Warning Ibuprofen and NSAID Users! My battle with Gastritis/Gastropathy...

I was first diagnosed with Gastritis somewhere around 2009. I went to a Gastroenterologist for bloating. He performed an endoscopy and wrote 'Gastritis' on my encounter form and sent me on my way. 

For some strange reason after that I got better. He gave me Nexium samples and that was it. Now he did write on my charge sheet for me to come back in 2 months, but I didn't because I woke up during my endoscopy. The only thing they gave me for sedation was versed, Valium and some other (conscious sedation) mix. 

Well like I said, when I woke up during my procedure, the line was down my throat and I was gagging. I remember them looking at me saying 'It's OK Tammie!  It's OK!

There was nothing I could do. I was at their mercy. Later on I passed out again.

In all fairness to the Gastroenterologist, he did ask me how much Ibuprofen was I taking. I think I told him around 600mg as needed for painful menses. And I don't remember him commenting on that. He just kept staring at my chart and asking other question.

Later he examined me, pressing down on my belly asking 'does this hurt? Does that hurt?' My response to all his questions were 'no.' So after that he said, "Well if you like I will take a look inside, but I think its all in your head."

What??

OK so he did the endoscopy. I miraculously felt better so that was that. Well somewhere around 2011. I got sick again. This time my symptoms intensified. They were worse than before, so I went to another Gastroenterologist. 

I saw a nurse practitioner. She examined me. I filled out a lengthy patient history form. They did ask what medications I was on. Everything I take is OTC. I'm usually never sick until its time for my cycle. Then here comes the pain. But any who, the practitioner decided that it was my diet. She put me on Miralax. Told me to eat gluten-free bread because I did mention that I was lactose intolerant. 

Well that didn't work. I think they wanted me to follow up too, but I didn't. I didn't think they could help me, so I didn't go back.  Well around 2012. I was getting sicker. Then I went back. Here comes the same practitioner with the same questions. After we ruled out 'poop' issues (sorry if that grosses anyone out) She said, you need a endoscopy. 

OK well I had a endoscopy and a colonoscopy. This time the gastroenterologist gave me Propofol for sedation. And it worked like a charm. I literally blinked and the test was over. When I awoke my dad was in the room with me. He said the doctor said for me to lay off of 'ibuprofen', but I didn't have to discontinue it completely. He recommended I take Prilosec to heal my belly, but I asked for a rx for Nexium instead. (I thought it may work because I had it before)

OK spent $300 on Nexium. It did not work! I didn't take the prilosec because in the past it made my stomach hurt so I just skipped it. 

I asked the nurse what should I do and she was like 'well....the doctor is really concerned about your anemia. You are loosing blood and he wants to know where its going.'

All the while I'm thinking. Man can you fix my belly first? Things had gotten so bad, I couldn't drink water. I could only comfortably eat 2 small meals a day. It was a complete nightmare!

Since the doctor didn't recommend any medicine for me to take, they just sort of left me in limbo; I didn't go back. I mean what was the use? They wouldn't give me any medicine. And the last time I asked the nurse practitioner I was seeing why couldn't they give me meds she said 'well honey, we don't know what to give you!'

After that, one day I got really bad. I wasn't on any medicine. Just trying to make it the best way I could. I thought that since it had been a year since I'd had ibuprofen, my belly would heal on its own. And you know what? It didn't! I got worse! A lot worse!

I ended up in the hospital because I thought my appendix had ruptured. Well come to find out, it was the gastritis issue again. At first the surgeon was going to take out my gallbladder because the radiologist notated on a CT that it looked inflamed, but once they did an ultrasound, they found that my gallbladder was fine.

One of the surgeons told me, that he was writing me a rx for Prilosec. I told him it hurt my stomach. He said 'take it anyway. There is too much acid in your belly.'

You know what guys, that was the best advice any doctor had ever given me. And that was September 2013. Here it is April 2014 and I am still battling this issue. Why you ask? 

I had a minor set back at a hematologist office, because the gastroenterologist kept screaming about my anemia. So I went to a hematologist to get iron infusions. Well guess what? I had an allergic reaction to that and fainted in the office. It was a mess. I ended up in the ED.

Long story short. I am still suffering from gastropathy. I think I would have been farther along than I am now, had I not had the iron infusion. But still I will take what little break in the clouds I can get. 

I still have a ways to go before I am back to being normal. But I am completely hopeful! The only thing that upsets me about my doctors is that none of them told me to be careful of my ibuprofen intake, once they discovered I even used the drug. Had I known then what I know now, I would have thrown those darn pills in the garbage!!!

Anyway, that's why I will tell everybody I know that if you are using Ibuprofen or Acetametaphines, be careful !! Go by the instructions. Do not exceed the recommended dosages.

For my case I only take acetametaphines now.  And use heat for my belly. I hope my post helps someone. If you have questions or would like to share your story. Leave your comments below.

Take care Peeps!!

RE: BabyFace on Oprah Speaking about 'Instant Fame'

The conversation was about American Idol or shows like it. Oprah asked Kenneth how did he feel about that show and the instant gratification it brings. 

He responded and said 'They are on a crash course. Most won't survive because they have to do it in front of an audience. Pop culture is wishy-washy. Today they like you, tomorrow they don't. You get beat up a lot quicker.'

OK so I paraphrased some of that. But it was so profound. I just had to blog about this whole idea of instant success. I left a comment on another YouTube video with OWN saying how I was reading reviews on Goodreads one day, and someone left a review about JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. The reviewer said something to the effect of. "OMG, I can't believe I used to think this story was good. I reread it again and its horrible.'

So let's pause right there. Do you see how quickly people's view of you will change? At the drop of a dime, you have suddenly become the worst artist, writer, singer, ever! 

Kenneth was talking to Oprah about why Toni Braxton wanted to leave the music industry. Well, Toni wanted to leave for a variety of reasons. She'd mentioned on her show that today's music just didn't move her anymore. She also was very candid about her fear of being relevant with today's pop culture. 

Kenneth told her, that if she didn't sing nor write another song for the rest of her life, she had already done enough. Her work speaks for her. I totally agree. Toni doesn't have to be relevant for pop culture. However, she must be relevant for herself. She can't mute her own voice if she is speaking from the heart. 

Artist should never ever create works for popularity. That's artist suicide. You'll be dead within minutes if you work that way. I believe artist should  create works for themselves; from their hearts. Don't worry about Tom, Dick or Harry liking it. If they do, fine. If they don't, great. I'd still keep speaking my own truth. 

I'd still live inside my head and bask in my own 'sweet spot.' After all, isn't that what its all about? OK well maybe for some folks, everything is about money. But there come a point in everybody's life, where you have to decide what's important for you. 

If you are a singer, sing because you love it. Don't sing because you are waiting on a standing ovation at the end of your song. On a side note, I loved Tamar Braxton's acceptance Speech at the BET awards show. (I think it was BET)

But any who, Tamar said she was going to keep on singing if nobody bought her album. I don't blame her. Be confident in your own talent. Learn how to believe in yourself. Learn how to celebrate yourself. One day you may look around and the people you thought would be happy for your success, are suddenly giving you the 'side-eye.' That's why one should never be dependent on the adoration of others. Believe me when I say; its subject to change!

Keep yourself surrounded by all things that encourage and inspire you. Never give up on the things you want to do in life, but don't let deferred dreams rob you of your joy.  

I'm done for the night! Bye guys!!

My date with a Trillionaire...

OK...OK.. So let me be honest. I'm lying. I just wanted to know how many people would click on this post if they knew that I had gone on a date with a trillionaire. 

Heck, let me be real frank. I don't know any trillionaires! Do you guys? Could you imagine what life would be like with this kind of money? Would you even want this kind of money? 

Me?? Absolutely not! And I know you all are saying, 'Come on, come on. Lady you're lying!' But no seriously, there is no way I could roll over and sleep comfortably at night if I had that much money in the bank. (And keep it to myself?) Oh goodness no!

The reason why I am writing this post is because yahoo ran a article a few months ago about a trillionaire. First of all, I never knew those people existed. In addition to that, someone on this planet possessing that kind of wealth was unfathomable in my mind. Heck, my numbers skill set never counted that high. But when yahoo wrote the article, I started to think.

What if I went on a date with a trillionaire. What would he look like? How old was he? How did he come into that kind of wealth? 

And then I started to dig a little deeper. When yahoo ran this article they had a picture of big old mansion on the front page. I stared at the mansion for a long time. And the more I stared at the picture, the creepier I felt. I imagined what it must be like to live inside its cold lonely halls. 

I wondered if the walls could talk, what secrets would they share?What did they have access to that the rest of us never knew about? Can you imagine sleeping in one of his bedrooms in that big old place? 

Not me! I'd sleep with one eye open the entire night. Every creaking floor or every shift of the house would set me on edge. I'm a big old scaretie cat. I have a wild, yet vivid imagination. I'd be in the house seeing ghost or watching shadows pass through the walls. 

But more than that, I'd be especially afraid of the owner of the house. Yes, guys! If I met a trillionaire, I'd be shaking in my boots. Why you say? Because I'd wonder what had this person done in their life to acquire this kind of wealth. I mean lets be honest here people; there is no way a person can be a trillionaire with a high moral compass. I'm sorry guys, I just don't believe that. 

The mere fact that this person holds this kind of wealth knowing all the poverty that exist around the world, makes me cringe. I mean, you must be a cold-hearted person to be unaffected right? 

Like I said, creepy!!! creepy!!!

Just food for thought. Have a good weekend everybody!

Chasing the Dream? Um No...The Dream Can Chase Me !!

I am reminded of an interesting conversation I had with a family member one day. I won't say who that was, because the person I spoke with has a huge internet presence and so does the person I want to talk about. 

But hey, I'm a writer and all we do is talk about people we know all day long !! (In directly of course)

But any who, it was mentioned that there is this person who is known for trying to get his small business off the ground. Now this in itself is very commendable because he/she is very young. But the funny thing about it is this person is known among their peers as the one whose always 'chasing the dream.'

Well that's good right? Dreams keeps us alive. Dreams makes us release endorphines that keeps us happy. Therefore, our bodies fight off diseases better. We are just overall happy people.

But then sometimes, dreams can frustrate us. Deferred or unrealized dreams can also make us sick. I was looking at TEDx talks on YouTube and there was a very interesting subject about how MRI Scans tracks brain activity in people who are in love versus those who are not. Certain areas of the brain light up, when you are in love and its linked to a hormone called endorphins. 

Endorphins is what cocaine users get a lot of, when they are high. No wonder that want to stay on that plateau all the time.

So back to my question. What happens when dreams don't come true? And let's be realistic here. Sometimes they don't. So what do you do then? Do you lay down and die? Do you slit your wrist? Do you become a house hermit and never interact in life again?

Absolutely not! 

You keep on living! You keep dancing in the sunshine! It's like the old saying goes. Sometimes you can love something so much, you have to let it go and if it comes back to you, it was yours all along. Now that's my motto in life. I'm the queen of letting things go!

So that brings me to my next point. Let the dream chase you! Well, what do I mean by that? I mean, our life spans are short and I am not going to spend every waking moment of my life obsessing over 'the dream.' The dream can and will follow me. (That is, if its meant for me)

I was reading a book about a couple who said they always obsessed over trying to make their small business venture a success. Now anyone who has a small business or even a larger one knows that it takes a lot of blood sweat and tears to make the project fly. But this is the hardship of it all, the whole time the couple focused on the business, their personal relationship was going down the tubes.

They argued and bickered all the time. They didn't get a long. They had a much better relationship before the idea of running a business ever came into play. Ultimately, the couple reset their priorities and decided that their relationship was more important than some business venue. 

That's how I feel. When the smoke clears, what is more important to me is that I didn't waste my life chasing the dream. In stead, I let the dream chase me. If I wanted to spend a day in the park or an afternoon at the beach, that's what I do. Maybe, all this wealth stuff and success stuff is all a mirage. 

Sometimes you just reach a point in your life when you redefine what matters most to you. For me, its watching the sunrise or set. It's listening to children running and playing. It's listening to dogs barking. It's watching people dance at a party. It's going to a concert and watching a live band! Now to me, that's life. That's living. 

Not being cooped up in some old office, or stuck in your garage, plotting and planning my next move for 'the dream.' You know because 'the dream' is ALL that's important right? Perhaps, for some, but not for me.

You see, I have been sick for many years now with my evil old belly. And when you are sick for so long. By the time you start to recover, you see life through a whole new set of lenses. In addition to that; you notice days, months and years that have gone by and all that time, you were bed ridden. And just fighting to have a pain free day. 

Now do you see where 'chasing the dream' is less and less important. So what dream am I chasing. My movie deal!! That's right. I want to see my novel on the big screen! I want my novel to be the next Lord of the Rings!!

Side note...I received a wonderful compliment from a friend who read my novel "Rainy" and she said Tammie this weekend I saw a really great movie. And the entire time I was watching it, I thought about you. And I said ' Oh wow, that's great! What was the movie?"

And she said...

LORD OF THE RINGS !! 

Omg..You could have bought me for a penny. I had the biggest smile on my face. That's all I wanted. Rainy was written under the inspiration of 'Lord of the Rings'. I'm just so happy that some one else saw that without me having to tell them. 

OK so back to my post!

So this is what I'm saying. I can't be so obsessed with being a film maker or having a movie deal that I can't see the sun when it comes out. I still have to keep on living regardless of how this story plays out. That's why my motto is 'let the dream chase me' !!

One more thing before I close. I read an article somewhere about Steve Job's final days. And right before he died people asked him how did he feel about his work at Apple. And he said something to the effect of how now 'it really didn't matter'. This man was preparing himself for the new chapter of his life. Immortality!!  

And he's not alone we all will !!

But the interesting part is, at the end of the day: does it really matter? Book deal, movie deal, your name in lights...etc. Does it really matter? Well, we all have to define what is important to us. 

For me, when I'm an old lady and I look back over my life. I want to be able to say.. "You know what life, you kicked my arse while I was on earth. But now that's its all said and done..the last words I want to leave to you is this..

'Whenever I got the opportunity, I always danced in the sunshine !!'

Stay encouraged people and don't take life so seriously!!

Why Do We Fall - Motivational Video

A Message For Child Abuse Victims...

This has always been a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I've always had a soft spot for children and the thought of them being exploited in any manner makes me cringe. Through out the years, I've seen videos, blogs and articles about child victimization; and immediately after reading the articles, I always scroll down to the comments. 

But this is where things get disturbing...

I've seen so many people post comments for the victims saying:

"Oh if you didn't say anything, you must have liked it" or "Why are you speaking about it now? Why didn't you say something back then?"

These types of questions/statements make me want to hurl! In addition to that, it speaks volumes about the commenter. Nevertheless, my post is not a message for the people who leave negative comments, but its for the victims of these crimes. 

If you are ever in a situation where you either read or hear someone make this type of statement, DISMISS THEM IMMEDIATELY!
If you are reading comments, stop reading! If you are in mid-conversation with someone and this is their response... stop talking and walk away. 

Yeah, just like that!!

Why? Because you never cast your pearls before swine. He will trample over them. That's what swine do. They step on things that are valuable. When you decide to share this kind of story, be 100% sure you are sitting among wise counsel. If your counsel is not wise, stop talking! Like I said, if you are in mid-sentence, seal your lips! DO NOT UTTER ANOTHER WORD!!

If you needed open heart surgery, would you go to the local grocery store butcher and let him cut you open? I mean, he does have skills with a knife. But is he trained to handle the intricacies of the human heart? Absolutely not! Therefore, the same principle holds true for your delicate situation. 

Shut out all the noise and seek the help of a medical professional immediately. And yes boys and girls, the keyword here is PROFESSIONAL!

Take Care Everybody.~

Road Rage: Do you ride bumpers and blare bright lights???

True Story!

I was going to my dad's house one day. He lives off a major highway. Traffic was moderately heavy, but not too bad. Yes, I was driving in the left lane because I was going to make a left hand turn to my dad's house within about 15 minutes or so. 

Well this car was riding my bumper because he/she wanted me to drive in the slow lane; which is on the right side of the road. So in order to get my attention, the person started to flick their lights. 

I didn't move. 

Well, I wasn't driving slow. I maintained the speed limit. In my dad's area the police is heavy. So if the limit says 55, do not drive above 60 because they will get you. Any who, I kept driving. 

Well by this time the driver had gotten so angry with me because I didn't drive in the lane they wanted me to, so he/she cut on their bright lights and kept riding my bumper.

So, I'm like really dude? Are you kidding me? 

I kept driving. I turned my rear view mirror out of my eyes so I could see. Well you would have thought that after a while, the driver would have moved to the far right lane and went around me since that lane was clear; but no. He/She kept blaring their lights behind me.

OK, so now I'm really getting annoyed. So what do you think I did?

Yep, you guessed it. Slowed down!!

And I mean really slow. So what did the other driver do then? He/She slowed down too..AND KEPT RIDING MY BUMPER!!

Now, I know I'm dealing with a crazy person. They could have been where they wanted to go a long time ago, had they just went around me. But no, some people think they own the road. (Well, I take that back) Some people are just mean spirited BULLIES!

I kid you not. I slowed down to about 45mph. Guess what? The person still would not go around me. So now I'm getting angry. I hit my brakes! He/She swerved and had to run off the road to keep from hitting me. OK. So now I'm thinking: That'll teach'em. But no wait, there's more. 

I really ticked them off. The person went around me, speeding like a mad man/woman. Pulled in front of me and slammed on their breaks. So then, I swerved off the road to keep from hitting them in the back of their car. 

After this, the person sped up and tried to get away. So now, I'm heated. I'm really boiling with anger. I mean where are the cops when you need them? I tried to catch up with the person so I could get their license. But he/she was driving so freaking fast, I would have to do major speeding to catch them.

Looking back, what should I have done? Ignore crazy people. Let that fool have the highway since he/she wants it. Things really could have taken a much uglier turn. God was with me! Going forward, I would not play that kind of cat and mouse game again. You never know what mentally ill person you're dealing with. They could have had a gun and a dead body in the trunk of their car for all I knew. Stay safe everybody.  

Later peeps!

There You Go: Johnny Gill ...Song Analysis Boomerang Movie Soundtrack

Re Dwayne Johnson "The Rock" Engaged - Watch his marriage proposal

First it was Kendall Jenner, Now it's the thin Yale Student: Give Skinny People a Break!

Well just like the old saying goes. "You're damned if you do and damned if you don't." No matter what anyone does, there will always be criticism.

So Yale University pretty much told Frances Chan that either she could fatten up or risk expulsion. Once student health services found out about France's weight, they automatically decided that she had an eating disorder. According to their statistics most of Yale's student body is over achievers and that puts them at high risk for eating disorders.

Unfortunately, for Frances, she fit into this category. When I first read this article I thought it was a fluke. Like I really thought it was a joke. I didn't even know it was legal. Can a school really expel you if you don't meet their weight requirements? 

Thank God when I was in college I never had to go to UNC-
G's student services or else I would have been out of school a long time ago. 

Like Frances, I too have a high metabolism. No matter how much I eat, I will not gain weight. And now because I have been battling 'erosive gastritis' for the past two years, I am still 7 to 8 pounds under my ideal weight. 

All my life,  I have struggled with bullies constantly harassing me about my weight. This happened often when I was in high school and also well into adulthood. When I was in college, nobody cared. I never suffered any criticisms to my knowledge. (But God only knows what was said when I was not around)

The good thing about UNC-G was the campus was pretty big and I spent most of my time in lecture halls. I loved it. I like feeling anonymous and just listening to the professor talk all day. 

But when school was over and I entered into the workforce where  the quarters were more intimate, insults flew on a regular basis. Sometimes, I feel like larger people think they get a pass to pick on petite folks. It's like, because our society is obsessed with being thin, they are free to insult skinny people whenever they feel like it.

Since I've been sick, and also before my sickness, people constantly harassed me saying things like 'Oh my! You look like the wind is going to blow you away or OMG did you get your clothes from the toddler section of the store?'

So yeah folks, you name it and I've heard it. Sometimes, I wish I could catapult myself off this planet and live in a world where people stopped gorking at me all the time. Is that the only thing we can talk about as a society? I mean there are more serious issues in the world right?

I hope this issue with Yale resolves itself soon for Frances. The only thing I know she is going to have to do is, have her personal physician back her up. We are not a one size fits all society. Some people really are naturally thin. However, the same way larger people want to be treated with respect, petite folks do to!

Anyway, I'm done rambling. Have a good one everybody!

A Review of The Red Shoe Diaries by Zalman King

Does anyone remember this movie? It was an old Showtime movie that debuted around 2006. It was one of David Duchovny's earlier works. 

Any who, for those of you who have never seen the movie, it is a story about a man named Jake (Duchovny) and his fiance Alex (Brigitte Bako). Alex decided to commit suicide because she was unable to confront her feelings for Jake and a construction worker named Tom.

Tom and Alex have amazing chemistry and there is no way the fire between them is going to be extinguished by her upcoming nuptials. So rather than Alex confront the situation head on. She decided to take an easy way out and kill herself. 

So this brings me to the topic of this discussion. Jake spent a lot of time trying to figure out why Alex did what she did or perhaps what he could have done to prevent it. 

Well the truth of the matter is; in my opinion, Alex was damaged goods and technically she would not have been happy with either one of them. When I look at women or people in general who are like Alex I think of dead weight. I often think of people that you will always have to cater to or carry. 

And perhaps they are not vampires (always sucking the life out of you) because they want to be that way; but because they are simply broken. Alex was too needy. So needy that I don't think she ever would have been able to do anything for Jake if he needed her. 

Alex's character required 24 hour nurturing. And that's draining. How in the world would a relationship thrive off of that? People like her maybe appealing initially, but after a while, the honey moon phase is going to wear off. I know that Jake really loved her, and felt betrayed but sometimes, there really is a blessing in betrayal. 

Nine times out of ten, all the people who leave you, only leave because their part to play in your life really is over. But sometimes, we are the ones who didn't get the memo. 

I can only imagine what it must feel like to get ready to make one of the biggest commitments you can to another person and then later find out that person was untrue. I felt especially sorry for Jake when he lay curled up on the floor in the fetal position after reading Alex's diary. All that time he'd been thinking she was the one and all she'd done was screw him over.

Nevertheless, he really was better off without Alex. Don't get me wrong. I hate she killed herself but she required too much. And although Tom loved her too, she was too much weight for him to carry as well even though he did work with a jack hammer all day!

Cheerio folks! More reviews to come!!!

So I Had A Bad Dream The Other Night...

And in this dream I saw the sickness that plagues me now. OK. So I know you all may be wondering, what the heck am I talking about? Well keep reading and I will explain.  

A few days ago I made a Youtube video about my book "Rainy." In the video I explained how the character Rainy was born. Rainy is my alter ego. She represents my anger, my revenge, my wrath, my dark consciousness. And I was telling the viewers how I had taken all my frustration and shaped it into the form of a character.

OK..so there's nothing strange about that right? A lot of writers and artist do that. So what's the big deal? Well let me tell you.

Bare with me because dreams are weird.

But anywho, in the dream I was in a room that looked like a motel room. And there was this brown skinned girl lying on the bed covered up in a white sheet that was pulled all the way up to her neck. She was a little bigger than me. (I only weigh about a 100 pds) But she was sort of short. Like she may have had her legs drawn up to her belly.

She looked like a invalid or a mute who couldn't talk because she never spoke to me.  Her lips were pink and her mouth was slightly twisted. I don't remember her having hair or anything as I only kept focusing on her face.

 

But anyway, I was getting ready to walk in the bathroom to prepare for bed when I noticed the "invalid girl" had slid her head off the pillow.

When I saw her laying on the bed with her head not elevated, I spoke harshly to her pointing my finger at her saying. "Hey, you know you better keep your head raised. Get back on that pillow!"

The "invalid girl" slid back onto the pillow never taking her eyes off me and just kept laying there staring. Then all of a sudden I woke up.

So what the heck was that all about?

Well once I got up, I realized the sick girl was my abdomen. I have been battling "erosive gastritis/gastropathy" for over 2 years now and this little illness has put me through the ringer. 

When I raised my voice at the girl and told her to keep her head on the pillow; It was my subconscious talking to me because I have to sleep elevated every night to keep acid from crawling up my throat and also, it takes the pressure off my belly and it hurts less. There have been times in the middle of the night when I have awaken and I'm not elevated. So I yell at myself in my mind and say. "Get back on that pillow!" And Immediately, I will raise myself to an upright position. 

I know creepy huh?

So what is the significance of the motel room. Well I think the motel room represents my condition only being temporary. I only have to deal with this issue until my stomach lining heals. This condition is not permanent and I think that is the reason why I was watching over "invalid girl" in a motel room. Because motels are not permanent residencies.

This is the first time I've ever had a dream like this where I've seen my illness. I know most dreams reflect our subconscious or some obstacle we are fighting in our lives but this took the cake. 

I can't get the image of that "invalid girl's" face out of my mind. She looked sickly and old. I mean her skin was wrinkled, her eyes looked beady and sort of weary. IDK...creepy!

But yes, ladies and gentlemen. It was a direct reflection of how I see my belly! The human mind is amazing.

Later gators !!!

 

Home Ownership: An American Dream? Or Owner's Nightmare?

I purchased my first home somewhere around 2011. The funny thing is, I really don't remember the exact date and I'd literally have to pull my deed to see what it said. 

I guess it's because once I got into the home; all hell started to break loose. So needless to say, most of the enthusiasm I felt when I first moved in quickly dissipated. 

First and foremost, I had long given up on the idea of ever having a house. I had tried with one other lender and they wanted me to jump through way too many hoops so I decided to just go back to an apartment; a nice one this time!

Nevertheless, unexpectedly the opportunity for home ownership reared its lovely head again and so I said "OK I'll give it another shot." Before I moved back home, I had clothes/furniture all over the place. Pieces of me was scattered all over the state. So the thought of finally having all my belongings in one centralized location was a dream come true.

Long story short, I had the house built and moved in. Well 6 months into the home; I got a letter in the mail. It was a statement of my property taxes. It said the value of my home had been reassessed. The value was now listed as $170K. 

OK so what does that mean to me? I've never purchased a home before. I know nothing about real estate so um...k. In addition to that the statement also said. This is not a bill. 

Great! No worries for me right? 

Huh..um wrong! Another 6 months later. I got a statement from my bank. My mortgage had increased about $80. My eyes grew big as saucers! What the heck? Hey I don't have one of those balloon rate mortgages so what gives?

As I kept reading the letter it said I had a escrow shortage. Once again. I'm totally clueless to all this mortgage lingo. True I used to work in mortgage many moons ago when I was in my early twenties but dang, now I'm 41. OK so I called my lender. 

The rep was rude and said I needed to contact my insurance company because the shortage was probably their fault. OK so I called the insurance company because if they had caused the discrepancy by raising my rates, I was leaving them pronto.

The next day my agent at the insurance company contacted my lender. She didn't understand the letter either. Finally the lender told her, it was my taxes!

Yes folks, the dreaded "T" word! Ugh I was so upset. So what did I do? I did what most people do when they get this kind of letter. Pay the money and keep it moving! 

There wasn't any point in contacting anybody at the tax office. I mean what was I going to say? How could I fight those people? 

So whats my point? If you live in an apartment don't let the folks who own homes make you believe you are missing out on something. Everything that glitters aint gold. Owning a house is a huge responsibility! The grass always looks greener on the other side.

Talk to you guys later! Have a great night!