Wedding Advice Requested

You may or may not know this, but I am engaged to be married in 99 days!  The big day is fast approaching and I need the advice of my Sick Chick community.

I've been on the fence over a very important issue:  The guest list.

Here is my problem.  I am considering inviting my rheumy.  I've known him longer than I've known my fiancé, and he brought me back to life when RA stripped the life right on out of me.  On my list of important men in my life, his name definitely lands somewhere in the Top 10.

I do not, however, want him to feel obligated to come (he likely won't) OR to send a gift.  In my opinion, it's more of a gesture than anything else.  Also, what if he does come!?!  I do plan to have a few cocktails, and although he's definitely given me the green light to enjoy them in moderation, I don't want to give him any reason to be concerned.  Who would I seat him with?  What would he think of my family?

I am leaning towards extending the invitation, knowing that it is highly unlikely he would come.  What do you think?

xo
Kat

Happy "New" New Year!

I hope you all rang in the New Year with joy and festivities and good health.  I know you are thinking that this girl is completely insane.  It’s already March 1^st and she is wishing me a Happy New Year!?!  But, really, can’t a New Year start any day of the year?  It's a "new" year as of today. 

You know, I am feeling a bit guilty.  I wanted to contribute regularly to this blog…but life has just gotten in the way (as it always does).  

I vow that my "New" New Year’s resolution will be to update this blog and share with you thoughts, opinions, insights, interesting articles, and other such items to help engage in a conversation and create a community with all you sick chicks, sick dudes, and friends and families of my little sicklets. 

With that being said, hit me up in the comments.  Let me know how you started your New Year, and what your "New" New Year’s resolution is going to be.  I can’t wait to hear from you!

xo

Kat

One Sick Chick's Top Three Tips for a Happy Holiday!

The season of merry is officially upon us!  With it comes visions of sugar plums, toys a-plenty, and, for the very lucky chronically ill, usually a flare or two.  Here on the East Coast, the weather has been surprisingly mild (knock on wood a million times over), so RA pain has been minimal - for me at least.

But the holidays can be overwhelming to any chick, not just a sick one.  And we sick ones have the added fun of possibly finding a painful flare at the bottom of our Christmas stockings!

To get through the holidays with ease and charm, try out one or all of my Sick Chick's Top Three Tips for a Happy Holiday!

1.  Don't Do It All:  Or rather, Don't Do It All Alone.  If you are anything like me, your to-do list is never ending:  gifts, cards, decorations, wrapping, baking - when will it ever stop?  Goodbye, Sanity...Hello, Fatigue!  The holidays are meant to be celebrated with your loved ones, who will surely help if you just ask.  Remember:  You are not in this alone.

2.  Shop Online:  Personally, I could never stand the malls at this time of year, even pre-RA.  Nowadays, I avoid them at all costs.  The crowds make me uncomfortable, the lines make me achy, and I'd prefer not to have to walk a mile before I even make it into the store.  Shop online:  You can compare prices, hunt for bargains (Living Rich With Coupons curates the best deals!) and coupon codes (try Retail Me Not), and click your way through your shopping list.

3.  Stay Away From Sweets:  Who am I kidding?  I am telling people to stay away from sweets and that is nearly impossible for me to do!  Here is the thing, though:  We know chocolate can be a flare-trigger for some.  Even if that is not you, consuming too many baked goods or candy makes even the non-chronically ill sluggish.  So rather than staying away from them, try to limit yourself to one or two favorites.  You will feel better, and your waistline will thank you!

So, Sick Chicks and Dudes, what tips do you have for a totally awesome and flare-free festive season?  Let us know in the comments!  Or tell me how you made out with my top three tips!

xo

Kat

NYC Marathon: Seven Lessons Learned

I learned a lot from my experience in the 2011 NYC Marathon.  From the training, to the fundraising, and, of course, from the actual race itself, there were lessons at every turn.  The marathon truly tested my mental, physical, and emotional well-being and it's safe to say that I am a stronger person because of it.

Here are the top seven things I learned from finishing my first marathon:

Generosity:  I can't say thank you enough to all the people that supported me:  financially and emotionally.  Family, friends, and strangers were overly generous with their donations, kind words, and inspiration.

Just Ask:  When I first signed up to be part of the Arthritis Foundation's marathon team, I had just wrapped up participating in the NYC Arthritis Walk with the Sick Chick Club.  I had raised over 1k for that event, and felt guilty going around to the same friends and family members for more donations.  I developed a plan to reach out to businesses and organizations that I truly loved and supported and asked them for donations in creative ways.  I was amazed at how generous some of these companies were!  Monetary donations, shout outs, articles, free goods - I am still humbled by the outpouring.

You Can't Train Enough:  Somewhere at the end of the summer, I stopped taking my training seriously.  This was a big mistake.  You cannot train enough.  I should have been running more, running longer, stretching, cross and strength training.  But I was tired.  And had other things to do.  And a million excuses.  There are no excuses.  You need to train.  26.2 miles is a lot longer when you don't train enough.  Trust me, I know.

Inspiration:  I can't tell you how much it meant to me to read the comments left here on this blog by individuals who said I've inspired them.  It's hard for me to believe that I could be an inspiration, and this was a role that I did not take lightly.  I thought about every comment I read during the course of the marathon, and also the kind words of encouragement from family and friends.  I hope I can continue to inspire you all.

You Can't Train Enough (Part 2):  Ignore what I wrote earlier, you literally cannot train enough.  Nothing can prepare you for  26.2 miles.  Nothing.  At some point, it becomes less about the physical test and more about the mental games you play with yourself.  Just keep one foot after another and cry if you want to cry, or laugh if you want to laugh - just keep going.  (I both cried and laughed numerous times on the course.)

It's a Mind Battle:  Whether you want to admit it or not, when you are training for a marathon, it is on your brain - constantly.  I can't say that a day passed from the time I signed up until, well, today, that I have not thought about the marathon.  Some days it weighed heavily on my mind, other days it was just in the back of my head somewhere.  But it was always there.  Always.  This giant, looming monster of the unknown.

No Regrets:  When I first finished the marathon, and for a few days after, I felt ashamed by my finish time.  I had expected to do much, much better than I did.  However, my toes ceased being toes and became blisters.  The pain was unbearable.  My sister struggled with runner's knee, which she was in physical therapy for prior to the marathon.  But we stuck with each other and we finished.  I am growing more and more proud of that accomplishment as the days and weeks pass - after all, not many people attempt this, and even less attempt it when they live with an autoimmune disease like RA.  

I have no regrets about the marathon.  I am grateful to have learned these lessons.  Why?  Because I am ready to apply them to marathon #2... (in a few years).

xoxo

Kat

NYC Marathon: Highlights

It's been a little over a week since the NYC Marathon.  The aches and pains have gone away, the blisters have faded, and all that's left are the memories.  What follows is a short recap of what I consider to be the highlights of the race:

My Fellow Runners
What a critical mass!  It's amazing to see the sheer number of people undertaking this great challenge.  It felt good to be part of such a group.

The Crowd
Hands down, the best part of the marathon started the moment our feet left the Verrazzano Bridge, and someone shouted, "Welcome to Brooklyn!"  It didn't stop there - Brooklyn was amazing.  The crowd was vibrant and rowdy, shouting out the names of runners as they went by.  (Many of us had our names printed or ironed onto our shirts - I felt like a celebrity every time shouted "Kat!")  There was live music along the route, along with DJs, and even just locals blasting music from their apartment or car.  What's even better, many spectators had runner's essentials:  tissues, water, chocolate!

The Views
Some of the views of the city were breathtaking!  Crossing over the Pulaski Bridge from Brooklyn to Queens was a very cool moment for me.  Partly because we were entering MY old neighborhood of Long Island City and partly because that afforded us the most amazing view of the NYC skyline.

Support & Energy
Just when we would get tired and think we could go no further, we'd see someone or something on the side of the course to give us the courage to go forward.  My father met up with us at multiple points along the course; we saw friends, family members, celebrities - we stopped to take a picture with Carolina for the Elvis Duran radio show!  Thank you to everyone for being there - especially to fellow Sick Chick Jodi, who was there cheering me on in BK!

The Finish
It took me a LONG TIME to finish.  I will get into that in a later post.  There were times that I was sure I would not be able to finish.  But I did.  And what means the most to me is that I finished right alongside my sister, Adrienne.  Throughout the race, we supported each other when the road ahead seemed impossible.  In the end, we crossed that finish line together, holding hands...and that is something I will never forget.

No RA Pain
'Nuff said...

xoxo
Kat 

My Experience Of The NYC Arthritis Walk

Sunday was the long-awaited New York City Arthritis Walk! I first wrote about it in my January post: "Walking for Arthritis & For Myself." It was my first 5K (3.1 miles) - a distance that would have been truly impossible for me just a few months ago. With support from my incredible family and friends, I'm proud to report that I completed all of it! Although it was raining, we had a blast!

Our team, "The NYC Sick Chick Club", came in 2nd place for fundraising and also won the T-shirt design contest (thanks to the beautiful designer, Ali Yuhas). I'm sending a tremendous thank you to everyone who helped us raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. Your support means more than you know and this money will go toward fighting a disease that effects nearly 46 million Americans. And now I'm proud to announce the GRAND TOTAL...

 My personal total: $1, 515.0

              Team total: $7, 845.00

In the past year, I've been impacted every day by arthritis. I've placed my life in the hands of medical professionals and experienced an entirely new level of pain. I've felt scared and, at times, I've even been hopeless. I've tried more medications than I care to remember and coped with a wide range of side effects. I've had countless medical appointments and received IV infusions every few weeks. I've cried, I've prayed, and I've learned to ask for help. I was forced to extend my masters program by a year. But perhaps worst of all, I've been completely unable to plan my days and missed out on time with my friends and family.

But I've finally found a medication that has changed my life. I can once again breathe deeply and walk freely. I have control over my days and can plan for my future. For all of these reasons and more, this walk was exceptionally important to me. I walked for the simple reason that I could. Sunday felt like a new beginning; as if I was putting the last year behind me with each step. I was walking for myself, for my readers, and for every "arthritis warrior" out there.

On the morning of the walk, John and I woke up to pouring rain. I was anxious and disappointed because - as anyone living with arthritis can tell you - rain can be like kryptonite. I worried about how it may impact my ability to walk and felt guilty that people were travelling from far and wide in bad weather. Everyone insisted on coming anyway...rain or shine.

The walk started at 10am in Battery Park, a beautiful area at the southern tip of Manhattan. When John and I arrived, we found my friend Virginia who came all the way from Boston to walk with me...something I will never forget. Soon we spotted my friend Becky running toward us with a big smile and a camera in hand. I have her to thank for all of these awesome photos! Our team raised enough money to earn our own table at the walk (fancy huh?), so Jodi and the rest of my teammates were easy to find.  We then met up with my dad, my brother and my sister-in-law Erica. My mom and aunt were sad to have missed it, but Sunday was also the annual stationery show at the Javitz Center where they had to represent their amazing business, Someday Designs. Finally, my friend Jill and her boyfriend showed up to offer their support!

In the moments before the walk began, I basked in my surroundings and the people who were there for me; the same people who stuck by me during this painful year and throughout my entire life. I thought about all of my loved ones who wanted to be there, but couldn't. I felt my nerves settling and excitement taking over. I also had a profound sense of belonging. I was honored to walk among hundreds of incredible individuals, each one having been touched personally by arthritis. Whether they were patients, friends of patients, or family members, they all gave me strength. More than ever, I was proud to be fighting (and winning) this battle.

Love,

                    Maya