8 posts tagged “health”

I had what is called VNUS closure today on my right leg, and of course, since it is me and my leg, one would certainly expect some sort of curve ball.

Or in this case, curved vein.

Generally, they insert a catheter through a very small incision or puncture by your knee and then close the bad vein with RF energy.  They numb the area with a bit of lidocaine first, but until the catheter is inserted, the vein itself can not be numbed.

Oh, joy.

Yes, you can feel this probing and prodding.  It doesn't really hurt (okay, maybe it does a little, but not in a want-to-punch-the-doctor-in-the-face way), but there is this odd sensation of something alien snaking it's way up your leg, just under your skin.

And when they do this no less than 5 times to try to get said catheter past the unexpected curve in her vein, yes, Nicole will indeed break out into a cold sweat and wish that the Valium they'd given her had relaxed her just a tad more. 

(Okay, a lot more.)

The doctor is a wily one, and that vein will not win, so he finally makes another insertion above the curve (up in my thigh) and zaps the vein in two phases.  Once the anesthesia is pumped into the veins, the rest of the procedure is a piece of cake.

Until it's time to put the compression hose on.  Think sliding one long, skinny rubber band all the way up your leg.  Dumb leg looks and feels like sausage in a casing tonight. 

This will be such fun for 6 weeks!  (Read: I get the joy of wearing a compression stocking on my right leg for 6 freakin' weeks.)  And I don't get to run for 6 weeks either, which I am not too happy about after I'd just gotten my weekly distance up to around 13 miles.

I know I am kind of griping right now, but the reality is that in the end, this will be a good thing.  My leg ached all day yesterday and during my entire run today.  It was not getting any better.  This will help.

And I can walk for exercise.  As much as I want.  That will mean I will need to take more time out of my day to do so, and I will need to be more careful with my eating (will probably use livestrong.com again), but I was moving toward too much snacking anyhow - this is the calibration I needed.

Perhaps I can even get Rob out there striding with me.  His good cholesterol is too low again, and exercise is a key factor in regulating that, but he doesn't enjoy running.

The discomfort and inconveniences of the next 6 weeks will be worth the long term results.  Which should help me be ready to do it all again in the fall! 

Nothing says “Happy Monday morning” quite like putting your feet into stirrups and allowing another man to look at your hooha.

Yes, my friends, it was that blessed time of year - the annual pap exam.

To my doctor's credit, I don't know that I've ever had an exam like this that was so quick and painless.  He assured me that everything seems to be in fine working order.  I am sure that makes Rob happy.

I needed to get a good BP reading so that I could submit it for my pending life insurance policy.  My secondary reading (I can never remember what it is called) was 86 at the insurance physical; they want 85 or less for "preferred plus".  You may be wondering why that's a big deal; basically it is the equivalent of $115 more per year over the next 20 years if I have to go with "preferred" instead (which is what they are telling me I have to go with).

There are times when I fall on the slightly high strung side of life (oh, be quiet, you two).  Yeah, yeah, so that might be a stretch.  Saying that I am a teensy bit high strung is probably the understatement of the year.  It is indeed true that Rob standing behind me at Wally-World and teasing me about various things while I get a BP reading from one of those blasted machines can induce readings at the why-aren't-you-having-a-heart-attack-this-very-minute range.  And family history is not exactly working in my favor either; my mother went on BP meds in her mid 40s.

But I have a good decade before I am that age, so my readings should still be good, right?

I drank only one cup of coffee instead of two before I left the house.  I felt cool as a cucumber and confident that I'd have a normal reading.

That is, until I got lost.  Seems that the practice felt it a good idea to relocate.  I reviewed a map before I left the house, but in my head, I substitute the 7 in 875 for a 1, so I ended up in some parking lot of an unmarked building frantically calmly trying to figure out where the freakin' new and improved office was.

I was a few minutes late, already a bit anxious - as these types of exams can make one - and not very happy that the scale registered 7 lbs heavier than my appointment last year, when the nurse wrapped the cuff around my arm and wrote down a reading 4 points higher than my insurance exam.

My doctor came in and assured me that they would retake my pressure after my exam.  I was told that my reading last year was a solid 120/80 and that they didn't see any reason I wouldn't get a similar stellar reading.

They gave me some time to get dressed and breathe deeply before re-taking it.

120/86.

I am sure it spiked right back up after the nurse told me that.  I was so frustrated I wanted to cry.

The only glimmer of hope concerning the insurance thing is that my broker took down my 1/2007 reading, today's reading, and the physical reading, averaged them together and started contacting companies to see if one of them will take my "new" average of 124/84.

One can hope, right?

In the meantime, I really need to get my butt back into regular aerobic activity mode.  I want to be different than my mom.  Even if BP meds are in my future, I want them to be in the well-distant one.

And I am getting a physical on Friday.  My GYN mentioned the possibility of hyper-thyroidism as a cause of my elevated rate.  He said I didn't have the other indicators, but that it might be something to check out.  We'll see what the NP has to say on Friday.

This getting old business is a vacuum.

I don't think I have mentioned it here yet, but we took The Daughter in to her practitioner last week to discuss the stomach/cramping problems she has been having.  The NP decided to send her for blood work and wrote orders for an ultrasound and endoscopy.  She seemed concerned that The Daughter has lost 5 lbs since the fall since she was already underweight for her height (always has been, but when you lose that much in a couple of months...). She also prescribed Zantac in the meantime.

They got the results of the blood work back today and asked us to come in for a follow-up.  We go at 1:30 PM.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  I am guessing they found something since they want to see us.  But hopefully it is relatively minor, and perhaps she won't even have to go in for the other tests.  A lot of what she is experiencing could be explained by vitamin deficiencies, anemia, and/or mono - I am hoping it is no more serious than that.

I woke up with a red bump/lump on my left eyelid yesterday morning. It didn't really hurt, unless I touched it, but it was causing some localized swelling. It looked like a bug bite or zit.

This morning it is really swollen - noticeably so. I am guessing it is a sty, but I am not sure. It is also slightly more painful. I took some ibuprofen and I am putting a warm compress on it. I will put some topical antibiotic treatment on it before I go to work as well.

I have to work the next two days and then Friday night is Rob's work talent show and Christmas party, so would you pray that this bothersome thing goes away?

(Yes, you can call me vain, but I really hate going anywhere looking all lopsided in the face!)

Also, any suggestion as to diagnosis and treatment are appreciated!

Do you have a regular workout routine?  What's your favorite form of exercise?

Funny you should ask...

I actually just reinstated a workout program.  Three days last week I walked and ran, mostly on the treadmill.  I've done it once this week (yesterday; I didn't today because I had an insurance physical in the morning, and they asked that you refrain from strenuous exercise prior to the exam).

I've already managed to run up to a mile and a half straight.  Now, that might not seem like a lot, and granted, I am not fast, but my treadmill is at a constant 1.5 incline.  And I am running at 6 AM.

So, I am pleased with myself.

As for a favorite, I guess I do like running best - it is not so much that I *like* it, and it is always an effort to do it, but once I do, I feel so good and I love to push myself just a little faster or farther each time.

I am already amazed at the increase in energy I am experiencing on the days I run.  I am also finding that I stay full longer when I eat - or I just feel more satisfied overall.

This reminds me that I need to get to bed so I am able to get my bootie back up again tomorrow.  If I don't work, I will try to post the rest of our trip photos, as well as finish reading my neighborhood posts (I got through to about Saturday, I think - I need to read back through last Thursday still).

Are you a registered organ donor?  Why or why not? 
Submitted by jacolily.

Yes, I am.  Why not allow something tragic or unfortunate help others?  I have a friend even now who needs a liver; without one soon, she will die.  If I could help someone in that way at some point, I want to.

Of course, it will ultimately be my family's choice.  If they don't want to allow donation, I am okay with that.  When I leave this earth, how they handle my passing is more for them than me - whatever brings them comfort and hope is what I want.

(And thanks, jacolily, for an interesting QotD!)

I’ve been thinking a lot about body image recently.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that I am weighing in at a bit more than I like, yet I am finding it difficult to be motivated to get my butt running again.  Maybe it is because we have been watching DVDs of TV shows with busty, yet toothpick-thin, young women (my DH calls them “lollipop girls – a big head on a little stick of a body).

I look at myself in the mirror and some days I really like what I see – even the slightly more curved appearance that the bottom half has been sporting this summer.  Other days I look and I see lumps and bumps – and not in the right places, mind you – and I feel fat and bloated and ugly.

What is it in my brain that processes and applauds women like Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique  who are more than just curvy – who are what some will, and do, call “big” – yet dreads ever being that size?  How can they look and act so sexy, but the very thought of being that size fills me with dread?

Do we, as women, ever come to a place where we are content with the way we look, even if it means wearing a size or two (or five) larger than we did 10 years ago, or having to buy our jeans in a double digit size?

I am a proponent of healthy living.  I know there needs to be balance, and I find myself desiring a Mia-Hamm-buff-athlete body over a Keira-Knightley-is-she-or-isn’t-she-anorexic one.  And I realize that to be healthy it takes some work, especially as I approach that fourth decade.

But will I ever look in the mirror and not mind the cellulite?  Will I ever be able to wear a double digit dress – and I am just talking about the “average-size” ones – and not feel tremendously guilty and frustrated and frumpy?  How does one enjoy that serving of ice cream (and I am talking a single serving, not a triple-scoop in a waffle cone) and not feel like the fat is immediately metabolizing on the hips?

I hear people say that I am at a good weight right now – that a few years ago I was way too thin – and I see that too, when I look back at the photos.  I was too thin.  But when I look at photos taken this summer, I feel like I look huge, even though I am well within my healthy weight range.  Why can’t I just be content?  Not to the point of becoming lazy.  But content with a more curvaceous boot-ay while still taking care to eat well and incorporate exercise into my weekly routine.

Is it just me and my silly head, or can some (or even a lot) of the blame be placed on the images and pressure the media flashes in our faces day after day after day?  If our society didn’t put so much pressure on models and actresses and anyone in the public eye to be super-thin, would I feel differently that this “baby got back”?

Would you?

And if you are a woman who is a bit more “womanly” than Hollywood deems attractive, what do you do to look and feel sexy and attractive? 

Are you active?  Is fitness and healthy eating important, or do you find yourself wanting/trying “quick fixes” to keep your waist-line trim?

The problem is, I haven't been able to come up with anything really interesting to write about.  And the QotD's and/or VoxHunts can be quite convenient when the brain is feeling like so much oatmeal.

Didn't have to work today because The Daughter had an appointment with a dermatologist.  I looked up the med she was on two years ago and found out that our insurance would cover it with a $30 co-pay.  Since it costs at least $100 (and it could have fallen under the $50 tier), I was quite happy.

Problem is, the derm prescribed three different meds since the other stuff made The Daughter's skin quite dry and painful.  So, now I am looking at $110 to fill three prescriptions.  Gah.

Thank God for samples.  The Daughter wanted to fill the scrips right away, but I begged off for now, saying she needs to try them first to make sure that they are compatible.  That buys me some time, at least, because I will need to fill them eventually, I am sure.

Kids are definitely not cheap.

Red Flip Flops

(And I used to think diapers were expensive.)

We spent the rest of the afternoon returning a birthday present she got and then me standing around while she tried on a billion about a dozen shirts.

Oh!  I did get something for myself today that makes me insanely happy ----------------->

I now have a pair in black, navy, pink, and the luscious red you see to your right.

Sometimes, it's the little things, you know?