LW: 128.0
TW: 128.8

Sorry to be late to the party, ladies. Yesterday, I had just typed in my weight and had written maybe two sentences when the doorbell rang and it was the plumbing company back to make videos.

Regarding the plumbing crisis, we still do not know the cost or anything about timing. What we do know is that there's a chance they may not have to dig that 3 foot wide/8 foot deep trench through 2/3's of our kitchen. They may be able to dig some smaller holes and do something called pipe bursting where a heavy, rocket-shaped device is sent through the existing cast iron pipes causing them to crack and break up, and then they push the debris through with a new pipe. We are still waiting for them to examine all the film from cameras put through the pipes and videos of the house and outside areas and come up with the plan and costs. It still sounds extensive and costly, but not as bad as the first, young plumber led us to believe. Hubby thinks he gave us worst case scenario.

And regarding my back, I went to class on Tuesday because we have to have at least two certified trainers in the room in order for the class to be held, and it's sometimes hard to find a sub. The other trainer lead the routines and I did what I could using no weights and sometimes I just stepped away and observed. When I got home, I decided to go ahead and call my doc to get an appointment on the books in case I needed it. I was very surprised when they asked if I could get there at 1:45. My doc examined me and found some point tenderness in my lower back, so she sent me for an x-ray of the lumbar spine. I learned yesterday that there are no new fractures, which is good, Of course they saw the old fractures of L1 from skating and biking accidents. My PCP said that if my back is still hurting next week, she'll refer me to the orthopedic doc. Oddly, it's more my upper back now, where I didn't have point tenderness.

I did have a mammogram yesterday, but get this--it was not the diagnostic one. When I got there, the technician came and talked to me and said that given the scenario and the fact that insurance will pay for a regular screening but often will not pay for parts of a diagnostic one, she thought it was better to start with a regular and get me back for anything else needed. Really? I wanted to ask why they didn't come to that conclusion back in early December, but I decided to just go with it. It was the same tech who told the nurse that they absolutely could not do the regular with the "ultasound if needed" on the original screening order. Arghhh. I think something was going on the day of my first appointment that had nothing to do with me. So it will be 2-7 days until we hear results from the screening done yesterday, and thus, I'm still waiting!

I am not surprised that my weight edged up a bit. As you'll see, my 7-day average for steps is lower because there were two days that I just could not get 10K. And I was also burning fewer calories even with the walking that I got in because I had to crank the speed down quite a bit. Actually, slow walking seemed to reduce the pain for a while, but it certainly didn't burn many calories. And I also think I did some "comforting myself" eating. Seven-days averages were: Steps = 9,642; Stairs = 13 floors; Kcals burned = 1,606.

You three are very lucky to have your families. Hubby's only brother was gay and never married and my adopted brother has the mind of about a 12 year old due to the circumstances of his birth, so he is not married. And as you know, my sister is an invalid. So there's reallly no family for us do things with. We are blessed, however, with a large circle of friends and I don't know what we'd do without them. On Saturday, we went to a birthday party for one of our friends and enjoyed a nice afternoon by their fire eating homemade soups and stews. Then on Sunday, we sat Shiva for another friend who lost her Dad last week. And after Shiva, we visited our neighbor who is having memory and health issues. That was a bit depressing because after she was released from the hospital for the second time, the only room available at the skilled nursing center was on a hall with people who have serious dementia and other problems. But fortunately, her family was able to get her moved today into a one bedroom apartment at the assisted living part of this facility. Although her brothers live in Northern Virginia, they felt it better for her to be up here so friends and neighbors could more easily visit. Our little group of "pool rats" (of which she was one) are making sure that she gets lots of visitors. Hopefully, we'll be able to go get her and take her to the pool some during the summer.

And Sheesh, I ran into similar issues related to veins. I meant to tell you that, and kept forgetting. I had one spider vein right at my ankle fixed many years ago with sclerotherapy (I think it was a salt solution in those days) and it did great. I attempted to have a few more removed a couple of years ago, and that did not work well at all. They just did not go away and doing it over carried too many risks. Another thing I guess we have in common! Enjoy your time with your girls and post when you can.

Lois, I hope you have a super time with your sister. Don't over-do though and hurt that leg again. I have thought about you a lot as I've dealt with my back this past week. I know you understand what it's like to deal with the pain and frustration of an injury. And you've made it through, so that encourages me.

Finally, before I move on, I wanted to say "happy 5th anniversary" to Kelly and Shawn. Time flies! Have a wonderful time celebrating this milestone.