thankful for.   For me, it's a loving, caring, understanding husband and family.

A bad day - but not GP related (personal story)

What a day?!

I typically roll out of bed any where between 10:30 am and 2pm.  Just depends on my tummy.   Well, Nov 21st was a strange day all around!  I knew something was weird when my body decided it wanted to get up at 8am.  I laid there for about 20 minutes thinking if I really needed to go back to sleep or not.   Which, is my normal morning self-diagnosis from head to toe.   Everything checked off the list fine... even low morning nausea.  WOW, did I really just type that?!

My feet hit the floor at 8:30am and I walked to the kitchen to make tea.  This is going to be a great day.  For once I am out of bed at a decent time, plenty of day light to do all that I want on my list.  I sat in the chair cozy with a blanket and opened my phone to apps to see what I missed.  Say what?!  Does that temp really say -20 degrees outside?  I wondered over to the computer to take a better look.  Maybe it was just the typical blurry vision I get in the mornings, but holding the phone a few inches from my face, it really did look like that is what it said.  CRAP!  Each weather place I went to on the web said close to the same thing.  Brrr!

Now I began to worry about my husband.  He had already left about 6am to help unload a truck for a store he works for.  And yes, the truck will be outside and not inside a bay.   My mind rushed to think of what we have unpacked that maybe I could use to get some hot cocoa or coffee to the workers.  I didn't come up with much, so as the time ticked by, I figured well, they are probably done or frozen -so it doesn't matter.  Poor hubby!  This time the thought probably didn't count for much (haha).

Since its that F'n cold out and my car lately has given me crap about starting (just a groan before going -on one key turn), I will wait for a little bit.   Grabbing a pen and pad, I began to list off what I wanted to get done today and the places I had to go.  YES, I really did have to go out in that.   Watched a couple DVR shows, had a small bite to eat and started to get ready to go outside.  It was now 0 out!

While getting dressed, I noticed it was much colder in that part of the place than the rest.  So, I dug out a space heater and set it up in our room.  At least something got done, so I better put that on my list, so I can cross it off.   (Have you ever done that?)

By now it was past the time my husband would typically come home for lunch.  Since I was going to go out, I sent him a text to tell him I made him soup and it was on the stove if he was coming home.   Yes, I shut the burner off before I would go out.

Bundled in snow gear that reminded me of being a child to go out to play, I made my way to the car so it could warm up (haha).  This time she didn't even want to groan for me.  I tried a few times and still nothing but the hundred and one accessories that come on.  And then on the last try the navigation decided to no longer work.  CRAP Again!

I shut the car door and waddled my way back inside.  Planted my butt by the heater and send another text to my husband.  I hardly send him 1 a week and now he gets 2 in one day!   Once I had some feeling back in my hands, I was no longer motivated to do the much needed work for my on-line store.  Instead, I knew a few tv shows that I like were going to be on.   Yep, I sat on the couch with another cup of hot tea, grabbed the remote and my blanket.  Flipped the tv on and the cable was out!  REALLY?  Is this going to happen to me too today?!   I tried a few more channels and nothing.   The shows I set to record, are not recording anything.   Next, I tried the internet and it was fine.  So, what the heck (same company and same line into the house).

Prior to this I was sending e-mails back and forth with the cable company regarding our messed up bill.  We were going to also step down on the number of channels, so I tried even the basic channels thinking she messed up.  Nope.  Nothing.  I shot an email back telling her it was out (in great detail -haha).

Just then, my husband pulls up in his truck.  He tries to jump start my car and apparently my car was not going to have any thing to do with that.  She refused to start, still.   He came in to have some soup and told me that we need to get a battery for the car.  UGG!  In this small town we have 2 options.   My car can only get serviced by licensed shops that have the proper equipment to reset the codes.   It's one of those that tells you the specific service it needs and that display will not go away unless a specific licensed shop does it.   The display is so vividly orange and it will not go away!   Since we moved to this little town in the middle of nowhere the closest dealership for my car is 2 states away in either direction.   So a battery?  Ha!

For giggles he wanted to go during his lunch hour and look for one.   The first pace said no when he started to ask.  We left.  The last place in town (good ol' NAPA) could not find it in their system.   Further digging and calling around, they don't stoc1k them.   The suggested a local engine repair shop.   Umm, okay.  We went.  And they had one!  For $150!!  Really?!  Could you see us coming a mile a way - or what?   Sadly, we took it.   We would spend at least that to get one shipped in (if possible) and more than that to travel.

Went back home and it's now in the single digits with a good strong wind.  My beloved husband (anniversary on the 25th) stood out there to put the new battery in, so I could do my errands.   Yes, he is a keeper!    He finished up, I gave him a hot cup of coffee and he was on his way.   The car was running, so I got bundled up to go back out.    Read my cable gal's email and sent off a response, since it was still not working.   Made it to all of the destinations with and without shutting off the car.

Finally got home, put the stuff away and realized I lost my day in doing the stupid car stuff.  Now it's close to time to make dinner for my husband I had not done anything with the store and new products that I wanted.  Heck, I wasn't even on facebook (hope you didn't fall out of your chair).  Decided I was in for the night and wanted to get changed in comfy clothes.   Walked into the bedroom and the heater was off.  What the heck?!   I thought I left it on.  Or was it one of those lapse in memory moments?  I checked the switch -yes, it was on.  I wiggled the plug.   All was good.  I flipped on the light and nothing.  Really?!   Something else to add to my day?  I messed around in a few other rooms.  All was okay.  So, I found the breaker box (thank goodness our rental has one) and a circuit was tripped.   I fixed that and the heater came on.  Happy dance!

Sat down to my email and she had told me she was sending a tech out to help.  Dang!  I was out.  I'm not sure if he came.  I looked at my phone and missed a call.  It was the tech (of course) and he was out.  Noted that we were not home, so please let him know if he fixed it from outside when he was there.  I checked.  YIPPEE!  I have cable again!  I called to tell him and got some wack job to give a message to.   About 30min later the tech calls again and come to find out he didn't get my message.  I could have guessed.   I thanked him a 100 times (it took us 4 weeks to get cable installed -so a same day fix was not expected).

With all of this going on, I forgot about my gastroparesis for a little bit an felt 'normal'.   The GP did not flare in any way and I am honestly thankful and this was a very stressful day.   Every issue that had gone wrong was fixed.   My list of things to do were not all crossed off, but in due time they will.   Now I am at work for the next few nights and know that what I need to get done will not happen until may Tuesday.   Oh well.  From what I have learned in the past few years is to never count on everything going just they way you plan.  The detour can be just as fun... if you let it!

Happy Tummy Day to you all :)

ATTENTION ONLINE SHOPPERS: Shop AND have a % of your sale go to a charity (no $ from you)....

It's that time of year again.  Where the stores are flooded with people, trying to score that great deal.  It's cold, possibly snowing out (at least up in the North it is), there is no place to park, transit systems are full, commute time takes forever.... once you get there, forget a shopping cart down the isles, YOU can't even get down the isles.  Kids yelling.  Then all of a sudden it feels like you are in a tropical climate, needing to strip down to your undies.  Or maybe that is just how I feel trying to do this WAY over-rated holiday shopping crap.

We are sick.  Do we really want to waist our spoons on going to the mall just to take hours looking for that 'perfect' gift for our loved one?  Then on that big day, it is unwrapped within 20 seconds, looked at and tossed to the side.  Maybe it was not what he/she wanted, wrong size, wrong color, this list goes on and on -- especially if you have a teenager!

The last 2 holidays I found myself not wanting to go out in that hustle and bustle.  A small part of me did miss all the fun going shopping with my mom.  Taking a 'break' to have a cup of coffee and pastry.  But who is kidding who?   My body wants nothing to do with either of those items.  All that sparkle that is built up in the holiday songs and movies looks great, but when I put my shoes on and go out in it... that is a whole different world.   I would rather make my cherished memory on a day with my mother, when I am feeing good and there aren't ten thousand people all clambering for that same 'on sale' item.   Which honestly, didn't I see that a few months ago for a cheaper price?

Now that the scene is set, you can probably tell that I now do a lot of online shopping.  So, I have experience in what I am about to tell you.  There are 3 (in my experience) great web-sites to go that will donate a certain percent of your purchase to a charity that YOU choose.  Here are the facts based on what has happened with me:

• No, the prices are not increased at all for the company to donate money to your chosen charity.  I have done many product/store comparisons with and without the sites I am going to tell you about and never have the prices been different.


• The whole process of purchase, mail time, etc is the same.   Actually, I find the 1 place I am going to tell you about, even better than the regular website as you can track your history of purchases too.


• No money comes out of your pocket for the charity!  The company that you order from is the one that sends money to the charity.  Some do it on a monthly basis.  Others have different contracts (between the store and charity).


• You can choose 1 charity, do your purchase and next time you can change to a different charity or keep the same one (default option).

OKAY ON TO WHAT YOU WANTED TO KNOW....

1)  http://www.goodsearch.com/ -- is my FAVORITE.  They have a history area of all your purchases.  They have COUPON CODES all ready for you, you choose what one you want.  No hunting on the internet to find/try them.  A tool bar can be installed into the browser you typically use.  I did and NO virus!  Whoo hoo.  Simply search the internet with their search site and automatically if a store you go to will donate, on the tool bar it will show up with the percent it will donate and the coupon codes.  You have to use the link within GoodSearch to actually have the donation work.  This site has also expanded to dinning out.  If you set up your card with them, and use it at the restaurant they have on their list, the donation will happen (provided you use the card you set up on the site).  I have not tried that part yet, as there are no restaurants in my small town that does that.

2)  http://givingworks.ebay.com/ --- do you shop at E-BAY?  If so, be sure to enter into E-bay with the "Giving Works" link, set up who you want as your charity and start shopping!   If you sell on E-bay, you can have a percent of your sale go to the charity too.

3)  http://smile.amazon.com/ -- Amazon does the same thing as E-bay.  Again you must enter into Amazon under the "Smile Amazon" site and set up your charity.

As a reminder if you do not go into Amazon or E-bay via the links above, then when you buy something, your charity will not get credit.  Be sure to have these as your bookmarks and not the links you normally use.

MAY YOUR HOLIDAYS BE BRIGHT AND YOUR CHARITY OF CHOICE THANKFUL :) 

The New GP Fight STORE

GP Fight - Store

We have started a Gastroparesis Awareness Store with items that are easy on the wallet.  Price is our biggest driving factor, to keep the prices low and affordable for the entire GP Community.  We know that you are tight on funds after paying for your medications and doctor visits.  For us, the main goal is GASTROPARESIS AWARENESS... not to line our pocket.  

To keep prices low, most items are hand made, with love, by an individual (MelissaGPFight) who has gastroparesis and is dedicated to spending every last minute of her day advocating and spreading GP Awareness.  She fights for those that can not, so that one day ALL of us will have a better quality of life. 

There are more items on their way to us -currently being printed as we write this blog.  Shirts and key chains will be here soon.   Our next step is to order bags.  Small for those pesky little items you need to take with you (gauze, syringes, tape, etc) with a zipper.

A few other product ideas are in the works currently.  But, let us know if you have more product ideas.  New images and sayings will also be coming!

Visit the store at:  GPfight.bigcartel.com
Visit the Facebook Page at: facebook.com/MelissasGpFight
Visit the original blog post at:  http://melissagpfight.com/2013/11/09/gastroparesis-awareness-store/

Thank you!

A Thank You to the 6,500 Visitors and update on what I have been doing.

I didn't expect to see so many more visitors that showed up to this page in my absence. So a BIG "Thank You" for your continued support.

As you may know, we moved. That was not an easy move for us to make, which required a U-Haul, pickup truck and two car trailers driving for 2 days to our new home. I have yet to have time to blog about that. But it is on my ever growing list!

In the 2 months we have been here, I have picked up a part time job. Bit off more than my GP would allow me to work, so I had to cut back on hours. The place I work for KNEW about Gastroparesis, so I didn't have to go through the whole spiel. The even better part was they understood I didn't know what my limits (for hours) would be to maintain a good GP Lifestyle for me. We tackled it one day at a time and after all this time, I think we found what works for me.

If trying to work again wasn't enough, along with learning a new town, getting everything under the sun changed address and new state wise, I decided to open up an on-line store with items I craft. So add store sales and crafting to my weekly chore list as well.

Sadly, my blog has taken a back burner and I am very sorry. The good new is, you can find me on Facebook where I have my Profile and 2 Pages. The one page is "Tats For Gastroparesis and Inspiration". Which I am currently in the process of holding a contest for the 'Best Inspirational Tattoo". The other page is mostly to link my store and post the new products as they come in, with occasional jokes or inspirational pics. My FB Profile (mostly open to the public) is for the medical updates, supplement suggestions, coupons, jokes and personal stories, etc. Click on the CONTACT INFO TAB to find links.

I am also helping out G-PACT with their Pinterest Page and a few other individuals on Facebook for Gastroparesis Awareness and Moderator for a few groups.

Then on the days off that my husband has, we travel around to explore near by towns and just spend time together.

So, as you can see with all of this going on, I have fallen a little short on time to Blog. I really do miss it and I must get back into it!

Stay tuned for more and again THANK YOU for your continued support. I do receive a lot of heart felt messages and you are the reason I continue to do what I do!

Gastroparesis Awareness Store

GP Fight - Store

 

This store just launched a few weeks ago and is in the process of adding items.   In the next few weeks the t-shirts will be stocked and key chains will be in.   Several more items are in the design process!

The best part of the store is that the goal is to keep the prices as LOW as possible so that everybody can pick up a little something to spread Gastroparesis Awareness in their own way.   Items are shipped within 1 - 3 business days and most orders come with a tracking number.

If you want to receive updates when new items are added, be sure to "Like" us on Facebook and follow along at:

https://www.facebook.com/MelissasGpFight

This is a perfect time to send the link to your friends and family if they are looking for gift ideas.   Here is a direct link to the store:

http://gpfight.bigcartel.com