Celebrate The Small Things 5/20/2016

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  The brainchild of Viklit, Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

Today I'm celebrating having a very good Thursday. After having a very relaxing acupuncture session in the morning, I treated myself to a Starbucks Mocha Latte and some vanilla bean scones...yummy! On my way home from my treats, my husband texted me that he wanted some Red Robin for dinner. A very out of the blue request, but that meant that I didn't have to cook or figure out dinner...score! So after some phone calls, we met with my in-laws and my bff and his boys for dinner. Spending time with people I love and care about...that's just the best.

Also, yesterday was the only day the sun decided to come out and stay...it was a pretty nice day!

Sidenote:  I got an instagram! If anyone is looking for more pictures of Emmie, head on over there and give me a follow @thecyborgmom

I'm hoping to work on my facet joint shots update this weekend...it should be posted next week. Thanks to all for the kind words, good vibes, and prayers!

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to visit her wonderful co-hosts:   LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge and Tonja Drecker @Kidbits Blog

Facet Joint Injections 5/12/16

Many of you know that I have been suffering from occipital neuralgia for several years, and have tried everything from physical therapy to acupuncture (you can read more about my acupuncture journey here) to trigger point injections to facet joint injections.

The next step is a procedure called a radiofrequency nerve ablation (here is a medical link that explains the procedure). Basically this means that I will get the nerves in my neck burned off...it sounds way worse than it actually is, at least according to my doctor. Here's the catch, in order for medical insurance to pay for the radiofrequency nerve ablation, I first need to have two identical, successful facet joint procedures done.

I had my first set of injections done in Nov 2013 (which I documented here, here, and here), and another done just a few weeks ago. The first time I had facet joint injections, the procedure almost gave me a panic attack, I was pretty sore for many days after, and they didn't give me the lasting pain relief that I had hoped for. I did not want to try them again, even though my doctor wanted me to give them another shot (pun intended!).

The problem is that the facet injections I had done a few weeks ago were done at different points in my neck in hopes that I would get better results. And the results were better this time around, but the pain relief only lasted about a week. Doc says that as long as I got relief, even for a short amount of time, that the chances of the radiofrequency nerve ablation neck procedure working are much better. That really is a mouthful.

So, today I go for my second (even though it's really my third overall) round of facet joint injections, in the adjusted spots. Wish me luck! I'll try to document these and report back. The really short version of the procedure from a few weeks ago...I was sore for a few days, but overall it was a much easier procedure (less painful) and quicker recovery. My doc prescribed valium for my anxiety, which helped a lot, and I have another prescription for today's visit :) Let's hope the relative ease of last time wasn't a fluke and I get similar results this time!

A to Z Reflections 2016 #AtoZChallenge

Whew! We made it through the A to Z Challenge once again. Well, for me it was again. Was this your first time? Have you participated in the challenge before?

Going into this years challenge, my goal was to keep my posts short and simple. Why? Well, it's easier for me to write them. Also, it's what I prefer to read, and it allows me to maximize my time and visit more blogs. I know I didn't have the most compelling theme, but it did allow others to hop quickly.

After figuring out a theme, my biggest challenge always seems to be the actual blog hopping part of the challenge. I write most of my posts the weekend before they go live, but it seems like finding the time to visit other blogs is difficult. And when I do have time, I either stumble across blogs that have the longest posts on the planet, or find posts that I'm not super interested in reading. Sorry! This year I really wanted make the best use of my time so I could find some new blogs to follow, and add to my blogging buddies list :)

Some observations:

• I appreciate when people put their theme immediately at the top of their post. I'm still hoping for a way to categorize the challenge list, so it would be easier to find content that you connect with.
• It's annoying when I have to fill out my whole life story before I can post a comment. I'm getting so tired of this, that I started to skip commenting on pages like this (unless I was commenting back from a comment someone left on my page).
• I do, rather weirdly, enjoy checking off the “I'm not a robot” box. Gives me a chuckle every time.
• I prefer 'blogger' websites as opposed to 'wordpress'. I find it easier to comment and follow with blogger, and even navigate through older posts (assuming the blog has the proper widgets).
• I noticed that when I tag @AprilAtoZ (the A to Z Challenge twitter handle) on twitter, when I post my blog link, I get a lot more hits on that post. Thank you @AprilAtoZ!!!
• There were a handful of times that I had no way to respond back to comments that were left on my blog. Either the person didn't have any blogger profile links, or a link to their blog in their comment. :(

I am happy to say that I have found some new blogs that I look forward to visiting after the A to Z, as well as reconnecting with some old favorites.

Here are some stand out posts:

This one made me SMILE

http://pempispalace.blogspot.com/2016/04/h-is-for-hugs.html

This one made me CRY

http://stumblestandfly.blogspot.com/2016/04/s-is-for-single-mom-atozchallnge.html

These made me LAUGH

http://stumblestandfly.blogspot.com/2016/04/t-is-for-thrill-of-grill-atozchallenge.html

https://hmgardner.blogspot.com/2016/04/iwsg-atozchallenge-stormys-epic.html

This was INSPIRING

http://www.poojasharmarao.blogspot.com/2016/04/cherish-challenge-change-atozchallenges.html

The BRAVEST post I read:

http://www.thejoyousliving.com/2016/04/d-date-rape.html

These are just some of the ones that stood out for me, but I did come across many great blogs.

What do you have to share? Did you enjoy this year's A to Z Challenge? Did you find any new blogger buddies? And please share any posts or themes that stood out to you...I'd love to visit some more great blogs!