Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving & Mckenna

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 smiles. Mckenna has started to smile AT US. Not just smiles in her sleep or randomly during the day because she didn't know what her face was doing. We're talking SMILES. Real ones. You have to give her the scariest, biggest, so-big-it-looks-like-a-painted-on-clown smile to get her to smile back, but I smile at her til my cheeks hurt...and it's worth it!! I am so thankful that she's growing and developing. I am SO thankful for her smiles. I am a bit partial, but I think they may be the cutest smiles in the history of smiles.

I'm thankful for family. Ronnie's dad and step-mom are in town for the week, and it's awesome to have them here. It's great to get to hang as a family and spend time together.

I'm thankful for our first Thanksgiving as a family. We've never had a Thanksgiving at our house, and it seems so perfect to have our first Thanksgiving at our home the same time as our first family Thanksgiving. With that said, I'm REALLY thankful that Ronnie's step-mom is here to help make Thanksgiving dinner...I'd be in trouble if I had to try to cook it on my own. I could figure it out, but it wouldn't be pretty.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful and excited that we're going to be able to host our first Thanksgiving as a family at our house. Like I mentioned yesterday, my Dad and step-mom are in from San Antonio and we thought it'd be the perfect time to host a Thanksgiving meal. We usually go down to Tucson, which I'll of course miss somewhat, but starting some of our own traditions is very important to me. We may not do Thanksgiving here every year, but proving we could have the ability to do so is exciting!

I'm so thankful that I have my special time with Mckenna. Like I've said before, and no I'm not extremely proud of this, but I'm just a tad bit jealous that Mandi gets to spend a bunch of quality time with Peanut while breast feeding. In order to get some special time of my own, I "called" tub time with Mckenna. So far she has taken to the water very well and it has been an enjoyable experience for us both.

 

I'm thankful for the reactions we're getting from Peanut lately. She's getting real good at tracking with her eyes, turning her head to find us and smiling when we're silly. Granted, she still has her biggest smiles before barfing or pooping, but the smiles she gives to us just because, are quite special.

Lastly, a very very happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I hope that no one is actually reading this because of family time, but if you are, please take a moment to reflect on all that you have to be thankful for.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving Visitors!!

This week and into the next, we have the pleasure of having my dad and step-mom hang out with us and spend the holidays in our home. They came in from San Antonio to see Mckenna for the first time and we all thought Thanksgiving would be a great time for the visit. It's especially nice to have them here for Thanksgiving since this will be the first Thanksgiving dinner hosted in our home and to be frank, we really wouldn't know where to get started. Thankfully Denise is here to show us the ropes in the hopes that we may be able to do this on our own someday :)

We hit up the grocery store today to make sure we had everything we needed for the big meal on Thursday. Just off the top of my head, it looks like we'll be having: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, cauliflower, cranberry sauce, corn and pumpkin pie. Think that's enough for the 4 of us (and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm forgetting a thing or two)??? I seriously can't wait as the Thanksgiving meal is one of my favorites, although I always must remember not to eat myself to death...almost literally. Have I told that story on RSBR before? The time that my Thanksgiving meal almost killed me? That's a good one.

Anyway, the whole point of this blog is to welcome my dad and Denise to Arizona and let them know I'm extremely happy they are here (as I know they'll get the message since they read this everyday). I look forward to the next 8 days and can't wait to see what trouble we get ourselves into. Thanks for the help with the yard today and please, don't hesitate to think of other projects we can knock out while ya'll are here. I mean, we can't sit around and stare at Mckenna all day every day right? Right???

Mckenna Speaks!!

PICC Line Dressing Change - Part Deux

Found this old video of another PICC line dressing change. Thought some of you may be interested...if not, it may be worth the commentary.

 

Thankful Thursday: Feedback & Caramel Brulee Decaf Soy Latte

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 my mom. My mom has been in AZ since Mckenna was born and has been a HUGE help. She makes dinner, cleans my house, folds laundry, plays with Mckenna, soothes Mckenna when her gas is making her frustrated, you name it! She leaves on Saturday and man I'm sad to see her go! Luckily both her and my dad will be back mid-December for xmas :)

I'm thankful for Caramel Brulee Decaf Soy Lattes from Starbucks. It's how I start every day and it makes the world a beautiful place even after very little sleep the night before!

I'm thankful for a great one-month check-up for Mckenna. Tuesday we went for her one-month check-up and everything was great. She's growing like a champ (up 2.75 pounds and is 3 inches longer). She's not going to be a peanut much longer! 

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for my latest PFT results. I had clinic on Monday and my FVC was 88% and my FEV1 was 74%. When the test tech came back into my room she said "These are some of the highest PFTs that we have on record for you for a very ling time!". It's always good to hear that the hours I put into treatments and working out is paying off. My hope of course is to get these current numbers even higher, but I'll of course be happy if they stay where they are at for a while with out a decline. Either way, I wouldn't be getting worse :)

I'm so thankful that Mckenna is starting to react to our voices and giving us feedback through facial expressions. It's one of those things that as a first time parent you're never quite sure whether it's an on purpose smile of a totally coincidental smile, but for the sake of this proud poppa, we'll just go with that it was on purpose. And if I may just brag for a moment - Mckenna has such a gorgeous smile!

I'm thankful for making it through a month of Mckenna without causing extreme physical damage to her or someone around me. I'm being a little facetious there as dropping her or doing something completely wrong was never a giant fear, but as I think can be expected, it was at least a little one. So far, the only "injuries" she has had have been caused by those razor sharp blades that she calls her finger nails.

So, what are you thankful for today?

I never would have thought...

Sorry as I take a second to adjust my eyes to this new blogger interface. Okay, I'm ready.

Yesterday was a great day!

I guess technically I could start out every blog that way, but let me tell you exactly what I'm talking about. Yesterday as I was getting ready to go for a run, Mandi asked if I like to go run with her and her mom. As usual, when Mandi asked if I would like to go running with her, my answer was no. (I think I mentioned it on this blog before but I'm not a big fan of running with my wife.) It's pretty simple really -  she's really good at running and I'm not. Whenever I run with her I feel like I'm holding her back and the last thing I want to do is cause her to slow down. And although I love spending time with my wife any chance that I can get, running is not one of those times I like to take advantage of.

Mandi was a little more persistent yesterday. She's getting back into the swing of things and still not able to run at the higher end of her pace. Nancy, my mother-in-law, was also insistent that she had fallen a bit out of training and wasn't going to be going that fast either. It took some coaxing from the both of them, but in the end I decided to go with the group. As we all laced up our shoes we are exchanging reasons why none of us were looking forward to this run.

“I wish it were either colder out or warmer out. It's right at that temperature that I know when I start to run it'll be freezing, but as I start to warm up, I'll be ripping off my jacket as I cook to death”

“Trust me. I'm dreading this run is much as you are. My legs feel like they're weighed down with cement right now.”

“I'm still sore from my workout yesterday. I think I'd look forward to this run a little more if it didn't feel like I was getting stabbed in the thighs.”

Those were just a few things being thrown out before we started our run, but as always, we also knew that it wouldn't be something we regretted as soon as our run was over. As we made it out the door we started out at a leisurely walking pace just trying to warm up our legs and adjust to the temperature outside. We were still cracking jokes about how nervous we were with the run getting closer and closer to starting. We made a deal with each other that we would start running as soon as we got to that stop sign. That stop sign came and went and it wasn't until we got to this stop sign that we actually started to run. That's how it usually goes right?!?!?

Anyway, off we went!

For the first 1.8 miles the pace was absolutely perfect for me. Both Mandi and Nancy were going slower than normal and it just so happened to be my top speed at the moment. We were all in a good groove and by the looks of it, all feeling pretty good. It wasn't until about 1.8 mile mark that I started slowing way down and couldn't hang with the girls. However, I set a goal of making it all the way home which was another .4 miles away and that's exactly what I was going to do. Many things ran through my mind to get me to the finish line:

“Your wife had a baby 4 weeks ago and she's pulling away from you. Pick it up!"

"You've made it this far and to stop now would just be stupid."

“Think about how great you'll feel when you run all the way home. Now, think about how bad you feel if you stop now. I guarantee you'll regret stopping now and walking the rest of the way. You always do.”

“If you don't want to do it for you, do it for Mandi and Mckenna."

“Who cares if you're moving slowly, all that matters is that you're moving forward.”

As you can see, I do quite a bit of self coaching when I'm out on the run. You must understand, that this happens every time and not just yesterday. As stated many times before - I'm not the biggest fan of running and that is the absolute truth. It hurts. It's hard to breathe. I don't enjoy it. But, and this is a big but, I am 100% convinced that running is a major player in getting my lung function to a point that it hasn't been since 2003. I know full well that I don't want to run, but I'm convinced that I need to run.

So to make a long story short, although this is already been pretty long, I did in fact make it to the end. I ran 2.2 miles and it is by far the furthest I've run since rehabbing my foot. Like I said, I felt pretty good for 1.8 miles into it, and to me, that is simply amazing! When I started this running journey I could run for 30 seconds before being forced to stop because of either my lungs or legs. To think that I've been out of the running loop for almost 5 months now and I'm already back to running over 2 miles provides me with the joy that I can't quite explain.

I'll tell you happy also -  my lungs. 

My PFT History

I get asked about my PFT numbers almost everyday. I'm constantly referring people to this post, so I figured I would highlight it today.

Click here to find out what a PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) is and what those numbers mean.

Click here to watch me do a PFT.

My Predicted Liters: FVC 5.09 FEV1 4.12

Results are percent of predicted numbers:

05/19/14: FVC 90% FEV1 75%
05/12/14: FVC 89% FEV1 75%
04/28/14: FVC 73% FEV1 57%
12/21/13: FVC 88% FEV1 75%
12/02/13: FVC 77% FEV1 63%
06/24/13: FVC 92% FEV1 75%
05/28/13: FVC 83% FEV1 73%
05/03/13: FVC 72% FEV1 57%

01/21/13: FVC 88% FEV1 75%
01/07/13: FVC 78% FEV1 65%
10/01/12: FVC 87% FEV1 74%
11/14/11: FVC 88% FEV1 74%

08/29/11: FVC 83% FEV1 69%

04/25/11: FVC 85% FEV1 73%

02/16/11: FVC 77% FEV1 60%

01/19/11: FVC 81% FEV1 63%

03/17/10: FVC 81% FEV1 69%

01/08/10: FVC 77% FEV1 62%

12/17/09: FVC 75% FEV1 60% (last day in hospital)

12/01/09: FVC ??% FEV1 41%

11/18/09: FVC 75% FEV1 53% (first day in hospital)

10/12/09: FVC 80% FEV1 67% (83/68 with old module)

9/11/09: FVC 72% FEV1 59%

8/24/09: FVC 72% FEV1 55%

8/07/09: FVC 78% FEV1 62%

7/28/09: FVC 79% FEV1 63% (post-treatment)

7/28/09: FVC 76% FEV1 60% (pre-treatment)

7/21/09: FVC 71% FEV1 59% (in hospital)

7/13/09: FVC 76% FEV1 59% (first day in hospital)

4/13/09: FVC 77% FEV 1 61% (five weeks out of hospital)
3/9/09: FVC 65% FEV1 51% (last day in hospital)
2/19/09: FVC 59% FEV1 47% (in hospital)
1/27/09: FVC 42% FEV1 31% (in hospital)

Started new predicted module in 2009

3/27/08: FVC 79% FEV1 68%

3/5/08: FVC 64% FEV1 54%

7/13/07: FVC 80% FEV1 70%

6/25/07: FVC 76% FEV1 56%

11/22/06: FVC 81% FEV1 73%

10/30/06: FVC 57% FEV1 35%

11/7/05: FVC 83% FEV1 71%

7/18/05: FVC 72% FEV1 43%

7/19/04: FVC 80% FEV1 66%

7/12/04: FVC 56% FEV1 35%

11/10/03: FVC 66% FEV1 45%

4/7/03: FVC 91% FEV1 85%

7/15/02: FVC 77% FEV1 59%

2/4/02: FVC 91% FEV1 86%

7/2/01: FVC 69% FEV1 51%

4/20/01: FVC 96% FEV1 87%

11/15/00: FVC 63% FEV1 44%

1/13/00: FVC 101% FEV1 97%

12/3/99: FVC 107% FEV1 102%

11/18/99: FVC 90% FEV1 66%

2/17/98: FVC 109% FEV1 100%

2/2/98: FVC 81% FEV1 58%

11/17/97: FVC 82% FEV1 59%

8/8/97: FVC 113% FEV1 104%

11/14/96: FVC 90% FEV1 77%

5/21/96: FVC 114% FEV1 105%

9/14/95: FVC 104% FEV1 100%

9/8/95: FVC 85% FEV1 76%

12/12/94: FVC 108% FEV1 111%

12/5/94: FVC 78% FEV1 67%

11/22/93: FVC 63% FEV1 57%

4/2/93: FVC 86% FEV1 84%

2/19/92: FVC 80% FEV1 87%

11/20/90: FVC 87% FEV1 84%

11/15/90: FVC 73% FEV1 68%

11/9/89: FVC 90% FEV1 78%

10/23/89: FVC 61% FEV1 49%

11/23/87: FVC 95% FEV1 91%

10/16/87: FVC 87% FEV1 77%

02/02/80: The Day I Was Born

Other Links:

My Medications

My Supplements

My Equipment

Mckenna Monday: Four Week Update

Welp, it's been 4 whole weeks...time sure flies. I thought I'd give you another update on how I'm doing and what's new in my world.

I'm growing like a weed! I was born at 6 lb 2 oz and I'm now around 8.5 lbs. The weight seemed to come on over night. I had my 2-3 week growth spurt, and I think most of my weight came on in just those few days...or seemed to judging by how quickly my clothes got tight. That being said I'm not sure if my clothes are getting tighter solely due to my increased size...I'm fairly certain mom needs to stop drying my clothes on HIGH heat!

I'm awake a lot more these days. When I'm awake I love to sit in my swing and look around, have mom and dad hold me so I can study their faces, and lay on my tummy. If I'm awake and I walk into a room with a ceiling fan, I don't care what else is going on, I can't help but admire it. They fascinate me! Oh and when I'm awake, I'm not a huge fan of my pack 'n play. Mom and dad lay me in there when they need to do something quickly and need both hands, but I'm hoping they start to realize I'm not a fan (you'd think the quick discontent would tip them off).

Mom put me in a wrap thing for the first time this week. What a way to take a nap. It holds me nice and close to her tummy and chest and I keeps me toasty warm. I try to stay awake so I can look around at everything she's doing, but I generally fall asleep within a few minutes of being snuggled in that thing.

Annnd I saved the biggest update for last: my feeding fiasco. Mom and I started having a little trouble over the last week. You see, she makes so much milk that when I start eating, I can't keep up and start coughing and gulping. Because I'm swallowing so much air and because of the kind of milk I'm getting (as a result of her oversupply) I get pretty gassy. If you've ever had a gas bubble you know, it is reallllllllly miserable. But after crying my eyes out and some serious burps and toots, I feel better. Luckily mom and I met with a nice lactation consultant who gave mom some tips on how to fix the issue (or at least make it better). So we'll keep you posted, but I think in 3-5 days we're supposed to be feeling better. Pray for us!!

So that's it. I should get going...it's been an hour and a half since I last ate which means I'm ready to eat. Gotta go put my game face on!

Kicking Cystic Fibrosis!!

Guest Post by Eric Verdon

My name's Eric, and I'm 17 years old from the Great White North's capital, Ottawa. On October 27^th I officially made it 4 years that I have been blowing an FEV1 of over 100%, and I owe those numbers to exercise. At the age of 4 my parents put me in soccer, and it wasn't until I was 16 that I stopped playing. I've spent countless hours at the soccer field near my house, literally countless. I have spent summers there, the soccer field WAS my second home, and it really payed off. I managed to make a provincial team, and I played with them for three seasons. All of that time spent running around the field with a ball, practicing my shot, and whatever else I ended up doing there for hours definitely payed off for my soccer skills, but more importantly it payed off for my health.

This all started about 5 years ago, and during that time it definitely started to show that an increase in my health was being made. In about 2 years, I jumped 3 divisions and made it to a provincial level, and from 14-16 I continued to play with the same team. The practices were brutal and and honestly there were mornings I wasn't getting out of bed because my abs hurt too much, or because us scrawny soccer players can do a max of 15 pushups and our coach squeezed one more out of us. In the end it all really payed off, because once I made that provincial team my PFTs finally reached 100%. The amount of mucus I was coughing up was huge, disgusting really (ask my girlfriend), but great for me. The numbers didn't increase much for a good while after, not until I quit soccer and began running.

Running is such a simple thing (and free!) and so good for people like us with Cystic Fibrosis. I don't exactly know why running gets stuff up, maybe it's the increased and harder breathing, or maybe it's the vibration of both feet hitting the ground, but whatever it is it gets junk out of our lungs. I began running about 3-4 times a week about a year ago, and not long after that I did my first 10km run, and did it in a time of 44:37. That's when I hit my highest PFT at 114%! It's been all over the place since then, as I've dealt with minor complications, but not once did it drop below 100%.

Now I've added swimming, biking, and lifting weights to my regime, and am really looking forward to completing my first triathlon next summer! Every single Cyster and Fibro can benefit from running twice a week, even once a week! There are countless stories of CF patients increasing their lung function and living a better life because of activity, and it doesn't necesarily have to be running, go join a recreational soccer team, basketball or any of the sort! Go get a gym membership and start lifting weights, or use the cardio machines they've got there. Anything is better than nothing! If this 17 year old boy can take control of his health, then anyone can.

Bio: My name's Eric Verdon, and I'm from Ottawa, Canada. My parents put me in soccer at the age of 4, and I continued it until I was 16. When I stopped playing, I found a new passion in running. Today I swim, bike and continue to run in hopes to complete my first triathlon next summer. I absolutely love learning about the body and am planning on studying kinesiology next year in hopes to continue my studies into medical school, focusing on sports medicine.

Note from Ronnie: I just want to thank Eric for sharing his story. I think it's so important to remember something he touched on - something is better than nothing! Many of us decide that since we can't do a lot of exercise, we'd rather just do none at all. Just as Eric pointed out however, there are plenty of options available to us if we want to get active. It's all about us choosing to quit making excuses and as Nike says, "Just Do It!!". Thank you again Eric for sharing your inspirational story!

Where's Mckenna?

Jezzabel was so confused after we laid Mckenna down in her crib when we first got back from the hospital. Every time Mckenna would make a sound, Jezzabel would frantically look for her. We caught one of those times on film.

Thankful Thursday - Wraps & Small Changes

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 wraps. No, not like the other form of a sandwich (although I do like those) - I'm talking the big long pieces of fabric used to strap your baby onto your torso. I have been wearing Mckenna the last few days and man is it awesome to have her near, hands free, sound asleep while I get other things done! Can't beat it.

I'm thankful to be running again. I'm starting out really slow (did 2 miles the first day and 2.5 the second), but never-the-less it feels awesome to be running again.

I'm thankful for Starbucks. I have been going to Starbucks in the mornings and man do I look forward to it each night as I sit awake feeding our little love bug. Something about a tasty warm treat in the morning hits the spot and makes the day start out right!

Ronnie's List:

I'm so thankful that our gym is so close to our house. The gym is only about .4 miles away which is always a perfect distance for a quick bike ride or a warm-up run before my workout. There is no doubt that I've been able to be consistent in going to the gym because it is so close. If you're thinking about joining a gym, don't worry about the newest one or the one with the nicest equipment, find the closest one and join today!

I'm so thankful to be witnessing the small changes in Mckenna each and every day. She seems to be more interactive with us and it may just be my imagination, but I think I can get her to smile on command now. I'm really excited for what the future holds and thought of her growing each and every day is not only a little bit scary, but obviously very awesome.

I'm thankful for my ability to get sore. That probably seems like a funny one as I sit here barely being able to get off of my chair because of the pain in my butt, hamstrings and calves, but that means I'm still healthy enough to work them out! I'm just so thankful that the physical capacity to challenge myself in the gym and “hang with” the other meatheads doing crazy workouts right next to me :)

So, what are you thankful for today?

Workout Wednesday: New Exciting Workout!

In case any of you reading this are looking for a new exciting workout, I wanted to share the one I am currently trying. I've been consistently doing the same workout routine for about 6 months now and it was getting a bit mundane. I decided to search around for an "out of the box" workout and this is what I came up with. It was apparently inspired by the movie 300.

All of these exercises are done with no rest between sets:

Pullups - 25 reps

Barbell Deadlift - 50 reps

Pushups - 50 reps

Body Weight Squat Jumps - 50 reps

V-Ups - 50 reps

Single-Arm Clean-and-Press - 50 reps

Pullups - 25 reps

I can tell you from firsthand experience that this is an absolute booty-kicker!! I'm planning on not being able to walk correctly for the next week or so. What I love about it is it's just as much of an anaerobic workout as it is an aerobic one. Best of both worlds!

If you end up trying it out, let me know what you think :)

Extra Running Motivation

Had a pretty cool experience today -running with my daughter!

One of the gifts we received was a jogging stroller as my mom knew that Mandi would want to get back into running as soon as possible. Little did we know, that not only would it be something that I would enjoy, but something that I could use so soon.

As many of you know I have been rehabbing my foot for quite some time now and have not been able to run. It's been months now that I've been backing off any exercise that requires the pounding of my feet and strangely enough, I actually missed running. I would expect somebody who loves to run to feel those emotions, but coming from a guy who absolutely loathes running, I was surprised that I missed it. Fortunately while rehabbing my foot (this consisted of different stretches, ice, heat, rest etc.) I did discover a great way to get my cardio in, as I've also talked about on this blog, and that is spin class! Spin class is 45 min. of pure torture but it gets my heart rate going and keeps my lungs expanded for almost the entire time. I'm so thankful that I discovered that class.

Sorry, I'm getting off track.

Anyway, during the last couple of weeks I have been attempting to slowly get back into running. I'll go for a short run here or a quick sprint there, either on the treadmill or outside, in attempt to slowly work my way back into running shape. I've also been trying to pay attention to my body to make sure I'm not pushing it more than I should be. The last thing I want to do while getting back into this is re-injuring my foot. I was planning on going for a run today and when I mentioned this to Mandi she suggested that we run together with Mckenna in tow. I had first balked at the idea knowing that Mandi generally leaves me in the dust, but just as quick as I balked, she reminded me that she is also getting back into running shape. So off we went!

I insisted on running with the jogging stroller because I really felt like it was something that could come in handy as my legs started to tire. I pictured myself casually “leaning” on the stroller for a little bit of extra support towards the end of my run. Let me tell you, not only did I lean on the stroller a bit towards the end, but I also leaned on it a bit throughout the entire run. It provided some much needed support and I really feel like I ran faster than normal. I'm not sure if this is the case or not but sometimes the feeling of running faster is just as good as actually running faster :)

The last thing that running with the stroller provided was some good old-fashioned motivation. When I set out to run, in my mind, I didn't see us running as far as we did. That was the awesome thing about having Mckenna with us. Every time that I wanted to slow down or stop I just looked down and saw her staring back at me...well, she was asleep, but you know what I mean. Let's be serious, if I can't be motivated by that, I might as well pack it in.

I can tell you this, I won't be packing it in anytime soon!!

First Day Back in the Saddle

As many of you know, you're supposed to take some time to recover after having a baby. Makes total sense, you shoot a cannon ball through the eye of a needle, your body probably wants to take some time to heal. Generally they tell you to wait 6 weeks to really get back into your normal routines. However, 6 weeks seemed a little long to me. My discharge instructions were to not lift anything heavier than my baby...really?! They think someone can't and won't lift something heavier than 6lbs for 6 weeks?! That would mean I couldn't even lift a full gallon of milk on my own - a little silly if you ask me.

Anywhooo, I decided to just go by how my body was feeling, and slowly ease back into my normal exercise routine. Last week I started walking farther distances (2-2.5 miles) to see how my body did with that. I felt great and didn't have any increased bleeding (Sorry if you're eating lunch!! That's just one key thing they say to watch for to know if you're over-exerting yourself). Since I was able to walk farther and do more last week with no issues, I decided to try to run starting today. I'll be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it when I woke up this morning. I was excited to get back into my normal groove, and this was the first step, but I wasn't exactly giddy about strapping on my running shoes. But today was the day that I had committed to in my mind, so today was the day I was going to do it.

I was nervous. Why? No clue. Maybe because I wanted so badly for it to be easy and comfortable, but I was a afraid I'd feel like Frankenstein, awkwardly making my way down the sidewalk. I decided to suck up the anxious feeling (what else can you do with an unjustified emotion, right?!) and hit the road. The first few steps felt just like I anticipated, awkward but exciting. I felt great. "I'm doing it...I'm doing it and I'm a rockstar!" I thought to myself the first 30 seconds. "People are wimps for waiting 6 weeks." I thought to myself as I hit the one minute mark. "Gosh. I stayed in better shape than I thought." I pat myself on the back as I made it another 30 seconds. "Ouch, what's that?!" I was quickly humbled 2 minutes in. "Yikes, that's a serious side cramp," my growing head began to shrink. "OOO yowzers, that doesn't feel awesome," I thought as my left knee let me know it wasn't excited about running. "OH" "EH" "OWWIE" I thought to myself as I Frankensteined down the sidewalk.

Never-the-less 2 miles and 20 minutes later the torture was over. I was back in my house, forgetting the discomfort of the first time back at it. "Ok, that wasn't so bad." I thought to myself as the discomforts from the run had already faded away....faded away just as quickly as they came; quickly enough to make me think, "Welp, at least tomorrow will be better."

Moral of the story? Running pretty much sucks for everyone who's out of shape! But I can assure you, there's no day as bad as the first day. So if you're out of shape and starting to run again...join me in my new anthem: tomorrow will be better!

You're Capable of More Than You Think

Guest Post by Jaime C.

My name is Jaime, I’m 26 years old, and on Monday, October 24th I ran a mile for the first time in my life. I mean EVER. Then, Tuesday I went and ran two. I know, I’m shocked also!

Those two nights were a triumph for me after five months of working out with a trainer and starting to run. I was a pretty active kid growing up, but after I graduated from high school and started college I just didn’t want to exercise any more--it got in the way of my social schedule and I didn’t want the reminder that my lungs were not cooperating with the plans I had. I was simply being lazy. This decision was quite possibly one of the worst I’ve made in my life.

Five months ago I moved to a new city with friends from college and transfered to a new office with my job. Deciding to move was a long and anxiety-filled process and taking care of myself kind of fell by the way-side. On top of that, the weekend of the actual move I caught a cold, which would. just. not. go. away. Prior to moving I had belonged to a gym but half-heartedly went a couple times a week and walked on the treadmill convinced I couldn’t really handle more than that because it was hard. My parents and new roommates (a couple of close friends from college) encouraged me to keep going to the gym and work with a trainer and really get serious about trying to get my lung function back up. I wasn’t really convinced that it would make much of a difference but decided to give it a try.

About a month into my “new” life I ended up having to do IVs which, as so many of y’all know, just takes it out of you! But one thing I did differently this time--kept working out (with a lot of prodding from my roommates). I took the full three weeks of IVs off of work and during that time got lots of rest, lots of awesome homemade meals (thanks to my church) and lots of time at the gym. After IVs my PFTs were back up to my baseline that I’ve had for the last few years, and fresh off that clean-out I hit the gym hard. The trainer I had been working out with had been doing his CF research and informed me that I was going to become a runner. I laughed in his face. And then he made me go run on the treadmill. And I did it. Very slowly at first and for very short distances, but I did it. It was really hard and I was pretty miserable for a long time. I think that much of the battle was mental for me--believing that what I was doing was, in fact, going to make a difference in my ability to breath, live longer, live better. And believing that I could actually do it.

One thing that my trainer said to me was that he thinks I am capable of more than I think I am. I was totally lame and started crying in the gym. Really cool. But it got me thinking, and I realized that there are a lot of things that I’ve decided I can’t do because of CF. I won’t go into that laundry list but the majority of it is ridiculous because I’ve done things in my life that were hard and out there and impulsive and crazy like moving to a foreign country for 10 months with a weeks notice. So why was taking care of my body and working hard, I mean really hard, to help myself so difficult? Why was I able to do things in other “areas” of my life that required a leap of faith with the absolute possibility of failure but not when it came to putting in the work to help extend my own life? I think it’s because I didn’t want to put in the work, experience the pain, deal with the emotions and the struggles and still get sick or have it make no difference. That feels so defeating and leaves me with a distinct feeling of helplessness that I’ve never experienced elsewhere.

I don’t have a good answer to my own questions or know of the best way to handle the possibility of working really really hard at something and having it go badly or not have miraculous results. But what I do know is that when I went to clinic last Thursday my PFTs were, and I quote my doctor: “the highest they’ve been in 5 years.” WHAT?! All I could do was start laughing. And almost fall off the table. I’m just not graceful. It’s ok, I’ve embraced it. But I digress. The moment after I finished my PFTs I knew they looked good, but having my doc go through my chart and really look at how high and low they’ve been in the last few years confirmed that my hard work was indeed paying off. And all of my miserable moments leading up to being able to run two whole miles were suddenly totally worth it!

Now I know that there will be times when I’ve been working hard and I might not see improvement. We all know the unpredictable nature of CF and that even when doing everything right things can still get worse; and yes that’s frustrating. I can’t in all honesty say that when I experience one of those times in the future, where, despite hard work I still get worse that I’ll have a good attitude about it. However, right now, on this side of that situation, I want to cultivate a lifestyle and disposition that reflect what I’ve learned from these last five months: when it comes to CF I am absolutely capable of more than I ever thought; that working hard through pain and burning lungs and muscles is worth it to take back my life and not feeling like CF has already claimed victory. I CAN and I WILL fight this.

Bio: I'm Jaime C. and I'm 26 years old from NC. I was diagnosed at 3 months old at Duke but have been seen at UNC by an amazing group of doctors since I was four. I work full time at a bank and have been doing that for the last two and a half years. Prior to that, I was a nanny in Italy, and before that a college student! I love my family, nail polish, exploring my city, finding new fun places to eat, cooking, the beach, baseball, fashion, traveling the world, learning about and knowing God more, and having a good beer with friends. I hope this little slice of my life helps others realize that they are stronger and capable of more than they think especially in regards to exercise.

Note from Ronnie: I can't thank Jaime enough for sharing her story. It rings so true to many of us in the CF community doesn't it? I know that when I started running, all I could do was picture failing. That fact the I decided to run was a victory in itself, but when I actually "hit the ground running" it became a battle of believing in myself. I think Jaime shows us that through some hard work, preserving and belief in oneself, anything is possible!! Thank you SO MUCH cyster!!