Not what I was expecting...

I'm in week 5 of the CFit program and it's going great! Three days of lifting and 3 days of running, combined with no soda intake during the week, a minimum of 44 oz of water a day, veggies at 5 meals a week and continuing to do two sets of treatments a day has been doing work on my body!! I'm loving every second of it! Part of P90X is tracking your reps/weights for all the exercises on worksheets. Watching the amount of weight I lift go up every week and number of reps on things like push-ups and pull-ups is awesome! The week 5,6, and 7 DVD's are some of my favorites.

I have yet to weigh myself on my scale at home, but at clinic yesterday they had me at a 5 lb weight gain! I'll take it! I got a compliment from a lady at church Sunday too. She said I looked good and she asked if I had put on some weight, lol! I take that as a compliment (she meant it that way)! I feel really good!

My runs are getting longer and more intense, but so far I'm able to do them with relative ease. My 35 minute run Saturday was a little tough, but all the rest have been good. I'm excited to have some nice weather in St. Louis finally. Now I can start running outside instead of on a treadmill watching Rob & Big episodes, haha!

As I said I went to clinic yesterday. I went after I got off work, which I always feel puts me at a disadvantage. I do a lot of running around at work and don't get much break time to hydrate and eat besides lunch. I was falling asleep in the waiting area before my PFT's, lol. My FEV1 was down to 58% from 64%. I was very surprised. It was not what I was expecting...

I could tell once I did my first attempt it was no good. I was really congested and not at all how I had been feeling. The other attempts were the same with no improvement. Whether it's because I was tired and junky from not having done any treatments since 5am or because I'm having a slight exacerbation, I'm not sure. Ronnie assured me that he had seen this before and it has happened to him. After starting an extreme workout regimen like the one I'm on, our lungs can get a little upset at us, lol. Maybe that's it, I made them mad. Either way I landed on cipro for 3 weeks. Hopefully it'll do the trick. I'm gonna push even harder than I was before. It's amazing how you push hard and always feel you're giving your all, then you get a little motivation and are able to push even harder. Last nights workout was proof! After I got done, I couldn't lift Jeriah (aka skinny boy) above my chest. My chest, shoulders and triceps were toast!

Ronnie told me a saying that works for him and it has stuck with me. I find that it not only applies to my CF but life in general in a lot of ways. "It's not about me." It's such a simple phrase. Since Ronnie told me that I've used it many times, even saying it out loud while running or lifting. It's not about me... it's about my wife and my boys, I do my treatments and push my body to the limits to improve my health for them. Powerful stuff huh?!

Anywho, besides the little speed bump of a dip in my FEV1, everything is going great! I'll keep you guys posted! Thanks for reading!!!

Feeling the Sweet Pain of Success!

I started a pretty intense workout regime 2 weeks ago today. I'm doing 3 days of lifting via P90X lifting DVD's and 3 days of running, training for a 10K. It's pretty intense. Going to 6 days of exercising a week from 0 days is a kick in the butt! It hurts so good!!! :) I'm doing this for the next 3 months. I'm super pumped to see what kind of results I get. I'm also changing my diet. I'll be eating healthier and trying to maximize my workout with my diet as well. Time to get my PFT's up, get in shape and get ripped!

It was pretty hard to go workout the first two weeks. I had to force myself to push play and give it all I had. It's one thing to go downstairs and start the DVD. It's another thing entirely to give it all you have when it hurts and your body is screaming to stop. I think the mental aspect of exercising is by far the toughest. My mind starts telling me to quit before I hit my maximum number of reps in any exercise. When it starts to hurt/get hard is when most people stop. Gotta push through it to get results!

So far it's going good! It feels great to be running and lifting again (despite the hurting muscles)! In a weird way I enjoy the hurting. I know it's kind of sick, but I like it! After I workout, I think to myself, "I wonder how bad I'm gonna hurt tomorrow and the next day?" I almost get excited to see how sore I can get, lol! It's a great feeling not being able to walk right or having to literally roll out of bed! I'll keep you all posted. I took some pre-measurements of my biceps, thighs, weight, etc. that I'll post at the end of these 3 months with my new measurements.

The goal of this is that by the end of 3 months it'll become more of a habit and I can keep working out. I've always struggled with keeping motivation. I'll workout for a month or so and gradually fizzle out. Life gets busy. It's easy to skip a day here or there and next thing you know, it's been a week, then 2 and 3 since you've exercised. I want that to end, and I'm extremely grateful that I have someone holding me accountable and helping me through this!!

I can't wait to post the results in 3 months! I'll keep you posted!

Sticking to the Program

Yesterday was Day 3 of working out since I started my one year commitment. It went great!

The whole thing started off bad on Monday when I barely made it to 1.5 miles with really bad pain in my right knee. This was the 3rd time it had happened to me and forced me to stop running way before I should have. I couldn't run at all the rest of the trail.

Going into yesterday I was very hesitant about running. My schedule is to run Monday and Thursday and lift (P90X) on Tuesday and Friday. I've been having a lot of headaches lately and have had no appetite at all. So, yesterday when I got home, I had a pretty bad headache and waited to run until after dinner and the headache had subsided. By then it was dark so I ran on the treadmill in our basement. I usually hate running on a treadmill. It seems like you run 3 times as far as you really do and the mental aspect is hard because of the boredom. I've found that if I stick a movie in, I can zone out into the movie and just go!

I made it 3.1 miles with no pain in my knee! My time was horrible (35 minutes) but I got it done. Usually I could care less about running exactly 3.1 miles, but there's a 5K in 2 weeks that I'd like to be able to run in. My running form is always bad on a treadmill so I felt it a lot more in my calves and Achilles tendon than normal, but my knee was good. I wore different shoes to run inside too. Whether it was the shoes, the bad form, the treadmill, or that my knee is healed, I had no pain in it. Awesome! Hopefully it continues to do fine so I don't have to see a doctor about it.

The day was topped off by Jace being so adorable you could scream! He was laughing more than I've ever heard him laugh last night. At silly things too. He seemed giddy! He would giggle and giggle at everything and then belly laugh like I've never heard him do before! It was awesome! A great night!

Tonight I'm looking forward to working my shoulders, biceps and triceps! Or the glamour muscles as Tony Horton from P90X calls them, lol!



Thankful Thursday: Teeth, Hurting & Being Out Done

It's Thankful Thursday ya'all!!! It's been quite some time since I've done a Thankful Thursday post. You have my sincerest apologies! We've been pretty busy lately, but what else is new right? I know I always say that. Sometimes the daily routine does get exhausting and my blogging slacks. Wake up, treatments, work, treatments, play with boys, eat, exercise, relax for 30-60 min, put boys to bed, go to bed. Weekdays are pretty jam packed! Who'd have guessed that twins would be so much work, lol! Not me obviously! Haha! Life is still fantastic though! No matter how busy it may seem, we are always surrounded by so many blessings! It's so nice to step back and observe a few once a week! So here they are, our Thankful Thursday lists:

Monica's List:

to be continued....

Jeremy's List:

I'm thankful for hurting! Sore muscles from working out, hurting that is. I started my One Year Challenge this week. I ran Monday (and discovered I may have developed some knee issues) and lifted Tuesday via P90X DVD. Man, oh man did I forget how tough those are! I am really out of shape. I coughed a ton! I felt completely spent halfway through the DVD. Somehow I mustered the will power to finish it out, and I'm glad I did! It feels good to be able to "feel" my muscles again. There's nothing like waking up, trying to get out of bed and going, "Whoo buddy I'm sore!" Let's you know you're alive and accomplished something! I'm really looking forward to being in the best shape of my life at the end of this year long commitment!!!

I'm thankful for two little teeth! Our boys are growing up so fast! Jeriah now has two little teeth! It's so cute when kids get their first two teeth and are running around with two little teeth at the bottom of their smile! It's a little sad, as we're used to seeing gummy smiles up until now. It's getting harder to accept that they're growing up. I like the sleep on your chest, cuddly, baby phase. Jeriah is quickly growing out of that. It's a little easier since Jace still enjoys his cuddle time!

I'm thankful for a motivating wife! When Monday rolled around I was not feeling it. Usually I make up my mind to start working out or running and mentally I'm determined and strong. Not this time. Mentally I was not there. Not ready to run. Partially because I knew it was going to be hard, and partially because I knew I was going to cough like crazy! It was hard and I coughed like crazy! Monica was ahead of me the whole time and she was pushing the boys in the jogging stroller! How lame am I? Haha! She even sprinted up the hill at the end pushing them! She's a very determined individual and it's super motivating! I love her and am so thankful for her!

So, what are you thankful for today?!??!?!?



Motivation comes in many forms

Yesterday was the day I told myself I was going to start working out along with running. Last week my buddy and I began running again. We ran 3 times last week. The first time we made it to 1.7 miles and I had to stop. I was no longer able to control my breathing and had to stop and walk. I hate it when my lungs force me to stop. With CF I know it's gonna happen. I would much rather have to push through some pain in my legs than have to stop because I lose my breath. But it was a pretty good start considering I hadn't ran since November. The second time we made it to 2.7 miles before stopping. The last run of the week, Saturday we made it to 3.22 miles! It took us almost 38 minutes to complete, but we ran the whole thing.

To give you an idea of how far we've backslid, my fastest 5K, which I ran in November, was 27:39. I'm really happy with the progress we made in just 3 runs though. It felt great after the runs were over! Going into each run was still tough. I was still fighting the mental aspect of it. Thinking about the boys and Monica and telling myself I had to do it. By the end of last year, the mental aspect of not wanting to run was virtually gone. It was more a mental challenge to push myself harder each time.

I told myself Monday was the day I was going to add working out with running. Yesterday on the way home from work, I was so wiped out from not sleeping much the night before and working that I was falling asleep at the wheel. Falling asleep at 3 o'clock in the afternoon driving home! I was thinking to myself that Monica was probably going to be exhausted from being with the boys all day and that I was going to have to do my vest, help cook dinner or watch the boys while Monica cooked, and work out. I was thinking the working out wasn't going to get done.

I came home to a smiling wife, two smiling, happy boys and this wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen! Monica had dinner already going and just about done! I was astonished, excited, bewildered and starving! :) We ate dinner around 4:30 or so, which is really early for us. I did my vest and treatments a little after dinner. Then Monica asked me "Are you going running today?" I told her "No, we're going to run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday this week." She replied, "Oh..... well then when are you going to work out?" Hahaha! I was in the other room grinning from ear to ear. I said "What do you mean 'when', don't you mean 'are you going to work out?'" "No, I meant when and what are you going to work out tonight. If you're not running, you're working out." She proceeded to tell me that I didn't have a choice. I was working out and that was that!

So... I did the P90X Chest & Back DVD last night! It felt goooooood! I'm sore today. I forgot how much I love feeling sore! It's great! I'm also like my buddy Ronnie. I enjoy to sweat! I prefer to actually run in the heat of the day because you sweat like crazy! It makes it feel like you're really working! In my mind, if I'm not sweating I'm not accomplishing anything!

Yesterday my motivation came from Monica giving me a swift kick in the rear and telling me I was going to work out! Whatever it takes!

Thankful Thursday: Anniversary, In-laws & Running Buddy

Well it's that time of the week! It's Thankful Thursday!! Time to sit back and reflect on things in our lives that we can be thankful for. No matter how big, small or insignificant they may seem, there's always something to be thankful for. So..... What are you thankful for this week?!

Monica's List:

(To be filled in when she's not feeding, burping, changing a diaper or sleeping, lol)

Jeremy's List:

I'm thankful for my in-laws! While I was out on paternity leave (that's what it's called for the dad), Monica and I got to take two vacations almost back to back. We owe that blessing to our in-laws. They got a wild hair and decided to take a trip to Gulf Shores for a week and wanted us to tag along. We happily and gratefully said yes! I know they probably only invited us so they could spend the week on a beach with their grand babies, but we were super excited none-the-less! It was an awesome trip! One where I got to experience deep sea fishing for the first time. I recently got into fishing the past few years thanks to my bro-in-law. Let me tell you, deep sea fishing is worth doing! It was a BLAST! We caught red snapper almost the whole time we were fishing! My father-in-law and I were rakin' em in buddy! We caught more than anybody on the boat, and there were over 30 of us.  The second trip was a week long stay at Table Rock Lake here in Missouri. It's an annual trip for Monica's family. Once again, my in-laws made it possible! Usually everyone stays in one house. 20+ people in one 4 bedroom house! It's packed but a lot of fun! This year since we had the twins, we stayed in a condo with my in-laws. If it weren't for that we couldn't have gone. We'd have kept the whole house up all night, lol! It was also a blast! A week of fishing, tubing, wakeboarding (I learned to get some sick air this year) and riding waverunners! I caught two channel catfish, a white bass, and 3 Kentucky/spotted bass this year. They were good eating! We catch fish all week and have a big fish-fry at the end of the week! They were two phenomenal trips and a great way to end my paternity leave!

I'm thankful for a running buddy! As I mentioned Tuesday, my buddy and I started back running this week. This go around we know a lot more about running and should be able to catch back up to where we were pretty quick. We already almost ran 3 miles on our second run. Granted it was a snail's pace compared to what we used to run, but it's a start. One I'm happy with.

I'm thankful for my wife!!!!!! Today we celebrated 4 years of marital bliss! ;) I mean it too. They have been the best 4 years of my life. I married my best friend. She completes me! (sappy sigh) I never would have imagined I would end up with such an amazing wife! She's so much fun to be around. She makes me laugh. She has the same goofy sense of humor I do. She's everything I prayed for in a wife and so much more! People ask me all the time when they see a picture of her, how I managed to get a girl like her. I respond in one of two ways. Either 1) I'm still trying to figure that one out myself, or 2) I snatched her up before she realized how HOT she was and how much better she could have done, lol! I am that dorky, goofy looking guy with the smoking hot babe for a wife! :) Must have been my awesome personality and charm, lol. My wife is the best! She's an amazing mother! I can't wait to see what the rest of our lives together have in store for us! Love you sweetie pie! Forever and ever!

"Running" Back on the Band Wagon

Since the boys have been born, life has gotten much... busier. I don't like to use the word harder. Nothing about raising twins is physically hard. It can be exhausting at times running off little sleep. But hard I feel is the wrong word. Now having said that, let me remind you all that we have had a tremendous amount of help from family and friends. I've heard of people raising twin babies by themselves with no help at all. THAT I would classify as hard! It definitely tests your patience, an area I need a lot of work in. It is very time consuming, especially in the beginning.

When we first had the boys, they would eat every 3 hours. Sometimes we had to wake them up and make them eat, but they ate every 3 hours. Each boy would take about 45 min to eat. They were still learning how to latch and were so tiny, it took a lot of energy. They would eat, take a break, eat some more, take a break, and so on. You could tell that the slightest bit of exertion seemed to drain all the energy they had in their tiny little bodies. To add to their exhaustion, the poor, little guys were loosing weight as all babies do once they're born. We only had an hour and a half (if we were lucky) in between feedings. They took a lot of our time and attention. We didn't mind one bit. They're only the cutest babies in the history of mankind! :) It's gotten 10x better though! Now they eat less than ten minutes a piece and it goes much quicker! Lately they have been sleeping up to and sometimes exceeding 5 hours in between feedings at night! Mommy and Daddy are happy, happy, happy! (Thumbs up)

With all that going on, I was only fitting in one set of treatments and no exercise. Most of the time we were just wiped out. Any spare time we had, we slept. I knew going in, that it would be hard to fit in treatments and exercise. The doctors and I had discussions about staying on top of treatments and all of us expected that I would probably see a dip in my PFT's by my next clinic visit after the boys were born. My CF doctor has a set of twins, so he understands. In my mind, I wasn't going to have a "dip" in my numbers. They had been steadily rising for over a year with no hospital admissions. I was determined to keep that up.

I failed.

I haven't been doing two sets of treatments and exercise has been non-existent around our house these days. Well, Monica has been doing her ab exercises. Her abdominal muscles separated so she has special exercises she has to do to pull them back together. Since her ab muscles are separated, she cannot run or do any heavy lifting. In fact, she is supposed to stand up and get out of bed by turning/rolling onto her side and standing/sitting up that way so she does not engage her ab muscles. Any use of her ab muscles will pull them apart further.

The moral of this post is that starting Monday, Monica and I agreed we will do what has to be done to ensure that I am getting two sets of treatments in a day and exercising. My FEV1 had dropped from 66% to 60%. It's going to be difficult at times, because I can only do so much to help when sitting doing my vest and treatments. Especially now that I'm going back to work full time. I wish I could do more sets of treatments a day or exercise more, but with a 40 work week it's just not doable. I'm hoping to find a job that is more flexible so I can do more treatments and exercise more. I've been praying about it. Any prayers my way are much appreciated! :) Obviously something needs to be done to ensure that I'm getting my treatments and exercise in. Now so even more than before. Now I have THREE people depending on me! It just so happened that my best bud and former running buddy (until we both stopped running) called me Saturday and was telling me how he really wants to start running again. Perfect timing! We went for a run on Monday. It was awful, lol! To know how far and fast we used to be able to run and see how much we struggled was a bummer. We only have ourselves to blame. We weren't as far gone as I would have thought, which is a plus. So, I'm "running" back onto the band wagon!

Time to whip myself back into shape. I know I'm a much better husband, son, sibling and friend when I'm feeling good and my numbers are up. So I assume the same is true with fatherhood. I can't take care of my boys, my wife, my family if I'm not taking care of myself. (Swift kick from myself to myself in the rear)

On a side note it felt great to lace up my running shoes and get back out there. We were sweating bullets and breathing like freight trains. I had full on stabbing rib pains through most of the run, but it felt awesome when it was all said and done! It's an accomplishing, rewarding feeling knowing I'm taking the right steps to being healthier for my family.

God always knows when we need a little motivation too. In the midst of realizing I need to make some changes and get back to taking the best care of myself as possible, I read a post by an awesome guy. A fellow CFer who I consider a buddy even though we've never met. He did what I, and most people I know, would of thought as impossible. He was admitted to the hospital with an FEV1 in the 20's and sent straight to the ICU. After 52 days in the hospital he left with an FEV1 of 50%. Doctors told him they'd be happy if he could bump it to 55% but not to count on it. He is the type of guy that when he's told he can't do something, will prove everyone wrong and work his tail off to accomplish it. He has been kicking some CF tay ever since and has his FEV1 up to 75%!!! Talk about motivation!!! His name is Ronnie. I've mentioned him several times in this blog. He's an inspiration to CFers around the world and does A LOT for the CF community! To read his post that I read yesterday, click here.

My Motivation

Motivation: A motivating force, stimulus or influence: Incentive, Drive

Different people all over the world are motivated to do different things. After all, that is how things progress. Motivation is one of the the driving forces behind innovation and invention. People are motivated to make things work better or more efficient, to challenge themselves, to win, to prove someone wrong, to make possible the impossible.

People are motivated to lose weight, to get in better physical shape, to become healthier.

People are motivated to excel at their careers.

People are motivated to make a difference in the world.

Motivation comes from various sources.

My motivation comes from God and my family. For the last 3 months I have doubled the amount of treatments I do. I have been running 4 days a week (except the last 2 weeks because of New Orleans and Thanksgiving) for a minimum of 3 miles each time. Today I went back to the clinic since I began the endeavors of becoming healthier.

My FEV1 went from 61% to 64%.

My initial reaction was almost that of disappointment. I had to catch myself. We can allow those feelings, those emotions to take over and ruin us. I had an increase in my PFT's. They went up, not down, and did not stay the same. Although it was not the increase I was looking for or expecting, it was an increase nonetheless. My doctor was happy, which makes me happy!

That 3% may be small, but it is that much more lung function that I have. Which interprets into that much more time I will get to spend with my wife, my twins (whom I CANNOT WAIT TO MEET) and my friends and family. That in and of itself is motivating!

Every time I lace up my running shoes and start to run, I think of my wife. I think of my twins. Every single time I run, I tell myself "This is for them, you push yourself the best you can.... for them." It's that simple. That's how I have been able to get up at 5 am before work and do treatments, and run when my legs hurt and I'd rather be a couch potato. I remind myself who it's for.

Lastly, I have peace. I have a peace that surpasses all understanding. I know that as long as I am doing my part to stay healthy, God will do His. His plan for my life is far better than anything I could dream up on my own. There is a peace in knowing that. There lies my motivation. To be on this earth as long as I can to be with my wife and kids, and see God's will unfold in my life. All I have to do is my part. Pretty simple when put that way isn't it?

My goal is to see and FEV1 > 70% by this time next year. When I was looking at my PFT record, I noticed that I haven't blown a 70% since 2008. There was one fluke a year and a half or so ago where I blew exactly a 70%. Both PFT's before and after that one were not close to 70%, so I write that one off. We'll see if I can accomplish it.

This kind of post is not my usual fashion, but it's what is on my mind. That initial flash of disappointment was replaced with joy and a feeling of accomplishment. I feel the best I have in a long time! Hopefully this post will help motivate some of you to go stronger and more diligently after your own goals!

So..... what motivates you?

Second Wind 5K

Monica and I participated in a 5K Saturday that benefits those who have had lung transplants. It's called the Second Wind Lung Walk. This was their 9th annual event. It was a lot of fun! I saw several RT's I work with volunteering there, and several people from work came to run/walk with us. My parents and several of our friends that we run with on a weekly basis were there too, along with my buddy's dad who was doing his first 5K at age 57! That's Greatness!

Just want to take a second to thank everyone who came! I wanted to run the race because I thought it was for a good cause. I was very surprised at the support that I got from family, friends and co-workers who came to the run to support me. I'm very happy we were able to help raise money for a good cause!

As always, Monica did amazing! She's officially 13 weeks pregnant as of this past Friday! Whoo-hoo! She ran the 5K on Saturday too. I know it kills her to have to take it easier and not get out there and pound the pavement, sweat her booty off, and be huffing and puffing. Taking it easy, she still posted a time around 31 minutes. She's so awesome! We got her a really cool shirt to wear for the race too!

It was a great day! I set a new personal best of 26:55! The course had several steep hills as well, which made it very tough. We're not used to running hills at all! haha! If you are struggling to find motivation to work out, hopefully some of this post will help you! I feel the best I've felt in a long time!

Thankful Thursday: No more secrets & more energy

It's Thankful Thursday time! There's always a ton of things we could find in our everyday lives to be thankful for! We like to take this time each week to mention some of them that stand out to us. It seems that here lately, one of us has been doing these solo. Today will be no different. My poor pregnant wifey has been working full time hours for a long time now. She's still in her first trimester and has just been so exhausted lately. She never complains about it, but I can tell. She has another cake to do for this weekend, that she found out yesterday has to be done tonight! We thought the party was in town and the cake was needed for saturday afternoon. Turns out the party is out of town (3 hours away) and needed by friday. She has to send it with a family member early tomorrow morning. Tuesday night we spent with family for her dad's birthday and last night we had church, where we both teach classes. So my poor sweetheart will be up all night working away. Now you are informed. :)

Here's my Thankful Thursday list:

I'm thankful for no more secrets! It was so hard keeping the news of our twin pregnancy from everybody! Not just because we were anxious to tell people, but also trying to keep the ones we did tell from telling everyone. Now it's public knowledge and we don't have to hide it! It's wonderful! In case you were wondering why we would have waited, our main concern was making sure we were far enough along to know everything was gonna be alright.

Many women who go through IVF lose embryos before the first trimester is over. We had several people tell us it was terrible to think like that, but it's a very real reality. We told our families when we were 8 weeks. We wanted to wait longer, but the excitement was overwhelming! We didn't want to wait to tell everyone else, but thought it was the smart decision as so much is at stake in the first 12 weeks. I mainly was looking out for Monica. The odds of a live birth are not the best, and miscarriages happen often. We personally know couples who lost one of the two embryos, as well as couples who lost both. I've also heard from others who have gone through in vitro that having to "relive" the pain of people asking about it, and having to give bad news was terrible. I did not want that for Monica. That's why we were waiting til closer to 12 weeks to announce it. Thankfully, those worries are gone, and there has been nothing but good news!

Monica goes back tomorrow for her 12 week appointment! WHOO-HOO!!! I can't wait! Unfortunately I have to work and can't go, but I can't wait to see the pics of my babies!

I'm also thankful for more energy! Since I have been running 4 times a week with this training program, I have had tons more energy! I am sleeping better, and am so full of energy! In fact, last thursday and tonight, I am going to run (3.5 miles tonight) and do sprints after and go straight to a double header softball game! It's awesome and I love it!

So what are you thankful for?! Let us know! There's always something..... Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

Never knew how good I could feel!

Man I feel great! I really do! I haven't felt this good in a while. What do I think has made the difference??? Running. Monica and I started running a while ago, but it wasn't until recently that I began taking it serious. I've had to have my hospital admissions like every other CFer, but this past year has been different. I was admitted in July of '11 then again in February '12 and almost again a month ago. Not good!

I'm used to only be admitted every 2 years, maybe every year and a half. I have definitely noticed a shift in the progression of the disease in the past couple years. I've had to work way harder at keeping my numbers up and feeling good. Up until now, I haven't really felt like myself. It seems I had always been fighting being "sick." My numbers were like a roller coaster. After my admission in February I felt much better, but the numbers were still way down. Then last month my numbers were down again to 59% and I felt pretty crummy.  My most recent FEV1 was 61%. Which, by the way, I am not satisfied with.

I want to see mid 70's again! If I ever saw 80% I'd flip out!

I think I may be well on my way judging by how I feel. But, history shows that "feeling" doesn't always reflect in the numbers. Hopefully come November 26th those numbers will be at an all-time high for the past 6 years. The highest my FEV1 has been in the past 6 years was 74%. I'm shooting for 75%. :)

I'm signed up for two 5K races. One in October and another in November. My buddy and I are training 4 days a week for it. Let me tell you, it's no joke.Whoo buddy! My legs are feeling it and my lungs too!

Moral of this post: If you are wanting to be healthier and in better shape, run. You may not be able to run just yet, but everybody can walk. Start by walking for 30 minutes a day. That's simple. Pick a TV show you can do without and walk instead. It will pay off and before you know it you'll be setting new records for yourself in running! Get out there! As Nike says "Just Do It!" and as Ronnie says "GET MOVING!"

Thankful Thursday: Running Schedule, Crab Ragoon & Pedicures

It's Thankful Thursday! That means another week has flown by! Time for another double header softball game. The weekend is almost here. The weeks seem to be getting shorter and shorter lately. Soon it'll be Christmas! Whoo-hoo!! So what are you thankful for this thursday? Could be something that happened this week. Could be something you realize you take for granted. Could be something that brings you joy! While you ponder your thankfulness, here's our lists.

Monica's List:

I'm thankful for Crab Rangoon! Yes, yes you read that right! The delicious Chinese sensation of creamy and crunchy!!! YUM!! If you haven't had it before.. you do not know what you are missing! If you've had it and didn't like it, all I can say is.... something is just wrong with you! ;) We don't treat ourselves to Chinese too often because we have an eating out budget and it's not the most healthy eating option. When we do get it though, crab ragoon always hits the spot! MMM!!

I am thankful for my job! I just got my next raise and it was a whole $1 an hour raise! :) May not seem like much to some... but I am thankful for it nonetheless! Every little bit helps in this household!

I am also thankful for pedicures! Another thing I don't treat myself to often (I've had about 4 in my lifetime)... but when I do I really appreciate it! Technically my friend Kristy treated me to this one, so I am also very thankful for a friend who likes to do sweet things for me! I appreciate it so much!!! Thank you again Kristy! I love you!!! (I especially love getting them with Kristy! Not only for the good company but because I get to watch her giggle as they scrub the bottom of her feet, haha... HILARIOUS!)

Jeremy's List:

I'm thankful for a running schedule this week. A fellow co-worker of mine is big into running and so is her boyfriend. He is a hardcore marathon runner. They guy (we'll call him "Speedy") can run a marathon (26.2 miles) in 2 hours and 40 minutes! That's just over a 6 minute/mile pace! That's insanity!

"Speedy" offered to make me a running schedule for a 5K that I have coming up in late October to benefit people who have had lung transplants. My goal for this 5K is under 27 minutes. I'd like to make it in 25, but we shall see. My fastest so far is 29:33.

I'm thankful for "Speedy" and his kindness to make me a schedule. I can't wait to start hitting the pavement and train for this run, which will also help move some mucous!

Monsoon Run

A buddy of mine and I went on our usual 4.6 mile run tonight. It was a little cloudy but looked like it was going the opposite direction and would pass by. Wrong! If you remember it was only a few weeks ago we had a similar situation occur with tornado type clouds looming overhead. Of course, holding to our typical fashion, we said to each other "We got this!"

We decided to run it anyhow. A little after mile one, the rain started. Monica was passing us, running back to the car. (She tags along often on our runs and is much smarter than either of us.)

We kept on truckin'!

Just before mile 2 it began down pouring and did not stop until we were finished, at which point it let up. Haha! Had to laugh about that.

Anyway here's our post run interview. It was with my iPhone, which is now stuck in headphone mode and will not play sound through the speakers. It's in a bag of rice as we speak which hopefully will fix it. It's my own fault but still extremely frustrating, lol!

Moral of the story: When it looks like it may be bad weather when Matthew and I get ready to run....... it will be. AND, don't run with my phone when bad weather is present.

Feels Like Fall

It officially feels like fall here in St. Louie! Our house is a cool 71 degrees with no ac or heat on, and it's just chilly enough outside that the good ol sweatpants and house shoes went on today. It's really overcast and kind of windy out too. Perfect for an evening in! We'll probably watch a movie after eating a big hearty meal, and snuggle on the couch under a blanket. I forgot how much I do enjoy fall. I would rather live in a climate where it's sunny and warm 24/7, 365, but I enjoy fall.

Soon we'll start having bonfires, drinking hot chocolate, and dressing in hoodies and sweats. It may sound silly but I think there's nothing more comfortable than a hoodie. I love wearing hoodies. They're perfect to take naps in! lol! In college I wore hoodies all through the fall and winter, and took a nap almost every day in a big leather chair in the "quiet" room. Good times!

Another advantage to cooler weather, it makes running slightly easier. When I don't have gallons of sweat dumping off me, I find I can run a little farther and faster. Tuesday I was able to complete 4.5 miles without stopping for any walk breaks. It took me 46:42. Monica's fastest time is 43 minutes I believe. Yesterday I ran it again. I didn't stop this time either and completed it in 43:15! I shaved over 3 minutes off my time. It was slightly cooler, and may have made a difference. If I can break 40 minutes, I'll be ecstatic! I'm trying to gear up for a 5K in October that benefits lung transplant patients. My goal for that is 25 minutes or less. Really I would like to only run 10K's. I think I'm getting close to being able to complete one. A few more weeks of running 4.5 miles and I'll start running 6.1, which is a 10K.

Hope everyone is enjoying this cooler weather! (If it's cooling down where you live) I know Monica and I are. Hopefully my updates on my running abilities will encourage you to get out there and GET MOVING!!

Thankful Thursday: Running Experiences & New friends

It's Thankful Thursday time again! Another week down in the history books of this thing called life! Seems that lately our life timeline has been full on a week-to-week basis. That's a good thing though, it means more awesome life experiences! As usual, there are a lot of things to be thankful for! Monica may or may not get to add to this post. Poor wifey has had several cakes she's doing this month, which means she spends most of her evenings (especially Thursday and Friday) working on the cakes. This week it's a cake that looks like a 1930's/40's Chevy. It's coming together awesome! We'll definitely post some pics after she delivers and the customer sees it first. :) I won't make you wait any longer for the meat of this post though. Here's what I'm thankful for!

Jeremy's List:

I'm thankful for running experiences. Well, life experiences really, but one happened today while a buddy and I were running at a nearby park. Evidently there were severe thunderstorm warnings out for my area and the makings for tornadoes. The sky didn't look too shabby so my buddy and I decided to run anyways. The path is a 5.1 mile loop. Needless to say we didn't make it the whole way, haha! The further we got down the path, the sketchier the sky looked!

We finally decided to turn back when the clouds above us started in a circular pattern. The path outlines a field as well. There a are a few spots where you run through the woods, but most is right out in the open. Not good when lightning is present. It was pretty crazy watching the clouds sweeping over our heads. There were light spots, dark spots, all kinds of different kinds of clouds, and it was really pretty actually! Nature is just plain cool sometimes!

I'm also thankful for new friends. A little while ago I met a guy from work and have been talking to him quite a bit. We share similar interests, fishing and God, and get to talk a lot about the two. After several failed attempts to fish together, we made it out with my bro-in-law, best bud, and another buddy. We went night fishing! We started about 8:00pm and fished until 1:30am. We would have stayed all night but both had to be somewhere Saturday afternoon. We built a nice bonfire and were fishing right on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River! It was awesome! It's cool fishing at night, looking at the stars, hearing the crackling of the fire, feeling the warmth coming from the fire, chatting it up with some good pals, listening for the pole bells to start ding-a-ling-a-ringing!

It was a successful trip. My new pal caught a big flathead! Looking forward to many more fishing trips and good talks about life and God!

So what are you thankful for this week?!

Going the Distance

Two weeks ago I made a pact with a buddy of mine to start running 3 times a week. So far so good! We're still going strong. Well, til he pulled his quad last night, but hopefully it'll be all healed up for Thursday's run. It has been awesome! I'm already noticing that my legs are beginning to feel a little stronger and it's getting easier and easier to push myself mentally to go farther, harder, and push past my screaming leg muscles. It's probably all psychological, because I doubt you actually gain a noticeable amount of strength from 4 runs.

We've been running pretty good distances too. On Tuesday we run a park by my house that is a 5.1 mile trail. We don't do the entire trail. We leave off a very small portion because we would have to back track to start at it. Soon I'll measure the actual distance we run. On Thursday's we run a 5K or 3.1 miles. For the 3rd day, at this point, we run whatever distance. My goal is for it to be at least over 2 miles.

My main reason for this post was to get feedback from any runners out there. My goal is to someday run a half marathon. I'd love to do a whole one, but I think that may be reaching a bit too high for right now. So here's what I know (or have been told) so far about running, including the things I do. I would like to know how to run farther and faster.

Shoes: I have a pair of Asics that Monica and I paid good money for so I think I'm ok there, but I've heard you should wear wool or synthetic socks, not cotton.. Is this true? if so why?

Running: I try to take smallish strides. I try not to push off my toes, but rather off my heels so that I use more of my leg than calf. I noticed at first when we would run that my calves would be toast after maybe one mile. I try to keep my head neutral or slightly leaned forward and not look up because it will slow your momentum and shorten your stride.

Breathing: Obviously I have CF and so my breathing pattern may be different than others. Since CF is an obstructive disease, the air has a harder time getting out of the lungs than normal. I try to sync my breathing pattern with my strides. Breathe in for 2 steps, out for 3 steps. It sometimes varies depending on how hard I'm running. I try to breathe in through my nose and out my mouth as well.

These are the main things I stay aware of while I'm running. Anybody have any tips? Anything I'm doing good or bad?

To throw a little motivation at the end of this post I would like to encourage any of you reading this that don't run to give it a try!! Start off with a brisk walk if you have to or just walking at whatever pace for that matter. You have to start somewhere! It pays off in the end and you will learn to love it! No matter what size or shape you are, there's no shame in getting out there! So go on, get out there and GET MOVING!

Thankful Thursday: Morphsuits & Running Buddies

HEEEEEY! It's Thankful Thursday again! That means another week has passed us by. Hope you all lived it to the fullest and soaked up the best out of each day! It's that time of the week for Monica and I to reflect on our lives and find things to be thankful for. Like I always say, there's something to be thankful for.... always. This week Monica is working on a cake and has been one busy little bee the last couple evenings after work, so I'm going to go this one alone. She's in the kitchen working away, but is here in spirit.

Monica is one of those few people that are beautiful just as much on the inside as out, and she's GORGEOUS on the outside! She can always find something to be thankful for and see the bright side of things.

This week I'm thankful for a little spandex wonder known as a morphsuit. They are one of the most awesome things I've ever seen!I've wanted one for over a year now, but never wanted to spend the money to get one. I made a little extra cash recently and splurged (haven't done that in a while as we've been sticking to our budget very snugly) and buy me a morphsuit! My patience was rewarded! They have just released a blacklight responsive line that glow under blacklights! Of course, if you know me, you know I love blacklights!It's just so awesome when stuff glows, I can't explain my fascination with it. I purchased a neon orange morphsuit. They have morphsuits of all different varieties! Here's the link if you want to check them out. link :)Now I just need the matching fanny pack, sunglasses, and sweatband set!

I'm also thankful for running buddies! Recently, as I discussed in the previous post, I started getting up at 5 am to be able to get 2 vest treatments in a day and started running again. This time it's going to be a routine. My last FEV1 was 59%. Unacceptable. I was feeling pretty crummy like I may need an admission. Hopefully my efforts will deter this as I go to clinic a week from Monday. Several of our friends have gotten into running recently. My main man told me him and his bro-in-law were gonna start running on tuesdays and thursdays and then a weekend run. We started this Tuesday. Boy are we outta shape! We did the Cliff Cave loop by our house that is supposed to be 5 miles. That's a good distance. We had a really good time though! Got to chat during our walking times and came up with our weekly game plan. I'm so pumped for this you can't imagine!

I HAVE to run. There is no option when you have CF. Ronnie Sharpe's blog title photo is right on point, "Running because my life depends on it." The only way I will see an increase in PFT's is to make running a regular occurrence in my life. Having 2 buddies to run with is gonna make that a lot easier to stick to! After our first tuesday I ran again on wednesday for 2.4 miles and we ran a 5K (3.1 miles) today. I finished the 5K today with a time of 29:33. I've never timed myself at a 5K before but I'm pretty happy with that.

Well I've babbled enough about what I'm thankful for this week! Now it's your turn! Leave a comment telling us what YOU are thankful for! Don't forget to type your name or better yet sign in so we know who you are! Happy Thankful Thursday everybody! Hope this next week is the best ever!

More presentations?

First let's start out with a little late Thankful Thursday action, then we'll get into the presentation business. Monica and I were gone to the state fair all day yesterday with her family so we were unable to do our usual Thankful Thursday post. When I say all day, I mean all day! We got up around 7:00am left at 8am and didn't get home until 11pm. We were whooped! BUT, it was a GREAT day! So what are you thankful for?! I know there's something so tell us by posting a comment below!

Jeremy's List:

I'm thankful for these:

     

           

These are Asics Kinsei's! They are Monica and I's new running shoes! The top 2, with the orange, yellow, blue and red are mine. The bottom ones with the yellow, pink, purple, green, and blue are Monica's! They make a HUGE difference when running! Monica had wanted a new pair of running shoes for awhile and we had been looking. She did some research and found that Asics are supposed to be the best running shoe. We went to try some on and found out that the Kinsei (pronounced ken-see) are Asics' best shoe. Of course then that's what I wanted to by her! Only the best for my wonderful wife!!! She had been running in Nike Shox. The salesmen (a friend of ours) had a horrible look of shock when he heard this. She has never had problems with her feet or knees and has been skiing her whole life, but after a month of running her knees were starting to hurt. Our friend said the Shox HAD to be the source of this pain! :) The new shoes are awesome! I'm thankful for them and the motivation they give me to run more!

I'm thankful for opportunities! After I gave a presentation to my department last October, I was asked to give it at the Missouri state conference, which you may recall me talking about. I'm not sure if I've mentioned anything beyond that or not, but I was asked to give the presentation 3 more times!! Next monday the 13th, I'll be traveling to Capo Girardeau to give it at a local respiratory conference. Then on September 7th, I'll be giving it locally in Fenton, MO. Lastly, on November 13th, I'll be in New Orleans, LA to give it at the AARC Congress (the American Association for Respiratory Care national conference)! Crazy how fast things happen sometimes isn't it?! I count it as a huge blessing to get to spread awareness and be able to take my wife to see New Orleans! Can't wait! I'll post more as these events unfold!

So what are you thankful for today my friends?!?!

Greatness

Saw this on a buddy's blog, and love it! This is so true. Anyone can achieve greatness! It may look different from person to person, but it's still greatness! I want to meet that kid. So I can hug him and tell him how GREAT he is, and how inspiring this commercial is! See for yourself if you havn't already!

My Exercise of Choice... + a bonus funny

As we all know, we all should exercise. Exercise is one of the main ingredients, if not THE main ingredient, in living a healthy life. AND, as we all know, exercise is tough. It involves pushing yourself past comfort to pain. Ever heard the saying no pain, no gain? It's true. Whether lifting weights, running, whatever kind of exercise you participate in, if you're not breathing heavy, feeling your muscles burning, or saying to yourself "I want to stop!" you're probably not gaining much at all. It's hard to hear, but true.

Honestly though, once you get past the point of hating it, and dreading your workouts, you will come to look forward to it. I promise this will happen! It may take awhile, we're all different. When I was doing P90X before our cruise last year, I was doing 5 videos a week. Each video is an hour long and there are NO BREAKS! You get maybe 5 minutes of breaks in the hour video. It's craziness! At first I was loving it, because I like to be pushed physically. I enjoy the extreme aching and soreness you get the 2 days following an intense workout. Then came the dreading it phase, where it was getting tiresome to fit in an hour workout 5 days a week while working 40 hours a week, and doing my treatments and such for an hour each day.  But alas, the days began coming where I had more energy and I was really looking forward to them! I was seeing results, felt incredible, and it was totally worth all the hard work! As Monica or my buddy Matthew. I gained over an inch in each arm, an inch and a half in each leg, and was looking sexy! lol! It will happen that you look forward to your workouts, and you will see results if you stick to it!

That actually was not at all what my post today is about though. That was a freebie! :) My post today is about my exercise of choice. Swimming! Or rather playing in the pool, and swimming! Jumping on a trampoline at a place like Skyzone (a warehouse with elevated trampolines joined together to form a basketball sized trampoline floor)! Our best friends have an outdoor pool, and Monica's grandma has an indoor pool with a slide and diving board. Talk about fun! And a good workout! Every time we "swim" it turns into some sort of jumping, diving, flipping, see who can grab and hang from the rafters by jumping off the diving board, human chicken, breath holding retrieving under water objects contest! haha! Which involves a lot of physical exertion and gets the body MOVING! I cough like a banshee every time.

In fact, my buddy made a very astute observation this year. We were at his house swimming (the one with the outdoor pool), and he says "You seem to cough a lot anytime you're in the pool. You cough, but never as much as when you get in the water." He's right! Monica and my buddy's wife noticed too. For some reason simply being in the water causes me to cough a lot. And not just cough a lot, but produce a lot of sputum. In fact, one night I coughed up 2 mucus plugs while we were swimming! This is now my exercise of choice! It's fun, and it works! Now just have to convince Monica to move somewhere tropical with a pool! :)

P.S. If you want a really good workout, chop down a tree! My brother-in-law, my sister-in-law's fiance and I chopped one down Sunday and I'm sore all over! You don't realize all the various muscle groups you use when swinging an axe! Here's a few videos for you to enjoy! We have kinda made it a tradition on special occasions or just because, to chop down dead trees in my in-laws backyard!