Make One Switch to Purina ONE® Cat food.

I had been selected to "review" Purina ONE® dry cat food and my kitties couldn't have been more excited!  Ok, so I personally am not reviewing this, my cats are.  As I'm sure you are also aware, my cats also cannot speak to me like a human.  So if I were to interview them about this I would either be (a) ignored, or (b) meowed at in which I would have no clue how to translate.  Instead, this post will mostly be about the product and I'll try to do my best job translating how my cat felt about it.

I received a bag of  their Chicken & Turkey dry cat food and 'Alohi couldn't have been any more excited!  My gosh, she made it known!


So, why make the One Switch?

Purina has been an innovator on creating products to help us take care of our pets for over 85 years.  From being the first pet food in grocery with real chicken as the #1 ingredient, lowering their environmental impact by reducing water usage and waste, to formulating their foods with SMARTBLEND® to provide your pet with balanced nutrition.  If you click on the picture above it will take you to their site where you can compare their brand to others.  It shows for each product selected, their top 5 ingredients all the way down to vitamins, helping you select what's best for your cat!  You'll see they're quite comparable.  Unsure if it's right for you?  Ask your vet!

Cats can be sensitive to food changes so it's imperative that you do it gradually.  Purina shows you how easy it can be to make the One Switch in a week!

• Days 1–2: Introduce Purina ONE to your cat in small amounts, still feeding primarily his or her old food.
• Days 3–4: Feed a little bit more Purina ONE to your cat each day.
• Days 5–6: Gradually increase the amount of Purina ONE food and decrease your cat’s former food until you are feeding Purina ONE exclusively.
• Days 7–10: By now you should be feeding your cat exclusively Purina ONE.

Unfortunately my older kitty came down with a bad bout of diarrhea before I even got the food and is now on a diet of prescription food and meds before I can even attempt to switch him, but my younger cat, 'Alohi, made the One Switch!  As you can see in the video above she was so excited.

Their old food, which they both shared, after I would feed them they would eat just a little and then go about their cat day, doing cat things.  Then eat a little more here and there, but there would always be a little left in the bowls, or pieces all over the floor by the bowl. With the Purina ONE, she is fed and it's gone quickly leaving her full and satisfied until her next feeding.  I know this because if she wasn't she would make it known!  You heard how loud she is!

Milton wishes he could have made the One Switch.

Once Milton's tummy settles down I hope I can make the One Switch with him.  Based off the information I have, I'm confident in their product.  Plus they make a Sensitive Systems food which I think could be best to feed them both.

The prices can range dramatically depending where you get it, but Purina has set up a pretty good Where to Buy page.  Put in the food and size you are looking for and under "Shop Online" you can see competitors and their pricing.  While you're on their page, go & register to get a $2 off coupon!

This is a sponsored post. I received this as a free sample from Influenster & Purina ONE to try, review, and supply my honest opinion.

Wipe for Water with Neutrogena® Naturals Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

Do you know that every day you can waste up to 5 gallons of water just by washing your face?  When I wash my face, depending what I'm using, I probably waste more than that now that I think about it.  I'm all about recycling, being "Earth friendly," reducing waste, & using natural products too, but I'm not perfect and could really be doing more on my part to help the environment.

So when Neutrogena® Naturals teamed up with Kristen Bell and The Nature Conservancy for their Wipe for Water campaign to support water conservation, I was all over it!  Neutrogena® Naturals will contribute 10% of the retail purchase price on Neutrogena® Naturals Purifying Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes sold in the United States from April 1-June 30, 2015, as well as $1 per pledge made at wipeforwater.com to The Nature Conservancy, with a combined maximum contribution of $50,000 on the retail sales and pledges.  Take the pledge and share the impact of your water savings.  Below, watch the video for their mission then read my thoughts on the product!

   

• Retails $3.24 for 7 count, $7.49 for 25 count.
• About the product: These 97% naturally derived, ultra-soft wipes are clinically proven to completely remove dirt, oil and makeup, targeting even the most stubborn long-wearing and waterproof makeup.  Skin is left purified, fresh and healthy-looking with no greasy residue, so there's no need to rinse.  Made from naturally-derived fibers that come from sustainably-managed forests.  Contains Peruvian Tara Seed bionutrient which hydrates and softens skin naturally.  Rich in Vitamin C, B and complex sugars.  Tara seed works within the skin to boost moisture levels and help prevent dehydration while strengthening skin’s natural moisture barrier.
• What I Thought: Not sure if it's because of the green packaging that made my senses do this but it had a light apple-like scent to it.  The cloth is definitely softer than other facial wipes I have used but a downside of them is they are not biodegradable.  Though you're saving water, you are adding to a landfill somewhere with unknown results on how quickly, if at all, this product will break down.  I do say it's great at removal of stubborn makeup as you can see in my pictures below.  My skin felt a little flush after using but it didn't last very long.  It dried rather quickly and left my skin feeling soft & moisturized for long after.
• I would be open to buying it.

  
 $3.24 is a good price to try it for a week and see if you like it before you splurge.  Also check out and Neutrogena's Special Offers & Coupons for a variety of their products!

This is a sponsored post. I received this as a free sample from Crowdtap & Neutrogena® Naturals to try, review, and supply my honest opinion.

Doctor shopping. Should you do it? (Why I left my last 3 Endocrinologists.)

I don't want anyone reading this to get discouraged about their health if they are suffering with autoimmune diseases.  I want you to take it as a learning lesson.  My life is not yours.  Don't think that having thyroid disease, Hashimoto's, Graves' disease, or whatever you have is going to bring you down the same paths I have been.  I've had many doctors tell me that thyroid disorders are some of the most difficult diseases to diagnose and treat.  You may have a fantastic doctor who is just trying to find the right treatment for you and these adjustments in your treatment, or medication, may take months to kick in.

What you NEED to do is look for warning signs that your doctor may not be right for you.  You're paying them to make you better so you deserve the best treatment you can get!  If you don't understand what they are doing or why they are doing it, ASK!  How do they respond to your questions?  Do they give you a clear explanation?  Do they take their time with you and not rush you out of their office?

Why I left my last 3 endocrinologists:

1) When my 1st endocrinologist told me my Graves' disease / hyperthyroidism had nothing to do with my anxiety.

• But I never had anxiety attacks until recently.
• Are you sure it doesn't?
• Even the Mayo Clinic says it goes hand in hand.
• Or what about the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health studies?
• Even mental health docs say anxiety can be prevalent with Graves', so are you sure? 

Oh ok, you're the specialist and how dare I question your treatment even though my body feels all messed up still.  Why am I leaving your practice you ask?  I don't think I need to give an explanation.  He even had the NERVE to call my pharmacy to put in to NOT refill my thyroid medication after I told them I was leaving.  This caused problems when I got the new script from my 2nd endocrinologist.  Luckily that was quickly cleared up.

2) When my 2nd endocrinologist lied to me.

He was the one that pushed my thyroidectomy, and after that, when I was feeling symptomatic and had all these new issues,  I asked if he was testing other levels instead of just TSH.  "So you just tested my T4/T3 & Free T4/T3 and all my vitamin levels?" He said, "Yes." Got my labs and only TSH was done.

I might still have been with that endocrinologist today if he hadn't lied to me.  How hard is it to write on a script to have certain things tested for when I ask for it?  They aren't paying for it, my insurance is.  He could have at least humored me and ordered it and then just not look at the other results if he really didn't care.  But to lie to me?  It's unacceptable.

3) When my 3rd endocrinologist just wouldn't listen about how I was feeling.

My last health post was pretty much dedicated to the fine disaster that came from this doctor.  I would love to have said I TOLD YOU! to him but I'm not an asshole.  I could tell just by the look on his face at my last appointment that he knew he made a mistake.  His lesson will be losing me as a patient.

~

These doctors were not right for me.  It doesn't mean that that are not right for other people.  Some people do fine on synthetic T4 medications, some don't!  (Before I had my thyroidectomy, and before I had Graves' I did just fine on synthetic T4.)  Since I am going to live with this the rest of my life I need to understand it and I need to have doctors help me regulate it and understand it.  Again, everyone is different.  Reference ranges for blood tests don't mean you are necessarily going to feel fine within those ranges.

 ~

Now I know it's easier said than done to say, "Hey! Don't get discouraged!"  My panic attacks have gone full blown again.  I had, maybe, 1 day last week where I didn't have at least one.  That in addition to my depression is keeping me inside most of the time, unless someone drags me out of the house.  Due to this my doctors have pulled me from work for at least 2 months to give me time to see my new doctors and get tests done and, hopefully, get the right treatment.  I also now have a swollen lingual tonsil that is driving me insane and I went to my ENT about it maybe 3x and feel like going in again because it has been over a month and isn't getting any better.  If anything, it's getting worse and causing my speech to be more raspy.  All of this, and personal matters brought me down so low there was a few times I really scared myself.

Then a day before my appointment with my new endocrinologist I got a call saying she needed to reschedule.  Ok.  So, what's the earliest we can do that?  The woman tells me at the END OF JUNE!  No!  This can't be happening to me!  Instant panic and I'm crying on the phone with her.  I'm out of work.  I already cancelled my appointment with my old endocrinologist.  I set up the appointment but I'm wondering what can I do to get treated before.  Who's a good endocrinologist who I haven't gone to see yet, or naturopath / neuropathy that maybe can help me?  I left a message for my therapist advising what I was told and I felt lost and on the search again.  An hour later, they call back & tell me they can get me in on Monday!  What a relief!  Though everything worked out for the better and I could now relax, not much later the pain of another panic attack hit.