Breaking the Habit

I did not feel much difference when I gave up Diet Pepsi years ago, but I sure do look and feel terrible most of the time since I started drinking it again. So...I poured out my last can on Sunday.  No more.  In fact, I am in the process of weening myself off of caffeine and artificial sweeteners too!  I am not going cold turkey on the caffeine but am ramping down the amount I drink of unsweetened iced tea.  I don't slurp it down nearly as quickly without my favorite little pink packet added to it.  Sunday was the start and I plan to be done with it by the end of the week!  I have more things in mind for my health as well that I am going to start since the number on the scale does not correspond with my health and how I feel. 

My Diet Pepsi Addiction

It all started with Hurricane Sandy...

I am addicted to caffeine.  I admit it.  I have previously kicked the habit, but started using it again because I get chronic headaches from a car accident.  Caffeine is known to help headaches...just look at the ingredients on a bottle of Excedrin migraine.  I gave up soda a long time ago and the only type of caffeinated beverage I would drink is unsweetened iced tea with Sweet & Low...just one with lunch each day.  I used to looooove Diet Pepsi years ago and would crave it as soon as I woke up in the morning.  I have not had diet sodas in years, except for on occasion if a restaurant did not have iced tea, which was very rare.

Then recently during Hurricane Sandy my company shut down for a few days and I worked from home.  The conditions were not good to go out in so I did not really leave the house for those days...but I needed caffeine, which I normally do not stock on the in the house except for making iced tea from tea bags.  I do love fresh iced tea, but was jut not in the mood for it so I bought the little 7.5 ounce cans of Diet Pepsi and drank them with a straw.  This was the beginning of my new addiction. 

Now I think about Diet Pepsi...a lot!  My company gives free soda so all day long I can go fill up a cup.  Not a good situation.  I think I am up to 2 or 3 a day.  Not nearly as bad as I used to be, but I am drinking it starting at about 10am.

I don't know what it is about this delicious sweet fizzy drink.  I now use it when I want something sweet to eat as well so that I do not eat something with calories.  Diet Coke never did this to me, but there is something in Diet Pepsi that my body just looooves.

The Vitamin D Dilemma

I can't remember that last time I had a sun burn since I am vigilant about wearing sunscreen or staying in the shade.  As a kid I got sun burned at the beginning of each summer then would just be tan.  I don't really remember wearing sunscreen back then, but we also didn't wear seat belts.  Now that I have to work at a real job, I spend most of my time under fluorescent lighting and my skin burns quite easily in the sun.  I have a regimen where I can spend days baking myself, like I recently did in Jamaica, and not get burned.  The outcome of all this diligence?  I recently learned I have a severe vitamin D deficiency.  The best source of vitamin D is sun light.  If I take too many vitamin D supplements, it could be toxic.  What's a girl to do??? 

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

I admit it, I've been neglecting my blogs. I haven't had time to do anything but work lately, barely even sleep. I am proud to say that I can still put out a good work product at 4am. The storm has passed and soon I will be in one of my favorite places...Vegas!!! My ears are still not functioning properly so I'm hoping the plane ride is not too painful. My back problem has also gotten worse. Not only is there a bulging disc, but the disc is also torn. This makes sitting or standing for too long painful. I have to be really really careful with my back...I'm not even supposed to vacuum, but that means my house hasn't been vacuumed. All my new shoes are feeling abandoned as well and the only flat shoes I have are keds and flip flops so I have not been wearing my new clothes either.

Hopefully I'll win the mega millions jack pot and then I'll have a lot more time to blog.

Back to Yoga

I signed up for the fall session of yoga and it started last night.  I fell out of going when my brother had his problems, then I was travelling and then I got sick and had surgery.  It felt good to go again and could tell my body needed a good stretching out.  A friend of mine who had a severe version of what's wrong with my back said yoga is the only thing that helped her so I'm going to try to keep up with it.  No head stands yet though.

A Day of Results

So today was a day for test results. 

1. The back pain, leg/butt pain and numbness in my feet and legs being being caused by a bulging disc in my back and the disc also has a tear.  I have to be careful now not to herniate it.
2. Last week a Dr. randomly felt a lump on my thyroid so I had an ultrasound on it.  Test showed I have a goiter. 

I've taken all this pretty well and didn't let it get me down.

Allergy Girl

So I'm apparently all inflamed inside my head still which is supposedly the reason my ears are still all messed up.  The inflammation could be from the surgery or I've been wondering lately if I have allergies.  I don't get sneezing and itchy watery eyes though.  My ENT agreed that allergy testing should be done (on top of back being on the cortisone nose spray).  Guess what?  I'm allergic to EVERYTHING they tested for.  Grass was really bad, then trees, weeds (ragweed and plantain?), mold, dust, dust mites and who knows what else swelled up too.  I'm only a little allergic to cats and dogs.  They say I need to work on controlling my environment, especially the bedroom, for the mold and dust/dust mites and no kitties sleeping in the bedroom (which they don't).  I've also started the allergy shots.  I wonder if this is the missing link to some of my problems??? I tend to feel better when I go out of town, except for the last trip to Vegas. I first started having sinus issues about 2 or 3 years after moving to this area and they said allergies usually develop in a new area between 2 months and 3 years so I was on schedule.  The shots are no quick fix though. 

The Worst is Over

I do believe I've come out the other side.  The surgery is done and I'm feeling somewhat myself again.  I don't have a lot of energy, my nose and face are sore and am I'm congested like I have a cold, but overall I can't complain.  My sinuses were opened up and my deviated septum was straightened.

Monday morning I woke up and was nervous.  I cried and hugged C at home and he told me to "pull it together".   Not really what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear.  After that I was all optimism and good spirits.  I even did a little Rocky impersonation before putting on my gown to show I was ready.  The surgery was done in a "surgery center" next to a main hospital so this place moved along pretty quickly since no emergencies went through it.  After being asked about 14 times if I could be pregnant (even though I had a blood test done) and if I had anything to eat or drink, I put on my gown, had a bunch of drugs put into my IV and was on my way to the OR.  They didn't even pause for me to say goodbye to C...I yelled over my shoulder, but he didn't hear me.  Anesthesia is very interesting to me, as they wheeled me to the OR I was asked if I was sleepy yet (no) and then I'm in the OR on another table with people putting something under my arms.  Next thing I know I'm in the recovery room.  I'm so happy they left my glasses on until I was sleeping and put them back on me before I woke up.  I was nauseous and shivering and my nose hurt, which they took care of and then I was put in a reclining chair and wheeled to a recovery area where they brought C to see me.  The last 2 hours of my life didn't exist to me.  From when we left home to being back home was about 4.5 hours.

The recovery process has been a little different each day.  I didn't have an appetite for a couple days and narcotics keep me awake so my eating and sleeping habits have been weird.  My nose bled the first day so I had a stylish piece of gauze taped under my nose.  I felt surprising well when I got home, although I later realized it was from the concoction of drugs put in my IV.  It took some trial and error to get the pain meds right at home.  Nothing totally cut the pain, but kept it mild most of the time.  Once the anesthesia and pain meds worked their way through my system and I switched to just Tylenol, I have felt better.  I don't have a lot of energy and I'm really congested.  I had splints in my nose that made me really congested with nowhere for it to go, and that was miserable, but those splints were taken out today.  They hurt coming out, but they also hurt being inside my nose too.  Dr. asked if I wanted to see them...nope, no thank you.  He said some people want to see them and even take them home.  The sinus part of the surgery doesn't cause too much pain.  The deviated septum is what causes a longer recovery.  The inside of my nose was basically cut apart an then re-sowed together.  Oh and I had to sleep sitting as upright as possible which was hard for me because it's bad for my neck and causes more neck pain and headaches.  I've been sleeping on the couch since I had a ramp of pillows to push me upward.  The Dr. told me today I can try sleeping in a normal position as long as I don't bleed.  All the things I need to do (or not do) is about avoiding bleeding.   No hot showers, no hot foods, no bending/lifting/hanging my head down, no exercise.  Bleeding is bad. 

I didn't have any bruising, but my nose was a bit swollen.  Not so much that it looked weird, but if you knew me, you'd know it was a little big.  It made it hard for me to talk coherently and C could barely understand me.  I had to cut food into little pieces to get it in since it was hard to open my mouth wide.  After getting the splints out to day and my nose cleaned out, this is much better now.

Now I just need to take it easy.  Doc says the first week will be the worst.  I'm not sure how long until I'm deemed "recovered", but Doc tells me to be patient because there is a lot of swelling. 

I'll be happy to sleep in my bed tonite.   THANK YOU to everyone who sent well wishes or gifts...I really appreciate the support, even though I wasn't in the mood to talk in the last few days to tell you myself.

Going Under

My surgery is on Monday morning so it might be quiet here for a little while.  Hopefully I'll recover quickly and will be here writing all about it within two to three days.  Doc says it will take about a week for me to feel like myself again so I'm off work the entire week to rest.  From what I've read, the hardest parts of the recovery will be that I won't be able to breathe through my nose and I need to sleep sitting up, preferably in a recliner, but we don't have one so pillows will be arranged to hold me up.  I admit I'm nervous since this is my first ever surgery (unless you count wisdom teeth coming out).

Ring A Ding Ding

Thursday will mark the 4 week mark that I have been sick.  It started with a really bad cold or flu, then turned into a sinus infection that just won't go away.  I'm also dizzy and nauseous and my ears hurt.  I can take medicine to help with the nausea...not sure if it's caused by all the meds or the pressure on my ears making them hurt and ring.  I've been to the Dr. 4 times now.  I am overall feeling better though where I finally have energy to do things again, but there is still pain/pressure in my face & ears and I still have the dizzy/nauseous thing.  I feel I lost a big part of the summer due to feeling so horrible.  Work has been a struggle since nobody else does my work if I'm sick, I still need to do it all.  I've even been drinking apple cider vinegar because I read on the internet that it is a natural remedy for sinus infections.  Today the doctor declared me "thoroughly sanitized" from all 3 different antibiotics I've taken over the past two weeks and now it is time to move on to a CT scan of my sinuses and then see an ENT.  I'm planning on going on a "tag along" trip to Vegas next Friday (a group of people I know from CA are going and I asked if I could tag along...) and there is no way I can fly with how my ears feel right now.  I need relief otherwise I can't go! Any suggestions (other than a sinus rinse because that is what started my ear problem)???

Cold vs. Flu

I woke up yesterday feeling like crud. My throat felt like there was golf ball in it and I just felt awful. This wasn't a huge surprise since my lymph nodes have been sore off and and since before my last trip. It was just a little surprising how quickly it came on. I still don't know the difference between a cold and the flu. Either way you put it...I'm sick. I miss the days when being sick meant lying around on the couch in my pajamas eating popsicles, missing school and getting a new toy. Instead, today I spent an hour in the morning trying to peel myself out of bed to shower and get to work.

Where Does the Time Go?

Time seems to just fly by lately. I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've posted here. One week of that I was on vacation with very little internet access. We had a great time in Mexico. The resort was really nice and I liked having the drinks be all inclusive, but the food wasn't very good. They tried too hard to make it "gourmet". I can't even remember what else I did the week before leaving, but I know I was busy! Beaches & Bananas has had no progress. My dog treat business has had no progress. What have I been doing??? Well, besides work, house cleaning, laundry, errands and 4 medical appointment per week? I did have a very painful treatment done on my neck today. I really hope it helps given how badly it hurt. Not to be a downer, but I also appear to have some kind of pinched nerve in my back. I've been having weird symptoms for a couple months and it's finally showed up in my back (and butt, and legs, and feet). I talked to the spine specialist today and am booked to be examined on July 1 so it's going to be a while before they know anything since she said I'll need and MRI.

Dr. Chang...No Longer Lost

I had an MRI today and the technician was Dr. Chang from Lost! Haha. Not exactly, but he looked like him and sounded just like him. While I was in the tube he would give me instructions.

The next one is 6 minutes
Don't move
Don't swallow

You may swallow now

Spotted P

My body is covered with red itchy spots! It's an allergic reaction to an antibiotic I was taking. This didn't show up until after I finished taking the last one. I noticed it this morning and it spread so quickly that it weirded me out. I went to the Dr. to have it checked and he said it is classic allergic reaction so I officially now have something to tell doctors when they ask about allergies.

Sleepy Sleepy Update

I'm still sleepy. The CPAP was awful..beyond awful. I couldn't fall asleep at all with it on. I tried two different kinds of masks (see pictures) and ended up even more sleep deprived than usual because I would try for about 2 hours to use it and then just give up and take it off. Then I started dreading going to bed and would read until 1am, then fight with the CPAP for 1.5 to 2 hours, then get barely any of my usual less than restful sleep. I was even sleeping in a different room for a while so I wouldn't disturb my husband. CPAP stands for "continuous positive airway pressure" and is basically air being blown up my nose that then goes down my throat to force the airway to stay open. The masks smell weird, leak air all over my face and I never figured out what to do with the long tube. My cats were scared of the thing. So, I gave up on it and now I'm going to try a dental appliance that pulls the jaw forward to keep the airway open. I just received it today so I'll try tonite. I'm used to sleeping with a night guard so I don't think it will bother me to use this, although it is an upper AND lower...and they hook together. How am I supposed to babble in my sleep now??? It needs to be adjusted over time until it gets to the sweet spot of what will work for me. Since I have problems with the muscles in my jaw, I need to take this slowly.

Unhappy Anniversary

One year ago today my life changed. I was in a seemingly minor car accident...and have been in pain ever since. It's been a year of frustration and many many medical appointments. I have written about this a little bit, but I mostly hide my pain. I try to suck it up when I'm around other people and only my husband really sees me suffer. I had been doing quite a bit better but took an unexpected turn for the worse last week...but nobody around me will really know it. I know there are things in life a lot worse than this so I try to keep positive.

Violated...But Not Really

Over the summer I endured ten weeks of painful dry needling treatments in my neck and head to try to resolve my health issues from the accident. The owner of the place I went to is the expert is this treatment. He teaches the method and is a leading researcher who authors many papers. I didn't see him, but the other physical therapist in the office. I drove an hour to another state for this. It helped me some, but the improvements plateaued so I stopped going given the distance and the pain involved.

A month or two ago I got a letter from a state board investigator telling me my PT was being investigated and asked me to contact him if I felt there was anything inappropriate that occurred. This perplexed me and I couldn't imagine what he did wrong. He wasn't my favorite person in the world since I felt he was insensitive to the amount of pain the treatment caused, but never anything inappropriate. I put the letter aside and soon after threw it away.

A few days ago this crossed my mind so I wanted to find out what happened. I checked the PT web site and the guy I saw nowhere to be found on the web site. Then I did a google search on him and found that the state suspended his license just a few days ago. I read the entire report and can't even describe how I feel about what he did. INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH PATIENTS!!! He had an affair with one patient at her home, which the patient said happened while she was a patient, then later changed her story and said it was before she was a patient...ok, this doesn't bother me if it's consensual. Not a good idea for the PT since it was his patient...oh yeah...and he's married...and his wife is PREGNANT! So that's not the worst of it. Two other women accused him of kissing, hugging, touching, refusing to leave the room while they were dressing and a couple other things I don't want to write. The women were completely shocked by this and reported him to the head guy and he reported this to the state board. The PT admitted to some, but not all of the accusations. This guy has completely ruined his life. I hope his wife leaves him and he never works in the field again. I don't know why this bothers me so much since nothing happened to me, but it really angers me that he took advantage of these women. Who knows if there were more that didn't come forward. People don't end up at his office unless they are in horrible chronic pain. Being in chronic pain and having this treatment done is an extremely vulnerable place to be. Then to have the person who you are supposed to trust will help you take advantage of you sexually...I just can't stomach it. This somehow makes me feel violated even though nothing happened to me.

The Hybrid Cold Flu

What a week. I've been completely slammed at work and woke up sick on Saturday morning. I'm not sure what it was, seemed like a cold on Saturday, then Sunday I just felt awful and slept all day and then worked in the evening. Monday I stayed home, but worked from home. I still felt bad but it helped to be at home in my pajamas. I took some heat for not being in the office, but I didn't want to infect other people and I believe in taking it easy to get better faster. Tuesday I thought I was feeling better, but after about an hour at work I felt awful again. Today I feel better though...still a little low energy, but ok. Work is still killing me. My neck and back are a mess from the stress so I actually look forward to my thrice weekly chiropractor visits to get things loosened up. Work is still going to be crazy for a while, but at least I'm not sick anymore.

Sleepy Sleepy

I think I have been tired my entire life. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person and like to sleep in. No matter how much I sleep, I never feel refreshed. I'm usually pretty low energy which makes some people think of me as lazy, which I find insulting. Back when I was younger and it was popular to have those yellow signs in car windows (baby on board, etc), my mom wanted to get one that said, "have daughter, will sleep". I have talked to doctors before about this and have been blown off being told there is nothing wrong with me or my problems are emotional. Well, I finally got someone to take me seriously and I had a sleep study done a couple weeks ago. I have been wanting this for years now. Little did I know how awful the test would be. I had to go to a sleep center over night and be hooked up to all sorts of electrodes and other contraptions. The picture here is not me, but gives you the idea of what it's like. Years of wanting this...then I couldn't sleep! I was so uncomfortable and I could hear noises from the hall and the next room. When the technician came in for me at 5:15am, I asked him if I slept at all and he said, "you slept enough." I do not look like the typical person who has sleep apnea since it's usually an older overweight man (no offense anyone...). The sleep technician even questioned why I was there. But the results are in, and I do in fact have sleep apnea. I stop breathing and wake up on average 15 time per hour and during REM sleep 30 times per hour. This means I'm waking up the most during the most important time of the sleep cycle. I'm going to have to get a CPAP to see if that will help. There is also the option of a dental device, which I'll explore as well. I have to wait a month for my next appointment though to get started with getting a CPAP set up. Stay tuned...and look out world...I'm about to wake up!!!!

Pity Party for 1, Your Table is Ready

I'm having a bad day and really feeling sorry for myself. My PT treatments are getting more and more painful. I cried thru the entire thing today. I am so angry that someone's careless mistake led me to this. I am really sore now, my neck hurts, my head hurts and I feel nauseous. I know there are a lot of people who have problems way worse than mine so I need to just suck it up and deal. Easier said than done.