Solstice

 December 22, 2020

Well, a day past, whatever.

I 'graduated' from physical therapy today.  Therapist and I are very happy with results.  She gave me some new exercises and suggested using a exercise machine at the gym.  Have to be careful with that one, since my knees are bad.  It's the leg sled one.  Can't recall the name.  She wants me to use it twice a week.  Should be able to do that.  

OOOPS!!!  I was gonna ask mum if she still had the therapy ball.  eep.

Two other exercises she suggested, using a 65cm therapy ball.  Variants on exercises I already do, but 'dynamic'.  But I like the ball.  

Might go to the gym tomorrow.  :D  That would be nice.  Use the recumbent bike for a bit, then the leg sled machine.  Or maybe the other way 'round.

I think everything is only once a day, now.  and not every day.  I'm in 'maintenance'.  Looking forward to the new, somewhat less painful me.  

That's it for now.  
Hopefully anyone reading this has or had a fabulous holiday season. 

Been a bit

 December 18, 2020

I still haven't gotten around to getting 'before' pictures.  

I'm not gonna stop doing what I'm doing to be better, just to get them. 

I'm at 187.8 pounds, from a recent high of 193.2.

Still well within my 5 pounds +/- of 190.  

It looks like it will be a nice day for a walk, so I might do that, later today.  
GRR on COVID.  I'd love to go to the gym.  I think... it might be open.  It looks like our governor eased the gym restriction!  I hope!

Oh, by "nice day" I mean above freezing, not really nice.

I should get my package from my sister today. :D

Well that's interesting

 December 7, 2020

My left hip seems to be destabilizing.  Sigh.  I took a walk yesterday (YAY Walk!)

Afterwards, my back was stiff in the mid to upper sections, not the L5/S1 area, which has been the issue most of my life.  The point of the PT is to help with pain in that spot.  It does seem to be helping, there.

But... 4 of the 7 exercises involve my hips.  I just can't right now.  Hurts too much.  :(

I'll be doing the other 3 shortly.  

Very glad my next PT appointment is tomorrow.  I can do the core-aimed exercises today and tomorrow morning, and talk to my therapist tomorrow.  No point in fixing one issue, just to create a new one.

First longish walk

 December 6, 2020

I took a longish walk, my first since starting my PT.  My back is achy, but mid to upper, not lower.  Also my hip hurts.  But no feeling of breaking a thin piece of cement in my lower back.  

Walked 1.36 miles in 30.34 minutes.  (data via garmin)

Haven't taken my 'before' pics yet.  Woke up too late.  

Just because

 December 5th, 2020

Gonna see if John will help me take 'before-ish' pictures tomorrow.  Which means I'll get my undies pics up soon.  It's before-ish, since I started on my 'get Paulette better' about 3 and a half weeks ago.  

So, pics tomorrow.  Exciting.  BLAH

That's it for today, I think.  Did my resistance 'training' this morning, since I won't be home until late 11 tonight.  I can do my baby step stuff when I get home, but I'm not willing to do the harder stuff that late.

Be glorious. 

Couple days later

 December 2, 2020

So, a week later for my new PT.

My body aches a bit.  No major back issues, so far.  I did have one morning when I woke up and my left hip said NO!!!! So I decided to listen, and didn't do my exercises just that one morning.  Put some of John's topical painkiller onto it.  That helped, and it hasn't happened since. 

I'm gonna do my weight measure on Friday, see how I'm doing in that department.  Probably within 5 pounds of 190.  My usual.  Hopefully the below, not above... LOL

Been doing the occasional extra shift and long shift.  Gonna pick one up on Saturday.  

That's about it.  If it's warm enough when I get home, I'm going to take a bit of a walk, to see how my back likes it.  The PT Cindy wants me to walk, to see how my back is improving.  

Second Batch!

 November 25, 2020

Well, I went to the physical therapist again yesterday.  She's happy with my progress, so :) she gave me more exercises.  Now 7.  I have 3 I do twice a day, and 4 that I do once a day.  The once a day ones are 'strength' ones, with resistance.  The other ones are just body resistance.  She still wants my hip flexors less tight/tense.  Says that the back of my leg should be flat on the ground when I lay on my back.  Not sure how that works, considering I have a butt... LOL
Gonna be working some odd hours in the next week or so.  The bird is out with COVID, and the tree still has a broken limb.  We'll get through it somehow.  Might have to reduce the covered hours.  That would be a first, I think. 

Keeping it going

 November 14th

Still being good about doing my PT

Not 100% sure what good it's doing, since I didn't notice the things the PT doctor noticed when we met, sooooo not sure how I'd know it was working.

Very proud of doing it every day so far.  Only 3 days, but still.  :)

Doing a bunch of 12 hour shifts now.  Today, tomorrow, and Monday, then Wednesday.  

Debating doing my exercises here at work.  Because I'll be ready to go to bed by the time I get home, I think.  We'll see.  

I like the Major to Minor songs that a Youtuber named Chase Holfelder makes.  I'm currently catching up.  I didn't realize how many I'd missed.  :D  Great way to pass the time.  He also does other covers, and some original music.  Give him a listen!

https://www.youtube.com/user/chaseholfelder

Decided to skip my taco uncrustables for dinner.  I ordered pizza.  Because pizza.

That's about it for today.  Laters all!

First full day of PT exercises

 November 11, 2020

Went to PT doctor yesterday.  Started my exercises.  Did my first full day of them.  Only 3, and they are very simple.  Designed to loosen tight hip flexors and strengthen my core and my glutes!  I got a weak butt.  LOL!

Cindy (my PT doc) tells me I do have some strong points.  And when I asked her what, if anything, I shouldn't do, she said stuff overhead.  I jokingly said, "so no hanging any drywall on the ceiling?" and she laughed and said, " yep, and no painting them either."

So far, my back has only had the warning twinges, but no pain.  I'm doing ok, so far.  Of course it's day one.  

Oh, to those who might be curious about my diabetic visit, my numbers really hadn't changed since last time.  (7.3)
I got my final hep B shot, and my flu shot.  And, of course, referral to PT.  

I'm doing:
Supine Single Knee to Chest Stretch
Supine Posterior Pelvic Tilt
Prone Hip Extension Sequence (thru position 3)

That's about it for now.  
I have shrimp for dinner tonight!  Be jealous.  :D

Icky way to wake up

 November 9th,

I woke up feeling queasy.  I went over to the bathroom, hoping that would help.  Well, it did, sort of.  Threw up. Felt like everything from noon onwards came up.  Felt a bit better after.  

I'm babying my tummy, now.  broth and water and gatorade.  simple stuffs.  I threw away the only foods I different from John, since it felt food induced, rather than sick induced, if that makes sense.

Gonna be doing physical therapy for my back tomorrow.  Not sure what good that will do, but I had a spare $300 laying about, so why not.  Sigh.  Found out from the doc that my "L5-S1 joint" is basically shredded wheat.  Guess that's what's causing the pain issues I have.  Hopefully getting exercises that won't cause me to want to cry will help.  If not, I'll go on to the next thing.  I'm tired of hurting when all I want to do is do some simple exercises and get fit.

TTFN

New owie. New resolve.

 October 29th

So, now my hip hurts.  Left hip, if ya wanna know.  Gonna talk with Doc Jorgenson tomorrow at my regular diabetic appointment, about my back.  I can't do the strengthening exercises without hurting myself.  And my elbow (also left) is being weird.  

Hopefully Dr J will have new input.  Been talking with John about possibly doing surgery on my back.  I've never really had surgery.  Kinda makes me nervous.  

This assortment of pain, is why I'm fat and diabetic.  If I didn't hurt, I'd do more.  If I did more, I'd by definition, use more calories.  That would help both the fat me and the diabetic me.  But it comes back down to pain.  

Other news, I made sausage, kinda.  I think there's too much garlic.  John thinks it's strong but ok.  Very much a personal taste thing.  Also, I think it's making me gassy!  LOL

I'm working on a set of overalls, to do a costume.  by Saturday.  with only friday left to work on it.  OOOPS

Seriously tempted to go up to Minneapolis to work on it today.  Be much less stressful, if that part of the costume was finished.

I think I'm gonna do that.  Costume here I come.  

Informational Thing

 October 25, 2020 (part 2)

I'm me.  Just that.  I don't do shame, either given or taken.  I'm 45.  I have diabetes, a bit of tachycardia (heart rate is usually 90's-100's), degenerating vertebrae in two spots (don't ask numbers, 'cuz I don't remember), Ehler's Danlos Syndrome (see link).  Also some damage to my shoulder from a dislocation.

I weigh about 190 pounds, give or take a pound or 5 any given week.  I'm also 5'2.75". I used to be 5'3".  I've SHRUNK!!!!

I try to walk a nice 3+ mile trek at least once a week, weather permitting.  

I LOVE food.

My doctor would love it if I could lose 10 pounds.  I'd love to, too.  I'd actually love to lose more like 30ish.  But... it hurts.  I take my walk, and then when I sit down after, the back damage hurts.  
It's very difficult to, I think the term is 'scale', enough to get effect, but not hurt.  

I keep resolving to walk more, do more lifting, you know... be 'better'.  I don't feel bad about not doing so much as...wish the results of doing it showed up faster, so that the resolution would be easier to hold to despite the pain. 

I hope this blog helps me to do that.  
I'll be putting up baseline pics soon.  YAY- Paulette in her undies.  

Done for now.  Two thumbs up for intent, right?

https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/2081/hypermobile-ehlers-danlos-syndrome  

Musings on a cold October morning

 October 25th.

Kinda chilly, and might snow.  

My hangouts chat with John was hung up.  I did a restart and an airplane mode disconnect.  Not sure which one actually fixed it, but it's fixed now.

I have ZERO motivation to do any exercise.  I intellectually know I need to.  But it's cold outside, and just unpleasant.  

I don't eat as well, when John's not home.  I had a breakfast burrito and a protein shake for breakfast; a pb&j sandwich for lunch; and rice and a tamale and some chai for dinner.

I just have to keep trying.  Doing sorta better about testing my sugars.  But I think my meter needs a new battery.  It didn't send to my phone.  Hmm.  Just realized, that might have been a phone issue, not a meter issue.  Since the phone was misbehaving this morning.  

That's about it.  I might just go to the gym after work today.  Just to see if that can break me out of my exercise funk.  Maybe run on the treadmill a bit.  Haven't done treadmill in a long time.  

 Well, it's October 20, 2020

A lovely fall day, trying to be a miserable winter day, and succeeding admirably.  Already have a good inch plus of snow.  It's wet and heavy stuff, too.  

Not going home tonight.  Roads are too dangerous to do the 30 mile drive.  Gonna head to my parents' house.  Sigh.  

On the plus side, I do have clean undies in my gym bag.