The Writer's Right

Health

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

I’m sick…

It was awfully nice of my sister to breathe on me and give me her sinus infection. I feel like my head may explode. I have a fever. I ache. My teeth even hurt. I’m miserable.

And to top it all off, I can’t sleep because I can’t put any pressure on my head. I have a doctor’s apppointment this afternoon. Sigh..

Monday, January 15, 2007

Achoo!!

It was bound to happen. Someone breathed their germs on me and now I’m getting sick. Heather was over on Thursday, looking rather miserable with a sore throat and cold AND on Saturday I had to bring my sister to the walk in clinic. Her diagnosis was a sinus infection.

My throat hurts, and I’m getting full of snot. This outta be fun tonight under a hockey mask with gloves. I also woke up with another stomach ache. I definitely think I’m lactose intolerant. That ice cream I had last night may have put me over the edge.

I left Coley and Murphy snuggling in bed together. I almost stayed in bed with them. But today is Martin Luther King Day, and therefore it’s a designated jeans day at work. These days are few and far between. I’m not passing that up. Priorities, huh? Besides, I suspect these germs will get worse before they get better and it’s wise to come to work in case I get worse.

I wonder who has a box of Kleenexes I can steal. I’ll have to do a search of the office.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Pain in the foot….

I have had the worst pain my foot for the last two months. It’s excruciating when I get out of bed in the morning. Once I’m up and moving around it’s ok. So I’ve come to the point where I can’t stand the pain any more. So I called my doctor. Sherri, the nurse, tells me I’m probaby better off going right to a podiatrist. She tells me to make the appointment and she’ll do the referral. She tells me Dr. So and So is really nice and had a bood bedside manner. I call and get a friendly nurse/receptionist and end up talking to another one. I tell them my issue and they give me a sympathetic “oooooooh, yeah, that hurts!“ So I get an appointment tomorrow at 4:15. NICE! I love friendly nurses who answer the phone.

I call my PCP back and ask for Sherri. She said, “Dude, did you get an appointment already?“ Yes, tomorrow, can she do the referral by then?? Not a problem.

I think half of a doctor’s bedside manner is the staff and my PCP and my new podiatrist are top notch so far.

In other foot news, I got a “hot” pair of shoes for the wedding and a not-so-hot pair for the fall. They are Birkenstock clogs. Yes, they are sensible and comfortable but I don’t care. I’m having foot issues and I need to take care of my feet!

Friday, August 11, 2006

Hurray for Rescue!

My friend Daryn and his famliy just adopted this boy, Cosmo. Look at how cute he is!
Cosmo and Deputy (Cosmo is the one facing the camera).

Deputy, Cosmo and Tess:

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Gym rat???

I’m not sure that dragging my butt out of bed once would constitute being a gym rat. But I did it. I was at the gym at 6:15. I did 15 minutes on the bike and 20 on the elliptical. Murphy was not a happy pug about being woken up at 5:30 for his walk. But he did get to see his buddy Max in the park and that made up for it. I think. Who knows. He’s sitting at home, guarding Grandpa now and making nice with the lady from companions and homemakers. She said she used to train police dogs so she was happy to have him around. I asked her if she wanted to make some extra money and try and train my beast. I was kidding. Sort of.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Day Three on Core

So far so good. I’m not saying it’s not hard, but it’s better than I thought it’d be. I’m eating wholesome foods and not being stressed about eating this point, that point, enough points or too many points.

I’m actually snacking less, too. Now the challenge is to cook more interesting meals. I may have to get my friend Beth, the best cook around, involved. I hear she likes a challenge. 

Friday, June 16, 2006

Back on the wagon

I’m serious this time. I’m back on the Weight Watchers wagon. I lost a LOT of weight last night and gained half of it back. This time I’m serious. All I want to be is a size 12. Is that too much to ask?

I’m trying Core this week. I had watermelon for breakfast and I just had nonfat yogurt and unsweetened apple sauce for a snack. Fun. God give me strength.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Update on the toe

My toes aren’t purple any more, just read and sore. And I can move them. I iced them last night with frozen wax beans. I usually use a bag of frozen peas but I was out. The wax beans worked well.

Murphy doesn’t seem to be effected by the HERSHEY Kiss. I watched him like a hawk last night - I was a wreck! This morning he was stealing socks and other items of laundry out of the basket and he gave Hippie a good hump. Good to know he’s his old self.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Pain like I haven’t had in years…..

I’m pretty sure I just broke my toe. I was popping a few HERSHEY Kisses and one fell. Murphy is one quick little pug.

A chase ensued, and I misjudged the scratching post. So now Murphy had a kiss in his belly and I have two purple toes. And I’m in a lot of pain. And I’m worried about him, because he just ate chocolate.

But, if I have to go to the emergency room for him or me, I look great. I just got a highlight and my hair is looking good. Thank goodness for small favors. I must go now and cry some more. I’m really in pain. And Murphy is busy barking at the neighbors. Ya gotta love life.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Of course it had to happen today

So I’m running around, cleaning, packing, and getting Murphy’s things ready for Grandma’s. And to throw a wrench in the entire routine, I’m pretty sure I have a bladder infection. So, I have to run to the doctor’s office to pee in a cup. If I wait, and I do have an infection, I’ll have to pay full price at a clinic in Texas. So, I’m calling at 9 and hopefully they can get me in five minutes later. (I live right up the road.) UGG!

Friday, April 28, 2006

On the way down

I had a good weigh in at Weight Watchers. I wasn’t going to blog about it, but I didn’t want anyone to think I had given up already. I lost and it was a good loss. No details on that. I don’t want to deal in numbers, I want to deal in how I feel. I feel proud of myself. I feel like I’m back on the wagon. And I feel like I’m ready this time. I have some events coming that will prove a challenge, but I’m going to be prepared for them.

I have to get back in the exercise swing. Once Lizzy goes to her new home, Murphy and I can get back to the park in the mornings for long walks. My free month at the gym is up and I have to pay for a bride’s maid dress deposit this weekend. So it’s going to wait. I’ll have to get creative. I think I need to kick my butt and walk at lunch. I have a new iPod, ready for the walking.

So first line of business on Sunday evening (after the craziness), download a play list of good, bouncy tunes to walk to. I think I can handle that.

Oh, and before I forgot. Thanks to my friend Allie who talked me off my meltdown last night. You’re a gem. I can’t wait to see you in a month!!! THE STARS AT NIGHT, ARE BIG AND BRIGHT. DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!

Murphy’s seizures

This week I contacted two vets about Murphy’s seizures, Dr. Jamie Bush, at Colorado State University in Colorado and Kimberly A. Greer, Ph.D. at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M Univeristy. Dr. Bush and Dr. Greer are both doing research on Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE).

Dr. Bush doesn’t think his symptoms are consistent with PDE (Pug Dog Encephalitis) at all. And his bloodwork looked fine (I faxed his last two rounds to her yesterday). A little off, but seeing as he threw up the first time and then had a shot, it’s perfectly ok. I am still waiting to hear from Dr. Greer after answering some questions she posed. I have to fax her the bloodwork upon her request.

Dr. Bush (she’s on our pug board) thinks Dr. Hexter is right, and suspects idiopathic epilepsy. So, the course of action is watch him and if the seizures get worse or they affect him more, we plan on meds. But I’d like to avoid that since the meds can have adverse side effects, too.

To the pug lovers who are reading this, I urge you to support PDE research. I’m making the pugvillageofhope site a link on mine and Murphy’s site. Please support this important research.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

I know I put it here somewhere…

.. Hey, has anyone seen my brain??! I was easing into a lunch in when an Outlook reminder popped up. ::Neurologist appointment in 15 minutes:: What the #$%? They just confirmed it yesterday and already it was gone from my brain. I so grab my wallet, cell and keys and race out the door. I hurdled a coworker in the process. Good thing she ducked. I practically slide down the railings as I bolted for my car. (Dialing my cell phone and getting my keys ready at the same time - and they all thought I was uncoordinated.) Five minutes later I was in the car, lying to the neurologist’s office about “traffic” and on my way. And I made it back in the office, to enjoy my mushroom veggie burger, in 45 minutes. (Enough time to blog and eat my lunch). The girl is good. But unfortunately the girl is also a space cadet. How the heck could I have spaced out on that one?

Long story, even longer, my migraines are in check and I don’t have to see him for another year. Phew.

I have the itch to go car shopping. My car is paid off and I just need to get the “curb incident boo-boo” taken car of, along with another little wack and it will be ready to trade in or sell. I’m not sure why I have the itch. It’s paid for and if I get it detailed and get the timing belt changed, it’ll be like brand new. Right - a brand new 2002 Toyota Corolla with power NOTHING, a 10-disc changer and an automatic starter. Awww, heck, I should just suck it up and wait till I have a good savings built up. I’m in no mood for a car payment. I want to make some renovations in my house first and do a little more traveling. Man, it sucks being an adult. All this “saving for a rainy day” and making smart decisions instead of impulsive ones is for the birds. Of course, impulsive Samantha got me in debt in the first place. And I’m not going back there. But in case you were wondering, this is the car I have my eye on. It’s smaller than the Corolla, but I think it’s so darn cute:

And in other news, my DSL will be set up and activated tonight (after a few swears and other choice words) and my iPod has been delivered. See, I don’t need a new car. I have plenty of new toys to keep me busy. Uh huh ladies and gentlemen, I have entered the 21st century. A new computer, DSL and an iPod. I feel so cool. (OK, the fact that I said I feel cool still proves that I’m still, in fact, a big old geek. But I’m waving my geek flag proudly.)

Thursday, April 20, 2006

This irresistible, Paris original….

That’s a song from a Broadway show, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.“ It’s in my head because some of my coworkers and I were talking about spring trends. One of them is big into labels. It’s all she’s about. She went to FIT in NYC but she’s working in insurance now. But she’s an “expert.“

I on the other hand, don’t care about labels. I shop for classic comfort. Give me a pair of khakis and I’m happy. And I’m not spending $500 on a “classic” pair of black pants. That’s stupid.

But another reason I’m not big into fashion trends is because they just don’t make cute things for girls of my size. This bothers me. Not because the fashion industry is unfair, but because I’ve been really down on myself lately with my weight. Two years ago I was down 71 pounds. But I fell, face first, off the wagon. After not seeing a loss for a few weeks, I just stopped trying. I’m not 30 pounds heavier. My summer clothes from last year don’t fit and it’s really starting to get me down.

I’ve tried to get back on the band wagon, but you really have to be in the right mindset. I’m sick of thinking about foods and points and portion sizes. And I find it unfair that some people can just eat what they want and not gain and I’m constantly monitoring (when on the wagon) my intake.

But this has gone on long enough. My mom and I are starting Weight Watchers again tonight. I’m scared to death of getting on that scale, but I have to. If not for the fact that I’m slowing sailing back into the heart of the plus size market, but because it’s not healthy. Both of my mom’s sisters are obese. And while she was thin in high school, she’s also been struggling with her weight. And she and her sister have diabetes and high blood pressure. Why do I want to put myself at any more risk? It’s in my future and I’d be irresponsible to just let it happen.

So, tonight I’m hopping back on the wagon. And I’m going to use the rest of my free month’s gym membership and join. I’m going going to go nuts, but I’m going to commit to at least three days a week at the gym. I have to, my life depends on it.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Laryngitis

I have been battling this cold/virus thing since right before I went to see Amanda (April 6.) While the cold part is gone, my chest is still congested. This morning I woke up with laryngitis. I had to call two of my coworkers to get work done and they said I sound awful. My glands are still a little swollen and my throat is still a tiny bit raw, but it’s not bothering me. I wonder if I should I go back to the doctor’s or let it pass? I’m going on two weeks now.

P.S. My mom asked if my boss was doing the happy dance because I can’t talk. Funny lady.