My Melmoirs

...literally.  I haven't written a health update in a while, so I guess now's as good a time as any.   Since my last post I continued to feel great, avoid germs, gain weight and increase my exercise.  All systems were good...until one day when they suddenly weren't.  About 3 weeks ago I was blindsided with an autoimmune "flare."  Apparently my body thought it was getting too healthy and decided to attack itself, and by attack I mean wreak systemic inflammation.  It first began with my pancreas and gallbladder, then quickly followed in my lungs, joints, muscles, heart, veins, GI tract and even my esophagus.  The pickle is that most autoimmune disorders are treated with drugs that suppress the overactive immune system.  But because of my CF and high infection risk, I cannot take any of those drugs.  The only immune-suppressant I can take is prednisone, and only for short periods of time.  However, my rheumatol...

...No, not those balls you turkey.  Get your head out of the gutter!  Lately my head has been spinning thinking about all of the balls most of us struggle to juggle on a day-to-day basis.  If you're anything like me--and I think you are--you don't just want to juggle, you want to juggle well .  I strive to give 100% of myself to all areas of my juggling act: wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, health, self-improvement, spirituality, aunt, niece, the list seems to go on and on--and I don't even have a career demanding so much of my time.  I really don't know how most working parents or single parents do it and I bow down to you daily.  The problem is that even without a career, there never seems to be enough hours (or energy) in the day for me to juggle all of my balls evenly.  And when I feel like I'm dropping even one ball I tend to beat myself up about it, which leads me to feel anxious.   You see, even without working outside the home, my...

     Sorry for the delay in posting about my CF appointment this week; I am ecstatic to report that it went very well!  All of my measurements/vital signs were great, but the main focus was on my PFTs (aka breathing tests.)  PFTs are when you take the deepest breath possible and then "blast" it out as fast, and as much, as you can.  This test measures several things, but the CF clinic primarily focuses on only two of the measurements.  At my last visit (in the end of December when I ended the IV antibiotics) my two numbers were both at 65%, meaning that my lungs were functioning at 65% capacity of a "normal" woman my same height and weight.  Still with me?  While my PFTs this week weren't exactly as high as I had hoped, they were considerably higher at 75 and 79% which made us all very happy.      The best part of the visit though was seeing how excited my CF team was--genuinely invested and excited because they've been with ...

     What I'm about to say could come across as boastful or obnoxious, but it's not often that I get to say it, so I feel a right to shout it from my rooftop, I mean laptop... I. Feel. Great! Quick, now everyone knock on wood!!  This proclamation is particularly significant since Myles has been super sick for the past week (with a respiratory virus of all things) and Mark has spent the past two days sidelined with a bug of some kind.  Yup, I'm the healthiest one in the house!  The fact that I didn't catch their germs is nothing short of a miracle, but I also credit Xango and a boatload of vitamins and juices.  In addition, I've been back on the treadmill almost daily and have happily gained a few pounds.      The luxury of this good fortune is not lost upon me and I find myself relishing in every deep breath; soaking up each good day with an abundance of gratitude and joy.  I have an appointment with my CF doctor on ...