Will iron = Ironman

I have been waiting to use this photo

So as many of you know 2 1/2 years ago I had RNY bariatric weightloss surgery. One of the side effects of the surgery is your body having trouble absorbing nutrients and vitamins. Although I am off medication, I take a number of supplements and vitamins. For many patients they often have trouble regulating their iron levels. For over a year I knew this was a possibility but then my levels started to drop. They put me on an iron supplement once a day, but that didn't seem to work. So they upped the dosage to twice a day. Three months later more blood tests and still no increase.

For the last six months I haven't been feeling 100% but sucked it up as this was my new normal. My GI track has been out of whack and I have just felt a bit off. Of course the question I always get is, am I tired? On a scale from 0-4 how tired do I feel. My answer back to them is; I am training for an Ironman, I work full time and my job requires some travel, and I am working towards my doctorate full time...yeah by the end of the day I am tired!

After several tries of trying to get my numbers up my doctors and nutritionist decided to send me to a hematologist (who when I met him was wonderful and put me at ease). I will admit I didn't know what this all meant. Yes, some of my iron levels were low but was does that mean? What are normal levels? After meeting with the hematologist he did more blood work, I have been poked and prodded a lot lately, and decided that 6 months of my ferratin and Iron %saturation levels being too low was not good. So he scheduled me for an iron infusion? A WHAT? An iron infusion. This is a process that by using an IV drip they push iron into your body. They scheduled me for two treatments.

My first treatment was Monday. I was nervous, I will admit, a bit scared, because I didn't know what to expect. The nurses at the clinic were fabulous. They put me at ease and answered all my questions. It took about an hour. There was no pain and needles don't bother me at all. The nurses also discovered by reading my chart that I am training for an ironman. They found it this funny since I was there for an iron treatment but excited for me. I found it funny that the information I shared with the doctor and nurses during my initial visit made it into my chart.

The tough part about this one hour visit was the fact that I was in the Hematology and Oncology office. While sitting in my very comfortable recliner next to me were patients having chemo treatments. In fact when I first arrived a woman was taking a selfie with her husband because she had just completed her seventh treatment. It was very humbling for me. I had the opportunity in my life to work for 5 years for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was able to work with some amazing individuals and work for some incredible people we liked to call heroes. I fought every day for these individuals and for the mission of the Society. However, this day during my treatment, it made me very mindful that yeah I am fighting to make it to the start line of the Ironman Lake Placid but these individuals are fighting for their life. Although I was scared, I am blessed and thankful that I could still workout that day and take it one day at a time towards the finish line. When I left the clinic I went into my car said a prayer and cried for a few minutes.

I have one more treatment left in this round and that will be next week. The follow-up plan is to wait two months, take more blood, and see what happens. On a side note the GI track being out of whack could be a side affect of the iron levels but we are working on figuring that out too at this time. But I will save all that information for another time. I am hoping this extra iron gives me an extra boost. Either way I am not giving up the fight. I have the opportunity to train and I am not going to waste it...I will keep fighting and training for those who cannot.

Keep Moving ...#onestepclosertothefinishline

13 days into training and back to school

I am 13 days into my Ironman training and so far so good. I have a long road ahead of me but 13 days in and I don't hate it and I am still enjoying my bike. I just keep telling myself that every day, every workout, and every sacrifice gets me one step closer to the finish line.

I absolutely love to swim. The water relaxes me and on most days I look forward to going to the pool (or open water). I love the quietness of the swim, the only sound you hear is the water rushing by your ears...it's just you and the water.

For years I would get in the pool and just start the stopwatch on my watch. I would hit start and stop. Just this week I realized that I could break my workout down into intervals on my watch. I know I am a genius!! However, due to the fact that I was doing one arm drills and that there isn't a GPS satellite in the natatorium, the watch did not pick up the additional 50 yards I did. Oh well...the important thing is that I did it.

Saturday I had a spin on my bike trainer 2 hours and 15 minutes and I covered 32.2 miles. Earlier in the week I had stated that I wanted to hit an average 14.0 miles per hour while on my trainer. My last spin I had hit 13.9 miles per hour...so close but not quite.

On Saturday I got on the bike determined to do the workout but not knowing what I had in me and not feeling it 100%. However, as I peddled, I started to push a bit harder and noticed how close I was. I didn't want to miss it again. So I continued to push and by the end I had hit an average of 14.4 miles per hour.

Sunday morning I had a five mile run on my calendar. It was a beautiful sunny winter morning but a bit chilly. I was instructed that the run needed to be an easy 5 miler. Of course the first mile always lies to you...needed to get adjusted to the cold and the uneven sidewalks with the snow. I enjoyed the run, I felt great, and the sun felt amazing. I have another run tomorrow morning...I already peaked at the weather in the morning...the temperatures will be in the single digits. I got this!

As of today I am 14 days days into my elimination diet. After the recommendation of my medical team I started an elimination diet, cutting out gluten and sugar. I have been having some GI issues and they thought doing this diet would help me figure out some of my problems. I have one more week before I start to slowly bring things back in. Surprisingly it has gone very well. there are a few things that I miss...like my english muffin with peanut button before a workout but I am trying new things. Tonight I made homemade granola (sugar free). I will let you know if it tastes good. I am having some tomorrow. After doing this for two weeks I will admit that I have been feeling better. I think the culprit is sugar more than gluten but time will tell. 

Tomorrow I have my appointment with the hematologist for my issues with low iron. They are looking at my Ferritin levels. I am pretty low...in fact I am about 10 - 11 points below the lower end of the range that women should be. I don't know exactly what this all means or what this appointment will be all about. Life is always an adventure.