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Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Crows, Bad Back, and Back to the Gym

 The crows are still visiting and let me know when they are here in the morning.  It can be a bit noisy 
depending on the number.  I dutifully throw out peanuts every morning and watch them search out the nuts and take turns jumping onto and sometimes into the birdbath.

Our mower died, so June was officially "No Mow June".  In the past, this would have driven me crazy.  A messy ill-kept yard was just me.  This probably goes back to growing up in a military family where everything had to be just so.  High and tight. No room for exceptions. 

As it turns out, having grass that was a little scruffy for over a month did not bother me at all this time. It was out of my control and overall it really did not look that bad. Eventually, the mower was fixed and I was able to mow the yard on July 4th.  I sure hope that the repair holds out.  I am just not prepared to buy a new riding lawn mower at this time.  They are darn pricey. 


The hubs has been suffering with an injured back.  It came on suddenly, and the pain was debilitating. He saw his primary doc and was given muscle relaxers, pain meds, and anti-inflammatories. He was using my walker from previous knee replacement surgeries to get around the house and had to sleep in his recliner for at least a week.  An MRI revealed that he is suffering from a pinched nerve with disc compression in two of his lumbar discs. The report offers significantly more detail, but in a nutshell that is what he has to deal with for now. 

He has been on leave from work for two weeks, and may not be back to work for several more weeks.  Right now he is waiting to get in to see a pain management doc to see about pain management and whatever else they can do for him. He is able to get around much better right now, but there are still times when he needs to sit down and take a break.  Today he goes in for his colonoscopy (history of polyps) and Thursday he sees another doc about elevated PSA (prostate-specific antigen). Definitely a busy week for him. 

arriving at the gym at 6AM
I have been going back to the gym at least two days a week, with a goal of three times a week. This is
week three, so there has been continuity to this effort.  I will ride the recumbent bike for 15 minutes ( to keep my knees flexible) and then work out the upper body one day and then the lower body the next day.  I use the machines they have in the gym to accomplish the workouts but I would like to look into using more free weights.  I have also added walking a mile or so three times a week.  I definitely can walk more, but it is so dang hot and humid this time of year. 

Three weeks ago, I saw my doctor's Nurse Practioner regarding weight-loss help.  She put me on metformin to help with appetite control and weight loss.  She wanted to put me on Ozempric but insurance will not cover it for weight loss, only if I had diabetes, which is not the case. The metformin is helpful and I have been able to cut back and I am tracking calories. The NP and I have come to the conclusion that I am insulin resistant and that has contributed to my weight gain.  I go back and see her in a couple of weeks. 

June has been exceptionally hot this year where we are. The AC seems to be running nonstop. How is it where you are?  



6 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about DH's back - that sounds miserable. Here's hoping the pain management person has some ideas for him.

    Our June was pretty nice. We did have a few hot days, but we've only turned on our AC a handful of days so far this year. We are able to mostly get by with keeping the doors open (screens shut) in the mornings, and the house is staying pretty cool in the afternoons.

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    1. Thank you! He is getting a bit better with time. Pain management and Physical therapy will hopefully fix it!

      How nice you get to enjoy plesant weather!

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  2. The past couple of years my neighborhood has been invaded by many very loud crows. June and now July is ideal weather thus far, from 70 to 85 degrees F. I hope your hubby gets successful treatment for his back pain.

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    1. Thank you! So happy you are enjoying great weather! It sounds perfect. I really enjoy the crows, luckily we are in a neighborhood that is semi rural. I don't think it bothers the neighbors.

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  3. Metformin caused me severe diarrhea. Watch for it. Maybe you will not suffer...lol. It "feels like" it is over 100F all this week.

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    1. I did read up on Metformin and its side effects. So far so good. I have been taking a probiotic or eating sauerkraut which is suppose to be a good probiotic too. This heat is just too much. I hope you get a break in the weather soon.

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