The Best Water Aerobics Class Ever!

I have to brag about how awesome & encouraging my water aerobics class is!

Nancy was so sweet as to make me HOMEMADE cupcakes for passing my AEA certification....(not a box mix, a real family recipe)! They were delicious..and brought in on a silver tray no less. I think the baby changing table display in the locker room just adds to the presentation :)

To my noon time "Splash & Dash" class:

Thank you to all my ladies for being so supportive of me this past year! Your encouragement and patience as I was learning and trying different exercises means a lot to me. Your belief in me and dedication throughout the winter months helped this dream come true for me. Thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart.

Love & hugs,
Kendra

Aquatic Exercise Professional

If I could do cartwheels I would (they look fun, but I just have a feeling they'd be painful)! I passed my exam and am now an AEA Certified Instructor (Aquatic Exercise Association).

What excites me the most is that this is a dream I never even thought would even be possible. Me, an exercise instructor? Me, who's had 2 total hip replacements and couldn't even sit "criss-cross-applesauce" as a child due to the severe JRA? Me, studying anatomy & physiology to make sure I plan classes that strengthen & stretch every muscle group?

I finally have found work that I am passionate about! If I can do it, then so can everyone else. The benefits of aquatic exercise ("water aerobics") are endless - low & no impact, works all muscles since the water itself is resistance, and honestly - it's just fun in the sun!

Fantastic websites from the U.K.

My dad forwarded the websites below to me. It's exciting to me to see the research, education, and support that other countries offer to their citizens with RA!

NRAS: National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society Website
"National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society provides support and information for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, their families, friends and carers, and health professionals with an interest in Rheumatoid Arthritis."

http://www.rheumatoid.org.uk/index.php


arc: Arthritis Research Campaign

HOPE: President Barack Obama's Comprehensive Agenda to Empower Individuals with Disabilities

"We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination.... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities."

-- President Barack Obama

Please click the title to read President Obama's Agenda for Disabilities, to the left is a brief summary of Obama's & Biden's goals listed in this agenda.

Here's to hoping for positive changes and more job opportunities for all of us with disabilities!!!

Humira, Cimzia, Enbrel and Remicade

Below is an article relating to these medications. I had a terrible time on Humira - constantly felt like I had to swallow (as though my throat were closing up), but all I've heard is how great these medications are and how much better people w/ RA feel after taking it. I see I'm apparently not the only one that has problems with it.

FDA: Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications Expose Users to Potentially Fatal Fungal Infections

Thursday, September 04, 2008

The Food and Drug Administration is ordering stronger warnings on four medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

The drugs — Humira, Cimzia, Enbrel and Remicade — work by suppressing the immune system, and the FDA says that can expose some patients to serious, even fatal, fungal infections. The agency said Thursday it has received 240 reports of one such type of infection, called histoplasmosis. In at least 21 of the cases, doctors didn't initially recognize the problem, and 12 of the patients died.

The fungus that causes the infection is common in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. Patients should stop taking their medication and call the doctor if they develop persistent fever, cough, shortness of breath and fatigue.

Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Terminal?

YES!! No one talks about this. However, from my own experiences from this illness and articles I have read, I believed it was. This theory was confirmed this past September when I attended an Arthritis Foundation Water Aerobics Instructor Workshop and one of the instructors (who also has RA) made a point of telling us that it is!! To me this was actually a relief...at last someone confirmed my theory!

I can deal with the RA...dealt w/ it my whole life...what I can't stand is the medical field not informing patients of simple things that will help! While those "homeopathic remedies" may not 'cure' RA, I believe many of them do help and cause less "hurt" than supposed new medications do.

I'm going to post a few websites I've found that show studies of RA, medications that affect, and anything relevant to allowing some one w/ RA to Live Their Lives...not live w/ fear of the ra.

My Niece is on her way!

I can hardly wait! My niece will be here soon...they say just a couple of hours! Figured I'd blog about it in the waiting room to pass the time. Hopefully they'll be able to decide on a name once the baby is born :)