My life

Apparently I need more sleep than I thought. This may be why I had a bad week last week.  I was cranky. I was tired. My RA was bothering me. Work was stressful. And made me cranky. I don't think I got through a full work out at the gym all week.

I was very tired by Friday night. Then Saturday I did a lot of nothing (well I went to a few garage sales) and then took a 3.5 hour nap. Then I went to bed at 10 and slept for 8 hours. I could take another nap today. I probably will.

I will work harder at keeping up on sleep this week. I might even fit in taking a few naps.

This is my life. I have to fit in naps. I have to take it easy. Regularly. I have to have naps. I have to sit around with my feet up.

This will take some thought

The other day I had a really bad idea and got on the scale. We will just say it didn't make me feel happy. In fact, I was rather upset. I have no idea why the scale went so much in the wrong direction. We will just say it incentivized me to take a look at my eating habits and figure out some strategies.

So I really need to lose weight. I get it. I'm working on it. Or so I thought.

And then I read this article: Weight Loss Predicts Mortality in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Weight loss is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study published online June 26 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Or basically the more you lose weight when you have arthritis, the more you increase your risk of mortality with RA. That isn't really helpful news for me at all. My inner size 8 is calling me. I'll have to think about this one for a while.

I am sure any doctor will tell me that I should lose weight for a variety of reasons. All doctors are skinny these days. Skinny people are healthier (usually). I am not a healthy person and now this is telling me I shouldn't lose weight because it will increase my mortality chances. Great.

This isn't really good news. Or maybe I really need to stop reading the latest medical news. 

Do I have five hours a week?

Based on new research, I could cut my post menopausal breast cancer risk by exercising five hours each week. Hmmm.... Well I do 3 hours of cardio and then probably another 2 hours of weights and stretching each week. Does that count?

Oh, wait, I already had breast cancer. Does that mean I can stop exercising? Probably not. I am sure there is another bit of research out there that tells me I need to keep exercising.

There is that long term deflabbification project I keep babbling about. Damn.

And why am I so fat if I keep exercising????

That bucket list thing

I never had heard of a bucket list before the movie of the same name. I did like the movie and need an assistant named Thomas to help me out sometimes. But do I need a bucket list? I am on the fence on this.

But here is this young woman in Wales who is terminally ill with breast cancer and was given 3-6 months to live, more than six months ago. She decided she was going to create a bucket list with the help of other terminally ill people. She is asking for help in figuring out what to put in her bucket list.

Some of them are:

• running naked down a busy street
• trying out her coffin dressed as Wonder Woman
• knocking over displays in stores
• riding in a race car

I would probably try those except the running part. I'm not that good at running these days.

What suggestions do I have for her?

• borrowing library books with no intentions of returning them.
• crap I can't think of anything else. 

Maybe I don't want a bucket list. But anyway. Go watch Rowena try all sorts of things and give her your suggestions if you are terminally ill.

You can read about her here.
And you can watch her here.

Keeping your sense of humor through it all

One of the key traits to help cope with your ailments is keeping your sense of humor through it all. If you lose your sense of humor, it will become so much harder.

I was reminded of this by this comedian who was treated at Dana Farber and then had a special show for his caregivers at the hospital.
I constantly crack jokes with the medical personnel I deal with. I have to. Otherwise, it would be too depressing. If I cannot see the humor in the number of punctures I get from regular blood tests, I might start oozing blood out all the needle holes.

• I need a frequent parker discount at the hospital's parking lot.
• All the johnnies are designed by Dr. Seymour Buttz. (Sound it out and you will get it.)
• Personally I wished they had ramps at hospitals so I could go on wheelchair rides like Curious George did.

Okay, my sense of humor is not fully developed this morning. Its Monday morning. I have chemo brain and fibro fog.

But I hope you get my point. Never lose your sense of humor. Life would be boring with out it. And cancer would suck even more.