Moving Past The Sting

Posted by Mildred Jane on June 28, 2013
Posted in: But you don't look sick, Friends, Gastroparesis, Life. Tagged: , , , , . 15 Comments

itshurtingagain

I will warn you up front that this is not going to be one of my more lighthearted posts.  I try as best as I can to stay upbeat about Gastroparesis and all of the curveballs in life that it throws you.  However, sometimes it is hard to move past the hurt.  In fact, it is beyond hard to move past the hurt of people that stems from finding out people’s true colors.

I have been extremely fortunate to be having success with my new plan to take on Gastroparesis.  My new eating plan (gluten-free, refined sugar-free, & caffeine-free), acupuncture, supplements, etc have given me a tremendous amount of relief.  I have been able to exercise again and have also switched to a job that saves me upwards of 10 hours in my car per week in addition to being much less stressful.  (Driving & heat are the two things that can still tank me faster than anything!)  Having all of this success in kicking Gastroparesis’s butt should have me in a happy place.  For the most part it does.

However, the one piece of Gastroparesis that I am still having an extremely hard time coping with is the hurt that comes to my heart.  The hurt that comes from being stabbed in the heart (and sometimes the back) by people that you thought cared about you.  The hurt that comes from people abandoning you when you become sick.  The hurt that comes from people not understanding how sick you are because you’ve become so good at hiding it.  The hurt that comes from them bad mouthing you to other people in your friend network.  The hurt that comes from losing those additional “friends” because you don’t have the energy to fight the bad mouthing.  The hurt from realizing that apparently none of them were your friends to begin with.  This is what I am dealing with today.

Today I am dealing with staring into the face of a splintered friend network all due to someone who can’t come to grips with how sick I actually am.  All due to someone who feels the need to be the loudest voice in the room.  All due to someone who apparently never had to struggle or never gotten his/her way.  It is excruciatingly painful to know that you have lost “friends” all because someone doesn’t understand, doesn’t take the time to understand, and feels the need to tell people how “selfish” you are.

I didn’t realize that grasping at straws to survive, try to have some semblance of normalcy, and to try to be able to hold down a job to keep insurance to pay your medical bills was being selfish.  If someone had cancer, do you think that they would be cut some slack?  Not so for those of us with Gastroparesis.  No slack is cut for us because people don’t understand what we go through.  They can’t fathom a life without the ability to eat so they like to pretend that it doesn’t exist.  They like to pretend that you can continue on with the same plans in life.  They like to act as though everything must not be that bad because “you don’t look sick”.

It still stings and baffles my mind at how hurtful some people can be.  You wouldn’t treat someone with cancer like this.  You wouldn’t treat someone waiting for a transplant like this.  You wouldn’t treat an amputee like this.  Just because we “don’t look sick” doesn’t mean that we aren’t sick.  In fact, I had no idea how sick I really was for almost 2 years until just recently.  I’m staring to come out of the Gastroparesis pit and am absolutely baffled by how I still functioned.  Looking back, I should have done a spell in the hospital but was able to keep going and keep trying to hold everything together.  Mainly due to this being what all GPers have a tendency to do.  We fight to live, so excuse us if we don’t have time to fight with you over things that have now become petty to us.

Fighting for the ability to eat makes fighting over anything else trivial, so excuse us while we don’t waste the precious bit of energy that we have fighting with you.  If that means losing you, then you were never a friend to begin with!  Just stop acting like you have been so horribly wronged.  Once you have lived a week dealing with this horrific condition, then you have earned the right to judge and bad mouth!

~Millie

Needless to say, I have a looooong way to go in working through letting go of this issue with several people.

Do What Is Right For You!

Posted by Mildred Jane on June 19, 2013
Posted in: blogging, Gastroparesis, health, Inspiration, Life. Tagged: , , , , . 3 Comments

walk_shoes

One thing that Gastroparesis has taught me is to do what is right for me.  Not to worry about what anyone thinks, not to worry about what anyone is going to whisper, not worry about what someone else would do in my situation, to only worry about what is right for me.  Some people might view this as selfishness, but I think that it is having the confidence to stand up and say “This is the right thing for me.”

The fact of the matter is that no one knows what I have been through.  Only a small few have seen me laying in a Gastroparesis fog vomiting for days.  No one knows what drama and stress does to the body of someone with Gastroparesis (or anyone for that matter).  No one knows what it feels like to take an extreme detour in the plans for your life.  No one knows what it feels like to not be able to eat solid food for almost a year.  No one knows how much you have to spend on supplements and imported medicine.  No one knows so how can they possibly attempt to judge you or tell you what decisions you should make.

The sad fact of the matter is that people will judge your decisions and talk about what they would do or not do.  However, I challenge all of them to walk 1 month in my shoes from when I was sick and then tell me their opinion.  I’m fairly confident that most of them wouldn’t make it 1 month and absolutely wouldn’t make it 2 years.

This is why I say that making the right decision for you is not selfish but a display of confidence.  It is confidence in who you are, where you have come from, and where you are headed.  It is confidence to know your limits/boundaries and to stay within them.  It is confidence to hold your head up high and educate others on the storm you’ve just come out of.  It is confidence to do what is right for your so that you can remain healthy and live as normal of a life as you can.

I still have to be extremely cautious of what I eat, but I rejoice every day that it is solid food.  I’m so fortunate that I am now having solid food because so many others with Gastroparesis are not to that point.

I’m excited to have resigned from my current position and am starting a new one on Monday.  I am hopeful that it will help me continue on the path of healing and keeping my shoes out of the mud pit!

~Millie

Do What You Can

Posted by Mildred Jane on June 12, 2013
Posted in: Gastroparesis, hygeine, Inspiration, Life. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

do-what-y-u-can

One of my favorite quotes is by Teddy Roosevelt, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”  The statement is applicable to so many different areas of life, whether you are living with a chronic illness or not.  I think it is a great statement to keep in mind as you battle Gastroparesis.

Gastroparesis causes so many things to be out of our control, so we need to learn to focus on the pieces that we can control.  We need to focus on doing what we can, with what we have, where we are.  Where we are is coping with Gastroparesis and all that comes with it.  What we have is hopefully support of at least a few close friends and family.  If they aren’t on board with supporting you then it isn’t worth the stress of trying to get them on board.  As a friend once said to me “if they don’t have you on your bad days, they shouldn’t get you on the good days.”  (Oddly, the friend that said this disappeared on my bad days so now I am practicing her advice and not having her on my good days.)

Now, we get to the interesting piece “Do what you can”.  We know we have Gastroparesis, we know we have some options available to us, so now we need to do what we can.  We can try to change our diets, we can try new treatment plans, we can try acupuncture, we can try yoga, we can try to disengage from drama which causes us stress.  We can try to keep living our lives.  We can try to take our future in our hands instead of leaving in the hands of Gastroparesis.

The fact of the matter is that there is a lot of alternatives for those of us with Gastroparesis to try.  No two of us are alike, no two treatment plans are alike…we are like snowflakes.  However, this shouldn’t be an excuse to give up on life.  Yes, sometimes you have to let yourself have a bad day.  However, it is much more satisfying to become ill from trying to continue to live your life than giving up.

So I challenge everyone to “do what you can, with what you have, where you are”!  This could be as simple as accomplishing washing a dish which on some days is no small task!

You can do it!

~Millie

Feeling Alive Again!

Posted by Mildred Jane on May 29, 2013
Posted in: Acupuncture, bloating, BrainFog, caffeine free, Diet, Energy, Exercise, Gastroparesis, gluten free, health, Inspiration, Life, running, Spinning. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

alive

Sorry to everyone for not writing in awhile.  However, it is for happy reasons!  I have been feeling AMAZING and have been going to the gym every day of the week.  Words cannot adequately express what it feels like to be able to exercise again.  I have been doing a combination of weight lifting, spin class, aqua aerobics, YOGA, pilates, walking, and running.  YOGA is in all capitals because I believe that it is a huge key to an exercise plan (whether you have Gastroparesis or not).  Yoga helps you focus on your body and become in tune to how it is feeling.  It helps you know when you need to back off and when you can add on.  It also is extremely relaxing which helps make anyone feel better. 

I attribute that being able to accomplish so many trips to the gym (12 workouts in 7 days to be exact) to completely rehauling my diet.  Oddly, my marathon viewing of the latest season of the Biggest Loser helped me realize that I could do it.  If everyone on that show can do it, then so can I!  Yes, this is an odd place for someone with Gastroparesis to find inspiration but we have to take it where we can get it!

I am now officially gluten-free, refined sugar free, caffeine free, chemical free, and red meat free.  At the advice of my acupuncturist, I am also sticking with warm foods.  I am now happy to report that I feel the most alive that I have felt in years.  My bloating is extremely diminished.  My cramps are gone, the reflux is gone (I do still take Prilosec & Zantac), my head isn’t foggy, and I feel like I can conquer the world. 

Cleaning out all of these chemicals is not only good for GPers but for anyone.  The body was not meant to absorb such chemicals and does not need them to survive.  Your body craves natural foods and my suspicion is that for GPers lean protein is the way to go. 

Going through all of the withdrawal was not fun and I am still fighting cravings, but based on how I feel I am not even tempted to go back to my prior eating habits.  I am so thankfully that I am finding something that is sticking and it is based on the following:  Acupuncture, digestive enzymes, domperidone, probiatics, yoga, and all natural food. 

Remember, that these things take time so you may not see results right away.  However, once you get to the other side it is amazing how much greener the grass is.  I am happy to leave that old wilted GP flair up field behind me and am running as fast as I can away from it!

I must also admit that I am happy that all of those “friends” that left during the past couple of horrible years are no longer around to enjoy my good days with me!

I hope to post some recipes this weekend & will be posting our June Adventurer of the Month next week!  Stay tuned for exciting days ahead!  🙂

~Millie

 

As with all of my posts, please do not substitute my advice for that of a trained medical professional.  Please also discuss any drastic exercise or diet changes with a trained medical professional.

 

Clean Out the Chemicals From Your Diet

Posted by Mildred Jane on May 22, 2013
Posted in: caffeine free, Diet, Gastroparesis, gluten free, health, Inspiration, Life, sugar free. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

photo

What do you think of when you look at the photo above?  People in hazmat suits?  Nuclear power stations?  Mushroom clouds?  Running for your life?  Chernobal? 

I bet what your not thinking about is:  food!  Although, I would argue that you should.  The amount of chemicals that are taking over our food supply is alarming and I truly believe that it is at the heart of my Gastroparesis.  Do some research on GMOs and you will see what I am talking about?  If an inseticide is designed to explode a bug’s stomach upon ingestion, then what is going to do to my stomach?  Stay far far far away from GMOs & any genetically modified food.  If it’s not found in nature then your body isn’t meant to have it!

Hopefully you have heard the statement:  If you look at the ingredient list & you can’t buy them all in the store, do NOT buy the product?  After all, your body doesn’t need all the preservatives that are laced throughout our food supply today.  Our ancestors did not have all of the digestive issues that plague us today and it is no wonder when you look at the evolution of food over the past 50 years. 

Since April, I have been drastically changing my diet.  I have eliminitated all chemicals from my diet, eliminated gluten (this could have various results for GPers), limited caffeine to less then 60 mg per day (eventually it will all be gone), and eliminated refined sugar.  I must say that I am feeling AMAZING!  I attribute it to the old addage:  garbage in = garbage out.  If you are putting all of this garbage into your body then you are not setting yourself up for success.  You are only continuing to damage what is already hurting.  This is why I am on a 100% organic, chemical free diet.  I am sick and tired of being sick and tired which means that I will try anything to feel better.

This is my challenge to anyone with Gastroparesis…CLEAN OUT THE CHEMICALS!!  Slowly start eliminating chemicals from your diet and see if you start to feel better.  You have to give it time because your body needs time to process the chemicals out of your body.  However, I am telling you that if you stick with it, you will start to feel much better.  You can’t cheat, you have to be strict but it is your life and you are worth it!  What do we as GPers really have to lose?  We are in survival mood just trying to get by so it is time that we buckle down and quit ingesting chemicals.  And for goodness sakes, STOP EATING FAST FOOD!  It is not even food and is not going to do anything to help your situation!  I know that this is tough love, but someone has to say it.  Someone has to say, put the ice cream down!  Put the hamburger down!  Put the coffee down!  What do you have to lose?

Please let me know if you decide to try this & I will be more than happy to provide you support along the way.  I would also like to feature others who are trying this and the success that they are having!

~Millie

Start Reclaiming Your Life

Posted by Mildred Jane on May 17, 2013
Posted in: Gastroparesis, health, Inspiration, Life, Make A Difference. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

start

Due to marathon recovery (non-GP related & IT Band related) & a non-GP related personal item, I had to take a break from writing.  It was a much longer break than intended so thank you for sticking by me!

Many of you have been following my Adventures with Gastroparesis and know that I have been trying all sorts of items in order to find some relief.  I have good news to report!  It seems as if everything is starting to come together and that I am starting to feel well more days than not!  (I’m now knocking on every piece of wood in the house!)  I’ve been using a combination of acupuncture, organic probiatics, organic digestive enzymes, smoothies, tofu, greek yogurt, gluten-free, caffeine-free, soon to be sugar-free, and exercise.

The biggest piece of advice that I could give anyone with Gastroparesis is to START TRYING THINGS!  We have nothing to lose & everything to gain.  So much of Gastroparesis is also the mental aspect.  Being chronically ill takes its toll mentally and it is difficult to overcome the emotions that come with that.  A lot of my posts from early on in this blog talk about this.  However, there comes a point in time when you have to say enough is enough and start attempting to reclaim your life (or at least pieces of it).  Yes, Gastroparesis flat out stinks and is horrible but why let it take more from us than it already has?

We need to start celebrating when GPers are still accomplishing amazing things in spite of Gastroparesis.  (As I have said in a few posts, an accomplishment can be something as simple as washing a dish in the middle of the flair.)  We need celebrate when others are able to find relief.  We need to celebrate when others are able to work.  We need to celebrate when someone does something active.  We need to celebrate when someone keeps the community alert as to changes in legislation.  We need to celebrate when someone keeps the community informed about resources available for GPers.  We need to celebrate when someone tries a new food item.  We need to celebrate when someone eliminates a problem food from his/her diet.  We need to celebrate when someone goes for a walk.

We need to start reclaiming our lives & we need to start celebrating the GPers who attempt this.  We need to stop defeating ourselves before we start & we need to start sharing GOOD news with each other.  Gastroparesis is depressing enough, we need to sprinkle some positive in there too!  Yes, we all have bad days.  Yes, we will all have days that will break us.  Yes, we need to discuss these.  However, we need balance by discussing both the bad AND good days!

This has led me to my latest addition to the blog.  I am going to add a section “GP Adventurers” to highlight everyone that should be celebrated within the GP community.  If you would like to nominate someone (or yourself), please e-mail me at adventureswithgastroparesis@gmail.com.  (YES, it is okay to nominate yourself.  I know I would!)

I will be anxiously checking my e-mail to see who our first GP Adventurer is.

~Millie

Kicking Some Gastroparesis Butt!

Posted by Mildred Jane on May 7, 2013
Posted in: Energy, Exercise, Friends, Gastroparesis, health, Inspiration, Life, running. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

Somehow, someway, I managed to cross the finish line on Sunday even if it was hopping on one foot!  I was so thankful that my Gastroparesis did not flair up during the half marathon and my tummy actually seemed to do pretty well.  However, I cannot say the same for my knee & IT Band (the muscle that connects your hip to your knee).

Below is a photo of my actual race shirt, finisher’s medal, runner’s bid (with customized name), & trusty iPod.

marathon

My race shirt always gets comments during a race.  It comes at no surprise that I have to take things slow and occasionally walk due to Gastroparesis, so this leaves plenty of time for other people near me to comment on my shirt.  This race was no exception.  During the race I received at least a half dozen comments about my shirt.  It gets so emotional to be plugging along at a slow pace and have people say “cool shirt”, “thanks for awareness”, “you can do it”, etc.  The majority of society does not realize what a major accomplishment it is for someone with Gastroparesis to be able to complete a half marathon.  They do not realize how difficult it is for you to keep the proper nutrition in your system to keep your body going.  They don’t realize how a flair up can scrap all of the training that you have had to that point or that a flair can prevent you from training at all.  This is why I get emotional every time someone comments on my shirt.  It makes me realize that there are some people out there that “get it”.

My shirt also makes it easy for others to pick me out of a 30,000 person crowd.  In my starting coral for the race (the area where you wait for the starting whistle to sound), I ran into a good friend of mine who was fun to chat with while waiting the 30 minutes for the race to start.  I also had a former high school teammate see my shirt and gave me a big hug prior to the start of the race.  She said that she was so proud of me for continuing to run and that I was an inspiration.

Then the race started.  It started out pretty rough because I went at too fast of a pace but then had a 3 mile stretch where everything was going pretty well.  It was a gorgeous day to run, there was a lot of energy from other runners and the crowd, and my iPod was shuffling to the best songs possible.  I was even on pace to meet my goal time.  Then my legs started to cramp rather badly.  I attribute this to a couple of items:  lack of training due to GP flair ups & lack of proper nutrition due to GP.  Both of my calves were stiffening up and I could barely walk.  This occurred around mile 8 with 5 more miles to go I contemplated giving up and stopping.  Then the band along the course started playing some Johnny Cash.  So thank you grandpa for once again cheering me on to keep going!  Hearing Johnny Cash, missing my Grandpa, and feeling horrible pain in my legs made me an emotional mess.  I think that I cried for the next mile.

Thankfully a good friend came out to cheer me on and was around mile 9.  She saw me coming and gave me a big hug as I was crying.  She told me that I could do it and that I could make it.  So I dug deep and kept going.  This is where Gastroparesis is a bonus.  Gastroparesis teaches you how to dig deep and keep going in spite of being an absolute emotional wreck.  You have to keep going in life, you have to keep fighting to maintain your life so you learn to block everything else out and keep going.  Gastroparesis flairs are also extremely painful so I suspect GPers have a higher pain tolerance than most.  I also got extremely angry at GP for taking my training schedule away from me and this gave me some extra fight to make it to the end.

However, on the last mile my knee gave out.  (In high school I had screwed my knee up pretty badly and it has given me problems off and on ever since.)  After all that I had been through for the preceding 12 miles, I was not about to let my knee stop me.  I had to finish this race or it was going to be a HUGE mental blow for me.  A mental blow that was going to take awhile to overcome.  So I hobbled and half hopped my way to the finish.

I found my amazingly supportive boyfriend, who gave me a huge hug while the floodgates of pain & emotion opened up.  It really takes a special person to encourage someone to keep doing this in spite of the pain and emotional turmoil.  Most people would tell you to quit or take it easy or that you are nuts.  Yes, I am nuts but it takes someone special to realize how even though my body goes through hell, that I need the emotional victory of finishing more than I need my body in tact.

So now, after a visit to an orthopedic surgeon, I am due for a month of physical therapy to repair my damaged IT band.   It will be a great opportunity to educate another portion of the medical community about Gastroparesis!

Thank you all for the support & encouragement.  Your comments (and songs) were running through my head as I fought to finish my 13.1 miles!

~Millie

Suggest a Song to Cheer Me On!

Posted by Mildred Jane on May 4, 2013
Posted in: Energy, Exercise, Friends, Gastroparesis, half marathon, health, Inspiration, Life, running. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

running-woman-music-notes

Okay everyone!  It is time for some audience participation!  Are you ready?  I hope so! 

As mentioned yesterday, I am preparing to complete my third half marathon tomorrow!  I’ve received several notes of encouragement from my fellow GPers and was wishing that you could all be along the course route to help cheer me on.  As I was updating my iPod, I realized that you can be along the course!  You can be there through music. 

Here is my request (aka crazy idea which I personally think is awesome)…send me one upbeat song to add into my iPod for the race tomorrow.  Then tomorrow when the song comes on, I will think of you & my entire Gastroparesis family that is cheering me on from all over the world.  I have no doubt in my mind that hearing songs suggested by you will help giving me the extra boost to keep putting one foot in front of the other and finish the race. 

Music has always given me an extra boost while running.  Sometimes the right song can make all the difference in pace and determination.  It can help you stretch your stride out.  It can help you control your breathing.  It can help you remember that even though you are slow that you are still accomplishing something amazing.  It can help you control the tears of emotion.  It can remind you of just how many people have your back.

Tomorrow I will be will be wearing my Gastroparesis race shirt that states “At Least I’m Faster Than My Stomach” and hopefully my iPod will be full of songs that are the voices of my GPer family cheering my on!

Looking forward to seeing what will be on the playlist!

~Millie

One Foot In Front of the Other

Posted by Mildred Jane on May 3, 2013
Posted in: Energy, Exercise, Gastroparesis, GERD, gluten free, half marathon, health, Inspiration, Life, running. Tagged: , , , , , , . 6 Comments

A female road runner runs down a road at dusk at Independence Pass.

After a brief hiatus, most people would say that they took time to stop and smell the roses.  I did do some of that but most of this week was spent preparing for 13.1 miles of insanity on Sunday.  That’s right, I might have Gastroparesis but I’m still going to cross the finish line of a half marathon on Sunday!

I was always a runner growing up and it is in my blood.  I was never extremely fast but have learned the insane ability to get over the mental hurdle of physical endurance and pain.  There are times that I attribute growing up running long distance for my ability to remain positive amongst the pain of Gastroparesis.  When you are running for 2-3 hour long practices, you definitely learn the ability to have mind over matter.  There are times when this is easier said than done, but in general you have learned the odd skill of being able to torture yourself.

Last year I was able to complete 2 half marathons and was incredibly proud of myself.  I even had a race shirt made that says “At Least I’m Faster Than My Stomach”!  It is quite the conversation piece back amongst the slow pokes of the race.  There are periods of each race where I must walk due to Gastroparesis, but I don’t mind because I am proud of myself for being out there.  This are also the points in which other walkers ask me about my shirt and are in complete shock that I have a screwed up stomach and am still out there.  It always brings some tears to my eyes and I doubt that there will ever be a time that it won’t.  It means so much to be able to educate while taking on such a lofty goal.

My first half marathon was last year at this time.  I was quite ill for the months leading up to it and was not able to train.  I was worried and confused as to whether or not I should still attempt it.  My wonderfully supportive boyfriend egged me on to give it a shot.  (We are both competitive in a fun manner and I wasn’t about to see him with a medal and miss out on mine!)  There were several times during the race that I thought I was going to have to drop out, but then I would hear a Johnny Cash song coming from a band along the route.  He was one of my grandpa’s favorites.  My grandpa had recently passed away and we were extremely close.  I felt that all of the Johnny Cash songs were my grandpa also egging me on to keep putting one foot in front of the other and cross the finish line.  (Really? What are the odds of 5 out of 6 bands playing Johnny Cash?)

This also got me thinking about Gastroparesis.  We have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving.  We have to keep fighting to find treatment options and cures.  We have to keep putting one foot in front of the other to try to remain positive.  We have to keep taking steps to try to maintain some “normalcy” in life.  We have to keep moving both physically and mentally.  It might seem like the race will never end, but one day it will.  Hopefully it will in our lifetime!

So my 13.1 miles on Sunday will be dedicated to all of the GPers and all of you will be in my mind as I keep putting one foot in front of the other!

~Millie

My New Obsession: Aqua Aerobics

Posted by Mildred Jane on April 27, 2013
Posted in: Energy, Exercise, Friends, Gastroparesis, health, Inspiration, Life. Tagged: , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Aqua Aerobics

Okay, for these who have been following my Adventures with Gastroparesis will not be surprised when I say that I’m not shy about trying know things.  I learned years ago (prior to Gastroparesis) to view everything in life as a life experience which will at minimum make you a more rounded individual.  It will also give you more topics to discuss and provide you the ability to strike up a conversation with people from all different walks of life.

The pursuit of life experiences has had me intrigued by aqua aerobics for awhile now.  Due to all of my running, my joints get sore easily and I have a knack for overdoing it.  Then my mom started taking aqua aerobics for her physical therapy for a hip replacement (hi mom!)  She was telling me about the classes which made me even more interested.  They classes seemed to be really helping her and let’s be honest, they just sounded like fun.  I don’t know how to swim, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me!

As it turned out, my gym offers aqua aerobics at one of their other locations nearby.  It was time to see how Gastroparesis did with this adventure.  I was optimistic because it was much less impact on the body but still got your juices flowing.  As it turns out, one of my good friends has also been intrigued by aqua aerobics for a long time.  This meant that I had a partner in crime and would help keep me accountable for going to class.

Today was our first class and it was a blast!  We were at least 30 years younger than the majority of the class but all of the ladies were so nice.  They also can run pretty fast through a pool!  The class was just as I had hoped.  My muscles feel like they have been used, the blood is flowing, and it gave me an energy boost.  All of this came without the joint pain that usually accompanies such workouts and it was just plain FUN!  When we were holding on to the side of the pool kicking our feet, I felt like I was a little kid until I realized we were going to be doing it for awhile.

If anyone has access to a pool, I would definitely recommend going and at least walking back and forth in it.  It loosens up your muscles and makes you say:  Take that GP!

Now if those pesky GP Elves wouldn’t have stolen my underwear out of my duffle bag for my return trip home!

~Millie

PS…My swimsuit & belly cooperated for the majority of class!  YEAH!