I felt better yesterday and took it upon myself to clean my house, including steam cleaning the carpet. Now I wisjh I didn't, I started feeling ill around lunch and collapsed on my bed after I took a shower. I slept all afternoon. I just hate that if I do something one day, I pay for it the next. It can be so miserable and frustrating.

Doing okay today. I just wish all the appointments weren't so crazy. We have at least one appointment everyday this week, except Friday. Hanging in there otherwise. :)

Amber, That made me giggle. I totally understand. I am one of those moms that loves cute, but just can't do it all like I used to. This was a great way to put it.

Absolutely. I have more anxiety now than ever before. Some, which I posted about previously I think, being health related anxiety. To the point of convincing myself I have some rare, crazy disease that is not even usually seen in people my age. I remember a doctor's appointment where my doctor looked at me and said, "You have enough serious stuff going on......stop worrying about all this other garbage because other than your serious stuff, you are fine." That was what finally helped me look beyond some of the anxiety. I've noticed that the anxiety is worse when I'm not getting out of the house enough or not relating with others enough. For some reason in recent years, there are times when I just get depressed and become a recluse. This is obviously a vicious cycle because if I'm a recluse, the problem just perpetuates itself. So when I start feeling like that I try to talk to my husband and a close friend so I have someone checking in on me to make sure I'm not setting myself up for disaster, kwim? I think stress, which makes a lot of chronic illnesses worse, messes with your head, too. That's why I'm really thankful for this thread right now. I spent a bunch of time in the hospital in January. It actually wasn't related to my illnesses. I had a kidney stone that required two surgeries which made me miserable. I had to have a stint put in after the surgery and it was horribly uncomfortable. I was not a very pleasant person to be around. Right after I started to feel like myself again, my 9 yo was admitted to the hospital to have an open appendectomy. We are in the process of making a decision on a move because our lease ends soon and we don't want to stay in Southern California. Plus, my kids are enrolled in a charter, which is parent choice. We choose the curricula, but we answer to a teacher. To say it has been a miserable experience is a nice way to put it. Our teacher is good, but all the paperwork and meetings and testing has been driving me nuts. Plus, I'm a full time student. I've been working on finishing my bachelor's, which is almost complete. I just feel like my life has been crazy lately. Like I can't breathe from all the different directions I'm being pulled. We moved to Cali so that we would have help from family....at least that was the promise, but it couldn't be further from the truth. This is why we are looking at moving. It is so expensive to live here and since family isn't really that helpful, we want to move elsewhere. (Don't even get me started about how we do no fit in here.....even in the homeschool communities. We live in a very materialistic, snobbish community. I've been miserable despite trying to make the best of it and doing my best to be friendly.) Anyway, I probably said way too much. This is the first time someone besides my husband has heard all this because I don't have anyone else who is supportive....not even family. (Not that our families are bad or anything, they just don't understand how hard things have been for me and I just get so tired of saying the same thing over and over.) I hope this answers your question....although I'm sure it was too much. It does feel better to get that off my chest though.

I have been on immunosupprents previously. Right now I'm on DMARDs and a biologic, methotrexate and humira specifically. There have been times when I've had to be stronger meds which were done through infusion. I would go to have infusions done every 6 weeks. I felt super tired and out of it for a few days after the infusion was done and I could always tell a week before the next one is due because my symptoms would worsen. Do you specifically what meds your doctors are thinking about? There are so many different meds that are immunosuppressants, I could be more specific if I knew which meds, kwim? As far as alternatives, I'm not sure. I have never known anyone that was in need of these meds be able to get better on just diet changes alone. I have seen improvements in eliminating dairy myself, but not to the point of not needing meds. Maybe someone here is more knowledgeable than me on this area or has had some success. I wish I could come off the meds I'm on, but haven't had much luck. Let us know how your appointment goes.

So I've been thinking....how do you guys handle big trips to places like Disney. My in-laws want us to go to Disney. I really want to go, but I don't want to be a drag either, kwim? I would hate for everyone to have to wait on me, but I hate the idea of the kids experiencing Disney without me. I'm just brainstorming how this could work since the trip is coming up in the next couple of months. Anybody been there, done that?

I understand what you mean about not thinking arthritis was a big deal. I was diagnosed with RA 18 months ago, but also was diagnosed with SLE (lupus), fibro, and Hashimotos 7 years ago, when I was 24. While I had problems with extreme fatigue and muscle pain, it is nothing like what I have experienced with the RA. The damage in my hands is already quite apparent. I'm only 4th med and am just plain sick of it. I finally broke down and went to pain management because I sure nobody in my family could tolerate me anymore. The pain was turning me into a wretched witch. I'm doing a little better now, but sometimes it gets old. I hope that you are doing well. Do your best to just have fun with your kids.....even if its reading on the sofa together or taking an afternoon nap in your bed with them. It's what my kids seem to remember the most. Sometimes one of my boys will even tell me...."Mom, I think it's time for us to rest together". It's very sweet and I treasure it.

Have any of you ever read The Spoon Theory? It helps explain to friends and family just what a day in your body looks like. I have shown it to several people close to me, including my husband, and I could tell it really made an impact and helped them understand what it's like to live with "an invisible illness". My husband is so supportive, but sometimes I can tell my illnesses wear him down, too. He wants to "fix" me and can't. I think it helped him understand that relate to me better and it helped me understand that I'm not the only one who grieves....because it is hard for him, too. http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/wpress/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ Let me know what you think.

It is hit or miss for me. There are times it has been helpful and there have been times where it made the pain worse. A super hot bath helps me the most, but it makes me tired at the same time. Its one of those things where I choose to reduce pain and pay the consequences or just try to suck it up. It feels like I can't win sometimes.

Sounds like people are jealous that you have cleaning crew. I definitely am. :) Although my family is always very helpful. I'm glad that you have someone who is really supportive of you and is helpful. I wish people could understand how hurtful comments like that are. I would much rather be able to clean my own home and not have to have help....then to be chronically ill.

My oldest dd is almost 15 and she is very sweet and helpful, too. I'm glad that you have a dd that helps look after you.

I totally understand this. I struggle with the same thing. I am very ambitious, but the fatigue and lack of energy keep me from doing all that I would like to. Others that I know with chronic health problems grieve for the bodies they use to have. It is very hard to just accept that this is the way things are and there is nothing you can do about it. Especially since it feels like all this happened over night. For me, I have also added more diagnosis as time as went on...which is common with autoimmune diseases. For me it was Hashimotos, then fibro, then lupus, and then rheumatoid arthritis. I just feel like....wasn't one enough. I have six children, how can I deal with all of this? I try to not think of it that way, but sometimes it gets the best of me, yk? I saw someone post about having health related anxiety. I have had issues with that as well, especially when I'm battling depression, which happens from time to time. There is nothing like being ill and a hypochondriac. I'm getting past that though. Support groups can really help, as I'm sure many people don't have someone IRL that understands what you are going through. The problem with that for me was that most of the time I was too tired or ill to go. Lol It has all been very humbling. I've spent a lot of time on my knees before God. I think I'm coming to terms with everything. Somedays are better than others. It feels nice to share this with others because sharing with my husband makes him feel sad and helpless and I hate that. The rest of our families just don't really understand. They don't understand that the sun literally makes me sick and that I don't choose when am I sick. I try not to commit to things until the last minute because I have no idea if I will be able to do things. I've learned to just be ok with disappointing people. There's nothing I can do about it and its disappointing to me, too....which I don't feel like they understand. It's just hard to be sick, but not LOOK as sick as you actually are. I'm sure many of you can understand what I mean by that.

I have posted a few times about my chronic illnesses. It is very tough at times to homeschool 6 and deal with chronic illnesses. My diagnosis are: Systemic Lupus Lupus Nephritis Rheumatoid Arthritis Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Fibromyalgia Migraines Depression My oldest daughter was just diagnosed Hashimoto's also. The biggest problem I have in homeschooling, and life in general, are fatigue and pain. What are your biggest, daily struggles?

I had this exact thing happen to me after my 4th pregnancy. I was having symptoms and went to see my doc. My TSH was .02. My doctor brushed it off. About a month later, I was miserable and went back to the doctor and he refused to run any tests again because it was "too soon". I gained 40 pounds over that next 6 weeks...waiting for him to test me again. When I went back my TSH was 91. It didnt take very long for all this to happen and if I had it to do over again I would have harassed my doctor until he agreed to run the tests again. If you are not feeling well, definitely see your doc. It isn't worth being miserable. It's amazing how a tiny synthroid pill can fix all these symptoms. Best of luck!

Oh...and the pattern. There are a few different ones that can be specific to lupus or sjogrens....maybe some others. Speckled is nonspecific from what remember. It is also the same pattern that I have had subsequently. I hope that you find some answers.

An ANA is non-specific for any particular disease. Normal, healthy people can have a low titer ANA. It is commonly used to diagnose lupus and other rheumatic disease. Are you symptomatic? A rheumatologist would make a diagnosis off of numerous criteria. They will most likely run an additional antibody panel that would look for other more specific antibodies. When I was diagnosed with lupus and ra, my Ana was 1:2560. Each time they check for these antibodies, they dilute to see how long it takes to no longer see them anymore. So each time it doubles. 1:40, 1:80, 1:160, 1:320, 1:640, 1:1280, 1:2560. Hopefully, that makes sense. I know it sounds kind of strange. I wouldn't be overly concerned, but definitely follow up with a rheumatologist so they can help you sort everything out.

This is the first school year that Blue Math is available to independents, I believe. Those that use it with a virtual academy have to return it att he end of the year. That may be why its difficult to find.

I think a consult couldn't hurt. An ANA is very nonspecific. It be a lot of different things or nothing. With her stomach issues have you had a work up for celiacs? I have read several of your threads, and I thought I remembered her seeing a gastro doc, but I can't rely on my memory. For a lupus diagnosis, there must be 4 of 11 criteria filled. ANA is one of them. The others are pretty specific. I'm really sorry to hear your dd is going through this. I have lupus, ra, and a few other autoimmune issues. It's tough to deal with as an adult....especially when you don't have a diagnosis. I was referred to mental health by 2 different doctors before someone took me seriously. I hope that you get answers and soon. Let me know if I can answer any of your questions.

I have four boys that are 10, 9, 9, & 8. They have me going crazy. Lately, it seems like they want to test every boundary there is. Glad to know I'm not alone. My husband keeps reminding me its part of them becoming men.

My husband is a programmer. He said that the program was no where near beta testing as was advertised. It was very glitchy and wasn't ready when I was trying to plan our school. I was ver disappointed. If you have an iPad....check out the Homeschool Helper app. I'm loving it so far. The developers have been great at responding to requests by users. There have been several upgrades since they released it month or so ago. It is super easy to use. Even if you do get stuck....they have video tutorials to help you out. Plus...it's $5. No yearly fees....and the upgrades are included. You just upgrade it in the app store.

Mine did. They refunded $36 of the $40. I was annoyed they charged a restocking fee for an online app, but at least most of it was recovered. I hope you receive yours soon.

I'm sorry to hear you are going through this. While I don't have blood clotting issues, I have been labelled as having autoimmune syndrome because I have numerous overlapping issues. Every few years, I end up having a different autoimmune affliction. The injections, infusions, and constant poking and prodding seem to never end. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I hope you find out soon and it is easily treated.

Don't many families use K12 independently, too? Those that do are still considered homeschoolers...so what's the difference? Do you feel the same if someone uses K12 indepentently? I don't mean to be snooty....I just wanted to show how I think about. I know the state pays for it...that would be the only significant difference. We have done both. The year we were part of a virtual charter was by far the most stressful. We had 10 hour school days many days. I didn't plan like I normally would have, but it was still a lot of work. I have also been in the situation that a pp mentioned. I have homeschoolers totally exclude me because we are members of public charter. I choose the curriculum and we do what I decide at the charter we are with now, but we are funded by the state. I understand the difference. I don't understand why groups would purposely not include families looking for support. The group we are part of is mostly charter school families....which thankfully are in abundance here. Otherwise, we would feel really left out.

I emailed the company about this and they told me that the e-pages were only temporary. She told me that you can still search for whole books in the teacher file box website. Just search for the book number on the front of the book. Dont enter the ECM with the book number though because you won't get proper results. I know it stinks. I preferred the way it was set up before.

You can print to a PDF and save them that way.