Health tagline: Give yourself, your blog, your condition, or some aspect of your health a tagline. Make sure it’s catchy!"

I think my tagline would be: "I have invisible illness--it does not have me". I have pain. I have LOTS of pain. Chronic pain. Every minute of every day. I have illness. My nervous system doesn't regulate things properly. I have other medical problems. I am a "medical mess"... but even though my world often revolves around my invisible illness (whether or not I can handle leaving the house, how long I can sit up, if I can concentrate or if the pain is too bad, etc), it does not CONTROL me. It's a fine line. It's like this: --------I have pain-|-Pain has me------ I think that some people on the outside would look at my life and think that I let all of this control my life.... but it doesn't. It affects my life, but doesn't control it.

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Today was my last busy day of the week. I plan to do nothing but relax ALL weekend. Dawn is probably coming over Saturday to watch a movie with my mom and I, but I don't have to get all dressed up for Dawn. :) She understands. I plan to sleep, sleep, sleep, and sleep! And when I'm not sleeping, I'm going to watch TV, read, play games (online), or do other distracting, relaxing things.

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Dawn had given me the book "Sarah's Key" for my birthday. I finished it last night. It was sooo good. I would definitely recommend it! That's the movie that we are going to watch. I hadn't even heard of it, but of course now that I have read the book, I have to see the movie! This morning I started reading the book Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference by Warren St. John. My mom got it from some work event. I'm only on page 8, but it seems like it will be a good book. I am quite a few books behind to be on track for my goal of 100 books this year, but I have had weeks at a time where I haven't felt like reading. I have been reading quite a bit in the last week or so, so hopefully I'll catch up soon.

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I am still having that pain in my back, but it was slightly better today. That makes me wonder if it is the bed, or if it was from being so busy. I guess time will tell. It isn't gone--I still scream if I move the wrong way... but I can at least get out of bed today. I do have a fever--I know my body is worn down from this busy week.

Oh, that reminds me. Kathy S: I can't find your e-mail, but wanted to respond to you about the pain patch. I would need the heat on my back, and it is too close to my patch, so I can't do it. But even if I were to use it on my leg or something, due to the POTS I can't. I already have fevers almost all the time because my nervous system doesn't regulate body temperature properly. So my body temperature is already higher than normal, so to add a heating pad would be a bad idea. I wish it wasn't that way, though, because heat feels SO good on my back!

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I actually cleaned up quite a bit of my room today. Tackled my dresser, nightstand, and the top of this set of drawers (plastic ones) that had a TON of old mail on it. I'm working my way through magazines that I have gotten and haven't read yet. Once I have read all of them, all the clutter will be gone from half of my room! If only I could tackle the other half. Hah--that's a BIG project. I need more storage in my room. I don't have enough and that's why things just get shoved into my closet. It wouldn't be so bad, but we took my door off my closet so it is all exposed.

Alright, time to go read blogs and relax. I had to get up at 7 today (way too early for me, especially when I stay up past 1 am reading!) so I am REALLY tired! Eagerly awaiting bedtime. :)