rheumatoid arthritis/health update

I've lost almost 20 lbs in about 2 1/2 months.  it sounds like a lot but I have about 30 more pounds to lose to get to a healthy weight.  I have gained so much weight during the past 5 years so there is so much to lose also.  once I get to my target weight, or close to it, I will share with you how I lost this weight, the healthy way.


on Saturday, I was talking to a friend from church who currently has an undiagnosed auto-immune disease.  those who have read my blog may be familiar with some of my posts about Rheumatoid Arthritis, the auto-immune disease that I currently have.  my friend may have some type of rheumatoid arthritis also, or a type of lupus.  she doesn't know it quite yet but her rheumatologist is working closely with her to get the right diagnosis and get her the right treatment.  she was sharing with me her frustrations about being sick (while not looking sick), and the pain that she is currently going through.  I remember very clearly the first few months of feeling the symptoms of RA, how difficult it was to simply move.  Every task, no matter how simple, was excruciatingly painful.  undressing to shower and get dressed took anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour.  preparing breakfast?  forget about it.  I only had the energy to make coffee.  I was in pain, and exhausted.  it was so scary to not be able to do the things you used to do so effortlessly and to feel this helplessness at such a young age.  thankfully, I was able to see my doctor right away who immediately suspected rheumatoid arthritis and referred me to a Rheumatologist.  it has been about 1 year and 8 months since I was diagnosed and while I still feel the pain especially in my feet, I am on the road to better health.   i felt the same way early on in my diagnosis.   i didn't look sick at all.  some people said, 'you just need to exercise!'.  i know was overweight but how can i exercise when even getting out of bed was painful!  i cried so many times because so many people just didn't understand.  thankfully, i have such a wonderful and supportive husband who did his best to learn about my condition and help me in any way he could.    


i shared all of these pains and frustrations with my friend to let her know that she is not alone. she was close to tears and very appreciative because there was someone she could relate to.  i thanked the Lord for the opportunity to be an encouragement to her and i realized that there truly is always a silver lining to every dark cloud.  who knew that my illness will be a source of understanding and encouragement.  God's ways are truly magnificent and His ways are above ours. 


since i have lost some weight, i felt bold enough to register for my first 5k run in august.  i started training last week, using the couch to 5k app and successfully went through the first day.  yesterday, my husband and i decided to go train again and i failed miserably.  halfway through the training, i felt the pain shooting up from my feet to my shins.  it was so painful i thought i was going to pass out from the pain.  aside from having RA, i also have flat feet.  I've always had flat feet but people who have normal arches and later get RA can also have fallen arches.  i limped the rest of our 'training' and went home and googled for tips about running with RA and flat feet.  Tip #1, get the right shoes and insoles - i had neither.  training is suspended until the husband takes me to a store that specializes in these things.  *sigh* but i haven't lost hope.  it's just another hurdle to overcome. 

Hotel Review: Disney's Port Orleans Hotel Riverside

it's always rough when you get off a red eye flight from the West Coast.  We arrived at Orlando before sunrise without much sleep, so we slowly walked our way to the Disney Magical Express which took us to our hotel about 30 minutes away.  

when we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by the staff wearing their big smiles and Mickey Mouse hands and handing out stickers.  I was not expecting such a warm greeting so early in the morning but it did cheer us up.  When we walked in to the hotel lobby, I was amazed at the elegance of it's tall white columns and beautiful chandeliers!  "Wow!", I said to my self.  It was more than I expected from a moderate resort.  Check in was a breeze.  I knew our room would not be ready so early in the morning so we were advised that we would receive a text message with the room number when it was ready.  They didn't have to give us keys because we already had our Magic Bands and we could go to our room as soon as we received the text message, no need to go back to the front desk to get keys.

Since we had time, we decided to eat breakfast at the Riverside Mill Food Court.  It was around 8:30 am so the dining room was abuzz with people getting ready to go visit the parks.  They had a pancake/waffle station and a omelette station. We were not expecting the quality of the food to be exceptional; WDW has a number of other restaurants that had outstanding food (our favorites during this trip were Chef Mickey's and Akershus).  After breakfast, we walked around the resort grounds that were very well kept.  the large trees provided a lot of shade and the river gave a Louisiana Bayou feel to the resort. There were 3 swimming pools, the largest of which had a slide.  I remember Michelle squealing with glee as she slid down the slide for the first time.

our room was ready around 9:30 am (check in time is really 3 pm, so thank you Disney!).  We had a room in the Alligator Bayou which was large enough to accommodate 5 guests (it had 2 double beds and a murphy bed for kids).  The bathroom was small but it did help that the vanity was separate from the toilet/bath area.  so one person can be in the shower while someone else brushed their teeth or got dressed. 

Disney's bus system to the parks were very efficient.  an added benefit of staying at Disney's Port Orleans resort is the water transportation from the resort to Downtown Disney.  we took advantage of this amenity after exploring Downtown Disney on our last night at Walt Disney World. 

Highlights:  to me, the best thing about staying at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort was the friendliness of the staff. there wasn't one person that stood out but everyone did an exceptional job.  I was in awe at the professionalism and the level of service the Disney Cast Members give to ALL the guests.  From the Disney Magical Express, to the Hotel, to the Theme Parks, everyone was helpful and attentive.  we have stayed at many hotels, some even at the highest level of luxury so you expect the service to excellent.  we experienced the same excellent service all through out our stay at Riverside and throughout Walt Disney World.  I highly recommend staying here for your next Disney World Vacation.  We have not experienced other WDW hotels so we don't have a basis of comparison, but Port Orleans Riverside will not disappoint. 

If you need help planning your Walt Disney world vacation, you may call Air Manila Travel and Tours at 650 757 5555 or email us at airmanila@hotmail.com.  we'll help you plan your next Magical vacation!