2022: Become a priority in your life - today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.
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Got my stitches out today! Hand is doing great! I don’t have to go to any more physical therapy.
Went to the school to read with the kiddos today. My quiet guy unexpectedly moved outside the school district. The teacher just thought he was out sick but found out that he moved. Lol. I guess he didn’t talk to her either.
I’m so disappointed in myself for my lack of progress this year. I had some good starts on exercise and eating better but nothing seemed yo last very long. Obviously I need to come up with a different approach and stick with it. My physical is November 7 and I’m sure my numbers will be dismal.
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Suzy i'm so happy your stitches are out and your hand is doing great!! Woo to the hoo!!
Oh wow on your little guy moving away - do you get assigned another one now?
As for your disappointment on your lack of progress this year.. you know we've all either been there, are there, or will be again so we can empathize! After all these years learning about my own eating habits and mindset I still find myself in that "well I've already screwed it up for today by eating those potato chips so I might as well just throw in the towel for today" In fact, that was me yesterday.. i won't bore you with the ugly details but basically while doing my groceries i was like nope i have to cook that nope that's too much work ah i can have potato chips for lunch.. for the rest of the day i hit every kind of crap and junk (i won't even bother to call it food as it wasnt) right up til bedtime. I know part of it was my "emotional eating" because im so frustrated with not being able to do anything with my back and leg issues.. i guess i was having an internal pity party for myself but i did realize at some point late in the night enough is enough. I've been focusing so much on what i can't do I've pretty much used it as an excuse not to do anything.. (i didn't even make my bed yesterday). So today i'm determined to kick start my mind set ...including my eating habits.. because NOT doing anything at all about anything is a very slippery slope for me, I may not be able to do it all but i CAN do baby steps.. and after all it was baby steps that got me started on my original weight loss here.. so I don't know if this would help with your struggles right now, but this is my new sign for the fridge:
So maybe for your situation, you can apply the same sort of idea - if you can't hike a mountain today, go for a 10 min walk. if you end up eating a bag of potato chips for lunch, have a healthy dinner.. that sort of thing... maybe let go of the disappointment we can't change what was.. but we can start making some baby steps in whatever we want to change.. it doesn't have to be all or nothing just start with the baby steps. That said, it may not be helpful to you right now... god knows we have all learned on our journeys that motivation comes in ebbs and flows and when the ebb or flow is right for you, you'll know it. The only other thing i will offer is to remember that you CAN achieve what you want for yourself because you've done it before... and although its frustrating for all of us to realize we might have to do it again, keep the fact you KNOW you can do it in the back of your mind... we can be pissed and frustrated and whatever else we might be feeling that we have to do it again... even if it means baby steps again at first... but at least we all know we are capable of doing it now.. and that is pretty powerful knowledge. Sending hugs
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That's good news about your hand, Suzy. I'm glad it has all seemed to be quite a straightforward recovery after a bigger op than expected!
I'm with you on the frustration as well! I have been so annoyed at myself recently. Maybe you have just had so much going on (even vacations count as extra stress and upsetting eating patterns!) that the best you could have done was maintained. You have been working on your health, it just hasn't always been consistent, and I am completely with you there. It's not as if you've spent the year just eating junk food and sitting down. Just think about where we would be if we didn't make any effort at all!
I have the same issue at the moment. I did quite well in the first part of the year, and now I'm getting some creep up of weight. I have a few things going on, and I have lost focus. You know about the heart issues. I am also having some dental issues, and long story, but there just doesn't seem to be the dental care available to get it fixed any time soon, so I have ongoing pain, and that just gives me an excuse to eat the wrong foods and to eat too much. I mean, what a daft excuse! If I have pain, you'd think I'd want to eat LESS! And eat nice, nutritious foods like soup. But apparently not.
I'm also getting my flooring done. I know we talked about this before, Snoozie. I ended up going to a fairly small local company who are going to do the whole house. Because I was getting different flooring upstairs, downstairs and on the stairs, they were going to do it all at different times. So I was going to have to move everything downstairs, then a few weeks later move everything upstairs. I had been busy packing everything up and moving it downstairs in preparation, and am living surrounded by boxes and bags of stuff and random furniture. Anyway, it turns out that they are now going to do it all at once! So instead of moving everything up and down stairs, I'm going to have to move it all out of the house. And to add to that, I'm having problems with my car so don't have that available to move things. The garage have lent me a courtesy car, but it's tiny and I can't get my furniture in. So at the moment, I feel stressed, and quite tired, with moving all this stuff, and worry about the cat and so on. And a bit worried about getting an injury moving all this stuff on my own! Plus the unexpected expense of storage, dental treatment, etc., with the cost of fuel, food, petrol and all the basics increasing madly at the moment.
Of course, I know the answer is not to eat more, ha ha! But just giving some background on where I'm at, and why my resolve is lower. I also sometimes forget to weigh on the scales that send the weights to MFP and trendweight, because moving things about has upset my routine. I would like to say that I'm going to get back on track now, but I'm thinking I might just try to keep it under control until after the flooring is done. That week, I'll have to be out of the house during the day with the cat and will also be working some of the time. Then after it's finished and I've got my stuff back, I will try to focus back on eating and exercise. I'm glad that I did lose some weight this year and really don't want it to go back on.
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Vail.. omg. Just. OMG. I don't even know where to start.. I would be literally be losing my mind on the moving of stuff just one way then to find out.. well.. i would just curl up in a bawl cause there is no way i could do all that with just the flooring part.. add in the car and having to get out of the house WITH the cat.. can you stay at your son's place or a friends maybe for a few days?? holy sh^t.. my heart truly hurts for you and THEN add in the dental pain .. That i can relate to as I had to have very painful and very extensive work done over a few months about 8 yrs ago now.. i truly cannot even imagine going thru one of those things on your plate right now, let alone ALL OF them!! I dont think the word "stressed" is big enough to describe what you have happening right now... when is the flooring due to be started and more importantly finished ???? i hope to god they can do the whole thing in a day or 2 at the max.. maybe if you ask since they are a local small company they will move some of the stuff BACK to the other floor or other area after they are done one for you?? i know normally that doesnt happen but i'd prob throw pride to the wind and ask em if they could.. and how do you move everytrhing OUT of the house and where to ??? that seems crazy not to be able to just move stuff in and out as they do a section.. but in any case just know i am thinking of you and wishing i could at least be there to help ... its really hard when you're on your own to do some stuff like moving furniture and boxes and what not.. let alone everything you have to do now...and even without any health issues but at our stage of life we have to consider those too.. please take care of yourself.. i totally get you do NOT want to put on weight after all your hard work this year,,, but with the added dental pain healthy is gonna be hard unless you cook vegetables to almost mush or something. and soup. a dental hygenist once told me cold make dental hurt more vs warm.. i dunno if its true but i've always remembered it. You poor thing Vail.. honestly.. i just wanna cry for you!! hang in there and come here and vent anytime you need to ok ?? And while its gonna be crazy insane busy for you, pls check in when you can so we know you're ok.. sending hugs0
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Thank you! The dental stuff is frustrating. I've got an appointment in January to get the first bit of work done. I can eat on one side of my mouth so it's not too bad, but I'm a bit fed up with the pain, and feel sorry for myself I've bought some ready made soups because I haven't been making them despite good intentions. I've had months of dental stuff so far recently. Different teeth, so I'm not sure what's going on. Yes, cold stuff is definitely worse!
The flooring is being done next week and should take all week. Then I'll have to move everything back again! I have asked them about moving stuff and have paid extra for them to move and work around the heaviest items (my Edwardian piano is not going anywhere!) but most of it will have to be out. My son can help a little in the evenings, thank goodness, as some of it is definitely two person. I have so much aches and pains from moving this stuff! At least I'm getting a work out!
But checking in to say that I'm tired and slightly stressed, but OK. It has helped to tell you and have some sympathy, actually! Writing it out reminds me that I've been through worse and been fine.
I'm having second thoughts about the flooring too, but I think that would happen whatever I had chosen! I've gone for wipe clean wood-look floors almost everywhere and keep looking at other people's carpets enviously! If I didn't have a cat I would have gone for the carpets, I think. But I do have a cat, so this will be better and I can put some nice soft rugs down!
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Thanks Snoozie. It’s good to have a different way to look at things.
Oh my gosh, Vail! Surely there’s something else stressful you can take on right now. Lol. I would be completely overwhelmed and having a pity party for one until it’s all done. I’m so sorry about the dental pain and issues. I’m a big baby when it comes to the dentist and hate the thought of having anything done. I’m so glad that your son can help with the moving stuff a bit. Having to move everything is just so much work! Look at the bright side, you’ll have new floors and everything will be clean all at once! Good luck with it all and hang in there! Remember, getting a workout is good but hurting yourself can last a very long time. Please be careful!
Snoozie, is your break from volunteering helping your back at all?
We’re heading to Cumberland Falls, Kentucky tomorrow to meet my husband’s siblings for our day hiking vacation. We’ve been in a different part of the state for a few days seeing the sights. We went to the horse races one day and did some hiking today. The forest we went to had three “giants” and it was so cool. I still can’t post a photo but you can google it: Bernheim Arboretum.
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The arboretum looks fantastic! I have an arboretum about 15 miles away but it looks like it's tiny compared to Bernheim! Hope you enjoyed the horse races. Funnily enough I went to the horse races for the first time in my life just the other day! I hope the hiking goes well. You do manage to see some beautiful parts of the world.
Thank you for the sympathy about the dental stuff! I have to remind myself that I'm lucky to have teeth, as my parents generation usually didn't have many left at my age!
I had to laugh this morning: my cat has peed on the bedroom carpet and on my scales. I don't know why, but I suspect he was upset with all the furniture being moved as he was quite stressed about it. Anyway, it reminded me that I've made the right decision not to get carpet! I will only have carpet on the stairs. I was thinking of your flooring, Snoozie. One thing about the carpet is that it seems to be a lot easier and quicker to fit too. I think with the winter coming, I would love carpet with a nice thick underlay. It would feel so cosy and also some sound insulation as well. So now I'm thinking that if you like carpet, go for it!
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Just checking in to say that I'm (tired but) fine! My son managed to help for a couple of evenings after work but he's away for the weekend. There is still a lot to do and I'm working today so won't have a chance, but hoping to catch up over the weekend. Finally managed to move my huge wardrobe that was in an alcove - had to take the doors off to move it, and will have to decorate behind there. Because it was so big and heavy I hadn't been able to paint behind it!
I was thinking that in some ways this is worse than moving house, because I have to move everything to the storage, then the whole lot back again, instead of it going straight to a new house! And if I was moving house, I'd have hired a couple of guys and a van at least and not tried to do it all myself! I am telling you, after doing all this, I'm going to get rid of a lot of stuff as I never want to move that much again! Minimalist all the way!
The aches and pains were really annoying and a hip problem has been flaring up, so I've been for a hip x-ray, nothing worrying suspected, just mild osteoarthritis. But I've had this thing where I have trouble lifting one leg and sometimes have to lift it with my hands to get in to the car, etc., and thought it should maybe be checked out. I was thinking of you, Snoozie! Although my problem isn't anything like as bad as yours.
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Vail omg ... on top of everything else now the hip pain? i TOTALLY relate to having to use your hands to lift your leg into the car.. i have to do the same and sometimes when it's really bad i have to actually sit on the side of the bed and also lift my leg in with my hands! I swear sometimes i think my hips are messed up too cause i have pain there as well as down the outside of the leg (upper thigh) mostly it seems everyone thinks its the sciatica being squeezed by the discs causing it and i know that sometimes where you feel the pain IS NOT where the actual problem is.. but dear god woman i cant believe you have to deal with that on top of everythihng else.
Honestly. i cringe reading your posts.. especially your last one as i have a massive pine armoire in my sunroom lol... even taking the doors off wouldnt let me move it on my own.. and i even have those "as seen on tv" moving pads and the fulcrum lever thing that makes lifting a heavy piece easier .. you use it to lift a corner then slip the little pads which are plastic on the bottom and foam on the top.. drop the corner onto the foam and repeat and then you are able to "slide" the piece much easier.. they do actually work well.. but you're still pushing a massive thing around let alone actually moving it out! But just reading what you're going thru.. is one of the reasons i havent done anything about the flooring.. i just know i can't move the furniture around (and i'm only in a 996 ft condo!!) i cant even move my bed on my own. as i write this, i am looking around my place and saying nope.. there's no way i can have the flooring replaced .. i have nowhere to "put" anything i move either.. the living room furniture wont fit in the bedroom or sunroom or dining room and none of it will fit in the little kitchen... so i do nothing.
plus everyone i know is telling me i should get hardwood (or laminate) but wood flooring not carpeting in case i decide to sell... well the reality is.. i can't afford to sell this place unless i move to some small town in another province .. and most of the time i like it here .. lol and having everything on one floor with my back probs and not having to do stairs are a big plus. So part of me says to myself if you want carpet girl.. GET CARPET. and i do want it.. i like carpet lol.. if i got hardwood, as you said i'd have to get rugs.. i like the look of wood but i like the squishy comfort of carpeting better. But i admit the pressure from other people is part of it.. i'm almost embarrassed to say i'm getting new carpeting cause i know they will say why are you getting carpet dont do it get hardwood. so between that and the panic attack when i start thinking how will i move all this stuff.. and where will i move it?? i end up doing nothing. When i bought the place 20 yrs ago, i had some renos done before i moved in and then had the carpeting put down so it was nice and easy as the place was empty.
So my heart literally lurches every time i read one of your posts. Thank you SO much for checking in and letting us know you are ok.. and when you can keep doing that please until everything is finished??? Still sending big hugs your way.
Suzy i hope you're having a wonderful time in Kentucky! i have bookmarked the aboretum to google it tonite ... i hope your foot is holding out for the hikes and that your hand is fully recovered as well!!0 -
Funnily enough, my hip feels a lot better this morning, maybe because I was working yesterday so not lifting stuff so much, and then in the evening I just painted the woodwork behind the wardrobe. It's funny how the hip thing comes and goes. But that's quite a relief, as I have a lot of heavy work to do today. It's strange what you say about the pain not being at the same site as the injury or whatever. I have had hip pain for years, but it turned out that is sacro-iliac joint pain. What I've been getting now is mainly groin pain, but it looks like that's coming from the hip socket. So the pain in my hip isn't my hip but the pain somewhere else is.
Yes, I do have a load of those pad things that you put under the furniture! They help a lot. I see your problem with getting the apartment done. If I was doing it again, I think I would hire a removal company and pay them to move everything out into storage and back again, and just count that as part of the cost of the flooring. I did have to have stuff moved out a few years ago while some work was done on the house, and it was insurance work so they paid for a removal company and they were so quick and efficient, running around packing things in boxes and easily shifting the heavy stuff.
If you're not going to be selling I'd get what you want and never mind what people say! I know what you mean about that pressure as I've had it over various decisions! The other thing about carpeting is it seems it's a lot easier and quicker to fit. I could probably have had the whole house done in a day or two if it had just been carpet, and it would have been cheaper, although obviously you can spend a fortune on carpet too! And I'm told that carpet is making a bit of a comeback at the moment. I am definitely going to miss having it in the bedrooms, I think. I'm having it on the stairs just for safety (who wants slippery stairs?) so at least I'll have that bit of luxury! And that bit of carpeting is by far the cheapest for both materials and labour. So depending on what the prices are where you are, you could possibly use what you save on getting carpet rather than wood on getting the furniture moved out and in again? Just thinking aloud about your flooring as a distraction from mine!
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Vail, I’m worn out just thinking about what you’re going through. I’ve had a busy time of it lately but nothing like what you’re doing. I’ll catch up and post more tomorrow! Hang in there!
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Snoozie, if you like carpet then you should get it. Trends come and go so you should make yourself comfortable in your own home.
Do they have the storage pods where y’all live? That might be an option for where to put your furniture but the hard part is the moving of the furniture. I don’t want to ever have to move myself again. It’s so much heavy lifting. It’s worth paying someone to move it for you, if you can. At our age, moving heavy things means possible pain for a very long time. I’m tired of the pains I already have, I don’t want new ones.
Speaking of which, I went for a massage today because my neck and shoulders are so tight and painful. It was such a wonderful massage! She really knew what she was doing. I may have to ask for massage gift certificates for every Christmas, birthday, mother’s day…whatever!
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The massage sounds so good! What a great idea for the gift certificates. Will be easy for people to choose a gift for you!
I think you are 100% right about moving things = pain. I've had days when I'm doing a lot of moving and days when there's less (because I'm at work) and there's a definitely a correlation. I think I've really exacerbated the hip problem by doing too much. You are right about paying somebody being worth it and if I'm ever in this situation again that's what I'll do. Would that work for you, Snoozie? Just get them to shift everything out, lay the carpet, then shift it back in again!
The work has started now so I can see an end in sight. Dreading moving the stuff back again, but at least it's not so urgent. The one room that has been done does look nice. I'm really pleased with it.
I have some good news: I managed to get some of my dental work done early as there was a cancellation. So hopefully that will control the pain for now. Unfortunately I had a problem with the local anaesthetic. Apparently it went into a blood vessel and I had a really strange reaction so I'm not sure what to do for the next bit of work.0 -
I’m glad it’s going well. Can you hire someone to move the stuff back in when it’s done? I’m such a big baby when it comes to dental work. Such good news to be able to get some of it done but then to have issues with the anesthesia? I’m so sorry. Do they have other options available?
I’m driving down to spend the afternoon with my parents tomorrow. We may have talked dad into taking an antidepressant. I think it would really help him.
How’s your back doing, Snoozie?0 -
Hi guys!
Before i forget - Vail im so happy you were able to get some of the dental work done earlier than planned.. hopefully the pain will be lessened now if not gone til the rest can get done? plus will broaden your eating options maybe?
Suzy - i've never had a true massage, only massage therapy which is not lovely and relaxing lol.. i might have to try one now! Absolutely great that yes you can now tell everyone feel free to get me a massage gift cert for any gifts LOL.. funny tho.. i treated myself to a shampoo and blow dry at the hairdresser a few weeks ago.. i was going to a retirement party and i thought why not.. (i wouldnt normally blow money on just that - only for hilites or a cut!) but my own stylist wasnt avail and the girl who did my shampoo.. gave me the most amazing head massage .. omg i said i'm never getting out of this char keep going lol. so i can only imagine the whole massage you got would have been 100 times better!
moving things in and out is not an option for me.. being in an apartment i can;t use one of those pods on site to store it, plus i have to book the elevator in advance blah blah blah. in any case.. i have decided i am going to get my damn carpeting. but i'm going to wait until spring i think.. the current one is completely disgusting and with winter coming.. plus we are in a recession here right now and prices are crazy.. so i think i will wait til winter is over BUT over the winter i am going to get the painting done.. i mainly want the bedroom done but i want to get all the ceilings done too and there is that horrible "popcorn" stuff so it will have to be sprayed.. but i figure i can at least move most things into the centre of the rooms and cover them with tarps for that.. i will have to figure out how to move the bed away from the wall tho. But at least i have made a decision and so i will move ahead with that .. of course it means im actually going to have to pick a damn color for the bedroom... im pretty sure the paint strips i still have hanging on there have faded they have been up there so long!
There has been no change in my back/leg issues.. i admit to having moments when i think is this how its gonna be from now on? but i dont let myself go there too often.. im trying to stay off the painkillers and only take them now when i absolutely need to so i've cut down a lot. I'vve started walking every day too.. was only 10-15 min to start.. i made it up to an hour the other day but that ws a bit too much so the past 2 days i have split it into 1/2 hr walk in the morning and 1/2 in the afternoon.. we've been lucky with great weather although i did walk in the parking garage one rainy day ha.
i've made a few dishes from that "one dish kitchen" site. But i have been depleting my soup supply in the freezer a lot for dinners just cause i can't be bothered to cook lol so i will have to make a new batch of the broccoli cheddar one and get that in there. i have actually been looking at some other soup recipes but none appeal to me.. i'm kinda a weirdo with soups i dont like any kind of pasta in them so its usually just vegetable, chicken and veg or the broccoli cheddar. Altho the beef and barley turned out good except for putting too much barley in lol0 -
So frustrating that your back issues aren't improving and that you can't do much walking. I really hope that's not just how it's going to be. Is the walking helping? Or making things worse? I know they always say with back pain to be active, but I'm sure some exercise makes things worse. My pain is different to yours though!
Yes, the dental pain is a lot better thanks, although oddly there is still some and I can't eat on that side.
As I could have predicted the flooring work hasn't finished on schedule, so I still have more to arrange. But mostly done. In the end, the guys were able to move some of the heavy furniture that I'd been stuck with and work around it, so that might be an option for you, Snoozie. I paid a bit extra. In the end I got sheet vinyl upstairs (quite a high end version), and luxury vinyl planks (about the same price but more expensive to fit) downstairs. I thought the planks would be best, and that sheet vinyl would look a bit naff, but funnily enough it's the other way round, which is a bit frustrating as the bedrooms look the best! It's not so much the look but the planks are very hard to walk on, much harder than the floorboards were underneath. They had problems levelling the base layer so ended up screeding it with concrete. I am going to have to put down rugs because I hate walking on it! Meanwhile the sheet vinyl upstairs looks more like wood and is much softer to walk on. If I could go back in time I would just have got that everywhere. Just saying in case you go down the vinyl route!
I'm now feeling much better aches and pains wise, as I've been stuck in rooms with the cat all weeks and not doing much activity! Eating wise, probably best not to think about it! The kitchen door is off and I can't cook or eat in peace with the cat, so having easy stuff. Also my scales have been packed away so I'm out of my daily weighing routine.0 -
Vail, I’m having all these visions of your cat tormenting you when you cook and eat. Lol. Waiting to pounce once you sit down with your plate. Your cat sounds like quite the character.
We put in luxury vinyl tile in our old house and I loved it. We have stone in our kitchen now and I don’t care for it. I’ve heard it’s really difficult to remove though so I’ll just live with it.
I’m glad your aches and pains are improving. Hopefully the dental issues will be resolved soon.
Snoozie, I’m sorry your back/leg issues aren’t any better. I totally understand your feeling like you just have to accept that this it how it’s going to be now. My foot pain has been two years now. I haven’t found a new foot doctor yet. I would think that walking might help but not sure. I really hope you can get some relief soon. Will you be volunteering again soon?
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Oh! My son and his fiancé came for a three day visit last weekend! It had been almost a year since we had seen him. It was a fantastic visit and we all took my granddaughter trick or treating together. I was a very happy mom and GaGa (that’s what she calls me).
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Suzy how lovely you had such a nice visit with your son and fiancee - too cute on going trick or treating together too!! i do hope you can find some help for your foot cause the chronic pain is for sure a pain not only in the part affected but all over!
Thanks so much for the info on the sheets vs planks with the vinyl .. im sorry Vail it turned out the "wrong" way around with your preference being the ones in the bedrooms now.. i have absolutely decided im just gonna go with carpet. it's all about me at the stage of the game and whether i end up staying or going.. while i'm here i'm going to be comfy. My first thing is going to get the ceilings and a few of the rooms and a whole bunch of doors painted first.. i have to clean all the windows and the vertical blinds before that and get rid of the clutter but i think i can push everything in the rooms i want done into the middle and cover them for that. I will wait til the spring to have the carpet done tho.. i would like to see if they can figure out some kind of tile/vinyl or whatever at the entrance as right now the carpet goes right to the door.. but its a weird configuration so it just might look too weird combining but i'll have time to figure that out.. the biggest job is going to be the bedroom because they are going to have to sand all the ways from the textured paint that is on there now.. and the ceiling spraying but that will be their problem haha...
i have actually had a bit of relief with my back and leg the past few days... i know i've blabbed on about it for eons now.. but its basically been a 2 part prob.. the bulging discs pressing on the sciatic nerve AND the pitiformis muscle (the big one in your butt) being either knotted or aggravated or whatever and pressing on the same sciatic nerve lower down.. but it seems like MAYBE the pitiformis muscle has finally relaxed and et go because i don't have the horrible pain from sitting or moving my leg as much.. it was actually lovely as it reduced the overall pain by about 50%! I'm afraid to hope it might be gone for good and I'm still a little leery of moving around .. i keep "waiting" to see if it tweaks or twinges or comes back again.. but its a huge relief at the moment so i'll take it and enjoy!
The Red Cross is still running two operations here locally - i got a call last night about going back to the airport but i told them i have to think about it a bit more.. i really don't know what to do.. i'd really like to go back and it's what i signed up for.. but there's a part of me that is worried that it will aggravate my back and leg again when they aren't completely fixed yet... i may contact them and say i am willing to do maybe 2 shifts a week to start.. i know that isnt ideal for them in a response like these ones but we will see.
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That's lovely that you've had your son and his fiancee visiting, Suzy. I bet the trick or treating was fun! Did you all dress up or just your granddaughter? Wow, a year since you saw them. You must really miss your son. It's so good that you see so much of your granddaughter.
Yes, your visions about my cat are correct. He's highly tuned to the sound of the fridge door opening. He will come running downstairs and try to jump inside. Same with the freezer - right in there, pulling out frozen peas and fish. I had taken to eating in my tiny kitchen just so I could eat in peace, but now with the doors off I can't shut him out and he can jump up on me and steal food all he wants. I'm actually eating standing up a lot of the time, which isn't very relaxing! I can't do something simple like, say, put a piece of toast on a plate and butter it. I have to dance around with it trying to spread it while he swats at it. I don't actually have toast unless it's frozen, because he would break into the bread bin. Yesterday he managed to climb up and steal some low calorie wafer type things. He will eat anything. Mushrooms are his favourite.
I have wondered if it's linked to his diabetes, because he's so food obsessed and I don't know why. When I put his food down for him he has his face in the bowl gulping it before it's touched the floor. He doesn't even look at what it is. He's just so desperately hungry all the time, and I'm sure there must be some kind of hunger hormone imbalance!
That's great that you've had some relief from your pain, Snoozie, even if not complete. Just holding out hope you could be pain free one day, or mild pain at least instead of what you've been going through. I think we just happily accept mild pain these days, lol! Do you know what's done the trick? Is it just getting some rest? I hope this is a permanent improvement! And I think you're right to be a bit cautious not to set it off again. If I was you, I'd maybe postpone the Red Cross work until you see what's happening with your back and leg.
I can see my X-ray results on my record now and it looks like it's just moderate osteoarthritis as expected. Still odd that I have difficulty lifting my leg, but at least it seems to be something mundane. Also I'm kind of oddly glad that the X-ray shows it, so it doesn't get put down to my "anxiety" again!
That's a lot of work you need doing to paint the house, Snoozie. Good idea to get it done before the carpets! I have been doing bits of painting myself, but can't face tackling the ceilings. I'm still waiting for the carpet to be done on my stairs. I'm so looking forward to that! Meanwhile I've bought a very cheap cream faux fur rug for my bedroom, to have something soft to walk over!
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I hope things are going well for you two (and for anyone else who might pop in!). You will have Thanksgiving coming up, Suzy. I hope you have a lovely family time: I'm sure you will!
My flooring is finally finished. I do have carpet on the stairs and I love it! My cat has been trying to pull it up but can't seem to get his claws to hook on it, so I'm hoping it holds out. The only issue is that they had to take the doors off, and they are now leaning against the wall in the living room, which kind of spoils the effect of the new flooring! Unfortunately refitting or replacing the doors is not included so I'm going to have to try to find a tradesperson who can do it. They are like gold dust!
I also took the opportunity while I was moving everything out to declutter a bit, and got rid of various things including some furniture. Now I'm left with lots of boxes and don't know where anything goes! I don't know how people manage when they move house! I'm lost in my own house!
I haven't really been exercising at all because of the hip pain, so need to get back into that and find out which exercise work, because the exercises I was doing beforehand were making it worse (squat jumps, etc.). My diet has not been great, but much to my surprise, now I've got my scales back and braved the weigh in, I haven't actually gained weight. I had been eating too much rubbish, but not in big quantities.1 -
It must have felt so wonderful to get on the scale and see that all this stress and eating some rubbish didn’t negatively affect you. So you don’t have to fight your way back to where you were when this whole flooring project started. Yay! That’s definitely a win! Good for you for doing some decluttering as well. Take your time on the unpacking, if you can. It’s more enjoyable if you’re not under a deadline. I can’t believe that they didn’t have to put the doors back on. Do they have to be trimmed or something? I’m glad you’re loving the results though.
Thanksgiving is next Thursday. We’re flying to Kansas City to spend it with my husband’s family. It’s my granddaughter’s first time on an airplane. Hopefully it will go well.
Did I mention that I went for my annual physical a couple weeks ago? I haven’t received my bloodwork results yet but I don’t think it’s going to be good. I’ve been pulling together meal ideas. I’m going to make a menu (dinner only) for four weeks. 4 beef/pork meals, 6 fish, 8 poultry, 4 vegetarian, 4 restaurant and 2 leftovers. I have everything but the vegetarian figured out for the four weeks after we get home from Kansas City. I find it hard to tailor a recipe to two servings so I’ll be working on that as well. I’m using a lot of skinnytaste recipes. I’m giving us both one year to get our cholesterol levels down to a healthy level. That’s the plan.
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Hi you two! I'm sorry i have been MIA i honestly havent had much to report lol..
Vail - im so glad its all finished and you love the carpeting on the stairs!! For SURE keep kitty occupied with something else if you can so she doesnt get at it! omg on the doors... honestly i feel for you i was talking to a friend today saying i need a "rent a husband" type thing.. its not work for a contractor, but for what we used to call a "handyman".. not a big reno but things like putting new hinges on my vanity cupboard doors (they are huge and heavy) and hanging a very large painting i can't lift on my own that sort of thing... but trying to find a handyman these days.. i looked in some local community groups cause there are a lot of retired guys who did stuff for a living and now just want the occasional job and have asked for some recommends in the neighbourhood as such.. might that be an option for you?? the businesses that run handyman services are far more expensive than just hiring "a guy"... so i will keep my fingers crossed for you!
YAY on the no weight gain!! "rubbish" sounds so much nicer than junk food to me btw lol.. i may start using that one! I suspect you dont really have to worry about exercise with all the packing/unpacking/moving you've been doing you were probably burning tons of calories!!
Suzy - how lovely you are spending TG with your hubbys fam.. im sure your grand daughter will have fun and with enough distractions in someones purse lol... im sure she will think its a total adventure. i was wondering how your physical went - any idea when you will get the results of your bloodwork back?
thats awesome you are doing meal planning and as you know i love skinnytaste. i've also been making a LOT of dishes from a site called One Dish Kitchen - it's cooking for one but most of the stuff would actually feed 2, or leave me with enough for another meal. I hear ya on trying to scale down meals.. I have always made my mom's mac and cheese from scratch.. i love it but i only know how to make the large family size one she did lol... i tried the other day to do a smaller batch... i got the sauce ok but ended up with only 1/2 cup of cooked macaroni lololol.. so i had to cook another 1/4 cup up so it wasnt just cheese soup! But you might want to check out the one dish kitchen site at some point too.. i'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you on the bloodwork that its going to be better than you hope! How is your foot and your hand btw now??
So not much has changed with me.. i told him at physio today i wont be coming back.. i gave it 2 months and it hasnt made any diff to the actual problems which we knew might be the case .. but i did learn a lot of good stretches and some good tips for triggers etc ... and he was great and agreed but said anytime i needed to come in for a treatment (the zapping or if i had a real bad episode and wanted to come in no prob at all.. so that sgood.. i'll continue working on the exercises to strengthen my core to take the load off my back and the other stretches but i'm basically just tired of all this and im going to just start learning to live with it so to speak. I can't play pickleball but i plan to play it again so for now i am finding other things that i can do... havent found a lot yet and with winter here now walking is a bit of a challenge but i can always walk in our huge underground parking lot so thats no excuse.
I got a call from the RC asking me if i could fill in just a few days at one of the lodging sites we place the travellers in.. only 3 shifts and only 1x each week... so i said yes and its a good way to see how i will do. i did my first shift on wed and it went fine... and it's in a hotel where they have set up in the business centre so tis a lot more comfortable accomodations than those we had at the airport lol. So thats been nice. Mid Dec im meeting with my friend who is coming into town for a doc apt and we're going to do a big xmas market fair being held outdoors downtown and then spend the night (she gets a hotel room fro the hospital as she's part of a long term study on her kidney probs) so we'll crash there and have another good catch up.
I also took the plunge and joined a facebook group in my city for retired people.. its a social thing where they arrange different events once a month in each area.. (Toronto is a huge city with different cities within it) so they kinda have groups in each area... evcen though you can go to any event anywhere its nice to be able to chat in a private messenger thing with others who live near you... so i threw out a suggestion if anyone near my area wanted to meet even just for a coffee to get to know each other and toss some ideas around about an event.. i picked a restaurant just a old style diner about 5 in from me cause they have a nice raised seating area at the back where you're away from the other diners.. and i had 9 people say sure would love to.. so we met last week and it was very nice.. we ranged in age from say 63-75 maybe but it was nice to meet everyone and very casual.. we talked about different ideas like a trivia night or bowling or soething.. there are singles and couples in the big group and lots of events being set up so i thought it might be nice as there is no obigation to go to anything if you dont want to lol.. i did sign up for a dinner next week in my neighbouring town.. it's only a 20 min drive and i know the area so that wil be my first official event. its gonna be a long winter so i figure even if i get a few outings in and meet some new people it will be a good thing.
So thats pretty much everything in my world ...
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That's amazing that you set up a local meetup, Snoozie! I did join a local group through Nextdoor, but keep forgetting to check if they have meetups on. I know they did do some stuff that I couldn't get to. Good idea to get some social things set up for the winter.
Walking round the parking lot doesn't sound very exciting. I suppose if you listen to an audiobook? I know you've done this before, using your building to get indoor exercise: I suppose might as well take advantage of being in a big building in the winter! I am a lot less inclined to go out walking in the bad weather now. Last winter was terrible for ice. It's a shame the physio didn't cure you. It can be a bit hit and miss I find, but if you know what exercise are good you can do them yourself. Our local phyiso department has a website where if you know what your problem is, you can look up all the exercises and what to do, which is good.
I hope the volunteering goes well, and the outing with your friend. KInd of funny to think of you staying in a hospital!
Good luck with your bloodwork results, Suzy. I'm sure it's more difficult to get much improvement as we get older! But you sound really organised with the meal planning. If you can stick to the meals, that's the main thing, I think, or it is for me. I had fish, sweet potato and broccoli for my main meal yesterday, then towards the end of the evening I had a snack attack and ate some Pringles, and some German sweet things that I had bought (why did I buy them??). I can't believe this is still an issue for me. For vegetarian recipes, I noticed a chickpea Milanese recipe on the skinny taste website that looks nice! I don't have any chickpea flour in at the moment but used to use gram flour (which I think is the same thing) a lot to make various patties, bhaji, with vegetables and so on. I hadn't thought to just use it on it's own but that does look tempting. Or maybe some variation on macaroni cheese with vegetables for comfort food, or using tinned lentils to make moussaka, etc. I think harder when you're cooking for two to think of something you both will like!
I hope you the trip goes well. I'm sure your granddaughter will charm everyone! Hope her mum is keeping well.
Yes, my doors don't fit any more, so they would rehang them, but not reshape them. They are hollow doors so I don't even know if they'll be able to. They need quite a lot shaving off the bottom. To be honest, I would pay for new doors just to get it done. But it's impossible. I had the same issue when my bathroom floor was done and they had to take the door off. I phoned round lots of people and eventually got a couple of quotes but they disappeared and wouldn't do the work in the end. I ended up having to do it myself but couldn't do a proper door and ended up fitting one of those folding ones. But there was quite a long time when we had a doorless bathroom, made worse by the fact that it's the only one in the house and also that it's at the top of the stairs facing the front door!!
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Sorry Vail i should have clarified - my friend is given a HOTEL room at a big discount in the hotel across from the hospital lol.. so we'll be staying at the hotel the night before her appointment and hitting the market that afternoon/evening.... oops hang on brb0
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ha. my browser kicked me out and i had to go and look up my password for MFP because it's been so long since i had to do it manually...
anyway.. on your doors Vail omg.. i feel for you... when they do the fire alarm testing in suite here, they also test to make sure the front door of our units close on their own - it has to clear the carpet and or tile and close all the way to pass... since my carpet is ancient now its no problem but thank you for the reminder it's something i will have to make sure it ok when i get around to having whatever installed! i hope you can find a tradesman who can lop some off the bottom or even the top of the doors maybe (since they are hollow i was just thinking maybe they could do either end? fingers crossed ! ( i did have a giggle tho over the doorless bathroom!! Figures THAT room would be facing the door downstairs!)0 -
Hi guys, for some reason I can’t get the website up on my laptop so I’m having to use my phone and of course couldn’t find the password lol. Hope you had a great time and Thanksgiving with the family Suzy and that you have had some luck with the doors vail0
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Thanksgiving was wonderful! It was really nice to spend time with everyone. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well for a few days. My husband was sick before we left home and then it hit me the second day we were there. At least three other people there were sick as well. After we got home my husband got super sick with a fever and cough. I feel like I’m a ticking time bomb…fingers crossed that I don’t get whatever that was. Now my granddaughter may have HFM (hand foot and mouth) which is highly contagious, so I’m watching her tomorrow. I’m doomed. Lol.
I hope you’re both healthy and can stay that way!1 -
Oh no, Suzy! Sounds like you all shared some winter viruses along with the food and good cheer! Your immune system is certainly getting a good workout! I'm glad that you had a good time though despite everything. Fingers crossed for you that you don't get whatever your husband has or the HFM. Hoping you all recover soon, and that you're just getting these things over at the beginning of the winter!
I'm quite good at the moment, although that's partly because I haven't been exercising because of my hip, so have less pain. I really need to carefully get back to it more often. My heart symptoms seem to have resolved for now, so I've had to cancel my hospital appointment for the 24 hour monitor! Which is good news, although it does mean that I'll never know what was going on! I think it might have been a combo of weight loss, heat and medication and now that I'm not losing weight, it's cold weather and my medication has been played about with (although eventually ending up back on what I'd been having!) it has just sorted itself out.
Oh, and I think I've got somebody to do my doors!
I hope you are OK Snoozie. I'm aware you have a pretty cold winter over there!1 -
omg suzy.. I'm really glad your TG was great but omg on the viruses.. fingers crossed everyone has a speedy recovery and your little grand daughter gets over her HFM (and that you didn't get it! Keep us updated when you can..
Vail that's awesome on the doors! more importantly tho i'm so glad to hear your heart probs seem to have been resolved for now! Did you ever decide about the HRT by the way.. i kept meaning to ask you but as usual... if i don't write it when i think it.. it's gone lol
Nothing new in my world.. I'm quite enjoying the few shifts at the new site with the RC; i think i only have 5 shifts between now and the end of the year altho i did tell them as i'm only 20 min away to call if they need a replacement short notice as well.. the site manager there sent a very nice note about me to the operations manager saying i was a great fill and she wanted me onsite (i know that sounds like i'm bragging but im not - i'm learning as i go there are apparently a lot of people who volunteer for the RC just to be able to have it on their resume - they never actually show up to any responses so when they get someone who shows up and does the work, i guess they kinda tend to "flag" that person - so as more responses and needs come up in my area they will tend to reach out to those dependable people first.. as I'm still having the issues with my back its just enough shifts to keep me moving and doing stuff without working every day, and its all new work for me so it's interesting as well.
I've been to a couple of the coffee meets with the retirement group i joined but I'm not holding out a lot of hope... everyone joined then seems to sit back and wait for someone else to organize an event.. and when you DO put something out there.. nobody answers if they are interested.. then suddenly its like what happened to the bowling event? The coffee meet up i did and set up for every wed morning is fine, but i dont just want to sit around and have coffee all the time i joined it to DO stuff.. and its a little frustrating because there are over 100 people in the group just in my area of the city alone.. but its always "crickets" in the chat. Plus to be honest a lot of the members are at least 10-15 years older than me.. which is fine because a lot of the people i play pb with are older than me (and tend to be able to whip my butt most times!) but i didn't sign up to sit and look at a screen on the computer watching for events either ... anyway i will keep looking for things to do so i dont sit like a lump all winter.. i have met a few friends for breakfast and lunch lately which was very nice..and have a lunch next week with my two oldest friends from 40 yrs ago... really looking forward to that one as we only see each other about 3x a year.. but sitting for 3 hrs each time (sometimes 2x in one day) is hard on my back lol.. but i would rather have a few ouchies than not go and see them. My new motto is just say YES.. lol
I made a lovely vat of chicken veg soup last nite with some leftover chicken; i have learned not to add the broad noodles until i heat it up otherwise they soak up all the juice ha.. so i have 3 bowls of that in the freezer and 3 broccoli and cheddar ones from skinnytaste.. winter is def here now altho fortunately no snow yet but i am finding soup is an excellent dinner for me now.. getting away from a bigger meal at dinner and eating more during the day - i often have a snack around 3pm of some cheese and crackers and lately i've been on an apple kick.. i bought a snack pack at the grocery store that had an apple in thin slices and for whatever reason i loved it.. it never occurred to me to slice up an apple i usually just chomp on em.. but now i cut them in quarters at home and slice each quarter into thin slices.. it looks like so much when the slices are piled up on a small plate just from one apple.. so i'll sit at night watching tv and just chomp away but now it takes a good 10-15 min to eat it instead of 30 seconds lol.. and because they are so thin and crisp and cold it feels like more of a treat.. of course i also had a slice of chocolate layer cake the other day too so ya know.. it's all about balance right?? hahahaha1
