Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!  Thank you to all those who have served and are currently serving.  Thank you to those service men and women who aren't sitting around a pool or barbeque with a cold one because they are standing watch tonight.

my grilling contribution to dinner tonight!

Murphy's Law

Why is it that, when your motivation seems at its highest and you feel like you're really making this working out thing a habit, a million things come up that keep you away from the gym?  That's what I'm facing this week. I've been doing really well lately when it comes to my daily dates with my running shoes.   We have a love hate relationship, but lately it's been a little more love...a little less hate.  So that's why I'm kinda bummed that I haven't made it to the gym yet.

I think they're feeling a little neglected...

For the most part, due to my health, I am a stay-at-home girlfriend.  (Yes girlfriend, not wife.)  Occassionally to earn a little extra money, I make cakes, cupcakes, etc. for friends and family.  This week, a friend asked me to make 6 dozen cupcakes in three different flavors and a 10 inch round cake AND construct a stand to display it all for her nephew's wedding on Saturday.  Now if that wasn't enough, I also clean house for a former employer/ close friend on Friday mornings. She has two little girls ages 2 and 4 which I adore, and we are currently trying to teach them tidiness.  So each week if their rooms are clean, I leave a small 'neat treat' on each of their beds.  Their treat last week was tickets to see the new Disney movie, Brave.  So Wednesday I am taking them to the movies and then to dinner.  Thursday, I'm having furniture delivered for the newly remodeled guest room.   Friday evening (after I clean) I will have just enough time to get home and clean myself up before I have to meet my girls at the movie theater to see Magic Mike.  Hey priorities, right? 

Somewhere in there I am supposed to get in a workout everyday.  So far, I've managed to take the dog on a 2 mile walk last night and tonight.  That's it.  I haven't even driven past the gym.  I even bought new running shoes hoping that would spur me to make time for the gym.  My gym buddy is out all week due to illness, so I'm on my own.  It's so much easier to make myself get up at 6 am and hit the gym if I know she's waiting on me. 

I know in the end, it's up to me to make my workout a priority. I have to admit, I know it's only Tuesday, but I'm really missing my date with the treadmill.  So here I sit at 9:45 pm, I've got my gymbag packed and my shoes ready to go.  Let's just see if I'm ready to go at six in the morning. To say that I'm not a morning person is a bit of an understatement.  Wish me luck...

Allow me to introduce myself....

Ok I am new to blogging, so forgive me if this post is kinda random.  I just couldn't stand seeing an empty page staring back at me from the computer screen.  I promise I'll get the hang of this eventually! 

I guess I should start with a little background (just in case anyone actually reads this!) My name is Miss T.  (Obviously a pseudonym...for now I would like to retain my anonymity.)  I am a 35 year old woman who still lives in the same little northeast Texas town where she was born.  I know - boring, right?  At the age of 17, after 13 trips to the emergency room, and a rapid 80 pound weightloss, I was diagnosed with aggressive rheumatoid arthritis.  Two years later, the doctors told me I also had myasthenia gravis.  Over the next few years, I learned I would also have the pleasure of living with lupus, fibromyalgia, scleroderma, and Raynaud's disease (and possibly Crone's disease...but that's a story for another day.)  Basically, my immune system is screwed. 

These illnesses wreak havoc on my body and can make daily life a real challenge.  I wake up each morning with painful swollen joints, stiff muscles, and fatigue.  Sometimes, just opening a soda bottle can be a real challenge.  I have scars on my fingers and toes where the ulcerations from the Raynaud's has caused the tissue to turn black and die similar to frost bite.  I can't sit or stand in one position for more than 5 minutes without pain.  While medication can help ease some of these symptoms, it's not completely effective. It won't stop the diseases' progression. What damage has been done is irreversible. 

Every six weeks for 17 years, I travel over 120 miles (round trip) to Louisiana to see a rheumatologist, Dr. P.   Now Dr. P has always said that medicine is not the cure for what ails me.  The best thing I can do for my body is exercise.  As Dr. P would say, use it or lose it.  Constantly using the joints and muscles is the best way to maintain and  possibly improve my mobility.  Building the muscles around the joints adds more protective cushion from the impact of daily movements.  Most people run to look better and feel better.  I run today so that I am able to walk tomorrow because I know there will be a day when I no longer can.

My preferred choice of torture exercise is running...hence the title Running with Meds.  I started running while panting and gasping wildly walking on a treadmill at the gym about two years ago.  (I use a treadmill because it allows more cushion than pavement.)  So my plan for this blog is to chronicle my daily struggles, triumphs, disappointments, and challenges while, hopefully, keeping an open mind  and a sense of humor.  So if you're still reading this, I invite you to run with me....just run slow because I'm not very good at this.