Cal-EZ Blog

Body image is something that affects everyone, chronic illness or not. When you are sick, your body doesn't just change on the inside. Many times, the physical changes you can see really affect you mentally. 

I've seen many changes in my body since being diagnosed with Graves' disease two years ago. I felt many changes in my body too. The exhaustion and muscle pain made it hard to do any physical activity. My body became weaker. 

I discovered a small lump in my left breast on a Saturday at the end of March 2010. I was initially not too concerned because I had my annual mammogram only about 8 months earlier which was normal. Nonetheless, I called my gynecologist’s office Monday morning and was referred to a surgical practice that has doctors who specialize in women’s breast issues. I got an appointment the following Monday. The doctor examined me and did an ultrasound. He told me that I could potentially have an infection or possibly inflammatory breast cancer. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and told me that I should come back that Friday. At that appointment, I had a biopsy and on the following Tuesday I learned that I did, in fact, have breast cancer.

Wow, life has been crazy since my last blog post. It seems like the saying, “when it rains it pours” is very applicable. Every time things started to settle down, something else reared its ugly head and demanded my attention. Needless to say my fitness goals continued to be less of a priority. Sometimes it just has to be that way.

That being said, I did run a 5k race, and although it was not a personal record (PR), it still was a great opportunity to dust off my racing shoes and get back out there.

While I was toeing the start line I kept thinking about where I am today and where I used to be and I felt grateful that I was running the race, even though I knew I wasn’t really trained for it.

Over the past few weeks my life took an unexpected turn. I can’t go into details here due to the sensitive nature of the situation, but let’s just say that I’ve been dealing with a family crisis that has required me to rearrange much of my existing structures and schedule. It’s been tough, and for the foreseeable future, it will likely continue being tough!

I’m sharing this now because I know many people rely on me for inspirational and motivational posts, words that get you moving or stop you from eating that donut. I don’t intend to stop posting these things, but for now, I don’t have a lot of inspiration to share. I’m working on hanging on….keeping myself from crashing into old habits and working on keeping the stress in my life as low as possible.

Ah, Valentine’s Day; the holiday of love, candy and greeting cards. Whether or not you have someone to celebrate this holiday with, being sick can really put a damper on the day.

If you have a partner and want to do something special and celebrate, here are some ways you may be able to have your cake and eat it too!

When I’m out running I have a lot of time to think. Most often it’s just me and the road. The miles keep ticking and my mind starts racing. I think about everything from current life to future goals. I think about how far I’ve come and where I want to go. I think about crossing finish lines and beating personal records. Most of the time, my thoughts are positive, but ever-so-often I get sucked into a negative whirlwind that could have a significant negative impact if I allowed it.

It usually starts with something like, “Why on earth am I doing this right now?” And then it may morph to something like, “Uggh my leg hurts a little.” Or maybe it’s “I’m so tired” and that may follow up with, “Uggh this is just BOOOORRRRING!,” and then if I haven’t corrected the thinking the worst thought crosses my mind:                                                                     

“I SHOULD JUST QUIT!”

While Ryan suffers with hypoparathyroidism, the exercise tips listed below are good for anyone! Whether you're working on a New Year's resolution or just trying to be more conscious of moving more, let us know what you think about Ryan's tips, and if you'd like to see more of these in the future.

Exercising when you struggle with hypoparathyroidism can be very challenging; I should know. I have hypopara myself. I have good days and bad days but I do my best to keep physically active because I know it helps me manage symptoms and ultimately feel better in the long run. The following is a list of tips that I incorporate into my own life in an effort to keep (or sometimes even start) moving.

Welcome to my world, I am so excited to have this opportunity to share my life with you. Bear with me and my scatter-brain, I think you'll enjoy the ride.

This is my life, living with Hypoparathyroidism.

I was and still am that girl that would do anything for anyone. I did my time in school but knew once I was done with high school I was done with school. I had a dream and I wanted to do anything I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. I lived my life to the fullest and I loved with everything I had. I've traveled to more places than I could count and I've been in love so many times! I do things big.

Hello readers!  My name is Ryan Polly, I am excited to be a blogger for Cal-EZ. When I was asked to contribute to this blog, I was thrilled. It is my hope that my journey will serve as inspiration for anyone who is interested in living a healthier life.

In 2011, I was diagnosed with Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition of the thyroid gland. 

Happy New Year from Cal-EZ!

The Cal-EZ team is pleased to announce that with the new year, we are starting a new blog series. For those of you who are continually battling diseases that require calcium, we have new voices for you to hear. To start this series is Sam.