Ugh - I can't believe it's been 19 days since I last sat down to gather my thoughts. I have had so much going on, good, bad, crazy & time-consuming. Julia at Village Green, Town Squared challenged to at least do weekly posts & that is my goal now that some excitement has died down.
But I can take a break & have some me-time. To Derby, Beckham & Disney, of course, that involves them. So right now, I have a 15 pound cat keeping me warm on a hot summer day that I periodically push off the couch, but then he returns. With the persistence of the feline species, I inevitably tire of the battle & sweat it out. (I will be going to the pool later, so I am trying to keep my mind's eye on refreshing cool water.)
With all that said, I have had such an awesome two weeks despite what some may perceive. Lil had TEN teeth removed last Friday - that was the ONLY day I could fit in between Early Voting & Primary Election Day. So I pulled her out of school on the last day. Note: she missed a couple of weeks of school in the final quarter for our trip to Europe. Still straight A's.
When she woke up from surgery, she was very scared as she'd never had her mouth numbed. Her panic was driving her blood pressure up to 145/110. I was scared too but I had to be careful to keep that in check. Finally, she calmed down enough for us to return home. I had to beg her to eat a Go-gurt because she doesn't like milkshakes or ice cream and she couldn't take meds on an empty stomach. About two hours after waking up, she was holding ice packs to her jaw, reading a book and she gave me the thumbs-up. With that, I knew we were past the crisis.
In the artistry of poor planning, she had gymnastics camp starting Monday. I waited for the phone call Monday for "Mrs. C, your daughter needs to be picked up." Nope. At 4 PM, she wanted to have some Motrin but was otherwise perky. I'm so proud of her strength - although she is sad about no popcorn for 2 months. :(
How have I spent the last two weeks otherwise? Meeting, calling and emailing supporters of Tom Coale's campaign for the House of Delegates. I have been standing at polling sites smiling, waving and calling out "Please consider Tom Coale for Delegate." If you had told me last year I would hop out of bed at 6 AM to go stand outside for 13 hours, I would have told you that you were crazy. Although I do feel guilty - I stopped at Checkers for a chicken sandwich as I was checking on volunteers. (Don't tell Tom or TJ, ok?)
I have made new friends, learned more about other candidates and gained lots of experience. Experience that I will need - because Tom won. We won. Ellicott City won. But we have to win in November.
So there's no resting - we have to regroup & focus on a long summer of campaigning. But I wanted to say THANK YOU to my mom and papa and my friends who volunteered on the campaign trail and took care of Lil (Tom's wife drove her to ballet).
And most importantly, the biggest thank you goes to Luke & Lil. Without their support & their efforts at home & campaigning, I could not have given Tom my time & effort. Also without Luke, I could not have gotten to Iron Bridge to check results & celebrate because I ran my car battery down. Our family has had such a great time doing this and we look forward to having that checkmark next to Tom's name on the TV screen in November. (Because that is SUPER exciting!)
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Fitness Failures
I didn't make it to Body Pump or Body Vive class yesterday. Maybe it was the time change, but I decided to rest a little bit and just do the elliptical. I have a book that I can't renew again (Who Killed Kit Marlowe? by M. J. Trow) so I used that excuse.
Group fitness exercises have made the difference in my workout, and hence, my body. I've just started doing spinning - which powers the gym - and I'm "powering" through that. So I feel guilty when I can't or don't go to a class. My personal mantra is "I have to shower at the gym."
That sounds CRAZY, doesn't it? And so odd for me - who eschewed diets & exercise for years.
As a kid, I ran around, climbed trees & tried to get my older brothers to play with me. I rode bikes with my best friend Beth (now Liz!) and we'd daringly cross the railroad tracks DURING rush hour. We played on the bars at Washington Grove Elementary and even climbed onto the school roof periodically.
Then came 1987 - the year we moved. We moved a mile away to a townhouse development. I stayed at St. Martin's, we still shopped at the same grocery stores and my walk home from school was still a mile. (Except when I took the shortcut once I discovered it.) Beth & I were still besties, but the bike rides disappeared. My neighborhood was not ideal for riding given the number of cars in a congested area and I lost my main physical activity.
So I stopped exercising a lot before I even became a teenager. I had tried team sports, I wasn't very helpful on a team...For one thing, my brothers had taught me to throw overhand, which didn't make any sense in softball. Umm, only girls throw underhand...As my dad often recalls, I was the antithesis of grace, so dance & gymnastics didn't work very well. I dreaded physical education classes.
When I went to Holy Cross in Kensington, there became less time for exercise. Morning rush hour generally meant at least half an hour to school. My mom generally drove me and then I walked down the hill and up the hill to Grosvenor Metro station. Sometimes, I'd beg a driving friend for a ride to the metro.
But I was a singer, a drama club girl and an awkward nerd. I'd rather bury my nose in a book than put on sneakers. I believe I may have gone years without buying sneakers after the PE requirement was fulfilled in sophomore year.
In college, I tried to use the gym equipment, but never developed a lasting habit. Then in Fall 1996, I was sitting in the Delta Sigma Pi weekly fraternity meeting. I was wearing forest green suede Birkenstocks and they were irritating me when I was sitting? That's weird. I fiddled with the buckle, but no, something still felt wrong. So I grabbed my foot and felt a bump on the top of my foot. Hmm, that's odd. My mom had Morton's Neuromas on her left foot from years of wearing high heels. But those are on the BOTTOM of the foot. Who gets a bump on the top of their foot?
Apparently, I do.
So off to the podiatrist I went and he diagnosed a bone spur. Which anyone who has seen me walk would understand. I walk FAST and I POUND the pavement. I attribute this to years of walking in high heels as well...I think the constant jamming caused it. Christmas Break 1996-97 - I spent in that lovely knee-high black boot and couldn't drive. I finished my senior year with a handicapped pass and my friends enjoyed my parking privileges.
And that is how I became a victim of my foot. Granted, I've had four surgeries since that initial one, most recently 2010. Luke & I used to joke that he'd have to wheel me down the aisle at our wedding. My papa says if my mom & I were horses, we'd have been disposed of LONG ago given our many ailments.
All those years of wallowing in pain, aging, sitting behind a desk, having a baby and not changing my diet meant I am a lot heavier than I'd like to be. Last winter, I had bronchitis for about 5 months, followed by sinus surgery in May. I started working out in June, but wasn't 100% til autumn. I haven't been on steroids since September. My cheekbones are actually visible now! I still need to lose more if just to avoid the judginess of my pulmonologist's tech who scolded me like a 5 year old about my weight's effect on my asthma.
But I've been scared for the past 10 days. The psoriatic arthritis flared up. I would reach for my keys in my purse and yelp in pain. The topical pain reliever didn't help. Anti-inflammatories weren't helping. I'm trying to train my left arm & hand to squeeze the shampoo bottle or spread the peanut butter. I made Lily fill out her summer camp forms so that I can just sign them. (Even if I had Luke do them, it's questionable which would look more childlike.)
Today, I felt much more energetic. So I tried out a class at CA - Zumba Circuit, which combines TRX and weights with Zumba. I had forgotten about the TRX and I got worried that I wouldn't be able to hold on. The arthritis flare seems to have receded.
And my feet do hurt. There might be another neuroma or cyst or spur on top of my foot, but I'm not giving into my stupid foot anymore. I'll never be a runner - I think that would be asking for trouble - but I can exercise in a healthy way. My inertia was hard to break through, but I did.
What is your inertia?
Group fitness exercises have made the difference in my workout, and hence, my body. I've just started doing spinning - which powers the gym - and I'm "powering" through that. So I feel guilty when I can't or don't go to a class. My personal mantra is "I have to shower at the gym."
That sounds CRAZY, doesn't it? And so odd for me - who eschewed diets & exercise for years.
As a kid, I ran around, climbed trees & tried to get my older brothers to play with me. I rode bikes with my best friend Beth (now Liz!) and we'd daringly cross the railroad tracks DURING rush hour. We played on the bars at Washington Grove Elementary and even climbed onto the school roof periodically.
Then came 1987 - the year we moved. We moved a mile away to a townhouse development. I stayed at St. Martin's, we still shopped at the same grocery stores and my walk home from school was still a mile. (Except when I took the shortcut once I discovered it.) Beth & I were still besties, but the bike rides disappeared. My neighborhood was not ideal for riding given the number of cars in a congested area and I lost my main physical activity.
So I stopped exercising a lot before I even became a teenager. I had tried team sports, I wasn't very helpful on a team...For one thing, my brothers had taught me to throw overhand, which didn't make any sense in softball. Umm, only girls throw underhand...As my dad often recalls, I was the antithesis of grace, so dance & gymnastics didn't work very well. I dreaded physical education classes.
When I went to Holy Cross in Kensington, there became less time for exercise. Morning rush hour generally meant at least half an hour to school. My mom generally drove me and then I walked down the hill and up the hill to Grosvenor Metro station. Sometimes, I'd beg a driving friend for a ride to the metro.
But I was a singer, a drama club girl and an awkward nerd. I'd rather bury my nose in a book than put on sneakers. I believe I may have gone years without buying sneakers after the PE requirement was fulfilled in sophomore year.
In college, I tried to use the gym equipment, but never developed a lasting habit. Then in Fall 1996, I was sitting in the Delta Sigma Pi weekly fraternity meeting. I was wearing forest green suede Birkenstocks and they were irritating me when I was sitting? That's weird. I fiddled with the buckle, but no, something still felt wrong. So I grabbed my foot and felt a bump on the top of my foot. Hmm, that's odd. My mom had Morton's Neuromas on her left foot from years of wearing high heels. But those are on the BOTTOM of the foot. Who gets a bump on the top of their foot?
Apparently, I do.
So off to the podiatrist I went and he diagnosed a bone spur. Which anyone who has seen me walk would understand. I walk FAST and I POUND the pavement. I attribute this to years of walking in high heels as well...I think the constant jamming caused it. Christmas Break 1996-97 - I spent in that lovely knee-high black boot and couldn't drive. I finished my senior year with a handicapped pass and my friends enjoyed my parking privileges.
And that is how I became a victim of my foot. Granted, I've had four surgeries since that initial one, most recently 2010. Luke & I used to joke that he'd have to wheel me down the aisle at our wedding. My papa says if my mom & I were horses, we'd have been disposed of LONG ago given our many ailments.
All those years of wallowing in pain, aging, sitting behind a desk, having a baby and not changing my diet meant I am a lot heavier than I'd like to be. Last winter, I had bronchitis for about 5 months, followed by sinus surgery in May. I started working out in June, but wasn't 100% til autumn. I haven't been on steroids since September. My cheekbones are actually visible now! I still need to lose more if just to avoid the judginess of my pulmonologist's tech who scolded me like a 5 year old about my weight's effect on my asthma.
But I've been scared for the past 10 days. The psoriatic arthritis flared up. I would reach for my keys in my purse and yelp in pain. The topical pain reliever didn't help. Anti-inflammatories weren't helping. I'm trying to train my left arm & hand to squeeze the shampoo bottle or spread the peanut butter. I made Lily fill out her summer camp forms so that I can just sign them. (Even if I had Luke do them, it's questionable which would look more childlike.)
Today, I felt much more energetic. So I tried out a class at CA - Zumba Circuit, which combines TRX and weights with Zumba. I had forgotten about the TRX and I got worried that I wouldn't be able to hold on. The arthritis flare seems to have receded.
And my feet do hurt. There might be another neuroma or cyst or spur on top of my foot, but I'm not giving into my stupid foot anymore. I'll never be a runner - I think that would be asking for trouble - but I can exercise in a healthy way. My inertia was hard to break through, but I did.
What is your inertia?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)