Monday, May 13, 2013

A Story About Patience, Friendship, and a Mug

This is the story of a woman (me) who has a strange obsession with having the exact right tea mug, learning to patient, and a friend who reunites this woman with her mug.  

I am a huge hot tea drinker and have a few demands for the perfect tea mug.  First, it has to feel right in my hands. Since I am right handed and the fingers on my right hand don't bend completely, I need a handle that allows plenty of finger room yet isn't too thick or too thin.  Next, the mug needs to reflect my personality and call out to me that it is right for me.  I like to have a connection with my mug.  Lastly, it needs to be distinct enough that everyone knows it is mine and won't use it.  Several years ago, I found the perfect mug at Starbucks.  I loved the colors and the feel of it in my hand.  The connection was immediate.  When RA Guy, Lene Andersen, and I began working on photos for the first Our Hands Can! Photo Book produced by Show Us Your Hands!, I submitted a photo of my hands lifting my mug.


For quite a while, my mug and I enjoyed each day together. Then one day,  I made a big mistake. I decided to take my mug with me in the car.  I had done this many times before, but this time it was different because I  was also holding onto the leash of a very excited border collie.  The mug fell out of my hand, onto the porch, and broke into many pieces.  My heart was so sad. I felt like I had lost a friend. 

Now, you may think, "It was just a mug.  What's the big deal?"  You are right.  It was just a mug, but it was MY mug.  It had shared many cups of tea with me along with many conversations, tears, and happy moments. I felt a connection to it.  For over a year I have been checking out mugs in coffee houses and stores.  My daughter keeps rolling her eyes and saying, "Mom, just buy it.  It is cute."  I hold the mug in my hand, think about how it will feel on a daily basis, and end up not buying it.  The mug never seems to call out to me that it is the right one for me. Occasionally  I think, "Maybe I can make this the right one."  But as we know with love, we can't force someone or something to be something it isn't.  So, I have been patient.  I have reminded myself over and over that the right mug will come along.  Just be patient.  

Last week I received a message from my good friend Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy.  He was at a baseball game and spotted a mug that reminded him of mine.  When I saw the photo, I burst out laughing because the mug he saw in the hands of the gal sitting next to him at a ball game was the EXACT replica as the one I had broken.   I messaged him back to snatch the mug when the lady turned her head.  Luckily, he is more honest than me and simply told the gal my tea mug story and showed her a photo of it on the site.  She washed out the mug she had bought at a second hand store and gave it to him to give to me.

Today, my mug arrived!!!!!  It is nice to have my long lost connection back in my own hands. And now, it is even better because this new one comes with a story of its own.  I am glad that I was patient and waited rather than jumping on the first good looking mug.  Sometimes the best things come with patience and of course having a good friend keeping you in mind at all times doesn't hurt either.  Thanks Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy.  You are the best.     

Friday, May 10, 2013

Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis More Than Just a Cure



There is a lot of discussion on blogs, websites, and Facebook pages about the connection between rheumatoid arthritis and diet.  Many people try a gluten free diet for a month or two and then deem it useless and move on.  Some people remove processed foods for a while and then decide it takes too much work. Others say diet is a waste of time.  Making dietary changes is hard, I agree. But whether or not diet "cures" rheumatoid arthritis, I believe it is one of the best gifts you can give yourself when dealing with RA.

My own personal journey with rheumatoid arthritis and diet has not led to a cure of the disease as I originally hoped for.  Instead it has allowed me to focus on how my individual body reacts to foods.  It has improved my skin, my digestion, weird twitches in my nose and fingers, and more. This did not happen by eliminating a food for a short time - I was lucky to work with a naturopath who insisted I eliminate foods until I saw some obvious changes.  After eliminating wheat, dairy, nightshades, citrus, sugar, and peanuts and focusing on making all of my own food for about nine months, my inflammation rates went down and I was able to stop taking prednisone that I had been on for a while.

Initially I focused only on diet as a way of lowering my inflammation rates, but once I started eating well, I found I had a new respect for my overall self.  I started digging deeper into who I am.  What were my life goals?  My relationship goals?  My spiritual goals?  What was preventing me from accomplishing what I wanted in each of these areas?  I started meditating and respecting my need for lots of down time.  I started working out in a new way using more weights than cardio workouts.  I found that I like having a strong body.  I worked on relationships.  I cried a lot as I worked at finding a better, more content me.  With each of these changes, I found that my body felt better.  Diet gave me control over my life at a time that it seemed everything was out of my control.  It was the first step towards creating a better me.

Many times when living with a disease such as rheumatoid arthritis we ask, "Why me?"  We get angry at people for not understanding how we feel or saying the wrong thing to us.  But what if we took our current situation, rheumatoid arthritis, and focused on it as being a lesson in life that has been given to us not only to make us a healthier person but also to make us a more content person?  While I may not be able to stop a flare, I do know from paying attention to my own body that by reducing stressful situations, I can prevent many of them.  I know that consuming too much sugar is going to give me stiff hands the following morning.  I can become aware of the day to day signs my body gives me that I am not treating it well.

Diet is a starting point to making our overall selves healthier.While I don't think rheumatoid arthritis is a punishment for anything we have or haven't done in our lives, I do believe it is gift that has many lessons to teach us.  I also believe that diet can be the first step towards giving ourselves the respect and attention it deserves.  Once we figure out that eating crap day after day is not what our body is asking us for, we can move on to figuring out more of what our body does want from us.

Right now my weight is up about 15-20 pounds.  Maybe that doesn't seem a lot, but on a 5'0 frame, it makes a huge difference and I don't feel happy where I am at right now aesthetically, but more importantly because I know that the extra weight does not create a healthy me.  Rather than hurrying to reduce calories and lose weight, I am focusing on why I have an extra 15-20 pounds of weight on my body right now. What is the lesson here?  I trust in the wisdom of my body and my body is holding onto this weight for a reason.  It is my job to get to the root of it.  I still have much to learn about myself and this extra weight I am carrying around is just another reminder to me that I have work to do. As I do good things for myself like skip the glass of wine that sounds so good or pack a nutritious lunch for a busy day, I know that I am not only controlling my weight but also treated myself with respect. I feel lucky that my body gives me signs something is out of whack and I am glad that I listen.  Without diet, I don't think I would be to this point. So, while it may not cure the disease, diet definitely has an important place in our rheumatoid arthritis treatment plan.  It makes life easier and transitions us to learning more about ourselves which in turn makes us happier and healthier.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Exercises For All Levels of RA

I am so proud to be a part of this video. I found myself saying over and over, "Remember when I couldn't ___________." This video was a great way for me to reflect on how far I have come phyically and emotionally with rheumatoid arthritis. I am really proud of myself .

Monday, May 6, 2013

The Truth of a Fortune Cookie

"You have the ability to touch the lives of many people." 
Fortune  Cookie

Although I don't eat fortune cookies due to the gluten, I always open one when we order Chinese from PF Chang's gluten free menu.  When I read one that connects with me, I keep it on my desk for several weeks reading it over and over again.  I often have ideas of how the fortune applies to me, but like to let it sit and see what transpires. 

The connection I felt to this fortune was revealed to me as my Saturday class came to a close over the weekend.  Throughout the morning, students thanked me for being so patient with them. They told me they like my teaching style. Since most of us have been together all year, they wanted to know if I would be teaching  the same class in the fall.  (I hope so!)  All of this positive feedback made me know in my heart that I have indeed touched many lives.  My fortune had come true.  

After meeting one on one with the last student, I walked next door where I knew the students had brought food to share and were patiently waiting on me to eat.  What I didn't know was that I would be met with a round of applause as I walked through the door.  A student said, "This is for you Teacher Cathy."   There was tons of food along with a cake, a card signed by everyone with lovely notes, and a beautiful potted plant for me to take home.  Wow!  I felt so special.   




I think what my students don't realize is that I get as much out of the classes as they do.  This class in particular has been very special to me.  It was a big class that met for four hours every Saturday and rather than having them for eight weeks-16 weeks as I normally do, I had them all year long so we really got to know each other.  The personalities in this group were BIG and they  were excited about learning not only what was in the curriculum, but often brought things from the outside world to ask about.  One gal is part of a non-profit start up to help educate children, especially girls, in Sudan.  She often brought questions and need for edits to class.  Another student has many English speaking friends and they often point out mistakes in his text messages.  He was sure "I am boring," was correct and his friends were wrong when they said, "You are bored."  When he explained his theory, I knew he was thinking the right way, but unfortunately wasn't correct on this one.  I liked that he challenged his friends though. One student uses English at work but often struggles with vocabulary.  It brought a lot of satisfaction when she would say, "I hear that word a lot, but I never knew what it meant."  Many days she would bring additional words for us to talk about.   This class kept me on my toes from the start to finish.  After our four hours together, my brain was exhausted in a way I have never experienced with other classes.  This group of students was made up of nine different nationalities.  Watching students from various countries get off track from their group assignment to go to the map and show where they lived or explain their culture was the kind of  distraction a teacher can't help but be okay with.  Honestly, I am so lucky to have the job I have.  I love going to work knowing that I am appreciated and that I am touching the lives of many people. I am glad my fortune spoke the truth.