Where's the Beach?

Saturday morning I ran my first 10K. I've done my share of 5K races, which I can't stand. Then I moved right into half marathons because I fell for the longer distances. Around here, we don't have many half marathons or 10K races actually. Oh and I really don't like racing, so I've never had the urge to sign up for a 10K. But this year, well, it was different. I've never done one, my pace has gotten better, and I felt the need to prove something. Finding out that I had a blood clot in December has definitely changed my perspective on so many things. First off, I wasn't sure I'd run again. Not just the coming back from being idle, but the blood clot ordeal itself, my overall health. It was hard. Beyond hard. Not only physically, but mentally. I question every single twinge, possible pain, even shortness of breath. I worry that I have clots forming constantly - like they are invading my body. So to have already run a half marathon means so much more than...

So, I guess the most important thing about this post is the talk about my CT scan results. Officially blood-clot free! I will spare you all the very frustrating, annoying details about doctors, waiting, waiting, needles, more waiting. All that matters, really, is that the clot is gone. I will be on Xarelto for another six months, at least. I may not ever really know the cause of the clot. This, of course, is a bit unsettling. I feel like I'll always have this huge "what if" hanging over my head. Just waiting for another one essentially. Waiting, and hoping that it's caught in time. I was off work on Friday, and spending almost the whole day in the doctors' offices is not the ideal way to spend a day off from work. But, I will say that my sister being there with me meant the world. It's not fun to spend time waiting, especially in such a depressing type of clinic. But she did. And she never complained. After my scan, we both went and got our hair cut then...

Today I will be spending a good portion of my day at the doctors' offices. I have to get a CT scan to see if the blood clot is gone and to make sure there were not any others in my lungs. This sounds simple enough except that I am insanely claustrophobic. Have also I mentioned how much I hate needles? Well, I do. Not only do I have to do another flipping blood draw, but they will be giving me an IV. So, double needles plus being stuck into a tube, all adds up to one very very anxious Heather. My sister is going with me though. She was already off work and offered. We'll be there for the scan then both going to get our hair done before having to go back for the results. Jason will come to the doctor's office later when the results are in. He just couldn't take off a full day to sit around, and I don't blame him. The hematology/oncology clinic is absolutely not a fun place to be. Speaking of fun, let's jump right into some fun for the day. I know I will need...

Blood Clots & Plantar Fasciitis  I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely getting twitchy for the weekend. It didn't help that I knew I had a follow-up appointment at 7:45 this morning with the hematologist. I just hate hate knowing that I'm about to have to have blood drawn. Doesn't make for a pleasant morning. I also hate going to the doctor, waiting waiting waiting, and then not really hearing anything new. So, not really any follow-up news for me to report other than a scheduled CT scan at the end of the month to see if the clot is still there. The scan will be of the clavicle area where the clot was and where I still have a weird pain as well as my chest just to see if I've had any clots in my lungs - as I did have shortness of breath previously. They never did take a scan of my chest initially. On the upside, I did get to finally run this morning with my friend. It was my first run since my half marathon. I've been babying my foot lik...

I've had some really random thoughts and ideas going on as well as things to share. So I thought this would be perfect for a Thursday Thoughts and Things post. This is my "I'm thinking" look also showing how I look when I don't dress myself up & put on makeup.  (and wow, am I really leaving that picture for all to see?) Thin Blood/Oxygen Relationship?  I've been running crazy fast times lately with my running partner. This hasn't been intentional by any means. I have honestly been trying to just get comfortable with running again and slowly trying to add distance in. I've been learning about the training effect and how exercise can increase your capillaries as well as improve your overall cardio function. In other words, more oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to your hard-working muscles. This got me to thinking, could the blood thinners, in other words, thinner blood mean even easier blood flow? Greater output of this oxygen-rich blood?...

Working it Out Yesterday I ended up going for a run after work. I wasn't feeling the best. Not sure how to explain it, almost nauseous but not quite, upper tummy area hurting. I was going to just play any workout by ear (or tummy as the case was). My plan was just to see what I could do. I thought the fresh air might help make me feel better. And it actually did. It was a little chilly at the start, my thumbs were frozen, but the air felt great on my face. I did right at 3 miles. I was feeling so much better after the run, endorphins I'm sure, so I decided to take a little spin on my bike (on the trainer mind you). I cranked up the music and got to it. I wasn't sure what my plan was going to be, just spin and play around with the gears or try out a trainer workout from Angela at Happy Fit Mama . I didn't write it down though, and ended up sort of making up my own workout. I think it was a pretty darn good one too and was happy to have her inspiration to make up my ...

This isn't super fun for Fun for Friday , but I do still get questions about the blood clot situation. I had another follow-up appointment yesterday, so I thought I'd share about that. Source: katelynapplegate.com via Janessa on Pinterest My appointment was at 11:30. I got there at 11:25 and was promptly taken back to do lab work and vitals. Unfortunately the guy who did the blood draw this time was not nearly as gentle as the previous lady. It hurt like heck and is all bruised up. Have I mentioned how much I hate needles, shots, blood draws? After that I was sent back to the waiting room. It was packed just as it was the last time. It looked like the majority of people were there for chemo. But apparently that didn't mean I'd get in to see the doctor any quicker. After 2 1/2 hours, all patience was gone. Jason had taken time off work to be there with me, so he was getting really antsy too. At 3 hours into the wait (no lunch yet by the way), I finally go...

This weekend I completed my first 5 by the 5th run. I think that might trump just about everything else that happened over the weekend. Though I did enjoy a nice lunch with Jason on Saturday then a girls' afternoon of shopping and eating with my bestie. AND I got to run again with my running buddy. It was a pretty good weekend ;-) Before I found out I had this blood clot, I signed up for the 5 by 5th Virtual Run Series that Laura from Mommy Run Fast has put together. I was worried I wouldn't be able to participate (at least in January), but luckily I got the ok to run, and now I have a goal to work for each month. Basically, the “5 by the 5th” – a virtual race series in which we run (or race!) a 5k or 5 mile run by the 5th of each month, from January to June, 2013. I've never done a virtual race before, so I thought this would be fun to be a part of. I barely made my 5 by the 5th this month. But am so thankful that I was able to do it! It was hard . I had ...

Eat Your Veggies Salad I'll start with something lighter before moving on to the nitty gritty. Last night I decided to roast up the beets and butternut squash I had on hand. I had originally wanted to use the beets to try to recreate a salad I had out, but decided I wanted to do more of a roasted veggie salad. What ended up happening was a concoction of roasted beets and butternut squash with wheat berries (was going to us quinoa but was out), chickpeas, spinach, Honeycrisp apple, feta, and an orange vinaigrette. The vinaigrette started off with orange juice, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, agave, salt, pepper, olive oil. Jason took over and added in minced shallots, Dijon mustard, garlic powder. The apples did take it more towards a warmer weather dish, but the veggies were still warm as were the wheat berries. I did like how the apples added both crunch and a hint of sweetness to help offset the earthiness of the beets. I am glad I went with the wheat berries. ...

Recapping This weekend was pretty good. I was able to get out of the house for a bit on Saturday. Jason and I walked close to 4 miles before getting ready. I actually put on real clothes, did my makeup AND hair. I felt human again. The weather was fantastic - about 70 degrees and sunny. The first stop was my piece of hell on earth - Toys R Us. I needed to get a doll for my niece and had a Groupon that could only be used in stores. Of course. I would have gone earlier, but the whole blood clot ordeal has cramped my style. I walked in and the lines were all the way into the aisles. Carts piled high with toys, and screaming, crying, cranky kids abound. Fun. I found the doll quickly and was so lucky to have ended up in line behind a very kind lady. I think she saw the terror in my eyes as I clutched that darn doll tightly. She let me go in front of her as I only had the one item. I guess some people are still kind after all. We had a few more stops to make for other gifts that I had...

I almost went another route with Fun Facts Friday, but since I've been working from home and put on exercise sabaticle, I thought I'd share some random things I've learned since discovering I have this blood clot. Though, I did finally get to go for a walk yesterday - 1.5 miles. I am so glad we have mild weather. It was sunny, about 54 degrees. Definitely cooler for walking vs running, but I was happy to be moving at least. So, here are some things I've learned from being idle, from working at home, and being able to do no more than go for a walk. I have more patience than I ever realized I have never been more thankful to be able to work than I am now - I can't imagine not having work to do and being stuck home Walking takes way longer than I expected  I love waking up, brushing teeth, putting in contacts and simply walking downstairs to start work I actually felt more vulnerable walking vs running People tend to look at you a little funnier w...

Doctor's Visit Follow Up I've had so many of you asking how the doctor's visit went yesterday. So, I thought I'd do a quick post to share with you all. Basically, not much to report. The good news is that the swelling, redness, pain that was all around my neck area is definitely going down. That's great because it means I can do simple things like raise up my arm without pain. Of course, as that feels better, it makes it harder to remember that I still have this clot. Of course, if you look at my neck, you can see the vein straining out. The bad news was that it could take 6-8 weeks for the clot to completely dissolve. I was hoping for more like 2-3 weeks. He did say that on Thursday he thought it would be ok for me to at least get out for a walk and said that we would slowly start adding back in activity. He also suggested doing a heat compress, that it might help the dissolving process. You better believe I'm trying it out! My initial panel of blood w...

Blown Away Gosh, you guys sure know how to make a girl teary-eyed. I want to thank everyone for your incredible words of kindness, support, and positivity after Friday's post . And the support went above and beyond with so many of you dedicating your miles or workouts to me. Seriously, you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you ladies for running and lifting for me! Jen from Running with the Girls Kierston at Candy Fit Christine from Love Life Surf Angela from Happy Fit Mama Jolene at Determined to Be I also appreciate all of your emails, direct messages, Facebook and twitter messages. Seriously blown away by the support of so many people who've never even met me. It's just amazing. Simply amazing. The Weekend This weekend was actually pretty good. My sister was in town on Friday for a follow-up appointment for my nephew. So, she stopped by the house and also took me to Hobby Lobby so I could pick up some picture frames. Unfortunately she didn...

I didn't really feel up to writing a Fun Facts Friday post. Right now I'm not feeling too "fun." I have had so many of you email me asking more about what's going on, what a blood clot means, and how I'm being treated. So, I thought I'd answer a few questions, maybe share some of my feelings about this as well. How Did it Happen? Last Friday I had gone for a run, come back and stretched like normal. I stood up to roll up my yoga mat and felt a strange, almost pinch near my clavicle. I pushed around trying to pinpoint the cause of the pain, but never could find "the spot." Saturday I kept feeling strange pain but didn't really think much of it. Sunday morning, however, I woke up with a swelling right at my clavicle. It hurt like crazy and just continued to get worse throughout the day. The whole area near my clavicle was swollen, red, hot. There is a lymph node right in that area called the supraclavicular lymph node. Since I had bee...

Well, this morning I went back to the doctor thinking I'd end up with another painful antibiotic shot. Instead I was sent to the hospital for an ultrasound. The concern was a blood clot in my neck. I wish I would have eaten breakfast is all I can say. I had expected to be at work by the time they were checking me in to the hospital. Long story short - blood clot. My doctor wanted to try a new treatment using Xarelto rather than put me in the hospital for the traditional treatment. All I know is that I'm kind of scared. I was told not to do anything either so any form of stress relief I have always turned to, running or lifting, I can no longer do. I don't know how long I'm going to be unable to be active either. My course of medication is 21 days with frequent trips back for blood work and monitoring. So today I need to find things to be thankful for rather than worrying about something I can't fix right away. I'm thankful for: My husband for either ma...