I’ll spare you the excruciating details, but my knees et al turned into quite the sciatic flare-up, and I’ve behaved badly … whining incessantly about the weather being gorgeous, and who is not playing golf? Dale is ready to throw me out the window, and even the cat hates me. I have been able to walk a little bit every day, so that’s good.
I’m on the mend, but I have long-term issues that need to be resolved. I’ve been reluctant to go on the meds such as Lyrica or Gabapentin, figuring I’m better off abusing Advil once or twice a year. But now I don’t know. I’ll see what my primary care physician has to say when I see her toward the end of next month – the soonest I could get in.
The thing about a flare-up is that it makes you appreciate any day you wake up and feel pretty good. Staying strong and healthy is important to me, but I tend to overdo everything and have a hard time leaving well enough alone. Perhaps I see more complacency in my future. Kinder, gentler, slower, easier – these are the words that are starting to resonate. Forgive me if I’ve said that before, but maybe you have to say it 10 times for it to stick.
On the food front, I made my annual kabocha squash red curry, which is absolutely utterly fantastic. It’s a great fall dish, especially since the pomegranates are in season. I cut the recipe in half, and it makes enough for two and a leftover. If you make it, the timing is off. The squash is done at about 20 minutes or less, definitely not 45.
I had some pomegranate seeds leftover and sprinkled showered some on top of yogurt and granola. If that isn’t already a thing, it should be.
Dale, the neighborhood watch, just came into tell me there’s some kind of a mummies convention going on down the street. I thought, wow, they are taking Halloween to a new level around here. But he meant mummies as in mommies with strollers. I just hope they’re not the mad yoga moms with guns and stuff. I suspect that’s a demographic in our neighborhood.
I wonder about the mad moms, because there’s a local election, and I see a fair number of signs for a candidate emphasizing school choice, which would allow parents to use our tax dollars to send their kids to private schools. Even though I am a childless cat lady, I’m all about supporting public education!
The good news is I have not seen a single sign for the presidential candidates. It’s better this way. I was daydreaming about how great it will be when this election is over, except it’s probably not going to be over like it used to be over. I’m trying to let go and pay less attention to the whole business, but it seems I’m hard-wired to stay connected to the state of the union.
Perhaps I’ll be oblivious in my next life. Something to look forward to!
I’ve been pretty happy with the lack of political signs around here and I’ll be relieved when this election is over (and, hopefully, really pleased with the results). I also try to ignore much of the noise, but I’ve always been interested in politics so it’s hard.
It really is nuts how hard it can be to get an appointment with a doctor. That used to be the big complaint about government run healthcare systems in other countries. Now all we can say is that the other systems cost a lot less while offering similar levels of (non)service.
I looked again today when I went for my walk, and I still didn’t see any yard signs. It really is better. I do think those of us who have always paid attention to politics will have a hard time ignoring it for very long.
Healthcare has never been ideal, but I guess it works well enough. It is hard to wait for those appointments, though. I saw my PT today. When I got home, my husband asked how it went. I was sharing all the details, and my husband said, “So basically, suck it up?” I could have saved myself a trip!!
I’m sorry you’re having a flare up. Hopefully your doctor will have some suggestions that will help you. It’s so hard when you can’t do the things you love to do. Walking is my thing, and we’ve had lovely walking weather. My plantar fasciitis keeps me from walking, however, which is so annoying. So I can empathize. I’ve been using the stationary bike, which I don’t enjoy, at the gym just to keep my legs working.
My neighbors have signs for the candidate of my choice so I’m not unhappy to see them.
Plantar can be a nasty business. I hope yours gets better soon. The PT worked on me a little yesterday and gave me some new “easier” exercises. So far, so good.
As a resident of Pennsylvania, a swing state, it is impossible to ignore the election. I get so many texts seeking campaign donations that I really think the Party should pay for my cell phone (you know, after I hurl it into the river).
My knees are a little iffy, but my feet are the bad actors. It’s very hard to motivate myself to do anything physical when there will surely follow a long period of pain.
Nina
Shippensburg grad here!
I started blocking all the texts more than a month ago, and a new batch arrives daily. I don’t respond to surveys of any kind, and I get these whiny texts saying why won’t you confirm? We’re asking one more time. It’s none of their business.
Pain is hard. The PT yesterday basically told me to suck it up — that you can’t escape it, even when you’re improving. I guess, but it is hard to be motivated when pain is the outcome.
Donna, I’ve had great success with a practitioner who did acupressure (of sorts) based on energy meridians with origins in some kind of Chinese medicine practice. I can never explain it properly. All I know is it works. I remember one episode where I entered her home crying b/c of the pain; I left crying with relief. I came to learn that the sciatic nerve is as big as our thumb. I’ve tried to befriend that damn nerve but it’s hard when it has caused me such distress! Wishing you well.
I would totally do that. My massage therapist does cupping, and I find it incredibly helpful. The size of a thumb???? Small but mighty, I guess. I played golf yesterday and seem to be back to whatever passes for normal. Such a strange thing.