Regular Hospital Stays

6:15am: When the alarm sounded this morning I have to admit, I hit the snooze button...3 times. I still rolled out of bed though at 6:15am so I guess that's not too bad. When I actually got out of bed I felt pretty well rested and was ready to get my walk on. I made the mistake of checking my email first which then turned into responding to all of my direct messages on Twitter. By the way, I would encourage you to set up a Twitter account. There are quite a few CFers on there that are tweeting very interesting stuff all of the time. I often tweet tips, tricks, research and a variety of other things that are CF related. You can get to my Twitter page through this link (@RunSickboyRun) and start following me there! I've met many other CFers through that medium and also made others aware who were not before. Alright, that's the end of my Twitter plug.

So by the time I was done on the computer it was 6:50am, which wasn't too bad cause it was still on the cool side outdoors. Don't get me wrong, the cool side is still a bit hot, but it's better than 100+. The walk went well and I definitely felt better than yesterday. Mucus still looked like Elmer's glue, but it was definitely easier to cough up and spit out. My lungs also felt a little better as well. With all of that said though, I still called and made a clinic appointment for July 13th. It will be over 4 months since I've been out of the Hole and I generally go in every 3 to 4 months. I want to stay on top of my progress and I'm finding it harder and harder to get up in the morning and sustain enough energy to get through my workouts. I can still handle it, but I don't want to all of the sudden get surprised and end up like I did in January. I'm hoping it will be shorter than my other stays (usually 30 days) and I could get on a every 4 months for 2 weeks at a time cycle. We'll see how this first trip back goes and then play it from ear.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 38'46"

4:00pm: Today, Mandi and I did a slightly different routine at the gym. It was a chest/back day but we didn't do the full workout. Instead, we did "burnouts". Let me explain...for bench press we both did sets of 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 and increased the weight with every set. At the end of completing all sets I put four 5 lbs weights on each side of the bar. I then would press that bar as many times as I could until exhaustion. When I couldn't lift it anymore, Mandi would take off a 5 lbs weight from each side and I would then try to lift that as many times as I could. I repeated the same steps until I was down to nothing but the bar. I only could lift the bar 6 times! I was pooped. We did something similar with back and then we ended the workout with set of pushups and pull-ups. At the end we could barely move the upper half of our bodies.

It was then on to cardio. We both rode the exercise bike again today. I'm still staying off my foot until I can get it looked at. A girl that I developed a relationship with through the CFF actually works for a place that makes orthotics and she said to come in soon to see her. So hopefully I will stop making excuses and things will slow down a bit so I can swing on by. I guess I just made an excuse didn't I? Whoops. Anyway, we did about 25 minutes on the bike, sweated our butts off, and then headed back to my place to get ready for some Bible Study...and Dunkin Donuts. Current Weight: 185 lbs.

Total Distance: 6.0 miles

Side Note: While I was lifting one of the managers at the gym came over with a prospective client. He was showing him around the gym to try and sell him on a membership. He came over to me to say hello and probably show the guy that they develop relationships with people there who come to work out. I had befriended this particular manager at a CFF event that he volunteered at and challenged him to get his gym involved in the CFF. Anyway, he came over to say hi and then proceeded to say to the prospective client "Have you ever heard of Cystic Fibrosis? Well, if you ever hear anybody talk about make sure you get out your check book and write a check for CF...you ever hear of it?". I was actually surprised that the manager was talking like this, but being who I am, I was very happy and made sure to seize the moment. Just before seizing it though the guy responded, "Yeah, I have. My sister-in-law has it, she's 37". What a small small world.

Total Distance for Day: 8.1 miles

Rocky Point 2009 (pictures post)

Sorry it took so long to get these pics up! I'm slacking! Here are some of my favorite pics from my Rocky Point, MX 2009 family trip. Enjoy!

First stop: Dunkin Donuts

Second Stop: Grandma's house

All packed up and ready to hit the open road

Apparently I was getting ready to say something

My little cousin was giving manicures and pedicures...to boys ONLY!

We all know that I took full advantage of a little pampering

My cousin Janee even got into the mix by styling my hair

We had about 6 birthdays to celebrate while we were down there

This is where everybody generally ate

Mandi and I hanging out on the beach

I Coughed Up Elmer's Glue

7:30am: So I wanted to wake up a little earlier this morning, but when the alarm went off at 6:45am I still felt like somebody had put me into a medically induced coma. Since I woke up at 4am yesterday, I decided to cut myself some slack and sleep in for just a bit. It was very well worth it. I woke up feeling very refreshed and ready to take Jezzabel for a spin around the block. When I took off though, I could tell that this was going to be a more difficult walk. I think being off of my normal routine (with the vacation and all of the CFF events) has set me back a bit. My lungs have been way tighter the last couple of days and my mucus is much more thick and sticky. Luckily, it hasn't yet changed into all of the colors in the rainbow, so hopefully that's something I can avoid for a bit. It's also been tougher to get it out and up. I had to cough really really deep this morning to get the stuff moving and instead of it coming right up, it often took multiple coughs. It felt like I was working Elmer's glue out of my lungs and out of the back of my throat. How do I know what that feels like you say? Let me tell you.

When I was 8, I had a fascination with Elmer's glue. I would constantly be making little art projects with it on construction paper. You know the type: trees drawn with crayons and then cotton balls glued down to make the clouds. You could even color the glue green with food coloring to make the grass. Anyways, I always had Elmer's glue in one hand and a Popsicle stick (or some other applicator) in the other. One day I got the bright idea to taste the Elmer's glue. I didn't want to wait either, so I unscrewed the top, held it over my mouth and then squeezed. We all know what happened next, glue went shooting down into my mouth into my throat (and all over my chin) so much in fact that I started to gag. The gagging led to coughing and then at some point I inhaled. Boom, Elmer's glue down the ol' wind pipe! I coughed and coughed and coughed until I finally worked all of the glue out of my throat and out of my lungs. I also made the mistake of trying to wash down the excess glue with a glass of Kool-aid which then turned into a tummy ache for the next couple of hours. So anyways, that's how I know what it feels like (DISCLAIMER: That story was completely and utterly false. I was just working on my creative writing skills. How'd I do?)

Ok, back to reality. If I had to GUESS what it felt like to cough up glue, it would be what I felt this morning. I coughed most of the way through my walk, but towards the end I really started to open up and the mucus thinned out a bit. I'm going to focus on not missing any treatments this week (I think I missed 4 of 28 last week) and doing more cardio at the gym (definitely been slacking there). Let's hope this works and that I can stay out of the hospital for a couple of extra weeks.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 37'27"

3:00pm: So today was shoulder and leg day at the gym. To remind you, this is always the "easy" day cause I only do rehab type of lifts on my shoulders and then legs I tend to go light on the weight. It is a little tougher than my other workouts though in terms of cardio cause I never take a break. I alternate with Mandi from shoulder to leg to shoulder etc. I always have a good sweat going by about the 3rd exercise. The lifting portion of our gym session went well and then it was on to some cardio. I need to step it up this week because my lungs are a bit tighter and junkier than normal. Today, I chose to do the exercise bike. I'm not a huge fan of them because they always make my butt hurt, but I didn't want to pound on my foot at all. I picked up a July 2009 issue of US News and World Report and started pedaling my "little" tooshie off. 30 minutes later I was drenched in sweat and my lungs felt pretty darn good. I actually did less coughing than I expected to do (I'm sure the people next to me were thankful for that) but when I did cough I was able to get stuff moving. When I got off the bike I felt that "high" that only exercise can bring and made my way to the locker room...slowly, cause my butt was asleep. Current Weight: 186 lbs.

Total Distance: 7.1 miles

Total Distance for Day: 9.2 miles

Trip to Flagstaff

4:00am: Yes, you are seeing that time correctly. I woke up at 4am this morning! It wasn't to work out though, it was to take a little road trip. My little brother had a basketball tournament about 2 hours up the road in Flagstaff. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday than watching him hoop it up and escaping the 100+ degree heat for a day. The drive up is also a pretty nice one with all of the rolling hills and lush pine trees that are on both sides of the freeway. Don't get me wrong, first I had to get out of what seemed like an hour long of road construction, but once through that it was nothing but me and the open road, oh, and Mandi. The tournament itself went well with my brother's team finishing with a record of 4-2. It's always fun watching either of my brothers play sports, and yes, I am that guy that is yelling at the refs from the sideline.

6:00pm: I was very proud of Mandi and I that we made it to the gym today. After a "long" road trip and not much sleep the night before, I was dog tired. Hardly anything in me actually wanted to go to the gym, but I knew that I would regret it if I blew it off. Plus, it's kind of hard to skip anything with Drill Sergeant Mandi breathing down my neck. The workout went very well and my chest was still sore from what we did yesterday. That's always a good sign in my book! We tried to get through arms as quickly as we could so we could just get back to my house and relax. It was a pretty busy day, but we were able to wind down with some TV and dinner. By the way, if you've never seen the show Wipeout on ABC, you HAVE TO give it a shot. I literally cry tears every time I watch that show; it is so funny. Alright, that's my show plug for the day, you can make that check out to Ronnie Sharpe. Thanks ABC!!!!

Feeling Guilty About Sleeping In

1:00pm: Today was just a crazy day in general. I got home extremely late from last night's 80's party to benefit the CFF and by the time I did my treatments and got in bed it was well past 2am. For me, that is SUPER late as I am generally in bed by 10pm. Here's the kicker though, when I wet to bed I decided not to set an alarm and to try and sleep in. When I woke up I said to myself "I hope it's at least 8am" and grabbed my phone. It said 10:58am! I was in complete shock! I cannot think of the last time I slept in past 9am, much less to almost 11am! I felt guilty pretty much the whole day because I kept on thinking about how much of it I wasted.

I was able to get a good gym session in though and for that I am very thankful. I was worried for today's chest/back day cause I figured I would be a little weaker since I haven't lifted that muscle group since the 9th. To my pleasant surprise, I felt very strong and was able to increase the weight on most of my lifts. I think the whole Rocky Point trip really did a wonder for my body. I'm going to have to figure out a way to give myself some more rest from time to time. I have noticed though that I don't have as much muscle tone or bulk since the break, but my weight has gone up. Hopefully I'll be fully back in the groove faster rather than slower and I'll see some results again quickly. I wonder what the right balance between exercise and rest would be? Any suggestions? Current Weight: 187 lbs.

Dang You Global Whatever You're Called Now!

7:15am: Definitely felt a little junkier this morning than normal. Not sure what it is, but I was coughing up mouth fulls of globbery goo. My legs were also still asleep this morning when I woke up due to the intense leg workout that Mandi put us through yesterday. I had to shake them for a while before they would actually respond to any of my commands. When I finally got them to cooperate I was off and running on the ol' dog walk. Ok, I wasn't running, but at least I was off. It was another great morning and to me it seems unseasonably cool out. Don't get me wrong, we're still 100+ during the day, but I always remembered it being way hotter in the mornings. Dang you Global Warming, I mean Cooling, or whatever you're called now. Well whatever it is, I hope it keeps up cause I love the temperature to be in the 80's while I'm walking. So if you're listening Global Climate Change, if you could just keep it where you're at for a while that would be great, thanks!

My legs really started to get warmed up during my walk and my feet weren't sore at all. Maybe that's the key that I can take away from yesterday: stretch out my feet until they hurt so bad I can't stand and then look forward to a pain free day the next. Who knows right? Well I also coughed my brains out on the walk this morning. The good news is that most of the mucus was clear with just a slight yellow tint being in some of it. Bad news is I may have coughed up all of the colorful stuff while I was in bed and swallowed it which would explain my slightly upset stomach. But I did get a ton of stuff out this morning so overall I am very happy about that. I'm just hoping to avoid the lung pain that often follows mornings full of coughing.

The next couple weeks I'll be keeping a very close eye on my lung health cause I know it could be getting to that time to get a tune-up again. I am very pro-active with my hospital stays and as soon as I feel myself slipping, I go in. For me, I need tune-ups to continue living the lifestyle that I'm accustomed to living.

Total Distance: 2.0 miles Time: 38'12"

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles

Please Take My New Poll!!

So I've had a couple debates on what to call the general CF population, so I am wondering what term is best. I understand that none of us are defined by CF and if you have read my blog at all you know that I don't let CF define me. With that said, I still have CF, and so do 70,000 people in this world. When you refer to friends of yours with CF, what terms do you use? What do your doctors say when referring to you? I know for me, I have heard them refer to us as both Cystics and CFers. I for one don't care what the term is and as you can tell I don't get in the least bit offended. I gave myself the name Sickboy for goodness sake. Now you tell me, do I act like I have a helpless attitude because others refer to me as Sickboy? The more people that have CF on the tip of their tongue the better. If they think of me and then think of CF, great! Now I hope they get involved and they give to the CFF! Awareness is key to this disease and the more comfortable we are with a "label", the more comfortable other people will be with Cystic Fibrosis in general. Often, the general population's view of CF is a direct reflection of ours.

Just my two cents. Would love to hear your thoughts and see the poll results.

Thanks.

Tried the Bike for the First Time...

6:30am: ...and I loved it! Waking up wasn't the easiest thing this morning, but when I finally put my feet on the ground, I was ready and eager to get the day started. My foot was a little sore so I decided to try something that I haven't even attempted yet, I got on the ol' bicycle. It was actually a mountain bike, but nevertheless, it had two wheels, some pedals, and a chain thinger mibobber. Now one thing I need to warn you with right off the bat when riding a bike: although going down those hills are fun, you need to come back up those very same hills. I learned this the hard way. The first half of my bike ride was almost all down hill. I was thinking to myself, man, I really dig this whole biking thing! The wind blowing in my face, barely having to pedal, I could get used to this I thought. I ended up going 3.25 miles one way and feeling great when I had arrived at my destination. Then I turned around and saw this big beast of a hill staring right back at me. Let me tell you, when going up the hill I would be shocked if I ever went over .001 mph. It felt like I was moving in super slow motion and my legs where on fire, that I was sure of.

When I finally got to the top of the hill I started coughing like a madman. It felt great! I was getting up all kinds of gooey stuff. We of course all know what came after this: ride-by dry heaving. All I could picture was a fellow biker passing me by and getting thrown up on in the process. I ended up not blowing chunks, but there were tears rolling down my face as a result of all of the coughing and heaves. People passing in their cars must of thought that I was in some major pain and I must have looked like a real hot mess. It was worth every second though. I cleared a bunch of mucus from my lungs and they really opened up on the second half of the ride. Most of the ride back was on a slight up hill but no where near what I had come from. I kept a nice steady pace but I'm not exactly sure on the time. I'll have to continue this whole biking thing as much as I can cause it certainly isn't as hard on my feet and it definitely got the deep breaths going!

Total Distance: 6.5 miles

6:00pm: Mandi and I tried something a little bit different today for our workout. Usually on shoulder/leg days it doesn't take us very long at the gym, so instead of driving the 20 minutes to the gym, we decided to stay at her house and use weights there. She has an old set of dumbbells and straight bars and free weights which we took full advantage of today. Mandi took us through a leg workout in her backyard that absolutely kicked my butt. We were doing squats, and lunges, and one-legged squats, and who knows what else. All I know is that it took my legs about 2.2 seconds to feel the burn and old Mandelin didn't let up. She would just slap me on the butt and tell me to keep moving! We also did shoulders with the dumbbells and were able to do most of the exercises that we do when we're at the gym. I think my shoulders got a good rest while in Mexico cause they weren't sore at all today while I lifted. We'll have to see how long that keeps up.

Right after the workout we decided to walk J Bell. She was excited for her walk and the weather was perfect. The sun was setting as we walked and we had a perfect view of it the whole time. We cut our walk short cause we didn't want to press it with my foot. During our leg workouts it got really sore during the squats from stretching my arches. As I type this blog though my feet are feeling pretty good, so maybe that's just what they needed. Who knows though. I'll just have to bite the bullet and go see someone soon about these pesky little feet.

Total Distance: 1.25 miles

Total Distance for Day: 7.75 miles

Recovering from Vacation!

6:30am: I can't express to you how good it felt to wake up in my own bed this morning. I've been sleeping on a couch for the last four nights and it just doesn't compare to the cloud I sleep on at home. Don't get me wrong, the couch I sleep on in Rocky Point is more comfortable than any of the beds, but it's still a couch. I will be posting pictures soon from my trip so stay tuned for that.

Well, it was back to the grind this morning. I have definitely felt the difference in my lungs for the last couple of days while being in Mexico. It's not that I wasn't active, but it was just a completely different routine. We took plenty of long walks on the beach, played a lot of Frisbee golf, jogged around, and did some sea kayaking, but it just didn't clear me out like my routine at home does. There were also a couple of days that I only did three treatments instead of four so that could have made a difference as well. You should have seen the look on my little cousins' faces when I would slap on that vest, it was priceless. I offered to let them try it on multiple times, but they would politely say no and then run away! Can't blame them, I probably looked like I was going through some kind of Chinese Water Torture. I also have to give a shout out to my family for putting up with me starting my vest during breakfast almost every morning while people were gathered around the table eating and talking. It's not always easy to carry on a conversation while somebody sounds like they are jackhammering concrete right next to you. But after 29 years of this, they all take it in stride!

This morning I walked Jezzabel around the normal 2.1 loop. She was SO excited this morning for her walk that she could barely compose herself while I tied up my shoes. It was a slightly overcast morning so it wasn't quite as hot as it should be which I will always take on these summer mornings. The beginning of the walk was a little rough for me. I couldn't stop coughing and I was close to barfing about 17 separate times. I was slightly sick to my stomach and I ate dinner a little late last night, so I'm probably fortunate that I didn't toss my cookies. My legs felt very well rested but my feet did not feel great. I walked around Mexico with no shoes on for the last 5 days, and being flat footed, my feet did not appreciate that very much. I promise that I will go to the running store by this weekend and try to get everything figured out. Maybe some of my blogging cysters and fibros out there can hold me accountable on that one? All in all though it was great to get back into the routine and I'm excited to hit up the gym later today.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 37'34"

4:00pm: Instead of trying to figure out which day I left off on and which days I missed I decided just to start my lifting schedule over based on the day of the week. Today is Wednesday, therefore I had arms today. Mandi was excited to hear that since arms are her favorite day. She loves being able to flex her guns at me and ask "if I have a problem?". It makes me smirk every time. I must say though, if any 115 lbs girl could kick my butt, it would be Mandi. Anyways, I was looking forward to getting back in the gym and seeing how I felt after so many days off. To my surprise I felt very strong! I think the rest helped my muscles recover fully and I was able to maintain or increase my weight on every lift. Hopefully that carries over to my other muscle groups over the course of the next few days. One thing that also increased on my trip was my weight. There was an over abundance of food that I happily ate every free second that I had in Rocky Point. Someone in my family brought a bag full of Skittles and Starburst and I would be surprised if I didn't eat my weight in them. It all went to my gut, so I'm going to have to step it up on cardio the next couple of weeks to get my two-pack back :)

Current Weight: 187 lbs.

Total Distance for Day: 2.1 miles

Hope, Long-term Goals and CF

**The following is my comment on Megan's blog which I encourage you to read so that this post will make a little more sense. I would also encourage you to leave her some kind words and some advice if you have ever found yourself in the same situation. She need some support right now from people who have been in her shoes. Thank you.**

I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed by CF sometimes, but I've got to disagree with you on some of your worries. Now, first let me state that I don't know you, nor your CF, but I do know that some of the things you said aren't necessarily true.

There is no reason that you can't live to a super old age. They are making incredible progress with medicine and research and I am confident that in the next 5-10 years there will be a breakthrough. I understand that you have to be around to receive that new drug or cure, but judging from your lung function and the fact that you're able to exercise, I think that you can plan on being around. Be faithful with your treatments and exercise and you will put yourself in the best position possible.

I personally know more adult CFers that are married than adult CFers that are single. I think too many of us are caught up in this CF in the 1980's or 90's mentality. Sure, some freak things can happen, but if you are faithful in taking care of your disease, your chances of leading a "normal" life go way up. I can only speak from MY experience, but most CFers that I have known that died at an early age were often living risky lifestyles or would totally blow off their treatments. That's not to say that somebody who is not 100% faithful can't die, but we all know that it certainly doesn't hurt to take care of yourself.

I know that it can be scary, I'm not downplaying that, but maybe you can try and fail first before you give up on your hopes and dreams. Trying and failing is 100 times better than not trying at all.

I am always here if you want to bounce some stuff off of me or just need someone to listen. I really hope that you take to heart some of the stuff I have said because I see you as girl with a long, happy and productive life.

Ronnie

6.95 Total Miles for the Week of June 8th (vacation)

Week of June 1st: 10.6 miles

Week of March 25th: 17.85 miles

Week of March 18th: 11.75 miles

Week of March 11th: 17.2 miles

Week of March 4th: 17.7 miles

Week of April 27th: 15.7 miles

Week of April 20th: 22.9 miles

Week of April 13th: 18.75 miles

Week of April 6th: 20.95 miles

Week of March 30th: 31.7 miles

Week of March 23rd: 24.48 miles

Week of March 16th: 34.85 miles

Week of March 9th: 23.6 miles

Attitude and Perception

Here is another great question by a reader:

Well, since you'll be surrounded by family, I'd like to know about the things your parents/family/extended did to support you with your CF as you grew up. Everytime I "meet" a cf'er who is committed to and passionate about maintainting their health/quality of life I wonder "How do I get Emily to grow up like THAT?" So, what do you think they did that helped to form that positive attitude in you. What advice do you have for parents of cf'ers?

Enjoy your trip!

One common question I get is, "How can you ALWAYS be so positive?". Now, before I answer that question let's just get something out of the way: CF sucks. I know that, you know that, we know that, now let's move on. I am a full believer in the power of thoughts and feelings. I know that we as humans can often talk ourselves into things we are not. For example, if you continue to tell yourself all day that you are in a funk, then guess what, you will remain in that funk all day. If you tell somebody else everyday that they are dumb, then chances are, regardless of actual mental ability, they will underperform and feel undervalued. I mean take for example American Idol contestants that REALLY think that they can sing, but are most likely some of the worst singers on earth. Why do they think that? Well, they truly believe that they sound good and those around them haven't said any different. How are they supposed to know what good is if all the feedback they get is that their voice sounds like it belongs on a record to be played for millions? For them, it's all about attitude and perception. Now, does there voice suck? Sure, but if they love to sing and their family enjoys it, who cares? I say, sing until your heart is content.

Let's relate that to my disease Cystic Fibrosis. My whole life, I have been treated just like all of the "healthy" members of my family have been treated. My friends might have known that I "couldn't sing as well as them", but they didn't care. Why didn't they care? Because they saw me "singing" without a care in the world right along side of them. I never seperated myself from the group. I never asked to be treated differently. A lot of this also stemmed from my mom. If you haven't had a chance to read my Mother's Manual for CF post, I strongly encourage you to do so. My attitude towards CF is a reflection of hers. Growing up, my mom made me feel like I was no different than any of my friends or family members. She would say, "Some kids are in wheel chairs, some kids have to take shots, and some kids have to brush their teeth everyday, you Ronnie just have to do your treatments everyday". It was as simple as that. And as a kid, I got it. My treatments were just something I had to do and my mom didn't make a bigger deal out of it. It was very matter a fact. It was also the same way with me being so active. She never told me to take it easy or to stop running cause I was having a coughing fit. She told me to keep running, she told me to keep up with the other kids and not to make excuses, she told me just to be a kid. That same attitude has stuck with me my whole life. I don't make excuses. CF doesn't limit anything I do. It may be tougher for me to get it done or may take longer, but that doesn't mean I CAN'T do it. This of course then translates over to the rest of my family. They feed off of my cues. I take the same bumps and bruises that everybody else does. I then pick myself up off the ground like anybody else does. So to directly answer your question, you treat your daughter the same way you would treat any other child. If you see somebody else treating her differently, you kindly remind them that she is no different than anybody else and should be treated as such. Kids pick up on that kind of stuff. If they get treated differently because of CF, they'll expect that to be that way their whole life. And let me tell you, nobody in the "real world" cares that I have Cystic Fibrosis. Not my teachers, my bosses, the police, landlords, nobody. CF doesn't give me a license to get away with stuff that "normal" people can't. I see too many parents treating there CF kids "with white gloves on" and I hate to say it, but those gloves come off in the real world.

Now, I did encounter people who would "baby me" or treat me different than other family members. If I was treated differently, I understood. I also understood that if I was treated differently, I was partly to blame. It is my responsibility (and yours) to share with my friends and family my attitude towards CF and why they need not pity me or "feel sorry" for me. They see that I don't take that approach myself and I have fully explained the ins and outs of CF. If my friends were to solely rely on the internet for info on CF, they'd probably think that I was supposed to die yesterday. But I'm not a statistic. I can't be defined as a number. I'm Ronnie. I'm my own man apart from CF and believe it or not I do have more control over my life than this crazy "little" disease.

View of CF (and Me) from a Girlfriend

**Mandi left this comment on my last post, but I figured that I would post it on it's own instead**

I'm generally pretty silent on Ronnie's blog, I figure I am in enough stories and daily routines that my comments wouldn't be additive. But I feel inclined to comment on this post..in large part because I know many CFers struggle to realize that they deserve relationships just as much as the rest of us. Ronnie has mentioned the complexities that come along with having CF and entering a relationship. I can understand that a CFer might have anxieties about letting someone fall in love with them and then making them witness what can sometimes be an uphill battle or even lose their loved one (the CFer). But as a girlfriend of a CFer, very much in love, I can tell you that that thinking should be changed.

Ronnie has blessed my life. While CF presents challenges and unexpected turns in our journey together, his attitude about it has rubbed off on me. I truly see CF as a blessing in our lives. It has made me stronger as an individual and has made our relationship stronger. And as Ronnie mentioned, I have thought about the possibility of being a young widow. The pain would be something I cannot begin to fathom, but I can say confidently that I believe God has a special purpose for Ronnie and I'm so blessed to get to be a part of it. And when God is done doing with Ronnie what he has put him here to do (whether that's at 35 or 75) I can find comfort in knowing it's all part of God's plan for my life and rejoice in the incredible journey we had together.

So with that being said, I encourage all CFers to search for that unique individual who is willing and excited to accept and face the challenges that come with a disease like CF. I can tell you, I'm sure there's plenty of people like me, who are just happy to get to spend as much time with their CFer as possible, and leave the uncontrollable up to The Big Man, who knows what he's doing.

I Need Your Help

So today was full of nothing but packing and getting ready for the big trip coming up. Tomorrow, Mandi and I take off for Rocky Point, Mexico which is about 4 hours from Tucson, Arizona. My family has been going there every year for the last 30+ years as sort of a yearly family reunion of sorts. Now, when I say family, I'm talking about between 28-32 people who go every year. We all pitch in to rent a 8 bedroom beach house and fill our days with games, eating, chatting, napping, etc. We are a very close family who will find any excuse to get together but this trip is nice because it's not because of a birthday, holiday, or graduation, it's just because we love each other. Having that support system is a huge reason why I am here today and I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for them.

I'm also excited that Mandi is going to be able to spend so much time with my whole family. Everyone who has met her loves her to death (including family members) but they haven't had the chance to spend a whole lot of time with her. She's up for just about anything at anytime, so I know that she's going to fit right in on this trip.

As far as the blog goes, I'm going to try to keep it active with stories, pictures, and miscellaneous stuff from the trip. I would also like to write a couple pieces about Cystic Fibrosis while I'm there. I won't be exercising in Mexico like I do here, so I won't be keeping up an exercise journal like usual. I will be active, but there's no gym to lift at where I'm going, and I think my body needs the rest anyway. Mandi and I will be doing plenty of beach walking/running and there will be many a beach sports going on all day long. We rent kayaks while we're down there so I'll be getting a great upper body workout as well.

Last thing, I'm always looking to write about stuff that people want to read. So I'm asking you readers out there, "What would you like me to write about?". Send me your suggestions. Send me your questions. Have anything you want answered concerning Cystic Fibrosis? Anything about me personally? My views? Anything. You want it, I'll write it.

Thanks. I look forward to your responses.

Getting CFers on Film!

6:45am: Let me first say to my mom, I know you don't like hearing about my foot problems if I'm not doing anything about it, but I was trying it my own way and I think I've failed. I've tried different shoes. I've tried inserts. I've tried icing it. I've tried resting it. I've tried not doing certain leg workouts. I've tried just about everything I can think of. Next step is going to be seeking the advice of a professional. I'm going to avoid seeing a doctor (I see enough of them, no offense docs) and first try to have my foot "studied" at a running store. Maybe it could be as simple as having a new shoe or a better insert. I sure hope it is. I'm just tired of not being able to run consistently and my foot being sore even after staying off of it for a couple of days. I haven't done any pounding on it for quite a while now and it feels like I ran a 3k yesterday. The best way to describe the pain is it feels like someone is grabbing my foot and trying to bend it backwards onto itself. It's not the top of my foot that is hurting, it's my arch. I'm going on a little vacation on Thursday, but when I get back it will be Operation NoSoreFeet.

My walk this morning was better then yesterday. If you recall, which I don't blame you for not, I felt pretty tight yesterday and it was hard for me to get stuff up in the morning. It was probably due to not working out on Sunday and moving around as much. After getting back in the saddle yesterday, my lungs felt much better on the walk this morning. I was getting quite a bit of clear to light yellow mucus up and not laboring in my breathing. It was a beautiful morning, actually a little overcast, and it was nice and cool out. It still isn't unbearable yet in terms of heat during the day, but I know it's going to get there fast. If I can get my walks in before 8am though, I think I'll avoid having a heat stroke this summer :)

Total Distance: 2.0 miles

Side Note: So the whole day was spent working, but what I was doing was very enjoyable. I traveled around with Mandi and my videographer David to film CFers and their parents answer some questions about CF and how it affects them and their daily lives. It will all be used in an upcoming project that will hopefully launch in the coming months. If you're in the Phoenix or Tucson area and are reading this and would like to participate in this film, please, just send me an email or leave your email here for me to respond to.

8:00pm: I can't believe it took me until 8pm to get to the gym. I was so tired working out but I think I still had a pretty good session. I'm getting stronger week by week and so far everything is holding up well except for my shoulders. I actually had to change a lift that I do on my chest today cause it just puts too much strain on my shoulders when I'm doing it. The one thing you learn quickly is that if your shoulders are hurt, it can effect almost every lift you do. My upcoming vacation will give my body some much needed rest and I'm looking forward to staying in shape by using the beach and ocean as my gym!

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles 

10.6 Total Miles for the Week of June 1st

Week of March 25th: 17.85 miles

Week of March 18th: 11.75 miles

Week of March 11th: 17.2 miles

Week of March 4th: 17.7 miles

Week of April 27th: 15.7 miles

Week of April 20th: 22.9 miles

Week of April 13th: 18.75 miles

Week of April 6th: 20.95 miles

Week of March 30th: 31.7 miles

Week of March 23rd: 24.48 miles

Week of March 16th: 34.85 miles

Week of March 9th: 23.6 miles

Back in the Saddle

7:30am: I know what you're thinking, "he sure does sleep in a lot lately". No, you weren't thinking that? You didn't notice? Oh, sorry for bringing that up then. I have in fact had quite a few mornings of "extra" sleep, but that's only because I've had quite a few nights that I have gone to bed later than normal. I generally try to get between 6 and 8 hours with 7 usually being the number that happens. I woke up with a lot of energy this morning and felt well rested. Jezzabel was chomping at the bit (anybody know where that phrase originated?) ready for her walk.

It was actually an overcast morning which is very rare for this time of the year. It felt great outside and was probably in the lower 80's. I felt kind of tight when I first started the walk and my mucus was kind of difficult to get up. After about .5 miles I started coughing really deep and forced myself to keep it up to try and get the stuff moving. It worked for the most part and I was able to get a lot of thick clear stuff up. Some of it had a slight yellow to it, but it was clear for the most part. My feet felt pretty good as well, with my left foot getting a little sore while making my way up an uphill section of the loop. I'm going to do cardio later at the gym, so I'm hoping it holds up for that.

Total Distance: 2.3 miles

2:30pm: Gym time! I've been working since I got back from the walk, so this gym time was a much needed break. Mandi and I headed out to lift shoulders and legs plus do a little cardio. It's been a while since we did cardio so we decided to do it first to make sure there were no excuses to miss it. We hopped on the elliptical and off we went. I had my iPod in and was reading through an US Weekly from March of 2008. I'll tell you one thing, it makes that half hour just fly by. Believe me, I'm not a fan of cardio because I usually would get so bored, but if I have a magazine I barely even take time to notice what I am doing. We ended up doing 30 minutes on the elliptical and by the time we were done my grey t-shirt looked black from the sweat soaking through. (Wanna feel good about what you're doing? Wear a grey t-shirt to the gym!) My lungs felt really open and my legs felt great!

It was then on to lift legs and shoulders. We did what we usually do with us alternating between the two muscle groups each set so that we never stop. That way you get another cardio type workout in. Also, the sweat never stops and you feel like you're getting an incredible workout. Today's gym session was constant movement for over an hour! Try it, I promise you'll like it...well, at least your lungs will!

Total Distance: 2.65 miles

Side Note: Mandi and I are heading out to dinner with the parents of a little CF boy to meet them and talk life with CF. They are also interested in helping with a project Mandi and I have going on that will have a positive impact on the CF community. I LOVE talking to cystics parents and hopefully giving them encouragement about the road ahead. My mom did a GREAT job in raising me and I just pass some of her knowledge onto other parents. If you haven't had the chance to read the posts I've done about my mom and her attitude towards CF, I encourage you to use the category posts to find those blogs and read them. Look under Mom and Pillar Articles.

Total Distance for Day: 4.95 miles

Need To Save Some Time as a CFer?

If so, go to http://noexcusesnoexcuses.blogspot.com/2009/06/vesting-in-car.html. She has a blog up about doing your treatments in a car and how to make it happen. Great Post!

CFF Pool Party

11:ooam: I slept in a little bit this morning, but I was still up by 8 or so. I did however really enjoy my morning and didn't rush out the door to go and work out. I wanted to make it a calm morning cause I know that I'll be heading to a CFF pool party later on and those are anything but calm. They raise a ton of money for CF, but that's generally the last reason people are there. I've always had a slight objection to events like that, but when it comes down to it, it's all about the money. That's the CFF's job. Raise money to find a cure and that next great med. There is no other non-profit out there that does such a great job in moving forward on it's mission. If I have to watch a bunch of people gather together "in the name of CF" who actually have no idea what CF is BUT they are writing checks, then I guess it's better than a sharp stick in the eye. Much better actually. It also puts "pressure" on me to go to these events and carry the torch so to speak and talk to as many people as I can about the disease. I've met many great people over the years through CFF events and many of them stay involved with the Foundation in some sort of capacity.

Ok, sorry, I got sidetracked. So I headed to the gym around 11 with some making up to do. I had to do my back workout that I missed yesterday PLUS arms. I knew it was going to be a long gym session. Mandi and I were looking forward to arms (especially because of the upcoming pool party :)) but back not so much. We did bicep and triceps first which went really well. It felt like we were both moving in slow motion, but the clock also seemed to slow down. About an hour into our workout Mandi mentioned that it felt like we had been there for 3 hours. By the time we got to back we were both super fatigued. Instead of the normal 5 lifts that we do for back, we ended up doing 3. The last exercise was wide grip pull ups and I couldn't finish my sets. My upper body felt dead. I was glad that we did most of our back workout though cause I hate missing workouts and I wouldn't have felt right if we didn't make up at least some of it.

Side Note: The CFF pool party was a huge success. It seemed busier than last year and I heard that they sold over 14,ooo dollars worth of pre-sale tickets. I'll try to get a number this week of exactly how much the event made. After a day in the sun, Mandi and I spent the rest of it relaxing. There was no more working out or exercising, but plenty of grilling and hanging out. Just what the doctor ordered...speaking of, time to do my treatments.

Total Distance for Day: 0 miles 

Feet Are Feeling Better Today!

8:00am: So I did the whole "5 more minutes" thing at around 6:45 this morning and wouldn't you know it, all of the sudden it was 8! It felt so good too! I got to bed way later than usual last night so I probably needed it. J Bell was ready to go the minute I woke up and wouldn't leave my side until I told her to grab her leash. I was a bad daddy yesterday and she didn't get her walk so I know she was extra excited. Not doing anything on my feet yesterday was probably a good thing though cause my feet felt better this morning than they have for a long time. I got out the door a little later than normal so it was definitely a hotter out. Jeezy for Sheezy was dragging her tongue quicker than normal and I think I broke a sweat about 200 yards into it. Got to love 90 degree heat at 8 in the morning! 

I was coughing quite a bit on the walk this morning but a lot of it was on purpose. I felt some mucus stuck towards the bottom of my throat, top of my lung area. You guys know what I'm talking about. It feels like there is a rock or something in there and it takes some really deep coughs to get it moving. I was moving stuff up and getting quite a bit out, but was also making myself out of breath in the process. It's hard to cough, walk, spit, and breath at the same time! I just did a quick 2 miler because I wanted to save my feet for cardio later. I have some making up to do for yesterday and I want to put myself in the best position to get it done. 

Total Distance: 2.0 miles    Time: 34'04"

5:30pm: So the day my feet feel better I'm of course swamped with things to do. I lost track of time today and by the time I got my head above water it was to late. We are hanging out with friends tonight for game night, so I needed to get back and showered for the 7:30 start. I was only able to get in my chest workout (which was very good), so I'll have to do arms with back tomorrow. It will be another full day tomorrow though with a CFF pool party to attend. Hopefully I'll be on the ball tomorrow and be able to get in some cardio as well. Me thinks that there will be no sleeping in! Current Weight: 185 lbs.

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles

You've Got To Do Your Treatments

6:30am: I decided to go to the gym this morning cause I will be traveling today and I wanted to make sure that I got my workout in. Today was legs/shoulders which is the quickest workout that I do. It worked out well that it fell on the day I was traveling. I was going to do some cardio also, but my feet are still sore from the last couple of days, so I figured that I'd give them a break this morning. I'll probably be giving Jezzabel a walk tonight when I get back into town. 

My lungs feel a little bit cruddy this morning, so although I'm traveling, I'll make sure to stay faithful with my treatments. In the life of a CFer nothing is more important than being active AND doing treatments. Like it or not, that's just the way it is. The CFF pours all of this money into improving our medications and then some of us just blow them off. I get it, treatments are sometimes a pain to do. Sometimes it feels like they are over taking your life. But you know what, get over it. I don't know how else to say it. Do your treatments and live, or ignore them and die. If I take four hours out of each day to prolong my life by 10 years (just throwing numbers out), then I'd say I'm getting a pretty good deal.

Side Note: I got home a little later than expected so all I did today was get to the gym. Looks like I have some making up to do the next couple of days!

Total Distance for Day: 0 miles (I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth)

The Trapdoor of the Stomach

7:15am: I was up a little late last night due to the CFF event that Mandi and I attended, so I decided to sleep in a bit. When I finally rolled out of bed and put my feet on the ground, I could feel the after effects of our long walk yesterday and the day before. Both of my feet were sore and my legs were a little sleepy still. I knew that I should cut back a little bit this morning in terms of my walk distance. Jezzabel had been whining since who knows when so I knew I had to get up and out the door in a hurry before she blew a gasket. As it has been, the weather was perfect for the walk this morning. Slight breeze and probably around 75 to 80 degrees. If only it stayed like that all day.

My lungs felt pretty good from the time that I woke up, but I knew that I had some stuff deep down in there to work out. I tried to keep a good pace to really make my lungs work. The whole walk I was occasionally bringing stuff up but most of what I was spitting out was post nasal drip type of stuff. It wasn't until the final push of the walk when I started walking uphill that I really started huffing and puffing. The deep coughs soon followed and then, you guesses it, I was throwing up on the side of the road. I'm sure many CFers out there can relate to this: once it starts, it's really hard to stop. It's almost as if a throw up trap door has been opened and there's no closing it until your body is good and ready. I must have unknowingly swallowed a lot of mucus and snot the whole night because that's all that came up. With me though it's to the point that I barely break stride, I kind of just turn my head, let it fly, and keep walking.

Total Distance: 2.0 miles   Time: 34'44"

5:00pm: Mandi and I hung out at her house today to wait for a sink repairman that was supposed to show up between 12pm-4pm. Yeah, he didn't show. We were able to get plenty of work done, but it messed up the ol' work out schedule. We finally got to the gym to do arms and I felt kind of weak.  I was hungry all day long and just kept eating and eating but never got full. I'm not sure if I didn't get the proper nutrition or I needed a nap, bit whatever it was I felt lethargic at the gym today. I'm also starting to think that the weights actually weigh different amounts at the LA Fitness near Mandi's house as opposed to the one near me. It could also be that the free standing bars weigh different amounts. Mandi thought that some of the lifts today felt heavier too. I was still able to increase most of the weights on my tricep lifts and I actually did dips unassisted for the first time today in what feels like forever. I was only able to do 2 sets of 10 unassisted, but I thought that was pretty good improvement from starting out with 120 lbs of assistance. Hopefully I'll be able to do sets of pull-ups with no assistance soon as well. Current Weight: 185 lbs.

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles

Lungs a Little Tighter Than Normal

6:30am: Because yesterday went so well I decided to do another long walk this morning, but this time Jeezy for Sheezy got the invite. She was super excited when I told her to grab her leash and we were out the door in a jiffy. Just to backtrack a little, I had trouble falling asleep last night (and it had nothing to do with the 2 cups of coffee at 9pm :)), but I woke up feeling refreshed this morning. My lungs also felt pretty mucus free although they were a little tight. Anyway J Bell and I took off on our adventure and the weather was again being my friend. It was actually a little hotter this morning, but I think it may have just felt that way cause I was directly in the sun's ray the whole time. Yesterday I was walking in the shade for about half the time. Today's walk was also different because half of it was uphill or slightly uphill. Talk about getting the lungs going!

The walk felt good and my feet almost held up the whole time. The ball of my right foot burned about .5 miles into the walk (which is new) and my left foot didn't hurt until about the 2.5 mile mark. I kept a good pace the whole time and J Bell helped out with only going potty about 4 times and rarely stopping to sniff. I think after the second uphill she didn't have the energy to veer off course and do any sniffing. Her tongue was flopping all over the place and you could tell she just wanted to get home. I could have gone longer, but I didn't want her to have a stroke this morning. My lungs opened up and I was able to get a good amount up and out. They still feel a bit tight, but I'm thinking they will be just fine after a treatment. I just need to ice my feet and suck on my nebulizer and this will be a great start to an even greater day!

Total Distance: 3.0 miles Time: 55'58"

4:00pm: So the rest of the day kind of got away from me. I was working on some stuff that I started this morning and before I knew it, it was 4. I had about 45 minutes to get in a workout before I had to get ready for a CFF event. I thought about skipping today and making it up tomorrow, but I figured that I had time to at least do something. I went to the gym and did two burnout sets. One on chest and the other on back. For chest, I started with 145lbs and did that as many times as I could. Then I took off 20 lbs. and did that as many times as I could and then took off another 20 and so on. I finally got all of the way down to the bar and I was only able to do it about 19 times. My chest felt like it had been torn. For back, I did the same type of thing but I did it with wide grip pull ups and instead of going down in weight, I went down in assistance. For instance, I started with 100 lbs. of assistance and worked my way down to 40 lbs. in 15 lbs. increments and did pull ups each time until I couldn't manage to hold myself up. Have I managed to confuse you yet? I hope so :)

Anyway, the key message for today is even if you're short on time, make sure you do SOMETHING. You've got to get your body into a habit. And for what it's worth, there's not many habits better for your lungs than exercise.

Total Distance for Day: 3.0 miles

17.85 Total Miles for the Week of March 25th

Week of March 18th: 11.75 miles

Week of March 11th: 17.2 miles

Week of March 4th: 17.7 miles

Week of April 27th: 15.7 miles

Week of April 20th: 22.9 miles

Week of April 13th: 18.75 miles

Week of April 6th: 20.95 miles

Week of March 30th: 31.7 miles

Week of March 23rd: 24.48 miles

Week of March 16th: 34.85 miles

Week of March 9th: 23.6 miles

Furthest Walk So Far!!!

6:45am: I decided to give a new loop a try this morning so I could walk in a different neighborhood and check out some cool houses. About a mile north of me is a neighborhood that I would absolutely love to live in cause each house is on at least half an acre and it feels like you're in another world. It's still in the heart of the city, but you have no traffic noise and it's mostly green all around with mountain views. Of course this is why it would cost me about 700,000 to get even a fixer upper in that neighborhood. A boy can dream though can't he?

Anyways, I took off this morning with an already slightly sore foot from yesterday but I was thinking that it only needed to be stretched out. The weather was PERFECT with a slight breeze and the sun shining. I may need to do a long walk at this time more often. I didn't bring J Bell along with me cause I didn't know exactly where I was going (and it's a good thing cause I had to jump a wall) and I didn't feel like stopping 800 times to let her do her business and sniff everything. I just wanted to take in the beautiful scenery and the gorgeous weather. I walked and walked, turned and went straight, up hill down hill, every which way it felt like this morning. I wasn't sure how long the walk was going to be (I went back and drove it later), but I really didn't care, I was enjoying it way too much to stop.

I also moved a lot up this morning. Without having Jezzabel attached to my arm I am able to keep up a faster pace. That faster pace gets me more short of breath and coughing which brings the mucus a flowing. I got up stuff that was way deep down in. At first I was coughing a little too deep and thought about tossing my cookies, but eventually that sick feeling subsided and I was able to cough deep enough to get the junk out but not deep enough to cough my stomach out. My legs started to get a little fatigued at about the 2.5 mile mark and it was getting hotter by the minute. Next time I'll leave a little earlier to avoid that heat on the way home. I drank almost 30 ounces on the walk though so I was plenty hydrated.

All in all it was a great morning and the furthest distance that I've walked so far (not including hikes)!

Total Distance: 3.6 miles Time: 1:03'43"

1:00pm: The rest of the day was full of work and "putting out fires" but I did manage to get to the gym. It was my shoulder and leg day which is by far the easiest day I have. It is also the quickest which came in handy on a hectic day such as today. I'm taking it easy on my legs for two reasons: one, to not put a lot of pressure on my foot, and two, cause I don't want to have big ol' legs. My calves definitely have room for growth, but all of the calf exercises make my foot hurt. My shoulders felt really good today and I only had pain on the last set of the last lift. Mandi and I didn't take any time off between sets and were in constant rotation between shoulders and legs. It ended up being a nice little cardio session as well. Current Weight: 186 lbs

Total Distance for Day: 3.6 miles

The Key to Running

1:00pm: It felt really good to take the whole day off yesterday and just relax. I had to run errands and such, but to take a break from all exercise was much needed. I did however have a big itch to get back to the swing of things today. After church, breakfast, and a Good Will run, Mandi and I headed for the gym to work out our arms. As you know if you read this blog, arms may be my favorite day. Since my arms and legs aren't covered by anything while I'm at the gym, I can actually see "results" as I work out and it can be motivating. Don't get me wrong, it still looks like I have wet noodles for arms, but at least they're BIGGER wet noodles. Mandi's arms are also getting slightly bigger, but mostly more defined. While I do heavier weight and less reps, she does lower weight and more reps. I generally do 12,10,8 or 8, 6,4 with an increase in weight for each set. Mandi however usually does 3 sets of 12 all at the same weight. Soon, she'll be able to be a stand in for GI Jane! Maybe she could shave her head and do the sequel?

After the weight lifting portion we decided to head outside and go for a run/walk. We took off on our 3 mile loop and hoped for the best. I say that cause it was 100+ degrees outside, but I needed to push myself a bit after taking the day off yesterday. I of course was sweating almost instantly but we had water with us and I was also hydrating before and during our workout. In the very beginning my left foot hurt a bit and my right ankle had a bit of a kink in it. It only took my ankle about 5 minutes to feel normal, but my foot didn't feel better until the last bit of our walk/run. Just as we were making our way towards the last half a mile we decided to take a short cut to make it a 2.5 mile loop instead. We were both getting a little burned on the face and we certainly didn't want to test the sun in that regard. We ended up running the last .3 miles back to the car. I'm SOOO glad I was able to run, but let me tell you, it wasn't easy.

About 10 seconds after we took off all of the internal excuses started coming from my brain. "You're going to throw up" my brain said. "Seriously, just stop to cough out some of that flem you're choking on" he continued. "You haven't run for a while and certainly not in this type of heat" he shouted. Excuse after excuse just kept on coming out of me. I promise you this, I wanted to stop the entire time we were running. I wanted to run before and I was glad I ran after, but during, I wanted to quit. Running for me isn't easy. It's not easy for most. The key to running is to overcome that self doubt and just push through all of those internal voices and block out the pain. It's ALWAYS worth it in the end. I know it was only .3 miles, but it feels like I accomplished something much bigger. Current Weight: 187 lbs

Total Distance: 2.5 miles

Total Distance for Day: 2.5 miles