“Man Massaging Neck” Photo by Toralf Thomassen on Unsplash
A few weeks ago, I had my usual 3-week visit to the Chiropractor. It was my usual 3-week appointment for adjustments messed up or out of alignment because of my feet and the fact that, despite my feet, I keep myself pretty active!
For once, I arrived at my appointment without any pain. Anywhere! Amazing! Sometimes that happens but not as often as I what I would like. I keep trying doing the things I do and hoping above all hope that I will get better.
What are those things? I walk my dog every day. Some days are further than others but we always go for a walk. I take a Deep Water Aerobics class at the local Aquatic Center twice a week. I visit a massage therapist every 3 weeks and as I mentioned previously, the Chiropractor every 3 weeks. These help me to manage my pain considerably well.
During the visit with the Chiropractor, he did his usual routine of adjustments with me and concluded by saying, “WOW! I believe you are getting better!” He caught me off guard especially when he repeated it. He stated that he especially noticed my flexibility being better too.
While I know the medical world says Charcot-Marie-Tooth is uncurable. There is nothing they can do for me. Okay, I get that. However, I believe God can do other things if He so chooses. Also, He will give us wisdom and guidance to do things
When I hear something positive from someone about my health, I grab it and hold onto it. It might be a small comment or a kind word. I hold on it. Why? It’s encouraging to know that all the exercising I have been doing is helping me to look better along with function and feel better.
Yes, I typically ignore negative comments unless it’s something from someone I respect. People I respect will not say something negative unless it is something I really need to know.
When I was younger, Valentine’s Day sometimes was a lonely day. Sometimes, I would be dating a girl and we’d go out or do something. But, many times not.
I wish that I had realized back then what I know now or learned along the way. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about being loved or loving your girl or boyfriend. It’s a day to celebrate love.
The greatest truth I learned along the way is that God loves me no matter what. He is always there for me and will ALWAYS love me… even when I mess up really bad.
Thankfully, I will spend today with my wife and two boys. We believe in saying “I love you!” quite often and doing special things for each other all the time. Today will be pretty much a normal day but we will stress our love with a nice dinner somewhere.
I will thank God for the love of my family and friends today too.
I hope and pray that you have an awesomely blessed day!
Wow! Times flies. Faster than we realize. And, especially when you are really busy. Sorry I haven’t written in quite a while. This will be changing soon.
Since last August, life for me has been busier than usual. My wife, my Service Dog Noah and I traveled quite a bit this past summer-fall season. We like to travel and since CMT might make travel impossible in the future, we are trying to get through our bucket list. However, it wasn’t until near the end of my travels that I got incredibly busy.
A new store near my house, “Wild Birds Unlimited,” opened in late August. Well, I couldn’t resist applying for a job and working there. I have used their products and absolutely love them! I was working to learn more about feeding birds, teach others about feeding birds, and for the employee discount.
Around 10 years ago, a Wild Birds Unlimited store opened near my old house. That was where I got hooked. My first really nice bird feeders, birdhouses, and birdseed, which did not go to waste, like some products, nor end up on the ground causing weeds to grow, came from Wild Birds Unlimited.
I got the job and was very excited, to say the least. Though I worked only 8-12 hours a week, it took quite a bit of time away from my writing and photography. Also, Noah was beginning to be unhappy with my time away from the house without him going with me. I could have taken him with me, and I found I should have, but I was trying to adjust to a new schedule and job first.
How does a man with CMT work in a retail store? I took the job because it would be healthy for me to get out and do something a few hours a week. And, because I have been feeling much better lately than I ever have. Also, I have been able to walk Noah for up to 3.5 miles with minimal pain. I was anticipating being able to sit down for a few minutes here and there when customers were not in the store.
What I did not anticipate was how much my feet hurt at the end of every single shift. I would come home, take my braces off, and try to get the soreness to stop before bedtime. However, it often kept me up late.
I tried to manage the pain by taking a regular dose of 2 pills of Ibuprofin in the morning followed by the same dose four hours later in the afternoon. It wasn’t enough to completely stop the pain, but it dulled it a bit. I upped the dose to the maximum allowed and it still wasn’t enough.
I decided to live with the pain and try to make adjustments at the store by sitting down for a few minutes once an hour. The store owner knew I have CMT when I was hired so he understood when I needed to sit down. I made sure he knew about my limitations so it could not come back to haunt me.
However, I wasn’t too surprised to learn that I do not like retail. I thought that because I LOVE the products, I would enjoy it. For me, nope! Though my boss said I did a good job of assisting customers with products. However, I got too nervous when customers came into the store. Also, too nervous checking the customer out at the cash register. It wasn’t a good fit so I quit.
I have been busy since November attempting to get caught up on stuff I got behind in as well as promoting my photography and writing business.
On my last day at the store, I learned that my church really needed my skills in writing, communication, and photography so it looks like I will not have much time to be bored!
Are you ready to start another New Year? I am yet I am not. I know what can I say?!
I am because it means that the cold months of January, February and March are here and I can get quite a bit of writing, photography, and website work done before I start spending most of my days outside.
And, no, because it means I am getting another year older and life is flying by really fast. I am thankful to be getting older as I am thankful for every breath and step I take.
I am starting 2020 with some new pain in my feet. I have an appointment with a foot specialist, the lady who makes my braces, to determine what’s going on and take action.
Despite the pain and it’s health issues, my goal is to maintain a positive and happy attitude throughout the new year.
My prayer for you is to have a blessed New Year and New Decade. My God help you throughout any painful health struggles you may have!
I will be spending New Year’s Eve quietly at home watching a little TV and reading my Trains magazines. I know, I live such an exciting life- heart be still!
“Merry Christmas” (C) Isaiah Jacobs, All Rights Reserved
I pray that you will have a blessed and very Merry Christmas!
I will be spending the day sharing a few presents with my wife and taking my father-in-law to lunch somewhere. After the loss of my parents, brother, and mother-in-law, Christmas has been a challenge because it brings back so many wonderful memories. Now, the celebration feels like it’s always missing something. However, we celebrate and enjoy our time together.
And, after lunch with my father-in-law, my wife and I will head home and probably enjoy a nap!
If I had to pick one pet-peeve I have with having Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) it is the annoyance I get when I see people staring at my feet. Then, they look up at my face back to my feet and back to my face. I’m like “really?” Yes, my feet are turned out! Yes, it is difficult or challenging to walk. Yes, you probably have never seen feet like mine. Yes, it looks like I am walking on the sides of my feet. Trust me, I am not. Almost, but not yet. YES, IT IS RUDE to stare. Not only is it rude, it is painful to see someone staring at my feet. Stare at my face instead, it is better looking. If you keep staring at my feet, you will miss how handsome I really am!
So I understand when children do it since some are still learning manners and others don’t know any better because their parents haven’t taught them. The teenagers through senior adults need to re-learn their manners. When you see something unique on another person such as deformed feet, missing an arm or leg, or maybe wounds on someone’s face, think about how you would feel if you were them and people were staring. It is difficult enough to go through life having an obviously less-than-perfect body without the annoyance of stares.
Years ago, you would never catch me barefoot in public. It was heartbreakingly painful to see the stares. Before that, you wouldn’t catch me in public in shorts. So much easier to hide my feet in long pants and shoes.
However, I got to thinking. I love being outside in shorts and barefoot. I love the freedom it gives. Why should I let those who do not have enough manners not to stare stop me from enjoying myself in shorts or going barefoot? So, I practiced not paying attention to those people. Always looking ahead. And, when I see someone doing it, I look the other way.
In case you are wondering, yes, I would love to tell them to “quit staring- it’s rude!” But, I digress. It would be energy not well spent.
I was never, still aren’t, one of those people who get their feelings hurt easily or as some say, “carry their feelings on their shoulders waiting for them to be knocked off!” As a child, I wasn’t quite as thick-skinned as I am now but I wasn’t one those “sensitive” kids either. However, there were, and still are, times when – I get my feelings hurt.
I remember the days of being a young child and how rude other children were. They were often cruel too. I can remember being called names, nothing profane mind you, but still. I remember being laughed at because I could not do most of the P.E. requirements. I ran funny. I walked funny. I couldn’t do pull-ups. I couldn’t do sit-ups. I was always the last one chosen to play on a team’s side. The list could go on. I knew I was different, but, at the same time, I wasn’t sure why. Looking back, I cannot tell you all the things which happened or what was said or done, but it seemed like I was always getting my feelings hurt one way or another. Most of the time, it was something that I could not prevent.
I’m not sure why kids liked to tease me. Sometimes I think it is because I was funny looking or weird but they were too. I just never pointed it out or really paid attention to it. Maybe it was my feet. When I was younger, they started turning and have been doing it ever since!
I remember hoping or thinking that one day when I was older, the teasing, rudeness, and cruelty would stop. Ha! That’s not happened yet. The teasing and annoying behaviors went through college and even my adult years. Fortunately, I learned at an early age to love myself. If I didn’t love me, then nobody else would… and frankly, I really wanted a girl to fall in love with me despite Charcot-Marie-Tooth- but that’s another story for another time. I wasn’t much on hanging out with the guys so I didn’t give that much attention.
As an adult, I find one of the more rude things people like to do is make decisions for me. For instance, they do not invite me to do something because they know I have health issues and do not think I can do it. Well, that’s not for them to decide. A friend would not allow me to mow his yard, saving him time and money, because he was afraid I would fall. I told him it isn’t his fault if I fell and the work is good for me. It helps me to keep moving. Another decided that standing to assist at a funeral was too much for me. That cut deep- really deep. Depending on who it is, I will push myself to do something with someone or for someone because I care about them. Sometimes you have to bear some pain for someone in your life.
For me, my parent’s were a great support. Since I am the oldest, I’m not sure how they knew to tell me they “loved me” often. Somehow, they did. Even on the worst days, when the world would be taunting me, the fact that they loved me often rang in the back of my mind. As an adult, it did too. This fact, I believe, helped me to rise above the others and be more successful in life than if I hadn’t heard that from my parents.
After years of not being asked to do something because someone thinks I cannot do it, rather than asking me if I can or would, being the last to be picked to play on a team, not having much interest in sports because I cannot participate, I have become pretty introverted. I have tried to ignore “being left out” or the “things people do” but it isn’t always easiest.
To me, the challenges of living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth add to the frustrations. There isn’t anything I can do about it so I’ve learned to love and accept myself for what I am. Also, I focus on what I can do instead of what I cannot do. I tend to surround myself with friends who believe in me and will not “stifle” me as so many try to do, intentionally or not. This has helped me to live a happy life.
Of course, getting my feelings hurt is just a part of life. From what I hear, everyone goes through it or has these issues. Learning to get past this obstacle is a challenge but it can be done. I have found focusing on God, the people I love and support me in my challenges and are not obstacles, and, of course, the love of my dog and cat.
Parents love your children and tell them often. Friends of someone with CMT, allow them to be themselves. Help them when they ask or just listen when they need it. Be a friend, not an obstacle!
“A Tired Party Dog” (C) Storyblocks, Used by Permission
Happy birthday to ME! Happy birthday to ME! Happy Birthday to ME! Happy birthday to ME! Every year on my birthday I like to celebrate that I have made it another year walking and enjoying life. I am now 56 and I am thankful for every moment God has given me.
Sometimes with the problems and issues, I have with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), I find life challenging. It seems there is never an end to them or new problems begin just as I have adjusted to the others. Sometimes I have to find assistance from a doctor. Sometimes it’s a physical therapist. Sometimes both. Oh well, that is the life of the CMT patient.
However, it’s NOT the end of the world. I learned to find the good in every day decades ago. My life is blessed with God, my wife, my dog, and my cat. Just like the past year, I will enjoy the upcoming year as well.
Today in the United States, we salute, honor, and remember the men and women who served our country in the U.S. Armed Forces and paid the ultimate price. To me, it is a huge sacrifice to decide to serve in the armed forces to protect the freedoms of people you do not even know. Much less, these days, many people do not even respect those who served.
I was not able to serve. Charcot-Marie-Tooth gave me physical challenges at an early age so it kept me from serving. To be honest, I’m not sure what I would have done if I could have served. Would it have been the Air Force? Navy? Army? Coast Guard? At this point in life, I really do not know.
However, growing up in an area where several neighbors, family friends, and friends from school were serving in the military, I had several friends who went served after high school or college. I remember one friend who everyone in high school liked was serving somewhere in the Middle East and lost his life because of an attack.
I married an “Air Force Brat!” as she likes to call herself. I have learned quite a bit about what happens with the families of those who serve. Sometimes, a spouse is left alone for months while one spouse is overseas. Or, a spouse has a duty to fulfill so the family cannot attend an event. Or, a spouse serving has to miss many important family events, like graduation or marriage, because they are serving away from home. The sacrifices are endless and these do not even begin to describe what the families go through.
I have to say, that would be very hard for me to do. I would miss my family incredibly! I don’t like being away from my spouse more than a few hours or maybe a day but not for more than that.
Thank you to all the families of those whose family served in the U.S. Armed Forces and paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives. Thank you isn’t enough but I cannot think of any other words than that.
Thank you to the men and women of the US Armed Forces who are serving to protect our freedoms. Thank you for all you have done and are doing!
