xX_PhoenixRising_Xx wrote: »

So, my daughter is having a rough time with her end of year exams. She is 17, has autism and OCD and she's going into her last year of school next year. (Our school year is the calendar year.) Her brain doesn't cope with exams well and she has failed a few, although overall she has enough credits to pass her level 2 certificate. She expected me to be mad with her, but she has worked her backside off to get as far as she has.

While I was talking to her the other night, I reflected on all the times I have failed at things. And there are a lot. And it reinforced for me (and her) that it's not what happens when you fail, but what you take out of it and do next that matters. There will always be adversity, but we can fail because of or succeed in spite of.

We are human, but failing at something does not automatically make you a failure. You just learn to make different choices going forward.

People ask me how I lost half my body weight the first time around, and it's honestly attitude. Oh, there are challenges and I am human and I have gained weight back. I have eating disorders. I have anxiety. I have injuries and ongoing pain and so many things that can (and did, at points) overwhelm me.

But it is within my capacity to accept these challenges. I'm not always moving forward, but I never give up. 💪💪💪

Exams are a horrible representation of intelligence. Your daughter has proven that she is a hard worker, and that's a billion times more useful than being able to regurgitate information under pressure that you're never going to use again. You told her exactly the right thing. Wish I could have had that talk with my mom when I was still in school. Would have saved me a lot of unnecessary stress.

You're such an inspiration, Kristy. I'm so happy you're a part of our team

pacsnc6 wrote: »

Yesterday my weight was up, so of course today it's down 158.9 I don't remember what it was last week so not sure if that's a loss or gain.

I'll update your weight for you! Bloats happen to all of us. And the updated weight puts you at a loss for the week!

tryingagain5 wrote: »

@1theresamcvean
Thanks! Back is still an issue. Yes, I think I probably do that too. Just stand or walk differently is probably causing part of the issue.

I'm pretty behind on posts but remember reading that you weren't feeling well a few days ago and that you were going to get a covid test. I don't remember seeing an updated post ( it was probably there). I hope you are feeling better.

Linda, Last week I wasn't feeling well at all. I thought I was coming down with strep throat and wouldn't be able to get a test for that unless I had the Covid test. When I was in the long lineup for the Covid test, I started to feel a bit better. My test was negative and over the five days I fought off whatever that was. Thanks for remembering

Sorry folks, I am 5 days behind on posting, this has been a heck of a week. I have had 3 doctors appointments this week and 2 of them were an hour away. Long story short. MRI showed cyst on pancreas. It is too small for surgery (good news) but this is something that will require an MRI every year for the rest of my life. It is in a place that it can be removed if it grows between now and next year. If I develop any symptoms I am to call my doctor immediately and go back in for a different test that is much more invasive. I feel fine and hope I continue to. My lung doctor and pancreas doctor are in the same building so I will try to schedule yearly CT scan of lung and pancreas MRI on the same day and also schedule the follow up appointments with the 2 doctors on the same day. Both places are an hour away so it makes for a long day. I also went for yearly eye exam. I can’t see very well, especially at night. Cataract surgery is scheduled for October 27. I feel like “if I was a building I would be condemned” but as I often say “I will keep on keeping on…..”

@minstrelofsarcasm
Losing weight and gaining confidence since March is definitely a WIN! I loved reading your blog.

@Sleepymon5
I definitely understand busy week and not much time! Jim sounds like quite a guy, going through Covid and now wanting to do the marathon. He is an inspiration. I just saw a loss for you, congrats!

@jedaschultz – congrats on the weight loss

@cafelelia
Looks like you had a good week. I know all the Canadians here will devise a plan for Thanksgiving. I have cooked for my family and Larry’s family every year for over 30 years. I notified all of them to let them know I could not do it this year due to Covid. People from 7 different households would be coming. Lung doctor advised against crowds unless they lived in the same house. Oh well, maybe next year. Looks like the IF is going great. I am managing about 13-15 hours. New to me, thought I would try it this month. Love the leggings and you look great!

@kandi3570
Looks like a good week. Love the turkey roast, sounds delicious and healthy. I hope the roofer gets the job done for you soon. I had to throw away my big crock pot, just would not get hot enough anymore. Now my smaller crock pot is not cooking right. I love to cook with them so next trip out I will be buying a new one.

@mainbeachbum
Congrats on the 30 pound loss and setting a new goal. I love the reward for the loss, hope that you enjoy the watch. Keep repeating –nothing will stop me – make it your manta!

@lennoncpa
I know what you mean about the water, I would need a catheter if I drank 80 ounces. I will type the taco soup recipe as soon as I can and post it. It makes about 6 quarts but freezes well. I just read about your loss, maybe the water was just what you needed to do.

@pacsnc6
Good to hear that you are feeling well, getting out and enjoying the fall weather. I pray that your scans look good. Congrats on the new jeans, really going down in size! NSV

@xX_PhoenixRising
Sorry to hear that school is rough for your daughter but you sharing with her about failure was priceless. You are a good mama, not to put pressure but to empathize. As a former teacher I saw so many parents pressure kids which did not help. I love your never give up attitude

@tryingagain5
I do believe focus is the key to this journey. We can do this together. I hope that your back begins to feel better soon. The sheet pan class sure sounds interesting. I love that you work with a trainer, which must be awesome support.

@melaniescott
Maintaining is better than a gain, a new week ahead. My sister has Menieres and was send for PT which really helped. Maybe a second opinion at a teaching hospital or specialist would help. If you aren’t satisfied with your doctor, please seek help elsewhere in your diagnosis.

@KUMEcycling
That turkey looks amazing! Good to prepare meals ahead. I am definitely a fitbit addict! Congratulations on the weight loss. Good to see you have a step tracker, it can become your best friend while trying to lose weight.

@ljdanny – congrats on the loss WOW, your week with doctors sounds like mine. So sorry to hear of all the trouble. I sure hope that your feet get better with the boot and the ice, etc. Try your best to stay healthy until your surgery, take the time off if needed. Do what is best for YOU! Prayers lifted.

@kristen11872
Congratulations!!!! You have this figured out – conquering yo-yo dieting is a huge step forward. Enjoy this fall weather.

@lenka1 – even small losses add up. I hope that you feel better soon.

@Hope002 – congrats on the weight loss this week.

WISHING ALL OF YOU A GOOD WEEKEND – KEEP ON KEEPING ON……

1theresamcvean wrote: »

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx wrote: »

melaniedscott wrote: »

1theresamcvean wrote: »

melaniedscott wrote: »

melaniedscott
Week 3
PW: 213
CW: 213

Well, at least it is a maintain! Might actually be a slight loss, have some substantial muscle soreness from gardening. Went after the weedy flower bed and now I'm stiff, sore and have blister(s?) on my fingers.

On the vertigo front, not much has changed. They found nothing on the MRI. I'm pretty pissed at the ENT...he seems very disinterested in actually figuring out what's going on. He's decided the vertigo is a new migraine symptom (never mind that the severity increased in conjunction with hearing loss, ear pain and tinnitus) and I should see a neurologist. To be fair, after 5 years of migraine silence, I've had 4 since the beginning of July (that's not terrible, before I sometimes had twice that in a month) but who wants to be fair? He says it is either migraine related or Meniere's (which I didn't want to hear, luckily, I'm mostly deaf in that ear!) but doesn't seem motivated to figure it out or try to treat it. But the ear stuff started in Jan. I don't like being half deaf. But I'll stop whining now.

I'm glad things are generally going well for everyone. I read the posts, I just don't have the time to comment much. I saw the words dark...chocolate...hummus...yum. Love that stuff.

@kandi3570 You buying your mom a fifth reminded me of my gran toting around a fifth of brandy when she travelled (she didn't think we knew). Don't know why...but made me laugh. Mmmm pineapple upside down...have not had that in years.

Melanie, I really hear you on the Meniere's front. I'm here for you if that's what it is. Kristy @xX_PhoenixRising_Xx is good support on the migraine front. You've got a good attitude so stay strong. These things take about two years to accurately diagnose.

Thanks, Theresa!

The migraines I can handle...dealt with them for...27 yrs before the vanished for 5 years. Having them resurface after 5 lovely no migraine years wasn't surprising, just disappointing. I was deliberately being hopeful they'd be gone forever. What's the poem? Nothing good can stay?

It's the ears that are really a pain. Hard to caption videos when the world won't stop spinning and you can't hear anything but ringing...

This is annual crazy time at work (schools reporting enrollment for funding and such...I teach school staff how to report and do troubleshooting for errors and reading reports from the application) so I'm just going to dig in and get Sept & Oct over with and then I'll consider looking at finding an ENT who is interested in figuring out what is up.

I wish my migraines would vanish, but I've only been getting them for 7 years. I have permanent migraine pain if I'm not on meds. I've had a migraine every week this month so far. I also get ringing in my ears and horrible dizziness and spinning but they can't find an exact reason for that. They've put it down to side effects of meds, but I also get orthostatic hypotension, have low blood pressure anyway, and my resting heart rate is prone to dropping low very quickly if I am regularly exercising. Right now it's in the low 50s, but when I was at my lowest/fittest it was around 40. Which, while at "elite athlete" level, was not the best for me. I wasn't an elite athlete, just training a lot and blacked out a number of times causing injury.

Anyway, I'm with you that the spinning and dizziness sucks.

I never used to think that my migraines had food triggers, but over time I realised that some foods will trigger or contribute to me feeling worse. I came to the conclusion last night that I've let my diet slip too far and I need to clean it up again. Less sugar, less processed foods.

Kristy and Melanie, I do know that Meniere's, which has asymmetrical hearing loss and serious vertigo, can be associated somehow with a certain type of migraine. In the very distant past, I had migraines and always thought it was related to the barometric pressure where I was living at the time (in a snow belt). I have noticed that my Meniere's symptoms ~ the ear pressure, hearing loss fluctuation, and vertigo, are worse when the barometric pressure is volatile (spring and fall). I presume this is all connected but am not going to knock myself out proving that. Both of you stay well. You have positive attitudes and that counts for a lot.

That is a really interesting observation. In the past my migraines had 4 triggers. Two were food related: 1) high msg or feta cheese guaranteed migraine, 2) dairy & tomatoes increased likelihood; together increased a lot (pizza, lasagna are not friends, despite the yum factor; some indicators that organic causes less trouble), 3) stress (frequency dropped by half when I stopped engaging with my family) and 4) barometric pressure. Never found a way to stop engaging with barometric pressure. I've had a dozzy of head ache this week and I'm blaming 1/2 of it on the massive pressure shifts we've had.

At one point, I took anti-inflamatories daily for and extended period (prescription) and that reduced frequency and severity but I'd rather not give myself bleeding ulcers. Unfortunately unsustainable.

@kandi3570
Great loss! Keep up the good work!