A/C, Cipro & No Bo.

It's been a couple of weeks since having Fredrich in our classroom, and he seriously has been a life-saver! The last two weeks have been unbearably hot and having the A/C unit in my room has helped a ton with removal of humidity! It typically kept the temperature somewhere between 73-77*F which was really nice, but the amount of humidity in the hallways and other classrooms compared to mine was SO noticeable, and it really made a difference in the ease to breathe! It has cooled off this week, so we're giving Fredrich a break since he's worked so hard lately. :) My class has been SO good about having the air. They don't really know why I have it, but we've discussed not bragging about it and especially not complaining how hot it is when we go into the hallway or other rooms in the school, because we're very fortunate to have A/C. I did get Fredrich a few days before our Open House, so the families who came were able to see/feel the difference. Many parents just mentioned how cool it was, but not many really asked why. I did have this disclaimer on the board:

One parent read it and said, "Wow, you have CF?! I had no idea! I couldn't tell by looking at you. Some of the people I see (she's a surgical technician) are in bad shape." She was so sweet about it, and we talked about my health for a few minutes. It was a nice way to connect with her on a different level than just teacher/parent.
I don't like to wear a sign on my forehead saying, "I have CF", but at the same time, I don't mind share when it comes up. I figured the parents would be wondering why only our class had air and ask, but they really didn't! I think they were so overwhelmed by the heat they just wanted to get out of there! :)

A couple weeks ago, I also started two things: Cipro and "No Bo". I wasn't feeling terrible, but I wasn't feeling my greatest either. With the week of heat before getting A/C in my room, combined with my lower lung function results from my last doctor visit, I could feel it all catching up to me. I was getting exhausted quickly, so I realized I just needed a boost. I got in contact with my doctor and nurse and asked for a round of Cipro to help me out of this funk. Between that and the air in my classroom, I could slowly feel my energy coming back and I was starting to feel back to normal.

Unfortunately, I was on Cipro when we went camping, and completely forgot about the sun sensitivity, so I ended up with sun poisoning on top of my head (where my part is) and on my legs. Thankfully it didn't hurt too bad on my legs, it just looked bad. I was able to keep myself in the shade for the most part during recess duty and avoid it getting worse or spreading.

And finally - What is No Bo, you ask?! It's a running group called "No Boundaries" through a local bike and fitness shop. It's a 10-week program that helps runners of all levels. I'm in No Boundaries One, so our end goal "graduation" is the Turkey Trot in November. I decided to join this group with a mom-friend I met through Baby Talk, and I even got my next door neighbor to join with us, too! I really wanted to get myself back into an exercise routine, but I was struggling to motivate myself and hold myself accountable. With No Bo, I have the routine and accountability that I need. We have group work outs on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with homework in between. I just finished week three of the program and I can already notice a difference!

Not only can I get through the warm-up without my legs feeling like they're on fire, but I decided to run a 5K with Tim and some friends today! Chris, his girlfriend, Sammy, Tim, Chris's family, and I walked/ran a 5K benefiting CASA of Will County. Chris's sister is doing a marketing internship with their organization, so we helped her out by joining the race. Since signing up for No Bo, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get my "homework" in for the day by doing some walk/run intervals. Thankfully, I had Sammy there to motivate the heck out of me and I was able to run almost the entire first mile (~12 minutes) without stopping! That's a huge improvement from where I was three weeks ago! I'd guess we probably ran about 2/3rds of the race, with some walking in between. But I know I would have walked a whole lot more if Sammy wasn't there with me! Of course Tim flew right by us - even pushing Anna in the stroller - and beat us by about six minutes! But hey....we beat Chris! :)

Anna even (somewhat) participated in the Kiddie Run afterward. She was a little intimidated by all the other kids running, and the adults yelling cheering her on, but she tried!

This was before the Kiddie Run started!
She was at the bottom of her age group (2-6 year olds)

I'm really looking forward to the Turkey Trot in November! If I could almost run the whole 5K today, I'm positive I'll be able to run the entire thing by the middle of November! I've been run/walking two-three days a week and I love the way it's helping me clear my lungs. I'm really looking forward to my next doctor's appointment (which isn't until November) because I'll have been in this program for two months, completed a round of Cipro and I'm starting Cayston tomorrow. I hope the combination of treatments and exercise will really help me get my lung function back up where it should be!