Surviving Holiday Traveling (CC Day Two)

(we're just going to forget that I've not kept up my bargain of posting twice yesterday, and the fact that I'm posting this four minutes before day "three" is over!  sometimes I have these ideas like taking on a daily blog challenge during the busiest time of the year. eh-there's been worse decisions.)

I’m kicking off part two of this blog series with a post about holiday traveling, which as anyone knows, can be a humungous pain.

I fly to Chicago from Lawrence every year to meet my parents for Christmas, and then the three of us will drive to and from to St. Louis to visit my extended family (phew!), so I like to think I have a semi- diverse experience in holiday travel. I broke these tips up into General Comments, Flying Tips and Driving Tips. Enjoy!

General comments and tips:

1. Wear your heaviest and thickest clothes and shoes

If you have chunky knits like me, you could fit a minimum of 4 shirts in place of that cute sweater! Boots take up more space than slip on shoes, coats take up more room than jackets…you get it. The heavier and thicker clothes you choose to wear on your body, the more you’re able to pack in your luggage.

2. ROLL your clothes

I found this tip on Pinterest and love it for so many reasons-rolling takes half the time as folding, it creates more space in your luggage, it reduces chances of your clothes wrinkling…convert to the roll.

Accutane Week Two

Good morning, friends! It's so good to see you :)

Today I'm doing just a quick update post on my Accuntane journey (Part One here). I'm now officially one week down on my treatment! Hooray, I've survived so far!

Something really important to note about Accutane is that when first starting the medicine, you WILL get worse before you get better. After a bit of internet research, I'm finding most people begin to see results about 4 weeks into treatment. So, if you're just starting Accutane, don't get discouraged when you see your face break out more! It's going to happen, but I promise it will get better.

Week Two photos

You can definitely see a notable increase in inflammation on my face. It's hard to be patient when taking such drastic measures to rid your body of acne, but my skin will be so clear in just a few weeks! Think positive thoughts...think positive thoughts.....


Symptoms

Dry Skin:
I'm just starting to notice the beginnings of dry skin one week into the treatment. I'm washing my face twice a day with CeraVe ultra gentle cleanser, as per my dermatologist's recommendations, and using CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion for normal to dry skin. At night, I will use Aquaphor healing ointment on any dry patches, as well as my lips and as an eye cream (the skin around my eyes is the most dry part of my face, pre-Accutane, oddly enough!), after I've put on the CeraVe lotion. Dry skin is most definitely the biggest battle you will face on Accutane.
I'm also chugging water like CRAZY! This is crucial. Your body is being depleted of hydration because of this medicine, so water needs to be your BFF.

Headaches:
I sometimes get a very dull headache in the morning, and I notice it will happen about 20 minutes after I take my medication. Self-diagnosis tells me this is simply dehydration, as the ache will go away after I drink a big glass of water (See above on hydration).




I'm a bridesmaid in my very best friend's wedding this weekend, and I can't wait to update you on that amazing adventure! I'll also be documenting how to keep my face looking clear while needing to be photo-ready. Should be quite the challenge, but I'm up for it! :)



Love and hugs,
Jordan

Accutane - Part One + Week One

Happy Monday, everyone! Long time, no blog!

It's been quite the week for me! Although I'm currently unemployed, I am still keeping busy. Mr. Justin and I spent the whole weekend planning, and organizing, and cleaning his room, as a recovery from his first week on a new job. I've been building my professional portfolio, reading tons of books, knitting, and loving on this blog more :)


The biggest change that happened for me this week, however, was that I started my first of five months on Accutane, to treat my acne. I've been battling acne for about the past 9 years of my life, and this is actually the second time I've been treated with Accutane. My acne improves and worsens in "phases," however recently my dermatologist and I decided that the medicine I was on was just not doing it's job, and it was time to zap this acne for good (again). If I feel the need for it I'll do another post that is full of information on Accutane itself, however I don't feel comfortable doing so because I'm certainly not a doctor, and I am not qualified to publish thoughts and advice on such a controversial medicine.

(On the note of controversy, I do accept the fact that this is a very serious and potent drug, and am taking it with full awareness of the repercussions I could reap from it. My acne is simply not manageable without some form of medicine, which I have been taking the good part of the past nine years, and Accutane is a solution that could prevent me from needing to continue medicine in the future. Please, please PLEASE talk seriously to your doctor or dermatologist about the pros and cons of this drug).


So, why am I blogging about this you say? Well, when researching tips and advice on how to "deal" with the symptoms of Accutane, I found my internet searches to come up disappointingly low! So, I'll be posting an update every week on the first of the "medicine week" (Wednesdays, which was the day I started the prescription). I'll be showing you how my skin is looking, as well as talking about any symptoms I'm facing and how I'm attempting to battle those symptoms. Makeup tips will be included too, as well as some healthy body, healthy mind advice.

 Hopefully if you're going through treatment we can help each other out! If you see any ways I could be better battling my symptoms, PLEASE leave me a comment. Hang on you guys, because this may be a bumpy ride!




Week One

Here is my face, makeup-free, on the day I started my prescription:

Symptoms

As this is my first week, I don't have any symptoms to report from the medicine itself. However, a month before you begin the prescription you must get a blood test done, as high blood pressure and cholesterol is a concern when on this medicine (I'll be getting 7 blood tests, one a month before I start the medicine, 5 for every month I'm on the medicine, and one the month after I finish the prescription. This is mandatory for Accutane, as well as monthly pregnancy tests if you're a woman).

High Cholesterol:
I have a family history of high cholesterol levels, and so my first blood test, pre-medication, already showed me having higher than normal cholesterol. To combat this, I've started taking fish oil gummies as well as eating more leafy greens and doing more cardio (which is something I should be doing anyway!) I'll let you know after my next blood test how my cholesterol changed.



I'll be posting my Week Two update in just a few days, so stay tuned! Thanks for joining me on this journey.




Love and hugs,
Jordan