A week ago I got a really bad sunburn while tubing with Beth and Matthew. That was fun healing from, the itchy-ness, the pealing of legs, back, hands, some part of my arms too. I have no pictures of the burn or the pealing, which I think most people would be happy about, but I do have fun ones as we went down the river, here are a few.
Yesterday, I was making some fish for my mom for her dinner, when I put the fish in to fast and splashed melted butter on my right hand wrist area. _________________________________________________________________
Well today, I cut myself with a box cutter. I now have 4 stitches on the top of my left thumb. Luckily I didn't cut anything important (tendons, muscles, etc.), but there was a lot of blood going on. There was a reason, I know a box cutter, but actually I cut my artery in my finger, so it spurted blood as the doctor was trying to close me up, but he had to clamp it to sew up the sides before he could sew up the artery.
Tah-da...all bandaged up. I will take it off tomorrow afternoon and then I will wear a bandage, and a stint(like they use for sprained fingers) for my other work days this week. I get the stitches out on the 27th the day before I am planning on going to schlitterbahn with my dad, Justin and Stephanie.
I went tubing on Saturday with Matthew and Beth it was so much fun other than the bad sunburn I received. (pictures up later in the week-if they turn out good). I am officially sunburned - blisters and all(which started forming on my back this afternoon). I am pink/red on my legs, arms, breasts, tops of feet, tops of hands, and back. Lets just say if I was ever captured by a terrorist or someone trying to hurt me all you have to do it make me itch. I will give up any information to make the itching STOP. My back is driving me up the wall. Itch, itch, itch all day long. I am now using lanacane which is a miracle cream that makes the itching stop for a few hours. HEAVEN!
I decided to take a break from doctors appts.. I wasn't really doing the stretches at home and I felt like I wasn't getting really much out of the sessions. I am going to try it at home for awhile. I started back up with my exercising. I only went 30 minutes- half was run/walking 4.00min : 1.45min and the other half was walking and talking on the phone. I didn't want to push me knee. I am hopeful that I can get back on track for training without hurting myself more. I am debating about joining a gym. There is a 24 hour fitness that is close by (maybe 2-3 miles) and their monthly rates are $32. There is also a planet fitness about 8 miles away and it $1 to join and $10 a month. I am weighing the desire to join. I realized that I would spend more money on weight watchers in a month than the gym. I just don't know how fully committed I am to the gym, but I need strength training and I do like treadmills and ellipticals. Hmmm...tough decision.
I also joined the pound for pound challenge (click here). I thought it might make me more motivated because other are depending on me (or might make me fail) either way it is a commitment to something other than myself. I have lost focus on weight watchers, I am slow getting back to the reason why I started, are they still the same reasons, and where do I want to head now.
UPDATE: Not going to join a gym, at least not right now. I am not fully committed to going and being there. I will contemplate it at a later date. Saving my pennies right now.
Postsecret Book Signing Okay so I have wanted to post this for awhile, but I couldn't because my friend was getting a gift from the signing. It has been quite a number of years that I have read postsecret.com every Sunday for secrets. It was an art project that one man, Frank Warren, started. He passed out 100 to 150 blank postcards with his address on it. He want anonymous secrets that were anything from any range of emotions. He than put them together into an exhibit still on display. He didn't know it then, but the project had a life of its own and it spread. He was done with the exhibit at the museum so he used new media, the internet, to share the secrets every week. He scans in about 20 of them out of the 1,000 he gets a week. Frank said at the book signing that he wants to get a range of emotion in each posting and that he wants to connect it in some way.
I like to read other people secrets, I guess that is the voyeurism in me. Sometimes I find something I relate to, other times I feel like nothing speaks to me. I felt awkward getting my book signed and my dad got my friend's signed. My dad said I could get a picture with him, but that weird'ed me out. I am not that type of person who needed a picture or anything. It was nice to just hear his stories of how he started, some secrets, and an a overall experience of it all. I knew my friend would be thrilled about the book. I didn't mention it to her so I didn't have to lied to her about it all.
I planned out in my head that I would also put post-its in the book of secrets, stories, and comments on things. I also got my mom involved in putting post-its in it (it was her present to my friend). It turned out to be an excellent present. She is slowly devouring a few postsecrets every day to extend out the book.
My Knee Issues--more like doctor issues Okay lets do the math---insurance with high deductible = out of pocket
$180---Doctor Appt. 1st- meet doctor, had 4 x-rays done $130---Active Release Techniques(ART-definition below in blue) Therapy doctor- meeting 1- meet him, messaged my knee, sent me to another person to do exercises $80---ART Therapy doctor- meeting 2- messaged knee, sent me to another person to do exercises $80---ART Therapy doctor- meeting 3- messaged knee, sent me to another person to do exercises $130---Physical Therapy doctor- meeting 1-meet her, checked out legs walking and flexiblity, show some streches that I could do $80---Physical Therapy doctor- meeting 2- did strectches, massaged calfs, did more stretching $80---Physical Therapy doctor- meeting 3---$80(meeting Thursday) $5(one time charge)---Electrodes pads- used to send small electric charges into the hurt area
In the past 2 weeks, I have spent $765.00 out of pocket on doctors. Not very happy about it. I have been trying to save and this is just sucking it all out. My knee is still the same (some days it hurts, some days no problems). I have had trouble convincing myself to go to both doctors, 3 appt. is $240, which is a chuck of change. I am also going with my gut instinct and going to go to my Physical therapist more often than my ART Therapy doctor for right now.
Also, in all this fun of spending money, I was told by my physical therapist that I was in the wrong running and walking shoes. So I had to purchase shoes that better fit my feet. I also don't have the best socks, too, so that was also added on top of getting new shoes. I think it came out to be roughly $100(not bad I was thinking about $150-$200). I will be wearing my new shoes tomorrow (wed.) to work, hopefully it goes well. I am hoping for the best.
What is Active Release Techniques (ART) to Patients?
ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.
Since December 5th I have had pain in my knee. I ran/walked 7 miles one day, then 8 miles the next. I took two days off, one day I was sore on my thighs, then my knee started hurting the next day. It has been hurting ever since. It ranges in pain from 'please cut off my knee' to 'why does it not hurt now? *confusion*' Finally after 11 or so days I decided it was time to go to a doctor no matter the cost. I needed to get it checked out. Yesterday I went to the doctor, they took 4 x-rays and checked out all my muscles. The doctor stated that I have runner's knee. I now have to go to a physical therapist to strengthen my inner quad muscle, pictured below. (note: not my knee- it is a female bodybuilders knee- nor will I be making my muscles that big) Hopefully with the physical therapist the pain will get better. Unfortunately, I have to take my run/walking easily or not at all. I have to try to stay away from going downhill until this is better, unfortunately I live in a area that has hills. I think it is better if I take time off from my run/walking because even walking a short distance I have pain in my knee. Generally, this is just a frustrating time. I think after the physical therapist I might join a month to month gym membership or YMCA. I don't know yet, but I need more strength training in my routine.
Well this week has been fun. My mom's car needed to be fixed for a lot of money. Then the next day had to go back because there was a rattling sound that vibrated through the floor of the driver side. After the nuts were tightened. All was well in the car world.
Ehhh I think not.
My car this week, I got an oil change and a simple once over of my car. I paid and was done with the errand. Well for couple days now I have been hearing a high pitched errrrr noise when ever I pressed the gas. Weird I thought, but didn't think much of it. I knew it was the belt and I was going to get it check out soon. DUH Duh duh, didn't get that chance.
I was driving back from my niece's Elementary School with Kendra and Lillee. It sounded like I ran over a tin can. Kendra looked behind to see if anything was there, nope nothing. There was a slight turn up ahead and suddenly figured out what that sound was from. I have no power steering anymore. I told Kendra as I was going around the curve that I couldn't steer. So luckily there was an entrance to a Shell gas station. I pulled in immediately with the help of Kendra turning the wheel with me. As Kendra called her dad, who is a mechanic and works in a car dealership; I called my dad, saying I need him to come pick me and explained the situation. As I was talking Lillee, who is four started to worry and wanted out of her car seat. My dad said he would be right there. Kendra's dad said it was a belt. Well he was correct, my belt was streched but still intact (not broken), my dad found the pulley(assuming that was the tin can noise). As Kendra transfered the car seat, her purse, Lillee's backpack. I told the Shell Station attendants that I would be back in and hour, to deal with the car.
Everyone got into my dad's car, we dropped of Kendra first so she could get on her way to Kileen, I dropped dad off at work, and then took lillee to her nana's house(the reason I was picking up Lillee). As I drove back over to the shell station. I wondered if something came out of my car. The tin can noise made me wonder. So I walked up to where it happened, nothing. So I figured I had everything that fell/broke off. I called a tow truck, no way I am driving and no way could I drive.
The tow truck took it to the dealership Kendra's dad works for and said they would call me tomorrow (which is today friday 6th). They said it was the belt and the pulley, they told me the cost and that it would be ready today. I don't know this car will be lasting that long. There will be some transfering around with cars in our family, a new car in the near future, and some trade-ins with two of the cars.
