Pain, Pain and more Pain

Every morning I wake up in pain. By the time evening hits I'm in even more pain. I'm exhausted at the end of the day and to be honest I really don't do much to be that tired by the end of the day. I get the kids up and out the door for school, hang out with Preston for a couple of hours before work do a little housework and then we are at work for only 3hrs a day. Dang this RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis), it's starting to take control of my life and I don't like that. I need to change somethings in my life to make it better. I know that I need to get healthier not just for me but for my kids, to hopefully ease the pressure on my joints so they don't ache so much, and one day I would LOVE LOVE to be off of all these meds that I take on a daily basis but I know that won't ever happen. I'm not allowed to take advil or any over the counter NSAID to help with the pain due to another medical issue (angioadema)I have as well - seriously why couldn't I just be normal and not have these issues.

I have great doctors that listen to me, give me suggestions on how to manage the pain, now I just need to listen to them and get on board to "fix" myself.

But really where am I going to fit in time to get to the gym to work out for an hour, I mean hello I'm exhausted all the time and in pain - just typing this is killing my hands that are already swollen. So I guess what I will do is start getting back into the pool with the kids and swim laps while they play - you have to start somewhere, right? So, after we get back from Moscow Id. (swim meet for Madie) I am going to try and get to the gym at least twice a week for an hour of of good cardio to start off with and then jump back in to Yoga and Pilates - which I love doing.



I don't know why I was given all these issues,but what I do know is that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle and so I need to handle all these little issue the right way so that I can take back my life!

Memories

As I sit here and watch Madie and Conner at swim practice it reminds me of when I was younger and in sports. I dabbled in basketball and track for a couple of years but it really wasn't my thing. When I was a freshmen in high school, I found that swimming was where I was suppose to be. When I tried out for the swim team I really couldn't swim. When I went to the coach to ask if I could try out to be on the team he asked me what my experience was, I had to finally admit to someone that the only stroke I could do was the doggie paddle :( how sad I know. Well, even with my doggie paddle try out I made the team!! The coach informed me that he would help me become a strong swimmer and work with me on all the strokes. When it came time for my first swim meet I knew how to swim! I saw the back, breast and free styles (butterfly was not for me), I swam in medley relays and even placed a couple of times. Now as I sit here and watch my children I get a strong urge to get back in the pool and swim, I miss those days of getting up early for morning practice in the cold (lived in CA at this time and yes at 6am it's cold) and being in the warm sun in the afternoons swimming laps with my friends. I hope these two wonderful crazy kids of mine find their calling in swimming or what ever sport they eventually decide to do.