Jen's Journal

[Bonnie]

I don't think you can catch sinusitis, its not contagious.I have chronic sinusitis from a low immune system.

[ArtzyJen]

Still not feeling up to par, so I'm not going to push it and work out. I barely feel like eating.

And yeah... I have chronic sinusitis too, Bonnie. I've had sinus surgery twice and I constantly fight bronchitis/pneumonia issues, so much to the point that doctors have done some initial testing on me for Cystic Fibrosis since my son has it. Basic testing ruled out most common gene mutations (I have one carrier gene of the most common- you must have two mutations to have the full-blown disease). So basically I know I'm at the very least a carrier. It's still possible that I carry one of the less common gene mutations (there are 1600 plus mutations and the basic blood panel only tests for 30 of them). The problem is that further testing costs $3500 and insurance will not cover it.

I will say that since I've been working out, I've been much healthier and only had sinusitis twice since July. And my last bout with pneumonia was in June.

[Bonnie]

Yes fitness at the very LEAST gives your body a fighting chance, that a sedentary lifestyle can not.My sinus infections stem from something in this house, possibly the mold they extracted, still need to be tested for that.I have monthly transfusions of Immune globulin to pump up the immune system & still use nasal spray daily, so not sure how effective those transfusions are at $ 3500.00 a dose No I don't pay for them, they are covered.You have worked out hard this week, if your body feels it needs rest, allow it, after all was just recently you had surgery also

[Bonnie]

Boss man where have our faces gone in the forum ?!!

[Boss Man]

A transition period for Fittracker and one or two server things I believe.

Avatars may return soon.

Nasal sprays are pretty much proven largely to be a damp squib, that do little to ward off colds before they take hold.

[ArtzyJen]

Still down with this horrible junk. Went to a doctor. They gave me a shot of Kenalog and put me on Amoxicillin for 10 days. They're basically treating me for a sinus infection, which I do have, but I know the sinus infection is caused by something else. I'm so miserable. This is worse than the strep throat I had a couple of months ago. My nose has cleared up, but now my ears and throat are throbbing. I HATE being sick. I just hope I'm better by Saturday for my first training run for the Half I'm training for. I'm running with the local chapter of Runner's World.

[ArtzyJen]

Finally better enough to work out. Got back to running tonight. Did 5.17 miles!!! Walked .5 miles of it while I was on the phone thanks to my very talkative father :/. Very slow run, but it felt good. Coughed up a bunch of junk and helped clear my lungs too. Have boot camp in the morning, so I'll post again tomorrow. Good to be back!!!

[Bonnie]

I still say we were better off in the days when PHONES were attached to walls.

[ArtzyJen]

I agree on some levels. I should have rejected his call and I didn't. But I love the fact that my phone is my music player and my pedometer.

[ArtzyJen]

Grr!!! I've been banned from running until I stop coughing stuff up. My stupid head cold evolved into bronchitis despite being on antibiotics, so they put me on a different antibiotic and a prescription dose of guafenisen. After my run last night I started wheezing with junk and my chest started hurting, so I ended up going to an urgent care center, thinking it possibly had gone into pneumonia again. At least it's just bronchitis. They put me on a 4x a day dose of Erythromycin. It's totally zapping my energy.

[ArtzyJen]

I'm back. I have been working out sporadically, but I just finished my third round of antibiotics for this lingering cough and it's still not gone. I went to my longtime allergist/immunologist due to being unable to kick this and she is now of the opinion that there is something larger going on. She's launching a full workup on me that will help determine if I have bronchiectasis, atypical CF, or GERD-related chronic bronchitis. I should have a better idea by the end of the month.

I've been back to boot camp for over a week now and I am back to running as well. My doctor said it is ok for me to resume running because it's obviously a chronic issue and it's better for me to run and cough up what I can. Also... We've gotten a home gym, so I'm doing core work at least 4 times a week. I managed to only gain 1.5 lbs over the holidays and got that off in less than a week and am now at a new low.

Anyway... tonight. 4.86 miles in 57 minutes. In 27 degrees with 17 degree wind chill and falling snow!!! I'm starting to feel a bit more like a hard core runner.

I also did a 5k Resolution Run on New Years' Eve in 22 degrees and didn't PR, but managed to be within 35 seconds of my PR, even being sick! I'm proud of myself for pushing through.

[musculargirl]

Almost 5 miles in 27 degree weather and with wind chill, I'd definitely call yourself a hard core runner. Nice to see you back and good for you for exercising even with health issues! Hope you find out what it is and get it taken care of!

[ArtzyJen]

I wasn't feeling well enough to go to boot camp this morning after having a really bad coughing fit last night after my run. I kind of strained my back coughing and have been babying it all day. It's feeling better now, so I think I'll be ok to go tomorrow. I did manage to do a little bit of cardio (20 mins) and thanks to my home gym:

3 sets of 12 rows, 3/12 chest press, 3/12 leg press, 3/12 lat pulldown, 3/12 butterflies, 20 tricep dips

[ArtzyJen]

I've been back to working out some finally. Still not back to normal health-wise, but I'm being treated. I got test results back and I have Mycoplasma (Nicer cousin to whooping cough) and mild atelectasis(collapsed lung- most likely from junk in my lungs). Dr. says it's going to take 2-3 more months for me to get over.

Strange thing is, I haven't been working out as hard for the past month, just watching what I've been eating, less processed stuff, working out maybe 3-4 times a week and the weight is dropping off like crazy... can't figure out what's so different! I've lost 3 lbs in the past week. I'm within 4 lbs of my weight 6 years ago when I got married, which has been one of my major goals since I started this journey 6 months ago.

As for workouts, this weekend weather was nice, so I got out and ran a total of 10 miles this weekend-over 3 days. I've been doing weights at home 3-4 times a week for about 30-45 mins.

[ArtzyJen]

I don't think it's muscle loss. Cardio was the thing I wasn't doing as much of (1-2 times a week). I was still doing weight work 3-4 times a week even when I wasn't doing much cardio. My measurements have remained virtually the same, except for more loss in my hips, waist, and chest. I've been looking back at my food intake and I think I may have figured it out. Lower fat content overall. (about 35 grams a day). Less salt, and very little processed food.