Clinic Day & Positive Thoughts Thursday

I had my CF clinic appointment today and number-wise it wasn't the best, but feeling-wise it went well. Everything's pretty much the same as my last appointment - my lung function is still hovering in the high 70s which I really don't like to see, but I've been feeling really great lately. My weight is about the same - today it was 108.5. Thankfully I have a wonderful relationship with my doctor and I was able to explain to her how I was feeling and she understands that sometimes the numbers don't reflect that. She just told me not to worry or focus on the numbers which made me feel better...as long as things don't keep going down, that's what matters. Of course I'm still trying to increase my weight and lung function (always!), but for some reason it's just sticking where it is right now, so I think I'm going to really have to take advantage of the next month and really kick my butt into gear. I need to make sure that I'm consistently exercising and consuming at least 2,500 calories per day, especially before I head back to work.

We did discuss the possibility of adding Kalydeco into my life if I can't seem to get out of this rut which really makes me excited. When Kalydeco first came out I was honestly a little hesitant about going on it. In a weird way, I felt like if I started taking Kalydeco, then I was "giving up" on fighting CF myself. After typing that out, it sounds totally strange, but that's the way I felt. I feel like I've been doing a really great job keeping myself healthy and I didn't want to....I don't even know how to word it... I was also concerned that 'What if I was taking it for several months, saw a great increase in lung function, and then for some reason I had to stop taking it and then my lung function would go back down (to the 80s which is still 'normal') and I would feel like complete crap.' I was nervous that once I started it, it would be something that I'd never be able to live without, something that I'd rely on forever.
But after a great discussion with my doctor today, she put it in perspective for me. Everything that I'm doing now -Vest twice a day, six-eight nebulizers a day, countless amounts of pills, etc -I'm going to rely on those forever to keep me healthy, so what's another pill? Especially if it's going to change things for the better, increase my quality of life, and possibly reduce the amount of medication/treatments I do now...duh! What was I thinking?! So the plan is to see how the next few months go and at my next clinic appointment in October we'll make the decision on whether to start the approval paperwork, or to keep it on the back burner.

And finally, I've totally been slacking on my positive thoughts Thursday posts over the past few months, honestly, because we've been completely stressed...which is probably when I should be doing it, but either way here's some recent positive thoughts:

• We are 15 days away from our scheduled closing date on our first home! As long as everything keeps going according to plan we should be moved in before August! Yay!
• The possibility of Kalydeco entering my life is starting to get me really excited it. Of course it may not be until the end of this year, it's something that I'm looking forward to. :)
• I love summer break! Not a huge fan of summer weather, but the time off is amazing! I've been able to do way more this summer than I even thought I was going to do and there are still several more fun things planned...next one on the list: Country Thunder! One week from today! Oh yeah!
• Our new little guy, Ozzie, is adjusting very well to life in our home. He has an enormous amount of energy and he's hilarious to watch when he's running around! Archie is also doing a wonderful job being patient with him and playing (usually) gently with him. 

Can you tell who's who?! Haha...Archie's (4 yrs old) a big hefalump, but
Tim thinks Ozzie (3 months) might get to be about his size...we'll see. :) 

Holiday Weekend

We had such a fun and busy 4th of July weekend! We spent Thursday during the day hanging out with all of Tim's family and then that night we enjoyed fireworks together. I have a soft spot for the fourth of July because that was the night that Tim proposed to me, four years ago. :-)

The following day, my 25th birthday, a bunch of us went together to see Despicable Me 2. It was so cute, during the show, our three year old nephew, Cole, would tap us on the shoulder and say, "Tim, Tim,(or Coyeen, Coyeen) shhhhh!" when we weren't even talking, haha. :) That night they also surprised me with a delicious Reese's ice cream cake!

On Saturday, Tim's other sister, her husband & their son came up for the day to visit. We hung out at Tim's dad's house where some went swimming while I was on baby Liam watch. :) Then we visited Tim's mom so she could see all of the boys. Finally, on Sunday, I drove up for my friend Catie's bridal shower while Tim stayed to hang out with his sister, her kids, and his grandma.

When I came back from the bridal shower, we packed up all of our stuff from the weekend, headed out to Tim's dad's house to pick up our kitty, Ozzie (which we finally agreed on the day before we got him) and finally bring him home! He is so adorable and FULL of energy! I've never had a kitten before so this is a totally new experience for me. Archie is being very patient with him and they even were playing together for a little bit today without Archie being totally overbearing -- he means well, he's just super friendly...which is kind of scary to a tiny kitten. It's been an interesting (and exhausting!)
couple of days having him home, but I love it. It's going to be so fun when him and Archie are comfortable with each other because I think they're going to get along very well.

Next on my summer 'to-do' list is my CF clinic appointment which is tomorrow. I'm planning on heading up to stay with my parents this evening to make the drive more bearable tomorrow morning. I'm hoping for a slight increase in my weight and lung function. I've been trying to do my medicine ball workout video a couple times a week and I'm at 131 days of 100% compliance with all of my treatments. I've been feeling good, coughing out a lot of nasty mucus (but not anything more than usual, which is good), so I'm hoping that shows tomorrow. If not, at least I know that I'm feeling well and that's what matters.

And hopefully in the next week or two I'll finally be able to share with you something that I'm totally proud of...as for now though, my lips are sealed. ;) Stay tuned....

Positive Thoughts Thursday

Sometimes I feel like I use this blog to vent/complain about things going on in my life, and I don't want to continue with all of that negativity. So each week I'm compiling a list of positive, happy, lucky, fortunate things that are going on in my life or anywhere around the world.

Here's a side view of what they
do every time I do my treatments!

• I found a local (about 45 minutes from where we currently live) Great Strides 5K!!! I'm so glad to have found a 5K to support the CFF! I'm definitely going to train for this one! :) For information, click here.
• This week I've been on spring break and its been very relaxing. I've been able to read some of a book, watch lots of Dr. Phil (guilty pleasure!) and crime shows, and I even got my planning done for next week already.
• Today I'm heading north!! I'm very excited to see some family and friends this weekend. Tomorrow I'll also be spending the day at the school I worked in last year, visiting previous co-workers and students! Yay!
• Exciting things are happening, but I'm sworn to secrecy for now... ;) It has to do with a couple of my Goals.



Sorry it's blurry - I tried to take a
picture with my webcam.
Archie is loving sitting on my lap while
doing my treatments. And Pez (Tim's sister's
cat) is hanging out on the back of the chair.

• Tim's dad has a pregnant cat at his house. I'm already begging him for a kitten when it gets old enough! I've never had a kitten before and I think it would be so fun. I think I'm turning into a crazy cat lady....We have our cat, Archie. And right now we're "cat-sitting" for my sister-in-law and her husband while their house is on the market. They're trying to move to IL, yay! I don't know if I can handle 3 cats at once...that's a little on the crazy side. :-)

30 Days of Blogging: Day 5

Day 5 - Talk about your pets
In May 2011, Tim and I adopted a nearly two year old cat, named Archie, from an animal humane society. We went there with a friend who wanted to get a cat, and of course we ended up finding one that we liked and went back the next day to adopt him (and to this day, our friend still hasn't gotten one). I've never had a cat before, never really been around them until I met Tim and his family, and then I found out that I was allergic to cats. But somehow, in that four years of knowing Tim and being exposed to cats, I think I built up some immunity to them or something because I don't have any allergy problems with Archie. He's a total goofball, but very sweet, and fits in very well with Tim and I. He loves to play and he loves fleece blankets.

Archie's a St. Louis Cardinals fan, just like Tim :-)

Archie sitting in my Vest bag -
he likes to climb up in my chair while
I'm doing my Vest and put his front paws
on my back. Weirdo.

We got this new papasan chair for Christmas and
Archie will not go in it without the fleece blanket.
(I think he has some sensory/texture issues)

2011: A Year of Reflection & Motivation

I cannot believe that I've had this blog for an entire year now! 2011 has definitely flown by this year - 72 (now 73) posts later, I've learned so much about myself in this year of writing, it has been amazing.

There have been some ups: Helping organize the first annual Great Strides in our town (and huge support from my family, friends, co-workers in raising money), our new apartment, the amazing development of Kalydeco!, we adopted our cat (Archie), celebrating our first wedding anniversary, becoming an aunt for the second time, I became an organ donor, and of course the beginning of a new me: 100% compliance since July 31st (153 days) and the addition of my exercise routine = increased PFTs!

And some downs: Several interviews but no teaching job, lots of doubts/worry about if having a child is the right thing for us - baby w/ CF or not?, and crappy/smoking/nasty neighbors.

But the 'ups' have definitely out-weighed the downs this year, and I cannot complain about that one bit. This has been a wonderful year of reflection and motivation for me and I appreciate all of you reading and commenting on my posts. I can't promise another 70-something posts next year, but I'll try my best. :-)

Goals for 2012:

• Get my FEV1 into the 90s and keep it there!
• Complete a 5K
• Keep forging ahead with our pregnancy discussions                                                                       and maybe become a mommy
• Find a full-time teaching position
• Stay as happy and healthy as I am now! :-)

News

Well, the suspense is over. In the mail on Thursday I got a letter from the middle school I interviewed at saying that they chose someone else for the job. Honestly, I wasn't too upset because I wasn't really getting my hopes up for that position. Then yesterday, I got another letter in the mail from the first place I interviewed at, also saying no. I was pretty annoyed that it took her over two weeks to mail me a letter saying no. She could have at least called like she said she was going to, but hey, there's nothing I can do about it now. I really was hoping to get a position there, considering there were three in the school, but oh well. I am still waiting to hear from the district of my third interview I had this past Tuesday. I am going to keep applying for jobs as much as I can; a few positions were posted in my current district and local districts, so I keep applying for those. If I give up now, I'm definitely not going to get anything, so I just have to keep my head up and try to stay positive. I got some good experience with those interviews, so I am more prepared for future ones.

In other, more exciting news, Tim and I adopted a cat last Monday. His name is Archie and he's almost two years old. We went to the Humane Society, Tails, on Sunday to look with a friend because he wanted a cat, and we ended up finding Archie and loving him! On Monday, Tim bought the litter box, food and water containers and anything else we needed for him before he went to work. After work on Monday, I went back to Tails and picked him up. He's been making himself right at home this week. He loves to look out windows and follow us around everywhere. The first couple days, we were practically stepping on him because he always wanted to go where we were. He's starting to explore on his own and be a little more independent. He's very loving and loves to roll around and be petted. I've never had a cat before, and actually Tim and I are both allergic, but we've been doing fine with him. I think we've built up some immunity being around cats in Tim's family. Here are a couple pictures from the first few nights he was home:

The first few nights we kept him in the bathroom to make sure he used his litter box.
This is where he decided he would sleep - on a shelf above the toilet. He knocked
everything off and made himself comfy!

This really shows his color. He didn't like the camera flash so the rest of the pictures are
kind of dark. He looks fat here, but he's really not. He loves to roll around like this on the floor!

Archie, up close and personal.

Smiling for the camera

Sleeping with Tim on the couch. He loves to sleep on the couch and recliner.

The boys bonding.