Rearranging the furniture...

Just a heads-up that all things PV and chronic-illness related are moving over to a dedicated blog at www.dancingintherain.me

See you there!
Mo

It's been so long!

It's been a while since I wrote about what's going on PV-wise. Well, the bad news is…it's still there. The good news is…I'm down to one dose of medication every three weeks. I've been doing this for awhile now and it seems to be working well. My platelets occasionally rise when I have inflammatory issues (soy and wheat are REALLY hard to avoid, by the way), but for the most part things have been "normal."

Posing at the Finish Line with my good friend, Cheri!

Probably the most annoying side effect/symptom I still struggle with is fatigue. In an effort to deal with that, I've reduced my work schedule to two 12-hr shifts a week and I'm working with a trainer this summer to increase my strength and stamina. At this point, I'd have to say the workouts pretty much guarantee me a nap later in the day, but I'm hoping as my body adapts, it will get easier.

Back in May, I embarked on a 35-mile bike ride in Sonoma County…a pretty humbling experience as I used to be able to pull out 35 miles without even thinking about it, and this ride knocked me on my tush. Regardless, I'm getting out there and trying…mostly I'm trying not to feel disappointed in myself when it is obvious I'm not the same person I used to be. I guess we're all a work in progress, no?

She's crafty, too?

I just had to show off the cute cute cute little password book I made the other day. I have been on a cleaning spree lately (kinda like a spending spree but not nearly as much fun) and decided that my old password book was just not going to cut it...it was black and boring and had absolutely no pizzazz at all. And when it comes to passwords, I am all about pizzazz!

So, I looked around and found a darling moleskine book just waiting to be transformed into something useful. I also looked around and saw my growing collection of washi tape and just knew that this was a match made in heaven...I would use the washi tape to make adorable, colorful, pizzazz-y alphabetized tabs for my password book. And it turned out beautifully!

Isn't it so cute you can hardly stand it???

This is the TOP SECRET place where I store log-ins and passwords under lock-and-key, an armed guard and a very hungry mongrel named Brutus. There's no need for things like passwords to be boring...everything can be beautiful AND functional if you just put a little thought and creativity into it...and the best part is, this didn't cost me any extra money as I had everything on hand that I needed. A win-win-win!

My old lady joints...an update

So after a load of research, doctor's visits, supplements, vitamins, juicing, dieting, yoga-ing, hydrating and cleansing I finally got my inflammatory issues under control. Pretty sure it was all diet related - a result of what's called "leaky gut syndrome" and a sensitivity to wheat and soy. Now that I've cut those two things out of my diet and mostly been focused on clean eating with loads of whole foods/veggies I have been feeling pretty great! My hands are still a little sore in the mornings, but nothing like they were. It was so bad at its worst that the pain would keep me up at night...shoulders, hands, knees, even my ankles ached! And getting down the stairs was ridiculous...I felt like an old woman. Now I trot down the stairs like a spry young thing...feels good to be back to normal again :-)

I know you were probably on the edge of your seat wondering what's going on with me...well, I'm pretty much all fixed up! And note...it isn't because of anything any DOCTOR told me...the DOCTORS wanted to prescribe poisonous medication and diagnose me with rheumatoid arthritis. Phooey I said...and I took matters into my own hands (literally). See? Nurses rock...we really do.

Something is wrong.

For the past few weeks I have been struggling through a carpal tunnel flare up. My hands ache, sometimes downright hurt with certain movements, I have no grip strength and every so often I get these super fun electric shocks through my wrist and hands. Not fun.

Starting about a week ago, my knees also started to ache. Sometimes more than other times, but definitely not normal. This morning as I was reading the instructions for making Teecino, my right knee was popping like crazy as I shifted my weight back and forth. Something is wrong and I need to figure out what it is, because feeling this old and beat up is not working for me at all.

Basically, I think the problem stems from inflammation and I'm feeling it in my knees and in the carpal tunnel. I do recall that when I did a recent 3-week cleanse, I felt amazing...like I haven't felt in years. It was incredible! So, I am doing the Clean Program again, and am going to be super careful about reintroducing foods back into my diet. I am also going to do more juicing this time around...last time on the Cleanse, I got into a super rut with these amazing dairy free, wheat free quesadillas. I think I had them for lunch almost every single day. Not that they were unhealthy, but I think variety is key.

I am going to try to log how I feel each day...and see if I can find some improvement. For starters, I have to get rid of the coffee...It is a pro-inflammatory food and I drink entirely too much of it. So for a transition, I am having Teecino in the mornings, and then instead of drinking coffee all day I'll have some yummy tea instead. We have no shortage of tea in this house! I do have to be careful, though...many teas contain soy lecithin and I am quite intolerant of soy. In fact, I thought it was some soy that snuck into my diet that caused this knee pain...am hoping it goes away soon!

Now, my challenge is...how to chop up the vegetables for my green juice when my hands feel like this?
Hmmm.....

The Awesome Erin Condren Life Planner 2013-2014

As a self-proclaimed planner dork, I have been on a search for The Perfect Planner for ages. For several years, I used (and loved) the UnCalendar...while not at all fancy, it is extremely functional and got me through nursing school with  my sanity somewhat intact.

Well, now that I'm older and wiser (ha), I decided I want something beautiful AND functional...and that is where the Erin Condren Life Planner comes in. I think I was looking online for reviews on the MomAgenda and came across a ton (and I mean a TON) of videos and blog posts about the Erin Condren planner. I fell in love in the way that only a girl who has an obsession for paper products and girlie things can understand.

So, without further ado...here are some pics of my planner. YES, they are spendy. The planner starts at $50 and then the cute accessories add up. I don't even want to tell you how much I spent, because then you would all think I'm crazy, and right now you think I am a totally normal person ;-).

This is the cover in Mod Morocco with green and yellow.

Laminated tabs and planner "headband."

Each cover is super-duper laminated for durability, plus it has laminated tabs which keep your different sections nice and organized.  The little "headband" is available for a few extra dollars and helps keep your planner closed when you toss it in your bag. You can also see that the coil is serious...like totally dead-to-rights serious. No monkey business going on here! This planner is designed to be hauled around and I fully expect it to survive the next 17 months beautifully. 

The Mega Coil

Speaking of which, the planner comes in a 12-month version or an 18-month version. The 12-month versions can be ordered to cover any span of dates...so if you order in April, for instance, you can get an April-April calendar if that's what floats your boat. The 18-month, however, are from July to the end of the following year. I ordered my planner in July and received it August 7th...so I basically wasted a month, but adding on 6 months is only $5 extra, so it's a screaming good deal.

Close-up of the monthly view page...the little flower means my house cleaner is coming that day!

Here's the monthly view...I love washi tape! You can also see I've used the birthday stickers that come with the planner.

Here is a weekly view...you have a place to keep notes on the left, space for "morning, day, night" and then space at the bottom for meal planning, exercise, etc...I tend to use that space for things I know are happening that day, but I just don't have a specific time or the details yet. I am also fiddling around with writing my daily "TODO" list in the "morning" section, all my appointments and such in the "day" section, then a little recap/journal of the day in the "night" section. 

Notes section and cute squiggly lines. I love all the bright colors.

There is also a space for notes in the monthly view. Great for things that don't have a specific date yet or I haven't committed to yet (like the CCRN class...do I go?)

My birthday....my favorite national holiday :-)

The holidays are denoted with cute little graphics. Love all the little details!

Toward the back of the planner are some lined pages for notes. I think I will use these a lot.

And then we have blank pages for doodling and whatnot. Is anyone else crazy about chevrons? Love!

The planner comes standard with loads of "birthday" stickers, plus others for things like mani/pedi, doctor, dentist, party, etc... You also have the option to make your own custom stickers! I added more birthday stickers in red (I heart color coding), plus stickers for things like PTO, wax appointments, and anniversaries. I am currently keeping a list of other custom stickers I want and will get them with my next order. 

The "Keep It Together" folder in the back is double-sided for keeping all those random things tidy. These are my custom stickers :-) I want MORE!!!

I am in looooove with this handy zippered pouch. This is where I keep tiny things that would ordinarily get lost...labels, small stickers, business cards, post-its. 

I admit, I splurged on this item...customized notepads! Kind of a lot of dough, but really....can you put a price on adorable-ness? I think not. 

And lastly, a few extra freebies that Erin throws in with your planner...these are little labels to be used for gifts and whatnot. Love love love. What's not to love? 

OK, folks...that's the Erin Condren Life Planner in a nutshell...if you want to drool over it even more, you can visit her site at www.erincondren.com. There is also a fancy pants gold edition that looks SO PRETTY, but I really like the green and yellow design of my planner, so I'm totally happy with it.

Since these are custom planners made by hand, note that they do take a little bit. I think I waited 2-2.5 weeks for mine...not bad, but it seemed like an eternity, because I am pretty much a "want it now" kind of girl. Totally worth the wait! Just keep it in mind if ordering toward the end of your current planner, or if you are getting it for a gift. So far I have purchased two others as gifts...and will probably buy others (or give gift cards, since it's so much fun to design your own planner).

Anyway...hope you like it as much as I do...get one NOW!

Whole 30, Awesome-ized

Starting yesterday, I embarked on a Whole 30, which is basically a 30-day whole foods cleanse based on a primal or Paleo diet (check it out here). Anyway, I knew right from the start that I was not going to have a perfect Whole 30. I know me, and I know that I tend to strive for perfection, then dump the whole project if I mess up even a tiny little bit. So, I decided straight up that I wasn't going to be perfect and hopefully this will make it more sustainable for me.

Yes, I'm a wuss...plenty of people do a Whole 30 without cheating at all, but I do not have that kind of willpower or stick-to-it-abilities. I know that about myself, so I'm doing the cleanse in a way that I feel can be sustained for a whole thirty days. Basically my planned-cheats are a daily cup of coffee with a bit of stevia and cream. Though last night I did have a small dessert (I know....one day and I go off the wagon!)...but the husband had friends over and they brought dessert and I didn't want to be rude (I promise, I just had a tiny bit...and YES, I paid for it later....bloating, tummy upset, blech!)

To prepare for the cleanse, I made a menu for the week (something I've never done) and went grocery shopping for the specific items on the list. Usually I just wing it and thus end up with things I never eat, or a bunch of random stuff that doesn't go together into anything resembling a meal. This will be better. The fridge is packed to the gills with produce, so it's my challenge to eat it all by the next shopping day. I hate throwing out food, so that's even more reason to stay on plan :-)

Here is what my menu looks like, complete with assignments for prep work in the far right column....this comes in especially handy as I head into my work week (Friday, Saturday night).

So, there you have it folks...we'll see if I can keep this up. I know I definitely need to lose weight, but I am going to try to focus instead on how I feel and hope that weight loss is an added bonus. I am also going to try to incorporate more exercise, which will be a combination of barre workouts, cycling and ramping up my Cough-to-5K running again. Stay tuned and stay awesome!

Down 5 pounds :-)

Woo hoo, ya'll. I have been low-carbing, no-sugaring, gluten-free-ing for the past 9 days and I finally got up the courage to step on the scale this morning....down exactly 5 pounds. Woah! I don't expect to lose this much each week, since the fastest weight loss is always the initial loss....but still! I'd be ecstatic with a "normal" 2 pound loss per week. When I get back from my lunch date and running errands today, I'll post some links to some of the low-carb recipes I've been using lately along with reviews. Now it is time to go do my hair...having lunch with a friend and one of our nursing school professors. It's SO HARD to call her Kathy and not Professor Rose!