Back In The Game

Well hello strangers!  It's been more than 6 months since I've blogged and during those 6 months I have:

Gotten super sick

Gone on a Cruise

Sprained My Ankle

Got a tattoo

Celebrated turning 29 for the 5th time

Gained 70+ lbs

Yes you read that right!  70+ lbs!  Things started falling apart in January when the ER drs diagnosed me with pneumonia and started me on an antibiotic (no biggie right?) well less than a week later I'm in to my regular dr because the antibiotic isn't working.  She gives me something stronger, a steroid (so begins the crazy that is Prednisone), and a new inhaler.  A week later I'm back again with no relief.  She refers me out to a pulmonologist because she's given me all she can without admitting me to the hospital for my asthma.  Several weeks go by and we go on vacation (where I spent 10 days in the sun) and came home feeling like a million bucks.  Then the post vacation depression sets in, I see the pulmonologist who prescribed NINE prescriptions totaling over $200 for one months worth (and that's just MY portion).  She had me on everything from 3 different inhalers to cough medicine (did you know that can come in pill form?), to prescription strength antacids. She said, "We'll go at it with a shot gun and after 6 weeks we'll start taking prescriptions away and see what the affects are."  Now, working for the largest healthcare provider group in Minnesota, I know healthcare is a science and a practice, and every dr has their own method, but this was ridiculous to me.  However, I'm not the one with the PhD so I went along with the plan.  2 weeks later, no relief and I was miserable from the side effects of several of the medications.  I stopped taking everything cold turkey and relied solely on my rescue inhaler for relief when needed, took turmeric and switched to a higher quality vitamin, and started seeing a chiropractor.  Then came a weekend up north where I discovered I was losing my sense of taste.  I mentioned this oddity to a good friend of mine, and she insisted I see my dr to get my vitamin D tested.  We live in Minnesota, vitamin D is a big issue in winter, but clearly mine was in the summer too!  My counts were dangerously low and the dr started me on super high doses of vitamin D to help get my numbers back where they belong.

Several weeks later (we're in June now) just as I felt like I was seeing some improvement in how I felt, I stepped in a hole and sprained my ankle.  Air cast for another week and little to no activity for 6 weeks.

So here we are August and my breathing is better, my vitamin D is a high dose daily supplement and my ankle is mostly ok except when it rains or weather temps change.  Then, all of a sudden I was given an incredible opportunity that I'm very VERY excited about in addition to being in my best friends wedding in January, I decided it was time.  

After returning home from a trip out of state to visit family, I woke up Monday morning and decided enough was enough.  That day some thing reached out to me.  A renewed sense of determination and dedication, so I faced the scale, which I didn't dare do in the depths of my turmoil and while I was blown away at the number that displayed, I also didn't beat myself up about it or get mad or sad or angry.  I didn't really feel much except maybe some relief that I knew this journey of mine was going to continue and that this was an opportunity to begin again. 

 Life happens, sometimes it sucks. Sometimes it REALLY sucks, I know that it wasn't my ankles fault, I know being sick was not an excuse to enjoy a large blizzard multiple times a week, but that's the past now and the past is done and gone and there's nothing I can do now except move forward from here.

  So, 10 days ago, I decided to take charge of this thing called life and push forward with new goals and new motivation.  I'm happy to say 10 days in and I'm eating healthy, back to an aggressive workout routine and feeling incredible.  I may have slipped, I may have fallen from the wagon, hell the wagon drug my ass for a good long time, but I never once let go.  I knew the time would come that I would find the strength to pull my self back up, jump back on and show this life who's boss!  

Now's the time!