Herb garden in progress

I have wanted a herb garden for so long! Unfortunately we have a small garden and a traditional, as I view it, herb garden is not possible so I have had to improvise.

I bought some plants and seeds and started them growing in small pots. They have now started to get big enough to pot on.

I got my grandchildren to help, they painted some pots for me and a jolly good job they did too. My young grandson got a dibber and made holes in some soil in a long trough and we repotted some herbs into that. He tucked the soil round them and then told everyone they had to be quiet as the bubbas were asleep! We have quite a few small baby plants as he calls them in the garden and he won't let people forget they are there. The paintings here are done by the older two grandchildren.

I wanted to grow lettuce too so my husband bought some guttering which we filled with soil and added the lettuce plants and fitted it at an angle to allow for drainage.

I might not have the fanciest garden but I am happy. I have sage, tarragon, basil, thyme, lemon verbona, parsley, chives, rosemary and some others. Gradually I am building up the variety and I look forward to using them in cooking, teas and as medicinal herbs too.

I think getting the children involved is good as they learn such a lot about where foods come from if they have access to a garden. My children did as children and my younger daughter did her Brownie Guide badge in gardening through having a patch of her own.

It is sad that children think all food comes from a supermarket even in this day and age. Luckily the three grandchildren we have here in France live in a very rural community and they are aware of where food comes from. I know my other two grandchildren in the UK will also grow up knowing too, it is just sad that some children don't have the experiences that teach them that food is grown, harvested, sold and then is taken to shops to sell.

I desperately want to eliminate artificial flavourings and preservatives from my diet and growing my own food as much as possible, allowing for the small space we have. Buying fresh food to make meals from scratch goes a long way to knowing what you are putting in your body. Autoimmune diseases are horrid things and the food you eat, whilst not curing you, can help to eliminate some of the symptoms that are suffered.

You learn something new everyday!

Now being that I am a 60+ something lady I feel I am quite with it. I blog, as you see, I have a website, I use facebook and I twitter. I use the web a lot to look up things of interest and I e-mail and text my friends. I do use a telephone too but if I need to take my time the other ways of contact are better for me.

I was on facebook looking at a forum that Fred and I belong to and a lady asked a question about problems with her throat. Did other people have similar problems? She asked. She was told this was Cricoarytenoid Joint.

This joint is situated in the back wall of the larynx, it helps open, close and tighten the vocal chords during speech and breathing.

According to what I read on the internet about one in three people with Rheumatoid arthritis suffers from Criocarytenoid arthritis. But I had never heard of it.

The symptoms include:
: Hoarseness
:Pain when swallowing
:Sensation of having something stuck in your throat
:Pain when talking or coughing
:Shortness of breath

Many people, like me, have passed the problem off, or have mentioned it to a consultant but have not been told what it could be. I have seen an ENT consultant but all that came of that was to find I had a huge infection in my sinuses that had progressed to my lungs giving me pneumonia.

At present I have another problem with a herniated cervical disc and have increased my steroids dose. If along with the disc problem the problem with my throat persists I will telephone the Rheumotologist in two weeks, as arranged, and ask him what we can do.

I cough a lot, have sleep apnea (caused he says by the RA), have difficulty in swallowing (which I have told him, especially large tablets), a constant feeling of having a blocked throat and my voice has changed.

I am not sure if this is just me, but I have to say to my consultant 'do you think it could be....?' and invariably he says, 'Yes!'

My husband says he thinks that consultants don't want to be negative all the time and say this or that can happen. I agree but, when presented with a symptom they should be honest. I am a big girl I can take it so, why do I have to surf the internet to find things out and then present them to him?

Horray for the forums and groups I belong to. We support one another, reassure one another but we also help to educate each other too. That is the joy of being able to use the modern day technology.

Herniated cervical disc flares again

Last October I was hospitalized for a month with a herniated cervical disc. I had to wear a cervical collar, take strong painkillers, not lift, not turn my head, take increased amounts of Prednisone and just rest.

My rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed in 2008 and has spread through my body. The last places it appeared were my neck and my jaw. In 2010 I started to feel very dizzy, have pain in my neck, shoulder and top of my back and also numbness in my left hand. The dizziness became quite a problem as I started to fall and it was then my husband took me to the hospital. I had a scan and was told it was the cervical disc that was herniated to match one in my lower back. Between the two I have a great deal of pain and walking is very difficult. I use a wheelchair because of the pain but sitting is as uncomfortable as walking and at times even lying down is painful.

I have looked into the options for pain relief. I use a TENS machine which I like as it is easy to use and no medication is required, heat pads and cold pads are brilliant but only give temporary relief, strong painkillers work well but if I take the amount recommended by the Rheumotologist I get stomach problems.

People are not very helpful with their comments.
I get a bit of pain now and again.
You should do more/less exercise.
Arthritis is only for old people.
Its mind over matter, just get on with it.
Its only arthritis it can't kill you.
At least its not cancer.

So many people are not well informed and don't understand about rheumatoid arthritis and what it can do not only to your joints but other parts of the body too. It can cause dry eyes and mouth, pleurisy and heart problems. It is also recorded that people with rheumatoid arthritis have a shorter life expectancy. Due to the steroids I have also developed diabetes.

I was told if I can come off of the steroids there is the possibility the diabetes will clear up. In December I saw the rheumotologist and he was pleased with the way the disc was healing so I started to decrease the steroids. I have had pain but have stuck with it. Then a few days ago I started to feel pain in my neck again. The dizziness returned and some numbness in my hand. I rang the rheumotologist and he told me to start wearing the neck collar again, take painkillers, increase the steroids, not to lift, don't turn my head; all the things I did last time. I had hoped to be off the steroids by April. If my symptoms are not better in two weeks I have to ring him again.

In the meantime I am reliant on my husband and family again and my independence has had to take a back seat for the time being. I can only hope that my disc repairs in the next two weeks.