My Exercise Daily Blog - Day 1

DAY 1 - jogged 1.8 miles

So for those of you that know you may know that I had a bad medical episode a little over a year ago. This is going to be a blog of my daily exercise routine and help to keep me focused on my goal to get back in to shape and beat the odds!! :) Wish me luck, much strength to work through the pain and will power to keep going.

My Back Story
I had a severe blood clot (DVT) after my second son and 2 pulmonary embolisms as a result of the clot. Well after the 2-1/2 weeks in ICU and 3 surgeries to try and dissolve the clot. I am blessed to be here to even have a blog :). I still have a chronic clot in my left illiac and my leg still swells as a result. I have to wear a compression stocking daily and take coumadin (blood thinner).
So here is a bit of a back story of my physical progress. After my release from the hospital I was in a wheelchair for about 2 months because of the swelling in my leg and the pain caused from lack of blood flow. At this time my leg was 2 times bigger (6-8 inches around) than my other leg. After that I was able to move onto a walker and endure the pain for a while eventually I moved onto my own 2 feet again! Now that does not mean that the pain has gone away... I have just gotten used to it. I have been going to the gym for about 6 or 7 months now to try and get my body back into shape and regain more circulation in my leg. It has been hard and painful but well worth it. When I first started I could only do a few of the intense leg workouts (lunges and squats). I am now at the point where I can complete the 1 hour weight class.I have also started to jog again. This is something that my Doctors said was probably not going to happen. I am so thankful and overjoyed that I have beat the odds and I am able to jog. That too has been very much of a challenge for me. My leg literally feels like it is on FIRE and cramps up. The lack of circulation is very uncomfortable to say the least. I have now been able to make my way up to jogging 1-1/2 miles :)!

My Daily Struggles
1. Wearing compression stocking - This stocking is so not comfortable. It goes thigh high and is constantly slipping down and needing readjustment.
2. Daily pain - I still deal with pain daily from lack of circulation. It has became much better and is now tolerable! I am so very blessed!!
3. Mental battle - Constantly reminding myself to push on and not to give in to the pain. The pain is a daily reminder to me of how very blessed I am to be here to feel it. It helps motivate me.

So this is my blog to keep me accountable and on track of my goals. Please feel free to leave comments or ask any questions that you may have. I am very adament about spreading my story and helping educate others about blood clots. There are so many women out there that do not have a clue just how life threatening they can be. I was one of those before this became real life for me.