Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz, Oh What A Relief It Is

Well, truth be told, there was no plop, plop or fizz, fizz....but AHHHH what a relief it is! Yep, you guessed it! Today was cortisone shot day. I'm to stay off the knee for a "few" hours. What exactly is a "few" I asked. I was told "More than 1 and less than 10". So guess I'll just chill for a little while. I was told to stay off the "dreadmill" as it is too taxing on the old, decrepit joints. So just me and my trusty recumbent from now until Nov. 29. Oh....did I mention that's my surgery date? I can also squeeze one more cortisone shot in before surgery. I learned not to stretch the gap between shots the hard way.!! I am looking forward to the surgery and having all of this crap behind me, but I still want to be able to enjoy golf and football, too. I want it ALL!!! If I take care and listen to what my body tells me, I see no reason I can't have it ALL!!!

I have to admit that feeling the relief already has me anxious to get back on track. I will pace myself, but just being able to do a bit more than usual will be wonderful. I'll ease back into a routine that is sensible, but just using the word routine is comforting.

Thank you all for your encouraging words on my last post. I did think and ponder quite a lot before I went to the Dr. today. I was truly thinking of an earlier surgery, but after discussing the situation with my Dr., he felt I could stay comfortable and still do all the things I want to do. He did use the word "sensible" quite a bit. Think it might have been a subliminal message? I was also left with the option to change dates if things become intolerable. Good to have options, I guess. Certainly hoping that I don't need to make alternate arrangements.

So, I'm all set for another 3 months...I hope. I'm gonna do things in moderation, but I'm looking forward to actually DOING things again. Thank you all again for encouraging me. I'm trying to hang in there. After one whole morning...so far, so good. :)

At A Crossroads

Remember the old Johnny Carson skit, where Johnny is giving directions to his character's car lot, and he says "When you come to the fork in the road, take it!!" Well, I think I might be at a crossroads ready to "take it"....but which way do I turn?

When I originally began this journey, it was to improve my health and hopefully lose weight along the way. I am happy to report that the health improvement is going along nicely, but there is always room for improvement. Improvement that would be greatly enhanced by a greater weight loss. Thursday I am going to the orthopedic Dr. for my cortisone shot. I know that it is going to bring relief, but I also know that relief will be temporary, and will wear off a month before I want to schedule my surgery. Crossroads #1...accept the fact that I will have another month like this last one before the surgery OR bite the bullet and schedule the surgery earlier and miss football season. (No I am not playing linebacker for the team.) Fact is, I am as crazy about Nebraska Cornhusker football as I am about golf!! Therein lies my dilemma.

Crossroads #2...I am not achieving the weight loss goals I had hoped for lately, but I know that my lack of exercise due to limited movement is not helping. It is not an excuse either. So, do I back off for now completely, continue the healthy eating and wait for pain relief to begin again, or do I toughen up and get on with it? I'm not a sissy by nature, but I am not enjoying the pain I'm inflicting upon myself one little bit. Even golf has been a struggle. Sunday, after a long layoff, I decided to give it a whirl. I only lasted 13 holes, then became an innocent bystander. That really hurts!!!

Crossroads #3...Blogging. While I love blogging, especially reading all of the blogs that I've followed all these months. I simply don't feel that I'm doing my part as a blogger. I'm not able to exercise, I'm not really losing weight, I'm just kinda hangin' on by a thread. My question is, "Should I continue to blog even tho' I have nothing but my marvelous wit (no wisdom) and sunny disposition to share? The blogging community has been so kind and generous to me, I hate to leave it altogether.

I can see that this post might qualify as a whiny, "oh poor me" post. I don't want it to be, really I don't. I want to make decisions that will be in my long term best interests. At 61, I want to maximize the years I have to look forward to. I don't want lasting damage from anything I may be trying to do right now. At least we are on the right track making good food choices, and making sure we find healthy alternatives to our old "vices". Guess that's a good thing, huh?

Thwarted!!

Drats! My grand plan to grow old gracefully is being thwarted. Roadblocks are being thrown in my path right and left lately. I shall not be deterred, but it ain't gonna be easy.

As I've already complained, my knee is on the replacement "to-do" list this fall. Until then, I'll be dragging it behind me, bitching loudly. I think I might have pulled a little something in my neck lifting weights this morning. I think it might be a matter of not stretching enough, so I'm not overly concerned. However, what I am concerned about it how much more stretching and warming up I have to do before I can get down to business. Almost as long as the workout itself!!

I was at the Dermatologist the other day, and had several spots frozen. Nothing significant, thank goodness, but the spot I was actually worried about turned out to be nothing more than an "Old Age" spot. Now, the Dr. put it more politely than that, but I knew exactly what the inference was. Old Age spots be damned!! Of course pointing this one spot out led to the discovery of many, many more spots that prompted the, " You don't have to worry about this, it's a normal part of aging." comment. Ouch!

I looked this morning and found that my list of vitamins and Doctors now outnumber the number of friends on our Christmas Card list!! I had a plan, once upon a time. Hubby Dearest and I would slide gracefully into our dotage with dignity and all in one piece. I'm pretty sure HD is gonna succeed, but I'm sort of a question mark at this point. I can cope with body parts aging, and going to pot, but I get very concerned when my mind shows signs of slowing down.

Case in point: Grocery Day today. I park the car in about the same place.....far enough from the door to make myself walk a short distance. (So far, so good, huh?) I shop like pro, sticking mainly to the perimeter of the store. (Still ok, right?) Check out and pay. (Still hangin' in there.) Push the cart out to the car. Stand by the door and click my remote door thingy...nothing. Keep clicking, still nothing. Click, click, curse, curse, click, click. Well, dummy, now what? If I stay out in the heat much longer, my broccoli is gonna pre-cook. LIGHTBULB!!! This is not my car! Ye Gods! It is an identical version of my car, down to the extra cloth grocery bags on the back seat. My car is directly across from the car I'm trying to break into! As casually as I can muster at this point, I stroll over to my car and load 'er up, return the cart to the cart park, and make my getaway as quickly and quietly as possible. As I left I saw that this car had different tires than my car.....well, who the hell checks that???

But in thinking about this further, it occurs to me that I have an SUV with the license plate right there in front of me on the tailgate. I have a personalized plate and should have noticed that I was trying to load up the wrong tailgate!!! I can't begin to tell you how that affects my self esteem and my plan to be a really cool, hip and happenin' old lady. I've suffered a setback, but I'm bound and determined to keep pluggin' away. I am buying a book of more difficult crosswords right away!

No News=Good News, Right? Well, Maybe Not

That's just where I am at present...nothing newsworthy.

My knee completely gave way last week, so I am on the injured reserve list. Walking very gingerly until I can get to the orthopod on the 29th. I am hoping that the cortisone shot will help re-seat my knee, and I'll be able to resume some sort of regular walking routine. Right now I have a hobbling routine. My knee "popped", I heard it, waited a moment, and then it came....PAIN....shooting, stabbing pain. My knee had popped out of "sync". I got it kinda re-seated, but it still wobbles. I am seriously considering an earlier surgery date. I'll see the Doc on the 29th and ask if this little setback is enough to move up the surgery date. I'm hoping not, but if I'm going to have this "wobbler" for the next few months, I won't have much fun to look forward to. I know it's bad when I cancel golf!! One good thing has come of this new event tho', I've pretty much forgotten about my sciatica! :)

I've been away from blogging for a bit. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I began reading again yesterday on my Crackberry. I haven't figured out how to respond or comment using the phone yet, but I did finally read and catch up. I am trying to use the phone for as much as I can, then I don't have to go downstairs to the "office/gym" to use the regular computer. (We don't yet have a laptop.) Stairs are not my friend at the moment. I can't use any of the equipment we have downstairs, so I'll bring the exercise ball upstairs along with my 8# weights and do a little bit of work upstairs. Makes the family room look a little funny, but at least I can do a little something.

My main claim to fame in the past few weeks has been that we are keeping our eating under control. I've managed to stay on the healthy track with that, at least. The CSA shares help, so it's always fun to see what we're going to be enjoying from week to week. And, guess what??? My beloved kohlrabi has returned!!! Not in the huge quantities we had last year, but it's back. I am wondering what it is about Iowans and their kohlrabi? Even the farmers' markets are full of kohlrabi baskets. I find that very odd. Must have something to do with the bright purple color. If that's not the reason, I cannot figure out the attraction. This year, a friend and her husband are sharing our bounty with us. Makes it much easier to use all of the greens and, of course, kohlrabi, if we are not the only ones trying to make use of it. Zucchini squash season has begun, so I suppose I'll be baking soon. I'm not keen on baking, but with the onset of zucchini season, I usually have to do something baked for HD to take to the office. I can't let a cake sit around here, that's for sure. We'd not be able to resist.

Well, Go Figure!

This just in!!! Dr. Reports That VRaz60 Is OK!! I just opened my Dr.'s report and found that aside from the bottom number of my blood pressure (I forget which is systolic and which is diastolic) all of my numbers have improved!! As I whined yesterday, it was due in no part to my healthy habits of late. I am hopeful that with these numbers showing improvement, and knowing that even tho' I've slacked off lately, I did well, I'll be more inclined to get my act together more quickly.

After several weeks of remaining silent, my competition has spoken!! He informs me that he has now lost weight again! The contest continues. Perhaps that, too, will motivate me again. He has forged into the lead by a per cent or two. I should put my nose to the grindstone, or more accurately, my butt on the recumbent bike, and get a move on it. I did 15 min. on the bike yesterday, but I really felt it in my knee. Fortuitously, my sciatica is in abeyance for the moment and I can be more active. Will that actually make me get going or not, we shall see.

As you can see, I talk a good game. Action needs a little work. I DO really want to get my mojo back, I really do. I don't want it to take bad news to make me work as hard as I should. I cannot take my positive Dr.'s report as a sign to continue slacking off.