** “I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.” **
If you are a first-time visitor, well, HOWDY!! And thanks for stopping by! Here are some other posts you might like check out:
Don’t Read This if you are Grateful for your Illness
The Long Lyme Con Continues…..
How are Lyme Disease and AIDS Alike?
Now, onto the review!
Hi, my people! Well, here we are, post-election in the states and moving quickly towards the holidays.
When I was first diagnosed with Chronic Lyme disease, now almost 4 years ago, I thought I knew what it was all about. You get bit by a tick, you might get sick, and then you are treated and cured quickly. HAHAHA! Little did I know! So once I began researching this crazy and unpredictable disease, I began realizing that there is no CURE. That in many cases, including mine, Lyme cannot be merely treated with 14-28 days of oral antibiotics. Not even. And I began to understand, especially after being sick 6 – 12 months, that I was going to have to try out some unconventional, non-Western medicine options, to treat this bacterial infection.
I had been hearing and reading about CBD oil long before I decided to try it out. Information was mixed but the one common denominator seemed to be QUALITY of the product. Yet, I had no idea where to even begin. My first foray into the CBD sphere was, and now regrettably, a product I found and purchased from a seller on Craigslist. I know, I know. Believe me, I really was clueless, and in my Lyme social circle, no one had a recommendation for me. But I knew that I wanted to try this option. No Bueno. Honestly, I think there was turpentine in it. I tried to take it a few times, but the taste was just so disgusting, I could barely gag it down.
From that point on, I realized, and the hard way, that I needed to invest in QUALITY. I continued my research and then recently, I was offered an opportunity to try out HoneyColony’s CBD Oil. I have tried this company’s products in the past, and I have not been disappointed. I jumped at the chance to try out their CBD Oil.
HoneyColony’s CBD Hemp Oil is a blend of several ingredients, including Teasel root as well Astragalus Root. You can visit this page for a much more detailed list and explanation. I have tried both of these roots before in the past with some positive effects, but not at the same time and not as a part of a CBD Oil mix. When my product arrived, I was really excited to give it a shot!
I know some people may be hesitant to try CBD Oil as there is a lot of misinformation out there, including that it makes you “high.” However, according to HoneyColony, “Cannabidiol (CBD) is extracted from the Cannabis plant and has no euphoric properties whatsoever. This formulation offers all the health benefits of CBD without the feeling of being high.” At no point of my using this product have I ever had a euphoric feeling or a feeling of being “high.”
The first stop I made before adding this product to my daily routine was at HoneyColony’s 13 Commonly Asked Questions about their Superior CBD Oil product ranging from ingredients to usage. Since this quality CBD oil is mixed with coconut oil (no weird ingredients in this product!), this oil has a very smooth taste. There is no aftertaste nor did it bother my throat or stomach. It is silky sweet and easy to administer. I take just a drop in the morning and then one at night. While I haven’t necessarily seen a huge impact in the morning for myself (and mornings are so, so difficult for me), I have experienced an effect in the evening. While I struggle with getting up, the joint stiffness and fatigue, lately, I have really been having sleep issues. I can go to sleep, but then I tend to wake up 3-6 times a night. It’s been a serious hindrance in the past few months.
So I started taking a drop of oil about an hour before bedtime as suggested on the 13 Commonly Asked Questions page. This seems to help me relax enough to get to sleep. Recently, I have also started taking a drop when I wake up during the night. Doing this has been beneficial in helping me get back to sleep and to stay asleep throughout the night!
Look, HoneyColony products are top-quality products! Yes, the price is higher, but again, the QUALITY is worth every penny. I’ve tried enough other inferior CBD oil options to pay twice over what the cost of one of HoneyColony’s CDB bottles cost. I’ve thrown away more that I care to share. And this bottle that I received about a month ago is still more than half full. I won’t go anywhere else in the future to purchase CBD Oil other than HoneyColony!
Happy Sunday, my friends. Take care – B
P.S. If you are a first-time visitor, well, HOWDY!! And thanks for stopping by! Here are some other posts you might check out:
You know that feeling when you walk into a room, and you can’t remember why you walked in? Now imagine that feeling, but instead of a room, it’s a doctor’s office, and instead of forgetting why you walked in, you have no idea why your body has decided to wage war against you. Welcome to my world, the Twilight Zone of health.
Over a span of four years, my body had transformed into a symphony of discomfort. Daily headaches, fatigue, nausea, joint pain, lower back pain, memory issues such as word loss and short term memory loss – I mean, really, could there be a more bizarre combination?
At first, I thought I was just being dramatic. I mean, who hasn’t had a headache and forgotten a word or two? But when my body started humming the tune of discomfort in every key possible, I knew it was time to seek professional help.
So, off I went to see Doctor Number One. The result? A shrug and a suggestion to hydrate more. Doctor Number Two recommended yoga. By the time I got to Doctor Number Three, I was ready to audition for a medical drama with the number of tests I had under my belt. Lupus? Negative. Rheumatoid arthritis? No dice. MS? Nope. Thyroid issues? MAYBE.
I then embarked on a grand tour of medical offices, meeting Doctor Numbers Four, Five, Six, and Seven. Each one was equally stumped, equally unable to solve the mystery of the Discombobulated Patient.
There I was, living my very own episode of ‘House M.D.’, minus the genius doctor and with a much less dramatic soundtrack. Instead of a heart-wrenching drama, my life had morphed into a sitcom where the punchline was always, “Well, we still don’t know what’s wrong.”
As strange and hilarious as this journey may seem, it does come with a silver lining. Amidst all the confusion, I’ve learned how to be my own health advocate, how to persist in seeking answers, and how to laugh in the face of uncertainty.
So, to all the medical mystery solvers out there, I say this: keep your humor, keep your hope, and keep pushing for answers. And remember, even if you feel like the star of a sitcom gone wrong, at least you’re the star.
Through all the trials and tests, the frustrations and the funny moments, I’ve learned that sometimes, laughter really is the best medicine. And while I’m still searching for some of my own medical answers, I’m also still laughing. Because at the end of the day, sometimes all you can do is laugh, keep going, and remember to hydrate.
🙂: In 2013, I waited several months to get into a CFS/Fibromyalgia doctor I had found myself online. She immediately asked if I’d ever been tested for Lyme disease during my new patient appointment. My answer was No.
I tested CDC positive for Lyme disease, Chronic Epstein Barr, and Hashimoto’s disease. Things finally began to change.
I’m not really sure where April went. I kept thinking I would catch up at some point, but that never happened.
It just kept rolling and here we are, just a mere 7 days until school is out for the summer. Yahoo!
I finished up the college grades and checkout last Friday. I thought I would feel relief, and while I did somewhat, but allergies attacked. I think between that and just being exhausted, I spent much of last weekend in bed. I barely cleaned the house which is unlike me. J cleaned some and I was able to get laundry done, but not much more than that! I’m just really trying not to push myself too hard, then end up spending all summer trying to recover just to head back to work in August.
I’ve been tempted to do a couple of summer gigs just for some extra cash. Summer school apps came and went. Then, state testing offers. “It’s just 4-5 days” I told myself. Then, an offer to teach Scholars. That was very tempting. But this is 3 weeks in summer, four Saturdays, and several after school sessions.
But I know better. I’ve learned the hard way over the years that pushing the gas with chronic fatigue is just not a good idea. It still stings some though, I won’t lie. I used to do some summer gigs, either for high school or at the college. And I enjoyed doing those as well.
Right now though, working for the summer just isn’t in my best interest healthwise. I’m grateful that I do have the option of not working this summer (that hasn’t always been the case).
These next few days will be filled with finishing up high school grades,signing exemptions, and celebrating the end of the school year with my students with lots of laughter and pride.
Next week will be finals. It will be fairly quiet with only a few students per class period required to take the exam. Most of my juniors exempted, and they will start their summer early. They deserve it!
Hopefully, I can blog more this summer. And read more. Oh yeah, and deep clean the house. *wink, wink *nudge nudge*
Take care my friends. Will write soon. Counting down to May 26th!
FYI, trigger warning:
This might be the most boring post you read this week, Nay! That you read this month!
*Ugh. Cats. They’re driving me a little mad, and this is not the time of year where I’m good at life stuff, so….
Growing up, we always had cats. They were always inside/ outside cats because we always had a slew of other pets inside ( think ferrets (11!!) and cats came and went as they pleased. Now, don’t worry. All of our cats were spayed or neutered, had their shots, etc.
As an adult on my own, I’ve always had a couple of cats. They show up. Just to be very clear: I’ve never, ever, ever been given a cat nor gone to the shelter for a kitty. Just sayin’!
Aside: **please people, for the love of all that is holy, get your cats fixed!
I have lots of cat stories because cats gonna be cats! 🙂
Situation:
We live out in the country (becoming not so country now that Houston is spreading like a disease this way, unfortunately). We have 3 male cats, Shoppie 9?, Beto 8?, and LC 3? – who is possibly also a spawn of Satan? Of course ages on these guys is a guess because, yeah, they just rolled in over the years as strays and stayed.
No longer men of the wild world, these 3 are well cared for now. They have food and water outside all day. My husband has constructed 2 kitty condos… Once more for those in the back, KITTY CONDOS!
Honestly folks, the shingled top opens up on these esteemed models, and we’ve put cuddley beds in each…and there’s a kitty door into the our huge shop, where I’ve also secured a place to put in some warm blankets and a kitty bed. We’re talking prime real estate here.
Then, approximately at 3:00 p.m. sharp daily, these 3 gentlemen meet me at the door when I get home from work nagging me for their little dish of wet cat food. Depending on the weather, the older ones might stay inside after their feast to snuggle on the cat bed on the couch, or the recliner, or *embarrassingly* the kitchen table for a few hours or 6….And then, at 6-7 p.m., said cats all get a small treat of Temptations. Then, everyone goes out for the night.
I know that many hear about outside cats with disdain, but there’s no way they can stay inside and since they were originally strays, none of them want to stay inside full-time, no matter the amenities offered.
Also, we have a doggie door for our *cough 5 dogs (please don’t judge)! All strays, too, or my mom brought them home from a shelter then they moved in with us (y’all, no lie, this is my real life!) and so cats and dogs cannot mix while we are gone from the house. So, yes, our 3 cats live in and out of our humble abode. Don’t forget: KITTY CONDOS have been made with a loving hand just for them!
All 3 are neutered males. For awhile, life was balanced. They don’t LOVE each other, but they’ve certainly learned how to LIVE with one another cordially for the most part. But, then we got trouble, folks right here River City, trouble with a capital “T”!
A first stray cat showed up about a year ago. Our 3 didn’t seem to care too much. LC would run the stray off aka Tuxedo as he is now named. But Tux stuck around. He still will not let me within 5 feet of him. He is also a male cat.
And then, maybe 3 months ago? another male stray showed up …..ugh. he’s younger, and he will sometimes let me pet him. But only when it’s morning and dark outside. I like to think he just doesn’t recognize me when it’s light out, but IDK…LOL
Anyhow, at first, he would just randomly show up off and on. Now, LC and this cat do not get along at all. There’s fighting constantly. And I’ve had to nurse both LC and Shoppie with some ear/neck abscesses. Not good at all! I started not leaving food outside because….hello! That’s a total of 5 cats! WTH!?!
I finally realized that 2 doors down, there are cats running around all of the time. Our next door neighbor has told us about the cats and a couple dogs not really being cared for. None are fixed, and I guess sometimes fed, and I’m guessing many times not. Again, we’re in the country….I just wish they would take care of any animals they have…they don’t.
So, to make this long story about dang cats even longer…Obviously, leaving the food out is attracting the stray cats. But our cats need food as well. But now, we have 2 stray cats around, and our cats are not happy. All this stress! And I do feel bad for those stray cats. They’re just trying to survive!
I wish I could get a hold of both of them to get them fixed and their shots. But I think we’ll need a live trap for that plus time to run them to the vet once trapped. That will have to wait until summer.
So, my husband made another kitty condo – another KITTY CONDO. Now, I feed the cats using bowls that are spaced out accordingly so they do not give weird side glances to each other in the morning at 5 am when I get up for work. When we leave for work, I put the food in the house. It’s too much to have the food out all day which also may attract more stray cats! Y’all – ridiculous!
Everyone gets dry food when I’m home from work by 3-4 p.m. And yes, in food bowls that are spaced out accordingly so no throw downs happen, at least not on my watch!
So far, this setup seems to be working for now. Our 3 grumpy gents come back in about 6 p.m. for evening treats, and I go back out to pick up the free feeding bowls.
I’ve never ever been this worried about dang cats before in my entire life! What is going on with me? My husband thinks I’ve got a loose screw with my obsessing over all of this cat chaos, and I’m absolutely sure he is 100% correct!
Remember way back when I said this would be most likely the most boring post ever? Well, I aim to please! Wake up!
Summation:
We are now proud Owners? Friends? Partners? Servants? of 5 male cats whether we like it or not.
To add insult to injury, this morning at 5 a.m., armed with the bowls of cat food, I went outside to serve my masters, well some of them, as the other 3 native residents ran inside for their food.
When I got back to the door, I glanced back, just to make sure all was well before coming back inside and noticed someone new. You gotta be kidding me!
Low and behold, this new “kitty” was black with a white stripe down his back and a fluffy tail. No one was fazed by this newcomer except me. He was at “his” own bowl and the other two were at their bowls, and everyone seemed content.
At this point, I’m throwing in the towel. And there are plenty of kitty condos out there for shelter. As long as the new guy behaves and doesn’t spray his nasty scent anywhere, we can hopefully all be one big happy family. 🙂
If you made it this far, God bless you for your patience! Life is exciting around here with 5 cats plus a skunk! Take care, friends xo – belle
Happy Talking