good morning

Quiet here

Lots going on as usual. I hit a breaking point this weekend with my stress and I had to be self aware enough to step back b/c I was making mistakes b/c I was constantly confused about the date, what I had done, or didn't do.

I spontaneously took vacation on Thurs and Friday. Shame on me. I woke up Thurs morning to no grey cat on the bed. DH found him under the bed in obvious pain and both eyes closed. I immediately suspected he had ruptured his eye in the middle of the night, he seemed in a bit more pain than usual but nothing too out of the ordinary. About two hours later I noticed he had white/green discharge from the eye and called the vet since I was told if it isn't clear fluid, there could be infection. He was also completely out of it. Not eating, walking, just laying on his side and mostly unresponsive. Vet did a full exam and said he looked like he had conjunctivitis and he had several infected teeth. $400 later I took him home. I went out sourcing for 3 hours and DH beat me home. He called my crying (he never is emotional) saying that grey cat had blood and puss flowing from his eye down his face and was really unresponsive. Back to vet (they are the greatest) they watched him for 3 hours, but with his heart condition they can't do any kind of sedation. Vet now thinks he has an abscessed tooth that was in the roof of his mouth and the abscess ruptured infecting his eye, sinuses and mouth (he has puss coming from all 3). He did a ton of bloodwork and his white blood cell was not particularly high, no fever, from a lab stand point he should not be this sick. $400 later we were sent home again and told that if the antibiotics don't work in 72 hours, he will probably not recover and quality of life would be gone. DH and I spent Fri, Sat, Sun with him giving him syringe fluids and caloric paste, eye drops, antibiotics and trying to keep up with his heart meds (which he is really behind on still).

So here we are just past 72hours. I would say he is 33% better. He actually tried to eat on his own but his mouth is so painful that he just drools it all out. If I take away his heated bed he will get up and wander a bit, but if his bed is available, he will lay in it for 12 hrs straight only rolling over once in awhile. He got up and used the box on his own 1x a day. I know when I had abscesses from my botched appendectomy, I was on IV antibiotics for 7 days and then oral for another 10 days...and mine never ruptured. He also still has all the rotting teeth feeding the infection. He has an appt next Saturday for a recheck, if he is not significantly better by then we may have to put him down.

That was the busiest part of the weekend. The draftsman did finally send me a contract, I sent him a question on how he wants me to pay him and no answer...my gut says this is a bad idea.

Today is the final "survey" on the property before we can submit to the county for the permit. They are seeing if there are any endangered or protected plants that would prohibit building (still don't see why this is my problem). No one has mentioned the Development Credit (which costs $20K) since our initial meeting with the county 9 months ago. I hope they "forgot" or it isn't a thing. Or maybe it is rolled into the permit cost.

I have lost all strength/motivation to even think about diet or exercise. I did order some used Hoka's, didn't motivate me.

Reselling is picking up. First 3 days of Apr and I sold 17 items. My main platform is being sneaky again and changed something (again) and only admitted it a week after they are "optimizing" the search. Typically I make 3x as many sales on that one vs my others...of those 17 this weekend, only 2 came from the main one. This is what the did last month and people put them on blast and they changed it back...and then tried to do it again. They claim that buyer experience is increased and people are making more sales than ever...but when you see several hundred people telling them off on instagram...sus.

Well, I better get to working. Hard to think. Especially when it is lame projects I need to get done.

Hey all. Well we've had some crazy days.

About 1.5 weeks ago on Thursday DH saw a mortgage advisor about borrowing to build. Turns out we are about 80k short for what we want to do. We can build but it won't be the house we want. His advice was to buy an investment property, rent it out and build the equity we need that way.

So on Sunday we visited a few open homes, willing to give it time. We found a perfect place. Easy care, not too expensive, great location, all set for Tennants. They were asking 579k. So we offered on Monday 575 with some conditions. They turned it down saying they wouldn't take it with conditions. So Tues we worked to remove the conditions and offered 575 unconditional. They turned it down! Now they wanted 590. So we offered 580. Nope. Will not budge from 590. That was Tues night/wed morning.

We left it all Thursday and a different bank offered a 5k swap bonus. So we called Friday morning and tried offering 585. The agent said the vendor was very clear and blunt they won't take less than 590 but if we could go 587 she would reduce her commission a bit to meet in the middle.

He accepted!! We signed the contracts that night.

So in the space of just over a week we changed tack and bought an investment property.

Crazy.

Other than that I've been continuing to battle a calf injury. I kept from running until last Saturday. And finally went out for a short run. So far so good. Had a couple of runs and been ok.

I have stopped worrying too much about my weight and am working on accepting myself the way I am. I am actually happier atm and feel more balanced. I'm aware my food choices could be better but seem to be eating maintenance as weight hasn't crept up. I'm working on being mindful... And I'm just using my uniform as a guide. Will see. I'll probably jump back on after my HM in June.

Family life is good. Oldest DD turns 8 on the 22nd and she's so excited!

Just living life really.

Hi everyone! I know I've been MIA for like ever. I have not gone back and read any missed posts. I hope you'll have me. 😆

What's up with me the last few months? Work has been very busy. DH and I took a short trip to Vegas in March, which was much needed. I got a formal adhd diagnosis and started medication last week. It's made a huge difference in many things, one being I no longer crave sugar and can eat a serving of chocolate, ice cream, cookies etc and be satisfied. Also, no longer need afternoon caffeine and no chronic fatigue.

Since my 30k in March, I've decided to take a break from distance running. I've got virtual 5ks in April and May. And not planning to "race" them. This summer I'll focus more on weight/fat loss making sure to get weights in. I'm also trying to ride my bike more but I am realizing it's not the bike for me. Even with padded shorts it is still uncomfortable boarderline painful sometimes. 😫

So that's where I'm at! I'm going to try to poke my head in here more! I miss y'all!

@CMorning99 I'm glad you took a spontaneous vacation, but sorry it was because Grey Cat is worse. I hope he perks up. Hugs to you and your DH and Grey Cat.

@Avidkeo Congratulations on the investment property purchase. I hope it works out for you and you get to build your new home soon. Can't wait to see the cake you are going to bake for DD's birthday....you are baking a cake, aren't you? Glad your leg is behaving and sometimes, we just have to be happy where we are in life and go from there. Stressing too much about what you put in your mouth can be counterproductive. Sounds like you are doing great.

@shanaber I hope you get your scheduling worked out. It is so frustrating to take so long when it doesn't have to. Enjoy your visit with Beaux. He sounds like a fun puppy.

Glad you checked in @RunsOnEspresso ! We've missed you. Glad you had a nice trip to Vegas and got a proper diagnosis that is helping you feel so much better. I'm with you with biking. Those seats just aren't comfortable.

My appointment with the neurologist went well. @shanaber The biggest reason I went to him was I have been having episodes of double/blurry vision lately. Have had 7 since the beginning of January. They were very thorough with testing and getting information from me. They did blood work and are going to schedule an MRI of the brain and eye orbits, just to make sure. The neurologist believes it is an eye muscle that is getting tired and not holding focus. If/when it happens again, he want me to cover one eye, then the other, and see if it goes away. And, if I have enough time, he wants me to video my eyes as I look up and down, right and left - to see if they can tell that one eye isn't tracking as well. So, we shall see and I do hope it is just a tired muscle. I requested an open MRI, so it may take a little longer to get one scheduled. If I do the closed MRI, I would have to be medicated, which would mean someone would have to drive me. Claustrophobia is real....even though mine isn't horrible. I could do the closed one, but it takes all of my strength to not scream and try to crawl out. Since they will be doing two - one with and one without contrast, I don't think I could do it without medication.

Good morning!

Thanks for all the kind words about grey cat

He is doing better today. He is now on day 5 of antibiotics and he still feels junky. Poor guy was so sick. Eye is still emitting green goo and it honestly looks like it is rotting? shriveling up? It is rather grotesque. He is drooling a lot still but this AM after I have him his gruel, he went over and snuck some chunks of black cat's breakfast. He is still also very weak and easily tired. Black cat I think is jealous and has been acting mopey too. Still a waiting game of if we can get everything back under control and then just maintain with monthly antibiotics for however much longer his heart holds out. We just love that dang cat so much.

I had to run to the vet right after work yesterday, that is a 2 hour round trip. I got home and DH had made those costco mandarin chicken nuggets...OMG so good...and broccoli salad. By the time all was said and done, I was so tired and went to bed.

Woke up tired, have been getting up 30 min early to get grey cat situated. My neck has been locked up with no end in sight.

Work is going ok, very busy. Got my new girl and we get a long pretty well. She is newly prego and has nausea, I told her I am find if she needs to take some time but if she feels well enough to come to work, I expect her to make an difference in the office. She nearly broke down in tears (evidently her previous leadership had different thoughts) and she seems to take it to heart and jumps on anything I ask her to do. But time does tell all and not to be negative nancy, I have see this before and the motivation sometimes does not last.

I seem to be like most of you on weight. I had my pulmonary fitness test today and I scored better than previous years...maybe running irritates my lungs? I haven't had the courage to get on the scale but my non stretch uniform pants still fit...sorta...I can't put my keys and my wallet in my pockets.

I catch myself trying to set a goal or a deadline and I stop myself. I know I won't meet it till I am ready.

Best get back to it, gotta run home at lunch for round 2 of grey cat meds.

@CMorning99 I'm glad Grey cat is doing a bit better. I feel for you having to make the decision on his quality/vs quantity of life. It's really hard. Glad that, for now, the new lady is working out. Hopefully you respecting her need for some time off will help her have some respect for your need to have her there.

@shanaber I'm glad that you are finally getting somewhere with the scheduling. I know how frustrating that is. I requested the open MRI. If I recall, it's still pretty closed in, but tolerable. If you don't request it, they don't offer it. I know Beaux loves walking with you and so glad you wore him out.

As a follow up to @shanaber I actually got a call today that my open MRI has been scheduled for the 28th of this month in Greeneville, the closest town. I was expecting to have to drive an hour to Kingsport. Yeah.

And, I got a call with the results of my Holter Monitor. They said I have normal sinus rhythm, with very few fast heart beats. I have some bradycardia which I knew about, but think it is due to the exercise and not my heart. What they did see were quite a few episodes of PVCs and PACs and I think she may have said SVTs also. Anyway, as I understand it, these are more annoying than a major heart issue. They gave me a prescription for Magnesium Oxide that I will start tonight and see if it helps get them under control.

@quilteryoyo Glad they didn’t find anything serious! Hopefully the MRI will be normal too.

I've been logging daily, staying within my current calories. I've been sticking to my workouts too. I even hopped back on the bike and did my workout last night. Seat was fine, no pain and minimal discomfort. I had my *TMI* period last week so I'm thinking it was just that? So weird how bodies work LOL

I started using my 25 pound dumbbells this week. I only had up to 30 so I started looking at amazon for 35. Cheapest I could find was almost $50 each. I decided to google and Target had them on sale at 50% off and they were like $27 each. My target had 3 left so I did an online order plus I had $27 in Target Circle earnings so applied that. I got two 35 dumbbells for around $30. What I'm going to do after that? No idea because the 40 pounds are like twice as much! I'll probably get an olympic bar and plates.

@Avidkeo I can't wait to see the cake! I love seeing what you (and other bakers) create! We've been watching Is It Cake on Netflix. It is amazing what these people can do in 8 hours! I would say I'm 50/50 on guessing right (some are easier because we see them being made)

@quilteryoyo I hope the magnisum helps!

@shanaber Ugh, the struggle to get appointments is real. You would think with all the electronic forms and stuff it would be so much easier!

@RunsOnEspresso - That is a great deal on the 35lb weights! I would like to get a full set and a rack but most of the ones I have found don't go high enough. I would love one that started at 12 or 15 and went up from there. They are also outrageously expensive. I also want to get another kettlebell. The 20lb I have I got on Amazon Prime Day a while back and shipping was free. You might look on both OfferUp and Nextdoor. I am keeping an eye on them as people are going back to work and to the gyms and not want to sell what they bought for pandemic workouts.

@CMorning99 - I am really sorry you are going through so much with the cats. It is so hard when you just want to make them better. I doubt if Black cat would get that sick from an extra chemo dose. What did the vet think or maybe call the oncology vet and ask?

Got out with both pups for a run but it was hot already and my arm was not happy so we fast walked it again. Beaux and Hobbes did great together so other than it being hot it was a good outing.

The scheduling saga goes on but I at least have a scheduler now who is following up and gets back to me. She contacted the cardiology office and explained what was needed. The PM tech didn't fill out the form correctly so they need to have him come back in and fix it. They are hoping he will come in to do just that today or tomorrow. The scheduler is out tomorrow but will follow up on Friday to make sure she has everything back from them and can get me scheduled maybe late next week. It is lovely having someone competent to work with. I guess the bar has dropped pretty low on expectations for this now 😂

Re: dumbbells. My husband asked for the Nordic track 55 lb select a weight ones for Christmas last year and I love them. They are normally 300+ dollars but were on sale so we paid half that. They are so easy to change weights that I find myself using them for many more things and go from 5 to 55 lbs. It’s a lot more than I was looking to pay but way less expensive than buying multiple sets at all weights, and takes up less room!

RunsOnEspresso wrote: »

rheddmobile wrote: »

Re: dumbbells. My husband asked for the Nordic track 55 lb select a weight ones for Christmas last year and I love them. They are normally 300+ dollars but were on sale so we paid half that. They are so easy to change weights that I find myself using them for many more things and go from 5 to 55 lbs. It’s a lot more than I was looking to pay but way less expensive than buying multiple sets at all weights, and takes up less room!

I already have dumbbells in 8-30 pounds otherwise I would have looked at something like that. I think since most of the exercises I will be doing with higher weights are squats and deadlifts I will get an Olympic bar set. Not sure my arms will ever get strong enough to do much over 35 🤣

The only things I really do over 35 are goblet squats and one armed rows. But my husband gets good use out of the higher range.

Just make sure you get an adequate squat rack if you are going to be squatting alone, we don’t want you squished!

@RunsOnEspresso Sounds like you are doing great. Love a good bargain!

@CMorning99 Good to hear that grey cat is doing better. I hope black cat gets to feeling better soon.

@shanaber I'm glad Hobbes and Beaux walked well together. I hope your arm feels better. Glad someone is finally helping with your scheduling now.

The magnesium oxide already seems to be working. I've had a lot fewer palpitations in the last two days. They called me yesterday and want me to double my dose of one of the high blood pressure medications. My diastolic is still running above 85 consistently and above 90 a lot. Hope that works and doesn't slow my heart rate anymore.

@RunsOnEspresso I need to do some organizing/purging too. I just don't seem to have the time or energy for it. I read an article the other day that said the best way to start decluttering your home is to get rid of anything that is covered in dust. I told my mom that would definitely declutter my house as there would be nothing left. LOL

quilteryoyo wrote: »

@RunsOnEspresso I need to do some organizing/purging too. I just don't seem to have the time or energy for it. I read an article the other day that said the best way to start decluttering your home is to get rid of anything that is covered in dust. I told my mom that would definitely declutter my house as there would be nothing left. LOL

😆 we would have the same issue. I'm not the one in charge of dusting. DH does it but not as... thoroughly as I would.

@CMorning99 Hugs to you. I know it's hard to have a sick animal that needs extra attention and time and stress and worry. It all does add up. I hope you can find a way to get some much needed you time. I hope the draftsman works out.

@RunsOnEspresso Hahaha I'm glad to see that you DH is in charge of that. Mine was in charge of mopping the floors. That is not my favorite thing to do, so after he passed....let's just say things aren't as clean as they used to be.

I didn't get as much exercise in this week as I had hoped. I did keep up the walking streak, but that is all I have done since Wednesday. My neighbor passed away on Sunday. The visitation was last night and I stayed longer than intended to keep his daughter company - she's up from FL. Then, after I got home I spent almost 2 hours trying to get the phone company to schedule a repair for my mom's phone, which wasn't working again. It was almost 1am when I went to bed and I got up at 5 so I could be at work at 7:30. I only had to work 2 hours and then came home, changed clothes, picked mom up, and we went to the graveside service. The wind picked up and it was really cold. No one had on the appropriate coats, so there was a lot of shivering going on.

Mom needed a few things from the grocery store, so we also got subway sandwiches for lunch and I got chips and dip. I know it's stress eating. I'm giving in to it this week and will work on NOT eating everything in sight next week. However, that might not be easy since it is HOLY week and we found out that my husband had a mass on his brain on Good Friday. Even though it is not the same day of the year, Good Friday is always hard for me. I'll survive. There just may be a little more of me come Easter than there is today.