Thankful Thursday: 4 miles & Tylenol PM

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for time with family. My Uncle Scott was in AZ for a conference, and we were able to spend some time with him last night. It was so great to catch up and it was fun seeing him meet Mckenna for the first time. 

I'm thankful for morning runs. I've been running 4 miles at 5am lately, and I am SO thankful I've been able to do that. I know I've mentioned this before, but there's something about the cool, crisp air in the morning, and the feeling of getting going while it's still dark out that breathes life into my day. 

I'm thankful for a hubby who takes care of himself...even when he doesn't necessarily want to. It's looking like tune-up time in the Sharpe household and I know he's feeling a little guilty about leaving Mckenna and I. But I'm thankful he's willing to go in and get himself back into tip top shape! He's such a good husband and daddy.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for a wireless headphones. I've been living on treatments lately while I battle a head/upper respiratory virus, so it's been nice still being able to hear the TV as my Vest is "pounding" away. They've also presented a lot of fun to Mckenna who feels super cool wearing them and watching Choo-choo Soul :)

I'm thankful for a pro-active CF team. I've been in contact with my CF team quite a bit while I've been in this funk. They are proactively trying to get me better, and if that doesn't work, they're not afraid to call in the big dogs!!

I'm thankful for Tylenol PM. Tylenol PM has served two purposes for me lately - breaking my fever at night and allowing me to sleep soundly. Whenever I'm fighting something, sleep is very, very important. Only way I can fall to sleep super early at night is with a little bit of help from my friend Mr. PM.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Turning Back the Clock

Great question from a reader:

I have a few questions for you, I remember reading on your blog about how you raised your PFTs. I was recently told I can't raise mine and nothing motivates me more than someone saying I can't. I obviously went through the stage every CF patients goes through and stops or halfway does their medicine and treatments and stops working out. So my question is what all did you do to raise yours? What kind of exercise? And did you eat differently?

I was told in 2009 that I should get comfortable with blowing a 50%. As with you, that motivated the heck out of me. It took two years of crazy hard work and dedication, but I was able to blow a 73%. Since then, I've remained steady and haven't had too many drastic dips. I've even been able to inch them up a little more.

For two years, this was my schedule -

Albuterol/Atrovent 4 times daily
Pulmozyme 2 times daily
7% 2 times daily
Inhaled antibiotic 2-3 times daily
Vest 4 times daily for AT LEAST 30 minutes at a time
Ran for 20 to 45 minutes 5 days a week
Took daily walks and bike rides
Lifted weights 3 to 4 times a week

I didn't really eat all that differently.

As you see though, it was a big commitment and obviously one that has paid off for me. When I blew that 73% in 2011, it was my highest number since 2003. So you can't tell me that we can't "turn back the clock"!!

Anyway, hope this helps and please let me know if you have any other questions 

Mckenna Monday: Teeth, Words, Swimming

Hey guys, me again. Mommy and Dada have been slacking on blogging since Thursday, so I figured it was time for me to step in and save this blog from going down in flames (as if it hasn't already, ha! I kid, Dada, I kid). A lot is new with me since the last time I wrote, I mean, I'm an 18 month old, we grow up fast. But I'll try to hit the highlights about me and my life these days.

First and foremost, I'm getting more teeth in my mouth. If you ask me to show you my teeth or smile, I will, if you want to see them. They're pretty cool. They hurt a little, but Mommy says it's about time for me to finally get more teeth, so she's less than sympathetic. She does help me my giving me a little "medmin" when they hurt. You know, that stuff that tastes like cherry and you drink it out of a syringe thingy. She also helps me by giving me "eye" to chew on. I just say, "tee, tee" and show her my teeth and she goes to the freezer and says, "Ice for your teeth?" and gets my "eye" to chew on. They're frozen little toys I get to chew. Sometimes she's silly and just gives me one at a time, but I really like having all four at once and carrying them around more than I like really chewing on them.

Oh and I'm learning lots of new words that help me tell Mommy and Dada what I want or what I'm thinking. They say I learn lots of words each week, but I don't keep count (mainly because I can't count yet). I just know that they help me get my way...or at least try to. My favorite new word is, "Idunno", you say it you don't know something. Like when I look for my babies. I say, "baby? Idunno" and then they know I have no idea where it is. My other new favorite word is "High chu". That's the tall place I sit in to eat or that I sit in when Mommy doesn't want me running around while she's doing something. So sometimes I sit in my ""high chu and watch videos on YouTube. My favorite is a Russian cartoon that "Idunno" what it's called and neither does Mommy because the title is in Russian, so Mommy and I call it Baby and Bear, and Mommy can only find it by looking in her history to find it because she can't search for it...in Russian...on YouTube. Anyways, I love my "high chu" because I love to eat and I love videos...I wish mom would let me do both at once, but her and daddy say no videos during meals. Oh yeah, and sometimes "bahs" bother me when I'm trying to eat. Mom calls them flies, I call them "sies". So we say, "sue sies, sue sies"and bat them away with our hands. Oh and my other new favorite thing to say is at night night time. Mommy or Daddy lay me down and say "night night" and I say "nigh nigh" and they say, "love you" and I say "la lu" and they say "see you tomorrow" and I say "morrow". I love that "morrow" word. It means they are coming back for me when I get up. I really like that they will come back for me when I'm up, or I'd get lonely. I don't like being in my bed, awake, for very long. Mommy says some kids will play in their beds when they wake up. Why would I do that? It's dark, and I'm by myself, and I don't have my toys. That would just be silly to want to play in there.

And I LOVE to play and go "mimming" in Nana and Papi's "poo". We put on our bathing suits, sunscreen and "ats" on our heads and we bring "twoys" in the "ater" and "pay". It's so much fun. I usually just stay on the step, but sometimes I am brave and go into the middle of the "poo" with Mommy, Dada or papi and "mim". I'm pretty good at "mimming" and even will go under "ater" if Mommy or Dada go under at the same time. I also LOVE blowing "babas"with my mouth in the "ater".

Alright, well, it's nap time for me. Mom has been trying to get me to switch to one nap a day instead of two and I'm making sure she fails miserably by not sleeping very long for the one nap...so some days it's two naps and sometimes one...hmm I wonder if this will be my only one today, better make it a short one just in case.