Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Positively Alyssa

Happy Valentine’s Day to all! I might be wrong, but I do not believe we need a holiday to show our significant other that we love them. It seems like Valentine’s Day has become more of a consumerism day to buy cards, flowers, jewelry, balloons and candy when it was supposed to be all about love! My husband and I do not need a designated day to show how we feel about each other, we show our love and appreciation for one another every day of the year!

Valentine’s Day can also be a sad day for some. What about those who have lost a loved one recently? Or what about those whose relationship has come to a bitter end? Or those that are single and are not going home to a loved one? I am not saying we need to hide our love for our significant others to shelter those that are not enjoying Valentine’s Day, but we should not go to huge extremes on only one day to prove our love.

I truly hope y’all have had a good day! I do not mean to sound so anti Valentine’s Day, I just feel pretty strong that love should be shown and felt everyday of the year! I do my best to always make sure my husband knows just how much he means to me and he does the same!

Thank you for stopping by my site today and reading my thoughts. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I would love to hear your own thoughts about Valentine’s Day. Is it a holiday that you love or hate? I am sending each and every one of you lots of love and comfort, everyday not just today!!

Always, Alyssa

Sinus/Headaches Issues?

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Positively Alyssa

Happy Monday Y’all! I hope you had a nice start to your week! How do you see Monday’s? Do you think of Monday as just another painful start to a new week or is it a new start for change? My week did not start off the way I would have liked because the headache I had all weekend did not want to give me a break. I would have thought dealing with the constant back and leg pain would have been enough to cope with, but of course not instead my headaches have increased drastically!

I have been trying to figure out what is really causing my terrible headaches. The only things I have been able to come with are the lesions that are living in my brain or bad sinus issues or maybe even a combination of the two. I do know that headaches are pretty common with MS, but I am wondering if sinus issues are as well. Is it possible MS lesions could actually be in my sinuses? Do any of you reading this experience sinus troubles and if so, what do you do to relieve the awful pain it causes? At one point, I had convinced myself that the Gilenya I take for the MS was the reason for my sinus troubles. I was so convinced, I decided to switch my MS medication to a different disease modifying medication back August 2017. This was not one of my best decisions because I had a horrible flare up due to my change and the stress leading up to my decision. Of course I am still dealing with some of the residual effects from that flare up, but I am staying strong and positive knowing I will get back to where I was before the flare up!

Please let me ask y’all a question, do any of you deal with sinus headaches? There is definitely a difference between a sinus headache and other headaches; such as cluster, migraine and tension headaches. Personally I do deal with several different types of headaches, but it seems like nothing at all helps these damn sinus headaches! I was so miserable with this headache all weekend, I did not leave the house and it was still hanging over my head today causing me to miss work today! I do find that hot water helps my sinus pressure some, but you can not really stay in a hot shower all day long.

Thank y’all for stopping by my site today! I know most of my post sounds like a bit of a rant complaint, but I am really just wanting to get some thoughts from y’all because I know you do understand me and what I live with daily! Please leave a comment for me and I will respond to you as quickly as I can! I do always appreciate your thoughts and your fabulous advice. The conversations I have been able to have with many of you have meant so much to me and I love getting to know you better! I hope y’all have a fantastic and relaxing evening! I am always sending you lots of love and comfort!!

Always, Alyssa

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Positively Alyssa

Good Evening Y’all! I hope you had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed your 2 day break! I am never really ready for the week to start again because it is just 5 more long days of the daily grind.

I am so truly thankful for the friends I have made through this blog! I have had an amazing time getting to know so many of you and look forward to learning more about each of you! My goal for my blog was to be able to inspire, give knowledge about differences in illnesses and to really portray much positivity in a world that has a little too much negativity in it! I strongly believe that being able to stay positive through the most difficult times will make a huge difference! Life can get difficult, but no matter what the struggle is it could always be so much worse! I want y’all to know that I am always here for you if you need a sound board for frustrations or even have any questions. Whether you comment on a post or email me directly, I will always respond to you and love the great communications we can have with one another!

I hope y’all enjoy the last few hours of your weekend and your new week starts of fabulous! Monday is never a day I look forward to, but it is the start of a brand new week with many possibilities of great changes! I am still hoping that my high pain levels will start to decrease soon as it has been extremely frustrating. If y’all have any suggestions to help this happen, I am all ears! Even though I have been in a terrible amount of pain I will never surrender to it, but instead I will keep fighting through it all!

Please leave any comments you have and I look forward to hearing your responses. Remember to always try to hold onto your positive outlook on life and things will all fall into place! Sending you love and comfort always!

Always, Alyssa

Snowflake Illness

Posted on February 11, 2018 by Positively Alyssa

Chronic Illnesses are like snowflakes because like all snowflakes are so different from the other and each person’s situation with illness is different from another. You will never see two snowflakes that look exactly the same, just as you will never find two people with any illness that experience the same exact issues. There might be some similarities, but there are also some strong differences.

Personally, over the almost 18 years I have been living with MS, I have not met anyone that is dealing with the exact same issues that I do each and every day. Again, there are always some similarities, but they are never identical. I have met in person and through this blog others that are battling the MS fight who have equivalent issues to what I live with, but sometimes what they are struggling with is vastly unique to my own experiences. Even though their trials are something I may have not dealt with, I can totally relate to the hassles that are caused by illnesses!

I believe having the ability to meet others that understand what your daily struggles are in life is so helpful. This gives you the opportunity to learn from someone else, so that if you ever experience something similar you have someone to chat with that truly understands! I strongly feel that there are SO many that do not understand what anyone with an invisible illness goes through on a daily basis. Considering these illnesses are so incredibly unpredictable those living with the illness does not even know what to expect day by day, or even hour by hour. Can this be frustrating? Absolutely! But all of us, no matter what battle we are fighting are winning because of how strong we each are!

Think about what illness you are fighting and think about those you have met with the same ailment. Now, think about if anyone has ever had the exact same struggles that you do. Can you think of anyone that is a mirror image to you? I know that I can’t! Most of the issues I deal with every day without fail is pain and some numbness problems. After chatting with numerous people, a lot of them also have the same type of issues but their pain and numbness might be in different areas of their body. We all deal with the strains of our illness so differently and with SO much strength and courage! Y’all know I believe that staying positive is one of the most important ways to beat the trials that come my way! I might have my off days where I feel completely defeated, but that state of mind does not last long because it does not help me overcome the issues at hand!

I guess we are each our own unique and beautiful snowflake just floating through our lives. We do not have to worry about melting from our troubles, we just need to continue to stay flying high above the struggles and we will win!

Thank you so much for stopping by my site today! I hope you enjoyed my thoughts for Saturday and I really look forward to reading your responses! I do promise to respond to you as quickly as I can! I can not explain how much the communications I have had with so many of you mean to me! I hope you are enjoying your weekend and doing what makes you happy! As always, I am sending you all lots of love and comfort!

Always, Alyssa

Time Away!

Posted on February 8, 2018 by Positively Alyssa

In today’s world it seems we are always rushing to get from one point to another without stopping to enjoy life. I think it is so important to take time to sit back and just try to relax. Planning time to have away from phones, tablets, computers, TV and any other electronic device can provide you with some peaceful quiet time that is much deserved. My job entails working on a computer all day long, so sometimes at the end of the day the last thing I want to do is continue looking at another computer. I always enjoy writing on my blog and reading other blogs, but I am trying to have a cut off time from electronics, really to give my eyes a break because the computer does cause my headaches to increase.

Everyone always says that life is so short, but in the big picture it really is not all that short! If we can make the most of everyday it really may not feel that short at times. There are people out there that live until they are in their 90’s or even until they are 100, but they lived the life they were meant to live as does everyone else. I think most people get so wrapped up in social media it completely consumes their lives and they end up sharing too much with people they do not really know. It is not safe putting your entire life out there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media sites.

What do you do to relax after a stressful day? Do you have certain routines that can to me a little mundane? Funny thing is, I do have those routines that may seem a little boring to some, but I enjoy the peacefulness it brings to my life. Considering I have been trying hard to increase my hours at work it is nice to come home to a tranquil setting! Work can cause stress so if you can eliminate any unnecessary stress at home it is best for your health!

It is really hard to believe we are already into February! It seems like January went by incredibly fast! How is 2018 coming along for y’all? Are you enjoying the year so far? My plans for the New Year were to get learn to reduce my stress levels so that hopefully my pain issues would decrease. I have been trying to not allow other people’s negative outlooks affect my life and quit trying to fix everyone’s problems. It is in my nature to always want to help others, especially those that are close to me, but I have been able to take a step back knowing I can not fix the world! I do wish I had a magic wand and could take the pain away from all that are in pain, cure-all illnesses, not allow anyone to go hungry or not have a roof over their heads and so much more, but all I am able to do is listen when I can and help when I am able.

Even trying to reduce stress from my life my pain issues are still as high as they were last year and I am really not sure why! I do realize that life with MS does come with pain and it will get better in time. It is so frustrating when an illness is so unpredictable and there are really no answers to how to decrease the pain! But even through all the horrible pain I do still try to see the positive because this could all be so much worse than it is! This illness may cause me so much pain but in the big picture it has not taken anything away from me because I am still able to do things I want to do, even if I have to tone it down a little! I find it helpful and SO important to always try to find the good in all situations because no matter what you are dealing with, it could always be so much worse!

I hope y’all are having a fabulous week so far! Looking on the bright side, it is almost Friday! I want to thank y’all for stopping by my site today. As always I do love to hear your comments and will respond to you as quickly as I can! I hope you have a nice relaxing evening! Sending you lots of love and comfort always!

Always, Alyssa

Life’s Challenges

Posted on February 3, 2018 by Positively Alyssa

No one has ever said life was easy and really truly mean it. Life comes with so many challenges along the way and many are unforeseen. There may even be times when things get so difficult you just want to give up and stay away from the outside world! It is so important that even during the most grueling times in life to stand up straight and strong, knowing you are fighting a true battle with nothing but courage!

I think sometimes facing our fears is the hardest thing to do. We all have something we are afraid of whether it be moving to a new city, changing career paths, progression of an illness or something as simple as riding a terrifying ride at the amusement park. No matter how minor or major the fear is, it is real and frightens us.

Most of the time life is really like riding a roller coaster without the option to slow down at all. There are so many upward hills that are followed by steep downhill falls that can completely take your breath away. Then there are the twists and turns that you do not see coming until it is too late and all you can do is hold on tight and hope for the best outcome.

It may be hard to believe sometimes, but life always has a way of working out the way it is meant to. I might have been dealt a bad hand with being forced to live with Multiple Sclerosis, but I have been blessed with so many other fantastic aspects of life. Even though I deal with a lot of pain everyday and there are somethings I have to sit out of my husband is always extremely understanding and supportive.

I hope y’all are having an amazing and enjoyable weekend. Considering my pain levels have been very high recently, I am taking it very easy this weekend trying to rest up so that I feel better for next week.

I want to thank y’all for visiting my site today. I always appreciate you reading my thoughts and I love being able to read your comments. If you have any questions about the different medications I have some experience with or the different things I have been through with MS, please let me a comment and I will be happy to answer in my next posts! Sending y’all lots of love and comfort always!

Always, Alyssa