Life has a funny way of throwing random things in our direction when they are least expected and often VERY unwanted. It definitely isn’t easy, but these are the times we must pick ourselves up, dust off the difficulties and strive to carry on!
For the most part, I think that the troubles we get faced with happen to remind us just how strong we truly are. We all go along through the motions of any given day and never stop to give ourselves the much deserved credit for the accomplishments we have made. Our daily routines have become so embedded into our minds that we just naturally react to every situation in the best way possible. Sometimes things will work out right the first time around and other times we have to try again! The best way to handle these situations is, NEVER GIVE UP! As long as we choose to not give up and remain determined to succeed, we will never fail.
What happens when something occurs that was so unexpected; it throws major a wrench in our day to day activities? Of course the process we need to go through may be challenging to figure out, but our minds will lead us in the right direction, if we just listen to our own intuition.
Sometimes life becomes more like a movie that is just set to automatic repeat, or at least it is for me. Monday-Friday every day is the same, which is perfectly fine and preferred. What some might call boring and predictable, I call calm and drama-free! With all the insanity that goes on in this world, who really needs additional drama? I actually love coming 
home to be greeted by my husband and two adorable cats
! We eat dinner while watching our favorite shows and then just spend good quality time together. I will read, write or crochet in the evenings, so it is very calm, happy, and peaceful!
When I stop to think about how precious life is and how quickly things can change, I am thankful for what I do have in my life. Sure maybe life may have been easier if I didn’t have MS, but I do and I choose to continue living! I try to NOT think about what could have happened or what should have happened because really, what is the point? 
Anything that did happen did so for reasons I may never know and that is okay. Hell, if it was not MS it may have been something far worse.
My heart breaks for the people out there that do not have the faintest idea of what actually makes them happy. It almost seems as though these people got lost somewhere along the way and never managed to find themselves. I cannot say they did not try, but I might say they gave up the search. I have known people that went through some pretty severe depression, but even in their darkest hours knew a couple 
things that did bring them joy. Of course, those joys did often get shadowed over by their negative thoughts and bad situations, but they were still able to recognize a few positive things in their life. Unfortunately, I have also learned that I do not have the power to turn someone’s mind around when it is clouded with depression. In times like these, there is only one person that can create happiness and that is themselves. For instances, my mother has been struggling lately and neither her
husband nor myself can make her truly happy, she needs to do that on her own. I hate to put that so bluntly, but it is the truth and I do think that any legit therapist would agree with me on this for anyone.
The sad reality is life can be harsh and painful, but it is how we handle it that counts. Challenges happen to everyone, no matter how you are or where you live. Unlike so many other things in this world, hard times do not discriminate and will try destroying anyone 
and anything that stands in the way. The good news is, if you never surrender and continue fighting back, those hard times will move onto its next victim.
Thank you so much for visiting my site today! I do encourage you to take a moment to leave a comment because I love knowing what you think of what I share. I hope you are having a pleasant day and you are feeling the best you can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love , comfort, and many positive vibes!
Always, Alyssa
analysis from the US Federal government, it was found that Americans would spend $3.65 trillion for health care. With this appalling amount for health care, it represents each person would spend $11,212. Breaking it down even further, 59% of the spending is going to hospitals, doctor’s appointments and clinical services. Even prescription costs have increased 3.3% over the years. In my personal opinion, this is ridiculous and only shows sheer greed. According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, spending on health care in the United States is by far the higher that any other developed country.
Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Spain, and Canada. Reports from the Journal Health Affairs have estimated an average annual growth rate of 5.5% just from 2018 to 2027. Now if things continue as they have been, health care will be 19.4% of the country’s entire GDP! Unfortunately, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, wage growth remains below 4% and yet insurance prices will only increase! This is wrong on so many levels and yet there is no one trying to fix this issue! Actually, there are a few people fighting hard to correct the madness and they are Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the senate and a several other progressives in the house. 
privilege, but it should be a right! It is despicable the way this is being handled among pharmaceutical companies and our own government. There are so many people 
including myself that need insurance or we will never be able to afford the medications that the doctor prescribes for valid reasons. Many of the medications we get at the pharmacy are required so our illness does not progress at a rapid rate.
now it is all about their paycheck! They get patient after patient, rush them without listening to anything their patient is saying, which is terrible! I am pretty sure that doctors completely forgot what the Hippocratic Oath says and might need a refresher!
and things have always been the way they are now or if something just went very wrong in the thinking of Americans! I guess I may never know.
What was the first sign of your illness?
Sclerosis is I have learned to push past pain. I was always strong with this type of issue, but now that I have pain every minute of every day the strength has only grown. 
my legs or back eases the pain for a short amount of time. Of course, pain medication does help the pain, but I refuse to allow myself to be another statistic and become addicted.
been told is, do your own research and learn as much as you can about whatever illness you were diagnosed with. The truth is we are the only one that knows our body better than anyone ever could because no amount of schooling could teach that!
the incredible people you are! Life isn’t easy and living with a chronic illness tries to make things even more difficult, but together we prove these illnesses wrong! I hope if y’all have some free time you will check out my nominees sites and definitely view Melinda’s! I know you will never be disappointment you did so and will feel a sense of encouragement by reading what these individuals share! Thank you once again Melinda for all you do for everyone and the added help you have offered me!
I hope your weekend has started off great and only continues to get better. I do always appreciate the support you offer by reading and commenting on my posts. Never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love 
million pieces and cause me to feel like a useless failure . I do realize how irrational this may sound, but that is how I have been feeling. It made me incredibly sad when I had a difficult time walking through a store last weekend because my legs and feet were experiencing SO much pain and weakness. All
I wanted to do was cry, but I couldn’t because I view that as letting this illness win the never-ending battle we have been in for years and that will NEVER be an option for me!!
the issues Multiple Sclerosis comes along with and then add gluten-intolerant to the mix seems quite unfair. I know we all deal with random issues and keep on moving forward because we do not have a choice. I am also very aware that many others deal with SO many other struggles that are far worse than what I am, so I am really not complaining. I am going to share more about this gluten-intolerant situation in a later post.
The truth is, because I am always so exhausted during the week after working 8 hours every day of the week, I often don’t have the energy to write as much as I would like to. I end up with so many random thoughts running around like crazy in my mind; it gets so hard to keep track of them all and have those thoughts come together for a good read and one that I am proud of.
dizzy/black-out spells. I have had these issues happen before, but never so many in just one day. At least 2 days last week, there were several moments when the room went completely dark and there NO were sounds at all, which under other circumstances would be great. There was one time I was talking with a co-worker at her desk about work and all of sudden I felt weak, light-headed, hot as hell and dizzy. Luckily I was standing very close to the wall, which kept me standing upright. It might have been pretty embarrassing if I all of sudden fell to the floor at this new job.
terrifying; dizzy spells, black-out moments or the combination of the two. Of course I would say the combination of dizziness and black-out would the most terrifying because you are dealing two different disturbing issues at the same time. I have dealt with dizzy spells for so many years now, but I have found ways that help me limit the duration of my dizziness, most of the time at least.
understand how horribly upsetting they can be. I remember a few years ago there was a period of time when I had a several short black-outs throughout the week, but they weren’t anywhere near as severe as they are now. I am not sure if its stress, lack of sleep, weather changes or something else. The list of possible reasons really could go on and on and on, but I really just wish they were STOP!
comment, but I do encourage your comments if that makes any sense, but I know your thoughts will be amazing. I promise to respond to your comments as quickly as I can! I hope you are feeling well and enjoying your weekend! Sometimes I think the best part of a weekend isn’t getting out and staying busy, but not having any plans at all so there aren’t any time requirements. My days are set in stone during the week with work, which I tend to strongly dislike, but I guess it is just the life of adulthood. I enjoy spending my 2 very short weekend days living in the moment and not doing anything that might cause unnecessary stress. Please remember that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love 
going on and understanding how to handle it will provide me with some relief or at least I hope it will! Obviously I am not a doctor, but I think I am familiar enough with the body I have lived in for almost 38 years. I am going to share with y’all what I have learned and please if you have any other helpful tips or ideas, please let me know!
I first want to clarify a few important details I have learned! Gluten Intolerance is often confused with other issues, like Celiac Disease or food allergies, but there are some differences and similarities. Gluten is a protein found mainly in wheat, barley and rye. This protein can cause digestive problems like gassiness, abdominal pain or diarrhea. With food allergies, the immune system overreacts to a particular food causing various reactions and levels of severity. Celiac Disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder that can damage the small intestines, but Gluten Intolerance almost mimics this.
fatigue and tiredness, having very low energy. Gluten Intolerance can cause iron-deficiency anemia. This is a condition in which blood lacks adequate healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s tissues
this intolerance. People with digestive issues seem more prone to both anxiety and depression.-Even though depression is not too common, there are a few theories for how Gluten Intolerance can lead to depression.
shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, pale skin and weakness.
constant feeling of fatigue, obnoxious levels of anxiety, nervousness, worrying and quick agitation, dizziness at random times, weakness, joint and muscle pain, numbness and cloudiness in my mind. I always blamed so many of these symptoms on Multiple Sclerosis and maybe that is still the case, but maybe it is a Gluten Intolerance causing more of it. 
where pharmaceutical companies run the thoughts of the weak-minded, again no names being mentioned! It you read my post from Tuesday, you will know why I am pushing standing together through the hard times we can possibly face!
news I heard, after a long day at work, was so disturbing and caused me so much ANGER, as it would anyone with a heart and any empathy for others! For someone during their campaign they ran to become president, no names being mentioned of course, saying they wouldn’t do anything negative to those of us with pre-existing conditions, to now doing the EXACT OPPOSITE and trying to eliminate protection for pre-existing conditions! I know this person in the white house has some 
crazy issues with the former president, but to banish the good things that were done is very wrong. How anyone could still support this person is beyond me because I sure as hell couldn’t and never would! There are millions of people in the United States that will be affected by this and many could even lose their lives if anything happens to their health insurance. 
entitled to our opinions, but when something can change my own life for the negative, I can’t help but to share my thoughts on the matter! I have been trying to tell myself that no one would ever think about doing something so awful and ruin lives for so many, but it just may happen! Striking down the Affordable Care Act, as has been put on the table, is wrong on so many levels, no matter what your political views are! I wish there was something more I could do to stop anything like this from happening, but I do not even know what that would be! Of course I can write about it, but I don’t know how much that will really change the issues! I do understand there is a chance that nothing being proposed will pass, but what if it does? How can anyone afford the medications they need to live their lives? I know there is absolutely NO way I could ever afford the medications I take to slow the progression of my Multiple 
Sclerosis down without insurance. Where would this leave people battling with a chronic illness and does anyone in power really care??