More Changes

Life does not want to give us a break. The summer has been chaotic at best. In May, Garth and I decided to it would be best to look for new employment.  Lincare was not living up to promises made when they hired Garth.  We didn't really know what to do.  We prayed that we would be able to find something that he could do that would pay better and give Garth an opportunity to grow and be challenged with.  Our prayers were answered and he is now working for Five Star Disaster Services as a carpet cleaner and does some of the construction when he doesn't have cleaning to do.  He also works for Vector Disease Control as a mosquito fogger.  Which means that he is gone all day and most of the evening.  We are both tired and ready for cooler weather so he doesn't have to fog anymore.
As for me, I began to have health problems associated with my weight loss.  I was doing so well and was feeling so good. But one weekend in April, I noticed I was starting to swell up in my feet, hands, and face.  I was also vomiting and felt ill and tired.  Not something that should be happening in a person who was working out for nearly 2 hours everyday and eating healthy food.  One morning I was eating breakfast and drank my 32oz of water and vomited immediately.  There was no warning.  It was the strangest sensation to feel dizzy and nauseated just because I ate breakfast.  I decided to take a pregnancy test.  I didn't think I was, but I wanted to be sure.  It was negative.  I had been trying to avoid seeing a doctor because we didn't have insurance, but it was becoming more clear that I probably should.  I asked Garth to give me a priesthood blessing later that evening.  We went to bed thinking that maybe I would be better.  That morning I wasn't better and my blood pressure was even higher.  Garth left for work and about an hour later he called me and said he felt very strongly that I needed to see a doctor right away.

I was able to see a doctor that morning and I had very high blood pressure, but no explanation why.  I asked if it had anything to do with my weight loss.  I explained that I was working out a lot and drinking a lot of water.  I asked if that would have anything to do with it.  She told me that if the color of urine was completely clear that I might have a problem.  I told her that it was, but she kind of shrugged it off.  She put me on blood pressure meds and said that I should come back once a month to check how things are going.  I continued to work out and drink my water as usual, but I kept having dizzy spells and nausea either during or right after working out.  I figured it was because of the high blood pressure so I stopped working out, but continued to drink a lot of water.

I was frustrated.  High blood pressure is a symptom, not a condition.  I began to research for myself.  I kept track of how much water I was drinking and found that I was drinking nearly 2 gallons of water everyday.  (Which, it turns out, is way too much water unless you are in Death Valley running a marathon)  I felt inspired to look up the symptoms of water poisoning.  I read several articles that discuss how water poisoning happens and the symptoms matched what I was experiencing.  I felt like this was my answer to prayers!  It was a good thing I went to the doctor because the treatment is the diuretic that was prescribed for me.  The swelling was a sign that my kidneys were overwhelmed by all the fluids.  While working out, I only had water to drink and because I was working out for so long and not replenishing electrolytes correctly, my kidneys were starting to shut down.

So to make a long story short-ish, all of this is happening at the same time we are going through Garth looking for a new job and having all of this stress pretty much halted my weight loss efforts.  I really shut down when stress gets too high and when I stress I eat.  Now that I am doing better, I am taking this moment to re-commit and get back on track.  My blood pressure is still high so I still need to take it easy, but I am excited to work my way back to where I was.  I am going to start by counting calories again and walk on the treadmill for 30min. every day.  I have the goal to lose 15 lbs by the end of September.

Here's to a healthy September! (And maybe one of these days, I'll learn to post more often so my posts aren't so long.)

Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Hello.  My name is Jennie Woodruff and I am a problem eater.  What does that mean?  It means that I have a difficult time making healthy food choices for myself.  It means that I eat to feed my emotions and sometimes it means I eat out of control.  It also means that I eat certain foods in secret because I'm worried about having an out-of-control image.
After a family reunion last Summer, I knew I had a serious problem.  We had several activities that participating in was difficult for me.  Horseback riding was humiliating because not only could I not lift my own leg over the horse, but the poor owner had to push me up because I was too weak to do it myself.  I was mortified when I sunburned at the lake.  I hadn't been in a swimsuit for over a year.  All that skin was like bacon in a frying pan.  There were places on my skin that were purple and blistered.  Then there was family picture day.  I avoid having my picture taken for several reasons, but the biggest reason is my appearance.  I was the heaviest I have ever been and I knew it.  I was wearing the biggest clothing sizes I had ever been in and was starting to fill those out.  After the reunion we got our copies of the pictures.  I was mortified and was in tears.  I knew I was big,  but having photographic evidence of my actual body mass was my wake up call.
Okay, so it wasn't my only wake up call.  I was having several and I kept hitting the snooze button.  When I went to the movies and my seat was uncomfortable because it was too tight.  My car was feeling claustrophobic because the walls were closing in on me or rather me on them.  Problems breathing when I had to walk quickly to keep up with the kids.  Not being able to move fast enough to keep my toddler from running through the parking lot.  Snooze button.  My justification was that I wasn't that bad.  It's not like I eat whole cartons of ice cream by myself.  I don't eat five hamburgers in one setting.  I could loose weight anytime I wanted to.  Right?
I truly didn't think I had a problem until I read a book.  "Hungry: Lesson Learned on the Journey From Fat to Thin" by Allen Zadoff.  I had it on my kindle app for a really long time.  I think I avoided reading it because in a way it was admitting that I needed help.  I should mention this is not a self help book.  It is about a man who overcame morbid obesity.  He lost over a hundred pounds and has kept it off.  He labeled himself as a food addict.  In his book he talked about different types of "eaters."  He was an addict and from what he describes, I am a problem eater.  Where I could become an addict if I didn't take control. I really hated how many times I related to what he was saying.  I couldn't possibly be that bad!
I am that bad.  I am at a point where I could have serious health issues if I don't get the weight and my eating under control.  A couple of weeks after the new year, I decided to go ahead and make those changes.  I am not focusing on weight loss and putting my efforts into being healthy.  I have had to remove foods from my "regular groceries" list.  This is a slow journey.  I count calories and exercise daily.  I am making sure my family is eating the right foods as well.  You might have noticed my weigh loss ticker.  I am using it to monitor my progress and to be accountable.  I have made weight loss goals, but only because I feel it will help me make better choices when I put food in my mouth.  So far, I have lost 20 lbs.  I know I have a long way to go, but I am feeling better.  I have more energy and motivation that I have had in a long time.  I am going to use this blog as a type of journal.  I will post my progress and my struggles.  Feel free to comment with advise or encouragement.  I need all the help I can get.  :)

A New Post, Finally!

I dedicate this new post to Tiffany Johnson.

After a very long year and a half, I thought it appropriate to finally post something.  We have had so many changes since my last post.  First of all, Garth is a new employee for Lincare.  It is a medical supply store that delivers oxygen and related supplies to customers all over the treasure valley.  They are the largest oxygen supply chain in the country.  We are very excited for the future opportunities this new job provides.  With all the problems Garth has had with his back, working for the furniture store was simply not an option anymore.  Garth decided to earned his CDL and started to look for new work as a truck driver.  We initially wanted Garth to find work in the oil fields, but after a very disappointing trip to North Dakota we realized it wasn't going to work out.  Strike one.
So he came home and found a job with Ultimate Transport.  Strike two.  The boss and owner is a crook.  In the two, very long weeks Garth worked for them, he was seeing red flags everywhere.  Equipment that was falling apart and driving in a truck that was so poorly maintained that he risked getting fined for, was not a job he wanted to continue.  If you know Garth, you know that quitting isn't something he does lightly.  Just when we were starting to give up, he found Lincare.  He gets to use his CDL that he worked hard for and has opportunity for advancement.
Last year I started working for The Borge House, a private adult foster home for the disabled.  It was the best job I've ever had.  I learned so much and caring for those sweet residents has changed me for the better.  I always said I could never work as a caregiver.  I decided to give it a go anyway and will be forever grateful for the experience.  In the year and a half I worked there, we lost three residents, all but one died on my shift.  There are no words to describe the death process.  How different it is for each person and their families.  I have never felt more close to my Heavenly Father than being there when a person crosses into the next life.  I learned to serve and have compassion.  As much as I loved my job working graveyard had its toll.  My family was starting to suffer and my health was too.  I had to say goodbye, but I still pop in to visit when I can.
The kids are growing like crazy.  Liz is going into the 5th grade.  I know.  I'm in shock too.  That little 6lb 2oz baby is almost in middle school.  She is proving to be very smart, scoring well above average on her state tests.  She scored in the top 1% in the state for math and well above average for reading.  She had her first job last week watering plants and taking in the newspaper and mail for a family in our ward.  She was very responsible about it and was hired to do it again.  She loves having money she earned herself.
Claire finished Kindergarten this year.  She was so sad that she would have to wait all summer to see her friends again.  Her first parent/teacher conference was hilarious.  Claire has so much personality and her teacher really enjoyed having her as a student.  However, Claire's organization is not her strength.  She really had to work hard just to keep her desk cleaned up and her supplies in order.  She reads very well and I have never seen a kid so excited to have homework.  We rarely had to tell her to do it.  She would come home, get it out, and have it finished in minutes.  I'm crossing my fingers her excitement continues.
Jason is our little rascal.  Coming from a family of 12 girls I don't know much about boys, but I am loving his excitement for "Biiiig trucks!"  He loves cars, trucks, bikes and tractors.  He wants to help Garth with everything.  He is always packing Garth's tools around with him.  He picks on his sisters like a pro and his smile pretty much gets him whatever he wants.  He is going to be trouble when he is older.  He is 100% boy.
Another big event for the Woodruff's has been a new addition.  Yes, that's right.  After years of waiting we finally have grass in the front lawn!!  I never imagined I would be excited to mow a lawn.  We have had dirt landscaping for about 4 years.  We still don't have the backyard finished, but we are so close.
That just about sums up the last year for us.  Now I need Garth to help me get a new background and my blog will be officially updated.  There Tiffany, are you happy now??  :)

My Adventure With Pneumonia

Long post/long story warning

For the first time, in my memory, I'm looking forward to Winter ending. This has been the longest, most miserable season we've ever had. We have had every illness known to man. The beginning of December everyone came down with a major cold, except me. I was thinking how lucky I was because I never did get it. I attributed it to taking emergen-c like it was candy when everyone else was sick.
Come the week of Christmas everyone was well and I thought that this couldn't be possible! We may have our first Christmas with no one being sick! I spoke too soon. The morning of Christmas Eve I was feeling really tired. I figured it was do to stress and staying up late to work on some projects I was making for the girls. As the day wore on it became more apparent this was more than just fatigue. By late afternoon I had a fever, body aches, and a cough to boot. I had to push through because I still hadn't finished the hair clips I was making for the girls' stockings. So I took some Advil and went to work.
Christmas morning, I was worse. I was so thankful the kids slept in because I was so tired and felt awful. I had a high fever and my cough was getting really bad. It's a good thing I took video footage of the kids opening presents because I hardly remember any of it. Poor Garth had to completely take over breakfast and getting everyone ready to go to Meridian to visit with Garth's family.
While we were at my in-laws, my fever went up even more and I asked for a blessing. I'm thankful I have a husband who honors his priesthood. I was having trouble breathing at that point and the Advil was only bringing my fever down to around 101 degrees. I had never felt so miserable. I thought that I couldn't get any worse and I should be better by morning.
Wrong again. By Sunday morning, my lips were literally blue and I was struggling to breathe deeply. We decided it was time to see a doctor. I didn't want to go to the ER so we went looking for a clinic that would be open on Sunday. That is a difficult thing to do, especially on a holiday weekend. All the clinics in Ontario and Fruitland were closed. We drove all the way to Caldwell and finally found a clinic in the same building as my OBGYN. I was so thankful they were open!
I figured I had bronchitis again. I get it every year so I was expecting it. Nope, I had pneumonia and to top it off, a double ear infection! So I got a prescription for an antibiotic. The doctor also wanted me to get an inhaler, but it was going to cost too much so I passed. Garth's family was having their Christmas party that same day. I was really hoping that I could just stay home and rest, but we were all the way to Caldwell so I had to go to the party. I pretty much vegged out on the couch the entire time.
Later that evening I was feeling a little better and my fever had finally gone down below 102, but I was still having a hard time breathing. Garth's mom had an inhaler that she had when she had pneumonia earlier in the year and had me use it. It helped with my breathing, but it made me so jittery that I was nervous to use it again. However, after the jitters wore off, I felt a lot better.
Anyhow, the rest of the week I was completely worn out. I had zero energy and had coughed so hard I had pulled a muscle in my neck so badly that I couldn't turn my head. By New Year's Eve, Garth and Lizzy were sick as well and Jason was starting to cough a little. I was glad that I was better enough to take care of them. It seems like we are catching anything and everything.
Since Christmas we have had colds, ear infections, stomach flu, pink eye, and this week Claire has a sore throat. Jason may have another ear infection/sinus infection because he is cutting molars. I will have to tell the story of him getting his finger crushed in the hinge of Liz's bedroom door in a different post. Sigh...we can't catch a break. We all have major cabin fever and are ready for Winter to be over. That ground hog had better not see his shadow or else...