Thread Drift

[OakLeaf]

What lph said. When there was a stalker on this board, as some of you remember, I tried putting him on ignore, but then I'd miss half of what other people were saying to him.

[Blueberry]

What lph said. When there was a stalker on this board, as some of you remember, I tried putting him on ignore, but then I'd miss half of what other people were saying to him.

Apparently I missed this!! Kinda glad.

I have 4 exams in 16 days starting Monday. 3 lecture exams, 1 clinical exam (they schedule that one for you and I got the worst possible date) - oh yes, and a quiz. This is getting a tiny bit excessive. October is my favorite month to be outside, and since the exams are on Mondays (or Wednesday for the last one), it's almost impossible to get out and enjoy the weather.

I'll stop whining now. I love med school - I really do. This just seems like a bit much.

[Crankin]

I think I know who Oak is talking about, but I never saw it as a stalker situation. Maybe I am thinking about the wrong person.
Blueberry, I know hard it must be to be inside studying on these beautiful October days. Can you sneak out for even a 20 minute walk once in awhile?

[snapdragen]

That Mr. person?

[OakLeaf]

You got it. Maybe I'm hypersensitive from my years of working with abused women, but the fact that stayed after several people asked him to leave, but then disappeared from the forum as soon as he'd driven her away, says everything I need to know about it. And, he's the only person I'm aware of that's been explicitly unwelcome here. I can't think what might offend the "conservative Republican" - if that person refused to be on the same forum with out lesbians, that's something else ...

Hang in there Blueberry. (And Crankin is right, some natural light can only help your concentration ...)


Yep, English majors in law school are a dime a dozen. I'm one (double major, English and math). Law is a language art, after all; while there are interpersonal skills that come into play particularly in litigation, most of the nuts and bolts of practicing law have to do with comprehending and manipulating words.

I've got another cold. Sigh. Not too bad, but considering that the last one completely wrecked my training, I don't even know if I'm going to bother to run the half on Sunday or not. Yuk.

[emily_in_nc]

I've got another cold. Sigh. Not too bad, but considering that the last one completely wrecked my training, I don't even know if I'm going to bother to run the half on Sunday or not. Yuk.

So sorry, Oak! I hate it when that happens. Terrible timing, too.

I'm having a little pity party here myself as I have had one stupid injury after another lately that has kept me from running, and sometimes doing yoga as well. First I managed to break my pinky toe with a hard stub to a chair leg. That had me pretty much house-bound for a few days and off long walks, yoga, and running for a few weeks.

Once I healed up from that I got back to running, gradually increasing mileage again, and I was feeling great. Over a period of a couple of weeks, I noticed a very slight tenderness in my right Achilles tendon (not during a run but at other times) but stupidly ignored it and kept running. I was only running 3x a week (never consecutive days) and no more than 3.25 miles at a time. Nothing huge since I was still rehabbing from the broken toe.

With a 5K event coming up on Oct. 24th, I thought I'd add one speed-work run per week and went out this past Saturday morning and added four faster intervals to my overall run. Felt great at the time, but the next morning I realized my Achilles hurt much worse, going down stairs hurt, and even picking up from a walk to a very light jog was painful. I have since read that adding speedwork can trigger this injury.

Since then I've been taking it easy, icing, etc, but I can't avoid stairs (we live in a 4th floor walkup). Also googling suggests that it could be a soleus strain with referred pain to the ankle instead of Achilles tendonitis, but I am not sure. In any case, going down stairs hurts, running is out of the question, and from my research, this could take awhile to heal no matter what I do.

I'm frustrated because it seems like every time I actually start making small gains in my running, I either get sick or injured. This is the first overuse injury I can recall having; most were just klutzy things like the broken toe and a hand thing I did last spring (banged against a metal signpost on my bike and either bruised deeply or broke something in my hand). And a very bad cold in late winter earlier this year dragged on for weeks and kept me out of commission for quite some time as well.

Sometimes I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something, and that running is just never gonna happen for me.

PITY PARTY!!!!

[Pax]

I've been a state of pity party regarding my newly replaced knee for the last several months. Now I'm in a zen place, I'm making peace with the fact it will never be as good as I'd hoped. I still limp about 30% of the time, my flexion and extension are fair but not great, and it keeps me from doing much of what I want to do. BUT, it works, doesn't hurt as bad as it did before, I'm a little more mobile than I was, so I'll take it and just do little bits of things. I walk a little, ride my bike a little, swim a little. It's all good.

[rebeccaC]

Sometimes I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something, and that running is just never gonna happen for me.

nothing wrong with needing to embrace something like that and finding alternative or continuing with existing exercises that favor what your body is telling you is better for you at the moment. Catrin and Pax both inspire me in the way they embrace the awareness of what their bodies are going through. What's health care like for you in your area of Mexico?

Rebecca, just want you to know how much I admire your passion, you are an inspiring young woman.

that's kind of you to say!!!!....thanking you with a warm hug

[emily_in_nc]

nothing wrong with needing to embrace something like that and finding alternative or continuing with existing exercises that favor what your body is telling you is better for you at the moment. Catrin and Pax both inspire me in the way they embrace the awareness of what their bodies are going through. What's health care like for you in your area of Mexico?

Quite good, supposedly, but not so sure about sports specialists. I have only heard of "regular" docs and feel very comfortable if I were to get Dengue Fever or any other tropical thing, I'd be in good hands. But something like this I wouldn't bother with going to the doc even in the US. Just me, maybe, but I've had such limited success with PT and ortho docs in the past in the US that self care at home always seems to be a less expensive and simpler alternative. I know there are cases when these docs are really necessary, though. But I'd really need a running specialist/gait analysis or some such and don't think there's anyone like that here. This is more like the US in the 1950s in a lot of ways. Some good, some bad!

[emily_in_nc]

I've been a state of pity party regarding my newly replaced knee for the last several months. Now I'm in a zen place, I'm making peace with the fact it will never be as good as I'd hoped. I still limp about 30% of the time, my flexion and extension are fair but not great, and it keeps me from doing much of what I want to do. BUT, it works, doesn't hurt as bad as it did before, I'm a little more mobile than I was, so I'll take it and just do little bits of things. I walk a little, ride my bike a little, swim a little. It's all good.

That's a good attitude, Pax, but I sure am sorry that your knee replacement hasn't been as successful as you hoped. My step-father experienced the same thing, and I feel so bad for all he has gone through that he still has issues with pain and flexibility there. I know he's better, like you, but he'd hoped for even more of a change. I still see how difficult it is for him to get out of a chair, for instance. He can do some light hiking, but he'd hoped to be able to backpack (with a light pack), and I don't see that happening.

[Catrin]

I've been a state of pity party regarding my newly replaced knee for the last several months. Now I'm in a zen place, I'm making peace with the fact it will never be as good as I'd hoped. I still limp about 30% of the time, my flexion and extension are fair but not great, and it keeps me from doing much of what I want to do. BUT, it works, doesn't hurt as bad as it did before, I'm a little more mobile than I was, so I'll take it and just do little bits of things. I walk a little, ride my bike a little, swim a little. It's all good.

I feel your pain Pax! On the one hand things are a bit better than before the surgery, but my knee doesn't seem to yet be working all the way normally yet after 10 weeks...but I keep reading that it is early yet. My flexion and extension are fine, but the knee still wants to give out occasionally and I don't feel safe walking outside without a cane just in case. I try to keep a good attitude, but some days, like today, it is frustrating. Is it so much to hope for walking normally with both knees feeling about the same? Apparently it is too much, for now. It also still hurts - but I DO have quite a bit of patellofemoral arthritis - and that hasn't changed. The pain IS less than before the surgery though

On the other hand, I can hike gentle trails, (with brace and stick), can play with kettlebells (though not as hard as I would like), and not much else. THAT being said, it is a lot more than it could be, and I'm thankful for what I can do. Trying not to push myself too far as I'm prone to doing. I think I would be less frustrated if there weren't obvious signs that I've lost upper body strength - my shoulder mechanics makes it very hard to gain that kind of strength so I begrudge loosing anything there. I've given up on the idea of competing again, but I want to focus on being as strong and healthy as I can be. If that means hiking with brace and stick permanently, then so be it

<\whine>

[Crankin]

Oak, I think the person who left the forum, stating that she felt unwelcome as a conservative, may have also been somewhat freaked out by lesbians. She didn't say this, but I was reading between the lines. I think she realized that her views were somewhat different from everyone else's and couldn't get past that, to talk about cycling. I am sure there are plenty of conservative cyclists... somewhere.
On the physical part, well, I mentioned this in another thread. I've had a year of lots of immunological/allergy stuff and a mild resurgence of my supposed fibro symptoms. However, I have a friend (a cousin, sort of) who really does have fibro, and what she experiences is similar, but I just don't have to stay home and do total rest like she does, nor do I have an cognitive symptoms. Work doesn't tire me out, like it does to her. I just have less tolerance for intense exercise. However, it's cyclical, so I am hoping it will eventually get better. Since I am returning to my previous health club, I will be doing a lot more stuff this winter, in addition to my nordic skiing/snow shoeing. Lots of spin classes and I will definitely be at Tabatta and circuit training 2X a week. The club is practically next door to the condo, so I am looking forward to that. So, my mantra is to keep out there, maybe just less distance if I am not feeling well. But, my head is ready for more. Hoping for a mild enough winter that I can ride a little outside in January and February, for the first time in a couple of years, to get more miles. I am hoping adding more yoga back in, will help, too. What worries me is that I have been having thoughts of cutting down my work more, but I have no idea why. I would be bored without more structured activities. Not going there...

[Blueberry]

Blueberry, I know hard it must be to be inside studying on these beautiful October days. Can you sneak out for even a 20 minute walk once in awhile?

I'm definitely keeping some balance - particularly on weekends that aren't exam weekends (but then there are three of them in a row and there goes that...). I'm trying to get outside as much as possible and keeping active as I can. I walk most days, bike some (still working on bike commuting - that's a whole other thread) and usually eat outside if I'm stuck on campus in class all day. Our curriculum is pass/fail (and they really mean it) - with the idea that we can have some balance and have time for clinical work, research, etc. I keep trying to remember that - but going from pre-med (must.make.straight.A's) to passing is OK is an extremely hard transition. I do *know* I retain better with breaks (exercise!) and sleep (sometimes an issue - working on it!).

I'm having a bit of my own injury pity party. I sit on a ball chair. The &$% thing exploded (as in split down the side) the Friday before our Fall break. I landed on my a$$ (no damage there, thankfully), and did *something* to a foot. I thought it was a sprain, did NSAIDS, it got better. Went for a bike ride Sunday (not the first one since it happened, and not far or fast) and though my arch was cramping when I got home. It's back to hurting - from top to bottom but worse on the top. *sigh* I know I *should* go see a doctor. But that's time I could be studying! I'm planning to give it until Monday (after exam 1) - if it's not better, I'll suck it up and go.

At least I finally found the nasal flu vaccine (I have a reaction to that shot and only that shot - my doc thinks a preservative). The danged thing is required for us (makes sense), but they don't have the nasal available (makes no sense).

[rebeccaC]

Quick! Everyone view Thread Drift. We're about 9,500 views away from 2,000,000 views! Long live TE. Long live TD.

did that just cause a 4000+ view increase they should let you do post number 2,000,000

[rebeccaC]

... and I don't see that happening.

that touched….hoping I can find a spark of peace when dealing with issues like that…on both sides of it.

There’s a reasonable public health system there and less expensive than here. Do you think most of the expats are satisfied with their health care issues? Cuba's done a lot of the development of the tropical disease treatment for that area. You are well covered on that!!!