Texas Bound!

I admit, I've been MIA for quite some time. I sort of gave up on myself for a while. I lost all that weight and was pain free so I thought all my problems were weight related. Then the pain came back. And with a vengeance! I've even ended up in urgent care a couple of times because the pain was so intense.

Well, many doctor appointments later, come to find out I have this disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS for short). Basically it's arthritis in the spine and hips that can also effect any other joint in the body as well because it is an autoimmune disease. This disease causes inflammation on the bone (which is the main source of the pain) that eventually leads to the vertebrae in the spine and hips to fuse together. Sounds fun, right? 

For those of you interested, it is pronounced ain-kee-low-sing spawn-di-lie-tis. If you're interested in learning more about this incurable, debilitating, and very painful disease, go to the SAA website HERE.

So fast forward some months, TONS of researching, and reading up on this thing that is trying to lay claim on my body and my life. Turns out exercise and a balanced diet will help slow down the progression of this disease and help manage my symptoms. So I sit here typing this up contemplating how to manage everything on my plate. Single mom. Full time job (as of right now, and hopefully again shortly after my upcoming move). Full time parent. Health & Fitness Coach. Downsizing and packing up my entire house. Rehoming/caring for our fur-babies. Plus picking up some hours doing some data entry work for my mom for her business. Now add to that this... THING, all the doctors appointments that go along with getting it diagnosed, and the appointments to get an effective treatment plan in place. Ain't nobody got time for that!

*sigh*

Let's just say this has not been the greatest year. There are a wealth of other problems that come along with having AS, and apparently life has chosen NOW to hit me with several of them. Thanks life! Much appreciated.

~~~ BUT ~~~

On to bigger and better things. Haha! See what I did there? I'm moving to Texas... where "everything is bigger"! Okay, lame joke. Anyway, in an attempt to prepare myself for my upcoming (roughly) 2,500 mile road trip that is FAST approaching, I've been compiling lists of things/activities to make this trip less painful. Not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally (ever taken a road trip with highly active children?). The most recent list I've been working on is for ways to combat/prevent the painful recourse my body is going to take on me for sitting for HOURS on end, and sleeping however many nights in a bed that is not my own (it has taken several mattress trials to finally find one that is comfortable AND doesn't make me wake up drenched head to toe with sweat).

Among all the suggestions I've found via Google and my AS support group, Epsom Salt baths were recommended. This is not the first time I've been told to take them either. A dear friend told me a few months back that she takes them regularly (she also suffers from chronic EVERYWHERE pain) and swears relief by them. Not completely, but they do help. My dilemma: I loathe taking baths. I feel like a danged beached whale trying to climb in/out of the bath tub. 

Bonus, my neck/head start to hurt if I'm in there for very long. 

So I've been trying to research HOW to use the salts on my neck, shoulders, and lower back without taking a bath. I've only come up with two: 

1. Combine the salts with coconut oil (also VERY good for the skin) and use as a scrub, rinse, then follow up with my preferred lotion. 

2. Put equal parts Epsom Salts and water into a pan, boil to "melt" the salts, then cool and put into a spray bottle to spray and massage into the skin (also an option to rinse and use lotion).

So I turn to you for suggestions now. What is the best (and most travel friendly) way you've found to use Epsom Salts for low back pain/joint pain/inflammation that doesn't involve me reenacting Free Willy? Let me know in the comments!

Confidence

Sitting here going through memory lane (via pictures I've posted on facebook), and I had an epiphany. There are more pictures of me from the last few months than there are from the last 10 years. Okay, I haven't had a facebook account THAT long, I believe I created it after I gave birth to my son to share pictures of him (and my girls) with my family that live out of state, and also with my friends. I LOVE sharing about them. I am definitely a proud mom!

It just amazes me at the level of confidence I have gained over the last few months. I used to be that mom who was so ashamed of her body that she just wanted to shrink into the wall or under a rock and hide. I did not feel worthy of anyone's love. Let alone the love of my children.

I see that now only because I no longer feel that way. No, I am not completely comfortable with my size yet. But I am not so shy anymore. I actually make eye contact with strangers. I smile at people more. I say hello to the random person in the grocery aisle. I am more comfortable (not completely yet) chatting up a stranger about some random topic (appropriate to the items we are browsing or events around us of course).

No, I didn't find a magic pill. No, I haven't been going to counseling. No, I didn't join some women's empowerment group. Well, not really. I DID join in with an amazing group of women (and men) who are focused on making their lives (and the lives of everyone they can touch) BETTER. We have a hurting world full of hurting people. I am so lucky to have been introduced to this group of people who have helped me gain confidence, and self esteem. Who have supported me on my journey to health (physically, emotionally, and mentally).

I am happy to say I have lost 36 pounds and about as many inches over the last 3 months. Plus, I am no longer taking the nerve medication I was taking three times a day (with a double dose at bedtime) for my chronic back pain. But what amazes me the most is what I have gained! I have gained friendships, family, love (from others, to others, and to myself), confidence, self esteem, 'new' wardrobe (went shopping in my closet, lol), knowledge, faith, hope, and healing (just to name a few things).

To learn more about my journey and what I've been doing, visit my profile.

Who I Am, and Where I Started

Hey, you found my blog! Sweet! Well, my name is Stephanie. I am a single mom to three amazing kiddos. Although, they have their not so amazing moments I will admit. My son is 5 (a total mama's boy!), and my girls are 8 (my trouble maker), and 10 (such a tween and yet such a little mommy). I have struggled with weight and a positive self image for as long as I can remember. Enter my crazy relationships that produced my three lovely children and then brought my ex and I together. I know God has paved my life this way for a reason. I just can't figure that reason out yet.

These last 14 months have been a roller coaster of events and emotions. Lost many relationships but gained many more. Got sucked into a despair of depression. All the weight I had lost after my son was born I gained back, plus a few extra. The heaviest I have ever seen in my life is 236lbs on September 1st, 2014 when my kids and I moved into our current apartment. That was a wake-up call for me. I was tired of the constant back pain, and constantly feeling like I wasn't good enough. 

So I decided to lose weight. For good. I started by restricting my calories by A LOT and walking almost every day. At first it was just around the block because that's all my back could handle. Then it was several trips around the block a couple times a day (because that's all I had time for). I managed to lose about 15 pounds, but I noticed I was starting to have other issues with my body. Losing hair is not something new to me, I shed a LOT. But I was losing more than normal. Plus I was constantly tired, having diarrhea, headaches almost every day, and very very irritable.

Then a friend from high school shared about her experience with clean eating and PiYo and it caught my attention. I asked her a few questions like, what the heck is PiYo (pronounce Pie-Oh), and is it safe for someone with chronic back pain. Little did I know she suffered from back pain also and has no problems with PiYo. Okay, I was sold on that. Where do I buy it? Well then she invited me to a 7 Day Challenge and it changed my life! I learned how to eat the right kinds of foods, and a LOT of it too. I felt soo much better, and happier, and I was still losing weight!

I lost 5 pounds in my first week on the 21 Day Fix eating plan with my first 7 day Clean Eating group on Facebook. Okay Kels, I'm hooked, where do I sign up to be a coach so I can help other people feel this amazing?!

In the last 3 weeks I have gotten down to 209lbs by eating a TON of clean foods, drinking enough water (on most days), and exercising. Not even exercising every day! There have been days when I just physically couldn't because I was either sore (haha, yep, I was that out of shape), or sick (had a few sick days the last few weeks, darn kids), and there has even been a couple days where I was battling a migraine (I have suffered from migraines for about 10 years).

I have a natural food aversion, so I am working on getting over this as my body needs food to survive and thrive. It is what fuels us to function at our best. So taking it one food at a time and discovering all the great ways I can enjoy it. Thanks to Kelsey, I have found an amazing group of women to help me not only gain (I can't say regain because I've never been at a healthy weight) health and fitness, as well as develop a better me and some pretty great friendships. I will forever be thankful to her for her generosity and for introducing me to such an amazing new lifestyle. I feel confident that I will be able to teach my children healthy habits by example and not just by word.

I am currently in my first week (Day Two) of my first 21 Day Challenge with Beachbody and I continue to see progess that is amazing. I have dropped 2 pant sizes since the beginning of my journey. With Beachbody alone I have lost 12 pounds and 12 inches in the last three weeks! Amazing results with such a simple and easy process!

November 2014                    June 2009