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Birthday Cake Making Dreams

Monday, September 19th, 2011

This weekend, we went to visit my brother and his family. My niece, SG, turned four on Saturday, so it was time for a birthday celebration. When we arrived, her cake was sitting on the dining room table. Check this out and guess the theme:

The Cake Delivered

This gorgeous cake was made by a co-worker of my sister-in-law. Here is her business card in case you happen to live out in western NY.

Molly's Cakes

Not only are Molly’s Cakes delicious, her work is gorgeous. She also worked around a slight complication for my niece. SG is highly allergic to eggs. As you can probably guess, this can make baked goods complicated. We make cupcakes with no-egg substitute in them for birthdays to allow her to enjoy what everyone else is eating. Molly made SG’s top layer of the cake with no egg. It was a pumpkin cake. The bottom two layers had chocolate and vanilla with egg. Oh and the fondant was a new kind that she was testing. While I did not try any, others raved about it.

Did you guess the theme of the party? Here’s a little more decorations to help you out:

Party Decorations

Here is  a photo of the cake with the cute little toppers added right before  everyone enjoyed the cake:

Everyone sees the cake

The birthday girl seemed very happy with her layer. Check her out with her cloud cake layer.

Birthday Girl with her cake

Of course, seeing SG’s cake made me realize how much I would still love to take a Wilton Cake Decorating class. They are given at several of the local craft stores. One of these days, I may. I think I am ready to explore with fondant, but then again – I really love my piping fun with cupcakes.

It's Me

Sea lions and asthma weekend

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

Nothing like spending the night of your 9th anniversary on the road with your kids (please note the extreme sarcasm here). That is exactly what we were doing Thursday evening on our way to a long weekend with my in-laws. Not that I have anything against my in-laws, but the road from here to there is a bit nerve wracking to say the least. You see, travel from here to there requires driving through roads that border the Bronx and other parts of New York City, and going over two large bridges. By the time we arrived at the Long Island Expressway, I was curled up in a fetal position with my eyes closed and sprouting new gray hairs by the minute. My biggest mistake of the trip was opening my eyes at one point when TechyDad yelled out "Holy Cow!"  Let’s just say that NYC drivers are rather daring to say the least. Luckily, we arrived safely and got the kids into bed.

Friday morning, we all headed out to the Atlantis Aquarium. We had been there before when NHL was three (JSL’s age) and so much had changed. The boys had a lot of fun exploring things, but both really loved the sea lion show.

Sea Lion Show Fun

Those were a few of the pictures that I took with my camera. TechyDad took many more of the show, the kids and inside and out of the aquarium. No doubt he will be sharing them and the video of the sea lion doing her dance coming soon.

We had a very nice visit with my in-laws. I did not enjoy myself as much as I could have thanks to my asthma. Usually, I have issues there because of their dog. Lacey has passed away and I actually went there having lung issues. After my sinus infection came and went at my cousin’s wedding, my asthma really kicked into high gear. This seems to be something that happens with any small illness since I had the flu in October. It is safe to say that my rescue inhaler has become my best friend since I realized the cough was really my airways being constricted and needed to be opened from an asthma attack. The heat and humidity outside and even inside really made it difficult to breathe and sleep.This week I am hoping to call my allergy/asthma doctor to get an appointment. Obviously, I need some help getting my lungs up to speed and maintaining them if I get a cold or something else.

On that note, I am off to rest in my nice cool room and enjoy the AC that is making it a bit easier to breathe at the moment. More photos and items to share coming soon.

TheAngelForever

Thoughts of Disney, Spring and being outside

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

This spring has been wild and wacky, weather wise and beyond. So many things going on here there and everywhere. One minute, we are outside in shorts, the next, bundling up to stay warm. Of course, the cooler days allowed me to finally break out the coat that I got while attending the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I love this since it reminds me of all of the amazing people that I met and the good times at Disney World. It will be actually be sad to put it away until the fall. Here I am enjoying a cooler day outside. Please excuse the frizzy, wind blown hair.

DisneySMMoms Dreaming

When you look around outside, the flowers are coming up and trees are showing their glorious spring colors. This one was taken outside of NHL’s school. Not the best picture, but like the rest, taken on the fly with my cell phone.

Bee in the flowers

Like the insects, my kiddos are confused. One day they are able to play outside in the sun without a jacket, the next it is rainy or windy and time to stay inside. JSL is definitely antsy. At almost three years old, he begs to spend time outside. Once the laundry was done today, I took my allergy medicine and we played before going to pick up big brother. We bought some new chairs and I sat and did this while soaking up some much needed vitamin D:

Knitting on a sunny spring day

I was able to finish another knitted cloth all while watch this:

Little guy on the move

Days like this make me thankful for the time at home with my boys and the simple things in life.

TheAngelForever

Exederm ultra sensitive skin care (review/giveaway)

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

In our house, we have always been very careful about the products that we use on our skin. Since I have extremely sensitive skin, we are constantly on the lookout for products that contain no fragrance. The truth is, these types of products are quite hard to locate most of the time. Even if something says fragrance free, I have often found fragrance listed as one of the ingredients on the back of the bottle.

When the boys were born, we knew it was possible that they would have sensitive skin like me. NHL was diagnosed with eczema when he was about four. My little guy had patches on his body early on. Then just a few months back, I went to the dermatologist and found out that a funny looking spot on my leg was severe eczema (looks a little different on adults). I was told to ditch my Dial soap and use items that were more moisturizing when bathing and to follow up with a moisturizer after.

At about the same time, I was asked by Family Review Network to review some baby skin products by Exederm. This seemed like a great opportunity to try something that could help my family and our eczema.

Exederm Products

Information about Exederm:

Exederm has a simple philisophy which is to use the mildest ingredients in their products. By doing this, they proudly state the following about their products:

  • No Fragrance
  • No Color or Dyes
  • No Parabens
  • No Lanolin
  • No Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS)
  • No Propylene Glycol
  • No Formaldehyde
  • No Phthalates
  • No Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB)

About Exederm from their company:

We’ve worked with a team of experts to create a range specifically designed for eczema and dermatitis sufferers.

Too many personal care products contain ingredients that may irritate sensitive skin, especially for those with eczema or dermatitis – allergic reactions and rash are common.

Most everyday skincare products are actually designed for the average person – even some of those products laveled as ‘Sensitive’ or ‘Mild” or ‘Hypoallergenic’.

Many ‘natural’ or herbal products can be just as bad too!

ECZEMA & DERMATITIS SUFFERERS ARE NOT AVERAGE - and average skincare is just NOT good enough.

Exerderm offers an intelligent and common sense approach. We believe people with sensistive skin need to avoid irritants – why take risks?

The National Eczema Association honored exederm with 12 ‘Seal of Acceptance’ awards in acknowledgement of our products’ ultra sensitive formulations.

Exederm offers a variety of products for people with sensitive skin that may include eczema and dermatitis.

To help heal flare ups, there is Exederm Flare Control:

  • Helps heal eczema flare-ups
  • Fast soothing relief of itchy, red skin
  • Maximum strength without a prescription
  • America’s only paraben-free hydrocortisone cream

For hydration of sensitive skin, there is Exederm Intensive Moisture cream, body lotion and body oil:

  • Deeply moisturize dry or flaking skin
  • Soothes red, cracked or itchy skin
  • Ultra sensitive and non-irritating
  • Award winning formulations

To help avoid irritating triggers, Exederm Body Wash shampoo and conditioner

  • Ultra sensitive, non-irritating formulations
  • Rich, soap-free and non-drying wash
  • Low foam shampoo or healthy hair & scalp
  • SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) free

Our thoughts:

We received a complimentary package of Exederm baby care line products to do this review. Here are a few photos of the items and them in use:

Exederm Trials

By the time the products arrived, my eczema flare up was under control, but keeping it that way is critical. My 2 year old son has a few patches on his body right now thanks to the dry winter. We decided to test the products on him one night in the bath tub. First, we used the body wash. We noticed that it did not have any smell. Wahoo – truly fragrance free like it promised! Hubby was able to lather it up a little on my homemade knit cotton washcloths. Unlike some of the body washes/soaps that we have used in the past, this one did not bother JSL. He kept playing with his toys and splashing like nothing was going on.

Then it was time to test out the shampoo. JSL still has cradle cap, so we need to really scrub his scalp to work at the scales. We were pleasantly surprised with the results. Hubby was quickly able to use a very small amount in his thick hair and work it around nicely. Check out how you can see it in his hair and not wonder if you have any in (photo above).

The little guy is not a fan of moisturizing, so I tried those on my skin after a shower. I really liked the Intensive moisturizer. It was really thick and worked nicely on my overly dry hands. Although it was thick, it still soaked into my hands quickly and did not leave me feeling slippery. My goal is to try to use the baby lotion on JSL. He really is dry in the winter and recently I have seen some small patches of eczema cropping up on him. I also tried the hydrocortizone cream on an itchy spot and unlike others it did not burn. It quickly soothed the area and was not bothering me anymore.

We will definitely be purchasing more of Exederm for our family since it works well and most importantly helps to protect our very sensitive skin.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Exederm, one lucky reader will be able select one item of their choice from the Baby Care Line. .

Rules for Giveaway:

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today, January 31st, and ends at 10:59 EST on February 14, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only. 

TheAngelForever

Disclosure:  I received the package baby care skin/body products complimentary of  Exederm to facilitate this review as part of The Family Review Network. No other compensations was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own feelings about the product that our family tried. 

 

Diagnosis: Adult Eczema

Monday, December 21st, 2009

There are days that I wonder exactly how old I am. Some days I feel young, while there are other days that I feel ancient. On a recent "emergency" trip to the dermatologist, it made me question just how old I really am.

Rewind to June when family was in town for my mother’s big birthday party. During the day, before the party, my parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece, JSL and I went to the cemetary. We went to see Papa S’s grave and check on things. We decided not to move the cars and walked over to where my Nana and Papa are, along with other members of her family. It was not a particularly long walk, but the terrain was rough and overgrown in areas. By the time we were done, I was itching my legs. With sensitive skin, I did not think too much of it.

A few weeks later, I noticed I had a little rash on my leg and it itched horribly. I used some cream on it and it got a little better. This happened over and over again during the summer months. When my electric shaver died, it really made my leg a mess in that area. Sensitive skin and real razor blades do not mix. Thank goodness I finally replaced my electric shaver the other day.

In July, I went to the dermatologist for a skin check. Being so fair skinned, it was time after over a decade without one. I showed him my leg and he said it was not ring worm (my fear from years of teaching), but was eczema. I was told to use some OTC items to help and call if it was not better.

School started, H1N1 ate up another 2 months and then it was December and my leg was a mess. I was up at night because it was so itchy and nothing helped. It was getting more inflamed and bothersome. With a little nudge from my sister-in-law, I made an appointment to see the dermatologist. I was shocked when I was told they had a cancellation with the PA for that afternoon. Thanks to NHL going to Chess Club, I was able to take the time.

The PA was really sweet. Of course, she wanted to know why I ignored the problem for so long. Then she looked at JSL running around the room and figured it out.

A quiet moment while waiting

I told her time just flew by, things happened and finally I had enough. She told me I had horrible eczema in that area. Something at the cemetary may have bothered the area initially. Shaving allowed it to continue and lack of proper moisture made it itch. Scratching only made it worse. I was handed a prescription and told that if things were not significantly better to call back in two weeks.

As I went to the car, I laughed. Here I was just 33 years old and getting treated for eczema. Oy! Now I guess we know where the boys have gotten it from. Of course, theirs never got as out of control as mine did. Tis the story of a Mama’s life.

Tomorrow, I have to head out to get moisturizer for my arms and legs since the winter is zapping everything out of my already dry skin. So if anyone has any suggestions for good fragrance free body lotion, please let me know.

TheAngelForever

 

Physical, allergy testing and dentist…oh my!

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

This week has been pretty busy. Originally, I thought NHL was going to the allergist on Tuesday. Monday they called and told me the visit was Wednesday. I was not happy since I know I put it on my calendar immediately. My main concern was we already had NHL’s 6 year old physical exam at our family doctor Wednesday afternoon. I knew we could swing both of them, but it would be "interesting" to say the least.

Monday I also called the pediatric dentist. I told them that this tooth was not budging and the new one was really coming in behind it. In adddition to this I reminded them that hubby only lost one tooth on his own. Every other tooth was pulled by the dentist, so perhaps NHL was going to have some troubles. They offered me a Tuesday appointment, which I did not take since I thought we were going to the allergist. The only other option was Thursday. I took it with the hopes that we could get his tooth out by that point.

Tuesday night JL and NHL sat down on the couch and really worked on the tooth. Here they are getting ready and going for some wiggles with gauze to assist the grip: 

Getting ready to wiggle  Attempt with gauze to assist

After this, I thought we were really close. Check it out. In this photo you can see the new tooth in back and that tiny speck in front is the front edge of the baby tooth that will not let go.

Barely hanging on, but will not budge more

Shortly after this photo was taken I opted to do a video of this hopeful milestone. While filming, JL felt a pop and suddenly the tooth was bleeding. This really freaked NHL out. No matter what we tried, NHL refused to let us back into his mouth. We called it a night and got both of the boys into bed. JSL was getting quite concerned about his big brother. Check out the serious face.

What should I do?

Wednesday NHL went to the doctor for his physical. When we arrived we found out that they were already giving flu shots. This sent NHL over the edge, but he and I both had them. Everything else went well during his appointment. The doctor’s only concern was that one of his eyes is not moving along with the other. Since NHL has low muscle tone it may be related to this. When we got into the car after everything I called and made an appointment with the specialist for the end of September. Hopefully it is nothing, but we will have to wait and see (no pun intended).

Less than an hour after this we went to the allergists office. JL met us there because I was afraid NHL would put up a huge fight. We talked with the doctor for a while about how things have been great this summer – no medications needed. We talked over a plan of action for back to school and onto the rest of the year. Then it was time for allergy testing. While we waited for JL to show up at the right doctor’s office NHL colored. Then it was time to check things out. He was a pretty good sport and was glad it was done on his back so he could continue to color.

Before allergy testing    During the allergy testing

Much to our surprise nothing came up positive on the test. The doctor can not explain why it did a few years ago and nothing now. So we left with our game plan that was used last year. Our goal is to control the items that bother him and prevent an asthmatic reaction that usually comes during the school year.

Last night JL tried to work on NHL’s tooth again. After much crying and wiggling the tooth just did not want to move in the one spot. JL said that it was just the way his teeth used to hold on. NHL was very upset about not getting it out on his own and going to the dentist. We explained that it was not his fault and we are lucky to have the dentist that may be able to help.

On a last ditch effort we had corn on the cob to try to see what it could do. NHL refused to eat it. No worries though, JSL devoured his piece and then here is a video of him with NHL’s cob.

 

So today we head to the dentist to have her check NHL’s tooth. We shall see how it goes. I will mention to her that the position of the tooth is really altering his speech and that concerns me (our family doctor even noted it until I explained the tooth troubles).

TheAngelForever

New medicine taking skills

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

Dear NHL,

Things have been so busy that I have never stopped to really tell you how proud I am of you. A little over a week ago we shocked you with some news. We were going to have you try and swallow allergy medicine. When we upped your dose of the liquid medicine it was just too much for us to give you now. You were not too happy with this, but we convinved you that it was a good milestone. The first time was not a good experiene and involved a little yelling on my end. After this Daddy took over and was your coach. I think when he told you that he was not able to swallow a pill until just before we got married was huge inspiration to you. Now you are able to say that you learned to swallow a pill at five years old WAY before your Daddy and maybe even before me! The photos were captured a day or two after you started. 

Learning to swallow a pill 

1. Getting ready to take allergy pill, 2. Not happening this time, 3. Some more water, 4. All gone!

Now you usually get the allergy pill down on the first or second try. Go NHL GO!

Love,

Mommy

__________________________________________________________

 


Dear Kid Saturdays at Cutest Kid Ever

Oy, it has soy

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Did you know that almost all foods contain soy? It seems to be a very popular filler that many of us are unaware of in the foods we eat. Of course, as a mostly vegetarian house (kosher meat is too expensive) we eat a lot of veggie burgers, "burger" crumbles, veggie dogs, tofu and the like. I was well aware that these were mostly made of soy products. You are probably wondering why I am suddenly noticing all of the soy in our daily lives. The answer is a little complicated.

Varieties of soybeans

Over the last 3-4 weeks I have been quite sick. For days I would end up on the couch with the boys doubled over in pain. Then to add insult to my injury, I was sick to my stomach and running to the bathroom. At first I thought it may be from all of the new vitamins that I added to my diet. I was taking them with food, but they are still harsh. I stopped taking them for 3-4 days and nothing stopped. The abdominal pain intensified to the point where I could no longer ignore it. I made an appointment to see my doctor to try to get some answers. One other odd symptom – I was horribly itchy. I was literally clawing my arms and legs because they itched so badly.

I went in wondering if it had anything to do with my endometriosis, might be IBS or something else. In the back of my mind I also wondered about my gallbladder. My doctor immediately suspected my gallbladder was to blame. She sent me home with a TON of items to do and scheduled me for a gallbladder ultrasound. She mentioned that if that was clear another test would be ordered soon after that.

Last Thursday night I went for the ultrasound. The technician hinted that she saw nothing wrong when I wondered why it was taking so long (got a little nervous). On Friday evening I was miserable. I have a high pain tolerance, but that night I was in agony. I was crying hysterically and almost called my parents to watch the boys so I could go to the ER. As I told JL, the pain was worse than when I had no epidural and was getting pitocin during labor. Seriously!

Suddenly, in the middle of my agony it dawned on me. The last major attack was on a night that we had Morning Star riblets as part of our dinner, the time before that when we had  fake burger meat balls. Friday night we happened to have veggie dogs. Hmmm. . . . . all of them are mainly compromised of SOY! Could this be the problem when it had never been for all of these years?

I told JL my theory and we made a conscious effort to avoid foods with soy in it. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I ate nothing that had a major amount of soy, took my vitamins, workout out with Leslie Sansone DVDs and felt pretty good. Yesterday my doctor’s office called to tell me that the ultrasound results were perfect and to schedule me for another test. I asked the nurse to give the new information to my doctor. They called back and agreed that it very well could be a soy allergy/intolerance. I spent part of the afternoon yesterday reading up on soy. How do soy allergies present in adults? Why  are soy allergies becoming more prevalent in adults? And the big question of the day, what items have soy hidden in them?

I was floored to learn that most vitamins – including almost all of mine have soy listed as an ingredient. All of our breads, cereal, Fiber One bars, and even the sprinkles in our house list soy. The nice thing is since it is a common allergan, companies must clearly list if the item contains even traces of soy.

Yummy treat that I used to love

Tuesday I am heading to an allergist. I have not been to one since I was in elementary school. Clearly something has changed in my bod with the newly found anaphylactic response to walnuts and now this suspected soy allergy. IF I do have a soy allergy I really do not know how I can completely avoid it in my life, but at this point I will take it one day at a time.

Do you have a soy allergy or know someone that does? I would love any advice or information from anyone that can provide it.

TheAngelForever

Calcium, Vitamin D and Fish Oil . . . oh my!

Friday, June 12th, 2009

In recent months, I have been trying to spend more time taking care of myself. Most of the time, this means working out either with EA Sports Active or Leslie Sansone. If you had asked me a few short months ago what I thought of exercise, I would have complained. Now I know that it makes me feel better. I have energy and love knowing that I did well when I am sweaty. Who knew that I would ever feel that way.

Another part of this was finally making an appointment for a physcial. It had been a LONG time since I had done this. I finally made the appointment and had the papers for blood work to do before seeing my doctor. She warned me that since I am still nursing JSL my numbers may be elevated in triglyceroids and cholesterol. I went the Saturday morning before my appointment early in the morning since I had to fast for the tests. In addition to the CBC, the doctor also wanted a lipid screen, A1C (my mother is diabetic), kidney function (I have gout), TSH (thyroid was enlarged when pregnant), and Vitamin D levels.

I went last week to see my doctor. My blood pressure was fabulous and she was happy to hear about my lifestyle changes. Of course, she was most thrilled that I had lost almost 30 pounds and was exercising regularly. The day I went I was quite sore after just starting EA Sports Active. The nurse went to track down my test results. As expected, my triglyceroids and cholesterol levels were slightly elevated. Most likely they are due to nursing. The part she was not happy with was the low good cholesterol number. In addition to that, my Vitamin D numbers showed that I have a major deficiency. This has become something that more doctors are looking into now with people using sun screen all the time and blocking the much needed Vitamin D into their body.

At the end of the appointment, I left with a list of vitamins to get and how much to take each day. Here is my new routine. Each morning, I take 3 Fish Oil capsules with Omega-3 Fatty Acids, 1  Calcium w/D, 4 Vitamin D, and a multi-vitamin. At dinner each night, I take 3 more Omega-3 Fatty Acids and another Calcium w/ D. For those keeping track, that is 13 vitamins each day. Below is a photo of my mini-pharmacy which also includes my inhaler and allergy pills that I take for a few more weeks (still boosting up my lungs after the allergic reaction to walnuts at Disney World). 

My home pharmacy

In three months, I go back for a recheck on my lipid test along with the Vitamin D levels. With any luck, the combination should help get everything back on track. The best news is now that I know about the Vitamin D and work on it I may have more energy. I always assumed the exhaustion was from being an overtired Mommy. Sure, that may have been part of it, but my extremely low levels were a huge factor.

So my question for you this week:

Do you take vitamins daily? If so, what do you take and are you good about taking them regularly.

 

TheAngelForever

_____________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.

 Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #52

 

Taking care of Mommy – lesson learned

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Since NHL was born, almost six years ago, taking care of myself when I am sick has taken a back burner. As a mother, you have to move on and do things through sickness. Basically I often ignore things until they get SO bad. Needless to say I am at the doctor immediately when the boys are sick and need anything.

Prior to going to Disney World I was feeling amazing. I had lost almost thirty pounds, was exercising up a storm thanks to Leslie Sansone (and my pedometer), plus I was inspired by others on the same journey.  When we arrived at Disney World I was the only one that barely complained about my legs/feet bothering me from all of the walking. My mother noted that the "walking and kicking" with Leslie Sansone had paid off.

During our forth dinner at Disney World we ate at The Wave in the Contemporary Resort. We had a delicious meal. Since we were on the dining plan we were able to order a tasty treat for the end. I selected the crunchy trio that included Baklava.

Delicious, but deadly for me

I thought nothing of it. After a few minutes I noticed that my throat was itching some. In addition to this, I was having a difficult time swallowing. It was raining out after the meal so we decided to head back to the Magic Kingdom and get a bus back to Pop Century.

After the boys were in bed I was still having a really tough time getting air in. I had my rescue inhaler with me and decided to give it a try. By this point I was starting to put the pieces together. I recalled during Passover when I told JL that my throat was itching after I had some charoset (apple mixture with honey and walnuts). Do you see where I am going with this?

I hardly use my rescue inhaler and was not used to the new propellant ones. I took my two puffs and then realized I had made a horrible mistake. In taking the medication, I had burned my throat. *sigh*   I did not think to use my spacer that was packed and just took it. Lesson learned the hard way. The rest of the vacation I was winded easily, was coughing thanks to my throat trying to get better from the Albuterol burn, and had no energy at night.

When we came back from Disney I knew that I had to talk to our doctor about my walnut allergy concern. When I took JSL in for his 2 year check up last week I spoke with the doctor. At that point I told her that I had a physical appointment made with her (have not done that in way too long either). When she heard what happened her reply was "What pharmacy do you go to?"   She was already on her little techy machine writing a prescription for an EpiPen into the pharmacy. She told me that I should obviously avoid walnuts now and must always have my EpiPen on me (something I still have to do as it is sitting on the dining room table).

This appointment was less than a week after my attack episode. She told me that the cough and everything should go away and give it time. Flash forward to this week. I still had no energy, was winded talking/walking across the room and obviously was not working out with Leslie Sansone. I felt depressed about what had happened since I had come so far. Blogging has been pushed to the side because when I typically blog at night I was fast asleep.

I called the doctor’s office to see what I should be doing.  Since we were home I was still using my rescue inhaler daily and explained how I felt. They said they would call me back the next morning since the doctor had already left for the day. Yesterday morning they called back. Much to my surprise, the doctor did not request to see me. She called in a prescription for an inhaler to help my lungs rebound. The nurse said that I should feel a difference soon. Last night I started the medicine and it was the first evening that I have not needed my rescue inhaler (of course I had already used it a few hours earlier).

Tuesday I did a two mile Leslie Sansone and it felt great, although I was nervous about having an asthma attack. Now I’m hoping that by the weekend I will get back into the swing of things and be up to it. Feeling as though you are gasping for air and have a brick on your chest when breathing is not something I ever want to experience again.

Lesson learned – DO NOT ignore your body. I learned the hard way and was very lucky. Now I will be watching for walnuts as I walk and kick my way through life.

TheAngelForever

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