Scans and vinegar

Friday:

I forgot to mention I picked up my pelvic bone scans the other day. The gyno had looked at them and said they were fine, so we're just continuing with the fibroid surgery whenever I come up on the waiting list. The report with the scans mentions that I have arthritis (I'm 46, I'm not old!) and also "increased blood pool activity, suggesting inflammation ... clinical correlation is suggested to determine if further imaging would be warranted" so I'm not sure why this isn't significant? Maybe the other imaging I've had already covers this? I didn't actually speak to the doctor.

In other news, after a couple of weeks of "giving up" on the plantar wart on my foot - after months of various treatments - I decided that giving up wasn't helping. I looked around on the internet and there are some really weird interesting home remedies (like burning it with a red-hot fork, banana peel, or (my favourite) getting someone to buy it from you, literally giving you money and the wart magically disappears) but one that kept coming up was using apple cider vinegar. I didn't have any, but I did have rice wine vinegar and decided to give it a try. I soaked a tiny piece of cotton wool in vinegar and put it under a waterproof bandaid. 24 hours later half the wart peeled off! This has happened before, each time after about three weeks of continuous acid treatment, but it's always grown back straight away. So I am hopeful but not too hopeful. I am visualising the rest falling off, mentally pushing it away. Yesterday, before the half came off, it was a really good day with not much pain but today it is extremely painful. Sharp shooting pains even when I am not walking. Definitely worth it if it's working! Imagine if after all that time and pharmaceutical treatment and pain, a bit of vinegar does the trick!

No way I was getting out to my park today, just walking around the shops was more than enough for one day. Very sore.

I wonder why reading a book is considered a praiseworthy, almost noble, pursuit; but playing a computer game - also sitting still and participating in someone else's imagination - is a waste of time to be frowned upon. Someone else mentioned in their blog (hi Martha!) that people wandering around outside playing Pokémon Go looked like zombies and that maybe they should try looking up at the real world, and (although I like the real world too) that made me wonder why is an imaginary world "bad" and the real world "good" to experience? If we take the exercise component out of it, compare someone saying they spent the weekend driving along the coast looking at the beautiful scenery, and someone else saying they spent the weekend playing World of Warcraft which has amazing and beautiful scenery too - on a screen. The first would (by many people) be considered quite nice and in no way a waste of a weekend, something you could even boast about a bit as if you achieved something, the second would (by many people) be considered a complete waste of time, something to shrug a bit shamefaced about, I "just" stayed home and played computer games. But why? And maybe I'm misrepresenting other people here, but seems that is how many people think. Both involve sitting and staring, enjoying what you are looking at. I often play WoW with my husband and children as a team, we are looking at the same things on our screens and co-operating and talking, no less interaction than if we were sitting in a car together - indeed probably a great deal more. Sorry for the rant, I am honestly trying to work out if I'm missing something.

I've been worried for a couple of weeks that my sister-in-law Ping was upset with me, though I wasn't sure and didn't know why. The only thing I could think of was that I didn't go to the movies with her, and took 24 hours to get back to her about it which didn't seem like a great reason, there was nothing obvious but I just had this feeling. Anyway, I just got an invitation to someone else's baby shower and suddenly remembered! A few weeks ago she asked me to host her baby shower (in a few months) and I didn't react with enthusiasm. It was a bad moment, I was feeling particularly wiped out with all the health and hormonal issues, I'd never had a baby shower myself and only been to a couple, and a friend of hers hosted her last one (I wasn't living nearby then) and it was magnificent and elaborate which really scared me a bit to compete with that. Although I said I'd do it, I know I was rather negative and hesitant. And then forgot about it. And since then have had this subtle vibe that she wasn't happy with me. So! I just sent her a much more enthusiastic text asking for details of when she wanted it etc and she texted straight back with a very lovely message. I feel so relieved. I don't think I was imagining things! We are very fond of each other and I'm sure she was very disappointed with my initial reaction after she showed her love by choosing me. Hopefully it's all sorted now.

Farming Simulator 2013

Sunday:

It's worrying when a blogger takes a long, unexpected break. Josh over at 700 pounds is as bad as it sounds hasn't posted for a month, and he was heading into a challenging time. It is possible that his laptop died, or that he is just really busy with family visiting, but of course it is possible that he has stalled a bit in his efforts to be healthy. Josh, in case you have been avoiding reading the comments on your last blog (some of them are a bit trolly, why is it some people will say anything as long as they are "anonymous"?, but most are very caring) but are reading here - if you have done some backsliding don't let guilt or shame stop you getting back to posting. I find blogging can really help. You don't need to tell your readers how "bad" you have been if you don't want to, it's no-one's business. You can just say you're back, and heading in the right direction. You have a lot of people out there who care about you.

Yesterday morning I twisted my neck somehow and ended up being unable to turn my head to the right. It was pretty sore. I spent most of the day very sedentary, staring straight ahead. By late afternoon I was about 50% better and did half an hour of gentle dancing (very carefully, without moving my head!), by bedtime I was 75% better. This morning still a little twinge, I'd say 90%. Calories excellent.

I had a really bad night, not due to my neck as far as I could tell, in fact no reason I could see. I didn't have caffeine late or anything. But I woke often and lay awake for a long time each time, tired but sleepless. Tried with and without my CPAP, neither worked. Oh well, it's Sunday so I didn't have any commitments today.

We took Thor for a walk today - a 20 minute walk wipes him out for the rest of the day! - and I did 20 minutes dancing. Whether from the sleepless night or some other reason, I just had no energy today. Exercise was so difficult. I couldn't keep up with the energy levels or the choreography. Doesn't matter, I did something.

I've been spending way too much time playing this computer game Tim bought me for my birthday. It's a farm simulation, but nothing like the cutesy Farmville, HayDay etc I'd played before. This is as close to reality as they could get it. I've spent hours each day mastering the various pieces of farm machinery; ploughing, seeding and harvesting my fields; collecting eggs, mowing grass to feed the sheep and transporting wool to the sale yards... it goes on and on. It takes me hours to manage my four fields, and there are 42 available once I earn enough money! But how I manage that without playing about 38 hours a day, I'm not sure! I'll cut back after the school holidays...

Another good day

Friday:

A very good day. I may have spent quite a lot of it playing the computer game I got for my birthday... well it was fun! I had a great night sleep last night which made me feel much better, my calories were good, I did half an hour walking (with Thor, who strides out strongly) and half an hour dancing.

Apart from that, well I gave Thor a bath. He smells a lot less doggy now. He walked with me to the school to pick up the kids, first time for him, and he got so much attention! He loved the kids, a bit nervous about the other dog there.

It was the last day of term, so now we have two weeks school holidays. I hadn't really thought about that until just now in terms of food. I'll have to be careful to manage my eating, outside my usual routine of being home alone a lot of the day. But it's not like I get a lot of junk for the kids. Just sometimes we might go to fast food after being out somewhere, or something unhealthy at the movies. I'll have to work around that. Actually, I often seem to be "on a diet" during school holidays because I always seem to be sneaking a little bag of almonds or something into the movies!

Pandaria

Sunday:

No time to write. Busy playing World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria while my legs atrophy.

image courtesy of Blizzard entertainment

Damn ankle

Monday:

My ankle was still sore all yesterday, seeming to get a bit worse instead of better, so that it was a bit of a struggle to hobble around the house. I rested and elevated and strapped, and my lovely husband cooked dinner and did everything else. Is is still called my ankle when the pain is below the knobbly ankle bone? Maybe the heel. It sort of feels bruised in there.

Anyway, felt a lot better today but still tender. I rested all morning but this afternoon popped out to do some essential shopping and picked up the kids from school -- in the car but that still involves a little bit of walking -- and now it is fairly sore again. Oh well, I assume it will be even better tomorrow. It is just so annoying when I had big plans! I didn't even take the kids to Gecko because of the extra walking to and from the carpark. I figure it's best to let it fully heal than risk making it worse. But tomorrow I might go to the gym and use some of the equipment that doesn't involve pressure on the feet, like weights when you are seated. And it's so much better today, I can wriggle my foot around without pain now, it just hurts when I put weight on it.

Tim bought Guild Wars II (computer game) on the weekend and I tried it today. Seems pretty good, but a little confusing. Takes some getting used to, as the only games I've really played are WoW and Rift which are pretty much clones of each other. I didn't like any of the other ones Tim has played. I do like little time management games and things like Plant vs Zombie.

I did do some other non-work work today as well, some reading of things I need to review and looking for new blinds for the kids bedrooms (online) but all day I felt the pressure of "I should be exercising!" I'm feeling a bit of a failure that I only got in one single day of increased exercise. And I didn't even hurt myself overdoing the exercise, I was just setting up before starting! Arg!