Daily Ponderings

I received an email today about a blogging challenge for the month of April, on health-related items. After downloading the 30 questions and reading through them to see if I might be able to do it, I decided to go for it! Here is a copy from the sign up email of what the project is, and what I'll be doing, and maybe you'll want to try it out yourself?? Hey everyone - I just wanted to tell you about a new activity I'll be doing this April. The Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge hosted by WEGO Health. I will be writing a post a day for all 30 days. I hope you'll join me in writing every day about health. It's going to be a lot of fun and I'd love to see what you have to say about each of the topics, too. All you have to do to join is sign up here:  http://info.wegohealth.com/HAWMC2012   and you'll be able to start posting once April rolls around. Looking forward to writing with you!

I've been feeling flustered the last several days. Things are stressing me out, and they are the same old problems I've been dealing with for a long time. I don't feel I should really be complaining, because I know there are people worse off than me. I am just trying to be thankful for the things I have, the people in my life, and my relatively good health right now. My ARGH moment of the day, however, has to do with part of  my ride home from rehab earlier. I usually like to drive through the campus of my alma mater when I drive home from rehab (or Lewiston for that matter). I realize, as a former student there, that I need to watch for students and faculty walking around as I drive through. I also realize that as a driver (and a former student there who used to drive around the campus trying to find a parking spot), that I must drive very slowly. Like maybe 20mph at the least. I usually drive slower than that! Because I realize, as a former student there, that some stud...

This past Tuesday ushered in Spring, and yet for three days in a row, it felt more like summer! We had seven straight days of weather that shattered previous records for March! When the weather is supposed to be more around the 45 degree mark, a high of 81 degrees is just so strange and wonderful at the same time! Unfortunately, now we are back to spring-like temps, and today has been rainy so far. I'm glad I wasn't tempted enough to take the plastic down from the windows. Something tells me Mother Nature might still have a white surprise in store before the warmer weather kicks back into gear! I've been feeling tired lately, and yesterday and today my lungs don't seem to like the weather changes. I'm a little more short of breath than usual, and it gets annoying. I'm still trying to keep up with exercising, though! I did my two days at pulmonary rehab, and on Wednesday I went for a short walk on a trail with K. where he lives. It was really nice since we wal...

I dreaded winter coming this year, but that is not anything new. I dread it pretty much every year! So as usual, I was totally prepared to be locked inside the house for days on end for much of the winter months. I often skip rehab when it's bitter cold since I hate to be outside, and it hurts to breathe. I had all my pairs of long underwear ready for wearing daily. I was ready to double up on socks since my feet constantly freeze! Instead, I've only missed rehab due to the weather twice. I've been able to be out and about every week almost. I've been wearing the long john's sporadically. And surprisingly I've only really needed one pair of socks every day. A major snow storm for this area just hasn't happened. I haven't watched my dad shovel the sidewalks constantly, and unfortunately for him, he hasn't had to plow that much for people. It's been one of the warmest winters I can ever remember. Oh sure, we've had some bitter cold days, but ...

Daylight savings time ended this past weekend, meaning that most everyone lost an hour of sleep. As much as I love the fact that we've gained more sunlight time in the evenings, trying to get used to those missing minutes is something I find really difficult. I've been so tired this week, trying not to nap for very long, but that doesn't always work. I'm hoping this feeling will end pretty soon! My weekend with K. was so nice. I can't believe how comfortable I feel with him, and that's been ever since we met. The oxygen situation worked out fine. I still wish he didn't have to return the machine, though. Considering they still haven't said anything to me about the one I have here, I don't think they would've missed the one I had used at K's. Oh well, I guess! At least we know that if I want to stay at his house again, we can arrange it so he can pick up a machine!

Ever since I've been on the liquid oxygen, I haven't been able to just decide to go somewhere for a few days or a week or whatever because I no longer have a concentrator to pack in the car (or van) and go. It's been the most frustrating thing to me! When I had my little fiasco a couple weeks ago with the liquid tanks, I was given a pediatric concentrator to use, but it only goes up to 2 liters, when I'm supposed to be on 3. I haven't given it back, and so far no one's asked for it! I'd like to hang on to it to make a "trade" if one of the o2 guys can do it, but who knows when that'll be. I guess I can use it if I need to, but I really would like a different one if it's possible! Maybe some day I can get that figured out! Anyway, about a month or so ago, my friend, Renee, announced plans to celebrate her 40th birthday. She wanted to go to a club in downtown Buffalo, and was hoping I'd be able to go as well! I asked K. about going, a...

I have been taking medications since I was 2 years old. My oldest med is digoxin, a heart med which helps keep the heart healthy and the rhythm function stable. Since I have a congenital heart defect, my doctors way back then thought this med would help to keep it functioning better. I used to take the digoxin by dropper, and I still remember loving the taste and wishing my mom could give me more when it was time to take it! Ha! Eventually I moved on to the tiny pill form of digoxin, and that meant the beginning of childproof caps. I never worried about that for a very long time because my parents (well, my mom  mostly) gave me my pill to take every day. This also included pills like antibiotics and such for the times I was sick. There were a LOT of those times for me growing up. Being sick sure stunk big time!! Years down the road when I began to keep track of taking my meds on my own, I struggled with trying to open the stupid childproof caps on the bottles. Of course, I would...

March seemed to arrive quietly on Thursday, with weather on that day and yesterday that was decent and abnormal for this time of year. I ventured out yesterday to run some errands because I knew from weather reports that we were in for some big time winds for last night and all day today. And wow, they weren't kidding! My county apparently had some of the highest wind gusts clocking in at 69mph! I had a horrible night sleep listening to those winds hitting the house. I kept jolting awake every hour, and wasn't able to go back to sleep very well, and by the time I drifted off again, another wicked gust would wake me up! It was awful! The winds didn't get any better all day today. I'm glad I didn't have anywhere to go! They are finally starting to die down tonight, so maybe I'll be able to get a much better night's sleep!!