Thankful Thursday on Friday - PFTs & Wifey

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 Ronnie's last PFTs. We may be in for a tune-up right now, but I couldn't be more thrilled with Ronnie's PFTs before he came in. An FEV1 of 69% when he's not feeling great is fantastic in my book, especially when he got out of the hospital last time at 61%. I'm just so thankful that the extra working out and eating well is paying off!! I couldn't be more thankful for how hard he works and the results we're seeing.

I'm thankful for tune-ups. Man am I SO thankful for the privilege for Ronnie to go into the hospital, have meds and get feeling better. What a huge blessing that there are IV antibiotics that work and an opportunity for improvement. I'm also thankful for a little quality tune-up time together - nothing like bunking up like it's camp, vegging out and enjoying each other's company in a different setting.

I'm thankful for freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. I made a dangerous discovery last night...around 9pm they bring out HOT, freshly baked cookies in the cafeteria. We're talking while I was standing there they brought out the cookie sheet and it was hard to get it off the sheet onto a plate it was still so gooey. Oh.my.goodness...there is nothing more yummy!!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for my latest PFTs. Short story - last time I got out of the Hole I was blowing an FEV1 of 61%. About one month later I was blowing about a 72%. My last PFT showed me blowing a 69%. I just feel so blessed that 5 1/2 months after my last hospital stay that my lung function has actually improved.

I'm thankful for understanding and trusting doctors. After what I said above, many of you are probably thinking the same thing - why in the heck is he in the Hole?? I'm here because I need to be here and my doctors trust me when I say that something is going on and we need to nip it in the bud. I've had a slow decline these last couple of weeks and I didn't see that improving without the intervention of some hospital time. I know that some of us out there have to fight to get into the Hole - I'm fortunate that with a little bit of trust and open communication, I have a team that has my back (I'm still seeing my old team in clinic and they make the decisions as to whether I go in or not).

I'm thankful for an understanding wife. Hospital stays are not as awesome as being at home. Running around the hospital grounds is not as cool as running around the neighborhood. Working out at the hospital gym is not as fancy as Fitness Works. Hospital food doesn't even come close to as tasty as the food we prepare at home. Sleep in the Hole is disrupted 10 fold when compared to sleep at home. Yet my wife, she doesn't complain. She just "sucks it up" and makes due. I think in part, it's because she knows how important hospital stays are, but that wouldn't necessarily mean that she would have to have a great attitude about it all. Yet she does, and she makes due with what has been given to us. I love her.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Update from the Hole: Day 2

Update from the Hole: Day 1

The Non-Hospital Update!!

Nesting: Playroom Addition

As of tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be 31 weeks pregnant - WAHOO! Somehow 31 weeks sounds WAY further along than 29 or even 30 weeks (silly how your brain can work that way sometimes...who knows why that sounds so much further along). So the clock feels like it's really tickin' fast now. Therefore, we decided this weekend was a good weekend to get crackin' on the playroom. Our house's common areas (family room, dining room, kitchen) aren't great places to play, so we are making the bedroom next to Peanut's nursery (connected by a jack and jill bathroom) a playroom. The plan is to have all of Peanut's toys live in there, and much of the play happen in there, but obviously everything will make its way out into the rest of the house a ton, but at least the toys will have somewhere to "live". We went on Friday and purchased a sleeper sofa (figured it could double as another guest room if we ever needed the space). Then on Saturday and yesterday, we ran all over the place shopping for additional furniture and storage for toys. In shopping for furniture, storage, and decorative stuff, we stumbled upon a ton of reasonably priced puzzles, books and toys at Tuesday Morning (I've never been - WAY cool store).

So 1 couch, 2 pillows, 1 throw, 1 "rocking cow", 2 shelves, 12 nylon storage boxes, 38 books, 4 puzzles, 3 toys, and 2 stuffed animals later, the playroom is getting close to being ready for Peanut. We didn't get many toys or "baby things" (like jumpers, bouncey seat, swing, etc) because we're registered for all of that, so it will come with time (after the shower).

Anywhoo, check out what we have so far:

Couch - moreso for mom and dad than Peanut - and a fun "rocking cow" that sings songs.

Storage on one side of the closet. No toys in there...yet!

Storage on the other side of the closet.

The small storage shelves are already filled with books and puzzles from this weekend! We got a little carried away!!

So there you have it! That's Peanut's playroom thus far. It's mainly just the bones. Can't wait to get a rug, stuff for the walls, and all the fun baby stuff like a jumper, playmat, bouncey seat, you name it!!

Images of Our Little Peanut

We went in for a 3d/4d ultrasound yesterday. Here's some stills that we received. You can see her yawning, crying, pointing and even in the last pic, praying!!

We get to "see" Peanut today!!

Just random little tidbits about my Peanut...

Today we are heading back to the 3d/4d ultrasound place to get another scan done. We really enjoyed the first one, and although it's not covered by insurance, we think it is worth every penny. They're all about getting good shots of your baby and providing as many pictures as possible. We also opted to get a DVD of the entire ultrasound and I'm sure that we will be doing that again. Be sure to tune into the blog this weekend or Monday as I'm sure we will be posting some pics!!

Another thing I thought I would mention (only because it's so crazy to me), is that now Peanut is getting to the point that we can feel individual body parts. There are times that I could swear me and Peanut are shaking hands! Just before I started writing this blog, I'm pretty sure that I was able to identify almost every one of her body parts. I also got as close to holding her as one could possibly get at this point as I had her head in my right hand and her butt in my left. It's so freaking cool!!

We've also started to read to Peanut per the suggestion of a librarian here in Chandler. Granted, she was talking about after they are born, but we figured it's never too soon. Peanut usually becomes very active when we read to her and I'm of course "sure" that she is reacting to my voice. Probably not, but it sure makes me feel special :)

I can tell you this, I'm absolutely screwed.

Thankful Thursday - Pregnant Neighbors & Master's

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:

Mandi zonked out a little early tonight and I didn't have the heart to wake her up. She's growing a baby and finds herself a lot more tired lately!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for the completion of our birthing class. We just completed a birthing class that went over pregnancy from womb to tomb. We certainly learned a lot over these past four weeks and now it's just going to come down to our ability to recall what we've learned. I can tell you this - I can't wait to use all of the comforting techniques on Mandi when the time calls for it.

I'm thankful for our pregnant neighbor. We have neighbors who are about 5 weeks behind us in their pregnancy. They also have the cutest little 2 year old girl ever! Kelly (our neighbor) was overjoyed when hearing that we were pregnant with a little girl as she is going to have another little princess. I'm pretty sure there are already plenty of fantasies about future play dates being had by all parties involved.

I'm thankful for continued education. My brother recently moved up to Phoenix in order to pursue a master's degree in Family and Marriage Therapy. I think that it's so cool that he decided to pursue a masters degree and the family couldn't be more proud. He will be the first in the immediate family to obtain a master's degree and to be honest, I'm already pushing him to get his doctorate :)

So, what are you thankful for today?

Germs at Work & The Best Compressor in the World!!

Had another great question thrown my way yesterday that I thought I would share as I'm sure that many of you have had similar thoughts or been in the same predicament.

I have a question for you...I totally respect your opinion and would love it if i could ask for it I have a little girl with CF I am looking at accepting a position in the ER...I will be going into rooms and registering them into the system. Do you think this would be putting her health at risk? I have posed this question to everyone at the hospital and they are of the opinion if I am taking the necessary precautions, I should be ok. The reason I am looking into this is because the hours work so that I can still stay home with her during the day. AAAAHHH....help???

I know CFers that work in the healthcare field and they've all been told the same thing as well - Do your best to protect yourself and use common sense. I wouldn't be too worried about it momma. Sounds like a great opportunity.

This was recently said on CL and it relates to your question...

"I work on a trauma floor and we have tons of sick people there. to avoid me bringing it home to my little cyster and fibro i avoid all contact with them right when i walk through the door and my shoes never see the inside of my house."

Could always do that if you'd like to be extra cautious.

Also, I worked for a couple of years in a homeless shelter and there was more sickness in that place than you could shake a stick at. My doctors gave me the same advice that I started with - Do your best to protect yourself and use common sense.

Hope that helps!!

******************

Also had another question from a momma concerning a compressor and my thoughts on the Mobilaire that I use. This is one of the most common questions I get, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to post this as well.

I saw on an old thread on CL that you use the Mobilaire 50 psi compressor. A few other friends either have it or are using it. So I am also polling them. What are your favs and not so favs about it? We will also have the VIOS or even the old Pro Neb Ultra for travel, but day to day is the Mobilaire worth the investment? Our clinic is supportive in writing the script since we have gone through so many PARI machines...

As far as a compressor...after I blew through 3 PARIs in 18 months, I decided that enough was enough. I went ahead and splurged on the Mobilaire and I haven't looked back since. It makes a WORLD of difference. The biggest thing the treatments take away from us is time. This compressor gives some of that time back. It literally cut my treatment time in half.

I travel with mine as well since I travel so often and it really affords me the opportunity to fill my travel days with stuff that I need to get done because I don't have to be at the hotel for hours on end doing treatments. It is a bit heavy to lug around, but for me it's worth it.

If you're looking for a compressor for day-to-day home use, honestly, this purchase is a no-brainer!! I couldn't encourage you enough to get the Mobilaire.

Favs - It's fast, effective and durable
Not favs - Wish it were lighter and less bulky for travel, but that would probably cut down on the power it has.

*****************

Wedding and Power of Two Movie

What a great weekend (as you can tell by Mandi Monday being posted on Tuesday)!

As Ronnie posted, we were in California for a good friend’s wedding. The wedding was in one of my favorite places in the country, Newport Beach. I absolutely love everything about that place; the weather, the quant strip of shops and restaurants, the houses, the beach…I could go on forever. I could live anywhere in the country and bring our families with us, I would move us all to Newport Beach. The only catch is that we’d all need to be multi-millionaires to buy homes there!

It was awesome visiting my favorite town, and for such a great event. Kirra and Tyler’s wedding weekend was fantastic. The rehearsal dinner was great, the wedding was wonderful, and the brunch on Sunday was amazing. It was great to get to spend time with them and share such a joyous event in their lives.

One last minute addition to our trip was yesterday (we extended our trip by a day). Last week we received an email from the folks behind The Power of Two movie about premiers being held in LA this weekend. Because CysticLife is a Community Partner of The Power of Two and because Ronnie and I are HUGE fans of all that Ana and Isa do for the CF community, we decided that we had to go to one of the premier showings of the documentary.

Holy smokes - it was amazing. Ana and Isa are such huge inspirations to Ronnie and me (and the whole CF community). I was so excited to watch a film about their great accomplishments and life stories. I was not disappointed. I recommend this film to everyone in the CF community, transplant community, and really, anyone who likes an inspiring story about two great people. I’m eagerly awaiting its release onto DVD so I can purchase a copy to watch anytime! I can’t rave enough about these two women and I can’t say enough about what they have created with this documentary. There are additional showings, and I highly recommend going if you can. If you can’t, wait eagerly for a chance to purchase a DVD!!

Another awesome coincidence is that because we were headed to the premier, we were able meet with a dear friend and business colleague who lives in Santa Monica. She has been out on maternity leave and we’ve missed her in all of our work dealings. So getting a chance to meet up with her for a couple of hours and see her handsome little boy (I can only hope Peanut will be ½ as cute) was incredible.

All in all it was an awesome vacation, mixed with a little business!

Congrats Kirra & Tyler!!!!

An update for those you of who saw the blog yesterday: Your prayers have been answered and Kirra's dad will be able to attend the wedding!! Thank you to all who kept the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Here are a few pictures from our wedding of Kirra going for (and getting) the bouquet of flowers that Mandi threw:

And here's Tyler (on your left) just after catching the garter belt!

And I added this one because Luke (my 2nd cousin) is one of the cutest kids in the world.

Again, a BIG HUGE congrats to Kirra and Tyler. I'm so honored to share in your big day!!!

Prayer Squad Needed

Wether you pray or you throw something out to the universe - I need you. One of my good friends, Kirra, is getting married this weekend. Kirra and I met in college and were basically connected at the hip until both of us graduated. She was like the kid sister that I never had. We'd of course stayed in touch over the years (she was in our wedding) and I've been looking forward to the day that she would meet that someone special and tie the knot. Well, that day is happening this weekend and I couldn't be more happy for her and Tyler. Just a note: At our wedding, Tyler caught the garter belt and Kirra caught the flowers - pretty cool.

Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm asking for prayer. About three weeks ago, Kirra's dad, Frank, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. It was pretty aggressive and they decided that emergency surgery was necessary. They ended up removing about a third of his stomach during the surgery, but felt like they got all of the cancer. They were also expecting him to fully recover and be out in time for the wedding. That was before he came down with pneumonia and a tube that was put in his stomach starting leaking bile. It's now going to take a miracle for Frank to be able to attend the wedding.

I of course would first pray for that miracle to happen. I know that Kirra is crushed and I'm sure that thought of her dad not being their to walk her down the aisle is devastating. If Frank is not able to attend, I would like prayer for a sense of peace to come over the entire family and for Kirra to be able to enjoy her special day as much as possible.

So, if you would, take some time today to set aside some thoughts or prayers for Kirra and her family. I know that they, as well as myself, would very much appreciate it.

Thankful Thursday - Old Teams & Bro-in-Laws

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 new recipes. We had a delicious nacho cheese soup. Maybe not the healthiest thing in the world, but VERY tasty!! I love trying new recipes...we rarely find and try one that is just awful.

I'm thankful for air conditioning. It's really stinkin' hot lately (go figure, this is Arizona and we are in the desert). Whenever I walked into our house from outside, I am always instantly thankful for air conditioning and the cool, refreshing air that hits my face when I leave the oven that is the outdoors these days.

I'm thankful that my brother-in-law, Andrew, moved up to Phoenix. He moved up here for grad school at ASU. Our goal is to get all of our family up to Phoenix at some point, and Andrew is the first to make the move from Tucson. It will be so awesome to get to spend more time with him. He's a great guy and we always have so much fun spending time with him!! Cannot wait to see him weekly!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for kettlebells...kind of. I'm certainly thankful that I was introduced to a new work out that absolutely kicks my butt, but that has been part of the problem too. I did a kettlebell workout 3 days ago and I'm still walking like I was riding a horse for a month straight and sitting down/standing up is more painful then I'd like to admit. So this is really a future thankfulness, cause I know as soon as I can operate normally, I'm going to really enjoy that workout again!

I'm thankful for my relationship with my old peds team. I'm lucky with the fact that they still follow me in clinic so I haven't totally lost them, but I sure wish they followed me still when I was in the Hole. All is not lost however - as I said, they still see me in clinic and they are my go to for anything outside of the Hole. They're only a phone call or FB message away and they are always very quick to respond. I just very thankful that the relationship didn't get totally severed when I transitioned to the "adult team".

I'm thankful for weddings. I get to see one of my best friends ever get married off this weekend and I couldn't be more excited! I definitely got a new appreciation for weddings since having my own, but I have an even larger appreciation for marriage. As we all know, the wedding does indeed come first and I'm looking forward to supporting Kirra on her big day. Congrats to Tyler and Kirra on their upcoming lifetime commitments!!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Rondi's Recipes: Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder

Mandi and I have been doing really well with cooking fun meals almost nightly, we just haven't been very good at reviewing them and posting for Rondi's Recipes. We had to bring it back though for a special dish we made last night. We had my lil' brother over for dinner, so we knew we'd have to make something that would fill up a "growing boy". We love to explore new recipes and try our hand at stuff that seems unique. We started with a recipe for Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder and then added some stuff to make it our own. If you'd like to see the original recipe, click here.

Ingredients: Chicken breast, Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes, Nacho Cheese Condensed Soup, Corn, Cheese -- Not pictured because we added in on the fly: Green Chilies, Pinto beans, Taco Seasoning, Cumin, Chile Powder

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and threw into slow cooker.

Added all ingredients in recipe and then added our own.

Finished product all stirred together and cooked.

Serve it up!

Prep Time: About 10 minutes

Cook Time: About 5 hours in slow cooker on low heat

Total Time: About 5 hours

What we liked:

I loved the hint of cheesiness from the condensed nacho cheese soup.

I really liked the addition of the beans and the green chilies - it added some great flavor and who doesn't like beans?

I liked the big chunks of tomato.

I loved the fact that everything (besides the chicken) called for in this recipe came out of a can. Even the stuff we decided to add came in a can. Talk about easy. This was one of the easiest meals in the world to prepare.

I LOVE chicken tortilla soup and this reminded me a lot of it.

You can pretty much count on me liking anything made in the slow cooker as chicken and nacho cheese soup as it's base.

The broth to this chowder tasted absolutely amazing. I could have sipped on it all night.

What we'd change:

I would cut the chicken into smaller pieces and/or do shredded chicken.

I would use dark meat instead of white meat, but that's just because I always think white meat is dry!

I wouldn't mind adding a some jalapenos or something spicy to give it a bit more kick.

I would find a way to add more liquid next time. This definitely had a chowder type of a feel to it and I wouldn't mind making it more of a soup.

I think this could also be really good thickened up, subbing beef for chicken and making a chip dip.

I'm not sure how I would go about it, but this could have used just a bit more of a kick.

Next time, I will try to make the chicken pieces a bit smaller

Here's our overall rating (with 1 being the worst meal we've ever had and 10 being the best):

Mandi's Rating: 9.0

Ronnie's Rating: 8.5

Again, if you guys have any suggestions on how this is laid out or what you guys would like to see answered/done differently, please let us know :)

Hemoptysis Questions

Had a couple questions from a reader that I thought I would share regarding hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Hemoptysis does not happen to all CFers, but if it happens to you, it wouldn't be considered out of the ordinary. I answer all questions to the best of my ability - based on fact, combined with what I've picked up over the years and with a little dash of hoping I'm close:

What do you do after you've coughed up blood?

If I cough up blood I have a pretty standard routine...no pulmozyme for 24 hours. no vest for 12 hours. If clear for 24 hours I resume pulmozyme. I will exercise at 25% the day after the blood.

50% two days after. And if blood free, I resume all activity as normal the third day.

Hemoptysis seems to happen to me a lot at night time, is that the case for you?

It can happen because of the pressure change with laying down. Try sleeping propped up if you can...I've spent many nights sleeping sitting up!

Do your doctors know the source of your hemoptysis? I have bronchiectasis in my right upper lobe, and I understand that it is common amongst CF'ers, and my doctors believe that's what is causing the blood. Could you tell me more about bronchiectasis? Is it the cause for hemoptysis for most of us CF'ers?

Bronchiectasis is just a fancy word for damaged lung. Most all CFers have a varying levels of it and it really just a matter of when not if it will happen. That's what CF can do over time, damage lung tissue and airways. We must focus on doing everything we can do to keep our lungs open and clear. The more closed off and full of junk our lungs are, the faster damage happens.

Bleeding is often a result of infection or blood vessel thinning. Our vessels/veins have a tougher time getting blood to where it needs to go because of our damaged lungs and over time get bigger and thinner. If you look at them under CT, they look like big worms instead of how they should, spider webs or spaghetti noodles. As they get bigger, the walls of the vessels get thinner and are more apt to tear. When they tear, this can result in bright red blood coming from our lungs.

Murderers, Nesting and Late Night Gelato

This weekend Ronnie was in Kansas City, MO speaking at a CF Education Day, so I was on my own on Friday and Saturday. I HATE staying home alone. I am sure someone will pick that night to rob us or come and murder me. In fact, I have trouble sleeping and spend half the night laying awake in bed watching for shadows out my bedroom window. I'm not sure where this fear has come from, and in the light of day I realize it is completely irrational. However, as soon as the darkness of night sets in, I am sure that a serial murderer is around every corner. This weekend was no different. Luckily, I was only home along Friday night, but I woke up at 4:30AM from a dream about someone breaking into our house, and didn't fall back asleep until it got light out around 6AM. It is so very silly, but I just can't help it. I try everything to make the fear go away. I lock and double check all the doors, I sleep with both phones in my bed incase I need to call 911, I have our incredibly scary dog (who literally would eat the face off of an attacker) sleep next to me, I pray that God will take away this silly fear...you name it, I do it. Maybe next time I will be more brave...or maybe I'll just go sleep at my brother and sister-in-law's!

Mainly running on fear and a little sleep Friday night, I did manage to check some items off of my to do list between Friday and Saturday. Friday night I kept my mind busy until midnight starting our registry and researching what products are necessary and best. Then on Saturday I went shopping for a chest for Peanut's room. Instead of doing a changing table, we decided to just get a chest and put a changing pad on top. We wanted something that could be used anywhere in our house down the road. Thankfully I found the perfect chest, and it looks awesome in the room (see picture...which I know isn't the greatest because you can't quite make it out, but there you have it). I also went and physically looked at items at the store that I registered for, to make sure that I liked them in person. After seeing some things, I swapped items and adding some new ones. It is something that was hanging over my head, but feels sooo good to have started working on, and believe it or not, I am getting close to being done!

Ronnie was home all Sunday. So did our normal routine of church, gym, and chores, and then headed to hang out with Josh and Chrissy (bro and sis-in-law). We had a blast playing wii and going for a nice little bike ride. We got home around 8:30 sat on the couch for 15 minutes and I began dreaming about frozen yogurt. I finally verbalized my desire for frozen yogurt and Ronnie said what no man should ever say to his pregnant wife at 9PM when she wants something sweet. He said, "Yeah? Well let's go." My ears perked up and I tried to convince myself for all of 30 seconds that it was too late and unnecessary. But no. It was very necessary my craving convinced me. So off we went to get froyo. Unfortunately there wasn't a froyo place where we went (where I directed us to because I thought there was one there). There was, however, gelato...an equally tasty treat and one that would satisfy my craving just fine! Man was it good! I am pretty shocked that I made it to 29 weeks with only one late night food run...a success in my book! Tomorrow it's back to fruits, veggies, and protein, to give this little nugget all the nutrients she needs!

All in all, a good weekend!

Outrun CF Virtual Race: October 1, 2011!

The first Out Run CF Virtual Race was a huge success. Runners and walkers from all over the world came together with one thing in mind, to Out Run Cystic Fibrosis! This fall, on October 1, 2011, we plan to do it again. The Rock CF Foundation and CysticLife are joining forces, once again, to bring you another Out Run CF Virtual Race.

In case you missed out last time, or need a refresher, here is how it works. Anyone and everyone is invited to participate: Fibros, Cysters, parents, spouses, friends, extended family, you name it! Participants will find a route near their house. Then on October 1, 2011, EVERYONE will lace up their sneakers and hit the pavement in their Out Run CF shirt (Each registrant will receive a t-shirt unique to this fall’s race from us in the mail).

No distance is too long, or too short. YOU pick YOUR mileage. 1 mile? 5K? 10K? 10 miles? Half Marathon? Marathon? It’s up to you! Nothing is too fast or too slow YOU pick YOUR speed. We just want to get the entire CF community out of their houses and into their running shoes on the same day, for the same cause.

Registrants can blog about their training, ask questions, and share tips on CysticLife.org. We want the entire site to be plastered with talk of exercise, running, and encouragement. On race day, we want people to post their times and their experiences. Let’s make this Virtual Race even BIGGER than the first one! Let’s make it the biggest race the community, and the world, has ever seen!!

So here again are the hard facts:

Who: Everyone
What: Outrun CF Virtual Race held by Rock CF Foundation and CysticLife
When: October 1, 2011
Where: Anywhere
Why: Because anyone can run—whether it’s for a minute or a marathon! Together we can Out Run CF.
How : Register at http://www.active.com/running/anytown-mi/out-run-cfvirtual-run-fall-edition-2011

Helpful sites to get you started:

CysticLife.org—Blog about your progress, ask questions about training to the community, post Airwaves with your daily run updates, connect with others to encourage them and be encouraged

Dailymile.com—Make and account and join the Rock CF/CysticLife group to track your miles and keep track of others! http://www.dailymile.com/groups/1463-rock-cf-and-cysticlife-virtual-runners/

Facebook.com—Join the Out Run CF group to see how many people are outrunning CF and connect with them! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Out-Run-CF/164020056961598

Runnersworld.com—Get inspired, find training programs.

Thankful Thursday - 3rd Trimester & Gentamicin

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. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for food. Today I had to go in for a 3-hour glucose tolerance test (yes, that means I failed the 1-hour. I was 133 and the cut off is above 139, but anything in the 130's they do a 3-hour on just in case. We'll keep you posted with results). However, the one thing I learned from this fasting test is how much I am thankful for food. I had to go in fasting for 12 hours, and then it was 3 more hours until I could eat...and for this preggo momma, who eats every 2-4 hours, that was not awesome. I've never had a lunch taste so good! I sure am thankful for food.

I'm thankful for a bigger Peanut. Peanut is growing and healthy, and I am so thankful for that. But the thing I love the most this week is that Peanut is getting big enough that I can sometimes feel a body part moving under the skin, and actually FEEL the body part. It's not just the movement, but Peanut's body that I can feel. It is so incredible!! I am so thankful for the bond I can build with my baby as I feel her wiggle around.

I'm thankful for being in the 3rd trimester! As of Tuesday, we were 28 weeks pregnant. Man, I am SO thankful to be in the 3rd trimester. We are counting down to the end now - only 12 weeks left. Looking at the calendar it looks SO close and I think the next several weeks will fly by (as we have a lot on the calendar), but then it'll probably slow down as we get close to the end and time will crawl by. Also, t feels great to know that if I were to have Peanut today, she would have a 90% survival rate. Knowing that we've made it to a point that Peanut would likely be ok if I went into labor, brings a lot of peace to my often worrying mind!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for my opportunity to spend some time with the good folks out in Kansas City this weekend. I've been invited to speak at their CF education day on Saturday and I'm really excited to share my story. I love being able to speak face-to-face with members in the community, and sometimes I even get to meet people that I know from the online community. I certainly hope that's the case on Saturday!

I'm thankful for this blog. This blog gives me the opportunity to talk about anything and everything. And although talking, or writing in this case, about stuff I care about is enjoyable, I especially like the interaction that takes place on RSBR. It's amazing how willing you guys are to share tips and tricks about topics I discuss on this blog. I've been struggling to come up with veggie centric meals, I voiced that concern and within hours I had comments and emails giving me suggestions. I seriously couldn't ask for anything more!

I'm thankful for inhaled antibiotics. I still think inhaled antibiotics are the best thing since sliced bread. These things go right to the source of the infection and most of the time, no matter which drug it is, it feels like something is working. I just started another cycle of inhaled Gentamicin (an oldie but goodie) and I'm hoping that it holds off a trip to the Hole for a little while longer!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Weight Loss Challenge...Still Struggling.

About three weeks ago I posted about my attempt to cut some lbs over the course of the next 6 months. If you missed the post and want to catch up, you can find it here. I figured I would update you guys on how I did on achieving my weekly goals plus let you know what my new goals are for this week. Here were my original goals:

Using smaller plates for my meals

Not returning for seconds

Eating more servings of vegetables and fruit

Taking more time to eat my meals

I knocked the first week's goals out of the park. We then added additional goals onto my original ones. My goals for the last two weeks have been the same. I still haven't scored 100% on accomplishing them, so until I do, we will not set new ones. Plus, I feel really comfortable with what they are and think that they are all very good to shoot for. Here are my goals for this week:

I will continue with small plates and no second servings

I will eat three servings of vegetables at least 3 days per week.

I will continue to slow down my eating by chewing more and more slowly, and setting food/utensil down between bites.

I will lift 3 days/week and spin 3 days/week. I will also do a separate workout on one of the weekend days.

I will watch the videos (that were sent to me) and begin playing around with the 12 Kg kettlebell.

I will ride my bike while Mandi runs at least 3 mornings/week.

So far, I'm still struggling with the same ones that I was struggling with last week. I feel like I am constantly hungry, so when that snack or meal finally comes, it's hard not to scarf it down. One good thing is that even tough I don't feel full immediately, I'm aware enough to know that it just takes my brain a little bit to register the feeling. Still, I'm not accomplishing all that I have set out to do, so I'm going to have to figure something out. As far as the three servings of veggies, I have improved, but I need to get better. I've tried to increase my salad intake, with the most yummy salad dressing ever (sesame ginger) and I've discovered that I love carrots...as long as they're dipped in hummus. If I could really nail down these last two I would be ready to move on to bigger and better things. I just really need to buckle down.

You guys were great at giving me tips last week and I took most of them to heart. If you have any additional tips or didn't chime in last week, please don't hold back. I need all of the help that I can get!

I started this journey at 205 and was down to 197 a week later. A week after that I was down to 193. Just weighed myself: 191.

Coming Down With A Cold

The past few days I have had a headache for most of the day, but mostly on my left side. My left ear has also been painful to the point that I'm always tugging at it. Finally, the left side of my throat has been pretty sore and I try to avoid swallowing food past that side (pretty much impossible by the way). So I don't know if I'm coming down with something or my body is just being a jerk, but either way, I've taken my usual steps to combat anything that may be going on.

This is my go-to checklist when I feel myself getting non-CF sick:

First thing I do is step it up on my treatments. The last thing I want to happen is for whatever is going on in my head to make it down to my lungs. I make sure come you know what and high water that 3 treatments a day is the minimum but I really shoot for 4. I also try to focus more on my breathing while doing the treatment. You guys know how it is. Sometimes surfing online can make a treatment go by so fast that we barely even noticed it was there...and that's notalways a good thing.

I always try to "drown" my system when I'm feeling a little sick. I drink a lot of water on most days, but I focus on going overboard on the days I feel a little off. Water makes up most of our being and the world, so I figure it must be good for something right? Some say that it helps to

flush out toxins, some say it helps to keep everything moving, some say it acts as fuel for our natural bug fighting machine, and I say that it just makes me feel better so I do it!

Another thing that I always do when I have a sore throat or stuffy head/nose is reach for the salt water. This is a little thing that I picked up from my grandpa while I was young. My gramps was known for sniffing salt water every night and he swore by it's healing effects. I can tell you this - nothing clears out my stuffy nose like sniffing salt water, and if I gargle the stuff, I'm almost guaranteed not to wake up with a sore throat the following morning. It is a home remedy that always seems to do wonders for me.

The last thing that I should do, but is pretty hard for me to get down, is just simply resting. I always feel like I get worse when I slow down. I know that it's not the case all of the time, but it still plays with my mind. The problem is, a good hard workout will sometimes get me right back on the path of feeling great, while other times it can push me down the path of feeling like crud. I never quite know which way it will go until after my workout.

So that's about it. Those are my go-to's when I feel myself starting to come down with something. What about you guys? Any extra steps that you take when you feel yourself "coming down" with something?