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.

Sports

As some of you know sports are a huge part of a kids life, even more so here in this house. Izaiah is signed up to play on an AAU team for baseball this year on top of regular season and All Stars. Madie and Conner both are on a swim team right now. Madie is the only one currently competing and totally rocking at her new found sport. Two weekends ago her and I made the very long trip to Yakima ( a first for the both of us, we were a little scared to go by our selves) and she did awesome. Her relay team got first place, not sure how since they were DQ'd but who cares she got a first place ribbon.

Conner is working really hard to become a better swimmer and will hopefully be competing in a month or so.

So with three kids in sports our life is even crazier now. We are going 5 days a week with some extra activity, but the best thing is the three of them LOVE what they are doing.

It's been a while.....

It's been a while since my last post, and well things have been, crazy around here. I finished my program, I am now a Medical Assistant, Russ just finished up his first year of nursing school and the kids had a great school year and an awesome summer.

About 13months ago I was diagnosed with RA (rheumatoid arthritis) and my life has really been upside down since then. I'm constantly in some sort of pain and feeling like crud all the time, it's been hard for the kids since they really don't understand why I can't go and do the things we use to do. How do you explain to them that you have a crippling disease that will never go away, that you don't feel like getting out of bed to see them off to school or even leave the house. I know that it's been a challenge for them to take all this in, but I think it's been more of a challenge for me - I want to be the mom that takes them to school,get's up with them in the morning and fights with them to get out the door on time (did I really just say that - :) ) I want to go on field trips with them and take them to the park, but if I do more than I can handle I will be out of commission for a couple of days and that's really no fair to them. So most days I just power through all of it til I can't handle it anymore and then I crash on the couch and sleep for a good couple of hours to try and get some strength and energy back. The worst part about all of this is the medications I have to take, some make me so sick that I can't even stand it and have to lay down all day and others haven't even helped and then there are the blood draws; I feel like I am constantly giving blood, even thought its only every three months. So along with the handful of meds I take orally I know have to give myself weekly injections!!! Have I mentioned how much I hate needles, well I went in yesterday for my first one and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, didn't feel the needle just the meds going in stung. Hoping this will help me some, if not then I'm sure I'm on to another med or a stronger dose.

In all of this crazyness we added to our family, no not another child but a cute crazy dog that fits right in with our family. Her name is Princess Lulu she has been a great addition to the family and is the perfect size for us in our small house .
I finally got a job - some of you know from FB, I work part time at my children's daycare 5days a week 15hrs a week and I love it. Russ is working as well as going to school- we have two kids in sports right now and two more that are going to start swim lessons so we are super busy.

Well that's all for now I will try to post more since I should have more time on my hands

What we've been up to

It's been a while since I last posted, things have been super crazy busy around here. With Russ and I both going to school full time, three out of the four kids in school life around the deJong house has been crazy to say the least. Russ and I both made it into our programs, so this fall I start my journey as a Medical Assistant and Russ starts the first of two years in the Nursing program. I'm not sure how we are going to manage everything but we will. The kids have been enjoying their summer with trips over the pass to see friends and family. Mostly we have just been hanging out as a family and enjoying the nice HOT weather over here. They have had fun playing in the pool, sprinklers, attending AppleSox games and hanging out in the cul de sac with all the neighborhood kids.

Here are some pics of our summer fun!

Prayer at dinner time.

Russ and I decided to take the kids to a hockey game Saturday night, which we all found out we truly LOVE Hockey. Little did I know that Russ had also planned to take us all out to dinner, and if you know us going out to dinner with all the kids is a rare occasion. Taking the kids out to dinner scares us half to death, we never know who is going to be the first one to blow up and make a scene, I do have to say they are getting a ton better at eating out in public. Every night at dinner we always pray, usually Conner says the prayer which we all love (he gets a little goofy every once in a while and that's ok in our book) and we have been working very hard at getting Preston to fold his hands and pray with us. Well Saturday night wasn't any different except we were at a restaurant, we placed our order, had our appetizer and then our food was brought to us. I hear Madie say, we can't eat yet and I ask her why, " Preston won't eat until we pray" which is true - our hard work has really paid off. With that being said Russ and I looked at each other not know what to do, so I went a head and said the prayer (it's a rare occasion for me to do that). Afterwards Russ and I talked about the prayer at dinner time in public, and at first we both were a little uncomfortable even talking about it and after a couple of minutes I said we shouldn't be, we are setting the example for children and really do we care what others think of us?? NO, we don't care if people stare at us or what they think of us praying over our meal, we are church going, GOD loving Christians and I am proud to say that yes we pray at dinner time and yes we will pray again in a public setting. I am so happy that we have set an excellent example for children and that they love being a part of such an awesome experience.

So, when was the last time you did something bold??

Conner Update!

Well it's been a while (a long while) since I lasted updated everyone in regards to Conner and his ADD/ADHD issues. Since my last post, we have moved and C has started school, which he just loves. The first few months were the hardest months we have had in a long time. Everyday he was coming home not making his day, getting in trouble for the littlest things and just feeling like he could do no right by his teachers. After a very serious conversation with his teacher, principal, speech teacher and school counselor it came down to decision time. Russ and I had to make a very serious decision about C's education at this point, he could go half days and have to repeat next year or just come back all together next year- which his teacher was heavily pushing for and I flat out told everyone in that room it was NOT an option for him. I explained how far he had come in the last year and half and that I would allow them to push him aside like that. The topic of meds came up in our meeting and of course I was really anti meds at this point, I didn't want to turn my crazy yet sweet Conner into some zombie. So with much prayer, research and a couple of meeting with the pediatrician we came to the conclusion that we would give the meds a try, at this point I really had tried everything in my power to not medicate him, but I was at a loss he was on the verge of getting kicked out of school. It was such a hard decision to make, I felt like I failed as a mother not being able to give my child the best of both worlds, school and being med free.

It's been a couple of months since he has been on the meds and he is just thriving!! I had a conference with his teacher a week ago and all she could do is rave about him, how she loved having him in class and she never has to talk to him or warn him anymore, he even got high marks on his report card (he got a 4 in writing- which is like an A) and she hardly gives out such high marks. Not only is he doing well in school (see pics of some of his school work) but he is so much happier, he has told me that he would rather be on the meds so that he can be normal than go with out them. When he told me that my heart broke a little bit but at the same time I felt relief that we choose the right thing for him. I'm not saying that he still doesn't have a hard day (mostly when he is coming down from the meds) every now and then but they are so limited that it makes us all happy.

***Little side note***

I love the Internet and have been able to research so many things before heading into the Dr.'s office with answers, it definitely made me feel empowered and knowledgeable and that I have done the right thing for my child. What I'm saying is that it's better to go in prepared with research, questions and some knowledge under your belt then being told by the Dr. your only options are A or B and you need to pick one. With the type of insurance we have it was a little harder to ask for a particular med vs. another but really I can't complain because I have insurance for my child and it covers the meds, so there is no out of pocket expense. But please, if you are dealing with this issue please do your research ask tons of questions and be some what educated before you head into the doctors it will make you feel so much better as a parent and help you make a better decision for your child. Also make sure that you involve not only your family and close friends but their teachers, and school so that they can help and support you and the child along this journey you are about in take. Also if you can find a support group in your area I would suggest joining one, I haven't been able to find one but I am looking for one and won't stop until I find one here.***

We all are still learning how to deal/handle the new Conner and his ADHD issues, but with tons of prayer and faith I know we will get through it.

I just wanted to say thank you for all of our family and close friends who have helped us through this very tough struggle, really we couldn't have done it with out you. Love you all!