Been there, done that

My parents and I reside in the Methow valley, or at least my parents do and I am with them until I can get back on my feet with life. If you don't follow what goes on with the wildfires in this country, I'll at least update you on what has been going on in the last year with Washington.

Washington has burned. Not just this year in 2015, but last year in 2014 too. I'm not being completely sarcastic when I say that Washington has burned, in 2014 the wildfire was the largest in the history of the state. Not to be outdone, the fire this year has now reached the largest in the history of the state, with the smoke being seen and reaching all over the country.

Unfortunately the 2015 fire has taken the lives of 3 firefighters.

These fires aren't one fire that spreads and becomes the largest fire, they are a few smaller fires that converge and become a larger fire. The more spread out the fires are to each other, the harder it is for the firefighters to fight it because they have to travel between them depending on the day and on which particular 'branch' is hotter. At least that's my understanding of it.

Last year during the suprise of a fire, evacation orders and everything that goes with large forest fires, it felt like everyone was reacting. The power was out in 2014 for 8 days, and my dad was run ragged trying to get it back on as soon as possible. The adventure last year was just that, an adventure. I was starting to get into really high doses of Gabapentin as my latest trial in the migraines, and was really out of it from that in addition to having my sister in the country with some of her friends from China. It was a fun adventure but one that was surmountable and easy to see as something that would pass.

This year with the fires, Winthrop was evacuated due to the roads in and out being blocked by fire. My parents always stay as much as they can, due to my dad having to work. I stayed too and helped out at the Hotel where I work due to it still being open. We opened up all the rooms for firefighters and forest service personnel, and goodness what a stressful time. I'm 24 and was basically left in charge of a hotel during an emergency because my bossman went out of town. Me, in charge. It was stressful and hard.

I'm always just trying to learn from the things that happen, and to roll with whatever God gives me for the day.

Sometimes I just wish it was a different type of adventure.

I'm Alive!!!!

I haven't died, my life exploded.

I've also become addicted to Tumblr. So there are tons of posts on here. Not really real blog posts as much anymore, but the kind of posts that I had time for in the past few years. 

My life by the numbers: 

• 6 years of college
• 9 medical specialists (rough estimate) 
• 1 amazing dog
• 1 engineering degree
• 2 awesome siblings
• 2 awesome and understanding parents
• 5 different jobs
• 4 times taking Calculus 2.... ahem...
• 56 engineering jobs applied for
• 104,000 miles put on my 1 car (his name is Alfred and he rocks)
• 
  

So the big milestones that have occurred in my life. 

1. I guess the biggest change is that I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!! I have a degree in Chemical Engineering. I mean, it took me 6 years, but I have made it out alive.
2. I was moved from the class of Episodic Migraines to Chronic Migraines. This means that I had moved from having less than 15 migraines to more than having that a month. Currently, I average 17 or so a month. Yay...
3. My dog is still awesome. Thankfully he has finally mellowed out with age. He's about 7 (or so we think). He's how I stay sane, my emotional support in so many situations. Although he's become such unfeeling guy lately, he wouldn't let me curl up and cry with him last week.

April 1, 2013

Yesterday I got to say that I was a Jesus loving Bible follower

Made my day a little brighter. 

Then I started talking about why the date of Easter changed every year, looked it up later that year and realized how much people have messed up ‘the church’. I’ll stick with Jesus loving Bible follower as my ‘religion’ thank-you-very-much

April 1, 2013

Yesterday I got to say that I was a Jesus loving Bible follower

Made my day a little brighter. 

Then I started talking about why the date of Easter changed every year, looked it up later that year and realized how much people have messed up ‘the church’. I’ll stick with Jesus loving Bible follower as my ‘religion’ thank-you-very-much

April 1, 2013

Yesterday I got to say that I was a Jesus loving Bible follower

Made my day a little brighter. 

Then I started talking about why the date of Easter changed every year, looked it up later that year and realized how much people have messed up ‘the church’. I’ll stick with Jesus loving Bible follower as my ‘religion’ thank-you-very-much

April 6, 2013

How my dog stands when i’m on my bed with my computer. He is also not a fan of peter and the wolf… 

April 6, 2013

Just about….. 42 weeks… holy cow.

I haven’t had gluten intentionally in 42 weeks. 10 months

You’re probably asking. Why are you counting? Because this week was one of those weeks that feels like the kraken ate you then spit you out because you weren’t good enough. So I’ve been looking for things to cheer me up and tell myself that I’m doing some things in my life correctly. 

6 day migraines take it out of you. How I did this before I had things were a little more under control I have no idea. I got that birth control implant taken out, now they have no idea what to do about my ovarian cysts. I’m hoping my migraines that have been making my life torturous will lessen.

When I was getting the implant taken out, I was asked no less then 5 times what I was going to do for birth control now. I had to keep explaining that I didn’t use the implant for it’s birth control purpose but because I didn’t want more cysts. Considering I was there for only 30 min, it was kinda impressive that they were able to ask that much. I told them every time I don’t have sex. They didn’t believe me. I finally looked the doc in the eye and said ‘I practice abstinence’ They finally stopped asking after that. 

Weirdest thing about this migraine, besides it’s length, only way I’m comfortable is with a cold pack under my neck and a heating pad on my feet.

My body is going crazy, it’s offical

March 21, 2013 Homework buddy

Homework buddy

March 23, 2013 Sushi...

Sushi!!! or sushi (now with a side of explosive d). Worst Russian roulette game this week.

I had a chance to chill with a friend this week, and as a thank you for her helping me reorganize me kitchen, I took her out to a sushi dinner. 

As a person with celiac disease, finding a sushi place that understands what gluten is and not only accepting of it but is helpful but is nice about it mostly took some trial and error, but I finally found a place.

(This took some time because some places I called and talked to basically wouldn’t let me in the door, ‘No we don’t want you here, we put soy sauce on the booths and on the table tops and you can’t come in the door!!!’, or at least that’s the feeling I got from their, ’ We don’t have ANYTHING that doesn’t have gluten’ At least they were honest)

1) The first time I went to this place, my waitress was a ditz. Told her I couldn’t have gluten, and she had to check with the kitchen a bazillion times. It all turned out well with ordering, but the poor sushi chefs didn’t equate ‘no sauce’ with ‘no gluten’ so the sprinkled tempora flakes over all four rolls my sister and I got. We had to send them all back, so the waitress called over the manager and had to have him talk to us. I calmly told him that when I ordered I told the waitress that I can’t have ANY gluten and she had checked everything and we had ordered specifically so I wouldn’t get sick. We got new rolls. Didn’t get sick, just annoyed, but yummy :)

2) This time I asked to speak to the manager right when I walked in, and she took our order and it worked out very well, no screw ups. Our waitress was mad, but meh. I didn’t get sick, it was good, it was a good experience. 

3) Third time’s a charm right? I thought I had it down. Go in, ask for manager. Nope. Same manager, she brushed us onto waiter, who was arrogant as can be ‘i’m all knowing about every roll and will make it all work out gluten free for you’. Thankfully the sushi chefs had been alerted we were there and told him that one of the fish we ordered wasn’t gluten free like we ordered. He had to come back and tell us that, made us feel better about being talked down to like we were little kids. Not sick, bad experience, OK sushi.

4) Nothing to special this time, not bad or good, they just screwed up what I ordered. Guess that could happen to everyone right? Not sick, meh x2

5) Holy cow, sit down, talk to waiter. By this point at this restraunt, I feel like I can tell if someone is competent on their gluten skills. The test question to the poor server after the bomb of ‘I have celiac disease, which means I can’t have gluten’? ‘What sauces can’t I have?
His answer? ‘Uhm… Any but the soy sauce’
wrong answer buddy!
I asked to speak to the manager. He conferred with a guy dressed very nicely, which I assumed to be the manager, and then called another guy that was carrying a tray over to the greeter station (in my line of sight) and talked to that guy then had the second guy (from now on called tray boy) come to my table.

I would like to mention I’m not a mean person usually, just when it comes to messing with my food like this, if you don’t know, say that. I won’t be hurt. In fact, I’ll be healthy!

Tray boy comes over and asks what’s the problem and I ask what has gluten and doesn’t and I go through the whole thing and he has to run to the chefs. I am super thankful at this point I have been here so many times and know what is and is not gf at this place so I can order correctly.

It finally comes time to order and the original waiter comes over and takes our order, and I’m being specific. I order no sauce on every roll, and say steamed. He gives me attitude with everything. At least everything came out looking like it was the right order. 

I GOT SICK!!!!!

2 days later I’m still sick. Explosive d just won’t go away. My dog won’t go in the bathroom. My heating pad is cranked on high between the pain from my burst ovarian cyst and all these intestinal issues. 

I almost never eat out. If I do, it’s sushi and my safe places. I have so many allergies. What do I do? Never eat out? Easier said then done. 

Guess the fish get to swim away. 

March 20, 2013

Turns out…

One of my meds is the reason that my feet and hands go numb and tingle so much lately. That’s kinda a relief.

Oh, and had an ovarian cyst burst last week. SPRING BREAK 2013!!

Live like you're dying. March 3, 2013

Live like you’re dying

New meaning to me. 

Money and prestige would mean nothing. All in all you’re dying, that means nothing. Live for God and what you have now. That’s all you have and ever will have because you are dying. 

Thanks Bones, you do learn something from TV.

GF Feb 25, 2013

Frustration

Finding motivation to do your homework later is next to impossible. When you try so hard and you still fail a test. 

GF Feb 21, 2013

No!

I don’t want tickets to your pancake breakfast!!
I don’t want to tell you why!

Accept it. Move on. Leave me alone.

GF Feb 20, 2013

Ch-ch-ch-Changes!

Two huge things have happened today and it’s only 12:30.

1) As of this morning, I have lost 41 lbs since August 2012. I’m down to 191. It’s such a huge thing for me! I feel so good about myself. A ways to go until I’m back to where I would like to be, but I’m working on it. Amazing what eating foods your body can digest, not being completely sick all the time, and getting of certain medicine will do in 5 months.

2) I got a new neurologist. Whoopie!! She mainly just listened to me and took note of all the medicine that I take all the time and stuff. Then she ran the meds through a computer and a software program and found 29 bad drug interactions. Mainly between all of my prescribed drugs. 9 of which were serious possibly fatal.SCARY!

Every time I get on a new med, I specifically ask ‘does this interact with my other medicines?’ Do doctors actually listen to me? Ever?

So now the big thing is to change my medicines and get me off of a bunch of them to get rid of a bunch of my headaches and possibilities of tons of problems.

I don’t like change. I’m so scared. Changing has always been rough for me and I would like to just do it on my terms, not because I have to.

If it makes me better, I’ll do it though. I’ll do anything to feel better. 

GF Feb 8, 2013

First day without a headache in 10 days!!!! woohoo!!!! 

I think my body is finally getting used to this new medicine implant thing. Hope so!! 

OH, and I finally took the plunge and ate gluten free bread. 214 days since I had my last piece of bread and it tasted great! And normal. That’s why I waited so long, it tasted normal and great! 

Feb 5, 2013

Black and White

Everything’s not black and white, it’s the black and white world I’m trying to match that is ruining me

GF Feb 4, 2013

Can I just give up for a couple days?

I’ve been working on my homework for 4 days straight now. It’s almost all I’ve done all weekend. Finally the day to turn it in comes and I’m too sick to go to school. I really am annoyed.

GF Feb 2, 2013

Q: Hi! So I was looking through the migraine tag and saw that you have both migraines & celiac. If you don't mind my asking, I was wondering how long you've had each? I was diagnosed with chronic migraines by the time I was 13 and have recently started to wonder if I have a gluten sensitivity or possibly celiac. I've have stomach issues for most of my life (I'm now 24) and am pretty lactose intolerant. If you wouldn't mind I'd be interested to hear if you think the two are connected. Be well!

MY ANSWER: Well, I’ve had my migraines since I was 16, and cut out gluten last June or so. It helped tremendously! 

I decided to do it because I started to have a blind spot in my left eye that kept growing and growing until it was over 3/4 of my vision. None of the Dr’s around could figure out what was causing it so I flew across the country and while I was visiting my brother I saw a neuro-opthamologist.

He put it like this
’ if your body feels like it’s under attack, your vessels will swell up. If you’re even slightly allergic to something and you eat it all the time, you’re setting yourself up for a migraine. The first the I recommend for people with migraines is to try gluten free and see if that helps’

To me that helped me understand why it helped, it also helped me understand enough to explain it to other people. Even if I didn’t have celiac disease, I am allergic to gluten enough that it’s a constant thing that sets me on edge.

I like to think of my triggers as a bucket of water. I can only have a certain amount of my triggers in a certain time period or it will overflow and I will have a migraine. Gluten is like a chunk of cement in the bottom of my bucket that pushes the amount of triggers I can have to next to nothing. 

Then I found out I have celiac disease and everything became a little more clearer. 

tl;dr: migraines since 16 (22 now) , celiac for 7 months much better still not good though

GF Feb 1, 2013

I’m not a failure!

Listen to this

If you didn’t know, here is pertinent information for the following story.
 - I’m a girl
 - I’m a Engineering Major
 - I’m fairly smart
 - I’m sick a lot because I have an autoimmune disease so it looks like I’m a slacker in college

In my engineering lab, with a 18:2 ratio of guys to girls, I got paired up with 2 guys, go figure. It’s engineering so I wasn’t too surprised. I’m in almost all my classes with the same people at this point so I knew of these guys, and had spoken to them.

Lucky for me, the day of the pre-lab, where we go to find out what we’re doing, one of them came and told me not to worry because they had already done all the work (that wasn’t even technically assigned yet or possible to do without attending the lab session that afternoon), and would send it to me. 

See, they had met without me and done all the work so I wouldn’t have to, how nice of them. *insert sarcasm here*

When in the pre-lab, they generally excluded me from all conversations. About an hour into talks, I mentioned an answer to a question they asked and expounded upon it. I was right. If I didn’t know I was right, the look on my lab partners face would have told me so. 

I think these people counted me out. I don’t know if it’s because I have to miss because I’m sick with migraines and celiac or simply because I’m a girl, but either way, being counted out made me angry. 

Today, I’ve noticed that I’ve worked my butt off to prove them wrong, that not only am I going to do all the work, but I’m going to do it better then I normally would. 

I also realized that this has happened a few times for me, when professors or other people have told me that ‘you won’t pass’ or ‘you can’t do that’ and I go out of my way to prove the wrong, even if it isn’t the best thing for me to do. 

So, here is me. Proving that I’m going to do it. I’m going to do whatever it is people think I can’t.