At the Water's Edge

Tasty Tostadas

2012-02-09T22:59:00.002-05:00

We’re going out of town this weekend, so we’re running a little low on groceries and I needed a dinner recipe that wouldn’t make too much food, since we won’t be around to eat the leftovers. I was thinking of making tacos tonight, because they are one of my favorites, and because I remembered that we had an avocado that needed to be eaten (think: guacamole). Of course, it was already going on 6pm and I didn’t have any meat thawed. So, I made a quick decision: tostadas. I was already at the grocery store picking up a prescription from the pharmacy, and the specialty cheeses just happened to be on my way out the door. Of course, I had to stop and look. I do love me some cheese. I ended up picking up some queso fresco, thinking it would be a nice addition to the other ingredients I had on hand. Here’s what I ended up doing for tonight’s tostadas:

Ingredients:
- 6 corn tortillas
- ½ can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 oz queso fresco, crumbled
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- 2 small tomatoes, diced
- ½ a small white onion, diced
- 4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay tortillas out flat on a baking sheet, not overlapping if you can help it. Spray with a thin coat of cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt and chili powder. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until crunchy (caution: they go from done to burnt very quickly).

Meanwhile, combine beans, queso avocado, tomato, onion and cilantro in a bowl and mix until combined. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over top and season with salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Once the tortillas are done, simply top with the “salsa” mixture.

I have several variations of this recipe, but it’s very simple to make and it always tastes great! It also makes a great summertime meal when you don’t want anything too heavy and you don’t want anything hot.

Humira 2-Month Update: Holding On

2012-02-09T18:56:00.001-05:00

Okay, so maybe I'm not holding on
quite like *that* anymore...but, you
know what I mean.

Today marks two months (or, 9 weeks) since I first started Humira on December 8, 2011. If you’ve been following my journey, you know that I’ve been struggling to determine whether or not Humira is doing any better than Enbrel did—if Humira really is a “better shield” against my RAD. After a month of bi-weekly injections, today will mark a month on weekly injections. This is the week I was supposed to call my doctor’s office if I wasn’t feeling any better, so I could come in to the office sooner and we could look at another treatment option. Guess what: I think I am feeling better. It’s subtle, and I don’t know if it’s permanent, but this has been a legitimately better week. My wrists have been the primary problem as of late and so far they have shown the following improvements this week versus my average for the past couple months:

- No throbbing or radiating pain without movement
- Extended (though still somewhat limited) range of motion
- Increased strength as evidenced by my opening jars, easily gripping cups, using the pepper grinder and not having a problem with my Costco-sized bottle of dishwasher detergent
- No waking during the night due to wrist pain
- Being able to give Tom a pain-free high-five (yes, we high-five each other on occasion)

Today is the only day all week that I would say my wrists have really felt sore. They’ve been a little weak still, and would feel sore with pressure or weight, but that’s about it. I was a little disappointed today when I woke up with slightly sore and stiff wrists, but then I remembered: it’s Humira day. Hopefully it’ll kick in and my wrists will keep improving.

On the down side, I have had a few other remaining symptoms—mainly sore fingers, and a new nodule forming on my left-hand middle finger. I won’t show you, so I’m not mistaken for making vulgar gestures :) Oh, and so you can’t see my monster hands. My hands are too small to be considered Seinfeld’s “man hands”, but every time I get new nodules I call them my “monster hands” as they seem to be mutating.

At any rate, my March appointment is only a few weeks away. Unless anything big changes, I think I’m going to hold on to this mild improvement, hope that it continues, and plan on keeping my original appointment as scheduled.

The Guest Bedroom – Furniture & Crafts

2012-02-07T23:05:00.000-05:00

We recently inherited some new bedroom furniture from my in-laws. I’m actually pretty excited about it because it’s one of those convertible sets where the “bed” can become either a crib or a full-sized bed. So, when we need the use of a crib, we have one already. And, in the meantime, we finally have a double bed for our guests. We previously only had our two twin beds in the upstairs guest room. The room housing this new furniture is on its own in the lower level of our house, and has a separate bathroom right around the corner so guests don’t have to share ours.

Before we moved in...guest bedroom & bathroom

The guest bedroom and bathroom today

The room is quite tiny, though, and a bit odd. Story has it that the original owner of our house finished off this room himself—and, apparently he thought the room deserved a drop ceiling and fluorescent lighting to give it that nice industrial touch. The room also has wood paneling along most of it, which, fortunately, has been painted – and there is a ledge that runs along two of the walls, about halfway up. When we re-did the doors, we ended up changing the way the door swung open. It used to swing open right toward the middle of the room; we changed it so it now swings against the far wall and doesn’t feel so in the way as you try to enter. Unfortunately, this change also made the door swing right in front of the light switch. We’ll worry about that one later.

My main concern was trying to fit all of the furniture in the room – since we don’t really have a place for an extra dresser elsewhere in the house. Surprisingly, we got it all to fit – including the gilder chair. It’s so nice to finally have some semblance of order in this room. It served as an office when we first moved in, then became a guest room for several house guests over the summer of 2010; after that, it became the “project room”. You know, the place where all the project stuff just gets dumped. After over a year of that, I think this room looks great!

Glider chair & dresser / changing table

Armoire

It's a little tight, but it works!

The next step was finding some bedding that I liked. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted, but of course couldn’t find it. So, I got the closest thing to it. I wanted something that had a sort of branch pattern on it, and ended up with this:

It photographs blue, but it's really more of a seafoam green

The accent pillows are my favorite part!

My favorite thing about this set was actually the little bird on the decorative throw pillow. I decided that I wanted something decorative on the wall that played off this bird and the branch pattern from the comforter. I had a couple of ideas, but I didn’t really decide what I wanted to do until after coming back from the craft store and laying everything out. I ended up using some upholstery fabric as my “canvas” and glued on real branches. I then fashioned leaves out of green fabric that matches the accent green from the throw pillows and stitched them in place along the branches. I chose bluish hues for the birds that played off the main comforter color with some slight variances. I simply cut those out of fabric and hand sewed them in place.

probably the most unique thing I've ever made, at any rate...

If I wanted something unique and different, I succeeded! And it does nicely incorporate the colors and the theme from the comforter set. I probably won’t spend too much more time decorating this room, but I am hoping to get a few accent pieces to place on the dresser and armoire so it doesn't look so bare.

Groundhog Day: Ramblings on Weather and Gardening

2012-02-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

If a gardener sees her shadow...
it must already be spring!

Today is Groundhog Day. Today, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning that we have six more weeks of winter. I have to say, I always found the workings and presumptions behind Groundhog Day to be a big perplexing. Never mind the fact that we’re relying on the shadow of a groundhog to predict the weather (hey, he can’t be farther off than the weathermen, can he?)...

Firstly, consider this: if the groundhog sees his shadow, why does that mean there’s more winter? Isn’t the sun a sign of spring? It usually is here. The sun tends to hide behind the clouds from December thru the end of February. But legend holds if it’s cloudy and Phil does not see his shadow that spring is just around the corner. It just seems backwards to me.

Secondly, you have to consider that I live in Michigan. We don’t typically see spring until at least mid-April, if we’re lucky. More often than not we get a little tease of spring, then winter returns, then it jumps right from winter to summer sometime in June. That’s what happened last year. That’s why my garden got planted late – the ground was still frozen! So, considering this weather pattern, if we (only) had six more weeks of winter – putting us in mid-March, it would actually feel like spring really was just around the corner! In essence, either result is translated the same to me…and never happens.

I take that back. It did happen. Not that long ago. In 2010, we had an unusually warm and early spring – and I believe even record breaking highs in March. I got started on my garden super early, which was great because I was particularly anxious seeing as though it was my first year in my house and first year attempting a garden. Last year, as I mentioned, this did not happen. Winter went on far longer than should be allowed. But this year…this year, we have hardly had any days that actually felt like winter! Besides a few days of snow and a few single digit temperature days, it’s felt much like a Michigan “spring” all season. I can only hope that this trend continues as I begin to prep for this year’s garden!

I will be ordering my seeds soon. These are the vegetables I think I want to grow this year: tomatoes, snow peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots, green beans, hot peppers, and Swiss chard. I may make some changes and likely some additions, but that should give me a good start! I actually saved some tomato seeds from last season—and I have enough that I’m hoping I don’t have to buy any. My goal is to have as much of my garden as possible be self-sustaining. I have some peas that I can plant, too, but probably not enough. I planted most of them for my attempt at a fall crop last year. I also harvested a TON of marigold seeds last year. I am going to border at least one side of my garden with them.

Really, I only have about a month before I will be starting some of my seeds indoors. I learned some tough lessons last year, though, being the newbie that I am. I bought some organic seed starting soil last year, thinking that it was so expensive, it had to be good! My seeds sprouted, but I could not for the life of me figure out why they stopped growing after a couple of weeks. Since spring was so late to arrive (er, never arrived), I had them indoors for quite a long time, and they remained tiny seedlings. It wasn’t until later in the summer that I inadvertently found the answer while reading through some seed-growing tips.

The tips started out by saying how you should always use seed starting soil and never potting soil. “Yeah, right,” I thought, “Mine worked way better in potting soil than seed starting soil.” Then I read on: “seed starting soil is stripped of all nutrients, so after the seeds have sprouted, be sure to add a fertilizer.” What?! Ugghh…why didn’t anybody tell me?! No wonder my seedlings didn’t grow. The poor things didn’t have any nutrients. Then I remembered that in 2010, even with the non-seed-starting soil, I did add a bit of fertilizer at some point. Guess the little guys need to be fed. Lesson learned. I’m ready to get an awesome early start on my garden this year. I’m also ready to get an awesome early start on spring! Come on, Phil! Pull through for us – if spring is truly here in six weeks, and winter does not return, I will be one happy camper…er…gardener!

Hope, Healing and Restoration

2012-02-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

As a Christian, I often turn to God’s word—the Bible—for encouragement, hope and even direction in life. Living life with an autoimmune disease raises lots of questions and fears, and I have no doubt that many often wonder (as I have done) where God’s hand is in all of this. People that don’t know the God of the Bible may see chronic illness as another reason to question his goodness or even his existence. Christians may struggle with keeping their focus on Christ and remembering where our hope is found. Because of this, I decided to put together a blog series reflecting on Scripture that I feel relates to living with rheumatoid autoimmune disease (aka rheumatoid arthritis / RA / RAD) in some way—e.g., as encouragement and hope, as prayer and honesty before God, or as learning to understand God and trust him through all situations in life. Wherever you're at in your spiritual journey, I hope you find this helpful.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
- Proverbs 16:24

I believe that we can find a sense of healing through God’s word and through the encouragement of others in our lives. Just as the proverb says, words can bring healing to the body and the soul. Let us lift one another up through our own words and through Scripture. I will share with you here a few verses that lift my spirits and give me hope.

One of my favorite passages of hope in the Bible is from the book of Lamentations – which, as the name suggests, is a book of mourning. Wait, there is hope in mourning? Yes. Hear these beautiful words:

Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. -- Lamentations 3:21-24

Though grief may grip us, it need not consume us. It is God’s love that sustains us. Each new day, His compassion and faithfulness will bring us through whatever trial we are facing.

Going right along with this, is a verse from the Psalms that I first discovered after having surgery:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. --Psalm 73:26

Again, our hope comes from the Lord. He is my strength. In Him I will trust. He heals and restores.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases
--Psalm 103:2-3

Those who trust in the Lord can have confidence in knowing that God will bring healing, and will bring an end to disease. The Bible talks about the so-called “End Times” in the book of Revelation (appropriately, the last book of the Bible), and the apostle John wrote down these words concerning his vision of this day:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
–Revelation 21:3-4

This is the day that I hope for, that I long for. This is the day of healing and restoration. This is God’s ultimate plan for those who love Him.

We'll See - The Art of Waiting

2012-01-26T22:24:00.001-05:00

Afriend of mine once told me that the motto of the #rheum-mates seems to be “we’llsee.” It’s true. There are a lot of unknowns with RAD--includinghow your body and disease will respond to medications--which often coincidewith periods of simply waiting. Wait andsee if the treatment works. Wait and seeif your symptoms wane. Wait and see ifyour lab results change. Wait and see.

“We’llsee” has been my response to numerous inquiries from friends and family overthe past couple months as I’ve gone through a change in medications. Do you think it will work? We’ll see. Are you feeling any better? Hardto tell…I guess we’ll see. Will you beadding another drug or changing again? Ihave to give it some time yet - we’ll see.

Today willbe my sixth Humira injection. The firstthree I took on an every other week basis – so one off week in between. Since then, my doctor had me switch to weekly injections, because there was no change in my symptoms or sed rate (inflammation). I would say that so far,I have had three really good days where I didn’t have much in the way ofsymptoms. Otherwise, my wrists and handshave been sore on most days, with weakness and limited range of motion also inmy wrists. The second most bothersomearea is a semi-new one for me: my ankles. They never bothered me until the past several months, but apparently RADhas found a new home. This has not beenevery day, and has been more of a symptom that appears after a stretch ofinactivity (e.g. in the morning when I first wake up). I do think that other joints that werebothering me previously have mostly cleared up: my knees, elbows and feet havebeen largely unaffected during the past month.

Here’sthe dilemma: I have only another week or so before I’m supposed to call mydoctor if I’m not feeling better. Hewill then want to see me sooner than the early March appointment I currentlyhave scheduled and he’ll want to look at trying a new class of drugs. That’s a bit scary for me. I know that the TNF inhibitors help mesignificantly, and I feel pretty good most days, despite my wrist issues. So, it’s hard for me to want to take the riskof trying something new. On the otherhand, I know that RAD is working hard to do some permanent damage to my wrists,and I don’t want that. So, the questionis: am I feeling better? A little bit? Maybe? We’ll see in a week? Yes, we’ll see.

Ithink I’ll give it another week and half to give my next shot a chance to takeeffect, and then decide if I need to call my doctor. We’ll see what happens.

I’mnot normally a very patient person. I ama planner by nature and having my disease status and treatment plan kind of upin the air like this is not an easy thing for me to handle. But I am learning. I am learning the art of waiting and beingcontent in that. I’m learning to trustin God, no matter what happens. I’mlearning that worry has no value, so there’s no sense in letting it consumeme. I’m learning (again) to simply let go and make the best of each day.

A Cry for Mercy

2012-01-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

There are times when facing a chronic illness that you are just left feeling down and defeated. Whether it’s the physical or the emotional toll, it can take a lot out of you. In the moments like these, I like to turn to simple prayers and just cry out to God for mercy and new hope. One of the best places in the Bible to find examples of prayers is the book of Psalms. This book is really a collection of songs, which reveal a wide range of emotions and a lot of simple honesty before God.

Many of the psalms were written by David, who was chosen by God to be the next king of Israel and was anointed as such by God’s prophet, Samuel. There was just one problem: the previous king was still alive and reigning—king Saul. Although David never attempted nor had the intention of taking away Saul’s throne while he was still alive, Saul was jealous and feared David, and tried to kill him. David spent ten years running from Saul, hiding in caves and fearing for his life. From these experiences, some of the most beautiful psalms were written, and we get a glimpse into David’s heart before God.

I recently re-discovered a verse from one of David’s psalms that I have dubbed “The Prayer of the #Rheum Mate” as it just fits so perfectly:

“Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.” --Psalm 6:2

It is a simply cry for mercy and healing. It is in much this same way that I call out for God on a bad RAD day. Though God may not choose to heal us completely this instant, he can give us strength and comfort and peace in all situations. The psalm continues:

“My soul is in anguish.

How long, O LORD, how long?

Turn, O LORD, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.

No one remembers you when he is dead.

Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from groaning;

all night long I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the LORD has heard my weeping.

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;

the LORD accepts my prayer…”

--Psalm 6:3-9

Have you ever wanted to ask God “how long”? How long can this endure. How long can I endure? You are not alone. A beautiful thing my pastor frequently asks the congregation when talking about living through a tough spot in life is: “What if God sees?” What if God sees the suffering that you are going through. And “What if God cares?” What if he cares about you and wants to help in and through your suffering? What if God sees? What if God cares? Be honest before the Lord with your prayers, because he already knows your heart, he knows your situation, and he desires to help you.

Sometimes, though, I feel like I just don’t have the words to say. In times like these, I like to just turn to a psalm and read that as my own prayer before God. Besides the one above, here are a few more examples of other simple prayers from the psalms that just call out to God for mercy:

“I am in pain and distress;

may your salvation, O God, protect me.”

-- Psalm 69:29

“Have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I call to you all day long.

Bring joy to your servant,

for to you, O Lord,

I lift up my soul.”

--Psalm 86:3-4

“I cry aloud to the LORD;

I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before him;

before him I tell my trouble.

When my spirit grows faint within me,

it is you who know my way.”

--Psalm 142:1-3

“O LORD, hear my prayer,

listen to my cry for mercy;

in your faithfulness and righteousness

come to my relief.“

--Psalm 143:1

When I’m feeling down, I also think it’s important for me to regain a proper perspective, to remember that God is in control, that He is good, and that He will bring things to a good end. Psalm 42:11 really spoke to my heart several years ago when I realized that I was putting my hope in the things of this world, rather than in God. Hoping in worldly things only sets us up for disappointment, but when we put our hope in God, our souls are lifted. I recently looked this verse up again, and realized that it really relates more to RAD than I thought:

I say to God my Rock,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?”

My bones suffer mortal agony

as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

--Psalm 42:9-11

Let that be a simple reminder to place our hope in God our Savior, who sees and cares for us—always.

The Thorn in My Flesh

2012-01-17T12:39:00.000-05:00

In this first post, I want to focus on a passageof Scripture from the book of 2 Corinthians (a letter written from the apostlePaul to the early Christians in Corinth). Paul says:

To keep me from becomingconceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me athorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with theLord to take it away from me. Buthe said to me, “My grace issufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the moregladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake,I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, indifficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. --2Corinthians 12:7-10

This is the passage that I learned to cling to in 2007 –when I hit rock bottom with my RAD. I hada terrible flare in my knees that was more crippling than any other symptomI’ve had before or since—and this was after months of trying everything I couldthink of to “fix” or “cure” myself. Iwas desperate. But I was desperate forthe wrong thing. If I would only pursueGod the way I pursued a “cure”—if I could only be that desperate to love andfollow Him—my life would be very different. I wanted my life to be the way I envisioned it; not the way it wasturning out to be. I wanted to be incontrol and thought I had the power to do things on my own. Well, this knee flare proved me wrong. This was the pivotal point where I realizedthat this was something that I couldn’tdo on my own, and that I needed to learn to rely on God’s strength to get me througheach day. I have since deemed RA the “thorn in my flesh.”

Paul never tells us what the “thorn in his flesh” is, but Iimagine it was bad. He pleaded with God three times to take itaway. I pleaded with God much more thanthat. Perhaps I am a little slower thanPaul and didn’t catch on to what God was trying to teach me. But I now claimGod’s response to Paul as God’s words to me, as well: “My grace is sufficient foryou, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s grace is enough to get us through; it is all we really need. When I tried to be strong on my own, Ifailed. But, through God, I can bestronger than I ever could pretend to be on my own. When I fall down, he picks me up, and I knowthat he can work through my bad situations in life and bring good out of it: byteaching me things I would not have learned otherwise, and by revealing himselfand his love and faithfulness in new ways.

“That is why, forChrist’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, inpersecutions, in difficulties. For whenI am weak, then I am strong.”

Chicken Tenders with Basmati Rice and Homegrown Broccoli

2012-01-12T21:23:00.001-05:00

This is one of those recipes that I tend to change up a little bit every time. I had always wanted to make my own chicken nuggets, strips, tenders, or whatever you want to call them, and tried out a few different methods. I’ve found that pan-cooking them seems to yield the best results, and I’ll outline the basic recipe for you below, which is what I used to make chicken tenders last week.

Ingredients:
1 Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup dry bread crumbs (plain)
1 egg
½ cup of milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Spices to taste

Directions:
Cut the chicken into thin strips or small, nugget-sized pieces. Whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl (if you want spicy tenders, use Frank’s Red Hot sauce instead of milk). In another small bowl, mix bread crumbs and seasonings to taste. I also like to add in paprika, Italian seasoning and a little bit of some cayenne pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture to coat, then place in the breadcrumbs and use a spoon to fully coat. Sometimes I do two coats of breading…so I dip it back in the egg and then back in the breading a second time. You can also do the first coat with flour. The double-coating helps it stick better while cooking. Once chicken is coated, place it in the skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, carefully turning over each piece occasionally. You may need to add a little extra oil as you go, too, to be sure that the tenders don’t burn or stick to the pan.

I like to serve these with a side of rice and a veggie. This time, I was extra excited because I had some new basmati rice – which I must digress a bit here to tell you about. If you have never had basmati rice, I highly recommend trying it. It’s a long-grain rice, available in white or brown, that is fragrant and not sticky like normal white rice. I’m telling you: once you try it, you won’t go back. There’s one problem, though. Basmati rice is freaking expensive—compared to regular rice, anyways! I just double-checked pricing from my local grocery store, and the cheapest I can get it for is $4.99-$5.99 for a 2-lb bag.

Enter: the Costco Membership. A few years ago, we had a membership to Costco, but we eventually let it expire. It was at Costco that I first discovered basmati rice. I only bought it because I was cooking rice a lot at the time (hey, I was a poor college student!), and it came cheap and in BULK: a 20lb bag of basmati rice in a burlap sack that told me my new found love came from the “foothills of the Himalayas.” Since we canceled our membership, I’ve been lamenting the loss of my rice in a burlap sack. However, this past Christmas, Tom got me a new stainless steel cookware set from Costco and got a membership to avoid paying extra fees for it. Score! So, the other day we went to Costco for the first time in a few years, and lo and behold, I found my basmati rice. I think it’s a different brand than last time; the bag is not nearly as cool. But, $14 for 20lb sure sounded like a heck of a deal!

At any rate, the basmati rice pairs well with the chicken tenders, and I decided to go for a side of broccoli. I realized that I still had some broccoli in the freezer that came from my summer garden. I hadn’t actually tried using any of the frozen broccoli yet, so I was very curious how it would turn out.

It took a little while in the steamer for the broccoli/ice chunk to thaw, but once it did, it cooked quickly and it turned out way better than I imagined! It tasted so fresh! Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to do broccoli in my garden again this year. At least not without some more research first. They tend to get these caterpillar/worms that are really hard to find & get out. Yuck. Extra protein, anyone? Don’t be too grossed out, though. I was very careful to inspect this broccoli as I was blanching and prepping to freeze it. I think we were in the clear.

Well that’s it for this week’s (er..last week’s?) adventures in Dana’s kitchen!

The Saga Continues...

2012-01-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

I had a bit of déjà vu thisweek. If you’ve been following my story,you may recall the start of my "Sed Rate Saga" -- my hesitation to get my blood drawn back in November and theimmediate call from my doctor’s office after my lab results came in because myinflammation was high. That’s whatprompted my switch from Enbrel to Humira to treat my rheumatoid autoimmunedisease (aka, rheumatoid arthritis). Iwas told to try Humira for one month, as an every other week injection, then toget my labs done again. After a month of Humira, I felt no different. Notnecessarily any worse, but not better, either. So, I kind of wanted to play a guessing game and try to predict what mysed rate would be (sed rate, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR] is amarker of inflammation). My labs fromNovember revealed a sed rate of 41.

So, I went to get my blood drawnon Monday, figuring my sed rate couldn’t have changed too much from lasttime. On Tuesday—again, less than 24hours from when I had my blood drawn—I got a call from my rheumatologist’soffice. My sed rate was still high, andaccording to the nurse had held steady at 41. I haven’t seen the paperwork to verify that it really is exactly the same as it was two monthsago…but it really wouldn’t surprise me. At any rate, this means that Humira is not working as well as we’d like –in fact, it’s not working any better than Enbrel was. What’s interesting is how well my sed rateseems to correspond with my symptoms. Being the nerd that I am, I decided to chart out the data that I have ofmy sed rate over time, with some annotations:

At any rate, because my inflammationis still high, I will be upping my dose of Humira so that I will now takeweekly injections. This week wassupposed to be an “off” week; but, instead, I will be taking my next injectiontomorrow. I was told to give this weeklytherapy three weeks, and if I’m not feeling better after that to call thedoctor’s office. I have an appointmentscheduled for March, but if the Humira doesn’t kick in in the next few weeks,the doctor wants to see me sooner and discuss switching to a different class ofbiologic drugs (the only ones I have tried work by targeting a protein involvedin immune function called TNF-α; there are other drugs that target differentcomponents of the immune system).

I have some mixed emotions aboutthis. When I started Humira, I was kindof under the impression that I should be doing it as a weekly injection since I’mtaking as a monotherapy, rather than combining it with methotrexate. So, that switch doesn’t really surprise orbother me. What scares me is that I haveonly three weeks for my body to get in gear, or we’ll be looking at a whole newclass of drugs—to which I have zero idea how my body will respond. I don’t really want to go that route, but Iknow I need to do what it takes to keep my disease activity under control andto try to halt the progression. I alsoam feeling very grateful toward my doctor right now. I appreciate the fact that he actually tendsto want to be more aggressive in treating my disease than I do (!) – and he isnot willing to let me stay on a drug that is ineffective, when there are otherthings we can try. All I can do for nowis pray that Humira kicks in strong, and soon!

2011: A Year in Review

2012-01-05T23:18:00.001-05:00

It’s a new year, and with that comes a good opportunity to reflect on the past one. While I don’t typically do New Year’s resolutions, I thought it’d be fun to reminisce a little bit and recap some of my life in 2011. Last year, we rang the New Year in down in Florida with some friends: a great way to kick off the year.

Unfortunately, we then had to return to the dreary cold of winter back in Michigan. We had a weekend up north with some family and had intended to go skiing – but it was just too dang cold. Really. I don’t do well in cold anyways, but it was zero degrees out, and much colder with the wind chill. We opted to do an hour long dog sledding ride instead. Good choice.

Much of our winter time was also taken up by our Winter House Project, which is actually still in the process of being completed. We painted pretty much all of the trim in our house and replaced most of the interior doors last year. We are finishing up replacing closet doors now, and I still have to paint our ceiling beams. I guess that’s Round Two.

The rest of the winter was spent pining for spring. I had an unfortunate start to my garden last year (improper seed starting method), but ended up with some decent yields nonetheless. I rearranged my perennial plants several times, as I’m likely to do again this year. I also will not be making the same seed starting mistake as last year. Live and learn.

just a few of my cousins :)

Spring also brought on our first big trip of the year – our huge family ski vacation to Colorado! That was such a blast! What a unique experience to be able to spend that kind of time with such a large group of extended family – and a fun, game-playing family at that! Oh, and the skiing was good, too!

We celebrated my Grandma’s 80^th birthday in April. As a part of that, we got family portraits taken. It’s so cool to have nice photos done with extended family!

The lovely ladies on my mom's side of the family

On the cooking front, I continued to experiment with new recipes and found a new love in thin crust pizza. I made my first real bread sticks and my first dinner rolls! I also really enjoyed being able to use food from my garden to make my meals.

Summer brought on the opportunity to cross something off my bucket list: go backpacking on Isle Royale. This was truly an experience of a lifetime. If you ever get the chance to go, do it. I’ve heard statistics that Isle Royale is one of the least visited National Parks, but that it has one of the highest return visitor rates. Perhaps it’s just a well kept secret, or perhaps it’s just that not everyone wants to trek to northern Michigan or Minnesota then cross through the deep waters of Gitche Gumee (Lake Superior) to get there. At any rate, it was by far my favorite backpacking trip I’ve done so far.

I also celebrated my 4-year anniversary with Tom this summer, and we did our first anniversary trip. We rented this little cabin (shack?) near Silver Lake, and just had a low-key fun weekend. It’s nice to get away, just the two of us, every now and then.

We did a trip with Tom’s family up to Manistee over the summer, as is tradition, and also introduced a friend to Manistee for the first time during a September camping trip. The close of summer also came with a couple of weddings – on the same day, no less: my cousin and a good friend of ours. I did my best to celebrate with both! My brother also got engaged, and we’re all anxiously awaiting his destination wedding this coming June.

Fall brought on some new ministry opportunities for me as the new “school year” started. I began leading a women’s bible study with my church, which has been fantastic on several fronts. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the women in my group and being challenged to work on my leadership skills. I’ve also enjoyed getting to know the other leaders and learning from their experiences. We are currently going through the book of Luke and really learning to understand the person of Jesus. I’ve continued to work with the children’s program on Sundays, as well, which is a great deal of fun. Young minds are so interesting to watch and I am often very impressed by the questions and conversations sparked by young girls. I just pray that God would continue to use me in these ministries and help me to be an effective witness for his kingdom in 2012.

We had our 8th annualHalloween party this past fall, which is always a hoot. I went a little crazy painting pumpkins and such this year, but I had fun!

I had another new life changing experience this fall when I attended the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting for a day and worked the exhibit booth for the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation. That short weekend trip (and, really, the people I met there) inspired me to get more involved in patient advocacy and doing what I can to build up others in the RA community. Part of that has meant being more open about my own story and sharing more on my blog. I hope to be able to make it to the ACR Meeting in D.C. this year!

We did a trip to Florida for Thanksgiving – we had tried going for Christmas in 2010, but it was “too cold”. Well, too cold for Florida. When you’re down there, you want good beach weather. This year, we got it! Perfect weather all week. The holidays really just flowed all together this year, and we had a great time with family over Christmas. New Year’s was spent in the Detroit area with some friends.

Overall, I’d say 2011 was a great year. I’ve continued to enjoy my job and learning new things at work and at home. I got to experience nature in new ways, and even saw the Northern Lights. I’ve had lots of fun times together with Tom, and I look forward to each day that I get to spend with him. Marriage has been a wonderful joy and blessing in my life. God is continually prompting me to get outside of my comfort zone in areas of service, and I’m anticipating being challenged spiritually in 2012 as I seek out a deeper relationship with my Savior. I'm excited to see what's in store for the next twelve months!

The One Month Marker: Third Time’s the Charm?

2012-01-05T21:25:00.000-05:00

Today marks one month (er, 4 weeks, anyways) since I started Humira as a new treatment for my rheumatoid arthritis. Since it’s an every other week injection for right now, that means today I take my third shot. I am really hoping that the “third time’s the charm” idiom holds true here. I hadn’t noticed much of a difference the first couple of weeks on Humira. I had been experiencing an increase in disease activity on Enbrel, but the severity of the symptoms and number of joints involved had calmed down somewhat by the time I saw my doctor and made the switch. However, over the past couple weeks, symptoms have been creeping back. My wrists have been particularly sore, and I’m getting pain and stiffness in my elbows again. Also, I hate to admit this because it’s a new one, but I think that RA is affecting my neck. Then of course, there are the usual suspects: hands and feet. My knees have not gotten too bad again – mostly just stiffness – so I’ll count that as a blessing.

My best guess is that the Enbrel has worked its way completely out of my system and now I’m waiting for Humira to really “kick in”. I know it can take several weeks or even a few months, and I know that I can also up my dosage to weekly injections, so I’m trying not to worry about my increase in symptoms. However, I’m due for labs next week, and I’m really curious what my sed rate will show this time. I want to give today’s shot a few days to take effect before getting my blood drawn. But, if I go in feeling like I do today, I wouldn’t be surprised if my sed rate was even a little higher than last time. This will be another good test to see how well my symptoms and my sed rate correlate. Until I get the labs done and potentially hear from my doctor, there’s not much to do but sit back and wait.

In the meantime, I am trying to become a better patient by becoming more informed, particularly of my own history. I received my health records from my current rheumatologist and have requested them from my previous doctor. I’m hoping to keep good records for myself on both clinical assessment and personal assessment to aid good management of my RA. Hopefully I can put together some graphs soon based on my blood results and make note of my flares along the same timeline. Sounds kind of nerdy. Could be fun! :)

Well, I suppose it’s time to stop procrastinating and get this injection over with.

For the full story, read my other posts about my experience with Humira

Humira Update and the Sed Rate Saga

2011-12-27T20:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I am now into my third week of being on Humira. You can read about my switch from Enbrel to Humira to treat my rheumatoid arthritis here. And, if you’re not too squeamish, you can even see pictures of my first Humira injection here. I did my first injection on December 9^th, and I opted to do it in my leg, because that was always easiest for me when I was on Enbrel. I would not say my first Humira injection was a great experience, though. While I appreciate the pen from the standpoint that I don’t have to see a needle, it felt very “lurchy” for lack of a better word, and seemed to just pump the medicine into me rather than slowly inject. After hearing from a lot of other patients, I decided to try injection number two in the stomach. It sounds weird, but everybody promised me that it would be better. Guess what: they were right. No, I am NOT going to show you pictures of that injection (perhaps I’m a little self-conscious about showing myself squeezing together belly fat, okay). I’m not sure if it was just that it’s easier in the stomach or if this pen was just better than the first, but it did not lurch like the first one, nor did it hurt quite so much. The strange thing about this injection was that it actually stung more afterwards than while the medicine was going in. At any rate, I think I’m going to go for the stomach again for injection number three next week. I’ve also heard a lot of other patients say that 1) The Humira pen is one of (if not THE) worst auto-injectors out there, and 2) pre-filled syringes hurt way less than the pen, and it’s nice because you can control the flow. I’m going to give the pen a few more goes, and if I’m not comfortable with it, I’ll be asking for a switch to syringes.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about efficacy. Is Humira working? I don’t know. I believe it’s working to some degree, because I don’t feel any worse than I did before. However, I really don’t feel any better than I did a few weeks ago, either. I do feel better than I did a few months ago – but that just indicates to me that I was on the upswing coming off of a flare when I started Humira. Perhaps not the best time to get a good read on a new medicine. Oh well – time will tell, I suppose. Labs might tell, too. Although I felt a little better by the time I saw my doctor (after I got my latest blood work done), I am sure it still would have revealed elevated inflammation. I have to do my blood work again in the beginning of January. I think I will wait until after shot number three for that, to give it a little more time. We will see what that reveals.

An interesting side note: I did finally request my medical records from my rheumatologist last week and they arrived on Friday. After sifting through them, I discovered that my Sed Rate (measures inflammation) from my last labs (41) was higher than it has ever been since I started seeing my current rheumatologist. When I started seeing him, my Sed Rate was 34. The last time I had a bit of a flare and he wanted to change around my treatment, my Sed Rate was 31.

I would like to compare for you my current condition (or, condition during my last labs) versus my condition when I first started seeing this doctor in 2007. Lately I have been experiencing symptoms in more joints than normal. Normal for me over the past few years is mostly hands, occasionally feet, and rarely knees. Lately, I’ve had pain, stiffness and/or inflammation in hands, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles and feet. I had a few “bad” days this fall, with some sharp, constant pain in my hands and wrists (see my blog post about painscales), as well as some days with some bad intermittent pain in my knees when they stayed in one position too long (they’d kind of lock up and exhibit a painful click upon stretching them). But, on the whole, I’ve been feeling okay. I’ve even felt better in the past month or so – with most of the symptoms out of my knees and elbows, and less pain in my feet. So, when my doctor’s office called after getting my last lab results and asked if I needed a prednisone burst, I told them no.

Contrast that with 2007 when I first met my rheumatologist and had my first encounter with prednisone (cue the angelic music). My knees were so painful and weak that I could barely stand still for more than a few seconds. I was dying for some relief. But, wait, my Sed Rate was only a 34, compared with 41? What’s up with that? I have an idea. While my knee flare of 2007 was bad, part of that is likely due to the fact that I was putting weight and pressure on my knees every day, throughout the day. If I wanted to walk (and I did), I would be constantly using my flaring joints and they just couldn’t take the pressure of my weight -- despite my slight frame. However, the rest of me felt pretty good. Right now, I have more joints showing disease activity, which likely combines to show a greater overall inflammation in my body. My knees are also not my worst joints right now; my wrists are. But I don’t have to put weight on my wrists constantly in order to get through my day. If I did, I think I’d be asking someone to pass the prednisone about now!

So, that’s my update and my theory about where I was and where I am. I feel good about having my own copy of my medical records, and I’m going to try to be more diligent about doing my part in my disease management.

Reflections on Christmas: From the Gospel of Luke

2011-12-23T16:56:00.003-05:00

In my women’s bible study that I’m leading this year, we are going through the gospel of Luke. The Bible contains four accounts of the life of Jesus (called “gospels” – meaning “good news”): Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- and while there are a lot of similarities between them, each account was written with a different purpose and intent, which is reflected both in the style of writing and in the content the authors chose to include. The gospel of Luke contains many of the same stories of Jesus’ life as Matthew and Mark, but he often chooses to add some different details. For one, Luke was a doctor, and you can see how his profession influenced his writings by the extra detail he provides in some of Jesus’ healing miracles and even in just the orderly account of his book. Luke was also writing to a primarily Gentile audience – meaning to people who were not from a Jewish background. Because of this, Luke includes lots of extra information and explanations regarding people, places and traditions that non-Jews might not have been familiar with…and, today, I find this particularly helpful for us who are so far removed from that time and culture. You will also find a common theme running throughout the book of Luke about how God intends to bring about a means of salvation for EVERYONE, Jews and Gentiles alike. Furthermore, Luke provides several stories surrounding Jesus’ birth that are not told by the other gospels. As a typical physician would, Luke did his research very thoroughly and brings us most of what we now know as “The Christmas Story”.

Luke’s “Christmas story” begins in the very first chapter, where Jesus’ birth is foretold to his mother, Mary, by the angel Gabriel.

“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
–Luke 1:30-33

There are two important things that strike me about this. Firstly, one of the distinguishing characteristics of Luke’s gospel is his emphasis on the role of women. Women were not highly esteemed in that day and culture – but Luke includes many details about women in Jesus’ time (including Mary) that are not mentioned in the other gospels and also tells us about Jesus’ own respect for women. Circling back to Mary—she did not come from some kingly family, but was a poor, humble, probably teenage girl – and it was this young woman that God chose to use to bring about the birth of his son Jesus.

And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
--Luke 1: 46-49

The other thing I want to make mention of is the appearance of an angel, and Gabriel, at that – who tells us that he stands in the very presence of God (Luke 1:19). I think sometimes we get the impression that the appearance of angels was not so unusual then, or they just become a part of the “story” and we forget what an incredible and terrifying experience that would be. There are several accounts of angels appearing to people in this gospel, particularly around Jesus’ birth, but I think one of the reasons that these events were recorded is precisely because that type of experience is so rare. We also tend to think of angels as light and peaceful beings, perhaps even playing a harp (just check out my nativity picture!). Somehow, I don’t think that’s the impression that Gabriel or the other angels in the Christmas story gave off…because every time an angel appears, the first thing they have to say is, “do not be afraid.” Angels are magnificent and powerful messengers of God.

Luke chapter 2 records another appearance of angels – right after Jesus’ birth, to the nearby shepherds.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'”
--Luke 2:8-14

Shepherds, like women, were not highly regarded. That God should choose these men to be among the first to know about Jesus would likely have been startling for the people of that time. But God has a history of choosing the lowly and the humble for his great purposes, for he himself is a humble servant, as is exemplified in the life and death of Jesus. That God should limit himself by coming in the form of a person, starting as a baby, should come as a shock to us all. Jesus, “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7-8)

This is part of what makes Christianity different from any other religion. Other religions and worldviews say, “do this, do that” and perhaps you can reach heaven, nirvana, utopia, please the gods, or what have you. Christianity says that our failure is so great, that the chasm that sin created between God and man is so vast that there is nothing we can “do” to ever bridge that gap. So, God intervened. God sent Jesus into the world for the very purpose of restoring our relationship with Him and giving us life instead of death.

Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).” This is the reason we celebrate Christmas, Jesus’ earthly birth: because it ultimately led to his atoning sacrifice through which we can have life and have it abundantly.

Rate Your Pain

2011-12-20T20:46:00.005-05:00

**This post is part of a blog carnival, prompted by RA Warrior - be sure to read some of the other excellent posts on this topic!**

Have you ever been to the doctor’s office (or ER, etc.) for something and been asked to rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10? This is called the pain scale. It is used by a lot of health professionals to try to gauge how severe a patient’s symptoms are. However, if you’ve ever been forced to use the pain scale, you may have noticed some of its inadequacies. For starters, it’s incredibly subjective. What I rate as a 5, somebody else may rate as a 7 or 3. Most people will go off of the type of pain they’ve experienced, and we haven’t all had the same experiences. Secondly, it only captures how you’re feeling right then – which, depending on the reason for your visit, is sometimes fine and sometimes not. Thirdly, I just don’t feel like it conveys enough information to be incredibly useful. Perhaps there are some different ways we can look at pain or different questions we can ask to get a better read on a patient’s condition.

However, let me start with a story. The only time I really remember having to use this scale was during a very traumatic ER visit. I was in the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. As it turned out, I had a HUGE ovarian cyst that was cutting off my blood supply (ah, the pain makes sense now). But I had been in pain for about 24 hours, and it had gotten progressively worse during that timeframe. By the time I got to the ER, I was in too much pain to sit still (I was writhing in my chair) or concentrate on answering their list of ridiculous questions…I somehow got through answering my basic information and then they got to the pain scale. It should have been apparent to anyone by that point that I was in no condition to be sitting there answering questions. However, when asked the question I rated my pain at a 9. Nobody explained how to interpret the scale, so I figured, “well, this is the worst pain that I have ever felt, but I have not yet passed out or died, so I suppose it could get worse.” Looking back, I wonder if I should have answered 10 just to get my point across: I need medical attention NOW.

Many people with rheumatoid arthritis are often asked to rate their pain on the typical 1-10 scale. This can be very difficult for the reasons mentioned above, and I feel like it does not really capture the full picture of how RA affects one’s life. Much to the credit of my doctor’s office, they have a great tool they started using a couple of years ago: a survey. Each time I go in for an appointment, the first thing they have me do is fill out a survey that asks questions about my symptoms, which joints are bothering me, how difficult certain daily tasks are for me to perform, whether or not I feel my symptoms are adequately controlled, etc. Although they still only get a snapshot each time I go into the office, I feel like it really gives them a much broader view of how I am doing and how my disease affects my every day life. This survey method is one tool that I think is much more useful than a pain scale – at least in the case of RA or chronic illness.

In more general terms, I think another important thing to do is to classify pain. There are different types of pain that we experience, and categorizing those while also capturing the pain intensity might be useful. For me, one of the distinctions I often make with my RA is between being “sore” and being “in pain”. By sore, I mean that my joints are stiff, feel a little bruised perhaps, and they are often uncomfortable to move or bend. I liken this sort of “soreness” to a post-workout muscle soreness – only with RA, the soreness is in my joints rather than my muscles. There’s also a difference between constant pain and intermittent pain. Constant pain is obviously worse in the sense that it just wears you out because it never goes away. Intermittent pain can look a lot like constant pain, too – think regular cramps, or stabbing, throbbing pain. But there’s also a kind of inconstant pain that really does go away for a while. In RA this may mean that you are only in pain when you move, when you put pressure or weight on a joint, or perhaps just after you’ve been still for too long. For me, even if this pain is higher on the intensity scale, it’s not as bad because it’s not always there and can even be often linked to doing a certain activity (e.g. my feet hurt when I walk on them, so I’m going to rest on the couch for a while). Along these same lines, an important follow up question to ask, particularly in the case of RA is, “Does the pain get better or worse with movement?” Many times I find that stiff and sore joints feel better when they are used and stretched, while joints that are in a more constant state of pain get worse with use. Finally, there are different senses of pain like “sharp” or “dull”. Sharp pain is often described as a stabbing pain, and I’ve heard some RA warriors call it the “ice pick” sort of pain. Dull pain is more achey, and in my experience, more easily ignored.

Here’s an example diagram that at least shows two dimensions of pain. I’ve tried to plot out there where the pain in my fingers, wrists and knees fall – and, as you can see, I do not have the same type of pain in each of these joints, regardless of severity:

*Example diagram showing multiple qualitative measures of pain

Chances are, you’ve probably experienced most of these types of pains and could describe which type you are experiencing at a given moment. The next step would be to then quantify the intensity of the pain. While I don’t have any grand ideas about that, I think additional questions to figure out how limiting or disabling the pain is may be helpful. For example, if I have a “bad” headache but I’m still able to work through it, that let’s you know that I might be kind of miserable but it can’t be that bad if I can think enough to get through my work day. In the case of RA, it may come back to some of the survey questions: Can you get up from a chair or the toilet without help? Are you able to brush your teeth…or, ladies, put your hair in a pony tail? Can you lift a coffee mug? Can you stand in line for 15 minutes? If you are able to do these things, is it with some difficulty? A lot of difficulty? No difficulty?

Another case in point: During my worst RA flare I couldn’t stand still for more than 10 seconds without feeling like my legs would collapse out from under me. I specifically remember an office birthday party where I didn’t have a chair and almost fell down before we even finished singing “Happy Birthday”. I couldn’t sleep because the pain would ring through my knees and wake me up. Of course, when I think about when I had my cyst, on the traditional pain scale, I’d have to knock this RA flare down a couple notches from that…but that might not then reflect to you that I was in real need of help. I didn’t think I’d be able to remain standing for my short wedding ceremony. That was bad.

And that brings me to this quote from Viktor Frankl's book, Man’s Search for Meaning, that I've always appreciated, as it brilliantly portrays the effect of pain and suffering:

“To draw an analogy: a man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative.”

Perhaps this analogy helps to explain why that paper cut on your pinkie finger seems so awful and can keep your focus all day long, even though it’s nothing compared with other pain you’ve likely experienced. Whatever pain we’re in at the moment is what consumes us. It is, therefore, especially imperative to be able to express the nature of the pain so that the symptoms and underlying cause can both be properly addressed. I think it’s important to ask more than just a 1 to 10 rating scale for pain – particularly for rheumatoid arthritis patients - in order to fully understand the symptoms. The more information we share and that our health professionals have, the better our disease can be understood and the better we can be treated.

Christmas Treats - Round One

2011-12-17T20:51:00.002-05:00

I love to make Christmas goodies each year. It’s just a fun tradition that I’ve had since I was a kid. There are a few recipes that I make almost every year, and you can read about those from last year’s post. However, sometimes I decide to make some new things, just to try them out or perhaps for a separate holiday event. This year, I decided to try out some new recipes on the neighbors (risky, I know!) – plus, I’ll use some of the treats for some gatherings at our place over the next couple of days. The new recipes I tried out today were both cookie recipes. Oddly enough, I’m not a big cookie baker. I’m not really sure why. I guess cookies aren’t my favorite dessert. And, my mom makes THE best cookies of anyone I know, so I’d rather just wait for hers :) But, my mother-in-law got me this awesome magazine FILLED with delicious looking cookie recipes, so I just had to try a couple out…and I’m sure I’ll have to try a couple more later. Here’s what I decided upon for today:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Original recipe from Taste of Home: Cookies and more! (2011)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup butter, softened

- ¾ cup sugar

- ¾ cup packed brown sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 2 cups flour

- 1 cup oats (recipe called for quick-cooking, but I just used regular)

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. cinnamon

- 1 cup canned pumpkin (YES, a way to use my leftover canned pumpkin from fall!)

- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Combine flour, oats, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.
Add dry mixture and pumpkin into the creamed mixture and stir until well combined, then fold in chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Peanut Butter, Maple, Butterscotch Cookies

*Original recipe from Taste of Home: Cookies and more! (2011)

Ingredients:

- 1 cup butter, softened

- ½ cup peanut butter

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 cup packed brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup

- 2 tsp. vanilla

- 2 cups flour

- ¾ cup oats (recipe called for quick-cooking, but I just used regular)

- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 ½ cups of butterscotch chips (recipe called for 10oz peanut butter chips, but I thought butterscotch sounded better)

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in syrup and vanilla.
Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until well combined.
Fold in the butterscotch chips until well combined.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. (*note: these cookies REALLY spread out during baking so be sure to adequately space them – about 2” apart)

I have to say, I am really glad I decided to go with butterscotch on these. I love butterscotch and these cookies were delicious! The pumpkin chocolate chip cookies were good, too, but butterscotch is more my style. Yum!

Cookies weren’t all I made today, though. I also made caramel corn and spicy peanuts! I make the caramel corn a lot in the fall – usually for our Halloween party, and it also makes a nice gift for Christmas. It’s very simple, too. Here’s how I make it:

Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

- 1 cup popcorn kernels, air popped

- 1 cup packed brown sugar

- ½ cup of butter

- ¼ cup light corn syrup

- ½ tsp. salt

- ½ tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Place popped popcorn in a large brown paper grocery bag.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan and stir in sugar, corn syrup and salt.
Bring ingredients to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove pot from heat and add baking soda. The caramel will sort of foam up as you stir it.
Once well mixed, pour the caramel over the popcorn in the grocery bag.
Shake bag well to coat popcorn. Stir with a long handled wooden spoon to try to get the popcorn evenly coated.
Spread popcorn in a single layer over wax paper to cool. Once cool, break a part any large pieces and store in an air tight container.

And, finally, I will share my recipe for spicy peanuts. I think this is actually my oldest Christmas recipe, as I think I’ve been making these since about middle school. The original recipe that I used was from Girl’s Life magazine (remember that, anyone?), so I couldn’t have been too old! I’ve since changed it around several times trying to come up with the perfect combination of spices…and something spicy, but not too spicy. I think I like what I did this year, and you can change around the spice to your own taste!

Spicy Roasted Peanuts

Ingredients:

- 2 lb. dry roasted peanuts

- 4 Tbsp. olive oil

- 4 tsp. chili powder

- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder

- 2 tsp. ground cumin

- 2 tsp. paprika

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. ground black pepper

- 1 tsp. cayenne (red) pepper (you can adjust this up or down for more/less spice – at this level they aren’t too spicy)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine olive oil and spices until well mixed.
Add peanuts and stir until evenly coated.
Spread peanuts out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Mix, then bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool; store in an air tight container.

Well, that’s it for round one of my Christmas cooking. The cookies and caramel corn was mostly put into little gift bags for the neighbors, and we’re saving the rest for eating over the next couple of days. The spicy peanuts will be taken to Christmas gatherings next weekend. On Christmas Eve, my mom and I will do round two together – an old tradition that we haven’t been able to do in a few years! Should be fun!

I Want a Duck-Billed Platypus for Christmas

2011-12-16T21:35:00.001-05:00

I'm bringing my mascot, Platy, back for this post. Only, this time, he has a Santa hat! I thought I'd re-work an old Christmas favorite (or, perhaps one of the most hated songs?). Here it goes:

I want a duck-billed platypus for Christmas

Only a duck-billed platypus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a duck-billed platypus to play with and enjoy

I want a duck-billed platypus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door, that's the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a platy hero standing there
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics
I want a duck-billed platypus for Christmas
Only a duck-billed platypus will do
No crocodiles, no hippopotamuses
I only like duck-billed platypuses
And duck-billed platypuses like me too

Mom says the platy would sting and poison me,
But Teacher says a platy is a harmless monotreme

There's lots of room for him in our jacuzzi tub
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his back rub
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a platy hero standing there

I want a duck-billed platypus for Christmas
Only a duck-billed platypus will do
No crocodiles or hippopotamuseses
I only like duck-billed platypuseses
And duck-billed platypuses like me too!

This post is dedicated to @unguidedmissile and @geeklygibby - Merry Christmas!

Christmas Decorating!

2011-12-16T21:05:00.001-05:00

I was a little late in getting things ready this year, but I finally have some Christmas decorations up, so I thought I'd share! While the outside of our house remains dark and uninviting (maybe Tom will actually get around to doing lights next year!), the inside is full of holiday cheer! Let's start with the centerpiece...the Christmas Tree. Tom and I went to a nearby Christmas tree farm and he cut one down for us.

What a man!

I was all ready just go get a pre-cut Charlie Brown style tree and call it good, to just get a tree up and be done with it, but I'm glad he talked me into getting a nice one! Only...it looked a lot smaller outside...once we got it in, we had to cut a bit off the top! The tree was over 9 feet tall. I wanted to put it in the middle of the room where our ceiling is highest, because it would have fit. But, alas, the base of the tree was much larger than what would fit there (that's where the Charlie Brown tree would have gone!) So, we did some re-arranging, and Tom placed the tree right by the front door in our living room.

untying the tree!

And then, I got to decorate it! Tom helped, of course. Also, I'm pretty sure the star at the top is gouging out a hole in our ceiling. That tree is as tall as will possibly fit there!

Tom also found our most special ornament: the topper from our wedding cake!

Besides the tree, I was pretty excited to decorate my house this year, because it just looks so different after all of the work we've done. You can read about our Winter House Project from last year and a couple updates to see the difference. To be honest, we're actually not quite done yet. Just a few more things to do. But, with the white trim, I like my Christmas decorations even better! I found this beautiful garland for 90% off one year at Hobby Lobby after Christmas:

The only problem is that I only have 2 strands. They are perfect for both of my stairways, but we also have the little balcony that overlooks the main level. So, here's what I decided to do there:

I ended up really liking the way the garland looked with the ornaments hanging from it, so I decided to do the same thing on the top of our china cabinet in the dining room:

And, since we don't have a fireplace, our stockings are hung wherever I can find a spot:

I put some mini ornaments and a few decorative items in a large glass vase for the center piece on our kitchen table:

But I actually prefer the centerpiece that's out in our sun room right now -- real winter berries from a tree in our side yard!

I also have a nativity scene up, some "Christmas houses" in our living room and a few other odds and ends. Christmas decorations just make me happy. And Christmas is only a little over a week away! I guess I should start thinking about doing a more serious Christmas post -- that'll be a project for next week. Until then, enjoy the decorations and always celebrate the joy and love of our God!

Humira - Week One (or My LAWs)

2011-12-15T22:14:00.002-05:00

Today I have officially been on Humira for one week. In case you missed it, you can read about my switch from Enbrel to Humira to treat my rheumatoid arthritis here - and you can even see pictures of me taking my first Humira injection! Luckily, it's only and every other week shot for now, which means today is not shot day! So far, I don't have a whole lot to say about it. I have to assume that the Enbrel is still working its way out of my system and the Humira is just starting to take effect. I haven't noticed any drastic difference in the way I feel -- which I take as a good sign, because I wasn't feeling all that poorly on Enbrel. That, and it's better than feeling worse!

Most of the time, my symptoms remain predominantly in my hands. The past few months, however, I've had many more days where more joints are affected, namely elbows, knees, ankles and feet. The past couple weeks those "extra" joints have been behaving pretty well, so I'm not sure what I'm going to be able to attribute to Humira and what should simply be attributed to the normal ups and downs of RA.

I will dedicate today's blog post to my wrists, however. My wrists were among the first joints to get bad shortly after I was diagnosed and put on a regular treatment plan. I was on methotrexate at the time, and it did me a lot of good...but, after a while my wrists became very painful and weak. It got to the point where I couldn't do some of the things I used to because weight on my wrists was very painful -- imagine trying to put weight on a broken bone and you'll get the idea. One of my friends always made a point to ask me how I was doing, particularly my wrists. Although, he coined a new term for my newly painful wrists. He called them my LAWs: Little Arthritic Wrists. So, every time I saw him it was, "How are your LAWs?" Well, my LAWs remained just that for some time. It wasn't until I started on Enbrel in 2007 that I started to notice improvement.

They remained feeling good for quite some time, but eventually I began to have occasional flares in my wrists. It would come and go, as flares do. That is, until this fall. I think around September sometime I began to get my LAWs back. There were a few days that they just throbbed all day and through the night, particularly my right wrist. I have some swelling on one side of it and some cysts on the other. Although I only had a couple days that were really painful, my wrist has remained sore and weak ever since, and the inflammation has not gone down. At my last rheumatology appointment, my doctor was more concerned about my wrist than any other joints and it was part of the reason that I ended up switching the Humira. So, my LAW may end up being my test. If it begins to feel better, perhaps that will mean that Humira is working. Time will tell.

My First Humira Injection

2011-12-08T23:47:00.001-05:00

I'm taking a bit of a photojournalistic approach for this post. Tom documented the process for my first Humira injection, so I figured I would share it. You can read about my switch from Enbrel to Humira to treat my rheumatoid arthritis here.

Pouty face - time to inject myself with a new medicine

Happy Face - here's to hoping this works!

Prepping the injection site

Reading the instructions over - have to get this right!

Squeeze the skin...get ready....get set...

GO! My first Humira injection.

There's not much to say about Humira yet - it will take some time to tell what it does for me. All I can say so far is that the Enbrel "Sure Click" auto-injector was much friendlier -- less painful and easier to administer. This pen was weird; I could really feel it pushing the liquid underneath my skin, and others were right: it burns. Good news: I'm only on every other week injections for now.

A New Shield, A Better Shield?

2011-12-08T00:24:00.000-05:00

I had a doctor’s appointment to see my rheumatologist on Tuesday. It had been six months since I had seen him last, and I knew we were going to be up for an interesting appointment. The last time I was in was shortly before our backpacking trip to Isle Royale. I was feeling pretty well and was able to go on my week-long backpacking trip without incident (with the aid of prednisone!). In the meantime, my rheumatoid arthritis started slowly flaring in various joints – including ones that aren’t normally affected in me. While it hasn’t been terrible, it’s been noticeable; and I realize now that my “baseline” has shifted quite a bit in the past 6-9 months. Based on how I was feeling, I knew that my blood work (testing for inflammation) was going to reveal that something bad was going on (that story is forthcoming!).

Sure enough, my doctor was concerned. The blood work tested my Sed Rate (erythrocyte sedimentation rate / ESR), which can reflect the level of inflammation in my body. My doctor said that my Sed Rate from my latest lab results was 40 and that he considers anything over 25 to be high. As a comparison, he referenced some lab work from 2010, when I was feeling very well, where my Sed Rate was 14. Yep. The blood work revealed how I’ve been feeling all right! Based on that, along with my increased symptoms and the fact that I have persistent and visible inflammation in my wrist, my doctor decided it was time for a change. I have been taking Enbrel for over 4 years now. It has worked wonders for me, and although it may not be working as well as it once did, I know it’s still doing a lot. Because of this (and because I’ve had no ill effects from the Enbrel) changing meds is a big deal for me, and kind of a scary process. The doctor basically laid out 4 options:

1. Add methotrexate
2. Add low-dose prednisone
3. Add plaquenil
4. Switch from Enbrel to Humira

I don’t want to be on methotrexate at this stage in my life, so I asked him, “If methotrexate isn’t an option, what would you recommend?” He didn’t seem too keen on the idea of adding prednisone, although he did cite that a fair percentage of RA patients are on it long-term. Because I had tried plaquenil for a short period of time in the past and it didn’t seem to do much, he wasn’t convinced that was the answer, either. So, he settled on Humira, and I decided I was comfortable with that choice.

Let me back up a second. Enbrel is considered a biologic DMARD (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug), and more specifically it is a TNF blocker – meaning that it targets a particular protein (TNF-α) involved in immune function. In people with rheumatoid arthritis, the body produces too much of this protein and it can attach to and attack healthy cells, causing inflammation. From my understanding, Enbrel works by binding to the TNF molecules, thereby preventing them from attaching to healthy cells. I like to think of it as a shield. The TNF launches an “attack” on the rest of my body, but Enbrel acts as my shield to block the attack. Humira works in much the same way, only it’s a different type of protein. For some people one medication is more effective than the other. However, like my doctor said, the only way to know is to try it. And since my Enbrel seems to be letting down its guard, I’m going try Humira and hope for a new and better shield!

I start the Humira today. It’s an every other week injection instead of every week like Enbrel. I will take two shots (over 1 month) then go back in for some blood work and see what that shows…and see if I can feel a difference. Wish me luck!

Chicken Parmesan

2011-12-07T22:48:00.001-05:00

I asked Tom what he wanted for dinner tonight, and he responded: Chicken Parmigiana. That’s unusual in that whenever I’m looking for dinner inspiration he doesn’t normally have any for me. I was reluctant at first, but decided: why not. I make Chicken Parmesan on occasion and it had been quite some time since I made it last. It’s really not that hard…I just didn’t have any meat pulled out of the freezer and it was already 6pm. I decided to make it just a little bit different this time (partially because I was low on ingredients!), and I think I like it! Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Plain bread crumbs
- Italian seasoning
- Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Spaghetti sauce
- Italian cheese blend

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound out chicken to flatten (for the two of us, I actually just cut one big chicken breast in half, then flattened). Place breadcrumbs in a bowl and add seasoning to taste (normally I put in some garlic and sometimes some shredded Parmesan cheese, too). Put a little bit of milk in another bowl. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with bread crumbs. Repeat. Heat a couple Tbsp. of oil in a skillet over medium heat and add chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip chicken over. Cook for another 5 minutes or until chicken is just fully cooked. Transfer chicken to a baking dish and spoon enough spaghetti sauce over the top to cover. Cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, then broil for a couple of minutes until cheese begins to brown. Voila!

I served this tonight with some garlic bread and broccoli – delish!

Merry Christmas to my #Rheum-Mates

2011-12-06T00:08:00.002-05:00

For some reason my favorite Christmas song has always been It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. I’m not really sure why I liked it. I think because it had a serious message and just a bit of a different sound than other Christmas songs. The scene where the angels appear to the shepherds is also one of my favorite parts of the Christmas story, and perhaps that had something to do with it. Shepherds were not highly esteemed, yet it was them to whom God chose to reveal the Messiah through his angel messengers and they were among the first to meet the baby Jesus.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. – Luke 2:8-20

There’s now another reason I like this song, though. Last year I read through the lyrics of the various verses and verse three struck me very strongly. I think my fellow RA-warriors will know what I mean when reading the words, so I’ve decided that I’m going to use those words as my Christmas card to the #rheum community:

And if you want to actually listen to the song, I really like this version by Kutless:

Playing that horn...

2011-11-30T23:31:00.000-05:00

Prompt: Play that horn. Want to hear a secret? You’re awesome. (It’s actually not even really a secret.) This is going to be hard for you, O Modest One, but you gotta give yourself props today. Write three things you love about yourself – things you’re great at – or just want to share. Don’t you dare signpost or undercut those self-compliments!

Well, I'm not exactly sure how to start this one, but I guess I will share three things that I think are among my greatest strengths. Gosh, I feel like I'm on a job interview or something... let me know how I rate ;)

1. I'm a good problem solver
Critical thinking and problem solving have always been areas of strength for me. It may be partly because I am often very determined and even stubborn so that I don't want to give up on something until I have the problem solved. It also means that I like to find the answers to my own questions and do a lot of digging on my end before asking somebody else for help or advice. I've always enjoyed a challenge and I like to figure things out for myself. Problem solving allows for a different type of creative thinking, which I often find to be fun.

2. I'm a fast learner
I alwasy exceled in academics, and I think the primary reason is just that I can learn things quickly. There wasn't any one subject area that I was particularly good at -- it was just the learning process in general, which has helped to form me into an intellectually well-rounded person and the Jane of All Trades that I am rather than a specialist or expert in any particular area. As you can tell from the basis of my blog, I am always interested in learning new things and, again, enjoy a new challenge. Whether it's a hobby, an academic topic of interest, a new computer program, or what have you - if it's something I decide I want to learn, I can usually obtain at least a basic competence.

3. I'm easy to get along with
I have a pretty easy-going personality, I dislike conflict, and I do genuinely care for other people. I think that combination makes me an easy person to get along with (most days!). Although I'm often very shy, I can make friends with anyone who's willing. You just might have to start the conversation :)

***Bonus***

I can also make a pretty awesome fish face:

It's skills like these that have gotten me where I am today ;)

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

RA Greeting Card

2011-11-29T09:21:00.001-05:00

Prompt: Greeting card post!
The greeting card industry is all about writing generally universal feelings in a presentable way that you can use to express yourself when you just can’t think of the words to say.
Write a greeting card for someone in your community to help them express themselves about a new diagnosis, treatment, or experience.

I'm going to turn this around just a little bit and make this a card from the rheumatoid arthritis community to one who is newly diagnosed.

Here's the cover:

Inside:

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. RA can be filled with challenges, daily battles and lots of roller coaster rides. But we welcome you into our community with open arms. We are here to support you and encourage you along the way. Together we are stronger. Together we have a voice. Together we will find hope.

Always here for you,
The RA Community

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

It's Not RA...

2011-11-28T08:54:00.001-05:00

Prompt: What is the most ridiculous thing you’ve heard about health or your condition? Was there any context? What did you think at the time you heard it – and what do you think of it now?

I've heard some pretty ridiculous comments that have been told to other patients, but I was trying to think of the most ridiculous thing that had been said to me. I think it came from a doctor. This was a couple years into my diagnosis and I was trying very hard to "fix" or "cure" my rheumatoid arthritis. I went to a holistic doctor for a while, and he told me that what I really had was Lyme Disease. There were a couple of problems with this, however. Firstly, I never had ANY other symptoms of lyme disease besides joint pain. Secondly, I paid for the expensive "good" diagnositc test for lyme disease and it came back "inconclusive". Thirdly, it seemed that he diagnosed everyone who came into his office with various ailments with lyme disease. And, finally, he never actually treated me for lyme disease. I was skeptical at first, but willing to consider it an option -- at least there was a way to cure lyme disease -- my doctor said through antibiotic therapy. But, as I said the test came back inconclusive, and I became even more skeptical. We tried a few other alternative therapies there--none of which had any effect on my symptoms. At one point the doctor asked me point blank: "Do YOU think you have lyme disease?" I was still unsure, because he didn't provide me with any evidence that I did! What I should have asked is if he believed that rheumatoid arthritis existed...to his credit, I suppose, he still wanted me to see a rheumatologist (I was in transition, but he did get me in to a new one) - so the whole affair was really very confusing.

The real kicker was when I asked the PA about a supplement I found online (Samento - a type of cat's claw herb) - that was supposedly good for people with rheumatoid arthritis AND lyme disease! I thought: well, now either way, this one should be good for me! The PA agreed that they have all of their lyme patients try that (why didn't anybody tell me about it then, I wonder?). So, I tried it. Guess what happened: I had the worst flare I've ever had since I was first diagnosed. Years later, upon further investigation, I read that cat's claw should NOT be taken by anyone with an auto-immune disorder. What?! Umm, RA definitely qualifies under auto-immune. I have no doubt that's what caused my flare. The good thing that came of it is that it forced me to get in to my current rheumatologist, who actually believes that I have RA and treats me for what it is. It also made me realize that "natural" does not mean "good" and that before trying any drug or supplement I need to be sure that it has scientific backing showing that it is both safe and effective for RA. Oh, and I'm going to ask my RHEUMATOLOGIST - not another doctor.

So, there were several lessons learned, I suppose. I don't *think* I have lyme disease. I suppose I could be wrong, but I think I possess a mostly "textbook case" of RA, and unless you don't believe in RA as its own disease and need something else to attribute it to, it's a fair diagnosis. Just because we don't understand a disease and there are aspects of it that are inexplicable, it does not mean that it really stems from some other known and curable disease -- *sigh* if only....

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Quote Unquote

2011-11-27T17:15:00.001-05:00

Prompt: Quote Unquote. Grab your favorite quote or a new quote from any of the many favorite quotation sites and get inspired!

For lack of time, I'm going to let this quote stand on its own. You can leave your own comments :)

"Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite certainly, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How manyhours in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask--half our great theological and metaphysical problems are like that." --C.S.Lewis, A Grief Observed

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

I still remember when...

2011-11-27T17:09:00.000-05:00

Prompt: I still remember…
Sometimes the hardest part of writing a post is getting started. That first sentence can be a challenge but, once it’s written, the post can sometimes write itself. So, like when you opened a book to find a random line to inspire your post – today, use something that will help you get the post started.

I still remember when I was in first grade, just starting school, with my whole life ahead of me. As a part of a journal exercise in class, I wrote out what I saw as my future when I was an adult. My best friend and I were going to live next door to one another. We were each going to have a horse - one of us a male and one of us a female so that together our horses could have a baby. I'm pretty sure we were both on track to becoming veterinarians at that point, or perhaps some sort of environmental scientist (it was in first grade that we created the H.S.O.E. Club -- the Help Save Our Earth club). I was going to have a large plot of land and behind my own house I would build a house for my mom.

Well, fast forward 20 years. My friend and I haven't lived in the same state since I was 10 (although she was the maid of honor in my wedding!); neither of us have horses; and neither of us became veterinarians or even studied anything science related. And my mom lives a couple of hours away. Sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you think it will (especially when you're 7!), but that's not always a bad thing.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. -- Proverbs 16:9

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. -- Proverbs 19:21

Actually, it seems that life never turns out the way I think or even try to plan. But my life is filled with blessings and I trust that God has good things in store for my future, as well.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

And I've Never Licked a Spark-Plug...

2011-11-25T17:45:00.001-05:00

Prompt: Never Have I Ever. You stick to your guns – now tell us about what. What is something you’ve never done but want to. What’s something you’ve never done and won’t budge on?

Quite honestly, I'm feeling a bit lazy on this post. I'm on vacation and having a hard time thinking about anything serious! When I started thinking about things I've never done, what popped into my head was the long list of ridiculous things never done by The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. If you haven't heard of them, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything were Veggie Tales characters, who had a song---which was covered by the band Relient K. It is their version I will share with you - with lego video to boot!

Below, are the lyrics, along with comments where appropriate.

we are the pirates we don't do anything
we just stay at home, and lie around (lately, it's been more like go to the beach and lie around!)
and if you ask us, to do anything
we'll just tell you, we don't do anything

well I've never been to Greenland (but I'd like to!)
and I've never been to Denver (not true - you can read about my most recent trip here)
and I've never buried treasure in ST Louie or ST Paul (no, but it sounds like a fun idea!)
and I've never been to Moscow
and I've never been to Tampa (I have, actually)
and I've never been to Boston in the fall (hopefully soon, to visit a friend!)

we are the pirates we don't do anything
we just stay at home, and lie around
and if you ask us, to do anything
we'll just tell you, we don't do anything

and I've never hoist the main sail (I've helped Tom do so on our new Hobie Cat sailboat!)
and I've never swabbed the poop deck (nope; the term "poop deck" is enough to gross me out)
and I've never veered starboard, cause I've never sailed at all (well, Tom does the actual sailing)
and I've never walked the gang plank
and I've never owned a parrot.
and I've never been to Boston in the fall

we are the pirates we don't do anything
we just stay at home, and lie around
and if you ask us, to do anything
we'll just tell you, we don't do anything

I've never plucked a rooster
and I am not too good at ping-pong
and I've never thrown my mashed potatoes up against the wall (no, but I did witness Tom doing this one year in college - we had Thanksgiving dinner with the neighbors and the guys realized they had never done this and thought - "we should!" I think it's captured on film somewhere...)
and I've never kissed a chipmunk, (I'm happy enough to get one to eat out of my hand)
and I've never gotten head lice (thankfully!)
and I have never been to Boston in the fall

(pirate captains log 2002
who be this band relient k
and why they be so full of contradictions)

we don't know what he did
but we're down with captain kidd
we don't wake up before lunch
but we all eat captain crunch
we don't smoke, we don't chew
we watch captain kangaroo

and I've never licked a spark-plug (this was the line that first came to mind when I was trying to think of things I've never done!)
and I've never sniffed a stink bug
and I've never painted Daisies on a big red rubber ball
and I've never bathed in yogurt
and I don't look good in leggings (that's debatable, I suppose! =P )
and I've never been to Boston in the fall

we are the pirates who don't do anything
we just stay at home, and lie around
and if you ask us, to do anything
we'll just tell you, we don't do anything

we are the pirates we don't do anything
we just stay at home, and lie around
and if you ask us, to do anything
we'll just tell you, we don't do anything

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

My Mascot - Platy

2011-11-24T17:03:00.002-05:00

Prompt: My Mascot! Give your condition, community, or self a mascot. Who is it? What do they represent? What is their battle cry?

Meet Platy. Platy is a platypus who is my mascot, cheerleader and super hero. He was entirely inspired by @unguidedmissile and @geeklygibby and he represents #rheum patients in way. The platypus is somewhat of an anomaly -- being a mammal, yet laying eggs; possessing the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver and the feet of an otter; and the males have a spur on their hind leg that releases a painful venom. RA and other rheumatoid diseases (and hence the patients) are a bit of an anomaly, too -- never quite acting the way they're "supposed to" and always full of surprises. We can relate to Platy in the sense that sometimes nobody really knows quite what to make of us. Yes, Platy is a mammal -- but he's different in many ways from every other mammal that exists. Yes, RA patients have the same "disease" (or do they?), yet everyone of us experiences different symptoms and responds differently to treatments. Let's use that platypus venom to fight RA! For me, I guess the venom would represent my Enbrel, which works in me to block the attacks from my immune system.

As for his battle cry, I'm going with the "Mutant Enemy" under-enthusiastic exclamation of "Grr. Arg." I find myself quietly saying these words frequently in response to RA and they express the frustration that often comes along with it. Platy seems to be saying it, too. But, Platy and I will stand together, with the rest of the #rheum community to fight for awareness, research, better care, and new treatments (cure?). With Platy on our side, perhaps we can attract some attention!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Thankful

2011-11-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

Prompt: Today – write about whatever you want. Reflect on the season (draw a hand turkey, scan it in, and write 5 things you’re thankful for), give updates on what you’ve been working on this month, write about what your plans for December are, look ahead to 2012, or write about a topic that has been on your mind.

Well, I technically missed "today's" post, as it is now tomorrow. We had an interesting day yesterday, getting up around 5am at my brother's house, headed to the airport and boarded a plane bound for Fort Myers, Florida. Once we arrived, we picked up a rental car and headed south to Marco Island! Here we will spend a week (including Thanksgiving) with my husband's family -- his parents, plus his sister and her family. And as it is now officially Thanksgiving, I will express gratitude in a couple different lists.

Things I'm thankful for right here, right now:
1. The opportunity to escape the cold and spend Thanksgiving under the warm Florida sun
2. Spending time with family, especially my young niece and nephew
3. The view of the ocean, vast and blue, calm and inviting
4. Some time to kick back and relax with no agenda
5. The chance to see friends down here that we do not often get to spend time with

Things I'm thankful for in general:
1. The best family anyone could ask for (my own family & in-laws) - loving, supporting, and FUN to be with and talk to!
2. The many worldly blessings and comforts we've been given: good jobs, a nice home, plenty of food, and warmth this winter!
3. The hidden blessings that have come with RA - most namely the #rheum community that is so encouraging
4. God's love, grace, faithfulness, and compassion - which is new every morning!
5. A great community of friends that we can share life with

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Reflection

2011-11-22T20:43:00.004-05:00

Prompt: Be present. Describe something peaceful with as much sensory imagery as you can. What are the sights, sounds, scents, and feelings?

When I think of a peaceful setting, I think of something out in nature. And my most recent nature-intensive trip was to Isle Royale National Park this summer. I am reminded of one afternoon toward the end of our trip. We had just walked a few miles from the campground at Daisy Farm to the campground at Three Mile. The next day would be our last as we made the trek back to Rock Harbor, boarded the ferry, and traveled back to the mainland. We had already broken off from two people in our group, leaving just four of us. We claimed a shelter at Three Mile, which consisted of three wooden walls, one screen wall with a screen door, a wooden floor and a roof. There was plenty of room for us to drop our backpacks and set up our sleeping bags. We even moved the nearby picnic table inside.

It was a bit chilly that day, especially once we had stopped hiking, but I wanted to spend some time just thinking and reflecting. Our shelter faced Lake Superior and had a nice out cropping of rock that sloped toward the water. We had nothing on the agenda for the rest of the day - no day hikes - nowhere else we had to get to. Everyone else had wandered off to do their own thing; so, I stopped and sat down here for a while, over looking the lake and thinking about the beauty that we were experiencing. The lake was calm, but freezing. The sky was gray and the air was fresh and crisp, with a bit of a bite to it. It wasn't the prettiest day on the island, but it was peaceful. There was nobody around making noise. The only sounds were the gently lapping water against the shore and the few animals that made their homes nearby. The loons would often wail and yodel or splash through the water. A nearby squirrel was busy scurrying here and there. The rest was calm and quiet. Pine trees scattered the area, with just a bit of vegetation peeking out between the cracked rock that was the ground. It was a simplistic landscape, with many more coniferous trees lining the small island across the way.

There was a feeling of isolation, knowing you were on an island miles away from Canada or the United States, in the deep, dark waters of Gitche Gumee. But the stillness and the quiet brought serenity, and isolation faded to a tranquil solitude as I silently pondered the greatness of our God and all of his creation. I thought about the the trip of a lifetime becoming a reality and realized with a deep sense of gratitude that I had been able to overcome my health issues -- at least for a week -- as I hiked through the wonders of the island. The distinctiveness of the rocky ground and shoreline made a deep impression on me, and I recall the petrous paths we traveled with fondness. As I sat and reflected on all that had happened and all that was around me, I simply smiled at the joy that day brought.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Trust and Transparency

2011-11-22T20:17:00.001-05:00

With RA, there are a lot of ups and downs. For many people, symptoms wax and wane in a series of flares (increased disease activity) and lulls (decreased disease activity). Personally, I don’t have a lot of ups and downs—or, at least, the ups and downs don’t go too far from my own “baseline” or typical state. However, the past couple months, I have noticed an increase in disease activity in my body: new joints being affected; increased swelling in some joints; increased pain in other joints. I tend to think “oh, it’s not that bad” – but then, I realized I’d have to go in for blood work soon because of an upcoming appointment.

The blood work, among other things, would test for the Sed Rate – or erythrocyte sedimentation rate – which is a marker of inflammation in the body. The test essentially involves putting a blood sample in a tall test tube and measuring how far your red blood cells drop in a one hour period. The greater the inflammation is, the higher the sedimentation rate.

I may sound a little backwards here when I say that I was scared to go in for my lab work because I knew that my Sed Rate would be high. There are many patients whose symptoms aren’t “revealed” via their blood work and they would love to have a test actually show what they feel. For me, however, the test does not lie. In fact, it sometimes brings more transparency than I would like. I tend to be a little guarded and defensive, still fighting that urge to think that “I’m okay” and “I can do this on my own.” I’m not and I can’t, of course, but I also don’t want to admit that things are getting worse; and, moreover, I don’t want my doctor to think that I need new medicines (that’s what happened last time I got my lab work done on a “bad” day). On the whole, I’m very happy with my current treatment. It tends to work quite well without any side effects.

I tried to wait for a “good” day to get my blood work done, but with vacation and holidays coming up, I was running out of time, and I wanted to make sure that my doctor had the results before my next appointment. So, I did it. I went in to the lab on Thursday and I assumed I would discuss the results with my doctor at my upcoming appointment early next month. But something unexpected happened. On Friday, less than 24 hours from when I had my blood drawn, the nurse at my rheumatology office called. They never call me. She said they had gotten the results of my blood work (already?!) and that my inflammation was high (surprise, surprise). She sounded concerned and wanted to know if I had been sick or if I was experiencing a flare. My response was something along the lines of, “No, I’m not sick. My symptoms have been a little worse lately…just, you know, my hands and feet…and ankles…and elbows…oh, and knees—yeah, I guess I’ve been flaring lately.” She said the doctor wanted to know if I wanted him to write me a prescription for a 10-day prednisone burst to help with the elevated symptoms. I told her no, but thank you. I wasn’t that bad, and I’d be in to see the doctor very soon anyways.

Now, I wonder just how high my Sed Rate was – that they actually took the time to call me and make sure I was okay. But wow does that make me hold them in high esteem. They could have just as easily looked at the calendar and said, “Oh, she’s coming in to the office in a few weeks, anyways; we can just talk to her then. I’m sure she can tough it out.” Which, well, that’s the case right now, but what if it wasn’t? What if I really was feeling so badly that I wanted prednisone but was too scared to call and ask for it? The fact that they are concerned on my behalf is why I love my doctor’s office and why I feel like I can really trust my doctor’s opinion. So, when I go in for my appointment, I will be open-minded about his ideas on my treatment plan and how to get me back to feeling better. And, I suppose trust has to work both ways, so I will try my best to be honest and transparent about how I’ve been feeling.

Ekphrasis Post - Lightning Over Water

2011-11-21T19:25:00.001-05:00

Prompt: Ekphrasis post. Ekphrasis (writing about another art form) – Find a Flickr Image in Creative Commons that inspires you in some way (positively or negatively) and free write about it. Give yourself exactly 15 minutes to write without stopping. Don’t think!

I chose this picture from Art.com for a few reasons. Firstly, lightning is one of those things that have always fascinated me, yet it scares me at the same time. The power in each strike is incredible. The streaking lightning makes for an excellent light show, though I prefer if it is a little ways off in the distance. I particularly liked this picture, however, because it shows the lightning over water. As you can tell by the name of my blog, I do hold a particular fondness for coastlines to begin with. And the sea captivates me with its rolling waves and cerulean hues. But, there’s a little more to it than that.

One of my favorite things to do at night along the shores of Lake Michigan (besides star gazing, of course) is to watch a thunderstorm roll in from across the lake -- from Wisconsin. It’s pretty rare that you get a good storm far enough off in the distance that you can watch it without yourself getting caught in the storm, but I’ve done so on a few occasions.

One time was during my first camping trip to Manistee. The storm started I think around midnight and it just seemed like it would never make it across the lake. We watched it for hours as streak after awesome streak came down over the water. Because you have such a vast expanse of sky and water before you, you’re really able to get a great view of the storm. It’s better than fireworks if you’re lucky. I keep hoping for another storm like that one, but so far I’ve found none that rival it.

The power and beauty and uncontrollable nature of a storm just make me stand in awe – not just of the storm, but of the Creator God who holds all things in his power. To know that something so wild and so seemingly chaotic is really under the control of God gives me comfort in knowing that the other areas of my life that seem so out of control are also under God’s sovereignty. This is a crazy world that we live in, but we can find beauty even in the chaos and peace even in turmoil.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Laughing Out Loud

2011-11-20T13:03:00.000-05:00

Prompt: LOL post. Write a post about a moment that made you laugh. Or a video, picture, blog post, or something else that made you.

I am a huge fan of laughter. I mean, who doesn't like to have fun? And laughter when you're facing something tough sometimes really is the best medicine. It’s usually other people that make me laugh: friends, family, and especially my husband. In this case, I want to share something that our good friend Brandon put together in the wee hours of the morning as he was going through our video footage from our summer backpacking trip to Isle Royale. As you may know from experience, the later you stay up at night, the goofier you tend to get. You can view some of the source material for this here. It all started with the mistake of me being in front of the video camera. I had just found a moose antler on the ground, and my husband, Tom, decided to pick up the video camera and make me demonstrate how a moose attacks. By taking bits and pieces of that conversation, Brandon created a nice little song, which Tom in turn made into a video version for your viewing AND listening pleasure. So, without further ado, I bring you Freaking Moose Antler:

Yep. We're all goofballs!

I thought I’d also embed the video segment of our trip that this goes along with. Tom is the self professed comedic relief during this video:

You can read about our trip here. I saw it as a great victory over RA. I was able to thoroughly enjoy a week of backpacking without pain!

You can read more things that make me laugh on my RA Humor page -- please feel free to submit your own jokes for inclusion!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

My First RA Post - Again.

2011-11-19T13:00:00.001-05:00

Prompt: “Best of” post. Grab a post from your archives and repost it! Add a few sentences at the beginning to frame it. Why you chose it. Why you liked it. And why it should be shared again.

Well, this is an interesting prompt since I’ve only recently started adding to my health-related blog posts. So, I guess what I will share is my very first blog post about Rheumatoid Arthritis. This post was originally published almost exactly a year ago and was a part of a blogcarnival orchestrated by Kelly at rawarrior.com.

RA Un-Awareness

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis? It’s unfortunate, but if you don’t know, you are among the vast majority. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by an overactive immune system that begins to attack the body’s own healthy cells. The disease often affects the joints, causing pain, inflammation, and permanent damage or deformity. It is a systemic disease that can affect the all of the body’s organs and cause many complications throughout its course, including heart disease. About 1.3 Million Americans suffer from this disease. There is no cure for RA, and many of the existing treatments are among the most expensive drugs in the world. So, how come you never hear about the serious nature of this or other rheumatoid diseases?

Here are some of my thoughts:

1. It has “Arthritis” in the name. People know what arthritis is, so why should this be any different? It happens as you get old and your joints are overused—they get sore and creaky. Your grandma probably has it. Wrong. That’s osteoarthritis, which is what people commonly think of when they hear the term “arthritis.” RA is so much more than the joint symptoms that manifest, and many patients believe that having the word “Arthritis” in the name does a huge disservice to RA Awareness and the patient’s ability to be taken seriously when in pain. What’s a better name? Some have proposed RAD = Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disease. I like it.

2. Patients themselves are often afraid to speak up about their condition. They may fear feeling disparaged or not understood. Unless you have a similar condition, it can be really difficult to understand what it’s like to live with RA day in and day out. Many patients may feel judged or even afraid of what might happen if their employers found out. So, they remain silent.

3. Lastly, I think a lot of RA Un-Awareness is due to people like me. Did you know that I have RA? I can hide it really well, most of the time. I’m pretty open if you ask me about it, but unless it comes up, you would probably never know that my immune system is wreaking havoc on my body (or is at least trying to). Even if I told you, you might not believe it’s as serious as it is. You see, I am one of the fortunate ones whose symptoms can normally be pretty well controlled by medication (for the time being – with RA, things can change overnight!). By God’s grace, as long as I’m on a good treatment plan, my RA doesn’t usually stop me from doing any of my daily activities or hobbies. The danger here is that people begin to think that RA is not a big deal – I seem fine, so the disease must not be that serious. That’s wrong on two counts. One, there are things going on underneath the surface that you can’t see. And two, there are a huge number of patients who do not respond so well to treatments and continue to live in pain each day. RA affects every facet of their lives, and they must severely alter their lifestyles to fit what they have the strength and energy to do day by day. It’s for all of us, but especially these RA-ers that we really need to spread the word of this disease and fight for a cure.

So educate yourself and help spread the word! Click here or on the RA Info Button on the sidebar for more basics about RA.

Unfortunately, what I posted then still holds true today. However, I’m taking small steps to learn what I can do to increase RA Awareness and to help make the patient’s voice heard.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Inspiration from Others

2011-11-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

Prompt: A comment as a blog post. Pick someone else’s post (from the past or from today) and write a comment to them. Write that comment as your blog post for today. Link back to them to let them know you were inspired.

I want to dedicate this post to a new friend of mine, @eneevs. I am inspired by him on two counts, but we’ll start with number 1: the faith expressed through his blog. I just read his most recent post, “No Good Thing” – and it just put tears in my eyes as I read my very own emotions and struggle with faith so clearly expressed. Please read it – it is an excellent post that basically claims that God is good; he withholds no good thing from his children; and so, we must accept that if we do not get the seemingly good things that we ask for, it’s because God has deemed it not good for us right now.

I believe this with all of my heart, though sometimes the reasons are beyond our understanding. However, on occasion, looking back on life you can see the hand of God in difficult circumstances and get a glimpse of why He may have allowed you to experience certain tragedies. It may be that the good that comes out of the trial is better than the good that comes out of the time of peace. It forces us to grow in our faith and learn to rely on God in new ways, and certainly builds our character.

I have to say that just the idea of chronic illness was something I struggled with for a long after my diagnosis (you can read a little about that in my last post), but I decided to give up my struggle and simply trust God. I falter some days, to be sure, but you know what? God has begun to show me how he is using my RA to bring people and activities into my life that would otherwise have never been. I think of all of the wonderful people I’ve met through the #rheum community on Twitter. Not just nice people, but people I now consider to be true friends. Some of whom I’ve recently been blessed enough to meet in person, and others who I will be spending time with soon!

And what an opportunity I’ve been given! As a patient, I know how others feel when they battle this awful disease, and that puts me in a better position to try to offer hope and encouragement when other patients are feeling down. RA also gave me the opportunity to be a part of the ACR 2011 Meeting and gain new experiences with the RheumatoidPatient Foundation. That was an amazing experience that I assure you I never would have had if I hadn’t had RA. I’ve been to similar conferences for work before, but nothing compares with being a part of a cause and area of study that you are so intimately passionate about.

Whew. And that’s just my first reason @eneevs inspires me. Now on to #2: He’s the caregiver, not the patient. I cannot tell you how awesome it is to see caring spouses online, looking for information and support for their other half. You know they love their spouse so deeply, and as patients, we know how important those relationships are. I cannot imagine fighting RA without my husband. I don’t know where I’d be without his love and support. So, this is a shout out to the spouses and caregivers of the chronically ill – you are so important to us, and I thank you for all that you do! I also want to give a special shout out here to @youngwifestale – who is also an excellent caregiver to her husband. Thanks for setting a good example of how to care for your spouse!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

2011-11-17T18:57:00.000-05:00

I’m not a huge soup person but when the days grow short and the temperature drops, it does sound good. I wanted to make broccoli cheddar soup the other day; I couldn’t remember which recipe I had used last time, but I remembered liking it. As it turns out, I somehow failed to find the Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe I had posted to this very blog just a little over a year ago. SO, I did the work all over again to create a new recipe. I remembered that recipe I liked called for cauliflower in addition to the broccoli, so I made sure to pick some up when I went grocery shopping. From there, I decided I’d turn to my trusty friend, AllRecipes.com to get me started. It wasn’t long before I stumbled upon this recipe for Potato, Broccoli and Cheese Soup – and it sounded intriguing. If you don’t know, potatoes are one of my favorite foods, so obviously this recipe had some appeal. Only, this recipe didn’t call for the cauliflower which I had already purchased with the intention of using it in my soup. So…I added it! I ended up with a sort of blend between that recipe and what I could remember of the last time I made some sort of cheesy broccoli soup.

Ingredients:

- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

- 1 head cauliflower, chopped

- 6 small broccoli crowns, chopped

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 2 cans vegetable stock

- 2 cups water

- 3 cups cheddar cheese

- 2 Tbsp. butter

- Ground black pepper

- Garlic powder

Directions:

Sautee onions in butter in a large stock pot. Cook until onions are translucent. Add vegetable stock, water, potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Blend or process soup until mostly smooth (I used my super nifty Ninja handheld blender that my husband so lovingly gave to me as a very early birthday present!). Return soup to pot and stove (if you needed to remove to blend) and heat over medium-low. Add spices to taste. Add cheese and stir until melted and well mixed.

*Note to self: next time look harder on your own blog if you think you might’ve posted a recipe before

**Note to reader: you now have two very similar recipes to choose from – take your pick!

Letting Go...

2011-11-17T17:11:00.004-05:00

Prompt: “What’s something that bothers you or weighs on you? Let it go. Talk out the letting go process and how you’re going to be better to yourself for it.”

Something that often weighs on me is the uncertainty of the future with chronic illness. I have a fear of the unknown to begin with, but with RA, I know there will be surprises and I know there’s a good chance that some of those surprises will not be good. Sometimes I feel like it’s more a matter of “when” than “what” – when will my health take a turn for the worse? When will my medications stop being effective? When will I be truly forced to give things up because of my health? When will…

What I think this really comes down to is this inner need to be in control. I want to be in control of my life and my destiny. Intellectually, I know none of us are anyways, but my heart feels like RA has taken away some of my ability to plan for my future and to know with relative certainty what tomorrow will look like.

Perhaps, then, RA is a blessing. Perhaps it has forced me to let go of my hold on my life and learn to trust in God to provide what I need and get me through each day. It’s a lesson I first learned four and a half years ago after many exhausting months of trying to “control” my life and “fix” my health. Eventually, I hit rock bottom and recognized the futility of my efforts. When I stopped focusing my attention on myself, I felt joy and hope return to my life in new ways. It doesn’t mean I don’t ever go back to that place of unrest, but God is constantly there to remind me that He has control over my life and that I need to let Him work and follow His lead.

I don’t know where life will take me; but whatever may come, I choose to let go of my grip and to open my hands to receive whatever God may have to give me, trusting that it is good.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

The Little Engine that Could

2011-11-16T12:21:00.001-05:00

Let me start out with some back information. I recently noticed that there's a 30-Day Challenge being put out by WegoHealth to write 30 health-related blog posts in 30 days throughout the month of November -- with them providing a prompt for each day. I had just seen a few snippets about it the past couple weeks, but was inspired by a friend yesterday to jump on board and take on this challenge for the remainder of the month. So, starting at day 16, here's my first post (although, ironically, my recent "Hands" post fit the prompt for November 15th).

Today's Prompt: When thinking about stigma, awareness, the healthcare system, and other big picture ideas – it’s easy to become overwhelmed. When we feel burned out, doubts creep in and we start thinking, “Maybe I can’t do this.” This happens to all of us – Health Activists are no exception. In fact, dealing with a health condition and managing a health community makes staying positive even more challenging.

Sometimes we worry we aren’t making enough of a difference. We’re perfectionists and over-achievers – and that’s ok. Because – guess what? You are making a difference and doing great things – no matter how small they may seem at times. Today’s post is about turning our doubts around – turn our “I can’t” into “I can.”

Write a list post with 10-15 lines that start each with “I think I can…” Write 5 lines at the end that start with “I know I can.”

I think I can…use my RA story to help others in similar positions.

I think I can…bring hope to the broken.

I think I can…be open and honest about my health and the challenges I face.

I think I can…be a part of something bigger than myself.

I think I can…be a voice for others.

I think I can…use my talents to benefit the health community.

I think I can…accept the fact that RA may place limitations on my life.

I think I can…become a better leader.

I think I can…be strong when I need to be.

I think I can…make a difference in the lives of others.

I know I can…trust God to work all things for good.

I know I can…learn from others.

I know I can…do more to promote advocacy and awareness.

I know I can…be supportive of others.

I know I can…lend a listening ear to those who need it.

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J

Hands

2011-11-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

I’m going to bring you back in time a bit here. Step back with me to the year 1998. Remember Jewel, the singer? She had a song on her second album titled “Hands". It’s on my ipod along with other select songs from the “Top 200 Hits from the 90s” and every time I hear it now I can’t help but think about applying a few verses to my RA, as if the words were directed at my disease:

“My hands are small, I know, but they’re not yours, they are my own”

RA affects my hands more often than any other part of my body. That’s where my symptoms started and those are the joints that often don’t get reprieve when the rest of me does. It’s like RA wants to take over, and I’m fighting to be able to use my own hands to do the things that I want or need to be doing.

“I won’t be made useless; I won’t be idle with despair”

I might not be able to do everything that I once could, but I refuse to let RA run my life. I refuse to fall into the pit of despair (Princess Bride, anyone?), to fall into the trap where I become paralyzed by hopelessness and unproductive in life.

“I will gather myself around my faith, for light does the darkness most fear”

I know that my strength comes from God alone (2 Corinthians 12:8-10), and I have faith that He can work good things out of every circumstance (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11). The best way to shut out darkness is to turn on the light – and I seek to live in such a way that spreads light (Matthew 5:16) and brings hope.

“We’ll fight, not out of spite, for someone must stand up for what’s right”

I’m learning that, as patients, we do need to fight: for education, for understanding, for excellence in patient care, for new research, for better treatments…for…a cure. And if I learned anything from my recent trip to Chicago for the ACR annual meeting, it’s that we’re not fighting this fight alone. We have doctors, researchers and other professionals on our side – along with those who support us in our own personal lives. Together, we can fight for what’s right. Together, we can change lives.

Cheesy Pasta Deliciousness

2011-11-11T20:44:00.001-05:00

I was trying to decide on what to make for dinner tonight, thinking through what I had just purchased at the store. Without an exact recipe in mind, I asked Tom if he wanted some “cheesy pasta deliciousness” – and got a pretty favorable response. Next step: defining what that meant. I have a rough recipe I’ve used for a while to make what I call “Veggie Pasta Bake” – which is essentially mac & cheese with veggies, baked in the oven. I decided to make a version of that tonight, though with some slightly different vegetables than normal. I typically will put broccoli and bell peppers in there, but I’m going to save those for some other recipes. Instead, I combined onions, tomatoes, spinach and asparagus. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

- 2 ½ cups uncooked seashell pasta

- 1 ½ cups milk

- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese

- 1 can petite diced tomatoes

- 1 cup loosely packed baby spinach

- ½ bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1-inch segments

- 1/3 cup white onion, diced

- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

- 1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs

- 3 Tbsp. flour

- 2 Tbsp. butter

- Ground black pepper

- Garlic

- Paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir flour into butter until combined. Add milk and seasoning to taste. Heat until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Toss cheese with pasta. Stir in vegetables and place in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs over top. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

ACR 2011 and the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation

2011-11-08T22:31:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I had the chance to be a part of something great. Every year, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) holds a Scientific Meeting where doctors and professionals in the health fields come from around the world to share and learn about the latest research and innovation in the field of rheumatology. This year, the meeting happened to be in Chicago – within driving distance of my home. That’s great, but I’m not a rheumatologist nor do I work in a health related field. However, I am a rheumatology patient, and it just so happens that the first patient foundation for RA and related diseases has recently kicked off – called the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation (RPF) – and its first big event was exhibiting at the ACR Annual Meeting. If you have never been to a big conference like this, there is typically a large exhibit hall where organizations rent out space to share relevant information with the conference attendees. It can be a great opportunity for sales and marketing, and as you can imagine, much of the exhibit space for this event was taken up by the large pharmaceutical companies who make products for rheumatologic conditions. So, as I was saying, the RPF rented space here, and as a brand new non-profit, patient-based organization, they requested patient volunteers to come in and help staff the booth. When I found out that the event would be so close to home I just had to volunteer to help however I could, but I never imagined what a powerful experience it would be.

Firstly, the opportunity to volunteer at the ACR conference was incredible from the standpoint that I was able to meet people face-to-face that I had been interacting with online for quite some time. I was able to meet some amazing patients—including the founder of the RPF—and the connection I feel with some of them goes beyond words. Additionally, there are several rheumatologists that I follow and have had some interaction with on Twitter who came to the conference from around the globe: from Germany, Ireland, Columbia, India…and I actually got to meet them in person. It was an amazing experience to meet and hear from these doctors who have such a strong passion for their field, for their patients, and for using technology as a tool for doctor-patient interaction and patient education. What a unique experience to have patients, doctors and other professionals together in one place, interacting, sharing ideas and together pursuing the same goals.

Because I was working in the exhibit hall, I wasn’t able to attend any of the scientific sessions where speakers will share information on the latest research and present new findings. Fortunately, others are sharing some of what they’ve learned at the conference, and I’ve been able to pick up some information that way. However, there was something very powerful about working the exhibit booth, too, and I felt like I belonged there with my marketing background and all. It was amazing the response we got when we started talking to the doctors and professionals who stopped by our booth to learn about the RPF. People were very supportive of the foundation, and I feel like we were able to come away with some great ideas for next steps and direction for the foundation. And…that was only day one! Unfortunately, I had to be back in town for work on Monday, so I was only able to work one day at the conference. It was enough to have a great impact on me, though. I see a bright future ahead of us as patients work together with doctors and researchers for awareness, education, advocacy and better treatments—and I want to be a part of it!

**If you're on Twitter, search for the #rheum hashtag to join the conversation on RA and rheumatology - and search for #ACR2011 for conversations surrounding this year's conference

My Own Personal Tagline

2011-11-03T23:46:00.001-04:00

I must start this post out with some background information. First and foremost, you must know that I have an unusually small head. Yes, it’s true. Even the doctors were concerned when I was an infant. My mom promised them that I was smart and was developing well, but that didn’t mean much coming from her. Nevertheless, they soon realized that I was fine—I just had a small head. Things haven’t changed much since then. Now, as an adult, I have retained a child-sized head. Not that the rest of me is very big – I still look like (and often get mistaken for) a teenager – so you may not notice my small head size at first. I’m not sure I fully realized this until I was trying on motorcycle helmets when I was in college, trying to find one that fit. An adult small was too big, so we went down to the children’s sizes. I got a child’s size SMALL helmet to fit my head. Okay, it was a little tight, and a child’s medium may have fit a little better. But, still. That’s when I learned: I have a head the size of an 8 year old. No wonder hats have never fit me properly.

Suffice it to say, Tom, my husband, finds this fact somewhat hilarious. He often makes fun of the diminutive size of my head and wonders how I can be so smart when my head is so small. Small head references make their way into many-a conversation. Sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it’s annoying. Okay – it’s usually funny. And the other day was no exception. Tom inadvertently created a slogan for me. I’m not sure where it came from or what spurred it – I must have had some brilliant thought, because he came up with the following, which I have adopted as my own personal tagline: Small head. Big ideas.

I also decided that this tagline would be best combined with a cartoon drawing. So, here’s what I was able to come up with:

Any other small-heads out there? I’m thinking I should start making some t-shirts or something… ;)

Happy Halloween - 2011

2011-10-31T20:03:00.003-04:00

Saturday was our annual Halloween party! We had a great time with friends, playing games and eating food. I decided after last year to do another giant pot of chili as the main food dish. It worked out great, and anything left over I’ll freeze and use over the next few months.

As for the rest of the food…I tried a couple of new recipes. The first one was a recipe for pumpkin cookies with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. They were pretty good, and did not have an overpowering pumpkin flavor at all. The recipe came from a magazine I got at work. The second new recipe I tried was a version of white chocolate bark, made with crushed Oreos and candy corn – very sweet, but good! I also made an old family favorite that has become a tradition for me every Halloween – Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts. They don’t really have a name, so I guess that’s what I’ll call them. Normally, I just say those “bacon water chestnut things” – but somehow that doesn’t seem appropriate for a recipe title. At any rate, here’s what you do:

Ingredients:

- 1 package of bacon

- 1-2 cans of whole water chestnuts

- Barbeque sauce

Directions:

Cut the slab of bacon into thirds. Cut water chestnuts in half. Roll a piece of bacon around each water chestnut half and place in a glass baking dish. Cover with barbeque sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bacon is cooked and sauce is bubbly. Insert a toothpick into each bacon-wrapped water chestnut and serve immediately (although, be careful, these guys come out piping hot!).

Now, on to the costumes. I had my costume planned a while back, and I thought Tom did, too. I was a female version of the old McDonald’s character – The Hamburglar!

Rubble, Rubble!

Tom had originally planned on being The Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, the helmet proved troublesome to replicate. So, we found ourselves rushing to put together a new costume for him just a few hours before the party started! I think it turned out pretty well…we turned Tom into a Chia Pet!

Cha, Cha, Cha, Chia!

And, of course, we can't forget about The Cheat. He was dressed up this year as a pirate...and I would say it suits him well.

MEH! ARRR!

I had my painted pumpkins all around the house, as well as a few other fall decorations.

Perhaps the best décor was a recent, more permanent change, however. Tom recently decided to paint a “screen” on the wall where our projector shines. I was not convinced that his was a good idea, but I think it turned out great! Tom built a frame around it and we painted the wall around that. He finished it just in time for the party! Check it out:

Now it really looks like a home theater!

Tonight, actually Halloween night, we have some fun stuff in store for our trick-or-treaters. We have a big trick-or-treating neighborhood, but it seems that most kids don’t actually make it all the way down to our end of the street. We’re basically off the back entrance. So, in an effort to lure kids, we have purchased the big, full-sized candy bars—AND we have a bonus bin of miscellaneous items they can choose from (most of which contains freebies from my brother—like the millions of yellow stress balls Tom got from him in our white elephant Christmas exchange last year!). If we succeed, word will spread, and we will get lots of trick-or-treaters next year! Wish us luck :)

The Northern Lights

2011-10-31T18:26:00.000-04:00

From my understanding, the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are caused by the collision of charged particles from the earth’s magnetosphere and solar wind with atoms in the high altitudes of the earth’s atmosphere. The earth’s magnetic poles guide these charged particles to the higher (and lower) latitudes, near the poles, where the auroras are normally seen. When an energetic particle collides with an atom, the atom takes some of that energy and stores it, becoming an “excited atom”. The excited atoms become “grounded” or return to their normal state by emitting a photon of light -- which is what we see in an aurora. What’s interesting is that the color of the light emitted depends on the type of atom or molecule it came from. Oxygen will emit green or brownish-red and nitrogen emits blue or red. Combined, they produce a brilliant light show for anyone lucky enough to see it. Green is the most common aurora color, and blue is the least common. At 43 degrees north latitude, I feel lucky to see any color.

Last week, I saw the northern lights for the third time. However, I’m not really sure the first time counted. I was 11 years old, away for my first summer camp experience. In the middle of the night, another girl and I got up to walk to the bathroom from our cabin. On the way back, we noticed some light through the trees, which we assumed was lightning, and hastened back to the cabin not wanting to get rained on. The next day at breakfast, the counselors announced that the northern lights were out the previous night and asked if anybody had seen them. I could’ve kicked myself!

The second time I saw the northern lights, I at least recognized them for what they were. I still describe this scene as the most amazing night sky I have ever seen. We were camping in Manistee and went down to the beach at night (my absolute favorite thing to do). As we crested the top of the sand dune that led back down to the beach along Lake Michigan, I took a survey of the sky before me. To my left, the moon was setting--a large gibbous moon, with a few thin clouds around it illuminated with red. I had never seen such a beautiful moonset. Then I looked up above me just in time to see a large, streaking shooting star (the reason I come to the beach at night). Finally, off to the right, the northern lights were softly glowing in the sky. I didn’t know where to look! But, I knew I had to keep my eye on the aurora, as it surely wouldn’t last too long. It was mostly a greenish light that subtly danced in the sky a short while before fading away. I was thrilled to have seen the northern lights and to have actually watched them this time.

The third time was just last week. I was on my way home, driving in the car, when my dad called. When I answered, he immediately asked me excitedly, “Are you outside right now?!” No, I was in the car driving. “The northern lights are out!!” Sure enough, as I looked up out my windshield, I could make out the haze of red from the northern lights. I immediately called Tom, and was home within a few minutes. From my yard, I could make out a blanket of hazy red that spread fairly high in the sky, as well as streaks of green coming up from the horizon. While I missed the brightest parts of the aurora, I was so excited to see them and to see a color besides green! It is pretty rare to be able to see the northern lights this far south, to see them so high up in the sky, and to see some variance in color here. I was ecstatic. I wish that I could’ve taken a picture or somehow captured it, but soon after I got home, the red dissipated and the green faded shortly thereafter. Nevertheless, some people more talented and prepared than I, did capture some beautiful images of last week’s aurora. Check this out:

The Night Sky: Planets & Moons

2011-10-21T20:18:00.000-04:00

This summer, I was not as diligent about getting out to view the night sky with my telescope as I was last year. I realized that something was missing, that there was a reason the sky didn't have the same allure as before: Jupiter was not out when I could view it this summer. Last year, I spent countless nights just staring at this beautiful planet and looking for its moons. As fall arrived, Jupiter again appeared in my evening sky when I could easily spot it at a reasonable hour. That was motivation enough. I got out my telescope a couple times recently and was able to once again enjoy the splendor of this gas giant. What’s more – I even found a better way to take a photograph through my telescope! While not as nice of an image as you’d get from a “real” telescope or a “real” camera that could actually connect to it, I don’t think this is bad for a small point and shoot aimed carefully through a tiny eyepiece! Here’s what I was able to get on the first night:

You can see four of Jupiter’s moons in this picture. These are called its “Galilean” moons, since Galileo Galilei was the one to discover them. They are the four largest of Jupiter’s many (at least 64) moons and they are often visible right along with the planet through a small telescope. It’s fun to see them all in a line.

Once I realized that I was getting better at using my camera through my telescope, I decided to turn my eye piece to the moon. We had a waxing gibbous moon that was brilliant and splendid! I learned a couple more tricks with my camera to capture some decent pictures.

Waxing Gibbous Moon - 10/4/11

Several nights later I wanted to try some different camera settings on Jupiter, and here’s what I was able to capture.

Something in me just stands in awe when I realize I am staring at a whole planet, so far away, yet even some of its moons are visible. It gives you a little bit of an idea of the sheer magnitude of both planet and moons. You can't tell in the pictures, but through the telescope, you can actually make out some of the atmospheric bands around Jupiter.

For good measure, I captured some additional moon shots over a couple nights:

Waxing Gibbous Moon - 10/6/11

Near Full Moon

Next time you’re outside on a clear night, don’t forget to look up! If you see that really bright “star” rising in the east, it’s probably Jupiter!

Fall Decorating

2011-10-06T20:54:00.000-04:00

If you haven’t heard me say it before: Fall is my favorite season. Particularly in Michigan. I always feel the need to bring a little bit of autumn indoors with me, though. I never feel the need to decorate for spring or summer, but I always feel the need for fall decorations and Christmas decorations. This year, I got inspired from a friend to try painting pumpkins. I normally have a good selection of pumpkins and gourds around my house, plus a cornucopia. Typically, I will save a couple pumpkins to carve just before Halloween and turn some pumpkins and gourds into decorations like vases and candle holders. Here are some fun examples of previous jack ‘o lanterns and decorations:

Who you gonna call??

Pumpkin-potted Mums!

Miniature pumpkin candle holders

My cannibalistic jack 'o lantern

My pretty white pumpkin!

My first swan gourd vase, with a gladiolus branch from the garden!

Cornucopia!

Pumpkin dip...in a pumpkin!

This year, however, I am going the painting route. There is an AWESOME pumpkin patch near our house that has the largest selection of squash and gourds that I have ever seen. To make things better, their prices are unbeatable. I went crazy this year and stocked up on all sorts of weird things. My painting and pumpkin decorating was varied and used not only paint, but also glitter and sequins. Here are the various squash and gourds that will be adorning my house this month:

This year's swan gourd vase...with slightly wilted mums

Look at all the variety! Yep, I had fun!

These are my more Halloween-y pumpkins

My glitter girl pumpkin

decorative patterned pumpkin

And this guy will be welcoming all of our Trick or Treaters this year!
Some crazy weird pear/bowling pin shaped gourd...

Pretty, painted, patterned pumpkins

Craft time just wouldn't be craft time without sequins....

And the extras are all going into my giant vase for decoration!

A Taste of Fall: Stuffed Acorn Squash

2011-10-04T20:14:00.000-04:00

I am not a big squash fan. Just the name of it sounds kind of gross. Squash. But, it’s supposed to be healthy and as a fall fanatic, something always draws me to the piles of squash at the farmer’s market. Along with pumpkins and gourds, squash is a symbol of fall. Usually I just use it next to my Indian Corn to fill my cornucopia.

However, in the past couple years I have started to branch out a little and have tried cooking with it. I picked up an acorn squash at the store recently, and I have seen several stuffed squash recipes that sounded interesting, but of course I couldn’t find a recipe that was quite what I was looking for AND used the ingredients that I happened to have on hand. So, I decided to make up my own recipe to try for dinner tonight. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash, halved and seeded

½ cup couscous

Chopped walnuts

Onion, diced

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Garlic salt

Cumin

Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash halves in a baking dish. Place ½ Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar in each half. Put in the oven to begin to bake. Cook couscous according to package directions. Once couscous is done, toss in some chopped walnuts and diced onion, then season to taste with garlic salt, cumin and brown sugar. Go back to the acorn squash and mix butter (should be melted by now) and brown sugar together and spread around the edges of the squash. Scoop the couscous mixture into the squash halves. Cover and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until squash is tender.

Halloween Costume Planning

2011-09-27T21:17:00.001-04:00

It’s that time of year again: time to start planning for our annual Halloween costume party! It’s hard to believe, but this will be the 8th annual Halloween Party that Tom and I have hosted. The first year, 2004, barely counts, but we put on a last-minute costume party at the guys’ college apartment for essentially us and the neighbors. Since then, it has changed venues 4 times, as we’ve moved and/or not had space for all the people! I think we are set in our tradition now, however: there will be a costume party at our house each year on “Halloween Saturday” – the Saturday before (or on) Halloween. It’s usually just a laid back evening of eating, playing games and catching up with friends—in goofy costumes of course. We have tried our best to make costumes mandatory, but not wanting to leave out our few stubborn friends who refuse to dress up (party poopers!), we came up with the following rule: If you come without a costume, you must bring a pie to share. That way, it’s a win/win! Unless, of course, you’re like me…and don’t really care for pie. But, that’s beside the point.

With the party only a month away, I decided last week that I had better figure out my costume and start putting things together. I have had some pretty creative costumes the past few years, which, unfortunately, means that I have set the standard high and people might be disappointed if I dress up in something sub-par. So, I though through a few options to try to come up with something unique, fun, and hopefully not too hard to move around in—I’ve had a history of coming up with very restricting costumes. Ultimately, here’s what I came up with. This year, for Halloween, I will dress up as what I am calling the “Hamburglar-ess”. Do you remember the Hamburglar from McDonald’s? Remember the old school commercials? The Hamburglar would sneak up, mumble “Rubble Rubble” and attempt to run off with Ronald's hamburgers!

I already had a jailbird costume/dress and a large hamburger, so I decided that I could be the female version of the Hamburglar. All I needed to do was get a hat, bandit mask, tie and cape! I spent the weekend putting this together (and made my own cape!), and all I have left now is to add the hamburgers to my tie.

I will not be posting pictures of this year’s costume until after the event, so as not to spoil too much fun. However, I will post some fun pictures of my costumes over the past few years. If you’re looking for some ideas, let this be some inspiration to you:

2005 - 80s Prom Queen - with a lovely old bridemaid's dress from Salvation Army!
I am pretty sure somebody hand sewed that puppy out of old curtains!

2006 - Zelda & Link

2007 - I was the answer to the game Clue: Miss Scarlet, in the Library, with the candlestick.
It just so happens that the Grim Reaper was around, too!

2008 - this was possibly my most hilarious costume. I was a pinata & Tom was the birthday boy.
He would "hit" me with the stick, and I would throw candy! Only problem: very flammable.
Stay away from candles in that sucker!

2009 - Princess Lolly...from Candyland...remember??

2010: Dead Bride - looking slightly more pale than usual!

And, last but not least, I must tell you that we also sometimes dress up The Cheat. Below you will see him in his Phantom of the Opera costume. However, my favorite costume we ever had for the Cheat was the first year. He was Istanbul. Of course! (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you need to stop everything and go watch this right now. Do it.)

2005: The Cheat as the Phantom of the Opera