Thursday I woke up with a cough an aches. Friday my husband did the same. Today the two of us together are not worth shooting.
We drove to an urgent care in Ft. Smith at 7 this morning, only to find out that there was only one doctor, there would be at least a two hour wait, and that they would probably want chest x-rays and were not set up for that. The man at the counter told us about another urgent care that was also open at 8, so we headed there. To indicate how bad my husband felt, he asked ME to drive.
We got to the second place only to find that they would’t be open for another hour. That was my husband’s breaking point. He demanded we go home. We both fell into our recliners and are just now waking up again.
I will try to fix us some soup. Just wanted to let you know what was happening around here.
It’s all my husband’s fault for being so nice last week. He asked me out to lunch on Friday. I was good, eating only part of my carefully chosen lunch and bringing home the rest. But then it was as if the dam broke.
Pinterest
Shorter story – I gained 3 pounds over the next several days. :0( Now I’ve finally stopped the binge and am back to following my low carb plan and doing yoga – and yard work if Mother Nature isn’t being cruel – each day. I hope to be back to where I was very soon, and then will tackle the next 5 lbs.
I don’t know if my husband was just trying to encourage me to lose more lard, just being nice, or what, but he said last night that he ‘thought I was losing weight.’ He’s never been particularly quick to notice things (and, in some cases, that’s good) but it would SEEM that 30 pounds less of me would be a little more noticeable… But – he sees me daily, so I guess we both probably miss ‘details.’
It is with great relief that I FINALLY met another mini-goal on my weight loss efforts. Today I am 30 pounds down from my heaviest. (Is it weird that 30 pounds off sounds like SO much more than the 29.6 pounds yesterday?) Round numbers can be so satisfying. :0)
My new goal is now 35 pounds off. My current practice of setting 5 pound goals makes it seem that I might actually be able to accomplish it. AND I can give myself pats on the head when I reach them, knowing I’m inching closer to where I would like to be eventually.
I will also get out the NutriSystem bear I earned years ago that says ’40’ – using that as a strengthening of my efforts. I’m getting used to the new eating plan, day by day. I’m using MyFitnessPal.com to track what I’m eating to stay under 1,000 calories a day, under 20 carbs per day, cutting my salt as much as possible every day, resulting in the note to me from the website, “you’re probably not eating enough.” I’m losing a bit at a steady rate this way. If I’m feeling consciously hungry, I make a snack.
Four Paws
I’m TRYING to do my session of old lady yoga stretches daily, and I’m also trying to add some online short exercise videos.
I like Mike Kutcher from MoreLifeHealth.com. He specializes in working with ‘seniors.’ Though I hate that term, I like Mike.
I’m beginning to feel a bit more confident about my ability to lose some of my lard. This is a BIG thing because I’ve tried lots of different things to no avail. I’m following a low carb eating plan now, cutting WAAAAAY down on salt, as well, plus am trying to move more.
To date, I’ve lost 29.6 pounds and 28 inches since my heaviest.
I’m using MyFitnessPal.com to log what I’m planning to eat and drink each day so that I can make adjustments BEFORE it’s too late. I’m making substitutions, finding alternatives for things I miss the most, like bread. I’ve found Zero Net Carb Mission Tortillas. (Each has 7 carbs, but also 7 grams of fiber, which, since fiber can’t be digested, offsets the carbs, resulting in zero net carbs.) I was used to eating one dinner roll with dinner, we ate sandwiches for lunch, etc. Now I can use these, instead, and not feel guilty. I fixed grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches last night, for example, using bread for my husband and tortillas for me. :0)
I have found that if my total on MyFitnessPal says, “It’s likely you’re not eating enough,” I tend to lose a bit of weight. For me, this works, so I plan to continue. I’m eating so that I’m not hungry. If I am, I eat a snack, so I’m not feeling deprived. I have tried to lose the lard for many years now, so this slow, steady loss is really gratifying.
It started with a super-welcome massage from Lynn Moody (479-629-7601), my massage therapist, who now has a place inside Golden Living Retirement Center in Greenwood. When I asked, she told me all of her current clients are coming to her there now, and that several residents of the retirement center have become NEW clients. One of these is my friend, Linda, who lives at the center. I gifted Linda a session, and she enjoyed her SECOND session last Monday, and has booked another. (Once you start, you’re happily Lynn’s for life. :0) ) Lynn is giving the residents a special price and is working with the staff there on helping with financial arrangements so things work completely smoothly. Lynn is a treasure.
After my massage, I went to Linda’s room, hoping for a visit. Our friend Kay and her daughter LaDonna, who lives in Albuquerque, were there! We had a good visit with lots of laughter, hugs, and a few tears. LaDonna gifted Linda a framed photo she had taken of Kay and Linda. I thought it was priceless. When I got home I texted LaDonna, asking if I might have a copy. She sent it to me via my phone immediately.
Kay and Linda, two of my favorite people in the world.
Linda seemed to really like the idea of the ‘paint-with-water’ book I brought her. She liked the fact the pictures were large enough for her to ‘paint’ without problems, that all she needed to make the colors in each picture bloom was water, and that there were sayings on each page.
So, it was almost like Lunch Bunch yesterday – without the lunch. :0) A really enjoyable morning.
I am currently doing three things to move the lard in an effort to keep all my parts moving in as pain-free a manner as possible for as long as possible.
THING ONE– Senior Online Exercise Videos by Mike from More Life Health Seniors – There are a whole series of these. If you’re interested, click on the link above to scroll through the offerings. I’m trying to do at least two different ones daily.
THING TWO – a 30 – 40 minute session of old lady stretching yoga daily. I have made my own series of stretches and positions now, but I started with a “Gentle Yoga ” DVD I purchased through Sixty and Me by Kat Kabira. She got me over my intimidation of the whole yoga idea, stressing that stretching toward, and breathing into, stretches and poses was as good for beginners as ACTUALLY being able to bend over and touch your toes, for example. I do a lot of “stretching toward” and “breathing into”, and I can tell you that I really feel the difference if I don’t take the time to do my practice.
thumbpress.com-boredpanda.com
THING THREE – And finally, I try to get outside daily (if Mother Nature is feeling cooperative) to get some fresh air, walk around, and do something good in the yard. It may be half an hour harvesting veggies, weeding flower beds, weed whacking, spraying bug spray or weed control spray, etc.
The combination of these three things plus watching my carbs and sodium is all working together in my efforts to lose the lard. MyFitnessPal.com is a free website where I can list my exercise, my weight and measurements, and the foods I eat daily to make sure I’m staying on track. I believe I have finally found a good, healthy combination to accomplish my goal of staying as healthy as possible as the years pile on. :0)
When my mom fixed Thanksgiving dinner every year, I always wanted the drumstick. I don’t remember her cooking turkey any other time, but she did a great job making it a dinner to remember. She liked cooking alone, so my help consisted of setting the table and helping with clean up. My favorite part of the Thanksgiving celebrations each year were the turkey sandwiches in the days afterwards.
Now my favorite turkey sandwiches are a part of my low carb lifestyle, being modified to ditch the bread for me and substituting Mission Net Carb Zero Tortillas. They’re harder to eat, but delicious just the same.
And now, since I discovered that the deli turkey I had been enjoying for LUNCH for some time now was super high in Sodium (1018 mgs when a healthy amount is 1500-2300 PER DAY) I am now cooking my own turkey breast (carbs=0, sodium=47 mg).
Since one of my husband’s favorite things is turkey sandwiches, I can now use my tortillas and enjoy the sandwiches with him, free of guilt with a huge smile on my face – which we’ll do tonight! :0)
My new electric meat slicer was delivered yesterday. I reorganized part of my kitchen counter so the slicer is now on an easily moveable place mat so I can slide the slicer out a bit for use, with a NON-slide place mat on top of THAT so the slicer won’t slide when I’m using it. :0) I just ordered a cover that’s made for this particular slicer, rather than the towel I’m using now. I’ll read the manual for this later today.
Here’s the cover.
I’m set up now so I can cook and slice most any meat to eat for my lunches, taking the place of the deli turkey I THOUGHT was healthy, but turned out to be sky high in sodium. (Same with salami. )
I did find some lunch meat that’s half the sodium or less than what I’m finishing up now while I’m gearing up to do all my own.
I also found some low carb, much-lower-sodium frozen dinners at Stu’s Clean Cookin’ in Greenwood. I will try all of these, but some are higher sodium than I would like for the long run. It will depend on how the food changes come together (shown clearly on MyFitnessPal.com) before I make long term decisions.
Meanwhile, my doc has increased my thyroid hormone dosage, so that should help, as well, though it will probably take several 6-week trials before we zero in on my new good dosage.
I’m finally getting my act together on eating healthier, plus I’m working in the yard most every day and doing a session of yoga stretching in the afternoons at least 3 times a week if not every day. Hopefully, the lard will start coming off in a more steady manner and my next routine blood tests in October will show significant improvement. :0)
I’m trying to eat 20 or less grams of carbohydrates per day. I’ve cut out added sugar, and try to buy no-sugar-added or zero sugar products. I’ve cut out most starches, like most everything white (potatoes, rice, pasta). I’m not eating desserts.
I told you recently that I’ve discovered I’m eating too much salt, even though I quit sprinkling it heavily on almost everything I ate for years. (This has been a huge, difficult change for me). I have now found that even though I’ve stopped adding salt to everything, I’m eating it IN the food I’ve been eating – particularly deli meats.
I found an article that listed some much lower sodium lunch meat offerings, including the brands of Boar’s Head, Hillshire Farm, Applegate Naturals, and Oscar Mayer. Today, if we get to the store, I’m going to look for these with my lower sodium “READ-THE-LABELS” cap on firmly. Meanwhile, I’ll buy some frozen turkey breasts to cook. I have ordered an electric meat slicer that is supposed to be delivered Friday, since it looks like I’m going to be cooking and slicing my own meats for lunches in the future.
As of this morning, I’m 24 pounds down from my heaviest (nothing to write home about, but a good start). This new emphasis on avoiding sodium might result in decreasing many of the bad effects of eating too much salt, as well as hopefully resulting in a steadier loss of the lard.
“Eating healthy” is a very complicated subject and seems to be different for each of us. Cooking for two complicates things, as things I’m willing to change my husband firmly isn’t. I’m trying to research and improve what I’m eating or avoiding to make the best result for me.
As you know, I’m in a never-ending effort to lose the lard. I’ve been logging what I eat on MyFitnessPal.com in an attempt to eat mindfully, keeping my carbs for the day at 20 grams or below.
I suddenly ‘realized’ (I know, I’m slow on the uptake at times) that even though I’ve given up adding salt to anything except the hard boiled egg I eat with lunch, I’m eating too much sodium. This is carried by the deli turkey I eat, mostly, which I thought was healthy.
I looked up “low sodium deli meat” and found a couple of brands I recognize. I went to a new store (DG Market) in Greenwood that just opened because my computer said they carry Boar’s Head Lower Sodium Meats. There were a couple of refrigerator areas not yet stocked, but they didn’t have ANY of the choices on the careful list I had with me. :0(
I did another search this morning, finding that I MAY be able to find them in the meat section of the store that has pre-sliced meat in small tubs. I’ll try that next, wearing my careful-reading-labels-hat when I go.
If I can find some low sodium deli type meats, I’ll try some. If I can’t, I plan to buy a couple of frozen turkey breasts. I keep one frozen and cook the other, slicing it myself. I’ll also look for an affordable meat slicer, since it looks like there will be a lot of that in my future of trying to avoid salt.
Learning to savor is a skill that keeps on giving. If you can learn to slow down and really SAVOR what is right/good/enjoyable in your life, it somehow accumulates inside you, making the bad/sad/challenging stuff easier to deal with.
I’m lucky because there are many things in my life to savor –
Since I am needing to spend 24/7 time with my husband for various reasons, I savor the good days, the many nice things he says and does, and the fact that we chose each other long ago and have shared our lives.
I savor making time to be ‘alone-while-here’ (if that makes any sense) finding ways to relax, such as – my yoga stretching sessions, reading, time in my art room, working in the yard, listening to music, finding new things for the blog on the net, learning new things, daydreaming…
I’ve always felt that my family and friends are the best parts of my life, but I savor time with them and communication even more now.
Laughing is something I’ve savored my whole life. In fact, I consider a healthy sense of humor and the ability to stand back and see the humor in a lot of situations a survival skill. I love X (formerly Twitter) because many of the people I follow either make me laugh or find and post things that do. I’ve found a wonderful group of people to follow who are also quite creative in other ways – photography, painting, drawing, writing, and more. When I need a boost, spending time with my connections there improves my mood immensely.
Gathering things that bring you joy and savoring them is essential to your well-being.
I leave shortly for my massage. I’m really looking forward to it. The first reason is that I really enjoy how I feel when Lynn Moody, my wonderful massage therapist and friend, finishes wielding her magic. She finds and gets rid of the areas I KNEW were hurting as well as those I hadn’t realized yet.
Second, this will be the first time I’ve seen her new place! The city is demolishing (or may have already demolished) the house she was using for massage sessions. She had to be out by April 1st. She is now working out of a really nice retirement place in Greenwood. It also happens that my good friend, Linda, from the former Lunch Bunch, LIVES there. So, I’m going to see if I can find Linda when I finish my massage. :0)
The skies are really dark, with coming “heavy rain and thunderstorms” this morning. I’ve already had my shower this morning, but I may get two more – one getting from my truck to the front door of the retirement place, and another when I leave. Good thing I spent so many summer teaching swimming lessons. I may need them today.
I got another planter weeded and pruned yesterday. I’ll write more blog posts after lunch and show a picture or two – unless we’re being blown away by the possibly severe weather.
We’re going to the Walk-in clinic this morning at 0-dark-thirty to get my husband’s stitches out, and then will try to get breakfast at The Dari, one of our favorite restaurants, if he feels like it.
I won’t say I have built a ‘habit’ of doing my approximately half-hour of old lady yoga stretching daily, but it HAS become a grudging ‘responsibility to myself.’ I highly resent that I don’t get a flood of endorphins, or whatever you’re supposed to get that makes you happy to be alive, raring to go, climbing Mt. Everest in the morning, and what not. I just do my stretches the best way I can, usually feeling a bit ‘looser’ than I did when I first got down on my mat, and put my sparkly star on my calendar.
Women’s Health
Yesterday I started a new thing – a few exercises to strengthen my arms with 5-pound weights. I only did 5 reps of each movement, but it’s a start and I’ll build up from here. I’ll do this M-W-F. (I put TWO stars on my calendar yesterday.)
vgajic – Getty Images – Fit and Well
Today I’ll do 10 minutes or so on my Elliptical Trainer in the garage – after cleaning off quite-a while’s-worth of dust off and finding my MP3 player. (I just FOUND it – plugged into its charger behind my computer screen, along with the earplugs that go with it. :0) ) I’ll plan to do this right after lunch, and the plan is to do this T-TH-S and increase the time as I can.
Since I’ve already been out weeding and harvesting my veggie planters this morning, the yoga and the elliptical will round out my day nicely on moving the bulk.
I’ve been logging in at MyFitnessPal.com daily for 40 days, trying to be more mindful of what I’m eating, my exercise, my water drinking, etc. I’ve been following the keto eating plan for approximately half that time.
I’ve decided to make myself accountable once a month to keep my head on straight and stay on my way to many goals. I don’t have any particular goals on weight and measurements. I need to lose my lard – a lot of it – but I’m making mini-goals in 5-pound-increments to keep it doable in my mind. I’m trying to practice my yoga daily for half an hour, adding working in the yard outside, or heavy days of cleaning inside, lately, or future plans of using my elliptical machine in the garage when I can, or adding exercises with dumbbells to add strength, all in an effort to be stronger, more flexible, with better balance, less apt to fall.
Toward these goals, I am down 23 pounds since my heaviest. I have two pounds to go to meet my latest 5-pounds-lard-off goal.
February yoga practiceMarch yoga practice
Today I measured, since I have finished a full month of daily yoga in March plus another several days starting in February. (Can you tell that the sparkly stars on my calendar are a big motivator for me?)
Measuring shows a loss of .3 inches from my hips and a loss 1.5 inches from my waist.
So, bit by bit I’m making some slow progress. (I have to tell you that last night my husband and I were so grateful that we were still alive, relatively in one piece, and relatively healthy that we ‘celebrated’ with a dish of no- sugar-added vanilla ice cream. My husband added some fruit to his and I added some chocolate syrup to mine. This will be the last celebration for the foreseeable future. :0) )
I am now promising myself (and you) that I will report progress – I hope – again at the end of April.
I’m leaving for a much-needed massage. I’ll write more when I come home, happy and limp as a noodle, from Lynn Moody‘s Healing Hands. 479-629-7601. Ahhhhhhhhh!
I’m down 21.6 pounds since my heaviest. One day at a time.
I’m going to get a spaghetti squash today to bake so that I can make the third in my trifecta of substitutes for the ‘white stuff’ I love to serve under sauces – “cauli-rice,” “zoodles,” and “spaghetti squash.” When I finish the prep today, I’ll have a supply of each frozen in individual portions so that I can follow my low carb eating plan while my husband eats whatever pasta and white rice. He has looked quite appalled at my idea that he join me in the change, so this way we can both eat “spaghetti,” for example, with smiles on our faces.
I’ve also discovered Mission Zero Carb Tortillas. They actually have 7 carbs per tortilla, but 7 grams of fiber, so “0” net carbs. I can enjoy one each evening in place of the dinner roll I’ve been eating. Tonight I’m making a large tuna fish salad for our dinner.
I’m happy with progress with my yoga practice. Today is Day 21 of every-afternoon practice. I’m up to 20 reps on my abdominal exercise (started at 5), and 7 reps on each side of my leg lifts (bird dog pose) (started with 3). I’m feeling looser. I won’t say I look forward to my exercise session, but I’m getting ‘used-to-it.’ :0)
I’m hoping I can keep my head on straight with my mouth shut regarding eating or drinking what I shouldn’t so I can continue losing the lard and getting stronger, more flexible, with better balance.
I really wanted to sleep later this morning, but my bladder insisted I get up. I’m still feeling a bit bleery-eyed, drinking coffee to try to wake up my system.
I’m feeling hopeful this morning, bleery-eyed or not, that the emphasis on lowering my carbs is getting the attention of my scales. I’ve lost 3-1/2 pounds since I started my new regimen. (No handsprings or anything, since I have a gazillion more to go, but it’s NICE to have the scales laughing a bit less several mornings now. )
I’m going through my Simply Keto recipe book, finding new recipes I plan to try, adding to my grocery list. I really like the fact that Suzanne Ryan doesn’t glory in spending time in the kitchen. Her recipes are simple, using ingredients you can readily find in regular grocery stores, and they don’t take a lot of prep or time. Just perfect for me.
Recently I used my spiralizer to make ‘zoodles,’ or pasta noodle type stuff from zucchini. The one zucchini yielded enough for three 1-cup servings. I ate one with my spaghetti sauce and froze the other two.
Love and Lemons
Today I’m going to make ‘cauli-rice,’ a rice substitute from cauliflower. I’m hoping that my efforts will yield enough for several meals. I’m going to cook some stew meat in my slow cooker, starting at lunch time, then combine that with Paul Newman’s Alfredo Sauce (3 carbs per serving.) I’ll serve that over regular rice for my husband and over the cauli-rice for me.
I have also discovered a way to work with the MyFitnessPal program better for ME – when I’m eating the number of calories I CAN eat, it tells me that, if I keep eating the same way, I’ll weigh “X” in 5 weeks. (The actual results of this is that I don’t lose weight.) If I eat fewer calories, it tells me, “You’re not eating enough.” I used to go find some foods to add to get the calories up. Now I list what I’m comfortable eating for the day, plus my exercises. If it says I’m not eating enough, it means that there is a chance the scales will show a bit less the next morning. :0)
I will earn my 7th star on my calendar this afternoon for daily yoga stretches. That feels good. My calendar is sparkly with the stars, feeding my spirits emotionally, and the yoga practice is making my body stronger and more flexible. Win/win.
So, feeling positive – even though still a bit bleery-eyed – on a beautiful Sunday. Hope YOUR Sunday is a good one, too.
“Relaxing jaw. Relaxing face….” I’m making some progress, finally, getting back into my yoga. My husband is doing well enough now that I can take half an hour to stretch and try to relax.
I still sound like Rice Krispies, crackling and popping my way into stretches, but I’m able to stretch a bit farther, or hold the pose a bit longer now. I still find myself listening for unfamiliar sounds, or being aware if my husband is in his recliner and shifts position, but it’s getting better.
I’ll also get even more help because my massage was rescheduled to Monday. I’m really looking forward to that. My therapist, Lynn, is a miracle-worker, finding and loosening whatever knots I’ve brought in, whether I knew about them or not.
Being a hard-head, having to learn things the hard way over and over, I’ve had to LEARN that practicing yoga for half an hour or more a day is a really good thing to do for myself. It makes me move easier, makes me hurt less, makes me looser, steadier on my feet, etc.
I had my husband get the mail while I fought with the trash can as we left this morning. It was raining, but my new ‘zig-zag’ pattern on rolling the trash can to the bottom of the driveway is working. I only felt I was skidding once.
It started to snow as we started to town. NOOOOOO! The forecast said light rain this morning, more this evening possibly changing to a dusting of snow overnight, mostly in NW Arkansas. Not NOW! Not HERE! It snowed on us almost all the way to Walmart, then let up. It rained on us again as we came out, almost as if a faucet had been turned on.
We stopped at the local grocery for the ‘bowls’ we love so much from the deli there. We’ll have them for lunch soon.
Now we’re home, snug as a bug in a rug. Of COURSE the rain has stopped.
BUT – the trash has been handled, the mail collected, and we have supplies for whatever does – or does not – fall from the sky overnight.
When I do my yoga practice in the afternoons, I’m constantly reminded of one of the cereals I ate in childhood, Sugar Pops. The ad talked about the ‘snap, crackle, and pop’ the cereal made after you poured milk on it in the bowl – even adding the sound effect to the ad. I loved the cereal, put EXTRA sugar on it, devouring it with gusto. They had prizes in the bottom of the box ( as did several other cereals for kids back then) and my mom had a firm rule we had to eat our way down to the prize. Interesting memories with what we’ve learned about nutrition since then.
My body is the cereal. No milk needed for the snapping, crackling, and popping to begin. Even my husband remarks about it as HE sits in his chair watching me…
I CAN feel some improvement in my stretching, though. I remind myself that Cat Kabira – the wonderful lady who made the Old Lady Stretching Videos (actually called “Gentle Yoga for Seniors”) to which I refer – says that stretching TOWARD your goal – and breathing into it – is as good for your body as actually reaching the goal. The stretching and relaxation is what is important.
I may be noisy, but I’m doing something good for myself. :0)
Today our weather is absolutely gorgeous. I’m about to go do several errands, and it will be a delight to be outside. It’s 44 right now, and the forecast is for 65 this afternoon. The sun is shining. GORGEOUS!!!!
My husband and I are learning to function on very little sleep at night. We’re lucky to be able to catch cat naps during the day, so things are improving there, as well.
So far, my husband has not tried to do things he shouldn’t, so I’m beginning to think I MIGHT be able to spend some time in my art room this week. I’m going to see if I can find another good video on techniques for wood burning to get the juices flowing. :0)
Good morning. I need to warn you that you’re reading the words of a zombie, pretty much, since it’s been a week now since I got a regular night’s sleep. A week ago today my husband fell on the ice at the bottom of our driveway, breaking his collar bone.
We catch cat naps as we can, all day and all night, trying to sleep in our recliners. Sleeping well was a challenge before my husband hurt himself because that seems to go with becoming more ‘mature,’ but now we’re pretty much hopeless. We’re just glad for whatever we can get.
Each day is a bit better. He’s now saying he wants to quit wearing the sling. I simply told him I thought that it would slow the healing process and increase his pain, but that he, of course, could do whatever he wants…
Our son researched healing from bone breaks, bought and sent some high doses of Vitamin C and D-3. I’m giving these to my husband morning and night now.
I’m so glad we’re dealing with rain, rather than ice or snow.
My husband, who broken his left clavicle on the 21st, is now talking about not wearing his sling after a couple more days. I – having lived with this man for some 54 years now – simply told him it would take longer for healing, but that it was up to him how long he was incapacitated. Meanwhile, I’ll try to contact the orthopedic nurse on our portal to see if I can get some backup.
Our son, who lives across the world from us, bought and sent us two kinds of supplements to help him heal. I’ll start incorporating them into his meds today.
My husband is basically just moving from one room to another on the first floor until further notice. He’s doing that more easily now, plus sneezed and told me it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as previously, so there is definitely progress. We are still trying to sleep in our recliners.
He requested spaghetti, so I’ll make that for tonight.
I have absolutely NO complaints about our gray, rainy weather. It is NOT ice. It is NOT snow. I can drive up and down our driveway without risking myself or my vehicle. I can do what I need to do. :0)
My husband is getting around better since breaking his collarbone on the 21st. He is at the computer now, watching YouTube videos. He’s a bit better each day, and so far is being careful not to hurt himself further. I’m staying close by, since he only has the use of one hand and arm.
I will make a dash today to get supplies, lunch from the deli (my husband’s request) and our mail. That’s it for ‘out’ today. I called our friends about not being able to come to Lunch Bunch and about my husband’s fall.
I’m grateful we can handle what happened ourselves. In fact, all I need to do so far to keep my husband in line is tell him that I am happy to try to hire someone to help him. :0) MEAN woman….
Amber is worried. She senses something isn’t normal around here, and she is following one of us – and then the other – closely, trying to be everywhere at once.
BEFORE injury
She cries if I put her on the other side of the dog gate. I only do this when I’m trying to help my husband get out of his chair or back into it, etc. (He broke his collarbone falling on the ice Sunday, January 21st. He doesn’t need surgery and recovery time is approximately 10 to 12 weeks. He is learning how many things he does that affect the muscles in his left shoulder, how much he uses his left hand, and how MUCH it hurts to sneeze, cough, or laugh.)
He insisted he wanted to sleep upstairs in our bed last night. Nothing would convince him to change his mind. We went to bed around midnight. I basically lay there with my eyes closed, but was trying to stay alert to help him if needed. Around 2 am he said I was right (!) :0( and that he couldn’t get comfortable in the bed. He then learned that he uses is left hand to hold onto the stair railing. We slowly and carefully got down the stairs and back into his chair. We basically slept – where we could rest – from 6am to 8.
He is stronger this morning and was able to get out of his recliner carefully by himself. He looks more alert. I’m hoping he will take several naps whenever he is sleepy.
Again – BEFORE injury
Amber wants to sleep right in front of his chair. We have already made it VERY clear she is NOT considered a lap dog (97 pounds) and that my husband is very happy with her beside him, rather than in his lap right now. If we insist she get in her “place” on her bed across the room, she watches him, alert to any movements. (usually she does this only when he has food, but now it is really concern for him.)
I keep trying to reassure her. I guess in this case, seeing is the only way she will be believing.
Since my husband broke his collarbone falling on the ice in our driveway Sunday morning, we’ve had x-rays and seen an orthopedic surgeon, who said my husband could heal without surgery. With surgery or without, the recovery time is 10 to 12 weeks.
After fighting with my husband (we don’t even use the same salt :0) ) he has agreed for now that we will stay downstairs. He’s still in quite a bit of pain on ANY movement and only has the use of his right arm and hand until further notice, making any normal activity quite difficult. We are sleeping in our recliners, getting as much rest as possible, which so far isn’t much. Thank goodness we can both take naps any time we need it.
Breakfast, morning chores, sitz bath, change of clothes, meds, and back in the chair took until 10:30 this morning. He is taking a nap in his recliner right now, and seems to be as comfortable as possible. While he’s doing that, I’m doing laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, figuring out food, etc.
It’s amazing how quickly your life can change. I’m so relieved this wasn’t any worse and that we can let this heal on its own. We are adapting slowly to the new normal. I’m walking kind of a tightrope right now, between helping and stepping on pride. I’m wishing I had a magic wand to make him feel better.
My hygienist patted me on the head yesterday! I’ve always cornered the market on building tartar. It used to be that the hygienist had to use the ‘water torture’ gun to try to power wash the stuff off, followed by the use of all her tools that break it off, pry it off, scrape it off, etc.
On my previous appointment, I had been using tartar control toothpaste and I had switched to a Sonicare toothbrush. That made it so that the pressure washer wasn’t needed, but it was still a laborious process to get me to a reasonable state.
THIS time I had changed back to my previous toothpaste and changed to a different Sonicare toothbrush when my previous one died. Lots of flossing. No power washer, little work with tools. She spent more time polishing my teeth than the whole rest of the session, saying, “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it! No signs of oral cancer (my mom died of that). Whew.
To cap everything off, the weather people were wrong. They had predicted snow showers. We only got a few flurries, having no trouble – other than my husband’s aggressive driving – getting there and getting back. I’m delighted the bad stuff didn’t find us. HOOORAAAAY!
creativeartworksblog 