Dear Friend :-)

I am glad that your Doctor is going to be running more tests.

I realized in the past couple of days dealing with severe pain associated with a STEM trial - I should stop, smell the roses, take a deep breath and take some of my own advice.

I started writing in a daily journal for a creative writing class I am taking this year and the thing got me thinking again about some of the advice I have followed in the past.

First off, our bodies need time - to get used to anything new....like you I am getting used to this machine.....like you I have to focus on healing.

Keep yourself well hydrated while your body gets used to this medicine. If you find yourself getting short with people (I have been a bear - always am when in severe pain) I decided to take time for myself. That literally means not going to class tonight, sending my kids off to their friends and my husband taking care of talking to the Professor. Taking a literal "day off" has worked wonders. I have been able to catch up on my homework, write about my experience with the STEM, read, and above all - make myself a couple of cups of my favorite tea and pick up a good book.

You sound like you are stressing "out". Do you have a pill dispenser? These are good for me because when I have a quiet moment I can sit down and put the pills in their daily slot - no mistakes on dose, and all of them in one slot...

If your son is antagonizing you - try not to let it bother you....only you can choose how you react to a situation. Take the deep breath exercise - I know I do with a 15 year old in the house. He is in a bad mood all the time. There are times when I am in one part of the house drawing or on the computer and he is in another....distance makes the heart grow fonder. Sometimes I actually get a smile....but we get along.

Try to do things you enjoy, l enjoy drawing, reading or even writing.....I love spending time in the sauna and sitting in my garden. How about starting a journal to document how you are feeling....if you cannot talk to your son - writing a letter to him in your journal can get the "stuff" out of your system.

I hope that life gets less stressful for you....

I will think about you when saying my prayers

All the best
Kim