test results

Got my lab results from the blood work they did with my physical. The only thing abnormal was my LDL was slightly elevated (26 points). We have already started cutting back on fried foods, but I guess I am going to have to cut back even more on the french fries.  :(   Guess I will be substituting the side salad more often when I do eat out for lunch.

New Year - Healthier Me

I've never had a problem with getting older like some women do. I don't mind telling people that I am 33 years old. After all, I don't really look it. Most of the time don't act it. And I certainly don't feel it. In my head I am still 25. But I wouldn't want to be 25 again.

Getting older has made me more comfortable in my own skin. I know more about myself now, and I actually like it. I've stopped worrying about my body and how it measures up to the "Hollywood" standard. My husband loves how I look, and that is all I need to know. I have stopped caring what number is on the clothes label and just get what looks good on me. (Notice how I didn't say I look good in? That's another trick I've learned. I wear the clothes. They don't wear me.)

This week I went to the doctor to get a physical. (all good so far, but don't have blood work back yet) I know that with my family history I need to be taking care of my heart, but since I quit cheering I have been a slacker. Preferring to sit and read a book to getting out and walking, I am not in shape. I have a good figure. My BMI is in the normal range (just barely). But as far as being able to keep up with my midgets.... not so much. I see people everyday at work running and lifting weights. Going to group exercise classes. And all of them able to run circles around me. So I am going to push myself out of my cushy comfort zone and get moving.

My challenge: running a 5K
Confession: I have never liked running. Dancing, yes. Cheering, yes. Fifteen-plus miles on a bike, cake walk. But I think it is the mental game of me versus the road (or treadmill) that has been difficult to beat. It is not a game. It is monotonous. It is never ending. But I am not entering this race to win. I am entering to force myself to get in shape. To prevent health issues down the road. To be able to keep up with my kids!

So there. I have put it out there. I now am going to be accountable to all of you. I am entering the Race to Nowhere at the Y in April.

Listen to Your Body!

OK girls. We can tell when our kids are sick just by looking at them. Now Dr. Oz has given us information on how to catch the hidden killer that lurks inside us. Ovarian Cancer. My grandmother died from this disease, and I don't want to lose anyone else to it. So pay attention!

Here are 6 symptoms that can point to this disease:

1. Bloating

2. Increased abdominal size

3. Abdominal pain

4. Pelvic pain

5. Difficulty Eating

6. Feeling Full Quickly

If you have any or all of these symptoms for more than a couple of weeks.... If these are new symptoms for you..... If they are occurring consistently OR off and on 50% of the time....

Call Your Doctor. Don't let them blow you off w/ irritable bowel, urinary tract infections, traditional cysts, etc. Ask for a pelvic exam and an ultrasound. Don't be silenced by a prescription. Go in informed, ask questions and push for them to listen.

When ovarian cancer is caught early it has a 90% cure rate. Caught late it drops dramatically to 20% !!!!!! And don't think this is a disease for older women. Dr. Oz had a lady on his show who was 31 and pushed her doctors for a year to find what was wrong with her. She was diagnosed early and a year later is cancer free!

Breast Cancer has self exams and mammograms. Colon cancer has the colonoscopy. Know how to spot the signs of this cancer that hides deep inside us. You are your best advocate. Speak up!

I love you all. Stay Healthy.

Chickenpox, Part Deux

Everyone remembers how when they were little their parents would try to get them infected with the chickenpox:
"Susie has the chickenpox. Better get the kids to her house, maybe her little sister is still contagious and will give it to them. You know it's better to have the chickenpox when you are little. You'll die if you get it as an adult!"

While there is some truth to that, I don't think adults can die from chickenpox. It's just more likely to be more severe and a lot more embarrassing and inconvenient!
If our parents knew then that getting chickenpox as a child meant that you would most likely get shingles as an adult, they would have kept us in isolation throughout elementary school.

All of this dialogue is preface to this: Remember how I have been saying my summer is kinda stressful? Well, guess what is one of the main triggers for shingles besides a weakened immune system? STRESS!!!
And so the other day when my left leg, only on the back side between my butt and my knee, felt like it was asleep from 5pm on Sunday afternoon until I went to sleep that night, I was a little worried. That's not normal, right? My first thought was a pinched nerve. If it's not gone in the morning I can just go to the chiropractor and get it straightened out. Then I thought, well, I am on birth control pills. What if it's a blood clot? I don't know what those are supposed to feel like, and all I know is that my leg doesn't feel right so it could be that. Then the imagination really got going and thoughts of MS, fibromyalgia, spinal surgery & walking canes started dancing in my head, and I finally calmed myself by deciding that if I woke up Monday morning and still felt the tingling, I would call the doctor.
And I did.
So, I did.
And when I got there and explained to her what was going on, she just looked at me for a minute like, "And......?"
My response was "Yep."
But I knew this wasn't right, and I wanted to know what was going on.
So, she did the exam. No rash. Good pulse in the groin, knee & foot. Leg muscles working fine (I could stand on my toes & my heels.) One more question, have you had chickenpox?
Why yes doctor, I have. A pretty nasty case too. Have the scars to prove it.
Aha! Well, she says, then this could be shingles. It's very early on, but a lot of people can feel the tingling-type of pain before a rash ever appears.
(Oh, crap. I remember when my grandparents had shingles, and they were doped up pretty good and still hurt like crazy! Plus the oozing rash, gross. And not to mention it's contagious and my kids haven't had the chickenpox vaccine yet!)
But, she tells me that the treatment is very simple, especially when you catch it early, and the side effects of the drug are next to nothing.
Awesome! give me the drugs!
Know what it is? Valtrex. Yep. the Herpes drug.
Oh, you didn't know that chickenpox is a form of herpes? Well, surprise!!! and shingles is just the re-emergence of the dormant chickenpox virus.
So, here I am with chickenpox, part deux. And taking the well advertised Valtrex three times a day. (yes, I have to carry it in my purse to work with me so I can take one at lunch) And off and on my left leg, only on the back of my thigh, will get tingly. But it hasn't become painful, and there is still no sign of a rash. So, I will stop feeling like a slut taking a drug for an STD, and just appreciate the fact that this will work and keep me from the torture of shingles.