Ah geez...10 days since my last post and I'm sorry to say, no exercise in that time! No doubt many of you have either had the nasty flu bug going around, or know someone. Last Tuesday morning it hit Dylan with a vengeance and by night fall I was in the midst, too. Both of us had more of the respiratory symptoms, which was nice because there is always a little bit of panic when the digestive system gets involved. Between the sore ~ achy body, headache, coughing, nausea (but not vomiting) and exhaustion, we were both pretty much in bed for most of the week. Saturday Jackie had a ball game and then Dylan felt well enough to have his birthday celebration. He invited one friend and we stayed at the C'mon Inn. It was lots of fun and a good recognition for turning 9!
Upon return on Sunday, Dylan and Jackie took up a rousing game of Laser Tag. So rousing, in fact, that in his rush to prevent getting hit while still getting a good shot at Jackie, Dylan "miscalculated" and ran full force into the door frame of his room.... Off to the ER we went where he was diagnosed with a concussion...not serious, but enough to keep us very cautious. Having missed three full days of work last week and then Monday to monitor Dylan's situation, I've been swamped at work. I still only feel maybe 80%. So I had a bump in the road with the flu, and then a bump on D's head, and here we are...still out of shape.
While its definitely discouraging, its a good reminder to me of how precious and valuable good health is. When I think of how sick Kody has been for so long, it makes my heart ache. Not only does it bring back memories, but it accentuates Kody's daily struggle and how intensely I love him and want to help him get his life back. PLEASE help us to raise funds to fight this awful disease and PLEASE pray for Kody to get back on his feet. He is a fighter. He doesn't really complain. He just continues day in and day out to do what he can to control this thing. I know how difficult it is to remain hopeful, so please help him by sending your prayers and best wishes. And if you happen across this page, forward it to your friends so that they can donate and send prayers, too. We'll take all the help we can get!
My world!
Homecoming Princess and Football Star
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Wrestling
Hi everyone, Well the weekend was a little more sedentary than I planned...this is a new commitment for me so I'm trying to be mindful that moving forward is what counts - even if it is by baby steps!
Friday was a planned day of rest. Per the ASMSU trainier, resting our muscles is just as important in building them, as working out is. And, I needed it...WOW was I sore! Saturday we got up early to go to Dylan's first wrestling meet in Townsend, then rushed back to Belgrade to catch the last 30 seconds of Jackie's basketball game. We were out of light by the time things got settled, so I stretched out really good and did a quick 15 minute jog. I can't tell you how good that felt. Sunday,Jackie had a competitive basketball tournament - three games in a row, and then I had to head into the office to work for a couple of hours so I didn't get in any exercise.
Today I went to the gym ready to roll and my locker room area was CLOSED!!! Oops, I didn't notice the signs last week that said there would be absolutely NO access today so they could fix a couple minor construction issues. I have a meeting after work tonight but I shall will myself to get in at least a short jog this evening. I think getting into the habit of working out again is my first big challenge...one I'm sure I can meet.
I'm going to share for a minute about wrestling. Dylan wrestled two years ago as a 7 year-old and really enjoyed it tremendously. Last year he was excited to get signed up, but then ended up getting the flu. Or so we thought. Whether it was the flu that triggered things, or whether his immune system just got out of whack, we'll never know. But unfortunately, Dylan quickly went from a lean, but energetic, 55 lb kid, to an exhausted, skinny and lethargic 48 lb kid. Seven pounds may not seem like a lot, but when you have about 2% body fat to begin with, it is startling. He missed 13 days of school just trying to get his feet under him. At first I didn't worry any more than a mom does when her child is under the weather, but after a week or so of him refusing to eat much, I found myself begging him to just try SOMETHING.
His response cut me to the quick. He was pretty little during the time that I was really ill, and Kody lives far enough away and was early enough in his latest bout, that Dylan hadn't been exposed to "Crohns talk". He looked at me with tired and frustrated eyes and said, Mom ~ it hurts too much to eat. I asked for more details and he said that no matter what he tried to eat, within a few minutes he felt like a roller coaster was pushing through his gut. He said that it felt like something was grabbing him high in the gut and then rolling into his back so hard he thought it might just go through. Then it would stop for a minute and start over again. This is EXACTLY how I feel when I'm sick. It is not a description that I've ever heard from someone who doesn't have a bowel problem - not the flu, but a problem. I was floored. All I could do was hug him and pray. What else is there?
We had a number of visits to the pediatrician. They did tests to make sure he wasn't celiac and that he didn't have some kind of worm or something. They monitored his weight and blood and took some stool samples. They suggested that we could go to Denver to see a pediatric GI and have a colonoscopy and tests of that nature. We decided to take a slighlty conservative path instead by trying some of the things that I do to get well when I first start flaring. We took him completely off gluten and processed sugar. This is not easy to do, but Dylan was a trooper. We made sure that he slept a ton and when he had energy we did gentle exercise. We gave him lots of liquids and supplemented with vitamins. Within a month or so, he was back to his good ol self. We slowly let him get back to a regular diet. Since then he has had another period where it hurt him to eat and his energy level just completely dropped off. We did the same thing and it seemed to make a difference. He only missed a handful of school days. He is not diagnosed with Crohns, but a mom knows when something isn't right, and it isn't.
I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of Dylan. He turned 9 last week. Even in his youth, he is already willing to be responsible for his health. Two weeks ago he told me very calmly that he should probably lay off the gluten for a bit. He doesn't want to feel badly and already understands that being well may take a little extra effort for him from time to time. He is a brilliant child.
As you know, raising money is a big part of the goal of Team Challenge. The other part, raising AWARENESS, is just as important. Hindsight is 20/20, and most of my family now believes that Kody suffered from Crohns even as a child. At that time, we didn't know anything about the disease. His symptoms were not SO absolutely acute that they demanded response. Like many people who develop chronic disease, the symptoms were gradual and they would come and go. Through NO fault of anybody, he suffered for a long time. AWARENESS of bowel disease is SO important to making sure that people get help in a timely manner.
I solemnly vow to do whatever I can to help with this goal. If anyone reading this would like more information, PLEASE let me know and I'll do whatever I can to help. In the meantime, I will remember to be grateful for the opportunity to sit all day at a wrestling meet....because it means my baby is healthy, and in the end, that is what this is all about.
Friday was a planned day of rest. Per the ASMSU trainier, resting our muscles is just as important in building them, as working out is. And, I needed it...WOW was I sore! Saturday we got up early to go to Dylan's first wrestling meet in Townsend, then rushed back to Belgrade to catch the last 30 seconds of Jackie's basketball game. We were out of light by the time things got settled, so I stretched out really good and did a quick 15 minute jog. I can't tell you how good that felt. Sunday,Jackie had a competitive basketball tournament - three games in a row, and then I had to head into the office to work for a couple of hours so I didn't get in any exercise.
Today I went to the gym ready to roll and my locker room area was CLOSED!!! Oops, I didn't notice the signs last week that said there would be absolutely NO access today so they could fix a couple minor construction issues. I have a meeting after work tonight but I shall will myself to get in at least a short jog this evening. I think getting into the habit of working out again is my first big challenge...one I'm sure I can meet.
I'm going to share for a minute about wrestling. Dylan wrestled two years ago as a 7 year-old and really enjoyed it tremendously. Last year he was excited to get signed up, but then ended up getting the flu. Or so we thought. Whether it was the flu that triggered things, or whether his immune system just got out of whack, we'll never know. But unfortunately, Dylan quickly went from a lean, but energetic, 55 lb kid, to an exhausted, skinny and lethargic 48 lb kid. Seven pounds may not seem like a lot, but when you have about 2% body fat to begin with, it is startling. He missed 13 days of school just trying to get his feet under him. At first I didn't worry any more than a mom does when her child is under the weather, but after a week or so of him refusing to eat much, I found myself begging him to just try SOMETHING.
His response cut me to the quick. He was pretty little during the time that I was really ill, and Kody lives far enough away and was early enough in his latest bout, that Dylan hadn't been exposed to "Crohns talk". He looked at me with tired and frustrated eyes and said, Mom ~ it hurts too much to eat. I asked for more details and he said that no matter what he tried to eat, within a few minutes he felt like a roller coaster was pushing through his gut. He said that it felt like something was grabbing him high in the gut and then rolling into his back so hard he thought it might just go through. Then it would stop for a minute and start over again. This is EXACTLY how I feel when I'm sick. It is not a description that I've ever heard from someone who doesn't have a bowel problem - not the flu, but a problem. I was floored. All I could do was hug him and pray. What else is there?
We had a number of visits to the pediatrician. They did tests to make sure he wasn't celiac and that he didn't have some kind of worm or something. They monitored his weight and blood and took some stool samples. They suggested that we could go to Denver to see a pediatric GI and have a colonoscopy and tests of that nature. We decided to take a slighlty conservative path instead by trying some of the things that I do to get well when I first start flaring. We took him completely off gluten and processed sugar. This is not easy to do, but Dylan was a trooper. We made sure that he slept a ton and when he had energy we did gentle exercise. We gave him lots of liquids and supplemented with vitamins. Within a month or so, he was back to his good ol self. We slowly let him get back to a regular diet. Since then he has had another period where it hurt him to eat and his energy level just completely dropped off. We did the same thing and it seemed to make a difference. He only missed a handful of school days. He is not diagnosed with Crohns, but a mom knows when something isn't right, and it isn't.
I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of Dylan. He turned 9 last week. Even in his youth, he is already willing to be responsible for his health. Two weeks ago he told me very calmly that he should probably lay off the gluten for a bit. He doesn't want to feel badly and already understands that being well may take a little extra effort for him from time to time. He is a brilliant child.
As you know, raising money is a big part of the goal of Team Challenge. The other part, raising AWARENESS, is just as important. Hindsight is 20/20, and most of my family now believes that Kody suffered from Crohns even as a child. At that time, we didn't know anything about the disease. His symptoms were not SO absolutely acute that they demanded response. Like many people who develop chronic disease, the symptoms were gradual and they would come and go. Through NO fault of anybody, he suffered for a long time. AWARENESS of bowel disease is SO important to making sure that people get help in a timely manner.
I solemnly vow to do whatever I can to help with this goal. If anyone reading this would like more information, PLEASE let me know and I'll do whatever I can to help. In the meantime, I will remember to be grateful for the opportunity to sit all day at a wrestling meet....because it means my baby is healthy, and in the end, that is what this is all about.
Friday, February 15, 2008
DOS
Day two of training is now in the books. I'm going to call the workout DOS, for a number of reasons... the obvious - that DOS means two, is the least of those! We live in a world of acronyms and this one, in this case, means - Developing Overall Strength. Since I'm going to be doing a much longer race than I've done before, I decided I better do all the little things the best I can, and I know I need some core strength.
SO - yesterday's workout was filled with squats, lunges, bridges and the like, as recommended by the ASMSU trainer. (By the way, if you are at MSU and have a gym pass, I highly suggest that you give this FREE service a try. There are great people to help you reach your goals.) Participation in Team Challenge includes training, which I'm sure will be wonderful, but it doesn't get going until March so in the meantime, I'll do the best I can.
Back to DOS. Core strength training is something that I've ommitted for many, many years. I've read all the info about how important it is, especially for women, but I've managed to avoid it nonetheless. I have to say, that squats will probably never be my favorite. However, it feels good to have some soreness (okay, quite a bit) in areas where I definitely want to get some definition so I shall plug away. Also, in the past couple of years as I've just started running without any kind of core training, I've managed to get injuries - hamstrings, shin splints, knee soreness. So I think this will help.
If you have Crohns or Colitis or a close family member or friend who does, number 2 is a frequent part of regular discussion.... You know what I mean. It is unavoidable, really. However, it is awkward and hard for the general public to talk about poop, so this reference DOS, is kind of a loving way of embracing one of the most difficult parts of talking about the problems associated with Crohns, and one of the most difficult parts of training, all into one small little phrase.
I wanted to say one more thing in this post... I sold myself a little short in my first post by saying that I haven't been disciplined in the last while. That's not entirely true. Being in remission from Crohns over the last few years, has not been accidental or a matter of luck. I've worked at it. My GI, Dr. Johnson, and his nurse Kim, help me to be very, very diligent about regular check-ups, blood work, infusions and the like. They are wonderful and without them, I have no doubt that things would be much different for me. I also have learned a lot about my triggers -things to avoid - to help me stay on track. Getting overly tired, for me, can be really dangerous. I've had to learn to say NO, sometimes more than I like. There are periods of time where I feel some pain and I put myself on a liquid, highly nutricious diet. I am faithful in taking my B12 shots. I know that at some point, I might have a bout in SPITE of all this that I do, but if that happens, I'll be able to say that I did what I could to avoid the trouble.
I have slacked in terms of exercise, and that is what I meant yesterday. Life is so busy - and I'm so grateful to be participaing actively in life! It is truly a blessing that I'm able to work full time and participate in my kids activities and community service, etc. I just haven't made exercise a priority, and that is what I'm changing now. It does make a difference -for EVERYONE! But, maybe especially for people with chronic illness. None of us are perfect, we can only do our best. I fell off in this area, and now I'm turning it around. It's all good!
SO - yesterday's workout was filled with squats, lunges, bridges and the like, as recommended by the ASMSU trainer. (By the way, if you are at MSU and have a gym pass, I highly suggest that you give this FREE service a try. There are great people to help you reach your goals.) Participation in Team Challenge includes training, which I'm sure will be wonderful, but it doesn't get going until March so in the meantime, I'll do the best I can.
Back to DOS. Core strength training is something that I've ommitted for many, many years. I've read all the info about how important it is, especially for women, but I've managed to avoid it nonetheless. I have to say, that squats will probably never be my favorite. However, it feels good to have some soreness (okay, quite a bit) in areas where I definitely want to get some definition so I shall plug away. Also, in the past couple of years as I've just started running without any kind of core training, I've managed to get injuries - hamstrings, shin splints, knee soreness. So I think this will help.
If you have Crohns or Colitis or a close family member or friend who does, number 2 is a frequent part of regular discussion.... You know what I mean. It is unavoidable, really. However, it is awkward and hard for the general public to talk about poop, so this reference DOS, is kind of a loving way of embracing one of the most difficult parts of talking about the problems associated with Crohns, and one of the most difficult parts of training, all into one small little phrase.
I wanted to say one more thing in this post... I sold myself a little short in my first post by saying that I haven't been disciplined in the last while. That's not entirely true. Being in remission from Crohns over the last few years, has not been accidental or a matter of luck. I've worked at it. My GI, Dr. Johnson, and his nurse Kim, help me to be very, very diligent about regular check-ups, blood work, infusions and the like. They are wonderful and without them, I have no doubt that things would be much different for me. I also have learned a lot about my triggers -things to avoid - to help me stay on track. Getting overly tired, for me, can be really dangerous. I've had to learn to say NO, sometimes more than I like. There are periods of time where I feel some pain and I put myself on a liquid, highly nutricious diet. I am faithful in taking my B12 shots. I know that at some point, I might have a bout in SPITE of all this that I do, but if that happens, I'll be able to say that I did what I could to avoid the trouble.
I have slacked in terms of exercise, and that is what I meant yesterday. Life is so busy - and I'm so grateful to be participaing actively in life! It is truly a blessing that I'm able to work full time and participate in my kids activities and community service, etc. I just haven't made exercise a priority, and that is what I'm changing now. It does make a difference -for EVERYONE! But, maybe especially for people with chronic illness. None of us are perfect, we can only do our best. I fell off in this area, and now I'm turning it around. It's all good!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Day One - Training begins.
Well, I hummed and hahhed, and delayed working out for more than a year. One thing I'm sure of is that exercise helped bring about the remission that I've been in for several years. Yet, somehow, I've let it lapse and lately, I'm feeling some uncomfortable symptoms again. Staying well with Crohn's requires discipline, and I haven't had much. This race is about so much - and one of the big things for me, is getting back to being the me that I really like.
So, day one is in the books. I went to the brand new gym on campus, set up my locker and went swimming. I wasn't even detoured when my goggles broke. I got in 1250 meters. I did some freestyle and some backstoke, along with some kicking. It felt amazing. FINALLY, my procrastinating is over.
I stepped on the scale afterward.....OUCH!!!! Let me just say that the last time I weighed this much I was nine months pregnant... I knew my pants were tight and that I didn't look how I liked, but this was an eye-opener. I'll drop the actual number later, but for now, suffice it to say that I'll be addressing this issue straightaway! I'll need to drop 25 lbs to be comfortable again, and I'm sure I can do it.
I mentioned my brother being sick and I want to take a second here in post one to tell you a little about him. He is a year older than me (37) and has been horribly sick for well over a year now. Recently the VA flew him to Denver to see about doing some surgery but they decided he was too ill. He's home now getting full TPN, nothing through the mouth and trying to heal some and put on a little weight before they try to do a resection and fix some fistulas that are connecting from his bowel to his bladder. His life has been turned upside down. He has two beautiful little girls, aged 10 and 12, who need their daddy back on his feet. He needs to get healthy so he can get his confidence back. He needs hope that it WILL get better. This race, for me, came about because of him. I was in a very similar place several years back and with everything in my being I want to help him get through this thing. The best I can do is to love him and support him and try to speed up the next great treatment and heck, maybe even cure.
This is the best way I could think of to try and help Kody, and everyone else out there who is in the throws of this beast. There is a better day ahead.
Because he is in a quest to GAIN weight, and I in a quest to LOSE some, here's my plan. As soon as I (at 5'10) weigh LESS than he (at 6'7) weighs, I'll let you know! Hopefully this is really SOON!
So, day one is in the books. I went to the brand new gym on campus, set up my locker and went swimming. I wasn't even detoured when my goggles broke. I got in 1250 meters. I did some freestyle and some backstoke, along with some kicking. It felt amazing. FINALLY, my procrastinating is over.
I stepped on the scale afterward.....OUCH!!!! Let me just say that the last time I weighed this much I was nine months pregnant... I knew my pants were tight and that I didn't look how I liked, but this was an eye-opener. I'll drop the actual number later, but for now, suffice it to say that I'll be addressing this issue straightaway! I'll need to drop 25 lbs to be comfortable again, and I'm sure I can do it.
I mentioned my brother being sick and I want to take a second here in post one to tell you a little about him. He is a year older than me (37) and has been horribly sick for well over a year now. Recently the VA flew him to Denver to see about doing some surgery but they decided he was too ill. He's home now getting full TPN, nothing through the mouth and trying to heal some and put on a little weight before they try to do a resection and fix some fistulas that are connecting from his bowel to his bladder. His life has been turned upside down. He has two beautiful little girls, aged 10 and 12, who need their daddy back on his feet. He needs to get healthy so he can get his confidence back. He needs hope that it WILL get better. This race, for me, came about because of him. I was in a very similar place several years back and with everything in my being I want to help him get through this thing. The best I can do is to love him and support him and try to speed up the next great treatment and heck, maybe even cure.
This is the best way I could think of to try and help Kody, and everyone else out there who is in the throws of this beast. There is a better day ahead.
Because he is in a quest to GAIN weight, and I in a quest to LOSE some, here's my plan. As soon as I (at 5'10) weigh LESS than he (at 6'7) weighs, I'll let you know! Hopefully this is really SOON!
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