Basket Case

Oh, August! Where did you go? It can't really be this late in the year already, can it? Here's what's been happening in my world since I last blogged: Studying, studying and more studying for my medical coding course. It feels like they took a year long course and shoved it into a 6 month timeslot. I need to complete 26 chapters in 24 weeks, some of the chapters include 7 or more lectures and up to 10 tests. UGH. I am keeping up somehow, but I don't have much "free time". Still, nearly every day at my current job, I get reinforcing imput that reminds me why I need to get out of working directly with the public. It will be very very good for me in the longrun. I finally had my annual physical exam. I was certain something was not right by how bad my joints hurt all summer. My doctor seems reluctant to do all the bloodwork I would think would be needed to get an accurate picture of how my thyroid is working. I tend to want to blame everything on my thyroid though, and I could be totally off. She did tell me she wasn't even planning on ordering a cholesterol panel due to my numbers being normal last year. WHAT THE WHAT? Isn't that the bare minimum of a physical exam? I have had had dangerously high cholesterol in the past and every year it is borderline but not at a medically treatable level. Anyway, this time when I mentioned the joint pain she agreed to test for Lyme's and Rheumatoid Arthritis and she checked for autoimmune disease. Fortunately all of my labs were normal, and my blood sugar and cholesterol levels were better than last year. Yay me! But the fact that all of it was normal still makes me wonder why my joints ache some days. I am only 47. She did say that I should watch my carbs if my joints ache. Noted, and plans are in the works. The other thing I mentioned is that my left ankle has been hurting and swelling for a year (and now my achilles tendon on the right foot is very very painful too). She put me on an anti-inflammatory medicine for a week and said if it's not better I should see a podiatrist. I will see them next month, thankfully. Last weekend I think I actually tore some cartilage in my left knee again too- that's the one that has already had tears cleaned up by removing a bunch of the cartilage. The surgeon warned me if I tore more cartilage it was likely I would need the knee replaced. I was just getting into the passanger side of an SUV and when I planted the knee and put weight on it I heard a very loud SNAP! And then awkward discomfort just like when I had torn cartilage in there before. I am hoping that fixes itself. I really can't imagine being unable to get around or drive for weeks. I'll cross that bridge after I get my feet figured out! What a basket case I am! We did sneak away for a fun family trip in August and had a blast but it went way too fast and it has me dreaming of one more fall getaway, somewhere in the state. I love it when the leaves are all colorful and blanketing the earth and the idea of a cabin and a warm sweater and a mug of warm cidar sounds so peaceful and inviting! As I hinted at above, I am preparing to get back on board with the low-carb lifestyle. I have tried dairy-free and plant-based and neither really changed the way my joints felt at all. I did lose weight during that time (I weighed 183 at my doctor appointment after hovering in the high 180's for some time lately), all while eating potatoes and PB&J sammies. Still. Not very nutrient-dense what I was eating and it didn't make a difference in how I felt so now I will try to go low-carb and see if that makes my joints feel better. One thing is certain, low-carb is way easier to follow than plant-based, and the cheese sure tastes way better! Instead of starting on a Monday or the beginning of a month, I am going to time the start of my low-carb journey with my menstrul cycle. The window of time where I have little-to-no cravings to speak of is right after Aunt Flow leaves, so the day after it's gone will be my Day 1. Starting mid-cycle when my cravings are off the charts doesn't make sense. So I am setting myself up for sucess. I have done the low-carb thing for years, off and on, so I know I can modify just about anything to be lower carb which will be necessary, especially as I get sick of one food and need new inspiration. I do have some high aspirations of eating really clean and healthy, but I don't like a lot of foods that fit those categories, so at least to get the weight to come off a bit, I will do low-carb tastey things and then I can add some power greens or find ways to sneak more nutrient-dense things into my food. I'm guessing I will have less than 2 weeks before the start of this so I am going to spend some time getting ready for it so when it comes time I will feel inspired and hopeful again. My ability to exercise while cleaning up the food might not be great depending on my feet (right now just standing and walking is painful) but I will figure something out! I guess that's not the most interesting update but that's where I'm at. Now back to the books!