Heeding Advice and Enjoying Life

With any ailment, you get advice. Some of it is nice, sane, logical, and seems plausible - like rest, hydrate, elevate, ice it, if pain starts - stop what I am doing, etc. This is possible. You can do it. And some of it, not so much - keep elevated for at least 30 minutes out of each hour or at least 5 portions of fruits or vegetables with every meal. Really? I can try for that. And finally, some of it is just plain impossible - lose 30 pounds or non-weight bearing at all times for six weeks or anything that is just too restrictive to handle.

My point is I get a lot of advice from my doctors, and a lot of other people. I selectively heed it. I mean if I listened to everyone I wouldn't have a life, I would be really boring. And there is a point where I just can't do any more.

I have made the following life changes in recent years:

• I gave up smoking. I never was a heavy smoker (5 cigarettes a day) but I did smoke for a long time. 
• I exercise three times a week. I get 60 minutes of cardio and then 30 minutes of weights and resistance training, followed by stretching.
• I try to eat healthy. Fruit and vegetables are a big part of my diet. I also skip packaged food as much as possible. I avoid desserts and a lot of sugar as much as possible. I skip salt as much as possible.
• I pace myself and get rest and make sure I do not over do things. 
• I take my medications as directed, go to my doctor appointments, and listen to my doctors.

But there are other things I am not going to give up:

• Wine. I like drinking wine. I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. I do not go bar hopping (in fact I can't remember the last time I went to a bar). But I like a glass of wine.
• Red meat and bacon. I don't eat bacon cheese burgers all the time. But a nice steak on the grill or bacon for breakfast sometimes is nice.
• Gardening. I have been told not to sweep, vacuum, rake, mop, lift weights, bend down, or carry things. But I love my garden. I want to grow my garden (more healthy veggies). I can get myself in a lot of pain by gardening. So I leave all the heavy lifting to my husband but I get out in my garden every day I can.
• Bad TV and romance novels. Why not? Its my brain (or what's left of it) to rot.

What it comes down to is I need to be able to enjoy my life. I want to enjoy my food and drink. I want to do things I like to do. I can't be boring.

What if...

What if we just said f*ck it all and pretended were healthy? We might need to take our meds but what if we just went back to the way we were when we were healthy? I could go skiing, hiking, travel more, be thinner, and, most importantly, be happier.

Last night a friend was going to call me to chat and I fell asleep before she called (just after 8pm). Then of course I was up in the middle of the night thinking more deep thoughts, while feeling all my aches and pains, of course.

So what if all of us with  multiple ailments said 'I'm sick of being sick and am going to be healthy again and do all the things we want.' I would love to go hiking again. I climbed the Grand Canyon once so I'm good there but it might be nice to hike more in the Sierra Nevadas or Rockies where I haven't done much hiking. An adventure trip to Scandinavia sounds like a lot of fun as well. Or just stay up late enough to have a social life? Is this asking too much?

Right now my body would protest but I am tired of listening to it and want to say 'f*ck it all' and run away and join the circus.

All of us unhealthy people have inner healthy (skinny and younger) people trying to get out. I want to let that person out and have fun again.

I am actually very happy to get back to work.

Its been  a tough few weeks here in Massachusetts. We have gotten somewhere around 78" of snow this winter of which 40" since the beginnning of February, and all but 5" since mid January. I only know the details because I just checked today's paper.

That would be the elusive newspaper we have not seen on days with  more than 12" of snow.  I'm not faulting the paper because of the horrible driving conditions we have had as a result of the snow. I just miss reading the paper.

Between the snow that fell and the snow my husband had to pull off the roof in front, this is the view out our front window.

I have no hope of reaching the empty bird feeder before spring and have set up a substitute one on the much lower, but more accessible, lamp post. I keep cleaning out the snow that keeps covering it.

Both of us have had to stay home for two days for each of the last three weeks. I have gotten a lot of knitting done and learned some new patterns. I have gotten caught up on all my shows. I have done a lot more cooking than normal. My husband has gotten to a bunch of different tasks that have been put off.

I have not missed a single doctor appointment - they all seem to be conveniently between storms. I have missed a lot of work. I try to work 15 hours each week for a total of 30 hours paid every two weeks. I am down to 20 hours for the last two pay periods because of the snow days. 

I look forward to going back to work today so I can see other people besides my husband, and my neighbors who I have talked to and commiserated over snow issues. I just need to see other people and socialize a bit. I will also get to the gym for an update of my workout program.

And the forecast calls for an inch more of snow today, another 1-3" Thursday night, and a more significant storm on Saturday night. Instead of hints of melt between storms, we are going below zero. I can't wait.

Its Monday

I have nothing to say. I mean I had a nice weekend. I got a lot of craft stuff done to get ready for the season that starts in a few weeks and runs to the end of December. I had several thoughts that flew in and out of my tiny mind as potential blog topics but decided to end up with a list of them instead:

1. Ebola is not going to kill us all. You can't get it unless you are in contact with someone with the symptoms and there has to be some spread of bodily fluids. So stop scaring the crap out of everyone.
2. The nurse who is in quarantine in New Jersey needs better treatment. A tent in a parking lot? Really? Its unheated as well. Get her to her house and quarantine her there. I agreee with the quarantine and completely disagree with the way its being done.
3. There is a new test available today for screening for colon cancer. You get the test, get a sample in the privacy of your own home and send it off where they will see if the fecal DNA shows colon cancer signs in it. Two small catches: $599 and its not covered by most insurance and one of the doctors who discovered it, gets a royalty for each test sold. I have problems with the numbers part both the royalty and the lack of insurance coverage. 
4.  If you live within 165 feet of a 5 lane roadway, you could increase your risk of sudden heart death for women.
5. I am so done with pink this October.

Off to work and waiting for something to really inspire me today.

What to do about my boring blog?

My blog has devolved into something just plain boring, for lack of a better word. I will say I do not write for volume, I do not write for search engines or to build twitter followers or anything like that. I blog because it helps me cope with my devolving health. I do try to primarily write about breast cancer and related issues.

But my life has not been about breast cancer recently. Which is a good thing. I do not focus my life on breast cancer now. My life focuses on work, getting ready for craft fairs this fall, and coping with my back and RA issues as well as fibromyalgia pain.I have also upped my volunteer work to a level which is fulfilling.

I think I have gotten through enough of the breast cancer PTSD for now. It will never go away. I do know that. This month marks 33 years since my thyroid cancer diagnosis and that never completely went away.... (The answer to the question of does it ever go away is no.) But it does recede into your mind and make it easier to cope and live.  And allows room in my brain to focus on the rest of my life. And no there is no new me living a new normal. That is all a load of crapola.

So that is where my brain is so that is why my blog is boring. I will continue to blog and I will try to make it less boring.

Its Monday morning

I have to go to work. I have nothing interesting to blog about. I did have a nice weekend. Yesterday my husband and I went off for the day to walk on the beach and out for lunch. Saturday I went to the gym and got together with friends. Not the most exciting but enjoyable.

This week my goal is to not get over tired as I try to catch up from missing so much work at the holidays and make a dent in the huge pile on my desk. Last week I worked four days and was exhausted by the end of the week. This week I won't work as long a day each day - maybe 5.5 hours instead of 7. My normal work day is 6.

You may think I am a wimp but if I work too many days or too many hours, I end up exhausted. I'm such a healthy person.