Redirecting My Focus on Health and Fitness

OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
It's official: Back on physical therapy, bed rest, and that super-intense, mostly liquid diet that demands I half-starve so that my body doesn't swell up like a balloon, spasm, and split itself apart again... Still remembering that year-long hell that the doctors insisted would only last about 6 weeks... I caught the situation early this time... So, hopefully, it really will only last about six weeks... If it were simply an inflammatory condition, I'd be fine, but my body responds with such intense spasms that I literally turn myself inside out... It wasn't pretty... So, now, I'm gonna be a good girl and do as the doctor orders... I've learned to pay REALLY CLOSE attention to my body because of these tiny ordeals...
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Since I'm in that "I feel better, but that doesn't mean I am better" stage of healing, I decided to write out my everyday babysteps to help me focus on not doing more...

Mornings:
WAKE UP ON TIME
1) AM stretches and physical therapy
2) Study with seminary kids
3) Have some tea
4) 20 dishes (note: I don't have a dishwasher. So, I'm standing at the sink to wash them)
5) Prepare breakfast buffet (easy, grab-and-go fruits, breakfast bars, etc...)
REST

Mid-day:
1) Stretches and physical therapy
2) Have some tea
3) Pull out lunch ingredients and remind kids to get themselves some lunch (sandwiches, yogurt, pre-cut fruits and veggies)
4) Remind kids to do chores to earn PC time
5) Roblox with #5
6) Minecraft with #6
RESIST TEMPTATION TO MOVE AROUND TOO MUCH

Evenings: (moving backwards from the morning)
5) Prepare dinner (easy soup or pre-made frozen)
4) 20 dishes, assign the rest to someone else
3) Have some tea
2) Study more with seminary kids
1) PM stretches and physical therapy
GO TO BED ON TIME

As you can see, there's a lot of room in between where pretty much nothing happens, but at least I'm gaining back some mobility and control... Can't wait to start walking again without mega core spasms! Bright side: If my kids need me, I'm not goin' anywhere... HAHAHA!
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Took a brief evening walk before bed last night... Woke up a little tender around my hips. So, it was a bit too soon. Not gonna lie, though, If it were a matter of weighing out how good I felt being able to take my walk against the damage to my hips, I'd say yes all the way to walking... but I know that if I keep going based on how good walking feels, and ignore the smaller signals, I'll regret it later... So, another week of rest for me! Technically, it's supposed to be six weeks anyway...
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Was up and about all afternoon yesterday. Hips suffering, but far less than expected. Achilles tendons swollen, but no ruptured blood vessels in my feet or swollen feet and ankles... just that tendon bein' about the size of my heel! Needless to say, I absolutely am not allowed to move about too freely today. HAHAHA! Kids had fun, though, and that's what mattes most.

Also, this year's egg hunt inspired me to create an ultimate 13+ battle royale hunt next year... It'll be so intense that I'm gonna make people sign a waiver. Paintball capture the flag warzone style goodness! I've also gotten started on a design for a Fabergé landmine... Pick it up, and it triggers the release of a painted smoke bomb, creating collateral damage!:fireworks: And with a game this intense, prizes need to match... with a twist: Eggs that look to be of the highest value will be the most disappointing. :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: Well, I guess the entire game's a twist within a twist... BAHAHA!

I was inspired watching how the smaller kids ran through with a total hive mentality... They cleared the barnyard so quickly that the older kids gave them permission to join them in the vineyard. However, the older kids were sluggish in comparison, and the little ones cleaned them out in no time at all! Most remarkable of all was how, every time a small kid dropped their eggs, all of the other young ones would pause what they were doing, swarm around them like some protective shield to pick up the eggs for their little comrade, then scatter back onto the field. It was remarkable teamwork. They were brutal, though... some of the younger kids had over 20 eggs, while many older kids couldn't even reach half that. Made me realize just how much our teens aren't being challenged anymore... This was my answer! :devil:
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Feelin' sick today...

Finally weighed myself again... Bed rest brought me back to 280lbs. I've been walking the past couple days in the hopes of bringing it down, but my hips aren't happy. I guess, getting sick is a blessing in disguise for my hips... HAHAHA!
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
27 March 2024

279lbs
8am stretches and brief walk
9:30pm brief walk

I slept a lot yesterday, and it helped... Walking helped settle my stomach some... Still running a fever, but I got good meds for the inflammatory pain now. So, sleepin' like a baby through a huge chunk of it. :LOL:

Received an Easter gift from my ministering sisters. It was a sunflower garden kit.

*ministering sisters explained: Women in the church assigned to check in on me to make sure I'm doing alright. I have women that I'm assigned to as well. It's a very handy system for taking care of each other in emergency situations and also sends relief to the lonely.
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
28 March 2024

Slept off the fever a huge portion of the day. Stayed in bed the rest.


29 March 2024

Rested a lot. Did some Stretches in the morning and evening. Went for a late night stroll as well.


I really have no recollection of what I ate either days, but yesterday, I got another Easter gift from someone, and flowers from another. These recent visits and gifts made me feel seen... Like, perhaps my efforts haven't fallen on the blind, deaf, and dumb... I try so hard to live by principles of kindness, not just being nice, that becoming the recipient of an act of kindness warms my heart and seals it up unto further conviction. The greatest gift I received from these people was the gift of the knowledge that someone is thinking of me. It was accompanied by the gift of a prompting to expand beyond self once more, as I've recently closed myself off a bit... You could say, these people had become a small miracle in my life. :LOL:
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
30 March 2024
280lbs

I got so sick of seeing that number that I went crazy with the walking until I couldn't walk anymore. I didn't eat a lot that day, but I ate something unhealthy right before bed, which I don't do very often, and spent all day yesterday remembering why...

31 March 2024
279lbs

Fasted yesterday... Walked to exhaustion. Inflammation make it hard to walk without stumbling. Life goes on, though.
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
It's been a while. Had a bit of a rough patch, and I'm not sure if there's much to report in my daily check-ins... Gonna try to get back on the check-in bandwagon, though. I'd start with yesterday, but the entire day was spent in bed wishing I had stronger meds. The reality that THIS is my new reality has been hitting me pretty hard, and my usual "silver lining" isn't always coming through for me. Fact is, I don't think I can continue to pretend to be the Amazon my ego thinks I am... Those days officially feel gone for good. So, cheers to embracing the good days and hoping that what doesn't kill you truly makes you stronger!
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Today I ran... and vomited... but I ran... sort of... everything hurt, so it was more like moving my arms like I was running while hobbling at a snail's pace with absolutely none of the bounce in my step or impact that running creates... HAHAHA! Really, I felt laughable... After doing some basic stretches, I "ran" about 600ft, then walked about 600ft, then spent the rest of my evening in regret. So, another toast to what doesn't kill you making you stronger... even if you find your strength in the fetal position on a cold bathroom floor... or hugging your new best friend made of porcelain until your knuckles whiten and your eyeball feel like they've left your skull. CHEERS!
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Another run, another evening of rethinking my life's choices. I ran 600ft again, but doubled my walk to 1200ft. Apparently, there's 5280ft in a mile. So, that tells me how far I've been walking. I doubt I'll be able to run much more than what I'm already doing this week, but I hope to break the mile walk by the end of it. I'm actually measuring according to utility pole distance. Since utility poles around here are approximately 300ft apart, I use that as a guide. I pushed myself to run with a little more pep today than yesterday... Once again, I feel so incredibly sick and everything hurts like some giant's been beating me up against a brick wall... In a moment like this, I remember reading one of Lance Armstrong's books. I read about how he endured his training during the worst moments of his life... I'm no Lance Armstrong by a long shot, but it does give me strength. It's been so long since I've read that book... methinks, I'll look it up and read it again. :D

Cheers to surviving another day, and (maybe) becoming a little stronger...
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Today, I walked 2400ft, which isn't far from half a mile, and ran another 600ft, which brings total cardio to over half a mile. Once more, doubled over. Everything hurts, and my ankles have begun bruising. I knew they would... So, as I take my medicine, cheers once more to getting stronger even when I feel like I'm dying!
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Walked 3600 feet, ran 600ft. Upset stomach, but not vomiting this time... My entire body is swollen, though, and I've got a few new fresh bruises. After my cool down walk, I had a severe spasm that partially dislocated my hip... So, that was fun... Let's see how far I can take this before turning myself inside-out again!
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Walked 4800ft, ran 600ft. A full mile is 5280ft. During my cool down walk, the aurora borealis made its appearance. Due to the solar storms on the 9th, it's making its debut here in the southern US! I took my family out to watch it for a while. It was a spectacular event! My body is regretting my decision, but I'm not! It was faint, but it was fantastic! I hope a lot of people took the time to look up at the sky tonight. :D It's supposed to continue over the weekend, but I don't know if we'll see it again here tomorrow night. Best seen between 10pm and 2am.
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
Walked 1mi and 720ft last night, plus a 600ft run. Then, I spent the night out looking for the Aurora Borealis. It didn't happen for us last night. :sad:

I made an important decision on Thursday that I wouldn't take my pain medicine. Not only did it make my nausea worse, but my mental state was deteriorating rapidly. When I realized that there was no way this was natural, I got the bright idea to just "tough it out", and I feel a lot better... Cold turkey's not the brightest method, but I reasoned that I hadn't been taking the meds long enough for it to be detrimental to suddenly quit, but if I had taken it one more day, I probably would've landed into self-harm territory.

So, aside from my body being in a state of total regret every time I move, all's well, and I no longer feel the weight of an impending death looming at every corner.
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
SUNDAY
I walked 1mi and 1920ft, plus a 600ft run. Managed to see the northern lights again. It was faint for the most part, but there was a moment where the sky gave the impression of gentle waves on a shore. It was beautiful.

TODAY
I walked 1mi and 3120ft, plus a 1200ft run. The pain made me black out on the road, but I finished my cool-down walk without incident and hobbled inside feeling like I accomplished something great... Truthfully, I felt an overwhelming sense of defeat throughout the entire venture tonight because I knew before starting that I was in no shape to run today. However, I was able to feel a sense of accomplishment through perseverance.

I honestly don't know if I'll be able to keep this up. I'll take it in stride, but my whole body's screaming at me.
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
graoumia said:
@OJJJEM do you have recovery days? you are doing a lot, and it seams your body is not asking you to stop but to rest a bit ?
Click to expand...
My body always demands rest, but no, I am currently not giving myself a recovery day. I don't think it will help. In fact, I'm fairly certain that giving myself a recovery day will result in me taking another, then another, until I stop altogether and am back to sleeping all day every day. This has been my recent struggle and the reason why I started doing these workouts. I am increasing my walk daily and increasing my run weekly until I reach a certain goal. It's not ideal, but it's better than the increasing feeling of slipping away that I have been fighting over the past month or so. I am actually very much afraid to break this routine and take a rest day.
 
OJJJEM

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 632
After having mastered the fine art of detachment and running away, I have decided to bid everyone a fond farewell for a season, as I am preparing for some long-term medical leave sometime next week. It's something that's been in the works for a while and was gonna happen in June, but I decided to call my doctor and get a push to move everything forward. So, no more check-ins for a while. I love each and every one of you, my Darebee Family.
 
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