Do you ever wonder how to make wonderful smelling creations yourself? Maybe you want to learn how to whip up something quick at home or take the time to make a gift for family, friends and teachers with your own two hands?
Well, this season you can do just that with Scentsory Creations.
I have an event set up where you can schedule individual, small or large group sessions with me to instruct you through making some holiday creations. Go check it out!
This event is by appointment all through December 19. You can learn from simple to complex, family friendly or homeschool activities up to adults only soap making. You get to choose!!
SCENTSORY CREATIONS In this blog you will find announcements about my store, highlights on other stores, and I will also post about other random crafts I may be in the mood to work with as well. You can contact me through email at scentsorycreations@gmail.com for any information about Scentsory Creations.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
New face care products
I have new face products ready to offer to customers. Most of my listings this holiday will be at my indicart store, but you can find some on Etsy as well if you prefer.
Here is a listing of all our face care products, which are ready for custom ordering. Email scentsorycreations@gmail.com or contact me through my facebook page to get on the customs list.
Here is a listing of all our face care products, which are ready for custom ordering. Email scentsorycreations@gmail.com or contact me through my facebook page to get on the customs list.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Webinars
It was so nice to sit and watch a webinar with John Gallagher, Rosalee de la Forêt. A one hour webinar turned into a wonderful thee and a half hour event. I have spent most of my time recently researching my genetic condition and it was so nice to sit and listing to something I am so very interested in. All the testing and doctors visits are starting to slow down, leaving time again to focus on my many classes A nice ending to a busy day.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
It's been awhile continued
So I think I left off with my current medical issues. If you have not read the first half of this update, please go here to read what has happened up until now. It took a lot longer to post than I had planned, but such is the nature of what I deal with. I have to wait until I can think clearly or have a good day to write this all out.
So, I saw the geneticist Thursday and he confirmed what I had already researched and figured out what was happening to my body. I was confirmed to have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and he is sending me to another specialist to confirm a diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome. (POTS) You can read more about EDS and POTS just follow the highlighted words. These are both very hard to deal with. EDS has no cure, I will decline as I age, there is nothing that can be done besides using braces to stay stable, special exercises to try and keep my muscles strong so my joints will stay where they belong, moving very carefully and knowing my limits. If I have work for Scentsory Creations planned and I wake up weak and unstable, I have to reschedule and focus on resting my body, making sure I am getting the nutrients I need as I do not absorb food properly, and so on. I use this time if the pain is not too overwhelming to study my aromatherapy and herbalism texts, work on schoolwork, and so on.
One of the things I will be doing is increasing the time on my etsy listings for a realistic custom order time. If I am having a good day, I can usually just make up the order and get it out the door in a day or two. If I'm not, it can take up to a week or more to get things ready and shipped. This is one reason I keep Scentsory Creations as a hobby and not a full-time business. There is no way I can keep up with demand at the moment.
My hope and dream is to get my POTS under better control so I can have less fatigue and weakness each day. I also do not get proper rest at night with POTS and that is so essential to healing the body of it's injuries. In the future I will be seeing a Rheumatologist, POTS specialist, hopefully a physical therapist so I know how to move without hurting myself, and a sleep study to help see what my body is doing at night at what can be done to promote restful sleep. I will also be getting tests for vitamin/mineral deficiencies since those are very common with a EDS and POTS. Now that I know where to look, I can find the best way to take care of my body, discover my limitations, and find a way around those limitations.
So what is going on with Scentsory Creations?
Consultations via scentsorycreations@gmail.com
Right now as I continue to work through my master herbalist course, I do offer free consultations. This gives me the much needed practice I need to start consulting as a business and also allows me to custom create items that each individual needs. If you would like to take advantage of this currently free service, with the knowledge that I am not yet an expert which takes many many years and never fully happens as there is always more to learn in this field, I would love to help people find their own way to natural health. I am always honest if I don't know what to do as I am still learning, and will either refer you to someone with greater knowledge than me, or offer to research and learn about what will benefit you personally. This helps you to become more aware and in charge of your health as well as helping me learn more about the herbs I am studying. Consultations are best started through email and if we need to talk on the phone or skype, we can go do that too. I hope you are as excited as I am with this service I am offering for free right now!
So, that is the update on my health issues over my life and how I struggle to not let it control my life. I still follow my passions to the best of my abilities. I hope one day this hobby can grow into a business consulting for natural health, and making these aromatherapy and natural body care products I enjoy making so much. If I cannot stand for more than a few minutes, then I can work in few minute spurts in order to keep this dream alive and hopefully have a sustainable income that allows me to keep homeschooling my son (and hopefully daughter in a few years), and keep sharing my passion with others.
Newsletter:
I want to keep everyone updated through email newsletters. If you would like to have a newsletter delivered to your email, please sign up through the form in the right side bar of this blog.
So, I saw the geneticist Thursday and he confirmed what I had already researched and figured out what was happening to my body. I was confirmed to have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and he is sending me to another specialist to confirm a diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome. (POTS) You can read more about EDS and POTS just follow the highlighted words. These are both very hard to deal with. EDS has no cure, I will decline as I age, there is nothing that can be done besides using braces to stay stable, special exercises to try and keep my muscles strong so my joints will stay where they belong, moving very carefully and knowing my limits. If I have work for Scentsory Creations planned and I wake up weak and unstable, I have to reschedule and focus on resting my body, making sure I am getting the nutrients I need as I do not absorb food properly, and so on. I use this time if the pain is not too overwhelming to study my aromatherapy and herbalism texts, work on schoolwork, and so on.
One of the things I will be doing is increasing the time on my etsy listings for a realistic custom order time. If I am having a good day, I can usually just make up the order and get it out the door in a day or two. If I'm not, it can take up to a week or more to get things ready and shipped. This is one reason I keep Scentsory Creations as a hobby and not a full-time business. There is no way I can keep up with demand at the moment.
My hope and dream is to get my POTS under better control so I can have less fatigue and weakness each day. I also do not get proper rest at night with POTS and that is so essential to healing the body of it's injuries. In the future I will be seeing a Rheumatologist, POTS specialist, hopefully a physical therapist so I know how to move without hurting myself, and a sleep study to help see what my body is doing at night at what can be done to promote restful sleep. I will also be getting tests for vitamin/mineral deficiencies since those are very common with a EDS and POTS. Now that I know where to look, I can find the best way to take care of my body, discover my limitations, and find a way around those limitations.
So what is going on with Scentsory Creations?
- Well, right now I am testing a new dry version of our Bentonite Clay Mask that you customers love so dearly. This is because the pre-mixed mask, I am required to put a preservative in to sell it. I use germall plus which is a safer than others preservative that works fairly well to extend shelf life of water based products. Some people are willing to mix their own mask in order to avoid the preservatives and have something completely preservative free. The dry mask with allow for that. You just mix it yourself instead of me mixing it before sending it out. I plan to have this trough the testing and available through custom order or at the Etsy shop for this holiday season!
- Another item about to go through testing is a reformulation of my face lotions, using our Calendula Silk lotion as the base lotion for these skin specific face lotions.
- I have also started a new listing called Try me: pick 5 aromatherapy perfume oil samples, over 80 blends to choose from. This listing provides you with the choice of 5 samples of aromatherapy perfume oil. It's a great way to find your fit before ordering a full sized perfume, which comes in a glass 1/3 oz roll on bottle filled with a long lasting aromatherapy oil perfume that varies in price based on the blend used. I find it is the best way to provide an accurate pricing for each blend I have. If I charge an average pricing, people are either being over charged for less expensive blends or I am paying to make a blend using pricey essential oils. That is the beauty of having over 80 blends to choose from, there is something in everyone's price range! I also love to do custom blends just for the customer in question, so if you feel nothing is fitting for what you are looking for, we can find something that does work. Many people have created their own perfumes. I keep a file of what you created with me, so you can always come back and say you want a refill without wondering if it will be different.
- Other products that are relatively new are the Lip Exfoliator, irritated, flaky skin cream, Tea Tree and Mint exfoliating pumice soap, bug bite salve ( which we have found to work for much more than bites!), herbal bug repellent spray, scars oil for both old and new scars (by custom order only at the moment), and shaving soap bars (amazing! a personal favorite.)
Consultations via scentsorycreations@gmail.com
Right now as I continue to work through my master herbalist course, I do offer free consultations. This gives me the much needed practice I need to start consulting as a business and also allows me to custom create items that each individual needs. If you would like to take advantage of this currently free service, with the knowledge that I am not yet an expert which takes many many years and never fully happens as there is always more to learn in this field, I would love to help people find their own way to natural health. I am always honest if I don't know what to do as I am still learning, and will either refer you to someone with greater knowledge than me, or offer to research and learn about what will benefit you personally. This helps you to become more aware and in charge of your health as well as helping me learn more about the herbs I am studying. Consultations are best started through email and if we need to talk on the phone or skype, we can go do that too. I hope you are as excited as I am with this service I am offering for free right now!
So, that is the update on my health issues over my life and how I struggle to not let it control my life. I still follow my passions to the best of my abilities. I hope one day this hobby can grow into a business consulting for natural health, and making these aromatherapy and natural body care products I enjoy making so much. If I cannot stand for more than a few minutes, then I can work in few minute spurts in order to keep this dream alive and hopefully have a sustainable income that allows me to keep homeschooling my son (and hopefully daughter in a few years), and keep sharing my passion with others.
Newsletter:
I want to keep everyone updated through email newsletters. If you would like to have a newsletter delivered to your email, please sign up through the form in the right side bar of this blog.
Friday, August 29, 2014
It's been a while
I am working on getting organized after such a long time being ill. One part of that organization is keeping this blog active again. For now, the best way to stay updated about the store is through my Facebook page
I feel the need to share these experiences with you all. It has become such an important part of my life and the reasons for my studies and the creations I share with you all.
Back in 2005, two months after my husband and I were married, I had found out I had endometriosis which was confirmed by exploratory surgery. While they were in there, they burned off any scar tissue they found, along with giving me a uterine ablation to try and help my cycles be less painful and heavy. The plan was if he did find endometriosis, which can cause infertility, we would start trying for kids right away instead of waiting until I finished college. The doctor came out before I even woke up to tell my husband that my Fallopian tubes were covered in scar tissue and I would not be able to have children. My husband and I said we want to try anyways and he said I have six months to try and then he wanted me on hormone therapy to slow the endometriosis. One week of trying and I was pregnant, which baffled the doctor. God had blessed us with a child, but so soon after the surgery and ablation I had done, the doctor diagnosed me as high risk and was certain that I would lose the baby. In fact, with some occasional bed rest because of my hip pain and other problems, we had our son Gabriel 2 weeks before our 1 year anniversary. We had to have neonatal ICU there because I was a week past my due date and when my water broke it was black and green. Gabriel had his first bowel movement inside of me. I hemorrhaged after he was born so that was not fun. I was pretty weak while I recovered from that.
I stayed in school through all of this and ended up graduating with an associates degree when Gabriel was 2 years old. We decided that summer after graduating that I needed a break from school because I was burnt out trying to be a wife, mom, and student. We also decided that since my cycles were getting very painful again, we should try for our second child. The doctor had told me that natural child birth would make the endometriosis go away. It did start coming back, so we tried for a week and then Lilith was growing inside of me. I also had such a terrible hospital experience that I will not go into as it's pretty personal. We decided we wanted to have Lilith at a birth center. Because of the hemorrhaging I had with Gabriel, we decided a RN midwife would be the safest option, which turned out to be the right choice. After delivering Lilith, I did hemorrhage again, worse than I did with Gabriel. I almost bled out and died, but having and RN midwife, she was able to administer the medicine to stop my hemorrhage. We were back home with Lilith 3 hours later. It was an amazing experience and my husband got to catch Lilith. I highly recommend natural birth to anyone who will listen now because it was such an empowering and forever cherished moment.
I started studying aromatherapy and herbalism to help handle my cycle pains, hip pains and also to make products for my son daughter who both had incredibly sensitive skin and many respiratory problems. I'm glad I did because it has been very beneficial to our family. I have had chronic pain for years in my hips, and I had always contributed it to my time as a gymnast because it is a sport that is pretty hard on the body.
After having my first child, my hip pain was horrible and I was having trouble enough to seek out a specialist. I found a sports surgeon who said all my scans looked normal and said I probably have a build up of scar tissue from my time as a gymnast. He prescribed some physical therapy and told me to come see him again when I can no longer walk because he though I was too young for surgery. I was actually quite offended that he just wrote me off because nothing was visible on the scans. The physical therapist I had was amazing though and she was able to find exercises tailored to my overly flexible body and the stabilizing kept my pain manageable for a few more years. I remember the physical therapist always saying she was very concerned by the amount of swelling at the base of my spine/tailbone area, and honestly I was worried about that too. Ice, heat, aromatherapy, turmeric and white willow bark helped me manage my pain for several more years. We were also able to go on a gluten free diet and use herbal supplements to help my husband deal with a painful condition he had involving his digestive tract. We were really doing pretty well. I was loving being a wife and mother, and we got into gardening as well.
April 2012 I was rear-ended by a person while I was sitting at a stop light. I sprained my wrist and shoulder as well as having horrible whiplash. My neck vertebra were actually bend the opposite way and twisted around. It took 6 months of therapy and I still wasn't getting better. Every time the chiropractor would adjust my neck, spine and hips, they would move out of place right after leaving. The chiropractor was very frustrated and so was I. We decided to have the doctors clear me even though I was not getting better so I could close the insurance claim and deal with my female problems.
By the time Lilith in 2012 turned three, the cycle pain was terrible again, needing medical attention. We did another exploratory surgery and while the endometriosis had not come back, I did have adenomyosis which would eventually make my uterus fall apart inside of me, and it was already halfway there. I then found out there was a history in one side of my family of the women having problems with hemorrhaging during cycles and prolapsed uterus resulting in emergency hysterectomy. The doctor my husband and I decided that another pregnancy would be too risky given the way I hemorrhaged with the first two, so the doctor recommended a partial hysterectomy now while I was still young instead of waiting till I was older and possibly had an emergency hysterectomy situation. So a month after the exploratory surgery, I went in for the hysterectomy
I had a bad reaction after surgery. We are not sure if it was the anesthesia they used, the pain medicines they used, or the antibiotics they always pump through you when you have surgery, but I ended up having an adverse reaction. I could not breathe on my own for 8 hours and they had to hook me up to an alarm that went off every time I fell asleep because my breathing would drop below 6 breaths per minute. My digestive tract also completely shut down for 8 days. They sent me home the morning after my surgery with no dietary restrictions. Three days later I was back in the hospital with a partial intestinal blockage. I had to stay there 4 days, 2.5 of those days I had an N/G tube and was put on full intestinal rest. It wasn't until I sent my husband to the store to grab some herbal teas that my digestive tract woke back up. I told him to get stomach ease and healthy fasting, both blends by either Yogi or Traditional Medicinals, I don't remember. The herbs stimulated my digestive tract and in a day and a half, I was released to go home. Unfortunately, it took a year of constantly losing weight before I was able to start absorbing nutrients again. I lived off of herbal teas and broths, then after 6 months soups and smoothies, because anything else I ate went right through me. My body was so badly damaged, I could not digest and absorb regular food. I would start to gain weight and then I would react to a food and rapidly lose weight again. This October will be two years since my surgery and I'm now at a healthy weight again and keeping it on. I can no longer have many forms of dairy, one of my favorite foods are dairy based. My latex sensitivity turned into a full blown allergy which also now includes foods in the latex family. I have had to cut out bananas, kiwi, and avocado out of my diet as they cause allergic reactions now. I hope one day by body can handle them again. So far, I can eat cheese again without a reaction, so I will keep hoping that with herbs I can keep healing my body to at least handle some of my favorites like sour cream, butter, and cream cheese. I miss those so much! I now have to carry an Epi Pen, Benedryl and an emergency inhaler everywhere I go in case I have a severe response to something.
During this time, as I was too fatigued to keep up with Scentsory Creations, so I started working on a Clinical Master Herbalist Certification. It is taking longer than I would like, but I am plugging along and happy with deepening my knowledge of herbs.
This traumatic experience also triggered a worsening of symptoms in my hips. Fast forward to this year. I finally got to the point I could no longer walk or stay on my feet more than a half and hour before having to ice for swelling at the base of my spine. I could not handle it on my own with herb and aromatherapy any longer, and I had to start seeking out a new specialist because there was no way I was going to go back to that sports doctor. I went to a general surgeon this January because the swelling was really concerning me. He said it was my hips and he does not do hips, so he sent me to a hip specialist. I couldn't get in to see him until April, but it was worth the wait. He diagnosed my problem within minutes and he also said he thinks I have a connective tissue disorder. His first thought was Marfan, which had him very worried. It can affect the connective tissue of the heart and when Marfan goes untreated, the life expectancy is 30 years. I'm 31, so he put everything in motion. I had a shot in the joint, an MRI to confirm his diagnosis and he sent me to a cardiologist who ordered the genetic testing for connective tissue disorders. That all happened in the span of a week. Once the cardiologist looked at my heart, he wasn't very concerned and then we had to hurry up and wait for the genetic result to come back. We got the results in June which showed negative for Marfan, but an unknown gene variant in one of the other genes that is connected with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
The summer was a blur of travel, doctors appointments, tons of research on this rare syndrome which will be called EDS from now on. My world has been flipped upside down and I have my first appointment with a geneticist next week. I will end here as this has been a lot already catching up to the present. I will post again this weekend telling more about what I have been dealing with since I received that test result.
Time and again, aromatherapy and herbs have been so beneficial for our family. This is why I started Scentsory Creations, mainly as a hobby to share my creations, things created for my own family to use, and give me a positive goal to work towards as I look to the future. I love to help people learn to take care of their health naturally. It brings me joy in the midst of my daily crippling pain knowing this gift God gave me is going to help others who want to care for themselves in a more natural way.
Jennifer
I feel the need to share these experiences with you all. It has become such an important part of my life and the reasons for my studies and the creations I share with you all.
Back in 2005, two months after my husband and I were married, I had found out I had endometriosis which was confirmed by exploratory surgery. While they were in there, they burned off any scar tissue they found, along with giving me a uterine ablation to try and help my cycles be less painful and heavy. The plan was if he did find endometriosis, which can cause infertility, we would start trying for kids right away instead of waiting until I finished college. The doctor came out before I even woke up to tell my husband that my Fallopian tubes were covered in scar tissue and I would not be able to have children. My husband and I said we want to try anyways and he said I have six months to try and then he wanted me on hormone therapy to slow the endometriosis. One week of trying and I was pregnant, which baffled the doctor. God had blessed us with a child, but so soon after the surgery and ablation I had done, the doctor diagnosed me as high risk and was certain that I would lose the baby. In fact, with some occasional bed rest because of my hip pain and other problems, we had our son Gabriel 2 weeks before our 1 year anniversary. We had to have neonatal ICU there because I was a week past my due date and when my water broke it was black and green. Gabriel had his first bowel movement inside of me. I hemorrhaged after he was born so that was not fun. I was pretty weak while I recovered from that.
I stayed in school through all of this and ended up graduating with an associates degree when Gabriel was 2 years old. We decided that summer after graduating that I needed a break from school because I was burnt out trying to be a wife, mom, and student. We also decided that since my cycles were getting very painful again, we should try for our second child. The doctor had told me that natural child birth would make the endometriosis go away. It did start coming back, so we tried for a week and then Lilith was growing inside of me. I also had such a terrible hospital experience that I will not go into as it's pretty personal. We decided we wanted to have Lilith at a birth center. Because of the hemorrhaging I had with Gabriel, we decided a RN midwife would be the safest option, which turned out to be the right choice. After delivering Lilith, I did hemorrhage again, worse than I did with Gabriel. I almost bled out and died, but having and RN midwife, she was able to administer the medicine to stop my hemorrhage. We were back home with Lilith 3 hours later. It was an amazing experience and my husband got to catch Lilith. I highly recommend natural birth to anyone who will listen now because it was such an empowering and forever cherished moment.
I started studying aromatherapy and herbalism to help handle my cycle pains, hip pains and also to make products for my son daughter who both had incredibly sensitive skin and many respiratory problems. I'm glad I did because it has been very beneficial to our family. I have had chronic pain for years in my hips, and I had always contributed it to my time as a gymnast because it is a sport that is pretty hard on the body.
After having my first child, my hip pain was horrible and I was having trouble enough to seek out a specialist. I found a sports surgeon who said all my scans looked normal and said I probably have a build up of scar tissue from my time as a gymnast. He prescribed some physical therapy and told me to come see him again when I can no longer walk because he though I was too young for surgery. I was actually quite offended that he just wrote me off because nothing was visible on the scans. The physical therapist I had was amazing though and she was able to find exercises tailored to my overly flexible body and the stabilizing kept my pain manageable for a few more years. I remember the physical therapist always saying she was very concerned by the amount of swelling at the base of my spine/tailbone area, and honestly I was worried about that too. Ice, heat, aromatherapy, turmeric and white willow bark helped me manage my pain for several more years. We were also able to go on a gluten free diet and use herbal supplements to help my husband deal with a painful condition he had involving his digestive tract. We were really doing pretty well. I was loving being a wife and mother, and we got into gardening as well.
April 2012 I was rear-ended by a person while I was sitting at a stop light. I sprained my wrist and shoulder as well as having horrible whiplash. My neck vertebra were actually bend the opposite way and twisted around. It took 6 months of therapy and I still wasn't getting better. Every time the chiropractor would adjust my neck, spine and hips, they would move out of place right after leaving. The chiropractor was very frustrated and so was I. We decided to have the doctors clear me even though I was not getting better so I could close the insurance claim and deal with my female problems.
By the time Lilith in 2012 turned three, the cycle pain was terrible again, needing medical attention. We did another exploratory surgery and while the endometriosis had not come back, I did have adenomyosis which would eventually make my uterus fall apart inside of me, and it was already halfway there. I then found out there was a history in one side of my family of the women having problems with hemorrhaging during cycles and prolapsed uterus resulting in emergency hysterectomy. The doctor my husband and I decided that another pregnancy would be too risky given the way I hemorrhaged with the first two, so the doctor recommended a partial hysterectomy now while I was still young instead of waiting till I was older and possibly had an emergency hysterectomy situation. So a month after the exploratory surgery, I went in for the hysterectomy
I had a bad reaction after surgery. We are not sure if it was the anesthesia they used, the pain medicines they used, or the antibiotics they always pump through you when you have surgery, but I ended up having an adverse reaction. I could not breathe on my own for 8 hours and they had to hook me up to an alarm that went off every time I fell asleep because my breathing would drop below 6 breaths per minute. My digestive tract also completely shut down for 8 days. They sent me home the morning after my surgery with no dietary restrictions. Three days later I was back in the hospital with a partial intestinal blockage. I had to stay there 4 days, 2.5 of those days I had an N/G tube and was put on full intestinal rest. It wasn't until I sent my husband to the store to grab some herbal teas that my digestive tract woke back up. I told him to get stomach ease and healthy fasting, both blends by either Yogi or Traditional Medicinals, I don't remember. The herbs stimulated my digestive tract and in a day and a half, I was released to go home. Unfortunately, it took a year of constantly losing weight before I was able to start absorbing nutrients again. I lived off of herbal teas and broths, then after 6 months soups and smoothies, because anything else I ate went right through me. My body was so badly damaged, I could not digest and absorb regular food. I would start to gain weight and then I would react to a food and rapidly lose weight again. This October will be two years since my surgery and I'm now at a healthy weight again and keeping it on. I can no longer have many forms of dairy, one of my favorite foods are dairy based. My latex sensitivity turned into a full blown allergy which also now includes foods in the latex family. I have had to cut out bananas, kiwi, and avocado out of my diet as they cause allergic reactions now. I hope one day by body can handle them again. So far, I can eat cheese again without a reaction, so I will keep hoping that with herbs I can keep healing my body to at least handle some of my favorites like sour cream, butter, and cream cheese. I miss those so much! I now have to carry an Epi Pen, Benedryl and an emergency inhaler everywhere I go in case I have a severe response to something.
During this time, as I was too fatigued to keep up with Scentsory Creations, so I started working on a Clinical Master Herbalist Certification. It is taking longer than I would like, but I am plugging along and happy with deepening my knowledge of herbs.
This traumatic experience also triggered a worsening of symptoms in my hips. Fast forward to this year. I finally got to the point I could no longer walk or stay on my feet more than a half and hour before having to ice for swelling at the base of my spine. I could not handle it on my own with herb and aromatherapy any longer, and I had to start seeking out a new specialist because there was no way I was going to go back to that sports doctor. I went to a general surgeon this January because the swelling was really concerning me. He said it was my hips and he does not do hips, so he sent me to a hip specialist. I couldn't get in to see him until April, but it was worth the wait. He diagnosed my problem within minutes and he also said he thinks I have a connective tissue disorder. His first thought was Marfan, which had him very worried. It can affect the connective tissue of the heart and when Marfan goes untreated, the life expectancy is 30 years. I'm 31, so he put everything in motion. I had a shot in the joint, an MRI to confirm his diagnosis and he sent me to a cardiologist who ordered the genetic testing for connective tissue disorders. That all happened in the span of a week. Once the cardiologist looked at my heart, he wasn't very concerned and then we had to hurry up and wait for the genetic result to come back. We got the results in June which showed negative for Marfan, but an unknown gene variant in one of the other genes that is connected with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
The summer was a blur of travel, doctors appointments, tons of research on this rare syndrome which will be called EDS from now on. My world has been flipped upside down and I have my first appointment with a geneticist next week. I will end here as this has been a lot already catching up to the present. I will post again this weekend telling more about what I have been dealing with since I received that test result.
Time and again, aromatherapy and herbs have been so beneficial for our family. This is why I started Scentsory Creations, mainly as a hobby to share my creations, things created for my own family to use, and give me a positive goal to work towards as I look to the future. I love to help people learn to take care of their health naturally. It brings me joy in the midst of my daily crippling pain knowing this gift God gave me is going to help others who want to care for themselves in a more natural way.
Jennifer
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Getting back to the blog
I haven't blogged much, but I will be making more of an effort from now on. For those who know me personally, you know I am usually a very quiet person content to sit quietly with my thoughts, listen to music or stick my nose in a book for hours on end. Writing is not very high on my priorities list.
I am currently in a 3 year study program for master herbalist and aromatherapy at Vintage Remedies. While this profession is not regulated in the United States, I am taking the responsibility of training in my field to better serve my family and friends as well as my customers.
Scentsory Creations was ignored for some time while I focused on my health over the last year and a half, but I'm finally getting back to stocking again. It's going slower than I would like, but when I still have several days a week fatigued, I have to just do what I can and not stress about the rest.
If there is something specific you have been waiting to see in the store, please let me know and I'd be happy to make it available through custom order or a listing on the website.
So, where is Scentsory Creations now? You can still find our products in a few places
I am currently in a 3 year study program for master herbalist and aromatherapy at Vintage Remedies. While this profession is not regulated in the United States, I am taking the responsibility of training in my field to better serve my family and friends as well as my customers.
Scentsory Creations was ignored for some time while I focused on my health over the last year and a half, but I'm finally getting back to stocking again. It's going slower than I would like, but when I still have several days a week fatigued, I have to just do what I can and not stress about the rest.
If there is something specific you have been waiting to see in the store, please let me know and I'd be happy to make it available through custom order or a listing on the website.
So, where is Scentsory Creations now? You can still find our products in a few places
- Etsy
- indieCart
- Luna's Gate
- YouTube: I will have how-to videos, tips and tricks, and other randomness available on YouTube.
- Newsletters to your inbox: check on the right side of the page here and sign up for email news. I will send information on new products, coupon codes, and other Scentsory Creations News
- and...of course here on the blog.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Why so quiet?
I haven't done much with the blog in a long time. We had a lot of health problems and house repairs in 2012. April 2012 I was rear-ended at a stop light, totaling my husband's car and putting me into 8 months of physical therapy. It could have been much worse. The day I was hit was the 1 day a month I am kid free. I was very thankful for that. Last summer was very boring for my kiddos. I was injured and couldn't do much besides sit around. In addition to the accident, I was having very bad menstrual pain both before and during my cycle, while a week after my cycle I was fatigued from low iron. So, in the midst of physical therapy from the accident, I also had to schedule exploratory surgery to find out what was wrong. We figured my Endometriosis had returned. My surgery ended up being the first week of school starting up, which was interesting to say the least. So, fast forward a couple weeks and I talk to the doctor about the results of exploratory surgery. He said not Endometriosis, which I was thrilled until he said but. Turns out I had Adenomyosis, which is similar to Endometriosis, but can lead to hemorrhage during cycles, prolapse uterus, and emergency hysterectomy. We had already decided after hemorrhage after the birth of my daughter that we were most likely done having children. I was told 8 years ago that I would never have children and we have a beautiful son and daughter now, so I'm thrilled at the blessings we do have. The doctor really didn't think my uterus was strong enough for another pregnancy anyways, so we started talking options. Option 1: birth control. Nope, been there and tried that, and it was a horrid experience. My body is way to sensitive for those options. The only other thing we could do is he could prescribe powerful pain medications and I just live with it, knowing it will progressively get worse until I most likely have a emergency surgery, or just do the hysterectomy now. We decided, I didn't want the risk of complications later on in life and I'm still young enough to recover from a surgery quickly, so go ahead with surgery now. Bam! Slab leak in between surgeries. No worries, fix the leak and get the claim put in to insurance. Buy all the new flooring, sinks, etc. for the bathroom, and plan on my husband fixing the bathroom while I'm conked out after surgery for a week. Mid October, we had our surgery and I had a reaction to anesthesia leaving me unable to breath on my own for most of the day. I was finally able to breath on my own after 9pm that day when surgery was at 7am. I had to be on a monitor that sent off alarms every time I tried to sleep, because I would stop breathing. It was pretty scary, but they still sent me home next day without any diet restrictions, even though my digestive system still hadn't woken up. Fast forward three days and I can't even keep water down, and I feel like my stomach is going to explode. We go to the emergency room and they pump me full of anti-nausea meds so I can keep this contrast drink down long enough to do a CT scan. Go do the scan and find out I have a blockage in my small intestine. They admitted me to the hospital for 4 days, 2 1/2 of those days I was put on full intestinal rest, which meant they stuck a tube up my nose, down my throat and into my stomach where they pumped even the bile my body was producing out of my stomach so that there was nothing going in at all. The sucked up 2+ quarts of stomach acid out and half digested food over those days and it was disgusting. The worst part is they had to unhook this tube any time I needed to get up and they kept spilling it on me. I had to change gowns 5 or 6 times over those two days, and I finally told them to bring my a portable toilet because I didn't want them unhooking that stupid tube anymore. After I get to go home from that, I can't eat anything. Dairy made me sick. Breads were making me sick. The only thing I could eat was smoothies and very small meals. Fast forward a few months. I'm losing weight and fast. Nothing is sticking and I'm getting very pale and very thin. I was fatigued constantly and can barely get through a day. I started working with a nutritionist and did a very strict diet and supplement routine to sooth my digestive tract and get it working again. It is now July 2013 and after 7 months working with the nutritionist, I am finally back up to my normal weight and digesting foods again. I can eat dairy again, but still avoid it, because too much and I'm sick again.
So now, I can get back to focusing on the store, and I'm studying to be a master herbalist. I still deal with a lot a fatigue, but that gets better as time goes on. I'm going to attempt to dust off the cobwebs of my blog and post more often, but the best way to get updates for the store is to visit my Facebook page. I'm excited that I'm no longer in pain 3 weeks out of the month and we can do fun things as a family again.
So, that's been my crazy year. :D I don't normally share much about my personal life, but it was quite the adventure!
So now, I can get back to focusing on the store, and I'm studying to be a master herbalist. I still deal with a lot a fatigue, but that gets better as time goes on. I'm going to attempt to dust off the cobwebs of my blog and post more often, but the best way to get updates for the store is to visit my Facebook page. I'm excited that I'm no longer in pain 3 weeks out of the month and we can do fun things as a family again.
So, that's been my crazy year. :D I don't normally share much about my personal life, but it was quite the adventure!
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