Fitbit

Hubby bought me a Fitbit Flex several days ago.  I had been looking in to them for a while, but held off because of the cost.  I absolutely love my Fitbit.  It was super easy to set up and is very comfortable to wear.  I downloaded the app for my phone and  I find myself checking it regularly to make sure how close I am hitting my daily goal.  

I also have my weight loss goal listed and that constant reminder helps me to make better food choices.  

I'm Back

I have been MIA for a few days.  Monday evening I had to take my neighbor to the ER because she broke her toe.  Then on Tuesday night I fell extremely ill, to the point where hubby found me passed out on the bathroom floor and had to take me to the ER.  The doctors don't know exactly what was wrong, but they are treating it like severe food poisoning.  It is possible that it was caused by our water, but we don't know.  There was a water line that broke Tuesday afternoon and the water was supposed to be boiled because it was not safe to drink.  I was not aware of this and drank lots of water Tuesday evening before getting sick.  We didn't hear about the boil notice until after I was already in the hospital.  The doctors took various cultures and should have the results in a couple of days.  Tonight is my last night in the hospital and then I can go back to my own bed.  Everyone has been extremely nice and helpful; my neighbor pitched in to help hubby with out dogs, which has been really great and everyone has been offering to come help him.

To help brighten my stay, hubby bought me a stuffed monkey named "Mailin" who sings.  He is so cute because he moved his mouth and feet when he sings.  Also my great-nephew brought me a get well card.

I am glad to be on the mend and hope all is healthy in each of your worlds.

Allergies

I looked at the allergy forecast for our area and we have had high mold counts for 25 of the last 30 days.  I always thought that there needed to be some moisture in the air for the mold count to be high, but I learned today that that is not true.  Some mold is really high when it is hot and breezy, just like it has been here in Texas for quite some time.  Darn.  I was really hoping for some relief from the sneezing and coughing.

Frustrated

I went yesterday to the therapist for a myofascial release to see if that would help my back.  They did an evaluation to see my areas of concern, did electrotherapy, did sonogram therapy over the area, and did try to manipulate the fascia in that area, oh and gave me 2 home exercises to do (ones I had already been doing).  I didn't have a sense of relief when I left there, but was optimistic that maybe it would feel better later.  I woke up this morning to the grandfather of all spasms and my neck and back very stiff and painful.  I am going to give it through the long weekend of taking the muscle relaxers and doing stretches, but if that doesn't help, I am going to have to find someone else to see who specializes in back issues.  I haven't had a regular back doctor since my surgery, so I will have to find someone.

When It Rains It Pours

This week is turning out to be one of those weeks where you just want it to be over already.  Late Sunday night, hubby woke me up to tell me something happened to his tooth.  I was pretty asleep, so didn't remember much of it.  When I got up yesterday, there was a note on the mirror telling me to make him a dental appointment because his tooth split.  Yikes!  Well, our dentist never called back (and still hasn't), but thankfully hubby was able to get in with a Castle Dental near our home and they took care of him.  This morning, I woke up and can barely move.  My back had been bothering me over the past few days so the doctor gave me some muscle relaxers and a slip to go see a physical therapist if it didn't get better.  Well, today it is worse than ever.   The muscle relaxers are having very little impact and the heating pad, although it feels good, isn't really helping either.  I called the physical therapist and the soonest they can get me in is tomorrow afternoon.  I am ready for this week to end already.

Bee Sting??

On Sunday when we were at the City Wide Garage Sale, I managed to get bit or stung by something.  I don't have a clue what it was, I just felt a little pinch on my left side and nothing else.  When I got home about 4 hours later, I had a very large (6 inch by 4 inch oval), very angry red area on my left side that was blazing hot and hurt very bad.  Hubby thought it looked like I had gotten up against something and he played nurse Sunday evening.  On Monday, it was much better, so I went to the doctor to get it checked out.  She was honestly a little stumped as to what may have gotten me since there was no definitive entrance spot, but thought perhaps it might have been a bee sting.  The one thing she was certain about was that it was already infected - less than 24 hours later.  She gave me some antibiotics and told me to call back this morning if it wasn't better and we would go to plan B.  Thankfully, it is much better this morning.  The size of the main area is about the same (it is outlined with magic marker), but the heat is completely gone and it is now just slightly pink.  Thank goodness I can call her today with good news, because I have no idea what plan B would have been.

Independence

Today is my first day of being able to get up and be somewhat independent.  I got up and let out the dogs.  I was a bit nervous because the lab mix likes to jump on you and stretch first thing in the morning.  She was really good and didn't try to jump on me.  Each dog has a "baby" they sleep with at night.  I couldn't pull those out of their beds, but the rest went really smoothly.  I think today we are also going to go out to get some dog food  and then to office depot for some work from home supplies.

All in all, the advice my brother and sister-in-law gave me was great and hubby deserves the "nurse of the year" award for always being there to take care of me.  During the 22 (almost 23) years that we have been married, he has taken care of me through 6 surgeries now.  I have only had to take care of him through 1 or 2.

Hernia Repair

I have been away from my computer the past few days because I have been recovering from hernia repair surgery.  I am a horrible patient and usually drive my husband crazy, so I promised I would be better this time.  I vowed to do exactly as he said, no matter how hard it was.  My brother and sister-in-law, who are both nurses, advised me to stay in bed for 2 days following the surgery and then take it slow from there.  I had the surgery on Thursday afternoon and stayed in bed Friday and Saturday.  That was really good advice, because getting up and moving around today was not too bad.  Unfortunately, my surgery was not laproscopic, so it will take a little longer to heal.  I think I am doing really well.  Hopefully tomorrow hubby will let me go run a couple of errands with him.  I won't be able to get out of the car and lift stuff, but it will be nice to just go outside.

Nerves

This afternoon I go back to the dentist to have my tooth taken care of - finally. I always get super anxious about going to the dentist and even though I have been in paid, today is no exception. Thankfully, work has been very busy today, so it is distracting me a little, but not busy enough to completely distract me from the upcoming appointment.

New Glasses

Today I went to get new glasses. I had been putting it off, for no good reason, and decided today was the day. To me the worst part about getting new glasses is trying on new frames. How the heck do they expect you to see how you look in the new frames when you can't see without your glasses. I always have to take hubby with me so he can help me pick them out. I know he won't pick at pair that makes me look dorky. If he did, he would get stuck looking at me wearing them. With the new frames all picked out, I went to select all of the goodies I wanted on them. Transition lenses are a must and this time I added the anti-glare coating. When the clerk was putting my order together, she said I actually hadn't gotten new glasses since 2004. Wow, I had no idea it has been that long. She said my prescription has changed significantly, so that is probably why I am having a hard time focusing on things and am getting headaches. Since it was my astigmatism that has changed the most, they will take a few days of adjustment when I finally get them. They had to order my lenses this time, so it will take 10-14 days before I get my new glasses. I am looking forward to a new look and to being able to see better.

Vacation

Today I only work 1/2 day and then I will be on vacation for a day and a half. I am taking off some time to work on my school project and to get some dental work done (yippee). I have decided this year and I not going to wait to get health matters looked in to and taken care of if needed.

My Gracefulness Strikes Again

A few nights ago I stubbed my toe really hard and stumbled almost to the point of falling. I was half asleep and can't really tell you how it happened. I didn't hurt my toe as you would expect, instead it seemed to twist and make my back hurt. It is just that nagging kind of pain, no sharp "somethings wrong" kind of pain. I haven't had to deal with this in such a long time that I am having a hard time blocking it out. Thankfully today is my last day of work this week and I can rest my back a little. I have to be full strength and ready to go for Monday for the TSO concert!!

Good Days and Bad Days

I have always been the type of person that likes a routine and although I can adapt to change, I really like my routine. With hubby's new diagnosis of Meniere's Disease and now with my arthritis, I am learning that I need to be a bit less routine oriented. Right now life is about good days and bad days. When we are having good days, we can tackle the things that need to get done and if some things don't get done then that is okay. When we are having bad days, then we just don't get some things done. I think hubby is adapting to the good day/bad day philosophy better than I am, but I will get there too.

Arthritis

My knees had been killing me for a while now and I was getting really frustrated with the normal ortho that I had been seeing. After x-rays and a MRI, he kept telling me "I think" and "I guess" when he would tell me what was going on. During the 6 months while he was busy guessing and thinking, my knees were getting worse and I was growing a but irritated. In fact, when I started going to him it was only one knee, but during it process it progressed to both knees. Yesterday, I went to see a new ortho and really liked him. He didn't have to "guess" or "think" about what was going on; he looked at my x-rays (new ones he took) and the MRI results I had provided and instantly told me it was old fashioned arthritis - but in advanced stages. It is not common for someone my age and I am not thrilled with the news, but at least I know what is going on. We came up with a treatment game plan and I feel much better about what is going on. I wasn't crazy about the cortisone shot, but it is part of the plan.

Resolutions for the New Year

Every year we make resolutions for ourselves that are thrown out the window in just a few shorts weeks or months. Well, this year hubby and I decided to do it slightly different. He gave a resolution to me, I gave one to him, and we made one together as a couple.

His resolution for me: Lose 50 pounds this year.
My resolution for him: Have a more optimistic approach to things.
Our resolution together: Get out of the house and do more; get out of our comfort zone.

2008 was not a great year for us. Even our last meal of the year had a bit of a downside - I got a bonus hair in my steak dinner. We are looking forward to the great things that 2009 will be sending our way.

Happy New Year everyone. Hope your 2009 brings you all the great things you deserve.

Good News

Today I received something in the mail other than a pile of bills. I received the lab results back from my tests on Monday. I am still in the pre-diabetes stage. That means 1 pill instead of 3 or more. Over the last couple of weeks I have been gauging how I feel with different diet varieties. I feel much better when I stick to a primarily vegetable based diet (just include small amounts of meat) and have a light meal mid day. Now I just have to get the exercise thing going.....

Doctor Visit

I have not been feeling like myself for a while. I have been really tired, irritable, and in general just feel like crap. I suspected I knew what was going on, but I went to the doctor Friday anyway so we can get things going on the right track. As suspected, I am a pre-diabetic. I am very familiar with diabetes because of my family and my husband, so I knew the warning signs and could tell I was starting to have more of them. I just didn't want to admit that it could be happening to me too. I have a few more tests to do to make sure I am still in the "pre" stages, but we have a game plan to get things going in a more positive direction. Mainly - be more active. On Monday I go to take the other tests and then I can get busy correcting what I have tried to ignore for too long.