I am definitely not a hot weather person. My lungs don't like to cooperate and I always seem to find something that triggers my allergies when its warm. This summer has been no exception. Although we did go on a vacation in the beginning of June, I feel like I haven't done many "summer-y" activities. Sure we've been to a few bbq's and sat in our (thankfully) air conditioned home. But I tend to stay indoors in the humidity unless I can sit on a beach or live in the water. I have not been to any local beaches (Cape Cod is usually my favorite, or New Hampshire) which I typically treasure those times. I have many memories as a child of packing up for the day and going to sit on the beach, play in the water, dig in the sand. It was a part of my summer. Of course now, I work and planning ahead for a day at the beach isn't always on my agenda. I don't have my parents to carry the heavy cooler or make my sandwich. ;) This (past) summer my Sunday's consisted of cleaning the house, napping and hanging out close to home. I guess this is all part of growing up, taking responsibility. I would have loved the luxury of planning ahead, making sure I have sandwich meats in the house, and packing a lunch to the beach. But I also know that if we went to the beach it would be a whole new set of exhausting for me…a long walk from the car carrying my gear. If I had time to plan for the beach, it'd be less exhausting actually being there. My work schedule doesn't exactly permit me to plan things in advance either so I am working on that. Hopefully a somewhat new schedule with some weekends off is in my future
I am not saying I regret anything thats happened this summer…on another token it has been wonderfully warm, but not necessarily excruciatingly so. Of course after last winter, I'd take anything. Snow up to your shoulders will do that to ya. No I am not ready for summer to be over, but I do enjoy the cool nights of fall and apple picking and pumpkin beer and cuddling under my handmade blankies. The changing seasons always seems to get me in a funk. It's like I am ready to move on, but hesitant to do so. I know the winter will bring me inside more so and even closer to home if I do have to go out. I want summer to last just a little bit longer, I want to go to the beach again. I want to do stuff outside. I don't want to be stuck inside for a long cold winter. I mean, last winter was like yesterday, right?! I think thats why I am struggling so much more with this change of seasons. I know what comes after the Fall. So no matter how much I tell myself, I love the fall, this year I am just seeing it as a stopover to what comes next. Many people in my area have the same thoughts. It.Snowed.So.Much. last year.
I even (dare I say) like the winter, love the snow. But not so soon. ha. I guess the moral of this is that we don't know what comes next. This winter could be drastically different. Maybe it won't snow at all (ha, fat chance of that). Maybe my life will slow down enough so that I can enjoy those quiet winter days with beautiful snow falling out my windows. Maybe if all goes well, we will be celebrating a new blessing for next year, a new life. I know many of my thoughts have been coming back to that lately…to fertility treatments, to pregnancy, to babies. I am glad we finally have a road to travel and we are finally going to pursue treatments, but I am deathly afraid they won't work. And that my dears, is why the winter scares me. Because some day, I will look back on that as the winter that either "it" worked or the winter that it didn't work.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
September 4
So I guess that's what this will all come down to, September 4 we have our appointment with the fertility specialist…again. I thought maybe I'd be excited/happy to finally be doing this again, but I really can't describe my feelings. I have been extremely on edge lately, letting little things bother me more than they should, and just generally feeling very anxious. I want this to happen, I want to be pregnant. I want to be a mom, I want to create a family with my husband. But I have this intense fear that it won't work. That it'll never happen. According to our insurance, we have five chances. What happens after that? What if those five chances don't work? What if one of them does work?
I think my anxiety about this process has been compounded by non-understanding friends and family. There are only a few people (besides all of my CF sisters) that know of our struggles to conceive. One of them is a good friend from college whose sister also went through infertility. I have often felt that only opening up to people who've been in my shoes will help me, so I opened up to this friend. They should understand, and they will comfort me and guide me because they know what its like. But anyway…this friend from college has a 2 year old and she emailed our group of friends to set up a "play date" for the kids (2 of the 5 girls have kids). Before you judge me, please know how difficult that type of thing is for someone trying to conceive. I adore children, I love their snuggles and their laughter…but in my current state of mind, I really am not finding as much enjoyment in that. Why am I being invited to your child's playdate? Do I have to go? Will I be "disowned" from our group if I refuse or cancel at the last minute? A lot of this trying to conceive is putting on a happy face and moving on…getting up and going about your day as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Right now, I don't want to do that. I don't want to put on my happy face.
It is such a personal struggle, feeling like you're doing something wrong. IF you talked about this, it becomes very personal. Or for those who've never had these struggles, it becomes a very awkward subject. They don't see why you are so upset…or why you can't just "relax" and "let it happen". The problem is infertility is a very real medical struggle. There are reasons why this isn't happening and sometimes it takes a lot of medical tests and procedures to make it right. Relaxing won't work for those problems. This is something that so many people are able to achieve freely and easily and for those of us who can't…it feels as if we are broken.
And then there's Facebook. Again, I adore seeing pictures of your kids and the funny stories make me laugh…its the "my life is so much better with kids" posts that irritate me. I hate the way this is coming out, but I can't verbalize the emotions. I would do anything to be in your position. I would love to be a mom posting pictures and anecdotes of my little one(s). But right now, I don't want to be anywhere near those posts. Again it goes back to the "i'm going to put on my happy face" attitude. If I take a break from Facebook or stop posting/commenting…people will worry. My family will wonder whats going on…and I can't bear the thought of having to tell them I can't/haven't been able to conceive.
I think my anxiety about this process has been compounded by non-understanding friends and family. There are only a few people (besides all of my CF sisters) that know of our struggles to conceive. One of them is a good friend from college whose sister also went through infertility. I have often felt that only opening up to people who've been in my shoes will help me, so I opened up to this friend. They should understand, and they will comfort me and guide me because they know what its like. But anyway…this friend from college has a 2 year old and she emailed our group of friends to set up a "play date" for the kids (2 of the 5 girls have kids). Before you judge me, please know how difficult that type of thing is for someone trying to conceive. I adore children, I love their snuggles and their laughter…but in my current state of mind, I really am not finding as much enjoyment in that. Why am I being invited to your child's playdate? Do I have to go? Will I be "disowned" from our group if I refuse or cancel at the last minute? A lot of this trying to conceive is putting on a happy face and moving on…getting up and going about your day as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Right now, I don't want to do that. I don't want to put on my happy face.
It is such a personal struggle, feeling like you're doing something wrong. IF you talked about this, it becomes very personal. Or for those who've never had these struggles, it becomes a very awkward subject. They don't see why you are so upset…or why you can't just "relax" and "let it happen". The problem is infertility is a very real medical struggle. There are reasons why this isn't happening and sometimes it takes a lot of medical tests and procedures to make it right. Relaxing won't work for those problems. This is something that so many people are able to achieve freely and easily and for those of us who can't…it feels as if we are broken.
And then there's Facebook. Again, I adore seeing pictures of your kids and the funny stories make me laugh…its the "my life is so much better with kids" posts that irritate me. I hate the way this is coming out, but I can't verbalize the emotions. I would do anything to be in your position. I would love to be a mom posting pictures and anecdotes of my little one(s). But right now, I don't want to be anywhere near those posts. Again it goes back to the "i'm going to put on my happy face" attitude. If I take a break from Facebook or stop posting/commenting…people will worry. My family will wonder whats going on…and I can't bear the thought of having to tell them I can't/haven't been able to conceive.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
What I've been waiting for!
Two major updates on this post. And a minor update.
Update #1: Physical Therapy Progress
I had another monthly check with my clinic PT the other day. I've been working with him monthly on strength and conditioning exercises. Usually he will give me new exercises to work into my routine at the gym. This week, we did a whole reevaluation…and I am thrilled to say I have made some great progress! My six minute walk test improved by 12%, I was able to increase my bicep and tricep weight tolerance by 5 pounds and I had amazingly improved on planks and pushups! Wahooo!!
I tried to tell him that I could tell it was all working because my legs felt "less flabby". And in truth, I have felt that my body shape has improved as well, not as much jiggling in my belly. When I was at the gym later in the week, I watched myself in the mirror and could see the difference when I did whatever exercise it was that I was working on. So instead of adding new exercises this week, he just increased the intensity of what I have been doing…so if I was planking for 30 seconds before, I now have to do 45 seconds. Or if I was doing 6 push ups before, I have to do 10 now. And for exercises with weights, I have to do 12.5 pounds instead of 10.
I am extremely excited for these results. It's great motivation for me to keep going. I want to see progress and change. To think that I've been meeting with the PT for 10 weeks now…I was on vacation for one whole week, had a few bouts of bowel blockages in which I was not able to work out…and to see progress despite all of that, I am pretty amazed! What will the next month bring, if I can go to the gym more frequently and I don't get sick? *insert happy face*
Update #2: Fertility Treatments
It took us quite a while…but we finally have our new insurance! And of course I called to see what they cover for fertility right away. The general copay is quite steep (in my opinion, and compared to before)…BUT our deductible is very low. So…if we meet our deductible (with fertility visits OR any other medical costs)…then there would be no additional cost for treatments. Since we just started with the insurance it isn't likely we will have met our deductible any time soon…and of course that deductible would start over again on January 1.
So I called the fertility clinic yesterday to start thinking about getting back there. They gave me a list of dates that our doctor is in the office and as soon as husband and I can agree on a date, I will call them back. Since we've already done two tries with IUI, my inkling is that he (the doctor) will want to proceed right to IVF. I am ok with that, but I am not sure husband is ready for that. The one problem with the new insurance is that we have a lifetime limit of five cycles of fertility treatments. So naturally, I don't want to waste any of those on IUI if it might not work. I might agree to one more round of that, but I don't want to keep that up. I just don't know. I have said previously, I have this intense fear that pregnancy will never happen for me and I am scared. I know there are other things in life that could fill that emptiness, I want to be able to say "at least we gave it our all".
Minor Update:
I've been doing a LOT of knitting and crocheting! It has really helped to take my mind off of fertility stuff…and it gives me great pride to see someone's happy face when I give them something beautifully hand crafted. That's why I haven't updated much on here. I started a Facebook to sell my stuff and in one week, I have 150 likes! GO ME! I've kind of been biding my time to open up this page. I've wanted to do it for a while, but never felt I was good enough or that people would like my stuff. But a few weeks ago (before I set up the page) I posted a picture of a doll outfit that I had made and one of my friends immediately commented and said "I need two of these!" So that gave me confidence to set up my site. Check it out and give me a like! https://www.facebook.com/yarncraftsbycait
Update #1: Physical Therapy Progress
I had another monthly check with my clinic PT the other day. I've been working with him monthly on strength and conditioning exercises. Usually he will give me new exercises to work into my routine at the gym. This week, we did a whole reevaluation…and I am thrilled to say I have made some great progress! My six minute walk test improved by 12%, I was able to increase my bicep and tricep weight tolerance by 5 pounds and I had amazingly improved on planks and pushups! Wahooo!!
I tried to tell him that I could tell it was all working because my legs felt "less flabby". And in truth, I have felt that my body shape has improved as well, not as much jiggling in my belly. When I was at the gym later in the week, I watched myself in the mirror and could see the difference when I did whatever exercise it was that I was working on. So instead of adding new exercises this week, he just increased the intensity of what I have been doing…so if I was planking for 30 seconds before, I now have to do 45 seconds. Or if I was doing 6 push ups before, I have to do 10 now. And for exercises with weights, I have to do 12.5 pounds instead of 10.
I am extremely excited for these results. It's great motivation for me to keep going. I want to see progress and change. To think that I've been meeting with the PT for 10 weeks now…I was on vacation for one whole week, had a few bouts of bowel blockages in which I was not able to work out…and to see progress despite all of that, I am pretty amazed! What will the next month bring, if I can go to the gym more frequently and I don't get sick? *insert happy face*
Update #2: Fertility Treatments
It took us quite a while…but we finally have our new insurance! And of course I called to see what they cover for fertility right away. The general copay is quite steep (in my opinion, and compared to before)…BUT our deductible is very low. So…if we meet our deductible (with fertility visits OR any other medical costs)…then there would be no additional cost for treatments. Since we just started with the insurance it isn't likely we will have met our deductible any time soon…and of course that deductible would start over again on January 1.
So I called the fertility clinic yesterday to start thinking about getting back there. They gave me a list of dates that our doctor is in the office and as soon as husband and I can agree on a date, I will call them back. Since we've already done two tries with IUI, my inkling is that he (the doctor) will want to proceed right to IVF. I am ok with that, but I am not sure husband is ready for that. The one problem with the new insurance is that we have a lifetime limit of five cycles of fertility treatments. So naturally, I don't want to waste any of those on IUI if it might not work. I might agree to one more round of that, but I don't want to keep that up. I just don't know. I have said previously, I have this intense fear that pregnancy will never happen for me and I am scared. I know there are other things in life that could fill that emptiness, I want to be able to say "at least we gave it our all".
Minor Update:
I've been doing a LOT of knitting and crocheting! It has really helped to take my mind off of fertility stuff…and it gives me great pride to see someone's happy face when I give them something beautifully hand crafted. That's why I haven't updated much on here. I started a Facebook to sell my stuff and in one week, I have 150 likes! GO ME! I've kind of been biding my time to open up this page. I've wanted to do it for a while, but never felt I was good enough or that people would like my stuff. But a few weeks ago (before I set up the page) I posted a picture of a doll outfit that I had made and one of my friends immediately commented and said "I need two of these!" So that gave me confidence to set up my site. Check it out and give me a like! https://www.facebook.com/yarncraftsbycait
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
HOT, HOT, HOT
This weather is just killer. I don't have any energy to get stuff accomplished…and I really don't feel like working or working out! ;) My house is a mess, I really hope no one stops by because it just ugh. I need to do laundry, but its in the basement and I hate lugging it all down there and then bringing it back up and folding it. I'd much rather have snow piles up to my ears…well I may not exactly be ready for this again…but I'd settle for under 90 and lower humidity.
This is the view from sitting in my car after one of our many snowstorms this past winter. It was literally up to my shoulders. My city was supposedly labeled, "the snow capital of the US". It was a pretty extreme winter.
Of course, last week after my post and after my great update at the PT…I ended up with some moderate belly pain one evening. I called CF clinic the next day and they sent me for an X-ray the same day. Apparently I had a "lot of stool" built up in my colon. So I was feeling pretty awful for a few days while that passed. In the midst of that, I started coughing more than my norm. So I called the doctor again on Monday. They must be so sick of me! LOL. I am still feeling pretty bloated, but the pain in my belly is gone. I also started Cayston (an inhaled antibiotic) for my cough. So far it does seem to be helping. I'm bringing up more junk and my cough doesn't seem as tight.
Other than this heat, I really can't complain. Our garden is looking awesome! I'm spending a lot of time crocheting or knitting. I have tons of friends and a coworker having babies lately. So lots of small projects. I'll try and do a whole update on that later with pictures. I am so proud of (and in love with) ALL the things I make. As much as I hate to give them away, I know they are going to good families who will appreciate them. Some things I've made of late…lovey blankets (my new favorite thing, so quick and easy to do…and adorable), head bands for baby girls, large blankets, hats of course. I have been slowly working to clean out my craft room and it really seems to be helping motivate me to craft more and use what I have! Its a slow process, but when I feel motivated, I'll clean for a half hour or so and so far it looks really good. The crafting is a cathartic thing for me. It keeps my mind occupied while also relaxing me at the end of the day…as long as I'm not too tired. Its like free therapy! And crocheting and knitting can be done in front of the tv, so I am still spending time with hubby too.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Miscellaneous Updates!
So I went for my 8 week PT check up yesterday. At least thats how long I think its been since my initial visit. I was there about a month ago right before our cruise, but when I started this process it was a few weeks before that. So he said I am doing phenomenally! I was so happy to hear some good news. It was a rough morning at work since I only work the half day on Tuesdays and we were busy. And I was in a rather iffy mood. I don't get to the gym as much as I'd like, so I thought I wouldn't be seeing any improvement. It came as a bit of surprise at how excited my PT was for me. He is very encouraging and always has an uplifting way of looking at things. When I said I wasn't going as much as I wanted to…he said "but its so much more than you were doing." And "you have to start somewhere, you'll work your way up to more". And when I said that my family was ragging on my because I couldn't remember the exercises…he said "screw them. don't let them get you down." LOL Funny thing is, I was thinking the same exact thing, but he said it before I could!
So far I am still loving it! Last week, I went to the gym once and did cardio and weights. Then Saturday, I went for a walk with a coworker after lunch. Of course I didn't have the right shoes, so my hips were a little sore after the walk. It was pretty hot all last week and exercise was difficult even in the AC'd gym. I had to keep slowing down on the treadmill to catch my breath. But overall, I am doing pretty awesome. I did cardio at the gym on Monday this week, skipped my weights because I knew I'd be doing those the next day at the PT office. AT PT, we went over another set of exercises to do, a little bit of a step up with the intensity. They are exercises I can work into my regimen and they are things I never would have been able to do when I first started this process. Planks on an unstable Bosu Ball, staggered push-ups (yes I can do real push ups now too!), weighted push ups, step exercises. So excited to start working these into my routine!
I had my CF clinic visit with my doctor last week…I go there every three months. PFT's are stable! I think the number was exactly the same as three months prior…haha. Hows that for consistency? If you've ever done these tests before, its pretty difficult to get the same exact number because they make you do three (or more) tries. I was able again to speak with the dietician. I have been having some digestive issues, especially at cookouts lately. I will eat something crummy, but oh so yummy, and almost immediately will get very bloated and uncomfortable. I have never really run into this before, always been pretty good as far as CF tummy issues. Dietician suggested staggering my enzymes a little better…maybe take two when I start with appetizers, then if I am still eating 90 minutes later, I can take some more. Again, I've never really had to adjust my enzyme dose very much. My prescription is for 4 pills with meals and two with snacks. And sometimes I don't even take them with the snacks. So I will have to keep that in mind when I am at my friends cookout this weekend and see if it helps. I also asked her about snacking for/or after I go to the gym. This is an ongoing issue with me. With CF, we use a lot more energy than a "normal person" just to breathe…so we need to snack more often. Not to mention our bodies don't digest the foods we do eat, so we aren't able to absorb the nutrients as well. When I go to the gym, that urge is even greater…especially right after and into the next day. I've been doing yogurts (go me!) even though I am not a huge fan of the texture, I've been doing it because I know that is a better snack than cheez-its or ice cream for example. The other interesting thing she suggested is to buy a big bag or pack of raw almonds and make my own "100 calorie pack". So this way, I don't have to pay for the pre-made individual packets which are always so much more expensive. So I had my mom grab some with her wholesale club card. I am going to try roasting them and salting them, then freezing them in plastic bags in about a 1/2 cup increments. I also really enjoy cottage cheese and crackers as a healthier snack.
Of course my doctor asked about updates on our trying to conceive efforts. We are still trying the normal way for now. My husbands new insurance doesn't kick in until August 1, so we are hoping (if we don't get preggo before) to go back to the fertility treatments sometime after that. I started a few new vitamins that are specially formulated to help woman trying to conceive. I hope they aren't hoaxes…haha…but the reviews on Amazon were very good. Don't worry, thats not the first place I heard of them. I have some online forums where people use them and they do come from a legit place. I wanted to look at the reviews on Amazon because it was different than the company that makes the meds. Meaning the reviews would be more abundant and less fabricated. I'm also trying the grapefruit juice thing. I have tried this in the past, but I don't think I was consistent enough in drinking it and I don't think I drank enough each day of my cycle. INSERT TMI: For those that don't know, it is supposed to thin mucus, making it easier for spermies to reach and fertilize the egg. It may be an "old wives" tale, but at this point, if you told me to stand on my head for an hour after doing the deed…i'd happily do it. LOL.
So once our insurance kicks in, I will have to call them and check on fertility coverage. Depending on what they cover, and what the copay is, we will move forward. We also both have secondary insurance because of our disabilities, which our original fertility clinic didn't accept. Because of this, we couldn't proceed with IVF at that time. The copay would have been pretty steep. So IF our first insurance has a smaller copay for IVF, we can go back to our original clinic and start right away. If the new insurance still has a high copay, I will have to call our secondary insurance and see if they have fertility coverage, which they probably do not. At that point, we'd probably try a few more IUI's with the new insurance, since those copays are usually smaller than IVF. If they do have coverage, we may have to look for a new clinic that will accept the it. I don't know if I've said this before, but we are very lucky to live in MA because it is mandated that private insurances cover some form of infertility coverage. It is a proven medical issue. But our secondary insurance is like medicare, so not sure about that.
So far I am still loving it! Last week, I went to the gym once and did cardio and weights. Then Saturday, I went for a walk with a coworker after lunch. Of course I didn't have the right shoes, so my hips were a little sore after the walk. It was pretty hot all last week and exercise was difficult even in the AC'd gym. I had to keep slowing down on the treadmill to catch my breath. But overall, I am doing pretty awesome. I did cardio at the gym on Monday this week, skipped my weights because I knew I'd be doing those the next day at the PT office. AT PT, we went over another set of exercises to do, a little bit of a step up with the intensity. They are exercises I can work into my regimen and they are things I never would have been able to do when I first started this process. Planks on an unstable Bosu Ball, staggered push-ups (yes I can do real push ups now too!), weighted push ups, step exercises. So excited to start working these into my routine!
I had my CF clinic visit with my doctor last week…I go there every three months. PFT's are stable! I think the number was exactly the same as three months prior…haha. Hows that for consistency? If you've ever done these tests before, its pretty difficult to get the same exact number because they make you do three (or more) tries. I was able again to speak with the dietician. I have been having some digestive issues, especially at cookouts lately. I will eat something crummy, but oh so yummy, and almost immediately will get very bloated and uncomfortable. I have never really run into this before, always been pretty good as far as CF tummy issues. Dietician suggested staggering my enzymes a little better…maybe take two when I start with appetizers, then if I am still eating 90 minutes later, I can take some more. Again, I've never really had to adjust my enzyme dose very much. My prescription is for 4 pills with meals and two with snacks. And sometimes I don't even take them with the snacks. So I will have to keep that in mind when I am at my friends cookout this weekend and see if it helps. I also asked her about snacking for/or after I go to the gym. This is an ongoing issue with me. With CF, we use a lot more energy than a "normal person" just to breathe…so we need to snack more often. Not to mention our bodies don't digest the foods we do eat, so we aren't able to absorb the nutrients as well. When I go to the gym, that urge is even greater…especially right after and into the next day. I've been doing yogurts (go me!) even though I am not a huge fan of the texture, I've been doing it because I know that is a better snack than cheez-its or ice cream for example. The other interesting thing she suggested is to buy a big bag or pack of raw almonds and make my own "100 calorie pack". So this way, I don't have to pay for the pre-made individual packets which are always so much more expensive. So I had my mom grab some with her wholesale club card. I am going to try roasting them and salting them, then freezing them in plastic bags in about a 1/2 cup increments. I also really enjoy cottage cheese and crackers as a healthier snack.
Of course my doctor asked about updates on our trying to conceive efforts. We are still trying the normal way for now. My husbands new insurance doesn't kick in until August 1, so we are hoping (if we don't get preggo before) to go back to the fertility treatments sometime after that. I started a few new vitamins that are specially formulated to help woman trying to conceive. I hope they aren't hoaxes…haha…but the reviews on Amazon were very good. Don't worry, thats not the first place I heard of them. I have some online forums where people use them and they do come from a legit place. I wanted to look at the reviews on Amazon because it was different than the company that makes the meds. Meaning the reviews would be more abundant and less fabricated. I'm also trying the grapefruit juice thing. I have tried this in the past, but I don't think I was consistent enough in drinking it and I don't think I drank enough each day of my cycle. INSERT TMI: For those that don't know, it is supposed to thin mucus, making it easier for spermies to reach and fertilize the egg. It may be an "old wives" tale, but at this point, if you told me to stand on my head for an hour after doing the deed…i'd happily do it. LOL.
So once our insurance kicks in, I will have to call them and check on fertility coverage. Depending on what they cover, and what the copay is, we will move forward. We also both have secondary insurance because of our disabilities, which our original fertility clinic didn't accept. Because of this, we couldn't proceed with IVF at that time. The copay would have been pretty steep. So IF our first insurance has a smaller copay for IVF, we can go back to our original clinic and start right away. If the new insurance still has a high copay, I will have to call our secondary insurance and see if they have fertility coverage, which they probably do not. At that point, we'd probably try a few more IUI's with the new insurance, since those copays are usually smaller than IVF. If they do have coverage, we may have to look for a new clinic that will accept the it. I don't know if I've said this before, but we are very lucky to live in MA because it is mandated that private insurances cover some form of infertility coverage. It is a proven medical issue. But our secondary insurance is like medicare, so not sure about that.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Clinic PT visit
So I have been meaning to write about this for a while now. Ever since I started at the adult CF clinic about 2 years ago, they told me part of their routine was meeting with a PT once a year. They didn't want to bombard me at first with all of their policies if it wasn't necessary and if I didn't have days off. But I finally went to meet with the PT (he specializes in CF care) at the hospital where my clinic is back in February or March I want to say. Long story short, I didn't realize how weak some of my muscle groups are. Shoulders and hips for one. At that point I hadn't been to the gym in a few years and rarely did any walking. When I had my old job…I at least walked around the store and NEVER sat down. Moved things around the store, so at least that was some form of exercise. My job now, I pretty much sit down all day. So I am going to just outline what these visits with the PT have entailed one by one. Because since that initial visit, I have been back to see him twice more. Insurance pays for it, so why not. And with my new gym membership, I really would like to have more exercises to do in my arsenal while I'm at the gym.
Visit one: I can't remember if I blogged about this or not, so I will just briefly go over what we did to the best of my memory. We talked for a while about how much I exercise, how healthy I am CF-wise, and my daily routine of CF care. He did some strength tests…you know the kind where you push against his arm and you have to keep it stable. Or raising my arms above my head. Different stuff. I then did a treadmill walking/jogging test. In addition to having weak shoulders and hips, we realized I have pretty low exercise tolerance despite having high (for a CFer) lung function. Its a good thing that my lung function is so high…we can work with that. From what he said, its easier to increase exercise tolerance with higher lung function than it is with lower function. I hope thats coming out the right way. So we left that meeting with an agreement to go to the gym more often.
Visit two: At the first visit, my PT said to email him with any questions and if I felt like it, I could email him monthly on my progress. So after a week or two at the gym, I emailed him. I told him I'd met with a trainer at the gym and went over some exercises to do, but that I wasn't too happy with what he had shown me. The gym trainer was not all that knowledgable and only showed me the bare minimum. So the PT emailed back and said basically that I needed a more comprehensive program to strengthen ALL my weakened areas. So he offered to have me come in and he'd show me different things. He broke it down into sections, upper, lower and core. We did three different exercises for each area, two reps of each. It was about a 45 minute workout. And while I was doing it, I could definitely feel my lung junk loosening up! My cough was more juicy and I was able to move stuff around! I was instructed to go to the gym 2-3 non-consecutive days per week…do 15 minutes of cardio to warm up, then go through that routine we had done at clinic. I won't go into all the exercises because they were tailored towards what I need. Another CFer may need something different.
Visit three: We did pretty much the same thing as visit two. Although he added a walk test. I walked up and down the hall for 6 minutes and he measured how far I walked. I think I failed this part pretty bad! LOL. And it was not for any specific health reason…I could have gone faster/further but its really awkward walking up and down the length of a hospital hallway. *shame* So after the walk test…he showed me another set of upper, lower and core exercises. So now I have 6 upper exercises to choose from, 6 lower, and 6 core. I am instructed to choose one from each area, do the exercise, repeat once…then choose another set, repeat, then another and repeat. So all in all, on one day at the gym…I'll do my 15 minutes of cardio, then I'll do three upper exercises, three lower and three core.
I'd highly recommend this to any CFer who is looking to increase exercise ability. My PT knows what he's talking about, is knowledgable and experienced and he loves what he does! He's so easy to talk to and I really hope that I can start to see results soon like some of his other patients.
Visit one: I can't remember if I blogged about this or not, so I will just briefly go over what we did to the best of my memory. We talked for a while about how much I exercise, how healthy I am CF-wise, and my daily routine of CF care. He did some strength tests…you know the kind where you push against his arm and you have to keep it stable. Or raising my arms above my head. Different stuff. I then did a treadmill walking/jogging test. In addition to having weak shoulders and hips, we realized I have pretty low exercise tolerance despite having high (for a CFer) lung function. Its a good thing that my lung function is so high…we can work with that. From what he said, its easier to increase exercise tolerance with higher lung function than it is with lower function. I hope thats coming out the right way. So we left that meeting with an agreement to go to the gym more often.
Visit two: At the first visit, my PT said to email him with any questions and if I felt like it, I could email him monthly on my progress. So after a week or two at the gym, I emailed him. I told him I'd met with a trainer at the gym and went over some exercises to do, but that I wasn't too happy with what he had shown me. The gym trainer was not all that knowledgable and only showed me the bare minimum. So the PT emailed back and said basically that I needed a more comprehensive program to strengthen ALL my weakened areas. So he offered to have me come in and he'd show me different things. He broke it down into sections, upper, lower and core. We did three different exercises for each area, two reps of each. It was about a 45 minute workout. And while I was doing it, I could definitely feel my lung junk loosening up! My cough was more juicy and I was able to move stuff around! I was instructed to go to the gym 2-3 non-consecutive days per week…do 15 minutes of cardio to warm up, then go through that routine we had done at clinic. I won't go into all the exercises because they were tailored towards what I need. Another CFer may need something different.
Visit three: We did pretty much the same thing as visit two. Although he added a walk test. I walked up and down the hall for 6 minutes and he measured how far I walked. I think I failed this part pretty bad! LOL. And it was not for any specific health reason…I could have gone faster/further but its really awkward walking up and down the length of a hospital hallway. *shame* So after the walk test…he showed me another set of upper, lower and core exercises. So now I have 6 upper exercises to choose from, 6 lower, and 6 core. I am instructed to choose one from each area, do the exercise, repeat once…then choose another set, repeat, then another and repeat. So all in all, on one day at the gym…I'll do my 15 minutes of cardio, then I'll do three upper exercises, three lower and three core.
I'd highly recommend this to any CFer who is looking to increase exercise ability. My PT knows what he's talking about, is knowledgable and experienced and he loves what he does! He's so easy to talk to and I really hope that I can start to see results soon like some of his other patients.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Back to the Grind
Apparently its been a while since I posted! Wooops!
Last time I posted that I had an awful week as far as exercise goes. Well the last two weeks have been even worse…but for good reason. Husband and I went on VACATION!! We took a cruise to Bermuda. It was fantastic. There was only one day (the very first day at sea) that had bad weather, and bad sea sickness as a matter of fact. It was lovely. Actually, the seasickness wasn't too bad, it could have been worse, but I did definitely feel the 7-12 foot wave swells and just had to kind of lay low that day.
I think with the whole build up to the vacation and then the actual vacation I was so exhausted/relaxed/happy that I didn't really feel like exercising. I did not want to use the ship's gym because it probably rarely gets cleaned and the PT I've been working with was totally ok with that. My plan was to maybe do some stuff in our cabin the week we were away, but that didn't happen. The whole week prior to the cruise was spent getting ready, cleaning the house, doing all the laundry and packing…and then of course I couldn't contain my excitement. So by the time we got on the cruise I was ready to chill and do nothing. And relax. Sit by the pool, sip a few drinks, eat a lot of food. Honestly, I didn't feel like doing much else. I don't know if this is a CF thing (as far as the exhaustion issues) or just a normal vacation reaction. I don't necessarily regret the cruise, we are already talking about when we can go on another, but I wish we had participated more. Gone to more shows, played more games. But then again…we went on this vacation to sit in the sun and relax and eat good food (there is SOOOOOOO much food on these ships, OMG). By the end of the day we were wiped out just from that, so we would go back to our cabin and sit on the patio enjoying the sounds, sights and smells of the ocean. Or we would walk around on the top deck of the ship and enjoy the sunset.
But I need to get back to the gym. That will happen today. I promise. After I go to the craft store, a very dangerous place if you ask me. ;) I was going to go to the gym over the weekend (we came back early Friday morning), but again, I was still so exhausted and had more chores that needed doing. I don't want to make excuses, but I need to make sure my body gets enough rest so that I don't end up getting sicker than I am. I did come down with a cold on the cruise which is not surprising to me. There are 3,000 people aboard the ship and we did *gasp* eat the buffet several times for breakfast and lunch. I tend to shy away from buffets because of the germs and dirty little hands that reach over the counter, but I couldn't really help it. The buffet (and all other restaurants on the ship) were delicious and when you are sitting out by the pool its much easier to run into the buffet for a quick bite than to go back to your room, get dressed, and go to a sit down restaurant. So anyway, I don't think the cold has gone to my lungs, but there is still a ton of drainage from my sinuses and a terrible post nasal drip type cough. I have to call the clinic for a refill on something today, so I will run it by them on how to proceed with the symptoms. Honestly, I think once I start exercising again it will get better.
I mentioned earlier that I have been meeting with a PT at my CF clinic. I will blog in more detail the things we've been going over because I think it deserves its own post. But if you have the opportunity to meet with a PT that specializes in CF Care, I'd HIGHLY recommend it. He has been fantastic and really knows his stuff. We are very lucky at my hospital to have him!
I will leave you with some of my favorite pictures from our week away. And yes there will be dolphins. :) They swam alongside our boat for a while on our very last day at sea! Pretty exciting!
This was our last sunset in the port in Bermuda. We had one more full day (we left at 5 pm, so we missed that sunset). *sigh* It was just stunningly gorgeous!
Last time I posted that I had an awful week as far as exercise goes. Well the last two weeks have been even worse…but for good reason. Husband and I went on VACATION!! We took a cruise to Bermuda. It was fantastic. There was only one day (the very first day at sea) that had bad weather, and bad sea sickness as a matter of fact. It was lovely. Actually, the seasickness wasn't too bad, it could have been worse, but I did definitely feel the 7-12 foot wave swells and just had to kind of lay low that day.
I think with the whole build up to the vacation and then the actual vacation I was so exhausted/relaxed/happy that I didn't really feel like exercising. I did not want to use the ship's gym because it probably rarely gets cleaned and the PT I've been working with was totally ok with that. My plan was to maybe do some stuff in our cabin the week we were away, but that didn't happen. The whole week prior to the cruise was spent getting ready, cleaning the house, doing all the laundry and packing…and then of course I couldn't contain my excitement. So by the time we got on the cruise I was ready to chill and do nothing. And relax. Sit by the pool, sip a few drinks, eat a lot of food. Honestly, I didn't feel like doing much else. I don't know if this is a CF thing (as far as the exhaustion issues) or just a normal vacation reaction. I don't necessarily regret the cruise, we are already talking about when we can go on another, but I wish we had participated more. Gone to more shows, played more games. But then again…we went on this vacation to sit in the sun and relax and eat good food (there is SOOOOOOO much food on these ships, OMG). By the end of the day we were wiped out just from that, so we would go back to our cabin and sit on the patio enjoying the sounds, sights and smells of the ocean. Or we would walk around on the top deck of the ship and enjoy the sunset.
But I need to get back to the gym. That will happen today. I promise. After I go to the craft store, a very dangerous place if you ask me. ;) I was going to go to the gym over the weekend (we came back early Friday morning), but again, I was still so exhausted and had more chores that needed doing. I don't want to make excuses, but I need to make sure my body gets enough rest so that I don't end up getting sicker than I am. I did come down with a cold on the cruise which is not surprising to me. There are 3,000 people aboard the ship and we did *gasp* eat the buffet several times for breakfast and lunch. I tend to shy away from buffets because of the germs and dirty little hands that reach over the counter, but I couldn't really help it. The buffet (and all other restaurants on the ship) were delicious and when you are sitting out by the pool its much easier to run into the buffet for a quick bite than to go back to your room, get dressed, and go to a sit down restaurant. So anyway, I don't think the cold has gone to my lungs, but there is still a ton of drainage from my sinuses and a terrible post nasal drip type cough. I have to call the clinic for a refill on something today, so I will run it by them on how to proceed with the symptoms. Honestly, I think once I start exercising again it will get better.
I mentioned earlier that I have been meeting with a PT at my CF clinic. I will blog in more detail the things we've been going over because I think it deserves its own post. But if you have the opportunity to meet with a PT that specializes in CF Care, I'd HIGHLY recommend it. He has been fantastic and really knows his stuff. We are very lucky at my hospital to have him!
I will leave you with some of my favorite pictures from our week away. And yes there will be dolphins. :) They swam alongside our boat for a while on our very last day at sea! Pretty exciting!
The view from our room while we were cruising. I seriously could sit and watch and listen to the ocean all day. I am definitely an ocean lover.
Pulling into port. I believe we circled the island so that we could get some pics. It looks stormy in this shot, but it actually turned out to be a really nice day later on. We docked around 11 am and I think by 1 pm it was sunny and warm.
We went on a wheelchair accessible bus tour. Unfortunately, we didn't really have time to make many stops, but the tour was definitely worthwhile. We got to learn a lot about the architecture, history and the beautiful beaches. This beach was also down a large hill, so would have been inaccessible for a wheelchair. There was a small accessible beach near the dock that we went to one day also.
Eeeeeekkk!!! <3 <3 <3
A gorgeous sunrise from our balcony. As you can see, the seas were very calm when this shot was taken.
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