Today I got to try Wanchai Ferry’s new frozen Beef and Broccoli meal for two. It contains wheat, so David wasn’t able to try it, but it was a nice lunch for me. I’ll have to check and see if some of the other meals such as Szechuan Style Chicken and Orange Chicken contain wheat. All of the entrees have no added MSG, so that’s a big plus!

I don’t usually buy frozen entrees. They have too much added salt. But, David and I do order Chinese food fairly often. I could see this as a good alternative to take-out. The flavor was okay, and it was certainly easy to prepare. I was pleasantly surprised at how tender the beef was. With my TMJ Disorder, beef is not something I get to eat very often. This beef didn’t hurt my jaw.

Here’s a coupon for Wanchai Ferry frozen entrees, and here are some meal tips from Wanchai.

You can win a prize pack that includes a VIP coupon and two tea sets!

Just leave a comment saying which Asian meal you would like to see as part of the Wanchai Ferry lineup.

Bonus entries: “Like” A Young Wife’s Tale on Facebook or follow on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you’re following. Leave a separate comment for each entry.

I will select a winner at random, and email the winner to let them know they’ve won. Comments will close June 1.

Disclosure: The frozen sample, prize pack, information and additional prize pack for the give away were all given to me from Wanchai Ferry through MyBlogSpark.

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Maegan introduced me to Twilight. Although I’d never read any of the books, I went with her to the midnight premiere of the movie. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed the plot. The chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson was palpable. And afterward Maegan let me borrow her books. And then I said, “Kristen and Robert don’t have any chemistry!”

Maegan is Team Jacob by the way. The crazy woman. Everyone knows Edward is perfect.

A few months ago, we decided to workout together at Maegan’s gym. I rarely do cardio. I like my low impact Pilates. I arrived at her place and we chatted for a few minutes while I raided her pantry because I can’t workout on an empty stomach. Then, we drove to the gym. We went to the front desk to get a guest pass and realized that they were closing in 12 minutes.

So, what did we do? We ran upstairs and used the elliptical machines for 10 minutes. When we left I decided I really needed to eat dinner, so we stopped at Chic-fil-A and I completely defeated the whole purpose of doing cardio.

Friday, my last day in Dallas, Maegan drove me to my emergency appointment with my TMJ Disorder specialist. I wasn’t hurting or anything. I’d seen him earlier this week for a regular adjustment, but there was a sharp edge and a crack in the appliance that had to be fixed before I moved to New Jersey.

On the first day of spring, Maegan and I were supposed to have a garage sale. Here in Dallas on the first day of spring it was 35 degrees and raining. So tomorrow, while I’m on a plane flying to New Jersey, Maegan is going to sell all my stuff. Is she a great friend or what?

Check out Maegan’s blog here! She’s running a series where she tests and rates drug store mascaras. Women across the country are waiting to hear what the #1 mascara is!

Love,
A Young Wife

P.S. If you read my first post about Maegan, you know we were supposed to take pictures together. We do not have a single picture together. Guess what? Still no pictures! We either forget or one of us says, “I am not taking pictures today!” Maybe it’s time for some Photoshop magic?

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We’re still not sure where we’re going to live in New Jersey. We have found a rental property manager for our house here in Dallas. He was such a nice man. Our house is a disaster right now. It’s covered in boxes and we have stuff spread out all over the floor. He said, “This is a clean house. It will show really well.” Bless his heart. Just pray we find renters immediately!

Plans keep changing. First, David was going to fly up on the 28 and then start working on the 29. I would follow by car with Henry. Now, we’re thinking about driving up together the 27 and 28. Basically, all we know is that David starts to work on the 29.

David keeps telling me I’ll have so much to blog about with the move. I keep thinking, “I don’t have time to blog! I’ve got to find new doctors and a pharmacy! I’ve got to select movers and pack! And once we’re up there, how long will it take for us to get the computers unpacked and internet hooked up?” So we’ll see how much blogging I do over the next few weeks.

Poor David did too much this weekend, packing and getting ready to move. He was in a lot of pain Sunday night. I was almost asleep when I realized David should have taken his Humira shot Friday. Oops. That’s probably why he was hurting.

Here’s what’s on our to do list:

Find a place to live in New Jersey
Select movers
Get haircuts
Get oil changed, tired pressure checked
Move stuff to storage (We’re leaving a lot of things here for the time being.)
Cancel internet service
PACK

Am I forgetting something? We’re going so fast, I’m sure I am. I’m also trying to get into see my TMJD specialist before we leave. They’ve got me on a waiting list, so pray that I can see them. I don’t know if I could make it till Thanksgiving or Christmas!

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Can you ever drink to much Diet Coke? No. Never. If you’re worried the caffeine will keep you awake at night, well that’s what God made Caffeine Free Diet Coke for. It’s in the gold can.

Why was David diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis instead of say Rheumatoid Arthritis? Was he misdiagnosed at first? David has seen two rheumatologists and they both agree that David has Psoriatic Arthritis. In high school and college David experienced back pain, and he was always given stretches and muscle relaxers. The doctors just assumed the pain was from playing sports.

So I guess you could say that he was misdiagnosed, but I’ve never really thought of it that way. As soon as a doctor took an x-ray of his back and did blood work they sent him to a rheumatologist. The other doctors were just being minimally invasive and David seemed so healthy. They really had no reason to think the back pain was arthritis unless they were looking back through his chart seeing how often David was complaining of back pain, but even then, they still probably would have thought it was a torn ligament or something more common.

David has psoriasis on his scalp, and he did have patches of psoriasis on his knees once just before his worst flare up ever. After the blood work, x-rays and bone scan were done, the presence of Psoriasis, and the absence of the rheumatoid factor is what led doctors to diagnose David with Psoriatic Arthritis, although I have learned that David could develop rheumatoid arthritis.

Where does David have Psoriatic Arthritis? In every joint in his body, except his shoulders. His ribs and collar bone are also affected. The arthritis is most severe in David’s spine.

When does New Moon come out on DVD? Saturday, March 20. When Twilight came out on DVD, I sent David to Wal-Mart at midnight thinking there would be hoards of screaming girls just like the movie premiere and that stores would sell out quickly. They didn’t. In fact, Wal-Mart hadn’t even put the Blu-Rays out yet. So David went back a few hours later and then watched it with me. What a great husband!

Does your TMJ Disorder cause pain anywhere besides your jaw? Yes. Some TMJD sufferers get migranes. Thankfully, I do not. I do experience pain in my occipital lobe (the base of the skull just above the neck). Occasionally the jaw pain makes it feel as if I have an ear infection. Sometimes the pain in my jaw shoots down into my neck, but praise God, my jaw really is so much better than it was a few years ago. My TMJD specialist and my chiropractor have worked miracles on my jaw.

Are you guys moving? It depends on where David’s next job takes us. We would love to stay right here in Dallas with our family and friends, but Arizona would be a better climate for David’s joints, and since David has been out of work for two and a half months, he’d take a job pretty much anywhere at this point. He is actually interviewing in New Jersey today, so we’ll see where the Lord leads us.

What’s the best thing for David when he flares? David soaks in a hot bath with epsom salts every day. When he flares, he takes additional hot baths. Sometimes he will use a heating pad or Therma Heat patches. Often when he flares the doctor will give him an injection of arthritis medication directly into his back. There’s really not a whole lot we can do except wait it out. David has tried acupuncture, but it is a bit expensive, although it does provide considerable relief.

What helps your jaw when it’s hurting? Rest and relaxation. I try to eat soft foods like mashed potatoes and yogurt when my jaw hurts, so that my jaw can rest. Relaxation through exercise, massage therapy, playing the piano, etc. helps quite a bit. When my jaw pain was very bad a few years ago, I would sometimes drink hot beverages to relax my muscles. I wish you could have seen me with my mouth full of Chai Tea Latte leaning to one side to hold the hot liquid where I wanted it.

Why don’t you have a smart phone? First, money. It’s more expensive than my low tech phone. Second, the internet is so widely available, I really don’t need to have it on my phone. I can check email practically every where I go, and if I happen to be somewhere without internet access and I desperately need to blog or task a satelliete, well, that’s what David’s for.

Thanks for all the great questions and keep them coming!

Love,
A Young Wife

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Um, yeah, we had an emergency fund that was drained three times in two years for my TMJ Disorder, not to mention putting thousands on a Care Credit card (Which we were able to pay off before the interest kicked in. Yay!) the last time I bit my night guard in half.

As I was doing our taxes this year, I tallied up all of our medical expenses for 2009. We spent $12,000. And we didn’t even have any surgeries or hospitalizations.

Suffice it to say, we’ve never been able to go beyond an emergency fund to a savings account with three months of living expenses. Sorry Suze.

It’s not like we don’t budget for doctor’s visits and prescriptions. We do. And it’s not like we live extravagantly. My car door was jammed shut for three months before I had it fixed. We don’t have cable. I don’t get manicures. I pack our lunches. Heck, I’ve been making my own laundry detergent and cleaning products!

Chronic illness is a drain on your finances. I really don’t know of any solution to that problem. Just know that if you have medical bills, I feel your pain.

The only advice I have is…

1. Tell your doctor and his staff what your insurance won’t cover. Most of our doctors have worked with us to find alternatives when insurance won’t cover things.
2. Make sure the receptionist verifies your benefits before you see the doctor. Ask how much you will need to pay before you arrive for your appointment.
3. Try alternative medicine. Massage therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, etc. may be covered by your insurance. For us a massage is MUCH cheaper than a visit to the rheumatologist or my TMJD specialist.
4. Preventative care. This doesn’t apply to every chronic condition, but for some people, maintaining a healthy weight may help prevent flares. For some people who suffer from migraines, they can avoid trigger foods. For my TMJ Disorder, I try to avoid stress, and if I know I’m stressed out, I try to exercise or play the piano to relieve stress so that I’m not clenching and grinding in my sleep.

And please do share if you have any advice!

Love,
A Young Wife

Remember, I’m not a doctor! I’m not giving you medical advice.

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David has had lots of interviews, and one very promising interview yesterday with a company that is located very near my part time job. If he got this particular job, it would mean we could carpool sometimes!

David saw the rheumatologist yesterday. I’ve worked quite a bit more than usual at my part time job lately, because the receptionist has been out sick. So, yesterday was the first time David went to the rheumy without me.

David’s ribs and neck have been bothering him a lot. The doctor said that even though the ribs aren’t joints, it is in fact arthritis in his ribs. The rheumatologist said he is seeing improvement in David’s Psoriatic Arthritis, just as we are, and in fact, he recommended that David contact Humira and ask them if they will approve David for injections every ten days instead of every fourteen. I imagine this won’t be an issue since they simply ship us whatever the doctor prescribes.

And well, apparently many people have David on their minds today. My boss asked me a lot of questions about David’s arthritis, and then called me from his house to ask how to spell “Psoriatic”. Then my doctor’s office, my TMJD specialist, called to say that there would be a special on the Channel 11 News tonight about new breakthroughs in arthritis. They’ve never called to tell me to watch a show on TMJ Disorder.

It is sweet that people are thinking about him. I really appreciate all the care and concern. But I had to call my mommy and ask her if she’d make her special Martha Washington candy that she only makes at Christmas for me for my birthday in January. She said yes. And she asked how I was.

Love,
A Young Wife

P.S. Stay tuned for a special guest post by a personal trainer!

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*My amazing family. David and I could not have survived this year without you.
*David’s Humira
*Our church. Their prayers and encouragment have been invaluable.
*My husband’s employment. I know there are a lot of folks looking for jobs.
*My country.
*And all the service men and women protecting it.
*Being able to eat at the law firm’s (where I work part time as a secretary) Thanksgiving luncheon without too much trouble or embaressment. I was so afraid my jaw would spasm in front of one of the partners, but my TMJ Disorder is pretty much under control.
*Our chiropractor. He’s half the reason why my TMJD is under control, and he helps David so much.
*Diet Coke
*Online banking and the miracle of the internet.
*David’s new rheumatologist.
*The house being off the market.
*The fact that David and I have yet to get the flu, even though I never got my flu shot, neither of us got the swine flu vaccine, and David is taking immuno-suppressing drugs.
*Netflix
*Our energy efficient appliances that give us such a low electric bill.
*The leaf blower my parents gave David for Christmas last year. I was able to clean up the leaves so much faster this year!
*Two cars that run, even if my Explorer’s check engine light is on and the driver door won’t open.
*And of course, Henry.

Henry at 3 Months

What are you thankful for this year? Happy Thanksgiving!

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Here’s a list of foods you don’t have to chew. It’s handy for people like me with TMJ Disorder, and maybe it would help someone who’s recently had oral surgery. Remember, sucking smoothies through a straw strains the jaw muscles!

*Pudding
*Mashed Potatoes
*Egg Drop Soup
*Frozen Yogurt (Eat it with a spoon)
*Protein Shakes
*Slim Fast
*Custard
*Applesauce
*Yogurt
*Mashed Sweet Potatoes
*Oatmeal

A word of caution about soups. Most soups are great for people with jaw pain. However, if someone has recently had oral surgery, soups with chunks of anything are probably not a good idea. My brother had to be really careful after having his wisdom teeth removed. The surgeon said people have been getting tiny pieces of broccoli stuck in their sockets.

And, as with anything else, you should do whatever your doctor says. Sometimes after oral surgery, you’re not supposed to have anything extremely warm or extremely cold.

Hope that helps!

Love,
A Young Wife

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