Finally Drinking Wine

I skipped happy hour today because I had to make up work and exercise I missed when I was sick on Wednesday...after working late, working out, showering, and doing my meds, I am finally drinking wine at 9:30 (Yum...wine). Greg is passed out on the couch already :) Hopefully we will be hanging out with friends tomorrow night!

I Love Thursdays

Because:

-It's almost the weekend
-The Style section is in the paper
-The Office and Lost (best show ever!) are on tv

And I feel much better today.

I Folded

I went home sick. I have a fever of 100.4. The good news is that my meds were sitting on my doorstep when I got home. Hopefully it's just allergies and nothing else, and I'll be back at work tomorrow.

I Hate Mold!

I feel like crap today, as I usually do when the mold count is high. My whole body aches, I have chills, and I am coughing up green gunk. I don’t know exactly why my body responds this way to mold (I don’t get the usual watery eyes and sneezing) – my theory is that it irritates my body enough for my ever-present pseudomonas to have a party. It’s worse than usual today, but I am trying to suck it up at work because I use way too much of my sick time and I only have 2 days right now. Time for some Advil….

I’ve been missing some treatments lately because I ordered all of my meds through a mail-order pharmacy (it’s less expensive this way). I placed the order over two weeks ago, and I still haven’t gotten all of my meds. I have run out of some meds at home, and my insurance won’t pay to have them refilled at Walgreen’s because they already paid for the mail order stuff. I haven’t had albuterol in over a week, I ran out of Advair two days ago, and I am a week late starting back up on Colistin. Grrrr…I guess this is my whining post for the week :P

No More Birth Control

Last month was my last on the birth control patch! My OB/GYN recommended I stop birth control a few months before TTC to allow time for my cycles to regulate. Our plan is to abstain or use condoms during times I am likely to be fertile, however, we are aware this is risky to do right after birth control, because my cycles may be all out-of-wack. However, won't cry if it doesn’t work and we get pregnant a few months earlier than planned :) Luckily, our finances are ready to go! We are waiting because we have a few vacations coming up.

I started charting my cycles with the help of fertiltyfriend.com, (recommended by my OB/GYN as well as TheNest.com message boards), which means taking my temperature first thing each morning and tracking my cervical fluid and cervix position. The book Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about charting. This should give us an idea of when I am fertile, and it will come in very handy once we are actively TTC.

I am curious to see if being off birth control will have any positive affect on my CF. I’ve read that one way the pill works is by thickening the cervical fluid (mucus), and I’ve wondered, if it thickens the mucus in my cervix, why wouldn’t it thicken mucus everywhere else? It probably won’t make a difference, or will be so minute that I won’t notice, but we’ll see….

Exercise, Exercise

Another time-consuming part of my CF routine is exercise. Now, I know that every person should make time for exercise, but I seriously believe (as do many CF doctors) that exercise is a critical part of CF care. The primary goal is to include lots of cardio to keep my lungs in shape, but research has also shown that patients with more muscle mass tend to be healthier. Weight bearing exercise also helps prevent the bone disease that many CF patients face.

Luckily, for me, I was an athlete in college, which got me into the routine of exercise. The only times I do not stick to my routine is when I am sick or traveling. I’ve had four different CF doctors now, and they all believe a big reason I am so healthy is my commitment to exercise. My weekly routine consists of the following:

• A total of 2 hours of cardio, usually done in 20-35 minute sessions (this is divided between running, recumbent bike, elliptical, and Stairmaster)
• 11 lifting moves, 3 sets of 12 for each, twice a week (chest, biceps, triceps, shoulders, lower back, upper back, 2 types of crunches, quads, hamstring, and leg press)
• Stretching

I work out 5 days a week - usually 3 weekdays (after work), Saturday, and Sunday. I love the way working out makes my body feel (and the way it makes my body look!).

And now I must be extra diligent about sticking to my routine to prepare my body for pregnancy!

I Hit a Deer

Last night Greg and I discussed our financial goals, and we agreed that we are doing well enough to go off the pill after one more cycle!

Then, this afternoon, I was on my way home from the gym, and a deer decided to run in front of my car. I couldn't swerve because there were other cars around, so I slammed on my brakes and skidded into it. Luckily, I was fine and I think I hit the deer on the side, because I didn't drive over it. I saw the poor deer in my rear-view mirror, lying in the middle of the road, twitching, and then it lay still. I pulled over, burst into tears, and called DH, sobbing, "I killed a deer!"

I had no idea what to do, so I called our City’s information line. They told me a police report would not be necessary for my insurance to cover me, and then they transferred me to the City Warden. While I was on the phone, I turned back to look at the deer, and it was gone! The Warden said I might have just stunned it. I was soooo relieved!

Now I have to deal with my car. The front of my car has a huge dent and my lights are busted, and I can't get the hood open to see if there is any damage inside. Grrrr…there’s a bunch of money we weren’t planning to spend! I guess that’s why we need an emergency fund!

We won’t know if we really can TTC next cycle until we find out how much this is going to cost. If it’s only our $500 comprehensive deductible, it won't be too bad. We’ll see….