Camping and getting off the beaten track.

Well the weekend in MI for the R13 camping went pretty good.  

We left the house around 4:30 since the DH was able to cut his call shorter than expected.  We originally thought it was going to be closer to 6, but I was glad it was earlier.  I really didn't want to be setting up the trailer in the dark in MI.  I think that we have it to under an hour setting up if we don't have any hiccups.

The trip down was a little more comfortable on my butt in the truck than the Mazda.  I was able to shift from side to side and sit cross legged like a lady as well as cross legged like a kid sitting on the floor. So all in all I think I did pretty well for the 3+ hour trip. 

We made it across the border after hitting the Duty Free store for some alcohol for the weekend and headed to the KOA. And this is where we started to unravel.  We got to the site and the DH backed in the trailer and started to unhook it from the truck.  I guess he got distracted and didn't realise that he had left a safety chain on and pulled the truck forward and caused the tongue to come off the block of wood.  No damage to anything, but more of a pain to getting all back to the way it was. 

From there I hooked up the water and the electricity.  I forgot that the DH had opened all the taps when we put the trailer way last time ad I turned on the main valve.  Normally the isn't an issue, but when the hand towel falls off the hook in transport and lands in the sink creating a clog, water tends to flood the bathroom.  The only towels available were the bath towels and they got used to mop the floor.  So these needed to be washed before our shower or we were going to end up air drying.  Bless the DH since he was the one that ventured to the laundry mat to do wash them to find out that there was no laundry soap in the laundry mat, the store was closed and there were no dryers.  So the DH came back with damp towels washed in hand soap that air dried in the trailer overnight. 

The whole “family” slept pretty well since we really didn’t see much of the morning since we slept until almost 10.  I peeked my head out the window to see that there were a few bodies moving around so I decided that I should venture out to see them after a shower.  I bought 2 pairs of shorts from the Sally Ann and they were Denver Hayes brand but they were saying 16.  I will give as much credit to a size 16 as much as possible but since they were bought a charity shop, they had been well washed.  So I packed them up to take with me to MI and  they are at the point now that they fit “nicely” after a wash so by the end of the day they are well warn in.  I was wearing these shorts on Saturday and I got up from the picnic table and was told by NonScifan that I didn’t need to reminder how skinny I was becoming by pulling up my shorts over my skinny butt in front of her.  I honestly never thought of it that way……but I did realise that my “rental shorts” were needing to be returned back to the charity shop.   

I have been doing that lately…..taking a bag of clothes and coming out with some more to take home for a short stint.  I guess I will have to see what I find this week, since most of my shorts are getting to baggy to wear, including the ones I bought at the mall from the day job.  The ladies there keep telling me that I am getting lost in all the loose material. 

Nash made a comment to me that rolls around in my head as my weight declines.  “What if you get down to single digits?”  I guess I never really thought about it until I see some baggy pants on my butt LOL I am thinking that I am a loose 14 now, working on a 12.  But if I lose the last 20 I but be on the cusp of a single digit.  Do I want to make that a goal?  Will I still be healthy?  I know I talked to Susanne that I wanted to be out of the clothes that started with a 2 and I have done that for sure.  Perhaps I was underestimating the surgery? 

As I make an aside……… 

I was actually getting up from the table to head into town with the DH to get a few supplies for the Picnic that we were having.  There were hot dogs and hamburgers on the campfire and I would like to thank WineSteward for bringing some bratwurst for us to enjoy.  I know that the Tiny Tummy would be against the burger and the hot dog so I was going to have a protein bar if necessary.  

So I stood back and let everyone take what they wanted and I was just doing my observing thing that I do.  I noticed that those made the littlest effort towards the picnic or was “supervising” the cooking over the fire were the first ones to help themselves to lunch.  I don’t know if it is something I would have done in the past, but I noticed it this time. 

I was able to get a nice picture of most of us and I want to thank the DH and Tooleman for cooking. 

 

It went well into the night and I am glad that my phone had a timer on it since most of us were grazing all afternoon and I remember DaTopp making a comment that how can I be eating again when she is so stuffed.  That is when I realised that that this surgery is working.  I was able to eat what I wanted earlier and stayed within my portions and was able to push my plate away.  Come 3 hours later I enjoyed a protein pudding and regrettable some apple pie filling.  Boy did that ever hurt!  So needless to say when the timer went off later on around the fire, I passed on eating again since I felt like I was still digesting the pie.

Come Sunday morning the pie had work through the pipes and felt right as rain for the ride home.  I had a “glammed” up protein shake that I had added some no sugar added syrup to since I thought I am better off with the shakes over the bars.  I have been reviewing my “rules” and I am over achieving on the carbohydrates.  Most of them are coming from the bars I got stateside.  I will need to review the Canadian bars just to see if I can work them back in.  The US ones were a nice change but not at the cost of abusing my tiny tummy. 

I am not sure what to think about this next topic, but I have been referring to my Tummy Troll as if it has a mind of its own.  I realised this when I was in bed last night.  I ate some Smartfood popcorn earlier in the evening and the tummy felt like it was quivering.  I felt like I had abused it and this was the way it was telling me that it was done.  Susanne and I have talked about “self-chat” and what comes of the conversation.  This morning was I got out of the shower and looked at my tummy and said “what kind of day are we going to have today?”  I often talk back to the noises that my tummy makes “okay, you have had enough to eat” or “I hear you, you didn’t like X” like some of us do to our pets like they understand us.   

So have I humanised my tummy by talking to it? Have I gone mad because I do talk to it?  I guess I am at the 2 month mark to see Susanne again.

Well I am wired.....

and it had nothing to do with caffeine LOL

I have had my heart rate monitor on for almost all 48 hours (bring on 2:15 pm today!!!) when I can disconnect myself.  This is half of the connections that I have stuck to me:

 

You will have to imagine where the other 4 are since I wasn't going to make this blog into a rated R version!  Needless to say they are still on my truck and every once in a while the one on the left side by waist gets itchy.  I was texting with my cousin HeatheRN last night and I was asking her what I could use to get all goo off when I am done.  Her response was "alcohol and not the drinking kind!"  Thanks.

I would like to thank the DH for his help with this since I have been getting my hair stuck in the "glue" in the connections that are closer to my collar bone.  As you know I am still losing my hair and I really didn't need to loose more involuntarily!

The little box that I am holding is what is recording all in the information and I feel like I am walking around with a Walkman.  Yes I said a Walkman since it is slung around my shoulders like I used to wear one in middle school and I was cleaning the house.  Y'all remember what I am talking about...don't deny it.

So once all results are analyzed and sent back to Dr. Sarah I will find out where we go from there.

I also had a follow up with the Physiotherapist and she is happy with my progress but I still have a few loose crystals and I am still lagging in the brain/eye coordination department so she has me doing some exercises and will see me again in 2 weeks.

Counting down the next hour and half........

The sitting situation

Well I have hit the point where I don't think I have any padding left on my bottom. 

 

I realised that I was in some trouble on our way to New Jersey a few weeks ago.  I tried to sleep in the car while the DH drove and I ended up waking myself up because of a sore tailbone!  I tired adjusting myself in the seat but nothing seemed to work unless I sat more upright.  At this point I just gave up.  and before you even suggest it, I am NOT getting a hemorrhoid ring to sit on either!

 

I am also having issues at the office in my chair.....I will get all comfy and start work and after about an hour, I need to get up and go for a walk since I seem to seize up in my butt.  I can't explain it other than the fact I shuffle along like a 100 year old woman until I take about 20 steps and work it all out.

 

I do have so me good news though.......I fit into chairs better.  I have had 2 situations that I can recall and one is at the VIP seating seeing "Spy" with Maine.  The seats in the VIP seating are bigger than the normal seats so I thought I would try an experiment.  Now for those of you that know Nash, she is a thin & leggy gal that can pretty much fit into a suitcase if she tried (maybe on a drunk night and dared too LOL.) but when she sits in a regular seat she is able to sit like this:

So In my mind I thought I would try it in the VIP seating....and I was able to!  I was shocked since there used to be too much "bulk" around my legs that I couldn't fold them up.  So I was more than happy to sit like that for a bit but then my feet fell asleep :(  but I was glad to know I could do it!

 

The other time was this weekend........I was at the baseball game with C and I was able to sit in the regular seats with some space to share (since the lady on the right needed some extra space for herself) and I was able to pull me feet up onto the wall in front of me so the tops of my feet could get some sun!  I think that if I had my ~90 pounds from before I would have had sweat from places I didn't know could sweat and I would have felt the tight squeeze to sit through almost 8 innings in the sun.

 

So I am going to talk the Chiro and see if he has suggestions for the sore bottom and see if there is anything that can be done.

 

 

Well I am not brain damaged

But the fall of a horse (or 2) a tractor slip and 2 spills did knock a few things around.

Did you know that you have crystals in your ear?  They are there normally and sit on some fine hairs that tell your brain about your balance.  Mind decided to take a walk and ended up in the wrong part of my ear sending the wrong signals to the brain.

So the Physiotherapist rolled my head around and around to work the crystals back into the write spot and I will be back to "my" normal in a few days and see her again in a week to make sure that they stay put.

In the mean time I am getting fitted with a Holter monitor on Tuesday.  This is a little device that records my heart rate for 48 hours straight and then they look at the results.  So here is hoping that they see something with the heart rate to figure out the black outs.  I hope that I don't walk around beeping like an R2 unit while I am in the office LOL

And there's the floor........

Well here is the post you all have been waiting for.....the head meets the floor update :)

Some of my long time lurkers might remember this post from August but if not take a look......I will wait.....

Well it happened again.

I went to bed with a headache and thought it was from spending the day with the DH out front working on the yard and the late hour we went to bed.

I let little Miss Nikki out into the back yard at 4 am and my vision looked like a kaleidoscope (but different from an ocular migraine) and I out my head on the counter and continued talking to myself to keep myself "together."  Well that didn't work out too well since the next thing I know I was on the floor.

I remember felling Melodie licking my hand and my chin and then realising that I was sweating buckets.  That is when I noticed that the stone on the kitchen floor was nice and cool and I could have stayed there a bit longer LOL

The DH came racing out of the bedroom and was holding my head and neck asking if I was okay and what he should do.  The first thing I thought of was leave me here to cool down.  Then I said "let Nikki back in."

So he let her back in and he helped me get back to bed and that is where I stayed until 10 on Sunday morning.  I would up with a sore shoulder and a bump on my head I figured that this is where my body met the floor.  I was still a little "swimmy" as I call it and that is when the world takes a bit longer to catch up with my eyes and head.  I figured that since I had issues at the grocer's with Mom that I needed to go to the ER.

I was expecting a long wait since the waiting room was full, but after my triage I was admitted right away.  They were so quick getting me in, the DH didn't even have a chance to pull out his tablet!  We went to the examination room and was seen right away again too.  We were told that I needed and EKG and a cat scan and of course this caused the brain jokes to flow from the DH.  He also took a pic of me trying to fill some time waiting while reading a movie magazine from the night before. when I saw Magic Mike with Maine, DentisT and CorrieFan.  I knew that I have some weight loss but this picture makes me look dreadfully tired!

 

 

So the results of the tests all came back normal and there was a little slip up from the doctor that suggested that I should get a helmet to wear........and the brain jokes continued with the DH.  Now the DH is on the hunt for a helmet for me to wear and he has found this one:

 



 

With cameras and all!  He mentions " I was thinking along the lines of a Skully helmet with the camera in the back so that she can see what's behind her and be more careful.... or just watch the floor as she proceeds to fall down and hit it."

 

I told him that I wanted this one if I had to wear one:

But I got a big fat "no."

 

So while we are at the ER we were advised that I see Dr. Sarah and I was able to get into see her that week in the afternoon.

 

The first thing she mentioned was that I looked great and she referred another patient who got as far as the orientation class and ended up not continuing.  To each their own I guess.

 

She did a sit/stand blood pressure test and found that my blood pressure does decrease when I stand up and that I needed to be carful.  She also thought that I could have a balance/inner ear issue since I failed the mock "drunk test" in her office.  I couldn't complete the heel/toe walk in a straight line.  So she has referred me to a physiotherapist that deals with inner ear and balance stuff and I see them on Wednesday.

 

I asked her about my blood pressure and she said that I can get a high pressure job and to increase my salt intake.  Other than that we will have to see how it goes at physio.  The DH said that he could piss me off more if that will help LOL  Lord love him!

So I am sure I will post again tomorrow after I see the brain shaker :)