Not really, but kinda! LOL So I had to make a decision this month to renew my hosting site or just let it go. Actually, it was a harder decision than one would think. I look here and it’s been almost a year since I posted anything. Short version… I had gotten so discouraged last year when my blog was compromised and the easiest solution at the time was to wipe it all. I had so much here, but 90% of it had to do with an industry/business I no longer wished to be a part of. Whole other story. Maybe one day I’ll open up about it, but not today. So, I went back to my roots for many reasons. Playing with colors, fabrics, design, art that made me happy in short. Yes I still use Photoshop, but in a different way now.
I also wanted a simpler life. I wanted semi off the grid, but that is not in my foreseeable future for financial reasons mainly. I needed to develop a plan for that. A plan to save money, to get out of debt, to live simpler, healthier, happier. So I’ve been plugging away at that for the past year.
Then a few months ago during a routine eye exam that showed I had very very high blood pressure and then a follow up with a Dr, I found out why I had the constant headaches, the lack of energy to do anything, the mood swings, the all around feeling of blah and gained more weight than I had on me 9 months pregnant… it was my health. Most of which can be due to heredity, but only because I let it get this far. Bottom line, I was dealing with extreme high blood pressure, over 200 to be exact, Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome. Ugggg, yes, ME! Who doesn’t do sweets very often, eats hardly ever processed foods or fast foods, and rarely takes even an aspirin and has had low blood pressure all my life. Was a real awakening experience. The Doctor of course wanted to treat only the high blood pressure…. of course he did…. Treat the symptom, not the cause. (Have I ever expressed publicly how much I distrust and dislike the modern medical field?) Well, I do. But, if I let this go and not take the meds, I was being told I would most likely be either dead within a few years, or pushed to taking tons of meds for Diabetes and worse. NOW, let me say this… and maybe you’ll understand a little better why I expressed the distrust…As I said, the first and only action that was being taken was to take blood pressure meds. I had to INSIST on a full panel of blood work and even had to say what I wanted to make sure was included. I wanted the cause! After a stern look, the doctor did order this, plus the meds. Which was the first of 6 so far as the first 5 I was allergic to and didn’t even lower the blood pressure at all. I patiently waited for the blood work results while going thru swollen zombie mode with each medicine.
So… as I do with anything I want to learn or know more about, I went into research mode. I read more on blood work than I care to admit, I read every single thing I could find in all my medicinal herb books, and I googled and read all I could find. Now I had a better understanding of the cause and how to attack it. Still on meds, still not working as the doctor would like, but after the one emergency room visit with more blood work done, I learned I was improving those numbers with my new diet and lifestyle. So I’ll keep plugging away at it and hopefully can be off meds entirely within the year.
So on to bigger and better things. I have had SO MANY projects I have been doing over the past year, and wanted to share each one, but each time I look at them I got overwhelmed at where to start. LOL Maybe I’ll just add one at a time no matter the time line. I have been sewing, quilting, doing some art, refurbishing furniture and rooms and playing in the yard as always. I’ve actually gotten quite a bit accomplished over the past year playing hermit. LOL So hopefully I can make a commitment of getting some posts up here of my path and keep up with current ones too.
Currently I have a personal goal to make one art quilt a week. I started this a month ago and have completed 5 so far. Yea me! I’ve loving the process and I use either my photos or artwork for the inspirations and/or templates. Here’s a little peek at what I accomplished one week. This is part of a series of coneflowers I’m doing. Need to take some photos and then I can post more. I am selling these, so if you are interested, take a look at my page My Quilt Projects. Any that are not sold by Spring of 2017 will be sold at Art in the Park then.
I was also asked by a local sewing group I belong to if I planned on teaching a class how I do these. Maybe… it would include the Photoshop work along with the entire process of creating the art quilt. Will have to see if there is enough interest to justify the time involved to create the class. So if that interests you, leave me a comment or let me know.
Till next time! (hopefully sooner than year lol)
Coneflower Art Quilt 18″x24″
So glad to see you! That quilt at end of post is beautiful. You’re going to create one a week? Oh my! What a goal. I admire your determination to find the cause of your health problems. Way to go girl. Look forward to more posts.
Thanks Lynda! Glad to see me too! lol Hugs girl!
The quilt is gorgeous!
As far as your other challenges – my husband had almost totally uncontrollable blood pressure issues, excess weight, major headaches and all the symptoms you actually describe. So much so that he had to have an angioplasty done to clean out his renal arteries. That being said, the meds he is on are around $300 a month and are really not doing too much for him any more.
I switched him to a very low protein, no salt diet. Made him cut out alcohol except for once or so a week he could have a glass of red wine and I have him drinking at least one cup of nettle leaf tea hot every day. He has dropped about 20lbs, ; is eating a whole lot cleaner and healthier, the headaches have stopped, he is going to the gym every other day to work out and says he feels terrific.
The diet we started with was a modified whole30 because low protein is what is recommended for him.
Maybe you could try doing something similar and do the nettle leaf tea which is what is really helping him.
I wish you well on your continued journey.
Hi Annette! Yes I’ve looked at that diet too. Some I can follow. I have gone to NO grains at all and no root veggies except for Paleo accepted. Having Rheumatoid Arthritis I have always had no salt in my diet and kept any added to food sodium very low. I have lost my first 20# but have 50 to go to be at my ideal weight again. Nettle tea is interesting, will look into it. I have been doing Hibiscus tea with some good success. I have also learned that vitamin D has a large roll in this. One I got that back in line I lowered my BP by 5 points! Maybe check his in his blood work? And yes, exercise is very key. Was just hard to even walk that first month on the zombie meds. LOL Good luck and I hope to share more on this little adventure. 🙂
Hugs, my friend. I hope you have friends to talk to about all of this. I wish I was there to support you and to play with art of course! I love this art quilt and if you teach it online you know I’ll be there! I’m in an online quilt club now but it’s basic compared to your imagination. I wish you were here because I have several pieces of furniture I need to update (one just paint but the other I need to remove the gloss finish first. What??!!) lol So about your health issues. I’m so sorry to hear all you’re going through. I wish I could help in any way. I’ve been trying to eat less processed foods too (we call it deployment food lol). Cal me and we’ll chat. I sure miss hanging out with you. 🙁
Nicky
So good to hear from you, Cilenia. I always loved your work in Photoshop. I had not realized you were a quilter. I had to go to small quilts when a few health problems of my own arose, and love doing them!. Sorry to hear of your health issues. I see a naturepathic practitioner. What do you use Hibiscus tea for? I will look forward to hearing more from you.
So good to see you again!!
The quilt is really beautiful. Looking forward to see many more 😉