Sunday Weigh in November 12, 2023

[Barb135]

Good evening... Well, I'm kind of getting ahead of myself because I know I'm going to be tied up all day tomorrow, starting early morning and won't have a chance to post, so will try posting this evening, instead.

It's been a busy week again - what else is new??  About the time I think things are going to slow down a bit, more things crop up to fill my calendar.

I've been "re-upped" for another 6 weeks of Physical Therapy on my hand, so that'll go through December - ughh; I'm ready to be done with that.  I do think it's helping, but not as much as I'd have hoped.  I did get another injection right next to the scar on my palm - this one was for the arthritis in my thumb.  It took a while, but has definitely calmed the pain in my thumb, which has reduced the pain near the scar.  If we can just get the rest of the scar tissue to break up, I'll be happy.  If the pain along my palm scar doesn't get any worse, I could live with it, as long as I can get the injections for my arthritis on a regular basis to keep that calmed down.  I don't like that those injections are SO painful, but thankfully, I have a high pain tolerance and the pain is gone in a couple of days (usually :-)).  I'm now wearing compression gloves on both hands as much as I can to help reduce swelling and pain; I also wear compression socks (as much as I can tolerate) to help keep swelling down in my feet/legs.  I try to wear, both, the compression gloves and socks even when sleeping.  They do, both, help, but I can only stand them for so long (few hours) at a time, especially, when it's hot... lol   I feel like I'm curing my own claustrophobia... lol

I'm still on my new dosage of thyroid med, which I think is actually beginning to help (energy wise and maybe with the weight), plus my new neuropathy med - not helping quite so much, but it's a very low dose.  I think once the dose is increased, will be much better.

I'm still dealing with the horrendous muscle cramps and none of my doctors can/will give me any more ideas on how to stop them.  Most nights, they kick in around 12:30 am and every time I doze off after that, they strike - usually every 30-40 minutes.  It's like my muscles have a mind of their own and they say "oh, she's sleeping; let's put a stop to that".  The sounder I'm sleeping the tighter, more painful the cramps!!  I tend to stretch in my sleep and for some reason, that's when the cramps hit... I still have to figure that out!!  I have to get up and put pressure on my feet/legs when they cramp, but there are times, the pain is so intense I can't stand up, which makes the cramp that much worse.  I find myself caught in a "catch-22" and have to try my best to walk (hoping I don't fall) in order to release the cramp.  This is definitely one issue I have to get my doctor to address, as I've tried everything they've suggested and nothing works.  Oh woe is me!!  :-)

I've been walking with my neighbor every chance I get... We like to go at 7:30 in the morning when it's still cool(er) outside (still getting into the 80's here) and with my PT sessions at 8:00 on T/T, along with other things on both our schedules, some weeks we only get in a few/couple days, but that's better than nothing.  I'm also trying to eat better and I've also noticed that my appetite isn't as large as it was... that's probably due to the change in neuropathy med.  The one I was on (Duloxetine) is known for increasing appetite and weight gain, so just getting off it would be a benefit.  Added benefit is the new med that decreases appetite, which promotes weight loss.

That's all a round about way of explaining how medications can affect our metabolism, energy levels, etc.  I've been struggling with this for years because doctors wouldn't pay attention in regards to thyroid med, neuropathy med, etc.  I'm happy that my pcp has finally realized that in order to "help" me he needs to listen closely.  He's doing that and since I saw him at the beginning of October I've lost 8 lbs.  Of course, I've bounced around a bit with fluid retention, but just since last week, I'm down 3.3 pounds.  Next week, I might have to claim a gain because I ate an extra cracker before I weighed or retained a bit of fluid, etc, but I'm good with the direction I'm going.  

I've never liked getting up in the morning.  My warm bed is the safe haven, but once I realize I have to get up, I'm able to do it at a reasonable time (usually around 6:00 am), going for a walk, doing some yard work, house work or practicing calligraphy, woodworking, etc fixing lunch - and here's the kicker for me- I've been used to taking a nap nearly every day because I get SO tired.  The past week or so, the couple of days I had time to take a nap, I couldn't fall asleep.  I'm tired at the end of the day, but it's an "I've had a busy day" tired vs I'm suffering from fatigue and exhausted no matter how much sleep I get.

I spent today in a very intense Cursive writing class and will do the same tomorrow.  When I get done with the class, I'll be able to teach cursive writing (which isn't being taught anymore).  I'm very tired tonight and hope to sleep well, but was relieved that I didn't fall asleep in class!!  For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm going in a good direction.  I know it could all fall apart tomorrow, but for now, I'll take it.  :-)

~~Wishing everyone a wonderful, successful week~~

[AnnieBrooke]

My weight went down 3 lbs. this week, and the only reason I can think it did is that I decided to stop eating anything that tastes sweet. I know there's a lot of hidden sugar in other foods, but it seems like I was drinking a lot of lemonade after exercising and eating a cookie or ice cream too often, which of course are worse than if there's some hidden sugar in canned peas or whatever. I hope that is really the reason. Dropping 3 pounds after going down in the tenths is a big surprise.

We've been busy with house repairs this week, including getting a falling-off piece of flashing 30 feet up taken care of on the barn. I gave my husband the name of the gutter guy that came and did the work on our house, and he met him at the farm and I swear they're going to go into business together, they liked each other so much. I don't envy people who work at roof level, so many buildings around here are at least two storeys of living space plus high peaks on top of that, or they're perched on a hill so one side is very long to the ground.

Our grey cat Brubeck has been gone for at least three weeks, have to assume he got killed by a coyote. If he hadn't been an insistent outdoor cat, I would have kept him in all the time, but he would cry loudly and scratch the door at 3 am, and rip at the trim. I guess he had a good life, but it wasn't as long as I would have liked it to be. :-(

Upcoming week is Thanksgiving already! Can't believe it.

Hope everyone has a great week.

[Barb135]

You've done well, going down 3 lbs in a week.  It's amazing how much the lbs can add up when it comes to sweets, isn't it?   Have you tried using Stevia in your "after exercise" lemonade?  It's a natural sweetener that has no calories.  If I just have to something to make my drink sweet, that's what I use.  I'm not big on cookies, etc so it's not something I eat every day, or even every week/month.  My downfall with food is the potatoes and pasta!!  

Well, it's a good thing your husband got along with the guy fixing the flashing.  I'm sure they had plenty to discuss while the job was getting done.   I don't envy people who work at roof level either - even on single story buildings!!  

I'm very sorry to hear about Brubeck, but maybe he got picked up by someone who thought he was a right handsome guy and wanted him for their own  I've read stories of dogs and cats that have come home weeks, months and even years after they were "lost"...  He could be living comfortably in someone else's home - not that you didn't take good care of him, just that he likes it there for now... I hope he comes back, but if not - you gave him the best you could.

Yeah, unsettling that Thanksgiving is just a week and half away.  For the first time in a long time, we know (approximately) how many will be at our Thanksgiving table.  Our daughter "always" waits till the last minute to let us know how many of her family/friends will be coming, but it actually seems pretty  scant this year.   I've pretty much got Thanksgiving dinner planned - just have to execute it.

Enjoy your week.