Today

Despite taking the Univera, which is sposed to calm you, I find myself quite antzy today.  I guess it's cuz I've not yet had my coffee.  


The new stretches do leave me sore, but they also seem to be strengthening my legs.  Today, however, the pinching is quite acute, esp. in the right leg at the hip joint.


Adding the backward leg pull (grab leg at ankle pulling up behind your back) in the pool and pulling it at ankle the opposite way are helping.


Heat wave continues, but i have today, tomorrow, Saturday and all next week at Northlake Pool before they close it for annual maintenance.  Guess I will check out Heritage to keep up the water stretches and laps.

Hump Day

Dr. Lin told me today to start doing stretches similar to the ones Mark did when he was in track.  Feet apart, toes forward, lean as far as possible to the right and then the left...  Also touching toes, and reaching behind, grabbing foot and pulling til you want to cry, because your front lower thigh wants to split open.


Does he realize the pain I experience just doing the swimming and biking, stretching on the wobble cushion and ball and the ones lying on my back???


I guess not.  Well, today I spent an hour and a half doing all sorts of stretchings and laps in the water, so I was not very good at trying these new ones.  I did, however, do the lying down, ball and wobble cushions ones.  I may have done five minutes of the required thirty of these new ones.


Sorry, Dr. Lin...  


Also Mark has me taking this univera stuff, and today was the first day for two ounces of the stuff.  It tastes best in tea, so I am going to stick with it.  I did have to pee less today.  Speaking of that, I have to go now.


Latah..

Sunday

Since this is the only day the pool is closed, I opted to get up early and bike around the track ten times.  I did eleven.  Got there at 7 and left at 7:25.  Didna push myself, and that is a good thing.


It is hard work on a cruiser, and I even went to church afterwards, and the ice pack is now melted, leaving the pain clinging.  I refuse to take anything.  I am tired of pain meds and what they do to my intestines.


It doesn't seem to make a difference whether I swim or bike.  Pain lingers in my limbs.  Going up the stairs or fixing things in the kitchen... just plain pain perches in my poor ole petootie.  


I am a thankin' ye, Lord, for despite the pain, I know you are in control, you want my healing and are bringing bout what you want in my life.  I am a feisty lil wrangler, and I know it takes some doin' to tame me, and I want to be reigned in to your likin', so have at me, Lord, and let your kingdom come in my life.

Too Hot, too early

Since the doc is out of town today, I had to choose to get up early anyway, or to let beloved sleep be my healing balm.  I chose the latter.  


I enjoy the swimming motions more than the biking motions, and he said to only do one or the other in one day.  Guess I will not be biking much until fall.  Since the kids will be back, I can't go to the track until just about sunset.  But it will be a joy, since there are no bumps on the track, and Texas sunsets are usually wrap-arounds and wrap the whole sky in pink cotton puffs.


Swimming yesterday was almost a pain free endeavor, and I only bicycled in the deep end one lap.  
I was able to handle the stairs without too much complaining, having only done the wobble cushion and not the ball, and did my stretches only twice.  But I did stretch in the pool and found great release in curling up in a little ball and pulling my legs ever closer to my chest.

Thursday, Looking Up..

It was so hot and I got to bed a bit later last night, so I tried sleeping in and didn't go on the bike ride.  Besides, Tuesday, doing both the bike laps and pool laps about did me in.  I was so sore, Mark had to mop the kitchen.  And wow, I was impressed.  He did a great job!  I even think he enjoyed the results, although he was grumbling all the way through the effort.


But the time at the pool went almost without pain.  Did all the stretches in the shallow end, and doubled up on the side kicks.  Then, in the deep end, I didn't really push myself, but each time I turned around, I curled up into a ball and pulled my legs up to my chest as hard as I could.  It hurt the first time but felt pretty good after that.


I did only one length doing the bicycling and didn't push it or stretch too horribly high.  


Upon coming home, Elaine called, so I was on my feet a good while, and sat down and did some of the hip stretches while talking.  It really doesn't feel too sore.  I am icing, but it is tolerable for a change.  We'll see on the next trip down the stairs.


Dr. Lin is right.  Only do one thing one day, and the other the next day.  I insist on doing it all every day, but it is helping doing a lower key dose.


Maybe hope is returning!  Halan.

2nd day swimming

The first day back is always easier than the second.  Today I was bothered by little things like the tightness of the goggles.  I must have used up five whole minutes stopping and adjusting them before I got into my swim groove. 


Then I realized I had already prayed earlier on the bike ride.  While doing the ten laps around the track, I did my usual warfare prayers.


So when swimming, I began automatically doing them all over again.  Then I realized I had already said them and began to pray for those who are old, sick or in pain (like myself.)  Ha.


Swimming did not come without pain today.  I felt that old throbing in the lower left back more than anywhere else.  It just felt good when I got into a little ball and turned around to go back the other way.  Then the deep end was taken, so I did not get to do the bicycles.  But I already biked this morning, so I did not feel too badly about that.


I had a lot of trouble walking after getting home, and taking the stairs felt awful.  Getting up from the chair in the new way was not very easy, either.


I forgot the ice, so I guess that would be the next thing on the docket, at least after doing some stretching on the ball.


I am just glad I get to go swimming again!

Back down into the valley

After the chiropractic visit, I limped out of the office and came home in pain.  He did not adjust the lower back or the middle.  I just don't get it.  He also skirted the question about my having numb feet, bringing up the question of diabetes.  We told him the doctor elimated that as a reason.  But he kept on it, saying aerobic exercise is absolutely essential.  But whenever I bring up swimming as my source that comes closest to aerobic, he disses swimming as a non-stretching exercise.  Nothing I am doing seems to be good enough, and nothing he is doing seems to be helping, either.


I am pretty low.  I know the Lord is bringing me to the place where I have to say, He, alone, is my health and salvation.


Oh, and rolling on the ball brought no relief, as it was painful in all directions, esp. on the right side.  On the other hand, walking was just about as irritating on the left side.  Go figure.


It was too hot, so I did not ride the bike today.  We still have just the one car, so I did not get to the pool; besides, they are in the middle of a weekend swim meet.


Blah.