It was until I was in my 20’s that I was diagnosed with asthma but when it happened, I was already a mom of 2, so naturally, I worried about my children having it as well.
Now that I am a mom of 5, I feel it is important to educate myself and others when it comes to health issues in children.
Here is a great infographic from FilterBuy.com to help better understand, recognize and control asthma symptoms in children.
Everyday I have at least one friend on Facebook who mentions they want to quit smoking or that they have tried to quit smoking and not had success. As someone who was a smoker, for a very long time, I know what it is like. I started smoking at a young age and didn’t quit until Christmas Eve in 2010 and have been smoke free since.
In the beginning, it was hard. I’m not going to lie. Smoking was something I did to curb food cravings, keep me occupied when I was bored as well as something I enjoyed doing when I was out at the bar with friends. These days I don’t miss it and I’m sorry I every subjected my family to it.
Now I know, there are all kinds of things out there to help you quit smoking and I tried most of them but never long enough to be successful. Although I didn’t have success with over-the-counter products, I think it is important for those who want to quit to know about all of their options and what they offer.
For me, I didn’t want to have to worry about slapping a patch on all the time, taking a pill or chewing gum so it was really hard to do and I constantly had nicotine cravings and let me tell you, nicotine gum….it did absolutely nothing for me.
Quitting smoking was not easy for me and I did struggle for a bit after I quit. I would smell someone else smoking and it would make me crave it. The first time I went out with friends after I quit, it was a struggle and I wanted to light up and I wish I would have had something to use that would get me through those moments. According to Alex I quit smoking on sheer willpower.
The nice thing these days is that there are so many more options available and I wanted to introduce you to a new product that can help curb those nicotine cravings!
Aqua-tine™ loves smokers and they are all about helping you relieve those tobacco cravings.
Aqua-tine™ is a homeopathic nicotine formula that comes in a small 2.4ml packet that you can mix with the drink of your choice (not recommended for use in alcohol or energy drinks) to temporarily relieve the symptoms of tobacco cravings, the beginning of trying to kick the habit.
Aqua-tine™ isn’t a smoking cessation aid, it is an OTC homeopathic drug that meets the FDA’s standards and is intended to relieve temporary tobacco craving where you cannot or choose not to smoke which makes it great to cut out those smoke breaks at work.
Now you may think that using Aqua-tine™ is the same as using an E-cig or vaping but it is not because it is a different, homeopathic solution and as an added bonus, Aqua-tine™ is discreet, odorless, airplane friendly, tasteless and best of all….carcinogen free!
For more information, be sure to check out the complete list of FAQs before using Aqua-tine™.
Aqua-tine™ is available 12 pack box for $6.95 or 40 pack box for $24.95
You can connect with Aqua-tine™ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yes, you’re reading that correctly. This week has definitely been an interesting one for our family.
Tuesday afternoon, Zack wasn’t feeling well and began to have some pain in his stomach but not in one general area. Since he was in a lot of pain, I thought I would have him checked out just to be safe. I scheduled him for a 5pm appointment at our hospital for their extended care hours since our family doctor’s office was closed.
We arrived at the hospital and the doctor checked him out and thought that based on the fact that all he had to drink all day was a bottle of Mountain Dew and hadn’t really had much to eat that he could be dehydrated and since he had vomited shortly after arriving that it was best to pump him full of fluids and give him some anti-nausea meds.
After 2 bags of fluids, a dose of anti-nausea meds and some Toradol for the pain, Zack was acting much more like himself 4.5 hours later. (A surprise visit from his girlfriend may have helped a little).
We talked with the doctor and with the pain subsiding, the vomiting having stopped, his blood work being clear and no sign of a fever that it was okay to pack up and head home.
Well, I’m not telling you that we shouldn’t have left. We should have stayed put at the hospital and waited for the pain meds to stop working because 2 hours later, we were back in the ER having another IV put in, more blood drawn and a CT to discover that Zack had appendicitis and would need an appendectomy.
You would think that after watching him be in pain and go through not 1 but 2 hip surgeries that this would have been a piece of cake for me.
It wasn’t.
Zack was in so much more pain this time around and not even a dose of morphine helped.
By 330am we were moving him up to the surgical floor and getting him ready while I signed and gave consent for the procedure and by 4am he was in the operating room and Alex, my mom and I were in the waiting room. He was out of surgery shortly before 5am and everything went off without any problems.
Mom and I went down to his room on the pediatrics floor to wait for him and Alex made his way home to take care of the rest of the gang.
Zack made it out of recovery and back to the room around 630am and was still pretty out of it and just ready to rest. He crashed, my mom left and went to work and I went to sleep.
Since he was doing so well and was a great patient, he was discharged shortly after noon and we got him home and in bed to rest which is where he has spent most of his time since.
He’s been recovering pretty well, is moving around more on his own and is happy the worst of the pain is gone and can’t wait to be fully healed. He’s also not real thrilled that he had to take off 3 days of work and has restrictions when he goes back but I’m sure he’ll survive.
I have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and hope he’ll be my fully functional Zack again in no time!
Summer is just around the corner and while both kids and parents anxiously await a much-needed vacation, there are a few others who need something more…a break from the heart-wrenching challenges they face every day as a result of a family member who is battling, or who may have lost the battle, with cancer.
Being a mom, there are things I constantly worry about. I worry about something happening to my kids daily, I worry about something happening to me or Alex all the time and hate to ever imagine my kids living a life without me or their dad or ever having to know cancer on a personal level. Unfortunately, there are children, every day, who learn about cancer at a very personal level, and at those times, I am happy to know there are places like Angel on My Shoulder available for them to enjoy to help ease that burden.
Angel On My Shoulder is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that has established a number of cost-free camps, both summer and year-round, that were designed to address the needs of young people whose lives have been affected by cancer through the illness or passing of a close family member (parent, sibling, or grandparent).
Angel On My Shoulder weekend camps are funded through donations, so that everyone who wants to attend may do so. They provide kids with an opportunity to meet others like themselves in a well-supervised atmosphere of understanding.
“When a family is affected by cancer, the focus has to be on the patient. Too often though there are children who are also experiencing loss or confusion,” said Lolly Rose, founder of Angel On My Shoulder. “That’s where Angel On My Shoulder comes in. We’re helping these kids feel good and have fun with others they can relate to; to see their faces light up again is an amazing feeling.”
Angel On My Shoulder offers five different weekend camps for kids who have a close family member who is battling cancer.
The purpose of the camps is to give kids the chance to meet other kids who are in the same situation and give them the opportunity to participate in activities tailored to their age group that will provide many happy memories.
Summer camps include swimming, kayaking, canoeing and fishing. Winter camps feature snowshoeing, ice fishing, dog-sledding and sleigh rides.
Angel On My Shoulder also sponsors two retreats for adults: Angel Care and Healing Angels. Angel Care is for Cancer Caregivers, and was created with the express purpose of giving cancer caregivers a respite from the often times grueling work of caring for a loved one with cancer. The retreats are held several times a year and provide activities such as yoga and discussion sessions to help these selfless individuals give back to themselves.
Healing Angels is for cancer survivors who are in remission. The intent is to provide them with a weekend of mental, physical and spiritual healing that will contribute to their growing sense of well-being.
You can learn more about Angel on My Shoulder by watching the video below.
If you would like to learn more about Angel on My Shoulder and the volunteer opportunities available, please check out their website.
As someone who suffers from a variety of allergies, I am always on the hunt for something that offers me fast relief right when I need it. For years I could be found popping an allergy pill or two for relief but of course, the wait for them to kick in was excruciating.
After Joey was born, my allergies kicked into high gear and have not been very enjoyable since. I have learned that pills just don’t cut it for me anymore and I made the switch to FLONASE®, an over-the-counter, non-prescription allergy relief nasal spray.
Having FLONASE® on hand has saved me quite a few times. Last summer when we took the kids to breakfast on the farm, my allergies were out of control. With all of the hay, animals and who knows what else, my eyes were watery, my nose was icky and I was itchy. Thankfully, I had FLONASE® on hand and was able to get some much needed relief.
As a FLONASE® user, it makes me happy that it works at the source and helps block 6* allergens, including histamine, prostaglandins, cytokines, tryptases, chemokines and leukotrines.
You can find FLONASE® Allergy Relief OTC Spray at your local Walmart, just look for the display!
