CF Clinic

Here's a quick recap of my appointment yesterday.

I started feeling a cold, extra tingly cough coming on Monday that slowly increased throughout the week. I was worried about what that might show for my lung function because my lungs were getting tight. And now this morning I'm feeling worse than I did yesterday, and I'm really looking forward to the weekend to relax, shake extra, and maybe even get in a nap.

I got to my appointment about ten minutes early, but didn't get called back to a room until about half an hour after my appointment time. Oh well, I had time to scroll through FB and relax after the long drive. The took me back to get my weight (134.9lbs) and then to the room. The people who cleaned it were just walking out and the cleaner smell was SO strong. They asked if I wanted to wait in the waiting room for 5 more minutes while it aired out and I definitely said yes. So, five minutes later she brought me back to the room and it was much better. Someone came in to do my vitals (100% O2 level and blood pressure was fine). Then came the PFTs...

I always get a little bit nervous before doing them because it's basically the whole reason I'm there. It guides the rest of my appointment and tells how my lungs are holding up. My last visit was very disappointing when I had a huge drop and was down to 81%. I was hoping to be a few points higher than that today because I had been feeling excellent until this week, so I was worried that my tight lungs would skew the results. My first blow was pretty good, and when I looked at the screen I saw 86%! I said, "Yes!" and then coughed my brains out for a little bit. Once I got everything out, I did the test again and got an 83...not too bad, but I was getting tired and tight. I coughed a bit more until I felt clear again, then went for a third test. Same result - 83. I could tell the last two were lower because of the way I was feeling, so thankfully they took the first test as my best one. :)

So even with this cold beginning, my lung function has gone up at least 5% over the last couple months. I am very happy with that. I think the combination of being healthier, doing all of my treatments, and joining my running group has definitely contributed to that increase. I'm a little worried I'm going to lose a bit of it by the way I'm feeling this morning, but hopefully I'll fight this nasty bug off soon.

Thankfully, I'm at a very healthy weight so I have some back up pounds to help me get over this cold. As a person with CF, it's always been very hard for me to gain weight, and it's always come off very easily, which was not fun! My body is going to be working extra hard over the next few days to fight this cold, which burns more energy and calories. So I'm glad and lucky to have that extra weight, so that if I did lose a few pounds, I'm still within a healthy range. The unfortunate part of being at the heaviest weight I've ever been is my belly. Oh the dreaded CF belly.....I posted about it several years ago when I thought I was at my highest weight (about ten pounds lighter than I am today - thanks Kalydeco). It's very common in the CF community to have a belly. It's the way our bodies are built and I don't think people who are not familiar with CF understand it. Yes, I look pregnant, but it's all CF belly. That's where I gain my weight (and in my face) and I also have a distended belly because of my digestion issues. CF patients frequently have bowel/digestion issues, extra gas and bloating which all shows in that area....just an extra lovely perk of the disease. So for those of you who keep looking at me funny...please stop. :)

Overall, I had a great appointment. The doctor was very please with my increase in weight and lung function. She wants me to up my treatments to help kick this cold or whatever is developing. Hopefully it'll disappear by next weekend when I'm running in the Turkey Trot! I'll go back in January for a follow-up (she said unless the weather is bad, then we can wait til February).

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!

Rock CF Weekend!

In November, after Tim and I completed the CF CLIMB, I was determined to get back into running/exercising regularly. I found a 5k/half marathon in Michigan put on by a fellow CFer and

was determined to do it...well, the 5k. Little did I know, that a month later I'd be pregnant, so all running plans went out the window.

Well, the Rock CF half marathon & 5k are tomorrow and I'm pretty bummed I'm missing out on meeting some of the very individuals that inspired me to start running to take better care of myself. But I decided it was a safer and smarter choice to stay home so I wouldn't expose my five month pregnant self to other CFers' germs. I know it was the right choice, but I am definitely going to be sad seeing all of my friends' pictures tomorrow because I'd be there in a heartbeat if there wasn't this precious baby growing (and moving like crazy!) inside me. But, there's always next year!

So I'm wishing GOOD LUCK to everyone I know running at the Rock CF 5k, relay and half marathon, including my friend Kaitlin who I worked with while I was an assistant a couple years ago (who does not have CF) and is running her first half marathon! So proud of her and happy she chose it to be for Cystic Fibrosis. Know that I'll be cheering you all on and rockin' my Rock CF shirts all weekend for you!!!

It Got Me

I've been bit by the exercise bug once again! Yesterday's climb has motivated me to keep exercising! So this morning I went out for my first run (aka: slow jog) since Brett's Run in June. I went about a mile and a half, switching between slowly jogging and walking while hacking up a lung. It felt wonderful!

Here's my next goal: 

The Rock CF Rivers Half Marathon, 5K Run/Walk in Grosse Ile, Michigan (I'll be doing the 5K, not the half).

This race is put together by the lovely Emily Schaller who created the Rock CF Foundation (where I got the awesome shirt I wore during the CLIMB yesterday) and also has CF. She's been one of many CF motivators for me and I'd LOVE to run a CF fundraising specific 5K, and meet her! I'm looking for anyone who's willing to make the road trip with me. It's not until March 30th, so we've all got time to prepare and train. I'm serious. I want to go! And, if you have CF, you can sign up for free. :) There are going to be people coming from all over the country to run this and I'd love to be a part of that - now who's with me?!

Positive Thoughts Thursday

First of all, I want to apologize for neglecting to post any positive thoughts over the last month. Tim and I have been through some stressful, crappy stuff over the past few weeks - which is when I should have probably been trying to really focus more on the positives - and I've been feeling pretty crabby lately. Thankfully, I feel like I'm coming around out of that slump a little at a time, and I felt it was necessary to get back into my positive thinking ways...

• A few weeks ago I started taking a probiotic and man, do I feel great! I am less bloated and gassy in general and my bathroom trips have been less frequent. I'm also still trying to monitor my calorie intake and blood sugars to try and stay as regular as possible. I'm hoping the combination of all of these things will help me start gaining the weight back I need.
• Although I have learned quickly that the end of the year is almost (if not more) stressful than the beginning of the year as a teacher, my class and I have had a lot of fun days in the past couple weeks. We went bowling (supposed to go to the zoo, but it was rainy and cold); we went to the YMCA where the kids were able to swim and play in the gym; and just yesterday we had Play Day where we travel from station to station outside all afternoon. There was a bounce house, inflatable slide, inflatable obstacle course, a water station, snow cones, tug of war, dodgeball, and sack/relay races. I am so happy that I'm healthy enough to run around with my kids and be able to participate in all of this fun stuff with them! :-)
• Tim and I are house hunting! Since I have found a job that I love and Tim's now in a stable job, and we're closer to Tim's family, we're looking to buy a house! This is a huge goal of mine (to be a homeowner) and is one of the things that I wasn't sharing about a month ago when I mentioned I was working towards one of my goals. We are currently under contract on a house and are waiting to close (this has been the stress of my life for the past few weeks because it is NOT going according to plan, but I'm keeping this post positive!). I'm hoping soon that I'll be able to post that we're officially homeowners. 
• Last Saturday was my second Great Strides of the season and it was so much fun. We had family on both sides show up to walk on the chilly, windy but sunny day. After the walk, Tim's sister Katrina,
  Tim and I played on the playground with our nephew, Isaac for a while -it was so fun!! I can't believe how big he's getting! See the adorable pictures below. :)
• Kitten update: The kittens are 4 weeks old today! We were able to see them while we were in town for Great Strides last weekend. They are hilarious. Their eyes are open and they're learning to walk, but they stumble all over the place. They are also learning how to play together which is hysterical! I think we sat there for about 2 hours just watching them. 
• Oh, how could I forget?? I'm an aunt to a third nephew!! Tim's other sister, Elise, had her second son, Liam, on Monday, May 6th! He's soooo cute and I cannot wait to go see him in June to celebrate his big brother's third birthday! :-)
• I've started running again and boy did I miss it! A couple days ago I ran 2.4 of my 3.5 mile route! :) Tim and I signed up for a 5K in June (the same one I did for my first 5K last year) so I'm prepping for that. I'm so happy that my body hasn't lost a lot of the endurance I had in the fall since I took the winter off. 

3 1/2 week old kittens

This is our little guy - still haven't agreed on a name yet for him

My favorite picture from Great Strides! Aunt Colleen & Isaac! :)

Running around the park with Isaac

Tim and I just hanging out on the dinosaur!

Weeeee!

He loved peeking through that thing

Haha...that slide was painful on our hips...I think we were a little too big!

The Urge to Run

I never thought I'd miss running, but I really do. Tim and I have been doing some work out videos a few times a week with a weighted ball which have definitely increased my strength and balance, but I miss running. I know it's probably not the best idea if I'm trying to gain muscle and weight, but it was great airway clearance. I think I'll try to do some weight training a couple days a week with maybe a day of running, just so I don't lose the mileage I built up last year.

Today I tried to mix up my work out routine by doing a few different things, but it just doesn't get my lungs going like running does. This is what I did today: First I did the workout called "Kill Those Legs" to try to build leg muscle, then I did "Malibooty" workout which didn't do too much for me, honestly, and finally I ended with the Standing Abs video which was pretty good and went by quickly -- all of these workouts I found on Pinterest. Although I think these things are good for me, I just don't find them very exciting.

I need to take advantage of the YMCA membership that I have (for free) through my job through May. I'd really like to find a kickboxing class or something to join. I want to find something that will be good cardio and good weight training. The key is to build muscle, not burn too many calories. I should also take advantage of the Y's treadmills while it's still pretty chilly to be running outside.

I cannot wait until it warms up enough so I can start running outside. This Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to be in the upper 40s, so I'm hoping after work I can get outside and see how far I can go. It's been about four months (that have flown by) since I've run because I stopped after the Turkey Trot. I'm hoping that the workouts I've done over the past couple months have helped with my leg strength and will help me get back into my running groove faster.

I think I'm going to sign up for a local 5K in March, just to make myself get back into running. I loved doing races last year and I really want to do more this year. This one is called Penguin in the Park and it's on March 23, which gives me about 6 weeks to get my butt in gear. I haven't signed up yet, but I probably will this week. I need something to look forward to, and I think this is just the thing. :-)

Back in the Saddle!

I finally got my butt out of my classroom and off the couch, and finally went running tonight...and man, did it feel good! The hardest part is always just getting myself to do it...it's like I forget how much better it makes me feel. Tim went with me on his roller blades which encouraged me to run more than walk. I only walked about 1/2 block total. We only went about 1.4 miles (6 blocks), but it was a good start. I'm going to try to get back into my 'on two, off one' day routine again with one more run tomorrow evening. I even registered myself for another 5K to motivate myself to stay healthy and keep running! AND, I got Tim to register too so we'll be running it together!  It is a little less than a month away on Sunday, September 16th, and I'm looking forward to it! :-) (Anyone available that morning to please take some pictures for us, I'd really appreciate it!)

In other news, Monday is the first day of school!!! I am SUPER excited for it! I thought I'd be much more nervous, but I'm not...at least not yet. I've still got a little bit of work to get done in my classroom before the kids come, so I'll be in there for a few hours tomorrow and I'll take updated pictures.
Thursday afternoon we had a Kindergarten Open House where the students and families came in to meet their teacher and drop off any supplies. I was able to meet about 1/2 of my students and their families which was really cool. It was very relaxed and it made me very excited for Monday when I'm able to meet all of my students! :)

Ahhhh!!!

That's how I'm feeling right now!!! Nervous. Excited. Anxious. Overwhelmed. Excited. Little bit more nervous. 

I cannot believe how fast this past week and a half has gone by! A huge thank you to everyone that helped us in our moving process. It was quite stressful for me the morning of the move because we literally had to pack everyone's vehicles full to fit everything (and we still didn't get everything), but we made it and that's all that matters. We've been in our house for almost a week now and we're slowly settling in. Up until this afternoon, our refrigerator and stove were in our living room....Tim was laying tile floors in the kitchen, so now we have our appliances where they belong so we were able to unpack the rest of the kitchen boxes this evening. :-) Clutter, mess, and disorganization make me very uneasy/crabby, so I'm feeling much more relaxed now that more things are organized. Garbage day is also tomorrow, so we were able to put lots of stuff on the curb = less clutter in the house!

Besides unpacking and settling into our house, I've also spent a ton of time in my classroom this week! I've met a few of the other teachers and actually got to be on the interview committee to find me an assistant. It was interesting being on the other side of that process, especially since I was just on the opposite side a couple months ago! I've done a lot of work in my room this week and it's finally starting to look like a classroom! I still have several things to do (organize my class library, finish bulletin boards, laminating...) so I'll be trying to manage my time wisely over the next week. Monday-Wednesday I have all day New Teacher Orientation meetings, Thursday is a teacher work day and our Open House (get to meet the kinders and their parents, and the students drop off their supplies) and Friday is a district-wide Rally and then a teacher work day....then the following Monday is the first day of school! Yikes! It's coming up quick. Here a few of the latest pictures of my classroom - I've completely rearranged and added some color to the room by getting some of my bulletin boards done:

Tim playing in the books/puzzles/games area :-)

The view from my desk/group table. I put the rug in the front of
the classroom instead of along side where I originally thought I
wanted it. I really like it this way!

Word Wall - this is where we'll be posting all of the words
we're learning to read this year

The side board where the calendar/schedule will be posted.
Here's a view of a couple of the bulletin boards I've done so far.

As I mentioned, I still have a lot to do but it's a huge difference from when I first saw the room. And with all of this going on, I haven't missed a treatment. :-) They've been getting done much later in the evening than typical for me, but that's just because I don't have a routine yet. On the other hand, I haven't gone running at all. I'm just constantly on the move between my classroom set-up and unpacking at home, I honestly don't even feel like going. I might try to get out there tomorrow and take advantage of the break in the heat....but don't hold me to it. My parents are also coming to visit this weekend, so I doubt I'll go then. I really hope that once school starts and I'm in more of a routine that I can get back out there. That's about all for now. Gotta get my rest for House Calls tomorrow -- showing up at new families' houses welcoming them to our school...should be interesting. :-)

Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

Not much to report here. It's one week til move in day and I cannot believe it! I feel like these past few weeks have flown by, but I'm getting excited. We have several of our friends willing to make the three hour hike with us to help us move into our new place, which is awesome. And, of course we're moving on the one day of the year that the town is having it's 'celebration' so the main street through town will be closed - but we'll manage!

I was able to visit my classroom this past week and my friend and I made some great progress organizing and moving some furniture around despite it being at least 95 degrees in my room! (No air conditioning...) I decided to get rid of my teacher desk because it was taking up useless space and we organized my curriculum books that I have so far. It's not too much of a noticeable change to an outsider (probably just looks messier compared to the last pictures I posted), but I feel like we got a lot done. There is still a TON to do and I'll have the whole week after we move to get my classroom set up. The week after that will be filled with New Teacher Orientations, PBIS workshops, Institute Days, and an Open House for the Kindergarten families to meet the teachers and see their classroom! :-) The first day of school will be here before I know, I'm sure, and I've got lots of nerves and excitement running through me already!

View from the door - straight ahead where the fan is will be my 'desk'/group table.
The cubbies behind it will be for my teacher supplies. There's also the huge pile
of boxes from everything that we organized/stored. 

I've been keeping up pretty well with my running. I went three times this week - running/walking about three miles each time. This week I should go Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Honestly, I'll probably miss Saturday's run since that's the morning we're moving. I'm sure I'll get quite the workout Friday and Saturday loading/unloading the moving truck and everything. But I'll keep pushing myself to do the best I can to be the healthiest I can.

I don't know if I'll post anymore until the big move. If not, then I'll be more than excited to (and I'll have much more to write about, I'm sure) post after we are all settled into our new home. :-)

I'm Finding "The Runner" In Me

I am feeling so much better since my last post. I ended up taking a personal day off on Friday to kind of relax and make sure I got in all of the treatments I needed. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I did four treatments a day - which totally sucked - and I went down to three on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and now I'm back down to two. I know I was supposed to do it for about 10 days, but I can definitely tell that I'm feeling better. My energy is coming back, I have much less post nasal drip (what I do have I think is just from allergies), and I haven't had anymore headaches. I've also stepped up my running thanks to this gorgeous weather we've been having! We've had some record-breaking temperatures this week up into the 70s and possibly even hitting 80 today which is very atypical for the Chicago area in the middle of March - it's usually 40s, 50s, maybe 60s if we're lucky.

This is how I feel it's been this whole week! :-)

It's been awesome having such beautiful weather because it's encouraged me so much more to run outside! I went running Sunday, Wednesday and tonight and I'm thinking I might tomorrow if it's still nice. I also bought adorable new running shoes and added a few pieces to my running wardrobe -- I feel like I'm really becoming a real runner now. :-) I'm planning on signing up tonight or tomorrow for my first 5K which will be on Saturday, June 16, so exactly three months from today! I'm also making Tim run it with me, so I'll have a running partner. I found a route around my neighborhood that's 2.4 miles and I've been trying to run a little bit more of it each time (less walking). Sunday and Wednesday I was able to go a mile straight before walking a little bit, then alternating running and walking the rest of the way. Tonight, I ran 1.67 miles straight before I walked (then alternated). I was so proud of myself that I was able to push myself to go that far! And I find it so funny that it's always my legs that crap out before my lungs do. I've gotten much better at breathing while I run so I'm not so short of breath as I'm running and I can tell that my legs are getting stronger; I just love that fact that my lungs can outlast my legs! I'm hoping that soon enough I'll be able to run my whole 2.4 mile route and then I'll have to add a few more blocks to it to get it up to the three mile (5K) mark. Who would have thought I'd be this into it - I thought for sure it'd be a chore/something I really dislike, but I enjoy the challenge and I love to see myself slowly improving. Yay, me!