The only thing that stays the same is CHANGE.

Since I'm picking up the blogging habit again, I'll update my profile which has

changed dramatically in the past year. I am currently on teacher retirement

disability through the Texas Teacher Retirement System. I was successful in

getting my application approved only after I lost a teaching job @ a local church

school--I have some really lovely, abnormal brain scans which helped the

approval process.

As a result of losing that job, I lost the house I bought in 2007. "Lovely" Wells-Fargo gave me an option of move-out dates after they foreclosed--I could move out by Dec. 14 of 2009 OR Dec. 24 of 2009. Thanks be to God that I had some church friends who helped me out with moving expenses, packing help, loading and unloading. Moving on Christmas Eve is the pits.

In preparation for moving I had to decrease my critter population. The apartments here have a $400 per pet deposit!! My last beagle, Webber, died at age 16 back in November, so that left me with 3 cats--B.W., Staccato, and the newest one, Sammy. I tried to adopt out Staccato with bad results, as I also did with Sammy. I wound up taking Sammy to the city shelter on Christmas Eve, having failed to get any of the no-kill shelters to take him. He MAY have been adopted out after all; I can only hope.

I have been blessed with two part-time jobs to help make ends meet. I am playing organ in a Methodist church, and I am teaching private lessons in a local school district. Finances are pretty tight right now because the school job ends during the summers. I am able to keep up with these two jobs, and I enjoy what I'm doing.

The screw-up in all of this is that I have NOT gotten on enzyme treatment yet. Genzyme has royally screwed up, having had not one but TWO problems at its plant which rendered ineffective the fabrazyme treatment. As all current patients are receiving only partial doses, Genzyme is not accepting any "naive" clients at this point.

The company whose product was NOT approved by the FDA, but whose product is used in 20 other countries, has offered its treatment FREE OF CHARGE to American patients. I am seeking an infusion place, but this looks like a real possibility to get help, even if I have to fly somewhere to get the treatment.

My pain level is VERY high. I expected some increase in pain from going off the Cymbalta, but whatever I have done to my neck is the most painful I've experienced in a long time. Oh God, how long, how long?? I haven't slept this night after trying different pillows, different bed positions, moist heat, stretching, Zostrix, and Icy Hot.

A great followup to my last post 2 1/2 years ago!

WOW! I really need to get back to blogging! As I write today, I have been off of the drug mentioned in the previous post for 40 days. Over the past months, I had descended into a black cave from which I could not exit. The drug, Cymbalta, which had many HELPful effects on me at one time, was, I believe, the cause of that descent. As a result of a loss of prescription coverage, I was unable to refill my prescription at the end of April. I did suffer the 0 to BITCH in 6 seconds effects the first 10 or so days, but the darkness lifted after about 15 days off the drug. I have some more pain problems now, and I now have emotions flooding back (what the hell are THOSE?), but the end of Cymbalta is for me at this time in life God's greatest blessing. I am ready to return to my "Mother Earth News" self, get back to taking proper care of my spirit and my body, and do the things I know are best for me. Medicating my problems away, at least with Cymbalta, has proven to be a very bad thing for me. Thanks be to God. More later!