Thursday, May 4, 2017

Lupus Awareness & Kidney Stones: Thinking Out Loud #35

Happy Thursday! This week has been a bit of a blur. I've had my days all mixed up this week so every day I've been left questioning what day it actually was🙈 I think all the rain and pain (totally did not mean to rhyme) have been messing with my brain. Before I start whipping out anymore rhymes let's jump into this weeks thinking out loud


1. The past week and half have been rather rough dealing with lupus pain and side effects from one of the medications I am on for it. I was basically stuck in bed all weekend and food wasn't even remotely appealing. Sunday night I did get some nutrients in me with a smoothie bowl and I got a few requests for this recipe that I shared on my instagram story. I blended frozen pineapple, blackberries, strawberries, a small chunk of banana, almond milk, and Vega chocolate protein until smooth. I topped it with strawberry slices, blueberries, raspberries, and chia seed granola. 

2. Monday morning I finally dragged myself to the doctor because the pain, nausea and other symptoms were not going away. After all was said and done I was diagnosed with a kidney stone (an ultrasound this morning confirmed that diagnosis). Maybe I'm blissfully ignorant but I had no clue that young people could get kidney stones. I was told that because I have lupus I'm at a higher risk to have kidney stones and ovarian cysts (which I've had a lot of) because of lupus. While I wait for the stone to pass or if it doesn't I get to have it lasered I can't run because the back pain makes it hard to do much of anything. The doctor gave me permission to do very light lifting and gentle yoga, but I have to stop if it hurts. If you have any tips on how to ease kidney stone pain please let me know!


3. I had also shared a shot of my new Calia shorts and I got a number of questions about where I got them. I bought them online from Dick's Sporting Goods, you can see them here. I am not in any way shape or form affiliated or sponsored by Calia I just genuinely love the clothes. I have never been one to drop a lot of money on workout clothes because I get sweaty, the get worn constantly, and then they have to be replaced. Running shorts have always been a struggle for me because I could never find a pair that didn't chafe me after a given distance. I own a number of pairs of Calia running shorts and they are by far the best shorts I've ever owned. They are comfortable, they give you room to breathe and don't let sweat stick to you, and I never have to pull them up or adjust them while running. Hands down the best investment I've made for comfort while running or lifting. Plus there are a ton of cute prints so you can look cute while getting your sweat on! 


4. My nutcase of a dog has FINALLY learned that she won't be allowed outside after I eat breakfast if she doesn't behave while I'm making and eating breakfast. Now when I go to find her after I've eaten I almost always find her looking something like this. Laying down surrounded by toys looking totally innocent. She is far from innocent, but she's cute so sometimes she gets away with things. Lord knows when she cocks her head at me when I'm talking to her that she can get away with just about anything. I'm a terrible dog parent I know. 


5. I get asked a LOT about what I eat for breakfast and honestly I'm a creature of habit. I have oatmeal basically every day for breakfast because it's easy and actually holds me. I mix gluten free oats with two tablespoons of Bob's Red Mill protein powder and top it with a mixture of fruit and honey. Usually I try to have a mixture of berries, but recently I've been using all sorts of different fruit just because berries have been so expensive. 


6. I actually took some time and meal prepped this week, which I haven't done in awhile, but I have been LOVING this combo recently. It's a turkey taco bowl of sorts👉 spring mix lettuce, cherry tomatoes, carrots, red cabbage, avocado, olives, dried cherries, and chopped up turkey burger topped with peach mango salsa. It may sound like a strange combo but it's so good😋


7. I'm making my second attempt at reading Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst. The book has been recommended to my by countless friends, so I picked up a copy right when it came out and I started reading it right away, but my dad started going in and out of the hospital so the book got pushed to the side. Here's to hoping the second time is the charm.


8. I did a little happy dance on Wednesday because the sun finally came out🌤 it's been raining here pretty much for a week nonstop so I was beyond excited to see the sun. Cora has been moping around too because she is not a fan of the rain either. We spent basically all day outside soaking up vitamin D. I definitely need to move to Cali so I can soak up all the sun I miss by living in the arctic. 


9. Lastly I wast to say a huge THANK YOU for all the support I've gotten on my lupus awareness month post. The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming and it sincerely means the world to me. Lupus is often overlooked because so much funding is poured into cancer research. Raising awareness of the disease is so important to me as someone who suffers from the disease, but also because the more people who know about the disease the easier it is to get funding for research. Next Wednesday, May 10 in honor of World Lupus Day I will be sharing more of my lupus story to raise awareness, but also to give people who have never heard of the disease insight into what it's like to live with lupus. Just thank you again for all of your support💜💜

Have a great Thursday and an amazing weekend!!

What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day? 

2 comments:

  1. I would love to hear your thoughts on that book. Also I'm praying for you Rachael; my heart always hurts to think of how much you've gone through, and yet I'm thankful that God has sustained you in such a marvelous way. <3 <3 Hug.

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