You know the story of the Princess and the Pea? I’m starting to wonder if the pea was kind of besides the point. That the other point of the story is that some princesses want that much cushy bedding in the first place.
We bought a crappy yet expensive mattress a couple of years ago and my spouse has pointed out that our health may be more important than toughing it out even though this mattress seems almost indestructible and may last quite a while.
Been looking online at several options, mainly trying to avoid pushy sales people. Against all reasoning, we stopped by a store Thanksgiving Weekend to see what was available in real life (we were in the area doing something else). Some of the online places have trial periods, but we don’t have a lot of room to keep the mattress from hell as a spare in case we nee to return an online purchase and don’t want to sleep on the floor. Unfortunately one of the main reasons we stuck with the mattress from hell was because we got rid of the horribly worn out predecessor and couldn’t logistically return it fast enough. That, and we foolishly thought maybe it would somehow break in after more time (trial periods were shorter then). It’s been years, and that thing is not breaking in.
Back to the in-store adventure. The sales guy was nicer than I ever could have expected. Previous experiences involved people telling me what I needed despite my telling them that’s not what I wanted. Or the vultures, such as in car dealerships. This time, no one pounced; we eventually asked if someone was available, and he simply pointed us towards options based on our questions and reactions. What a concept. Since we weren’t seriously considering buything anything, tried to ask vague questions about materials and layers in case such properties might be compared to other mattresses. And since we weren’t really considering, also pretended we didn’t have a price-range in mind. Maybe it was good practice for a poker face when we found my ideal mattress included a poofy mattress topper sold separately that cost twice as much as our previous expensive mattress. Even if we only got a half size topper for my side of the bed. Only princesses can afford that price of sleeping luxery. See, at least some of the online mattresses have warranties for 15, 20 years, or even “lifetime.” This one somehow charged an extra $100+ just for the 10 year and had a shorter trial period. Again, learning from our previous experience, the showroom model was great. Exactly what we wanted. But the one that arrived was not. Even though the showroom model was only 2 months old, they assured us it only needed a little longer to break in (and that’s what we were hoping anyway, since we would othertise be stuck without anything to sleep on but the floor). So all I’m saying is you’ve got to jump up and down on the mattress hoping to break it in sooner than later so you know if you really want it since half the time you have it is breaking it in, and this store’s trial wasn’t especially long (3 months). Then the cost per year, assuming it only lasts 10 years . . . I guess it was nice to dream.
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Unwanted Mail
I am really getting tired of mail from the hospital. It’s not bills, so you’d think hey, it’s not that bad. It’s merely summaries of visits, notices of upcoming visits . . . It’s the fact that it keeps reminding me of the whole mini-drama. Painful biopsy and waiting to see if I had cancer. Being told no, then, wait, uhm, well, it’s not exactly malignant, but it’s abnormal and kind of worrisome . . . saying I need surgery, no wait, insurance won’t pay for surgery whether I wanted it or not . . . Just the whole ordeal. We need imaging, we need more imaging, no, imaging was a waste, lets do this instead . . .
I have to remind myself how lucky I am. I don’t have cancer; I don’t need chemotherapy or radiation; nor do I have thousands of dollars to pay the hospital. I just don’t like the recurrant reminders of the situation. Here’s a notice that you need to schedule this. Here’s a confirmation that you have scheduled this. Here’s a summary of the services you received. Here’s yet another letter recommending something else. I have an appointment at the high risk cancer center next month. Yes, I know I do, thank you for another reminder. Thank you for telling me you did not receive medical records from the surigical consult and then saying never mind, you don’t need them.
It’s all completely inoccuous, but at the time time generally unhappy reminders. It's fine. I just wanted to express this somewhere.
I have to remind myself how lucky I am. I don’t have cancer; I don’t need chemotherapy or radiation; nor do I have thousands of dollars to pay the hospital. I just don’t like the recurrant reminders of the situation. Here’s a notice that you need to schedule this. Here’s a confirmation that you have scheduled this. Here’s a summary of the services you received. Here’s yet another letter recommending something else. I have an appointment at the high risk cancer center next month. Yes, I know I do, thank you for another reminder. Thank you for telling me you did not receive medical records from the surigical consult and then saying never mind, you don’t need them.
It’s all completely inoccuous, but at the time time generally unhappy reminders. It's fine. I just wanted to express this somewhere.
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Flipping Fasciitis Foot Pain
My foot pain started probably late August, where I thought maybe the cushioning in my shoes had finally worn out and I needed a new pair. This did not help. Both my feet hurt the entire length whenever I walked. They felt as if they were tired and sore, as if I’d already walked way too much and they were sore and tired. On a bad day, they would still hurt at night and I couldn’t even let them brush against each other because the sides of my feet hurt.
Doc says sounds like plantar faciitis, and gave some stretches. Interesting, the back of my left knee hurts now, but foot feels better. Right foot is tons worse and my arch is noticeably flat on this foot. What the? So I’m looking up more exercises, stretches, videos, etc while I’m in so much pain I can’t sleep, and it’s not as if I’m walking more than I absolutely must, because it hurts so much. The classic PF is supposed to be super bad in the morning and slowly stretch out as you use it. Or it gets worse the longer you sit, so sometimes during the day it’ll hurt on the first couple of steps. Nope, not me. I am limping, hobbling , and wincing in pain every single step. After a few steps I can stop the hobble, but the pain doesn’t subside.
No idea what podiatrist to go to or look for. In theory they usually prescribe physical therapy anyway, and that’s why I’m looking for those exercises online while I try to figure out what to do. Besides, even if I find a foot doc, work requires 2 weeks notice to take any time off, including for appointments like this.
In desperation I ordered some compression socks online that should be here late Friday or Saturday. No idea if that will work, but I’m starting to go out of my mind. Tons of braces, compression sleeves, socks, etc, so I finally stabbed at one that wasn’t too expensive and looked good. In the meantime I wrapped it with self-adhesive which helps a little, but also adheres to everything else, so who knows how much sock lint it will have on it at the end of the day.
I know; I’m whining. Sorry, that’s what one sometimes uses a blog for. Frustrated and in pain and no idea what doc to get or product to buy that will work. Already sick of seeing videos that warn you against what you saw in the other video, etc, etc. My doc recommended at least 4 stretches, so it encompasses both sides. Only thing I can’t do well is the one on stairs. I live on the second floor. I don’t really want to stand backwards at the top of the stairs, or get dressed and shoes on to walk down to the bottom of the stairs several times a day while the neighbors watch and wonder what the heck is wrong with me. Darn it all, why did I get ride of those exercise steps, just because I didn’t use them for over 15 years? Could use them right now.
Doc says sounds like plantar faciitis, and gave some stretches. Interesting, the back of my left knee hurts now, but foot feels better. Right foot is tons worse and my arch is noticeably flat on this foot. What the? So I’m looking up more exercises, stretches, videos, etc while I’m in so much pain I can’t sleep, and it’s not as if I’m walking more than I absolutely must, because it hurts so much. The classic PF is supposed to be super bad in the morning and slowly stretch out as you use it. Or it gets worse the longer you sit, so sometimes during the day it’ll hurt on the first couple of steps. Nope, not me. I am limping, hobbling , and wincing in pain every single step. After a few steps I can stop the hobble, but the pain doesn’t subside.
No idea what podiatrist to go to or look for. In theory they usually prescribe physical therapy anyway, and that’s why I’m looking for those exercises online while I try to figure out what to do. Besides, even if I find a foot doc, work requires 2 weeks notice to take any time off, including for appointments like this.
In desperation I ordered some compression socks online that should be here late Friday or Saturday. No idea if that will work, but I’m starting to go out of my mind. Tons of braces, compression sleeves, socks, etc, so I finally stabbed at one that wasn’t too expensive and looked good. In the meantime I wrapped it with self-adhesive which helps a little, but also adheres to everything else, so who knows how much sock lint it will have on it at the end of the day.
I know; I’m whining. Sorry, that’s what one sometimes uses a blog for. Frustrated and in pain and no idea what doc to get or product to buy that will work. Already sick of seeing videos that warn you against what you saw in the other video, etc, etc. My doc recommended at least 4 stretches, so it encompasses both sides. Only thing I can’t do well is the one on stairs. I live on the second floor. I don’t really want to stand backwards at the top of the stairs, or get dressed and shoes on to walk down to the bottom of the stairs several times a day while the neighbors watch and wonder what the heck is wrong with me. Darn it all, why did I get ride of those exercise steps, just because I didn’t use them for over 15 years? Could use them right now.
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Shopping Trip
I’ve been looking for those semi-wimpy weights a while now, and somehow stumbled upon a coupon for Dick’s Sporting Goods. I felt like an intruder both entering and exiting the store, half expecting someone to ask if I was lost. Though not my ideal adjustable solution, I did manage to get 2 four-pound dumells to fill in that gap I needed. I have 5 pounders, but I’m not yet ready to do a full minute flapping my arms in little cirles holding my 5 pound weights. Still working with the unknown and probably “vintage” variety I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. Guessing those are somehwere around 1.5-2 pounds. 3 pounds would have been silly to invest in. I could’ve passed these up as well, but 2 little dumbells with the textured coating for for 10 bucks wasn’t too bad. Probably still need the adjustable ones for ankle weights at some point, but those were considerably more at Dick’s than online.
Still, I felt like I should be ashamed, checking out, as if I needed to give the cashier an explanation of my wimply purchase. Like I needed to explain the above situation to them, why I was purchasing such a tiny weight. They were nice of course, and probably didn’t think anything of it. After all, my size probably suggests they might have been surprised that I could hold both in one hand.
The good news is I already have 5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 pound weights at home from my younger years. They’ve been put to odd strategic uses, like anchoring a scratching post from moving around. Maybe when I advance up that far, I can use a pile of the tinier weights to take that place. I realize a bunch of varied weights isn’t as svelte as the adjustable ones, but I also don’t have the cash to drop on say, an adjustable kettlebell that goes from 8-140 pounds. And then all you have is a kettlebell, and not all those other types of weights. These will do me just fine for a while, I think.
I also need to figure out the whole exercise band thing. There are sets with multiple bands for 20-35-ish online, but I’m not sure what exercises to do with them. The nice thing is that you can use multiple bands at a time, so (assuming they don’t break right away, as some reviews suggest) you can have a pretty good weight spread as you get more in shape. I also love the idea that they’re not super heavy so one could use those while traveling and they’d be small and light enough to not be a huge extra. Oh well. One thing at a time.
Still, I felt like I should be ashamed, checking out, as if I needed to give the cashier an explanation of my wimply purchase. Like I needed to explain the above situation to them, why I was purchasing such a tiny weight. They were nice of course, and probably didn’t think anything of it. After all, my size probably suggests they might have been surprised that I could hold both in one hand.
The good news is I already have 5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 pound weights at home from my younger years. They’ve been put to odd strategic uses, like anchoring a scratching post from moving around. Maybe when I advance up that far, I can use a pile of the tinier weights to take that place. I realize a bunch of varied weights isn’t as svelte as the adjustable ones, but I also don’t have the cash to drop on say, an adjustable kettlebell that goes from 8-140 pounds. And then all you have is a kettlebell, and not all those other types of weights. These will do me just fine for a while, I think.
I also need to figure out the whole exercise band thing. There are sets with multiple bands for 20-35-ish online, but I’m not sure what exercises to do with them. The nice thing is that you can use multiple bands at a time, so (assuming they don’t break right away, as some reviews suggest) you can have a pretty good weight spread as you get more in shape. I also love the idea that they’re not super heavy so one could use those while traveling and they’d be small and light enough to not be a huge extra. Oh well. One thing at a time.
Monday, November 6, 2023
How often should one be hungry?
Last week I continued to increase my fruits and vegetables. Of note were bananas, blueberries, broccoli, and pumpkin soup. I couldn’t decide on any one soup recipe so after googling common ingredients, I ad-libbed my own. I used a relatively low amount of coconut milk and no other dairy or fatty ingredients to make it creamy and thick. It was delicious and I had a ton of it for and with meals. Despite this, my weight loss was pretty minimal. I cut out all desserts (except occasional low-fat popcorn) and we didn’t eat out at all. Kept up my exercising, though admittedly I “should” do more.
They say if you’re on track, losing 1-2% of your total body weight a week is a good goal. When most people start out, they generally lose a little more the first couple weeks, which can kick-start motivation. I'm jealous. Like yeah, I’m on the right track. Even though I can’t expect a huge loss every week, this is a nice boost to keep going. 1 percent is .01. I lost .001 or a tenth of 1%. Yay. I’m sitting here half hungry most of the time while my spouse scarfs down aromatic junk food and multiple desserts, wondering when this is going to kick in.
That’s the other eye-rolling item. Years ago on one of the several WW programs I participated in, they had their hunger levels and dicated that one should be “a bit hungry” most of the time. Seriously? Most of the time you’re walking around hungry and not allowed to do anything but think about food? Yeah, that’s gonna end well. I’m currently on this idea of eating lunch & dinner since I’m not starving when I wake up. The idea is you shouldn’t eat unless you’re actually hungry. So today for lunch I ate celery, blueberries, and a cup of low-ish calorie popcorn. The rest of the afternoon I drink as much water as possible bemoaning that it’s normal to be “a bit hungry” most of the time, especially since I’m not hungry enough for a big meal (again, from the people who brough us don’t eat breakfast unless you’re hungry for a big meal). Yeah, I feel “a bit” deprived and irritated because I’m not losing much. Oh well. Just had to whine a little.
They say if you’re on track, losing 1-2% of your total body weight a week is a good goal. When most people start out, they generally lose a little more the first couple weeks, which can kick-start motivation. I'm jealous. Like yeah, I’m on the right track. Even though I can’t expect a huge loss every week, this is a nice boost to keep going. 1 percent is .01. I lost .001 or a tenth of 1%. Yay. I’m sitting here half hungry most of the time while my spouse scarfs down aromatic junk food and multiple desserts, wondering when this is going to kick in.
That’s the other eye-rolling item. Years ago on one of the several WW programs I participated in, they had their hunger levels and dicated that one should be “a bit hungry” most of the time. Seriously? Most of the time you’re walking around hungry and not allowed to do anything but think about food? Yeah, that’s gonna end well. I’m currently on this idea of eating lunch & dinner since I’m not starving when I wake up. The idea is you shouldn’t eat unless you’re actually hungry. So today for lunch I ate celery, blueberries, and a cup of low-ish calorie popcorn. The rest of the afternoon I drink as much water as possible bemoaning that it’s normal to be “a bit hungry” most of the time, especially since I’m not hungry enough for a big meal (again, from the people who brough us don’t eat breakfast unless you’re hungry for a big meal). Yeah, I feel “a bit” deprived and irritated because I’m not losing much. Oh well. Just had to whine a little.
Friday, November 3, 2023
CIS
The following is my satire on trying to understand medical terminology. It is in no way intended to make light of, or offend those with serious medical conditions, especially cancer.
You have the opportunity to learn new things every day. Here is my expression of my experience attempting to understand CIS, or Carcinoma in Situ.
I will lump myself along with most people’s basic understanding of the term carcinoma – bad. Carcinoma generally means cancer. While not all cancer is terminal, there is a pretty scary overall connotation of the word. I mean, nothing good generally comes from it, right?
I listen to Kids Place Live, a children’s radio station. Recently one of their hosts, Absolutely Mindy, expressed that she had finished up a round of chemo, and as always, tried to explain the idea of cancer in a friendly accessible and not-so-scary way to her listeners. She said cancer is when the cells in your body go all bonker-balls and form gangs and attack the other cells in your body. Sounds like a good basic description. Let’s build off that.
The first thing they try to tell you when you get test results is that CIS is not really cancer; it is benign. Ok, that sounds better, but how exactly does this work?
I conducted several web searches for the meaning of “in situ.” The jist I got was that it’s something that has remained in its place of origin. That does contradict Cancer.org’s definition that “Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.“ Ok, good, it’s something odd, but it’s not out of control. That should help us feel a bit better. Maybe? From numerous other searches, what I gleaned is it’s cells that look like cancer, but don’t act like cancer. Still sounds a bit apprehensive, but ok. Something looks a bit wonky, but it’s not bonker-balls out of control yet.
With my various trepidtations and ups and downs with this news, along with my twisted sense of humor, I cam up with this anaology. Carcinoma in situ: cancer at home.
Instead of forming gangs and attackinig the neighborhood, it’s just haning out at home, maybe reading a good book by the fireplace and taking it easy. It looks like cancer, but so far it’s keeping the peace, staying put, and not causing problems. Something to keep an eye on, for sure, but that’s probably where the analogy should end. Otherwise we start talking about privacy invation and stereotypes just because someone looks like they shouldn’t be in the neighborhood and I’m pretty sure we should go there.
The sucky thing is that in the meantime, searching carcinoma in situ (as recommended by the health provider) you get results anywhere from saying it's stage 0 cancer and should be treated immediately while it is still curable, to eh, don't do anything but wait and watch. These are only websites that are supposed to be fairly reputable. WebMD, Mayo Clinic, various hospitals and cancer intitute. Whatever. Wait. Check back in a few months. Try not to worry (yeah right).
You have the opportunity to learn new things every day. Here is my expression of my experience attempting to understand CIS, or Carcinoma in Situ.
I will lump myself along with most people’s basic understanding of the term carcinoma – bad. Carcinoma generally means cancer. While not all cancer is terminal, there is a pretty scary overall connotation of the word. I mean, nothing good generally comes from it, right?
I listen to Kids Place Live, a children’s radio station. Recently one of their hosts, Absolutely Mindy, expressed that she had finished up a round of chemo, and as always, tried to explain the idea of cancer in a friendly accessible and not-so-scary way to her listeners. She said cancer is when the cells in your body go all bonker-balls and form gangs and attack the other cells in your body. Sounds like a good basic description. Let’s build off that.
The first thing they try to tell you when you get test results is that CIS is not really cancer; it is benign. Ok, that sounds better, but how exactly does this work?
I conducted several web searches for the meaning of “in situ.” The jist I got was that it’s something that has remained in its place of origin. That does contradict Cancer.org’s definition that “Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.“ Ok, good, it’s something odd, but it’s not out of control. That should help us feel a bit better. Maybe? From numerous other searches, what I gleaned is it’s cells that look like cancer, but don’t act like cancer. Still sounds a bit apprehensive, but ok. Something looks a bit wonky, but it’s not bonker-balls out of control yet.
With my various trepidtations and ups and downs with this news, along with my twisted sense of humor, I cam up with this anaology. Carcinoma in situ: cancer at home.
Instead of forming gangs and attackinig the neighborhood, it’s just haning out at home, maybe reading a good book by the fireplace and taking it easy. It looks like cancer, but so far it’s keeping the peace, staying put, and not causing problems. Something to keep an eye on, for sure, but that’s probably where the analogy should end. Otherwise we start talking about privacy invation and stereotypes just because someone looks like they shouldn’t be in the neighborhood and I’m pretty sure we should go there.
The sucky thing is that in the meantime, searching carcinoma in situ (as recommended by the health provider) you get results anywhere from saying it's stage 0 cancer and should be treated immediately while it is still curable, to eh, don't do anything but wait and watch. These are only websites that are supposed to be fairly reputable. WebMD, Mayo Clinic, various hospitals and cancer intitute. Whatever. Wait. Check back in a few months. Try not to worry (yeah right).
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