Category Archives: Health

Randon Ramblings

Posted on by
8

I don’t like to not finish books I start to read.  (That was the most awkward sentence ever.)  I’ve only not finished two books on purpose because they were a little too risqué for my taste.  And, I’ve only not finished reading one book before–The Hobbit–which is no longer the case.  Now, I have to add one more to my list of not finished–The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby.  I got the chance to read an ARC.  But, because the book is on a blog tour, I could only keep it for two weeks and my time is up so I must pass it on to give other bloggers on the list a chance to read it as well.  (Unfortunately, I’m only 100 pages into it because I just didn’t have the time to dedicate to reading it.)  Luckily, it releases on Friday and I just ordered it on Amazon so I can finish it as I have the time!

*****

I really hate phlebotomists.  But, this hate has only come on recently.  Until about three months ago, I’d only have to be poked once.  However, oddly or coincidentally, I’ve had to be poked multiple times ever since I started giving blood.  For some reason, my veins just don’t want to bleed. Or, if they do bleed, they only bleed for a second before my blood starts to clot. However, there’s one vein in my left arm (since this started happening) that seems to be immune to the non-bleeding-ness that my other veins suffer from.  And, because it’s the only vein that seems to want to bleed, I think it will be bruised for the rest of my life because just as the bruise is healing, I need to have my blood drawn again and it gets bruised all over again.  Even with this perpetual bruise, I’m going to insist that any future phlebotomists I go to use this vein with a butterfly needle (my last phlebotomist told me to request this type of needle) so I don’t have to be poked more than once anymore.

You’d think that while I was having iron infusions (my last one was on Thursday), the nurses would’ve had a hard time getting an IV started.  Nope.  Most of the time, I didn’t even feel like I’d been poked.  Maybe, I should see if they can draw my blood from now on.

*****

I took my first test of the semester last week.  It was for my Spanish class.  I got my score back today and I only got 161/200 or an 81%. Most of the questions I got wrong were because I made stupid mistakes (forgetting an el or la, accidentally conjugating a verb wrong when I knew I needed to conjugate it a certain way, etc.).  However, there are a few things that I’ve always had trouble with–imperfect tense vs. preterit tense, ser vs. estar, por vs. para, and direct/indirect objects.  No matter how hard I study, I never quite get it to the point where I can confidently say I understand the differences.  90% of the time I do okay, but it’s that 10% that always trips me up.  Now, I’m thinking that what I thought would be an easy A may actually break my perfect record since going back to school.

Random Ramblings

Posted on by
4

School is going well.  I hardly have any homework, which is nice.  I should qualify that, actually.  I have homework everyday, but my Spanish homework is fairly simple and I can get it done quickly.  My English homework takes a little more time for a few different reasons.  First, there is a lot of reading.  Second, we’re studying poetry right now and I loathe poetry (because I don’t understand it most of the time or I don’t see its value).  Third, the papers we have to write take a lot of thought.  The upside to my English homework, however, is that my teacher doesn’t assign homework each day.  He’s very long-winded and goes off on tangents easily (quite the understatement) so he built catch up days into the syllabus. :roll:

*****

Even though I don’t spend a lot of time on homework, I’m still very busy this semester because of everything else I have going on.  Every weekday I leave between 6:20 am and 6:40 am and I don’t get home until after 8:00 pm because of class, work, and boot camp.

*****

Last week, I was sick.  I ate something on Sunday that didn’t agree with me so I was out of commission on Monday and Tuesday.  I also didn’t feel too well during the rest of the week.  Because of this, I didn’t go to a single session of boot camp. :? Yesterday was the first time I had worked out in over a week and I feel like I’m starting over again!  My muscles are screaming in pain, but it’s good because I now know how important working out is for my body.  I can tell I do a lot better when I exercise.

When I weighed myself this morning, it came as no surprise that I didn’t lose any weight this past week.  But, I didn’t gain any weight either! :D I’m nearly where I was last year when I stopped following my new lifestyle.  I won’t ever let go of this lifestyle again because having to make up for what I gained back by having to lose it again is not fun.  I definitely learned my lesson.

*****

I’m halfway through my iron infusions.  I just have two left.  I’m really hoping it’s making a difference with my iron levels because even though I haven’t had any adverse effects from the infusions, I don’t want to get a weekly IV for the rest of my life.

Random Ramblings

Posted on by
6

I’ve had three doctors’ appointments this week–one on Monday and two on Tuesday.  The first appointment was to have my bones scanned.  My gastroenterologist was worried about the density of my bones since I have a vitamin D deficiency.  According to the scan, my bones are still healthy so I don’t have to worry about osteoporosis for the time being.

The first appointment on Tuesday was with my general doctor.  I wanted him to take a look at my knee.  He said I have bursitis, which is an inflammation of the bursa underneath my knee.  For the next couple of weeks, I’m not supposed to jump, run, or climb stairs (or as little as possible since I live in a two-story townhome), and I need to be careful when doing lunges or squats.  Luckily, my boot camp instructors are working with me and still giving me a good workout.

My general doctor also decided to test my vitamin D, vitamin B12, and iron levels again since I’ve now been on supplements for a few months.  Yesterday, I got a call from the nurse.  My vitamin D and vitamin B12 levels are in the low normal range so I just need to keep taking my supplements and, hopefully, they’ll continue to increase.  My iron level, on the other hand, is still too low, which means I get to have iron infusions by IV once a week for the next four weeks. 8O

The second appointment on Tuesday was with a sleep doctor.  I don’t sleep well at night.  It takes me forever to fall asleep and then I wake up umpteen million times during the night.  When I wake up, I don’t feel rested at all and I constantly feel like I’m going to fall asleep at work, which I’ve actually done.  He’s having me start a medication to see if it will help me sleep.  It’s not habit forming, which is good.  He’s also testing my oxygen levels to make sure I don’t have sleep apnia, or I should say a worse case than I already had because in 2005, I was borderline.

*****

I’ve been doing boot camp for five weeks now.  This is my sixth week.  So far, I’ve lost 12.8 pounds and three or four inches off my waist.  I’ve also lost inches off of my thighs, hips, and neck, but I’m not sure how much.  They don’t track chest measurements for women.  I want to start tracking that measurement (at home) because I really want to know if I’m losing inches there.  It would be a glorious day if I am.

*****

I feel like Tuesday was a waste of a day off of work.  I took it off so I could read Mockingjay all day. Guess what didn’t happen? I didn’t get to Mockingjay at all. I knew I was pushing it because I was only halfway through my reread of Catching Fire at midnight on Tuesday morning.  But, I figured I could get through the rest of the book mid-morning.  I was wrong.  With all the doctors’ appointments, boot camp, and car troubles on Tuesday, I didn’t finish my reread of Catching Fire until 9:00 pm.  I was so frustrated! But, I’m glad I took the time to reread The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  I always forget how much I love a story until I’m rereading it.

At this point, Mockingjay is going on hold for a couple of days because I have the chance to read an ARC of Matched by Ally Condie.  My blog friend Natasha lent it to me at the book charity event last Saturday.  We’re going to a book blogger social this Saturday, which makes returning it to her easier since neither of us know where the other lives. ;) I figure I’ll always have Mockingjay now that it’s mine, but if I don’t get Matched read by Saturday, I’ll have to wait until November 30 to read it.  Whatever you do, please don’t spoil Mockingjay for me, and I promise when I review Matched, I won’t spoil it for you! ;)

*****

Yesterday, Corey started school for the first time in over ten years.  He was really nervous, but I think he enjoyed his classes.  Of course, he’ll know for sure how he feels once he’s gone a few times.

I start school on Monday.  I’m excited, but I feel like it’s almost on me and I need more time to get ready!

Health Update

Posted on by
9

I went to my gastroenterologist yesterday.  It was a follow-up appointment for my colonoscopy.  My doctor told me that even though the colonoscopy didn’t show any signs of Crohn’s Disease, I could still have it.  The reason is that a colonoscopy only goes through part of the small bowel, and if the symptoms are manifesting in the areas that weren’t scoped, then he wouldn’t know.  He said it’s very unlikely that I have it, though.

For the time being, he’s giving me a prescription for an anti-spasm medicine.  I’m supposed to take it for three months to see if it does anything.  He’s also having some blood work done.  He wanted to check my vitamin D level again.  My prescription for the high dose of vitamin D was only for eight weeks, and that ended about a month ago.  He wants me to take an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement for now so that I’m getting at least 1,000 units a day.  If my blood test results come back with my level being really low again, then I’ll have to be put on a higher dose.

He’s also checking for any inflammation in my body.  I guess there are a couple of blood tests that can do that.  If there is any inflammation, then it could be due to Crohn’s Disease or any type of inflammation completely unrelated to my intestinal issues.  If I do show inflammation, then I’ll need to swallow a scope in pill form so they can get pictures of my entire digestive tract and not just the areas an endoscopy and colonoscopy can reach.  That way, they can rule out Crohn’s Disease once and for all.  I really hope I don’t show any inflammation because then it means I’ll have to drink my dreaded nemesis–Magnesium Citrate–so that the scope can do its job. 8O

There’s a chance that the vitamin C supplements I’ve been taking could be causing some of my problems.  If you overdose on vitamin C, which was thought to be impossible, then it can cause all kinds of digestive problems.  My doctor doesn’t think it’s the vitamin C because I only take 500 mg a day.  But, he still wants me to stop taking it for a couple of weeks to see if it makes any difference.

Finally, there’s still a possibility that this is SIBO or IBS.  My doctor doesn’t want to diagnose me incorrectly, however, so he’s going through all these tests just to make sure he rules everything out first.

Boot Camp

Posted on by
8

When I posted about the boot camp exercise program that Corey was participating in, I misspoke about one thing and I didn’t mention another.  The program is actually Monday through Friday instead of Saturday so it’s a five-times-a-week thing.  It’s also not just exercise; it’s diet too.  For the first month, you’re not allowed to eat bread, pasta, soda (any kind including diet), or dairy.  If you do, then you have to do 20 push-ups as “punishment” during your next session.

I have gone to six sessions now.  During the first three days, I didn’t know about the diet restrictions because Corey has been given permission to eat whole wheat bread and dairy because of health reasons and his already limited diet.  On Wednesday, I was punished for eating dairy the day before.  I haven’t had it since.  And, even though I crave string cheese (for the protein), I’ve been feeling a lot better.  I also haven’t had bread or pasta since then either and I feel great.  I feel like I’m eating the same thing over and over again, but I feel great.  The best thing is I can satiate my sugar cravings with fruit.  As long as I eat a tangerine or some apple slices, I no longer crave sugar. :D

These workouts are tough!  Last Tuesday, I had to climb up and down two flights of stairs ten times while wearing the 20-lb. military vest.  I nearly died, but I did it!  After that, my instructor made me take the vest off and I haven’t worn it since because my lower back started to ache.  Once my muscles are strengthened, then I’ll be able to wear the vest again. :?

I’m dead tired and extremely sore after each workout and especially the next day.  But, I’ve been sleeping better.  I don’t wake up nearly as often as I use to so I feel more rested.  I still feel tired because I’m still out of shape and because of my low vitamin levels.  But, hopefully, as I get more in shape and eat healthier foods, I won’t be so tired anymore.

We take measurements each Monday and I’ve already lost one and half inches off my waist.  I’ve lost inches off most of the areas we measured, but my waist was the largest loss!  I’m very excited and I can’t wait to get in better shape and start feeling better.

PS–If you want to know more about this program, check out their website.  If you end up signing up, let them know I referred you.