dress/clutch/necklace (similar)

I hope that July has been treating you good! We had an amazing time at my hubby’s 20th high school reunion this month. Since we went to high school together, I am always just as excited as he is. The night, for me, ended in far too many gin and tonics, karaoking until four in the morning, and a really killer headache in the morning.

But, damn, WORTH IT!

My husband also started a new job this month (that’s always exciting!) and they had given him a five day weekend for the 4th of July so we spontaneously decided to take a trip to Ferndale. I found this super cute house to rent and we had the best time eating our way through this artsy hipster town and I especially enjoyed soaking in the beauty of their front porch with my books. If you are looking for a great getaway location, this is it! Such thoughtful owners that made everything feel so special for us.

To top it off, I am FINALLY seeing the light at the end of this struggle of a year with my health! My pain had been through the roof again last month with one of my shoulder blades falling out after hanging onto a barre in my barre class. I had burning pain for a week that made me want to crawl the walls and I was leaning heavy into my Vicodin bottle without relief. I was really in the dumps because I’m trying SO HARD to get strong and then stuff like that happens and I find myself back to square one. It was a “poor me” week that I had felt entitled to.

A late night Facebook session lead me to a comment on my Ehlers-Danlos support group board that mentioned something called The Cusack Protocol. This mother (with the last name of Cusack) had three little girls that were all in debilitating pain that required bracing and wheelchairs. She started doing her own research on this disease and developed a protocol that was focused on increasing polysaccharides in the body. With this supplement protocol they are all completely fine and having zero pain- no wheelchairs, just normal little girls.

What helps? Weirdly, this.

I drink two ounces in the morning every day along with a few additional recommendations like this & this (which has helped my brain fog and helps with nerve function) and this (which improves my muscle recovery after exercise). Since I was already on a heavy supplement routine, recommended by our specialist, what is a few more additions?

I have been on this regime for about a month, but even after just two weeks I felt an ENORMOUS difference in my body. The aloe juice seems to be acting like a glue for my joints and my bones are no longer shifting. I know it isn’t a placebo because my husband has even remarked how he doesn’t hear my body when I go up and down the steps with the snap,crackle, pop noises. It is as though someone took a hot glue gun through my body and was like, let’s see…this piece goes here, this piece goes here, this piece goes here…

I visited my physical therapist, who had just returned from a class on reducing pain for her patients, and explained that if I could just get my elbow pain under control that it would help with my hands and I would be almost back to my old self. After diagnosing the source, through the training she had went through, she did some abracadabra thing to my shoulder blade and my pain was immediately gone. My hands are functioning, my elbow feels better, and my body is held together.

I’m at about 90% and the other 10% I can make up with my Quell!

I am back to the gym and I am even back to dance class with no pain! I’m sleeping for twelve hour stretches after many sleepless nights waking with bones popping in and out and feel so much better mentally to have good rest and a good gym routine back in my life. My face hurts from smiling when I get to go to dance.

Isn’t that the best pain ever?

I’m so thankful! That’s what is making me happy this week- what’s been making your week?

This week I am…

Eating: I recreated a favorite restaurant dish on the grill. Do you have one of these? I’m LOVING it for grilling fish and it makes clean up a breeze too!

Reading: I started this book yesterday and I’m already halfway through because it is SO good! I can’t put it down and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be my favorite book from this author.

Adoring: This video (caution- language) and adored it so much that I watched it four times in a row! What a great grandson!

Watching: Yeah, so we never cancelled HBO (I can’t quit you HBO)  and now we are devouring this four part documentary. It is absolutely riveting!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, friends! We are headed to Napa next week so it might be a little quiet here! It’s our last hurrah before school starts again. xoxo

*this post may contain affiliate links- I only recommend what I love though. Check out past editions of It’s the 3 Little Things!