Clothing The Body Chronic: Who Wears The Proverbial Pants in this Relationship?

One thing that I have loved since before I remember memories is wearing jeans. There was just something about the feel of a pair of jeans that could take a stressful day and make it into something fun. Companies have started making Fridays casual and people have reaped the benefits in millions of yards of jeans.

Jeans. Jeans. Jeans. Jeans and chronic pain and chronic illness do not always mesh.

Unfortunately, jeans have not been my friend lately. The equation goes something like this:

The Body Chronic + Jeans =Pain (or at least moderate discomfort)

Many people with vulvodynia just give up on jeans. I have refused to. Whether it's some sort of historic tie to my past or statement of independence, I can't stop wearing jeans.

That being said, I have had to limit my jeans wearing significantly. I've invested in some stretchier pants (not stretch pants--just pants with a tad more give) and have even contemplated buying jeans that were too big for me. Now that the summer approaches, I'm hoping that I can invest in some stretchy capris (a type of pant I used to despise).

The problems with me and jeans are not singular. There's the vulvodynia pain. That one needs no explanation. Then there's the "IC Belly" which means a bit of bloat in the worst possible place for wearing jeans. Add that on to the Lyrica weight gain that I'm struggling with and my once loose jeans are now snug. And when my pelvic floor dysfunction is acting up, jeans are probably the least forgiving thing to wear. This is all added to the fact that I'm a fat chick and, let's face it, jeans aren't always cut for us the right way.

I miss jeans. I look for suggestions to accommodate my problems with jeans. I sometimes wear them out of spite. But they are a constant reminder of The Body Chronic when I do wear them. On the rare occasions I get no bodily-feedback, it's a relief.

For those of you who are wondering where a full-figured gal like myself has located these stretchier (but not horrifyingly late-80s stretch) pants, I've included some links below. I'm looking for suggestions if anyone has any.

• Lane Bryant's Modern Knit Pant is great. The problem is that they've added a "secret slimmer" panel to the front. I haven't tried it yet, but hopefully it's not too binding to eliminate the comfort of these great work staples.
  
• Anything from the Soft Collection at Avenue feels great to the touch and has some give.
• These crop pants by Merona at Target are great but there are two caveats: (1) only the waistband stretches and (2) you have to buy a size bigger as Merona generally runs a size small.

As always, if you have suggestions, post away in the comments!

Daily Inspiration: 4/7/08

Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of an outburst that just comes. It's unbridled, its unplanned, it's full of surprises.
-Erma Bombeck

The Time for Optimal Sex

Maybe the fact that those with chronic illness, particularly pelvic floor dysfunction and vulvodynia, may be relieved to know that for those in the general population, optimal sex takes only 3 to 13 minutes.

Maybe those who can't get it on as much aren't really suffering that much?

That was a bit tongue in cheek. I know full well we're suffering, but it just made me kind of giggle that even 3-13 minutes is good enough for most. For most of us with PFD or VV, 3-13 minutes wouldn't work out for a number of reasons (not enough time to prep, too much at once, etc.).

"There are so many myths in our culture of what other people are doing sexually," Brandon said. "Most people's sex lives are not as exciting as other people think they are."

Oh, dear sir...if only you knew.

The interesting part for those of us with chronic illness is this:

Corty said he hoped to give an idea of what therapists find to be normal and satisfactory among the couples they see.

Maybe this will help those of us (and I know it can be me from time to time) who think that we're less than normal when we can't get it on as much and for as long as others either sporadically, often or always.

And we all know, anything to make us feel a tad more "normal," helps.

Daily Inspiration: 4/4/08

Sex: the thing that takes up the least amount of time and causes the most amount of trouble.
- John Barrymore

Daily Inspiration: 4/3/08

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.
-Yogi Berra

Women Who Lack Sleep More Prone to...well...everything

Researchers have discovered what many women already knew--women who go without sleep are at a higher risk for complications from the lack of sleep than are men.

Blood samples taken from the volunteers were measured for levels of biomarkers associated with increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, including insulin and glucose levels, fibrinogen (a clotting factor) and two inflammatory proteins, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.

Ah....inflammatory proteins. The Inflammation Theory strikes again!

In addition to a greater level of irritability and depression from sleep deprivation, more biological signs were evident in the women tested.

Women who reported higher degree of sleep disruption also had higher levels of all the biomarkers tested. For women, poor sleep was associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, measures of inflammation that have been associated with increased risk of heart disease, and higher levels of insulin. The results were so dramatic that of those women considered poor sleepers, 33 per cent had C-reactive protein levels associated with high risk of heart disease, says Suarez.

This probably also plays into the reasoning (if it's ever acknowledged) of why women have far more chronic illnesses than their male counterparts. Unfortunately, sometimes it is a biological thing.

I guess it's just one more reason to hit the hay early tonight.

Daily Inspiration: 4/2/08

We must have strong minds, ready to accept facts as they are.
- Harry Truman

Baseball Season is Upon Us

And for me and Mr. SG that means many days at Comerica Park in Detroit, watching our beloved Tigers. We're not those fairweather fans that jumped on the bandwagon in 2006. No...we've been there much longer. We've sat through the incredibly rollercoaster-esque 80s and 90s. We endured the transition from Tigers Stadium to Comerica Park. We battled with the great losing season to end all losing seasons in 2003. Yes, my friends--we've been through it all.

Except last year and this year, chronic illness has crept into my weekly summertime getaway. In addition to the cheering and the score-keeping and the hotdogs and peanuts, I've endured pain, burning, fatigue and general malaise.

I was reminded of this yesterday on Opening Day here in Detroit. On an otherwise gloomy Monday afternoon, so many adults played hooky and made the day as teenagers in a wasteland for one brief moment. For all the good it did me to try and play along, it was a day I happened to be in pain.

I have realized that after getting home from vacation I've been lax about my treatments. I haven't been taking my Neurotonin and Flexiril regularly. I've been neglecting my TENS unit. I've been holding my bladder longer than I should. In other words, I've been pretending my bodily defects do not exist. As fun as it was while it lasted, it seems to have (pardon the pun) bit me in the ass in the end.

I'm looking forward to many more baseball games this season (and hopefully another trip to the playoffs). But as I sat there yesterday, I wondered what type of accommodations I will need to make for myself over the coming months. Am I no longer able to sit as long? Do I need a special cushion to bring with me? Should I take pain pills before even getting to the stadium?

More frightening is this question: Am I going to miss out on games because of my illness?

This one has so many implications. Not only are the games a summertime tradition in this budding family of ours, but they represent the rare times that Mr. SG and I have alone and awake. We work different schedules and we lead busy lives. If baseball is taken away--even for a week--it's not going to be a pretty picture.

So here goes another experiment in this larger test of The Body Chronic. It's just sad that I'm confronted with having to make accommodations just to have fun. But I guess I've been doing that for awhile now.

Maybe I thought with the dawn of spring, I'd have a revival of sorts where I didn't have to accommodate pain. Perhaps it was that I had a bit of a reprieve on vacation. Perhaps it was the sentimentality of it all. In any event, spring has sprung and I need to ensure that my patience with my body doesn't take off as well.

Daily Inspiration: 3/31/08 and 4/1/08

The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again. Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.
- James Earl Jones as "Terrence Mann" in Field of Dreams

Weekend Inspiration: March 29-30, 2008

Remember when Melissa Etheridge had her first post-cancer performance? Talk about inspiration...

Daily Inspiration: 3/28/08

In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds
-Aristotle

Hello/GoodBuy--Byetta

Though I haven't talked about it in any great detail here, I have started Byetta to control my Insulin Resistance and PCOS. It was a tough choice--the doctor's agreeing to put me on it was not necessarily for the same reasons that I wanted to be on it (he wants me to lose weight, I want to stabilize my weight and then go from there).

I have been on it for about three weeks now. It's a pain because it's an injection pen. The injection is barely noticeable, except for the fact that I now have a couple of bruises on my stomach from the injection sites. They don't hurt, they're just there.

I was fearing the worst in terms of side effects. Luckily my body (which has had its share of medicine chucked at it over the years) was resilient and I have yet to have any really disturbing effects. Some nausea, but to be honest, I'm nauseous half the time anyhow.

I have noticed that it has decreased my appetite immensely--which during my trip to Vegas made the trips to the buffet a little less economical. One plate for $25 is not the same as if I had stocked up. Nevertheless, I was dilligent for the first half of my vacation. I gave up the last few days. It wasn't any real choice--I just forgot.

But I have noticed my weight stabalizing, even after the great Lyrica Disaster of 2008. I may have even dropped a few of those added pounds, which would be nice. But more importantly, I feel as if my hunger isn't driving me unnecessarily now.

Sometimes with insulin resistance, part of the problem is not only that your body can't process carbs, but that your body craves them uncontrollably. I learned this after first being diagnosed with IR and reading the Insulin Resistance Diet. Once you get the insatiability under control, I've noticed, you're better focused and less tired. I feel like the Byetta has helped me do just that.

This has played into my whole Thin Line of Fat situation, though. Now that I've stabilized and that I've made progress with the PFD--am I ready to go back to the gym? Am I ready to tackle a low carb, high protein diet? Will it even matter? I guess only time can tell.

For now I'm just catching up on life post-vacation. One small step for me, one giant leap for my insulin resistance.

Daily Inspiration: 3/27/08

No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.
Elbert Hubbard

Blogging From The Road--Lesson #1

Don't promise updated blogs if you are not sure about the quality or quantity of your internet connection time.

I can say that we did have a good vacation. I can also say I learned some lessons not only about internet in Vegas, but about traveling in The Body Chronic. Those lessons will be posted tomorrow--I am in the airport and my plane just arrived.

Things to expect:
- Packing the right clothes
- Footwear issues
- Taking time to relax when trying to see things
- The value of a buffet (or lack thereof)

The Body Chronic on Vacation: Vegas Style

That's right folks! This week The Body Chronic is taking a much needed break in Las Vegas! It'll be interesting to see how my trip there with a chronic body compares to my trip last time with fewer chronic problems.

I'll be blogging from Vegas, though the Daily and Weekend Inspiration might be behind (as it is today and this weekend due to me preparing for vacation and working more often). I think it's going to be a fun little experiment into traveling (something I love to do) in The Body Chronic (something I can't seem to get rid of).

Things I anticipate being an issue this time:
1. Flying--airplane seats and long flights. Not fun for anyone, but less fun for a fat girl with chronic illnesses.
2. Drinking--the one thing that I love most about Vegas is the unabashed love of alcohol that accompanies each trip. Will that change this time?
3. Walking--I'll admit it, I've always been lazy, but will the walks between mega-resorts on the Strip seem more painful now?
4. Packing--I'm a little more needy these days in terms of clothes and personal items.

I'm sure there will be more, but we'll face those as they come. I am ready for a break from work and life in general.