Testing, Testing

So, I did something kind of stupid, yet interesting over the weekend.  Bear with me here.  I had been reading over and over how anti-inflammatories can affect your chances of getting pregnant (preventing the implantation of the blastocyst).  I've been taking anti-inflammatories and I'm still not pregnant.  I know that it hasn't been very long, we're in our fifth month of trying now.  But, what if it is making a difference?  What if the five months turns into eighteen?  Or something?  So, without doctor knowledge, I stopped taking my diclofenac and took acetaminophen instead.  A combination of expired acetaminophen (discovered later) and acetaminophen for arthritis.  Yeah.

So, the friday evening and saturday went pretty good, I went for a walk and everything.  But sunday turned bad.  And monday morning was a crazy beast who was repeatedly slapping and punching me everywhere on my body.  I hadn't experienced such global pain since my diagnosis days.  Needless to say, when I had my breakfast monday morning, it was accompanied by a diclofenac.

Now, I'm just annoyed.  I know I need the diclofenac, or some kind of strong med.  Is it terrible that I don't want to take prednisone, not just for the unhealthy side-effects, but the aesthetic ones too?  Is that ridiculously shallow of me?  I've never taken pred, but it is one of the safer drugs to take in pregnancy, and I'm pretty sure it would give me relief.  Thoughts??

Whoa

I just realized that I have had RA for about 9 1/2 years.  That's almost a third of my life.  I know there are folks that have had it for much, much longer.  But, cripes, that's a long time to be in pain.  It's long enough for me to not remember very well how it feels to have a body that isn't RA-ridden.  I'm not feeling down in the dumps about it, or anything.  It was just a shock to realize just how much of my life I've had it.  Maybe that's a good thing?  The not remembering?  I mean, this is really and truly my life now.  I can't imagine waking up without some form of pain, or things being easy.  Even if they were to find a cure tomorrow, I would still have lasting pain and struggles because I have too much damage in too many joints (and too many future surgeries to even think about).  I guess it makes me feel kind of positive to recognize the RA, know that it will sometimes kick my butt, but to also know that I can deal with it.  Whatever it brings.

Long Weekend Loveliness

I don't know who St. George is, but I'm thanking that old dude for having a day and giving me a long weekend :)  We had some pretty decent weather, did a little work outside, had fun and spent some money!  I even went for a hike.  A proper, in the woods, up a muddy, snowy, slushy hill hike!  It felt wonderful to be that far out of town again.

One of the things we did was work on the raised gardens, building a mini-greenhouse for the tomatoes and such.  Okay, okay, I didn't really work on this (though I did hold some wood while Dom cut it!), mostly I just picked up all of Fran's garbage, chewed up toys, etc. (she's a messy dog!).  Here she is in all her cuteness:

Yup, we do still have some snow!  Actually, it's impressive that this is all we have for this time of the year.  It went quick.  With our early arrival of spring, I cut some pussy willows (anyone else find this name totally ridiculous?  Maybe it's just common around here) for decorating:

But, best of all is that after over a year of moaning and complaining (from my side only), we got a new couch and loveseat!!!  I absolutely hated the ugly thing that came with our house, but always felt like we couldn't justify buying something new.  After doing our taxes, and me getting a raise (yay me!), we decided to splurge!  Okay, so we may not actually have that money in our hands yet, but it is coming (I hope!).  Here is a pic of the new furniture, and a pic of Fran and I enjoying it:

I just realized how long it's been since I put up some pics!  Must be cause I never take 'em.  Anyway, all in all, a great weekend.  Even though we're now broke :)

Passin' on the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award

Holy Crap!  I was simply browsin' around last night, reading some blogs, when I went on over to Laurie's blog where she had been nominated for the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award, had to spill ten things we don't know about her, then nominate 5 other bloggers for the award.  Guess what???  Yup, she nominated me!  AND, called me funny!  I completely freaked at my computer screen (simultaneously blushing and flapping my hands), causing my sweetie to, yet again, wonder what the heck is wrong with me.  Thank you, Laurie!  This is beyond cool (See how easy it is to excite me?).

So, I've since calmed down a little, and begun the thought process of some things y'all might not know about me....

1.  My nickname growing up was (and still is for some folks) Pony.  If you called me that, I would totally answer you.

2.  I'm part Inuit, part nearly everything else possible.

3.  I've had literally hundreds of dreams of whales and sharks.  Seriously.  The shark dreams are always scary, and the whale ones are sorta scary, in the sense that they are so big and powerful.  Oh yes, and I am nearly always in the water with them.  If not, I somehow end up in the water with them (falling, breaking docks, etc.).  Anyone know what this means?

4.  I was in a comedy/farce/sillyness video for my friend's band, Ticklish Brother.  It's basically making fun of how ridiculous obsession is.  I'm gonna be brave and give you the YouTube link: Close To You.  My pup, Fran, makes an appearance as well!

5.  I was going to go to school to be a midwife.  I love everything about pregnancy and birth.  I'd still like to do this, but don't know about doing a job like that (physically taxing, crazy hours) with RA.

6.  In relation to number 5, I've been at four different births :)  Beautiful.

7.  I lived in Ireland for 6 months doing a youth work program.  Whew, a lot of beer was consumed on that adventure!  Ireland is simply gorgeous, and the people incredibly welcoming.  It's a bit touristy in spots (Dublin, I'm looking at you), but there are some places where you get to experience it, on the west coast especially.  Go there!

8.  Onions drive me bananas most of the time, unless they are cooked really, really well.  However, one of the best things I've eaten (and helped make) is our onion soup.  Go figure.  Must be all the butter that's in it.

9.  I met my sweetie at the Women's Centre where I work.  I think of this as very cute and ironic :)  We don's see many men around these parts.

10.  I've been out of the country four times, and have been in less than half of my own country!!  I'm planning on changing that within the next year or so with a cross-country trip :)

So, onto the real fun part: nominating some other amazing women out there.  Reading their blogs is definitely a highlight of my day.  Most have RA, but all inspire me.  In no particular order, begin the fabulousity:

1.  Judy over at RA is Wild.  She also blogs about living a raw lifestyle over at RawSierra, and hikes and backpacks with RA like it's nobody's business!  This woman is die-hard, and a serious inspiration to me.

2.  Jenn at Project Jennifer.  She has recently had both hips replaced, and is still living and loving her life despite the aches and pains that come with it.  She also gets to work with folks with RA, which is freaking awesome!

3. My buddy and pal, Nadine at Unloading and Meandering.  I've known her since I was 13, and love her to death.  She's a passionate gardener, an amazing writer, and has a memory of an elephant!  Loves :)  Bet your surprised that I actually did this, huh, Nadine??  I'm not exactly wonderful at doing this type of thing (memes, lists, passing things on, etc.).

4. Confessions of an Ra Superbitch.  That woman is honest about life with RA, and it is beyond refreshing.

5.  RA (maybe) Mamma cause she is sharing my journey of preparing for, and getting pregnant, with RA.  It's a whirlwind journey for sure.  We need all the support we can get!

So, there it is!  I gotta admit, this has been pretty fun (and challenging).  Hope everyone is having a fabulous day!

Workout Schedule? Moi??

So, I'm on an exercise kick, but am trying to be balanced and kind to my body.  When I first was able to start walking again, I started gradually increasing it to every day, and majorly decreasing my other workouts (atationary bike, leg lifts with weights, crunches).  However, I'm finding that going for walks every day is still pretty taxing on my ankle and I tend to not want to do anything else/be out of commission.  Also, though it hurts my ankle, it's not much of a challenge physically, if ya know what I mean.  It ain't gonna get rid of many of my jiggles.

So, here's my new plan.  I love walking.  I love moving in the fresh air, watching the doggie run around in freedom, being one with nature.  I'll go for a good walk one-day, then do my at-home work-out the next, and so on.  I hope I'm not setting myself up for failure by planning some form of exercise every day?  I hope that I'm kind enough to myself that if I am flaring, it's okay to just chill out at home for one day and not quit totally.  I hope.

Sweet and Heart-Breaking

I was over at Jenn's blog :  http://project-jennifer.blogspot.com/  and found this gem of a song.  It's Rob Thomas singing the song "Her Diamonds" he wrote for his wife who has suffered with an autoimmune disease for quite a long time, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJHa6Vh1bE8&feature=player_embedded

I know I have my moments of feeling sad for myself, and my situation.  But, most of the time, I feel bad for those around me who love me, and can do little to nothing to stop what I am going through.  They can love us, support us, listen to us, care for us, bring us what we need, but they can't stop the disease.  That's what breaks my heart, seeing my loved ones hurt and helpless because of what my body is going through.

Stupid RA.

Start a Revolution

Oh my goodness, I am totally obsessed with Jamie Oliver's new shoe "Food Revolution".  We just watched all three episodes on YouTube, and I can't wait for the next one.  For those that don't know, Jamie Oliver is a pretty famous chef and has gone to the unhealthiest town in America to try and make some changes.  It's no surprise that someone as in love with food as I am is really into this show.  There are definitely flaws.  He handled some things poorly, and there is obviously the whole reality show sensationalism aspect.  Here's a preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-mYAoWu-O8

It just blows my mind what is considered "good food" to feed our kids.  And, the thing is, this is coming from way up above.  This isn't the schools or the school cooks, it's the system that isn't valuing children's health.  In my opinion, that's completely unacceptable.  A french fry should not count as a vegetable.  Don't get me wrong, I eat some not-so-amazing things sometimes, including french fries.  But, that's sometimes.  For the most part, I eat very well, very balanced.  Anyway, I guess it's a goal of mine to have my future children know what vegetables at least look like :)