Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Frustration

Well I hoping to be blogging about all the walking I'm doing and the weightloss that is supposed to be happening but I'm not. It's with great frustration I continue to struggle with this flare up and the medication changes. I have spend the last 4 weeks in alot of discomfort and counting the days until my remicade infusion yesterday, believing I would get some relief. Well that wasn't the case, instead I experienced a severe life threatening reaction 15 minutes into the infusion. I reacted at the last infusion but not as serverely so the Dr and the nurses decided to premedicate with cortisone and benadryl to avoid such a reaction again. That of course didn't help and it is obvious that I am clearly allergic to the medication. So after being on oxygen, observed and monitored for 4 hours I left the clinic and came home. I called my rhumetologist just to find out that I can't get into see her until Oct 27 to evaluate the situation and decide on which medication I will try next. So here I am waiting in discomfort until the end of Oct to try and get some answers. I want to be walking walking walking ... I know it's a year away but I also know how quickly that comes. I have a long way to go with losing the weight that I gained plus the extra I still had to lose before the last marathon. It's been over 6 years since I experienced a full blown flare up and it sucks. So this is my day that I feel like crap and don't want to do a thing, both from the after effects of the reaction and the pain from the flareup. But this is my journey to be an inspiration and so thankfully I have my supporters, family and friends who are helping me cope and continue on. These are the times I rely on all these people to help me over a hump that's blocking my view. To remind me that I can do this no matter. I'm not feeling it today but I also know I don't want to disappoint anyone so "cheers to a better day tomorrow". I think I can... I think I can ... I think I can....

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

First Donation!

It is such an overwhelming feeling when the very first donation towards my fundraising comes in. It's an exciting feeling to know that people believe in me and the cause I am raising money for. I remember very clearly the person who contributed last year towards Athens and she is a friend who believed in me and gave me that first burst of adrenalin to continue my journey. The person who made the first donation towards this leg of my journey is someone that was an inspiration to me a year ago in Athens, Greece. She was there with her neice who has arthritis and together they finished the marathon. I started out walking with them during the marathon and they were able to finsih before me but they were there when I crossed the finsih line. They were there to share the emotion of completing something that meant so much to me. So I am humbled to have her has my first contributor towards my fundraising goal towards Switzerland. Words can't explain the feelings of gratitude and appreciation I feel when people believe in me and support my journey. Every donation that comes in to the Arthritis Society through my fundraising is an emotional one because I know the person behind that contribution understands my need to continue my journey and make a difference. Yes I want to be that inspirational story people talk about and I want my supporters to be a part of that story. So thank you again to everyone that follows my journey and offers words of encouragement. You're contributions towards my fundraising are a very emotional part of this journey for me and I can't wait to share more.