The mother of all posts about skin issues

Welcome to the massive post about Luca's skin debacle.  Seriously, sit down, stay awhile.  Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea.  This is a mother of all posts about skin reactions, irritations, dryness, etc.  And if you deal with skin issues for yourself or your child, you might even learn something that helps!

Luca has always had eczema.  It all started when she was just a month or so old.  She had horrific cradle cap and I may or may not have put olive oil on her head to try to help it.  It did help, but very short-term.  Then, she received her gift of life when she was just 4 months and skin worries went out the window because we had bigger problems, keeping Luca alive problems.

We would lather her up often but just thought that with the amount of poking and prodding and tape and tourniquets that her body was being exposed to, her skin was bound to have some issues.  Lathering continued.

Then she stabilized medically (thank God) and she was not being poked and prodded and taped as often.  But her skin was like sand paper.  Literally, that is what it felt like.  She scratched herself to the point of bleeding and yet would continue scratching.  And not just in one area - areas covering the majority of her body.  She would play with toys, and while playing, start scratching.  Interrupt eating to scratch.  She was miserable but just kept fighting through it.

We saw her pediatrician.  Again.  And again.  We absolutely love our pediatrician and he kept working with us on trying to improve her symptoms.  I got her transplant team on board and every time her transplant team looked at her, they would comment on how bad her skin was.  "It must be allergies."  "It must be from being immuno-suppressed."  "It must be a skin irritation."  They would all offer suggestions and we would jump to try something, anything to alleviate the discomfort.

We tried everything.  We switched brands.  We switched laundry detergents.  We switched to everything unscented.  We tried oatmeal baths.  We tried natural products.  We had her in with her doctor repeatedly.  He would switch things up again.  I felt like a mad scientist trying to find the right combination of products that would miraculously fix things.

Then a few months back we got the video monitor.  I would sit, mesmerized, watching her sleep peacefully.  Except I finally could see that at night while sleeping, she would be scratching herself.  She would toss and turn, all while scratching herself.  The primary areas where she had scratch marks and her skin was the worst - her butt and torso.  And sure enough, in her sleep, she would keep her eyes closed and scratch.  Poor thing was clearly uncomfortable and I had had it!  I felt terrible for her - how very uncomfortable she must have been.  ENOUGH I said.

I made an appointment with her transplant team, a regular follow-up, and explained my concerns about her skin.  She has open spots on her skin where she has scratched so badly she bleeds, in her diaper area.  Isn't this a concern since she is already more prone to infections?  Well, that got their attention.  They wanted her in with the dermatologist, stat!

Except I called the derm and they couldn't fit us in until June (I called them in January).  Um, thanks but no thanks.  I played the transplant card.  I called her team and they touched base with the derm directly, at a different hospital.

Voila, they fit us in.  The derm was at CNMC, our fave.  After going through Luca's super long history, he took a quick peek at her skin.  And he said, "I know this is going to sound crazy because you see how uncomfortable she is on a daily basis, but this is actually not bad for eczema."  WHAT?!  Really?!  He explained that we had room to change things to provide more comfort, but that this is a chronic condition.  He also asked for some allergy testing (which at the time, was already arranged).

He switched things.  He gave some suggestions and then we were back out the door.  I was stunned and skeptical that the change would work.

We have been using this new regimen for about a month.  And guess what?  Her skin is b-e-a-utiful.  I cannot get over the difference.  No longer scratching herself raw.

And the big change.  Here it is.  It's a secret so don't tell everyone.  Here it is, the big reveal: we switched from lotion to ointment.

Can you believe it?  Here is the deal.  He liked the brand we were using already (Vanicream, it is awesome!).  So he told me to switch to vanicream ointment (vaniply).  He wrote a prescription for an ointment for when things are really bad.  But otherwise, we just use the vaniply and use Sarna (over-the-counter, no-scent) anti-itch lotion on top of the ointment.  Oh, and we use unscented gentle soap/shampoo only once per week.  The rest of the time, we only use water to wash her.  No wash-cloths (they can be rough on the skin).

I hate ointment.  It is greasy and gross.  But he gave me instructions.  When Luca gets out of the shower or bath, gently blot her skin to get most water off.  But while still damp, apply the ointment.  Then let her run around for 10-15 minutes naked to let it soak in.  Then apply sarna in places she is prone to scratch.   Surprisingly, she is not very oily when we apply the ointment just as the doctor instructed.

It is amazing what a difference this change has made.  Her skin looks and feels better and she is clearly more comfortable.  No more scratching while sleeping.  Family members have changed her diaper and come out saying "OMIGOSH HER SKIN IS SO MUCH BETTER."  It is remarkable.

It leaves me asking: why the hell didn't we get sent to the derm sooner?!  Poor girl has been miserable for about 1.5 years now.  And this was such an easy thing to switch and try!

Oh well.  At least it worked.  She's ready for close-ups now.

(Did you make it to the end?  Bravo.  Seriously, impressive.  Virtual high-five to you!)

Germs be-gone!

Remember how Luca had her first cold?  Well, just as everyone in the house finally kicked that cold, I got nailed.

I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck.  I went to an urgent care place, where they told me it was just viral.  It was not.  Two days later, my asthma kicked up and I knew I needed to be seen again.  I drove over an hour to my general practitioner (I have not had a chance to switch doctors to a nearby doctor since we moved).  Turns out, I had a double ear infection, bronchitis, and a sinus infection.  Start antibiotics.

Next day, Ian and Luca both start with cold symptoms.

Two days later, take Luca to pediatrician to be checked just to be sure it is just a cold.  It is not.  She has her first ear infection.  Start antibiotics.

Next day, I am still feeling horrible and go back to my doctor.  Change in meds and add 2 meds.  Ian is checked out by GP at the same time - he has a sinus infection.  Start antibiotics.

Six days later, take Luca back to pediatrician to make sure antibiotics did their job.  They did not completely work.  New antibiotic started as both ears do not look 100%.

Next day (yesterday), I go back to my doctor.  Breathing and ears are better - sinuses are not 100%.  Start new antibiotic.

We are seriously all drugged up in this house.  I stripped our beds and washed the sheets in HOT HOT water.  All of our laundry has been washed.  We opened the windows to air out all of the germs.  We wiped every surface possible with disinfectant.  Germs be-gone already!!

Other than us taking a whole lot of meds and tea-drinking like it is our job, we have been enjoying this down-time.  We had a fabulous Thanksgiving out of the hospital (last year we were in the hospital).  We have so much to be grateful for on a daily basis.  We spent the holiday with family and enjoyed every minute.  And honestly, these colds and ear infections are normal baby sicknesses that have not required hospitalizations - and for that, I am so grateful!

And I will leave you with a picture of us from Thanksgiving.

The role of stress on our bodies

You always hear people say that stress can really harm the body.  Stress increases chances of all types of diseases and illnesses.  I always have believed it.

Well, I have noticed since a year ago, how much my body has aged.  Looking at pictures, I criticize how I look in almost every picture.  I look like I have aged a few years.  My hair does not feel the same.  I have a lot more gray hair.  My skin is less consistent.  You can just see that this past year has taken its toll on my body.

About a week after Luca was born, I was already down to my pre-pregnancy weight.  But amazingly, as of a few weeks ago, I had not lost one additional pound.  Even though most of my pregnancy belly had gone bye-bye (although I still have that stupid kangaroo pouch).  And even more odd, is that even though I am at my pre-pregnancy weight, none of my clothes were fitting.  I've gone up sizes in both shirts and pants.  Shirts because of the boobage, pants because I am just bigger I guess.

But over the past 1.5 months, we have been home more.  I have been eating more consistently, making our own food.  And surprisingly, I have started shedding some pounds.  It is too hot out to go out with L for exercise - so I was surprised when I saw that I've lost about 8 pounds.

I guess all of those months in the hospital really did take a toll on me.  Although there is still stress at home, I think having Luca home has really relaxed me a lot, and I find so much more joy in my day to day life when she is home.

8 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.  Hoping to continue feeling healthier so my clothes can get back to fitting!

And at the end of the day, my goal is to stay healthy so I can live out a long life as L's mama!

Have you ever noticed stress taking a toll on your body?

Incubated

It is no fun for anyone to get sick. You feel crappy, you want to curl up in bed. We have learned that as a parent, it is even worse because you cannot just lay in bed and sleep all day.

It tends to be more scary for Ian or I to get sick because then we have to go through major disinfecting (more than usual) to keep Luca healthy.

Ian woke up with the stomach bug yesterday.  Queue major freak-out.  If you know me, you know my biggest fear is vomiting.  So the fact that he had sickness coming from all areas makes me panic.

Luca is in the hospital so in a way it is good that she is not at home at the moment.  I literally followed him around bleaching everything.  I confined him to one room and one bathroom to make it easier to keep things clean.

But my big worry is not that Luca will catch it since she is not here...but that I will catch it.  Therefore, it means I cannot go see Luca in the hospital. I am literally confined to the house, waiting to see if this horrific bug will get me too.

And...I miss my baby. Today will be day 2 of not seeing her. But, we cannot take a chance since her immune system is compromised.  Her poor nurses will have to deal with lots of phone calls from me today. 

Post pregnancy body

With all that has happened with Luca, I have not really touched upon the state of my body post-pregnancy.  Well, I gained a total of about 23 pounds while pregnant.  I weighed myself 1 week after she was born, when she was in the NICU.  I was a few pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight (so down about 26 pounds).  That's what happens when you have a baby in the NICU I guess.  I wasn't eating well, I was pumping, and I was up on my feet nonstop. 

Since 1 week post-delivery, I haven't lost another pound.  How does that happen?!  My belly has certainly gone down a lot since 1 week post-partum, but my weight hasn't gone down.  And while I'm a few pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight, my body is very different.  I can't seem to get rid of this belly.  Although I'll admit that I haven't really had the time to work out to try to get rid of it.  And I'm still a size bigger than I was pre-pregnancy.  Which makes me a very unhappy camper every time I try to put clothes on.

I decided that everyday we are not in the hospital, I will try to get some exercise in.  I'm putting it out into the internet world so that I have to try to stick to it.  I realize with our crazy life right now, that I may not be able to stick to it every single day.  But I'm going to do my best to make 20 minutes per day to take care of myself.  Even if it doesn't make much of a difference with my weight, it will help make me feel better.  I'm going for progress, not perfection.

On Saturday, I started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  And holy hell, on Sunday I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.  And I kind of liked it.

A realistic goal for me: work out on the days I can, and ultimately, fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes comfortably (I fit into most of my pants, but I have a major muffin top going on.  And until I stop pumping, my shirts will forever be too short - but otherwise my shirts fit just fine).  And if I'm being completely honest and aiming for my ultimate goal, I'd love to lose another 10-15 pounds.  Bam.  Let's get to it.

(And no...I am not brave enough to post before and after pictures - well not brave enough to do bare belly ones like Kim. I may post before and after pictures after I try this working out thing for a month.  We'll have to see!)

Interruption Part 2, and probably way too much information

I talked about the minor bump in the road of an otherwise healthy and happy pregnancy about 2 weeks ago.

Luckily that stone has either passed without me knowing, or it's just become dormant.  Either way, I haven't really had much pain from it (thank God). 

This post is mostly about urine.  Fun stuff.

A couple days ago I noticed that the other kidney was having some little twinges of pain, the same twinges of pain I normally get when I'm starting to get a kidney infection.  (I've had quite a few of them).  I increased my water intake and took a cranberry pill, hoping to avoid an infection.  But overnight it seemed to get just a tad worse.  Still nothing too crazy.

As a precaution, I called my midwife.  She wanted to see me right away, to put a catheter in for a clean urine sample.  Ummm, say what?!  I got off the phone with her yesterday and bursted into tears.  I was going to have to get what, put where, and have to go BY MYSELF?!  Ian has some craziness going on at work so I knew he wouldn't be able to join me.

I drove myself to the office, the whole time my hands were clammy from anxiety.  I got there, and asked her how bad this was going to be.  I wasn't worried about the pain (if I was, I probably wouldn't be planning on a medication free birth with baby girl!), but just hate medical stuff in general, and hate the anticipation of it.  She calmed me down and said it wasn't going to be bad at all.

She was right!  It wasn't bad at all, and it was over so quickly.  Seemed like it was 30 seconds - she said it was a few minutes.

The good news is that the quick results showed no infection - but she thinks that the 3 day culture will have something.  I was super well hydrated which can sometimes dilute things so much that nothing shows up (this has happened once before).  So they are treating me just in case because my symptoms are pointing towards the start of a kidney infection.

I'm not thrilled to be on antibiotics - but I know kidney infections, especially during pregnancy, are nothing to mess around with.  And the antibiotics are safe for baby. 

At least these types of situations are reminding me of why I love that I switched to this group of midwives - they are on top of things, and super patient.  Love them!

Interruption

I'm hoping what happened last night is just an interruption in the otherwise very smooth and healthy pregnancy I've had.

I was very active yesterday.  I went for a 2 mile walk, I cooked, I cleaned my car in the heat.  I noticed that I had been having contractions throughout the day, but wasn't really paying much attention to them.  Finally at around 5 pm, I decided to lay down, drink a huge thing of water, and count my contractions just to be sure I was in the clear (more than 6 in an hour requires me to call my doctor).

Well, within a 1/2 hr I realized I had already reached my 6 per hour limit.  I gave it another 1/2 hour just to be sure, and they did continue.  So I gave the doctor a call.  She called me back quickly and instructed me to go drink at least 32 ounces of water in 20 minutes, then lay down.  If things were not better within 1 more hour, I needed to call back.

They weren't better, and in fact started to get worse (they started making me very uncomfortable).  I called back, and was told to head into labor and delivery.

Ian and I quickly looked around and grabbed a few things just in case we'd be in overnight, or longer.  Throughout me getting ready to leave the house, and the car ride and walk through the hospital, I became extremely uncomfortable.

Quite honestly, I was thinking "how am I ever going to go through labor naturally."  After lots of tests later - baby girl was determined to be absolutely fine (although irritated with the poking around of my belly).  Her heart rate was monitored, as were my contractions.  My midwife called them "irritations."  Cervix was completely closed and the tests came back negative for signs of pre-term labor.  All good news!

I continued to complain of horrible back pain that got worse when I was standing for more than 10 seconds, and if I was laying on my left side.  The last resort test was a ultrasound of my kidneys.

Finally, we got answers.  I have a kidney stone.  The doctor knew I wasn't really interested in anything for the pain, but stressed that I at least get the prescription filled in case I needed it.  He said that most pregnant ladies say that passing a kidney stone is more painful than labor.  Thank goodness the pain I had been experiencing wasn't labor related - it had me worried.  Now it explains why the pain got worse after drinking about 40 ounces of water so quickly (my kidney had to work overtime and was also working on trying to move the stone).  It also explains the contractions - when you have some type of bladder or kidney infection, normally contractions will increase.  I can ignore the contractions over the next several days until this stone passes.

We stopped on the way home and got the prescription filled.  Luckily, I didn't need any of it to sleep last night as the pain had mostly dissipated once that huge amount of water had gone through me.

I am so grateful they were able to find out what was wrong, that baby girl is perfectly healthy, and that what is wrong is not a huge deal in the scheme of things.  Yes, it's going to be painful as my body tries to pass the stone - but I'll deal with it.

And I'm so grateful that I was able to go home, and get a good night sleep.  I made sure the doctor was okay with me going away this weekend.

You see, I'm in one of my good friend Leah's weddings in NY.  Ian is staying here to go to Stacy's wedding.  My bestie Lauren is flying to the airport near the wedding where I'll pick her up in a few hours.  She'll be my date for the weekend!

Stacy, have the most beautiful wedding weekend!  I'm so sad I'll miss it but have already charged the batteries for the camera so that Ian can take lots of pictures for me to see!

I'm off to NY - if possible, can you say a little prayer (or send some positive vibes) that I have a healthy and smooth (hopefully pretty pain free) weekend?

Prenatal Workouts

I have a confession - I have not been good about getting to the gym.  In fact, I haven't been there in over a month.  I feel very awkward at the gym these days.  My gym is a little upscale and the people there are workout maniacs.  I'm normally fine with it, but as I've gotten bigger, I feel a little out of sorts there.

Instead, I've been walking a lot outside and doing some exercises in the house, including lifting hand weights for my arms.  But with the prospect of more time on my hands in less than two weeks (today is my last day of classes - can I get a whoop whoop?!), I want to be better about exercising.

I ordered two prenatal workout DVDS.  One is prenatal yoga and it's supposed to be a moderate workout.  The other is prenatal long and lean, and it's supposed to be more intense.

Yesterday, I tried the latter DVD.  I went into it thinking, this will be good for me and will make me feel really good.

Holy hell, I was not prepared for the challenge of it!  I think it would be challenging for even a non-pregnant person.  And this morning - my arms and legs are SO sore.  Stairs are not my friend (nor is the toilet considering I have to get up and down from it so many times to pee!).  But - it does feel good to have gotten a true, good workout in.  It felt good to sweat it out and challenge my body.  And the soreness - I kind of miss this feeling.

As soon as exams are over, I am going to make it a priority to try to do something active everyday.  Whether it's a walk, doing an exercise video, going to prenatal yoga at a yoga studio, or going to the gym.  I'll give you my review of the other exercise DVD once I get an hour to do it, and after my aching body heals a little :)

Acupuncture

I've heard amazing things about acupuncture over the past several years.  Little by little, I am hearing about more people who have tried it and loved it, people who now swear by it.  I tried it once about 5 years ago and did not have the best experience.  It made me feel lightheaded and kind of nauseous.  But I've also heard that it really depends on the person who is doing the acupuncture. 

I'd love to give it a try again because I've heard it can do amazing things for pregnant women.  I'd love to do it for anxiety, back pain, and heartburn.  I also just read that it can do work wonders for those with allergies, so I am throwing that in there too.  Oh and asthma.  Actually, can it just work on all of these things?

I even have a friend who wants to try it with me - score!  I don't like doing these things alone so I'm thrilled.

What has your experience been with acupuncture?  If you live in the Baltimore area, do you recommend someone in particular?

                                

Our weekend plans are pretty non-existent.  I may have a girls night with some law school friends tonight but it really depends because of the following little story. 

My darling husband seems to have either gotten a stomach bug or food poisoning during his night out last night.  Let's hope for the latter of the two options since you know I am a major germaphobe.  Actually, my biggest fear is throwing up.  Crazy I know.  But I will do ANYTHING to not vomit.  When I do feel that sick, I pace, I fight it, I take meds to settle my stomach, I count (I'm crazy, I know), I burp, I put cold compresses on my forehead, I even pray.  And if I know someone who has a stomach bug, I normally avoid being around the person for several days, and will not go to their house/apartment for at least a couple weeks.  I'm paranoid.  It's clearly a phobia. 

So having the hubby sick in the house makes for a very paranoid person.  I force him to carry clorox wipes so that he doesn't touch anything and that he can disinfect everything as he goes.  Thank goodness he's not bothered by these things.  I try to take care of him from a distance - setting out the appropriate things like medicine, water, ginger ale and he can come take them as he needs to.

We're thinking it's food poisoning because he has eaten at this place a few other times, and a few of the people who were there one of the previous times got sick.  I don't think he'll be going back to this place ever again.

Other things to do this weekend - decide on a birth class, put the crib together, run errands, clear more stuff to make room for baby stuff, and I'm sure more baby related stuff.

Oh, and according to my countdown over there to the right, on Sunday will mark the 100 day countdown to baby girl's debut.  100 FREAKING DAYS!

Weight Update

It's been awhile since I updated you on my health progress.  Reading a fellow blogger's update reminded me to do the same.  But things are going well.  I've dropped several pounds, and expect to continue to do so.  My horrible skin has gotten much better (and hopefully will continue to) as my body seems to be getting back to normal.

I am officially down overall about 6 pounds - and that's without gym time for the past 1-2 weeks (stupid exams). 

Honestly, as long as I'm not gaining anymore, and lose it little by little, I'm more than happy.  And it just shows me that I was completely right the entire time - something was wrong.  I'm so happy I listened to my own body, and that my doctor listened, was patient, and continued to research the problem with me.  Listen to your gut.

Philadelphia Marathon 2009

We got a late start on Saturday morning.  Ian was paranoid, rechecking what he packed to make sure he had everything.  I was really slow to even start my packing.  Finally, we were off to Philly.

I am not sure if I mentioned before, but you can normally get discount rates for hotels for coming for the marathon.  I didn't know this until we looked online at our hotel options.  Some of the standard, nice hotels were like $169 for the night.  Totally doable.  But, then I saw that the Ritz was $179, and hello, it was my birthday weekend that I was sacrificing for the hubby.  So we totally went for the Ritz.  It was well worth it - the service was outstanding and they even had hot apple cider in the lobby.  And we had an amazing view on top of it.  It was swee-et.

We arrived, gave a quick hello to Ian's parents, then we were off to walk to the expo to pick up his running day packet.  We had unusually warm weather for the weekend which was amazing - in the 40's and 50's.  The expo was incredibly disorganized and chaotic, so my claustrophobic self stayed in one spot and waited while Ian did his thing.  We quickly made it out of there where we caught up with fellow marathon runner Kim, her hubby Jeremy, and her friend Kristin for the walk back to our hotels.

We made it back to our hotel just as my brother and his wife arrived.  They wanted to go check out the city, see the liberty bell, and take some amazing photos (which I will be displaying at the end of the post). So we each got some hot apple cider and ventured out.  We took a good hour to walk around and then made it back to the hotel to give ourselves a few minutes to change before dinner.

The in-laws, brother and SIL and Ian and I walked to dinner a few blocks away.  We had dinner with Kim and Jeremy, and another friend Beth and her hubby who was also running in the marathon.  We went to Davios where the runners had lots of pasta, and the nonrunners ate wayyy too much food.  It was awesome.

We went back to the Ritz and grabbed a quick drink before calling it a night since we had to be up early on Sunday - race day!  I finished making Ian's signs while he got his stuff lined up for the morning.

Sunday, Ian was up and out the door by 6 a.m.  I decided to skip going to the start line, and instead the family met him at miles 1 and 6.  He was in great spirits at both of those miles which was good to see.  In between mile 6 and the finish, we grabbed a quick bite to eat.  We walked the 2 miles to the finish line and set up camp.  We anxiously awaited his arrival, and soon we saw his cute face coming up the incline.  My brother acted like the paparazzi and snapped some great photos. Surprisingly, Ian still looked comfortable, although I'd later learn that he was just freaking relieved to see us and for it to be over.

So he finished his first marathon in 4:09, which personally, I think is AWESOME!  He was hoping to beat 4:00 - but overall he's super happy to just be finished.  Seeing him finish was emotional and we both got a little choked up.  I'm not really sure why it was - but it was motivating and a proud moment to see him finish his goal after months of training.

He called out sick today because he can barely walk, and he thinks that will be his only marathon (I'm a little pleased about the second piece). 

Here are lots of pictures from our weekend:

Mile 1:

Mile 6:

Mile 6 again: (and clearly, he was feeling comfortable as he was goofing off)

And mile 26:

And after the race - I saw him and ran to give him a big hug:

And the sign I made said "Brits Do It Better".

And what am I holding in the other hand? 

Kim's husband gave Kim, Ian and Paul a bottle of champagne - so cute!

Progress

I had a reassessment at the gym this morning (my first one since August, and my first one since being off my asthma medication for over 1 month now).  Down 3-4 lbs, and have lost 2 inches in my waist, and 1 inch in my thighs.  YAY!

While I could sit and dwell on the fact that that isn't THAT much considering I've been working my ass off since August, I'm choosing to take this and use it as motivation to keep pushing forward.  And just as it took time for me to gain weight (thanks to the asthma medicine), it's not going to go away overnight.

I'm looking for progress, not perfection.

Sick - Again

Geez, this fall has not been kind to my health.  First, I got a cold a couple months ago, then got strep throat 1 month ago, now I have a sinus infection.  Maybe the third time is the charm? As in, the 3rd time will be the last time?   It better be, I'm tired of being sick.

Good news is that at my doctor's visit today, even with the sinus infection, I was still able to receive the H1N1 vaccine (I'm in the last group of people receiving the vaccine- susceptible person because of the asthma).

In other health news, I have been off of my preventative asthma medicine for over 4 weeks now (I talked about going off of it here).  The initial exhaustion from being off of it (it has a mild stimulant in it) has somewhat subsided.  I still am feeling pretty tired, but I feel like it's a bit better.  But nothing has really changed with my weight gain.  I haven't gained anymore though, so that's a big positive.  But he's running a few more tests just be sure nothing more serious is wrong.  And then we'll wait and see if my weight comes down from being off the medicine.  I have high hopes!  We talked about food intolerances, and I'm considering going to a holistic doctor who would test for various food intolerances.  Ever heard of anyone doing this?

One of my besties had health problems for a lot of years.  Doctors ran test after test after test, (some of these tests were uncomfortable and/or invasive), but were never able to determine what the problem was.  Then, she went to a natural/holistic doctor and they finally determined that she couldn't process corn.  This meant anything with corn (corn starch, corn syrup, corn meal, etc.) wasn't processing correctly.  She has since cut it out of her diet, and voila, her health problems are basically gone.  I would totally go to her doctor, except she lives in New York and you have to go a few times to be monitored as they're figuring out what's wrong and adjusting things accordinly.  I was thinking it might be worth me visiting this doctor next time I'm visiting my friend - we'll see! 

Opposite Schedules

In the beginning of the hubby's marathon training, it was summer time, I wasn't in school, and was working full time.  His training really didn't impact our lives very much.  But recently, I've been not-so-secretly being grateful that his marathon training is almost over.  Because, quite honestly, it has taken over our lives.

Friday nights are pretty much dead for us because he has his long runs on Saturday mornings.  And Saturdays are pretty much dead for us because he runs for most of the morning and then in the afternoon he does not want to go do things.  This also leads to him being exhausted early on, which means we really don't go out with friends for very long on Saturday nights.

And I have been very supportive (at least I think I have).  Every Saturday run, I make sure to check on him at least once while he's out running, and Tessa and I even meet him (even in the rain) for the last portion of his run.  And I encourage him to cross train on Sundays even when he doesn't feel like it, because I want him to be healthy and follow his training.

But as his training has increased, I've started back to school and we have ended up with totally different schedules.  I don't have classes until late in the day, and some days I don't make it home until after 9.  He's up and out running by 6 or 6:30 most mornings. I'm sound asleep until slightly before he leaves for work, or am getting up as he leaves for work (anywhere between 7:45 and 8:30).  And he's ready for bed at like 9 or 10, while I'm up past 12 most nights. 

This leads me to really be ready for him to be finished.  I never see him, and when I do, he's freaking exhausted from all the running (understandably).  And it makes me CRANKY.  I don't know why, but I hate going to sleep at different times.  Hate. it.  I don't want this to sound like I'm being selfish and wish he wasn't doing this.  Because that's not it all.  I am incredibly proud that he has this huge goal and he is pushing through to accomplish it.  But, I miss my hubby.

So I'm happy to report that in just over 2 weeks, we'll be in Philadelphia cheering him on, and celebrating.  Celebrating because of the huge accomplishment, and celebrating because now this huge goal is off his plate, and our lives can return to normal.  Whatever "normal" is!

Oops - that wasn't supposed to happen

I completely forgot (probably on purpose) to tell you what happened in pilates class on Monday.  The room was pretty full.  I put my mats down and then got this ring contraption that we use, along with a little ball we use.  I start stretching.  Then the instructor comes in and tells us to start out standing up with the ring contraption.  We start stretching using this, and soon she asks us to slowly bend over while pushing on this ring.  As I was going down and pushing, it happened.  I farted.  Outloud.  I quickly pretended like the ring had gotten stuck on the floor.  Luckily, it was while everyone was putting the ring on the floor, so I'm thinking it just blended in.  But I was SO worried the rest of the class so I didn't put my full effort into that class.  And it did make me feel better that I think the pregnant lady in the class farted outloud as well.  Although her excuse is much more understandable - she's carrying a human inside of her.  Anyways - I was happy that the girls I normally know in pilates were not there this week - how embarrassing!

I had a girls night last night with law school ladies and had a blast.  Today, I am busy doing work and then need to cook some pasta dinner for Ian.  He needs the carbs for his 20 mile run tomorrow.  Then, when he gets home, we're pumpkin carving!  We've never done this together, and I'm not sure if he has ever done this at all (you know, the whole not growing up in the U.S. means he's not used to these traditions).  I will be sure to take some pictures.

Saturday we are spending halloween the way we did last year - Ian gets takeout while I sit on our front steps with candy for the kids, glass of wine for me.  I just love seeing all the kiddies in their cute costumes. 

Also, this weekend marks the start of National Blog Posting Month.  And for the first time, I am going to try to participate.  For you non-bloggers, NaBloPoMo means that I will be blogging every single day in November.  30 days, 30 posts.  This will be tough for me, because honestly, I'm not sure if I have 30 posts in 30 days worth to say.  But we'll see.  Let me know if any of you other bloggers are doing it this year!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Random Friday Thoughts

I have hesitated to say anything for fear of jinxing myself - but I am down 3 lbs since stopping the asthma medicine.  I'll take it!  And honestly, it just inspires me to work out even harder.  Like yesterday, I burned 700-800 calories in my hour long workout.  And I hope I can push just as hard today when I go to the gym.  I'll continue to keep you updated on the health progress!

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Yesterday, I had just had a killer work-out (ummm, my butt is SO sore today), and was feeling exhausted but relieved that my school week was over.  I had won a starbucks gift card on Tuesday night, so stopped by and picked up a pumpkin spice latte.  Driving home, I saw the mailman and realized I had missed the mail going out, so turned around to go give him a birthday card to go out.  I went to pick up my coffee and realized as the entire cup spilled all over my car that the starbucks person hadn't put the top on properly.  I spent the next 45 minutes cleaning up ORANGE latte out of my car.  I'm not really sure what smell to expect when I get in my car.  It could be really bad or really good.  Cinnamon spice smelling, or sour milk smelling?  Let's hope for the former.

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Also at Starbucks, I picked up their new instant coffee packets.  I figured I'd give them a try, especially since I had a coupon for it.  I tried it this morning - fan-freaking-tastic.  Tastes like a fresh cup of coffee.

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Last night, Ian politely asked that I keep him company in the kitchen while he did the dishes after dinner.  I got caught up with other stuff and left him hanging.  He rarely gets irritated with me (because I'm just so freaking perfect you know - errrr, or he's just really laid back and puts up with a lot of my crap), but this was one of the rare times he did.  I have a very rough time apologizing.  I feel extremely ashamed and like absolute crap if I ever have to apologize.  Nevertheless, I sucked it up, and apologized.  But being that he rarely gets the opportunity to be mad at me, he ended up dragging it into this huge thing.  Then I ended up mad.  Just because he was still mad at me.  I know - it's crazy and ridiculous.  But I can't help it.  He knew that it took a lot to apologize.  But he finally admitted that he doesn't know how it happens, but when I should be apologizing more, he ends up being the one apologizing.  At this moment, we both bursted out laughing.

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Random weekend plans:

• birthday celebration for a law school friend this evening in Fells Point
• Pumpkin Patch (yes, I did try to go the past 2 weekends - but the weather simply did not cooperate with us)
• Kim and Jeremy are coming over for dinner
• Ian and I are going browsing at some stores for me to show him some things I want for my birthday

Now, I'm off to get a flu shot and then heading to the gym - I probably won't be able to move when I wake up tomorrow considering how sore I already am.  SWEET!  Happy weekend!

I heart my doctor

If you've missed it or are new, I've written about some health issues and you can catch up here, here, and here.

Through all of the recent tests and various doctors I've had to see, my regular family doctor has been my biggest supporter.  He has believed me when I've told him how much I've been working out, and about what I eat, as opposed to some of the other doctors who have just told me to work harder in controlling my weight (a-holes).  He has continued to listen to my concerns.  Well Monday I woke up with a horrible sore throat.  I went to him and determined I have strep throat.  But we also took the chance to review my weight issues and for him to look over the results from my trip to the endocrinologist.  I eventually ended up crying and spilling the beans as to how negatively the weight is affecting my mood and self-esteem.  He patiently listened and talked with me about all of it.  He talked through all the tests I've gone through over the past year.

He finally started asking me some other questions.  Am I hypoglycemic? Yes.  What happens when I have one of those episodes? I become a cranky bitch like the switch of a light.  Where have I gained most of the weight? Stomach.  Have I always had these issues? No.  He then told me that one of the asthma medications I have been on for over 10 years has an extremely low dose of cortisol in it (that's a steroid).  The asthma medicine in question is called Advair, and is an inhaled medicine that helps prevent asthma attacks.  Normally, it does not affect anyone like normal oral steroids do.  However, he is suspecting that maybe my body is negatively reacting to it because the cortisol may have built up over the years.  It can also trigger hypoglycemia, and cortisol can make you gain weight in the stomach.

So for now, I'm off of advair and he is monitoring my asthma closely.  I go back to see him in 1 month to see if my weight has changed at all.  In the meantime, I am to continue my healthy eating habits, journaling everything I eat, and working out using the routine my trainer set up for me.

As I've said before, I'm truly willing to try anything to determine what is causing this horrible self-esteem issue.  26 lbs and counting.  I'll keep you updated!  I would be thrilled if my asthma could be controlled in another way and the weight would vanish away.  And to think that it could be fixed by something so simple as stopping a medicine sounds amazing.  I am trying not to get my hopes up in case this is not the answer and it leads to more disappointment.  But I am somewhat hopeful - I have to be.

Beyond Frustrated

*This is a post about my recent health issues and contains a lot of bitching on my part - if you don't feel like hearing about it, come back tomorrow!

Awhile back I explained my frustration with my weight gain.  I went to an endocrinologist and he decided to run a few tests even though he suspected he would not find anything.  I was not thrilled with my experience with this particular endocrinologist but gave him a chance since he was running some tests.  But today, when he called and gave me the results, I realized that I need to seek a second opinion.

Everything came back normal - which is good and bad.  The good is that nothing is seriously wrong.  The bad is that I still have no answers.  I continue to work out.  I continue to eat well.  And I continue to gain weight.  And the other horrible thing that has occurred simultaneously with the weight gain is acne.  I never even had acne when I was a teenager so I'm not sure why I have it so badly now.  And the weight gain seems to mostly have affected my stomach and upper body.  This is very weird as well since I always had been very pear shaped and always had a little waist. 

When the doctor called to give me the results, it went a little like this:

Yes hi Katie.  I have your lab results and everything looks normal.  This is good news because it means nothing is wrong.  I know you're already active, so just keep working at it.  Have a good day, bye.

I quickly responded that I have a question, but he had already hung up.  My question was that he mentioned the lab results looked well, but he told me nothing about the ultrasound they took of my thyroid (because he felt a nodule).  And to leave me with nothing but a recommendation to keep doing what I'm doing? That left me hysterically crying.  What I'm doing?  Is gaining more weight.

I am beyond frustrated.  I feel like I am screaming for help from doctors and nobody can give me any answers.  I am so sick of being treated like I sit on my ass and eat junk food all day, like they don't believe I really am taking care of myself.  Something is wrong, and I wish someone would figure out what it is.

I feel like shit about myself everyday.  And I'm tired of that.  I'm tired of nothing fitting.  I'm tired of all of it. 

Quick Recap

I will write a more thorough post soon - but here's a quick recap as to what's going on.  I am STILL sick (thanks, Ian) but think I've finally taken a turn for the better as of today.  All I did all weekend was really sleep, lay on the couch, and sleep some more. OH - and we went to dinner with Ian's parents for his birthday (they were out of town closer to his birthday).  We went to B&O American Brasserie, which is a restaurant in Hotel Monaco, new to Baltimore.  Dinner there was amazing - all 4 of us loved our meals.  We'll definitely head back there. And if you go there, get the short ribs - A-MAZING.

And today, we are eating dinner and reminiscing about two years ago.  I took the LSAT and that night, 2 years ago, Ian asked me a question that changed our future - he proposed!  How was your weekend?

TGIF

I have been taking care of a sick Ian all week, and my body had been fighting to not get whatever he had...until yesterday.  I woke up with a terrible sore throat, headache, and stuffy nose.  Thanks Ian.

We were planning on being away this weekend to visit my great aunt, but can't take a chance of getting her sick considering she's still recovering (which by the way, she's back living in her apartment by herself because she has fully recovered from whatever was wrong with her! so freaking amazed by her).  So we are going away next weekend instead.

Our plans for the weekend are pretty non-existent.  I have done absolutely nothing productive today besides taking trips to and from the kitchen to pour more hot tea.  Tomorrow, we are having dinner with Ian's parents to celebrate his birthday since they've been away for a few weeks.  Otherwise, we plan on resting up, running errands, and watching some football.

Which reminds me - I am currently 1-1 in my fantasy football league.  As of Sunday night, it looked like I was going to lose for the second week in a row, but the lovely Ronnie Brown had an amazing game on Monday night that pulled me ahead to win by 2 points.  YEAHHHH!  I've become addicted to watching any game in which one of my fantasy players is playing in - it's seriously a disaster considering I need to get work done on Sundays. 

Anyways - I'm off to pour myself another hot cup of tea...have a great weekend!