I got to go home to Greenville for about an hour on Christmas Eve. It’s a tradition, on my dad’s side, for everyone to gather for food and fellowship. Despite this year being cut short for me, I’m glad I was able to go – especially since my cousin Roland (backed up by his fiance) told me I looked healthier/better this Christmas than I did last year.

I had mentioned to him that I’d gone into remission from Lupus, and he said that he could tell that I was better, because last year my face was very swollen. I told him that this time last year I was on 3 immunosuppressants: Imuran (low dose chemotherapy in pill form), Plaquenil, and Prednisone, but now I was only on Prednisone, and was being stepped down off of it as we spoke. He and his fiance said they could definitely tell the difference over last Christmas. That was REALLY good to hear.

What’s more is that I think I lost a few pounds. This past week, I put on some jeans that I hadn’t worn in months – like I don’t remember the last time I wore them. But, what I do remember is that they were uncomfortably tight, especially around the waist. So, I hung them up and just let them be. But, this past week, I had relatives from out of town visiting and I needed to grab some pants quickly, so I pulled those jeans off the hanger and put them on. Not only were they now comfy again, but I actually had some slack in them. They were still form fitting (nothing can hide my badunkadunk), but I didn’t feel like I was stuffed into a sausage casing, which was how I felt the last time I wore them.

My next step is to start my long-awaited exercise regimen. My apartment complex has a 24/7 fitness center and I have an 8 gig iPod Nano to ease the pain, LOL. I was just waiting for the “all clear” to do more than light walking. Okay, I don’t have the all clear yet, but I’ll get it soon. I can’t end 2010 still this size! This is the largest I’ve ever been, and I’m not used to being a “big girl”. I don’t eat a lot (something my country cousin – and her mama – used to cooking BIG meals lamented, LOL), so I know I’ll lose and tone when I start exercising. I’ll still have the issues that come with Fibromyalgia, but exercise will help, and the bottom line is that this may just be a case of “no pain, no gain”.