Today I resolved to do what I could to make a good start - again! If I had a dime for every time... well, you know, I'd be rich but I'd probably still be fat! I do plan to do a few things I know are good for me and also thought that perhaps for every time I thought of food I could be here blogging a new post. Okay, I'd never get anything done but would certainly log a record number of blogs. Ah, I'm not that bad for there are many other things I think of, not just food. It's an on-again, off-again relationship that goes good and goes bad. On several occasions over the years (yo-yo) I have been able to control my intake and increase my output in order to lose weight and feel good. As I grow older, however, the ability to increase output has become extremely painful and it has me somewhat concerned.
In the summer of 2007, I experienced back pain that I have not been able to get rid of - not through rest, medication, exercise or by just plain ignoring it. I remember the first time - I bent over to pick something up and it knotted, pulled, cramped, twisted sharp enough and painful enough that I almost couldn't stand up again. It happens frequently and has been severe enough that I have to constantly take back medication in order to relax it in the morning so I can go about my day. I visited emergency in the late fall of 2007, had x-rays, was handed muscle relaxants and pain killers, and sent on my merry way. I was told "oh, by the way, you have a kidney stone." Thanks.
Last April, I went to another doctor. Yes, I went all through 2008 without seeing anyone - but I did have a bout with the kidney stone and an emergency room in October 2008 and it has since passed... This fine medical practitioner told me I had DDD - Degenerative Disc Disease and "by the way, lose weight and keep active." I don't need someone who uses this to pass off their diagnosis and get rid of me. He didn't ask history, didn't do all tests that should be done for a woman my age, but in hindsight, I should have insisted on having them done. I realize my weight is an issue, but I never had back problems before - I could lift, move, and work a long day helping my mom and just feel tired. I wouldn't be in so much pain that I could not move, get up or feel any better even after I slept for 7 - 8 hours. I don't remember the last time I got up in the morning, stretched and felt all refreshed!
I am on the list to go to another doctor but this country's health care system sucks even if it is free for some and available for all. You can choose to go to the Medi-Centres and wait a couple of hours with a bunch of sick people for a generic check-up or try to find a doctor that is taking new patients... good luck with that one! I expect that by sometime in May, the new doctor I did find might have room to see me. Then I will appreciate the time to review my history, discuss what the best options are, if any, and be dealt with compassionately - not just told to "lose weight and keep active."
So, day one involved drinking a lot of water. Trying to flush out kidneys and hydrate so that I don't retain water. Swollen legs and ankles have been the bane of my existence for the last two weeks. It was this bothersome condition that has me concerned although I try to just keep going, no matter what. I had mixed vegetables and small boiled potatoes with Becel and seasoning for supper. I am hungry but know it will have to be something I consciously try to control.
So, day one is over.
In the summer of 2007, I experienced back pain that I have not been able to get rid of - not through rest, medication, exercise or by just plain ignoring it. I remember the first time - I bent over to pick something up and it knotted, pulled, cramped, twisted sharp enough and painful enough that I almost couldn't stand up again. It happens frequently and has been severe enough that I have to constantly take back medication in order to relax it in the morning so I can go about my day. I visited emergency in the late fall of 2007, had x-rays, was handed muscle relaxants and pain killers, and sent on my merry way. I was told "oh, by the way, you have a kidney stone." Thanks.
Last April, I went to another doctor. Yes, I went all through 2008 without seeing anyone - but I did have a bout with the kidney stone and an emergency room in October 2008 and it has since passed... This fine medical practitioner told me I had DDD - Degenerative Disc Disease and "by the way, lose weight and keep active." I don't need someone who uses this to pass off their diagnosis and get rid of me. He didn't ask history, didn't do all tests that should be done for a woman my age, but in hindsight, I should have insisted on having them done. I realize my weight is an issue, but I never had back problems before - I could lift, move, and work a long day helping my mom and just feel tired. I wouldn't be in so much pain that I could not move, get up or feel any better even after I slept for 7 - 8 hours. I don't remember the last time I got up in the morning, stretched and felt all refreshed!
I am on the list to go to another doctor but this country's health care system sucks even if it is free for some and available for all. You can choose to go to the Medi-Centres and wait a couple of hours with a bunch of sick people for a generic check-up or try to find a doctor that is taking new patients... good luck with that one! I expect that by sometime in May, the new doctor I did find might have room to see me. Then I will appreciate the time to review my history, discuss what the best options are, if any, and be dealt with compassionately - not just told to "lose weight and keep active."
So, day one involved drinking a lot of water. Trying to flush out kidneys and hydrate so that I don't retain water. Swollen legs and ankles have been the bane of my existence for the last two weeks. It was this bothersome condition that has me concerned although I try to just keep going, no matter what. I had mixed vegetables and small boiled potatoes with Becel and seasoning for supper. I am hungry but know it will have to be something I consciously try to control.
So, day one is over.
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