It's Time To Get This Party Started

We did our big grocery run and it's time to get serious. 

Shakeology and coffee base is ready.  Overnight oats are chilling.  Turkey chili is simmering. 

I was hoping to make layered salad, but my fridge is too full to hold it. 

Gym bag is packed.  Lunch and water cup will be thrown together tomorrow morning.

Game on!

A New Year

Gotta document my "goals" for 2016

1.  Let's get the major one on the list: Get knocked up.  Come on girly parts...make it happen.

2. Get Operation Get Healthy back on track.  Meal planning, grocery shopping and app tracking back on the agenda.  Gyming is definitely becoming a priority again too!

3.  Being a better friend.  Marriage has made me a horrible friend.  I will get better at sending cards, sending texts and scheduling get togethers.

4.  Spending less time on my phone.  Sorry Samsung Galaxy, it's me, not you....

5.  Eating out less.  Ain't nobody got money for that.

6. Purging junk.  I need to declutter my life.  Where does this stuff come from?

7.  Celebrate more, complain less....this might take a small miracle.

8.  Stop drinking milk.  Milk = joint pain....every time I drink a glass it feels like I've been beat in my joints.  I will finally kick the habit this year.

Gotta stop with an even number (wouldn't possibly want to change my OCD) so that's all for 2016 :)  May it be the best year yet!

Out With The Old, In With The New

Well 2014, you’ve been a good year and you’ve been a hard year. In no particular order:

1. Celebrated 9 years at Mylan.
2. Riggle family vacation to Emerald Isle
3. MOHs and men vacation to Myrtle Beach
4.  Got diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).
5.  Had my first IUI - BFN
6. Identified my Unicornuate Uterus and changed fertility treatment route.
7. Had my first BFP and celebrated being pregnant.
8. Missed miscarriage at 7/8 weeks. D&C
9. Traveled to Canada; Erie, PA and Philadelphia, PA for business trips
10. Paid off our student loans wooohoooo
11.  Celebrated our first wedding anniversary.
12. Celebrated Perry's golden birthday (8 on the 8th)
13. Landscaped our yard and our marriage survived it lol
14. Met two awesome ladies through infertility support groups. They both have become great friends and support.
15. The hubby got a new job that he'll start in 2015.
16. Healed and survived everything above

2015 - Resolutions

Get healthy - failed miserably in 2014 so let's try it again.

Get pregnant - get with it lady parts.

Get my car paid off and the PMI off our mortgage - the sooner these are done, the sooner I can beef up the 401K.

We will leave it at 3!   They're biggies!

Happy New Year, Blog Friends!

21 Day Fix

So I finally decided to do something about my weight and state of misery.  No more excuses or procrastination.  Starting Monday,  I'm going to get my act together (yes, that's mild procrastination,  but I need the weekend to shop,  meal prep and clean out the garbage foods).

I ordered the 21 Day Fix, got a coach, got a buddy (aka my sister), and my meal plans and shopping lists are ready.   I'm most worried about the workouts since my left knee is still popping out and of course my fragile skeleton is always a concern,  but oh well.  

Basically my days will consist of Shakeology,  protein, fruit,  veggies and select carbs and healthy fats.   I'm hoping to finally learn some portion control from the containers and to get moving again.

I'll be posting my meals and progress as I go, to help me stay accountable.   Here goes nothing :[

It's Mine to Save

Since last Tuesday, I’ve been doing a lot of research and thinking.  The more I learn and read about AS, the more concerned I get.  The idea of being crippled and unable to get relief from pain, is super frightening.  The thought of having to use my walker more than once or twice a year could almost bring me to tears.  I’ve had a few people say, “Oh that’s good that it is just arthritis,” and man do I wish that were true.  The arthritis that most people know, causes extreme aches and pains and creaks (and is surely miserable, not downplaying that), but this one makes joints lose functionality.  It creates surgeries and irreversible damage and causes the aches and pains.  Most arthritis kicks in late in life, I’m 31 and falling apart.  So far, my neck, back (SI joints), ribs, thumbs, shoulder, knees and feet are involved, that doesn’t leave many other body parts.

But this post isn’t meant to be a big ole whiner fest (surprise!), but instead me putting my plans in writing.  No one can fight for my health as well as I can, so here is my semi-public declaration of the lifestyle changes I am making.

1.      Eating healthier.  I am the queen of the yo-yo diet.  If the numbers on the scale don’t magically divide themselves in a matter of weeks, I am over it.  I go back to my old ways and gain 10 extra pounds.  Well, this is stopping.  I am going to eat healthier, unprocessed foods.  I asked my doctor about diet and she suggested the Mediterranean Diet or any diet that promotes unprocessed foods and Omega 3s.  She made it clear that my being overweight is not causing the breakdown like I originally feared, but she said that losing weight can only improve my health and help take strain off my joints. 

2.      Exercising.  AS causes severe fatigue and aching….not exactly ideal for exercise.  I refuse to blame my lack of exercise on this though, I’ve just been lazy.  Going forward, I will be moving more and getting off my butt.  I’m only allowed to swim right now, but soon enough, I can add elliptical, walking and biking back in.  I’m not allowed to pound my joints, so I’ll never be a runner, but I can move more, and make exercise a priority. 

3.      Drinking more water.  I am not a drinker….I can go the whole day without drinking.  I am on a mission to find a water bottle I love and make it my sidekick.  I’ve slipped into an old habit of grabbing a pop or sweet tea while on the road and that HAS to stop.  I refuse to give up my one coffee a day with flavored creamer, because let’s be honest, it is in the best interest of everyone around me, if I don’t give that up.

4.      Getting more sleep.  I am hoping the exercise and lack of random drinks throughout the day will help with this.  I also plan to put myself to bed earlier even if I just lay there and unwind.

5.      Taking my meds.  I hate maintenance drugs…..I quit taking them after a while (hence prenatal vitamins laying in my drawer.)  I will take my pills and faithfully listen to the doc.

So there it is, my plan to save my poor ole body from AS.  On a bright note, all of these things could also aid fertility (minus the RXs), but the bad news is, this diagnosis throws a wrench into having children. 

There are several factors to consider:

1.      It’s hereditary

2.      It affects my ability to receive an epidural

3.      Pregnancy can be 100 times more painful or it could give me relief….there is no norm to how AS patients respond

4.      I would have to quit taking all drugs during a pregnancy

5.      I’ve read miscarriages are more likely in AS patients (something to do with the inflammation, they think)

So yeah.  More to think about.  But for now, we aren’t pursuing fertility treatments, but we also aren’t preventing anything.  We’re letting things sink in and waiting for the results from my next rheumatologist appointment in May. 

Please feel free to pray for us….pray for my joints, pray for Keith’s sanity, pray for strength to stick to my plans, pray for our family.  I’m thankful for the answers God has helped me get, but we’re just starting on this road, and I’m scared of what the future holds. 

A Babyless Story Episode 9

We’re in month 9 of trying to get pregnant and needless to say, we’re frustrated. 

Dr. Jerkface finally called after 10 days with our most recent analysis results.

Dr: Dr. Jerk here calling with analysis results.  This is normal, that is normal, this percentage overall, good results.  Thank you, Goodbye.  (PS a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, sorry for being a jerk would have been appreciated)

Me: Wait wait wait…what does that mean?

Dr: Normal results.  Thank you. Bye.

Me: Wait wait, what changed?

Dr: Nothing, this was just a full analysis.

Me: So now what?

Dr: I don’t have your chart.

Me: Well get it. (I mean hello we are talking about a computer, not going to a large file room to pull a physical file)

Dr: You can do IUI if you want.  (IF I WANT?!?!  Yes, that’s exactly what I WANT to do…making babies the old fashion way is just plain boring…I definitely WANT to do this.)

Me: Well how do we proceed with that?

Dr: Come in on Day 3.  Goodbye now.  Click. 

So basically, I have no idea what happens on Day 3.  I don’t know if I go in alone, if I take Keith, if there are drugs and needles involved, if they will do it all that day, what the cost might be, etc. etc. 

I have hidden the thermometer from myself.  I’m not charting anything except for start and end dates.  I haven’t peed on anything that resembles a test of any kind.  I’m going with the whole less is more philosophy this month. 

So basically, we know nothing.  I have officially started cutting out processed foods and adding more water, fruit and veggies.  Let’s hope that helps the situation as well. 

I had my first “had a baby” dream a few nights ago.  Those are a sick joke; Woke up feeling even more disappointed.  Made it through the holidays with only 5 people asking about babies so we’ll call that a success at least!! 

And we pray and wait.....

Past, Present and Future

Well 2013, you’ve been a good year and you’ve been a hard year. 

1. Celebrated 8 years at Mylan.
2. Wedding prep
3. The Big Day – I became Mrs. Holly Riggle
4. Honeymoon to Outer Banks
5. Family vacation to Myrtle Beach
6. Sold my townhouse.
7. Lived with Keith’s sister for a few months.
8. Bought our new place.
9. Sold my beater car and my Kia.
10. Bought the Honda.
11. Went to Utah with Uncle Bob.
12. Met Keith’s friends
13. Heidi got married
14. Whitney got married.
15. Celebrated our first holidays in the new house.
16. Learned a lot about marriage, parenting, dealing with an ex-wife, and so much more.
17. My normal heath issues: back, thumb, neck, lack of immune system.
18. April got married.
19. Finally made our new house a home.
20. Struggled with trying to become pregnant.

2014 - I’m not usually big on New Year Resolutions, but I’m going to give it a whirl this year.

1. Get healthy – I need to lose weight and get in shape.  We’ve started looking at elliptical machines and the South Beach Diet is calling my name.
2. Cook more healthy meals at home – I’ve gotten a lot better at this with our huge kitchen, but I need to move toward healthier recipes simultaneously.
3. Get pregnant – I don’t have much control over this one, but darn it we’ll be giving it our best.
4. Solve my mystery aching problem – I’ve got the doctor appointment scheduled; let’s see if they can solve the mystery.
5. Pay off Debt – don’t get me wrong, we live very responsibly.  We just have student loans that stress me out.  I’m planning to hit those puppies hard.  I’d also like to get our PMI knocked off the mortgage. 

Happy New Year, Blog Friends!!