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Falling
Just before Christmas, I got a new tube for my bike after it sat on the patio for most of last year. It was mostly a matter of procrastination that kept me from taking care of it. First I was travelling and then it was winter when I came home and the weather wasn’t great for riding. By December, I’d started to get an itch to ride again and so we took the tire into the shop and had the tube changed. I noticed a few days later there was no cap on the tube and rode to the shop to get one for it. I’d only taken shorter rides so far and this was my longest ride since I started back again. It all went well enough and I got to the shop and got a new cap. I also booked the bike in for a service. It did go the better part of a year without use so I suspect there’s stuff to adjust and oil and whatever else needs doing. I had actually left home with the idea I would drop it off without considering I need to book ahead of time. Anyway, it’s going in tomorrow to be serviced and I will either walk home or take a bus or perhaps a bit of both.
I stopped into the shopping centre afterwards to look for something and then stopped into one of my favorite tea shops to get a drink. I had taken a cool bag with two different reusable cups, depending on the shop I visited. One is plastic and has the logo for the shop where I ended up. The other one is generic and is made of glass. After I got my drink I started on my way home and put the drink in the basket with the bag. All was going well on the way home as I made my way towards the pathway next to the highway. I stopped at the corner of a busy road and a quiet side street to wait for traffic to clear so I could cross the road to the sidewalk on the opposite side. I’m not sure what happened while I waited but suddenly the balance of the bike started to tip over and I felt things happen in slow motion as I landed on the ground, fortunately, more on the side street. A vehicle stopped and a lady got out to check on me. She helped me up and I was okay for the most part. Just a bit shaken. My first thought as I was landing was that I was going to lose most, it not all, of my drink. Surprisingly it was fine and nothing much spilled. It wasn’t until later I thought of the glass cup inside my bag. That was also fine. As for myself, I had a bit of a graze on both my hands and my left knee but felt okay. After thanking the lady for her assistance, I walked across the side road into a little park to have a bit of a break and drink my tea. Then I got back on and went home. I was pleased to be able to increase the load on the gears so I could travel faster and got home more quickly than with the low gear settings. The only issue was the friction on my hands was uncomfortable for much of the ride. Once home I had a shower and cleaned up the slight wounds and was able to relax.
Things got a bit sore over the next couple of days. Not painfully sore but enough to be uncomfortable. I did go to pilates on Friday morning and later to the gym. My shoulders were quite sore that night. Not sure if it was due to exercise or injury or maybe a bit of both. There’s still some soreness in my left shoulder where I landed but it’s not terrible. Also, my knee is a bit bruised but not terribly so. I’ve just been taking it a bit easier before I have to take my bike in tomorrow. I’m hoping it’s not as windy as expected tomorrow as I hate riding in strong winds. Still, it will be warm so shouldn’t be too bad Also I’m hoping nothing got knocked out of whack when the bike fell. It all happened so slowly that I doubt anything was likely to be damaged. After all, I basically fell while at a standstill.
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Joys of menopause
Menopause hasn’t been the difficult time for me that I’ve heard many others experience. The worst time was when I had a heavy period that went on for weeks several years ago. Hot flashes or flushes never were a thing for me. But now I’ve been in menopause for a few years, I have had one issue and that’s spotting and/or light bleeding a few times. It’s always happened in a specific pattern and I wasn’t too concerned but it had become more of an issue recently. I went to the doctor and she did a pap test and a couple other tests and sent me off for a pelvic ultrasound. She did say at the time that it looked likely I had a condition called vaginal atrophy based on the appearance of that area. I read that it’s now often called genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), which certainly sounds a lot less unpleasant.
The ultrasound came out perfectly but the pap test didn’t get the cells needed, possibly due to the condition of the vagina. Also, I had too much of one thing and not enough of another in some other test done. In this situation, they often refer to a gynecologist who does the tests again but has better equipment to get a better reading on things. Of course, that takes more time. She said she thought it likely the issue was the GSM and suggested we could trial treatment and do another test in six weeks before going to the specialist. I was happier to do that than wait. I am on an HRT treatment daily for a couple of weeks and then I am to reduce down to fewer times per week as required. Hopefully, this should set things right and life will carry on.
I will admit to being a bit anxious about HRT treatments due to my family history of breast cancer. That said, I think a vaginal treatment is less likely to cause any trouble and hopefully won’t be something I need long-term. As I understand it, I am still young enough for that to be the recommended treatment at this stage.
I do suspect that my Sjogren’s syndrome may also be part of the issue here. It doesn’t help that I need antihistamines to handle seasonal allergies. The funny thing is I just saw the specialist about the Sjogrens last month and said all was fine. But I didn’t realise anything was amiss at that point. I am having a lot of dry eye and mouth issues right now though, so it may just be contributing to the problem.
I had to order in the medicine at the pharmacy and only started last night. I will say that it’s a bit of a messy business using a pessary that leaks everywhere when you get up. Hopefully, there won’t be any nasty side effects.
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Results
I think I noted I had an MRI done last month to determine if I had any liver-related issues. It was also meant to clarify whether I had fatty liver since it wasn’t noted on a CT scan earlier in the year. I saw my doctor this morning, and the MRI confirmed that I do have fatty liver which is the likely cause of my “deranged” liver function tests. I find it odd that it wasn’t mentioned on the scan earlier in the year but apparently they often don’t unless the investigation is liver-related. I think my tests were all normal at that time so I guess it wasn’t important enough. I just need to keep seeking to improve my exercise and diet so that it improves.
Here in Australia, we have something called My Health Record where our pathology, imaging, etc. can be uploaded so that it will be easier to access between health providers and the patient. There were a lot of controversies when this started many years ago, especially with regard to privacy. I personally had no issues with it and have put my own information there. But even though it’s been around for over seven or more years, I have very little information there. But my recent MRI and CT reports are there. Also, there’s a COVID test I had a couple of years ago and another recent pathology report. My COVID jabs are also included but not much else is there. The pathology reports all seem to be from one pathology company, which is the one used by the public health system. So I think I will start using that pathology lab for future blood tests. That way I can access the information easily online. I am in the habit of requesting copies of my lab results but I have found lately they don’t always follow through.
I did notice one remark on the MRI that was of interest to me. Apparently, I have a condition called pancreas divisum which means that instead of a single pancreatic duct, I have two of them. It occurs when the two ducts that develop in utero never fuse as they are supposed to. I guess it’s not a big deal for most people who have it and almost never requires any treatment.
Anyway, none of this relates to the reason I am seeing this specialist, which was my low iron issues from last year. My ferritin levels have fallen but it seems unlikely I will need to deal with low iron for a while. Maybe I will need an infusion every couple of years.
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First time
Despite the mask mandates almost completely disappearing here, I have continued to wear them. In all these months, nobody has commented on the fact I’ve been wearing one at all. And that’s just fine. Well, that was the case until about a week ago. I was shopping and the cashier was asking me if I was masking because I was afraid of COVID. She went on to say that COVID isn’t near as bad as getting the flu…It’s been over a week and I still fume when I think about it. I felt like she was judging me when it was none of her business. Of course, I was silently judging her and all the others around who don’t wear masks now. But that’s a thought I keep to myself as there is no point in expressing it out loud.
My mom made a bunch of masks for me when I was home and I still wear them all the time when I am in the community. They may not be the highest quality but I think they suit their purpose for me. Fortunately, we have all avoided the virus so far to the best of our knowledge.
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Just like that…
And nine months have passed this year. Wow! It already seems like an age ago I returned from my US trip.
Things are going okay in this part of the world. It’s supposed to be spring but after about a week of really lovely weather, the temperatures dropped and it’s been rather chilly most days. Today there was a chance of rain but I don’t think any fell around here. Now it’s just cool and windy and feels more like winter. The tell-tell sign of spring is the massive amount of pollen flying about. A week ago, the Scientist suffered terribly after he got out with the line trimmer to cut some of the long grass in the backyard. I was trying to follow along and do the mowing after him. Between the two of us, we got a lot accomplished. But he was in misery by that evening and suffered for a day or two afterwards. We still have a lot of work to do out there but it’s enough to be able to sit in that corner of the yard and enjoy the sun in the late afternoon.
In nine days it will be Game Fanatic’s birthday. He is 28 this year which seems so old. But then it really has been that long since he was born. I’ve been in Australia that many years now and even that seems a long time ago. It used to be I felt like everything before I came here was a lifetime ago. Now I guess it’s more like two lifetimes ago? :D
I’ve been in a period of difficulty with my exercise. I’d been in a regular habit for a few weeks and it was all going well. But then something stops things working and now I am trying to regain a habit. I am still exercising but not getting to the gym as often. I’ve spent more time walking the dogs and a little bit trying to run short distances. It’s more a challenge than anything and I doubt I will ever do more than run for a couple of minutes at a time. But it’s an interesting shift in activity. I also haven’t gone to a pilates class in a while. I still have clinical pilates with the physiotherapist every second week. But I haven’t attended the class through my fitness center at all recently. This is one of those habits that broke, mostly because I found it really difficult to do the pilates on Thursday night and follow with clinical pilates the following morning.
Relating to the dog walks, we had to take one to the vet recently and when she was weighed, she had lost at least 1kg since her last visit. So the short walks we do with her are helping with the weight, which should also help with her arthritis.
I got a new iPhone when they were released last month. My old one was three years old so it was time. Or maybe it’s more like I was fed up with a couple of issues on it that I hoped would be better now. The issues haven’t been resolved the way I hoped but I think there was no chance of getting the resolution I wanted. So far I am really liking the new phone. The case is one thing that I’m getting used it. It’s a clear case to show off the lovely dark purple of the phone. But the material it’s made of doesn’t feel quite right in my hands. I will be getting a different case to use when I’m cycling and I feel sure that will feel more comfortable because I have already had a case like it for the older phone. The camera on this has major improvements but I must admit I haven’t used it all that much yet. I suspect I find it a bit overwhelming as it’s far more powerful. I remember the first phone I got that had a camera and it was supposed to be really good. But it wasn’t any good at all. This one is quite wonderful and I could even get super high resolution if I wanted. I have plans to upgrade the watch sometime soon too.
I had an MRI done on my liver a few weeks ago. I have continued to have deranged liver function tests and nothing has been determined to be a reasonable cause. The numbers aren’t that terrible but there are three that have been out of range the last several tests. I had a CT scan early this year that said my liver looked just fine and there was no mention of the fatty liver that showed on earlier ultrasound scans. Of course, my liver function tests looked really good too at the time. The MRI is supposed to check into that but I haven’t got my results yet. By the time the test was done and the results came through, my doctor was away on leave. I have an appointment next week to discuss the results. I’m not really that worried about it but I am curious if anything shows up.
Our deranged smart light continues to cause trouble. The Scientist got rid of something that might have been causing a conflict but it continues to occur. This past night it was the worst ever. Normally after a number of times turning it off, it will remain off. I woke up several times in the night and every time the light was back on. It even continued into the morning, which I don’t think has happened before. We actually have two different types of smart lighting so our next effort will likely mean we remove the current bulb and use one from the other type. That has a couple of downsides but it would be doable.
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More on Fitter
There was one point I meant to include in my last post. Normally my diet and exercise fall off the tracks a bit during the winter. I think this is the first time in many years that I have managed to maintain a reasonable amount of exercise through the season. So yay to me! The weather is already shifting towards spring and I am already in a good place. And that makes me kind of happy. :)
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Fitter
Yesterday I went to the gym and did a “session” on the recumbent bike. I’d done it before but I found it was a bit of a struggle at times. This time, I must have been having a good day because it felt like very little effort at all. I think I also have built up a bit of muscle from doing these sessions and maybe I am just that bit stronger? Anyway, it was a good feeling to be so improved. Except I came back feeling like I hadn’t really done any exercise and it felt like I cheated. LOL
The recumbent bike is easier than the upright but I have been doing the harder workouts there too. I will feel more accomplished once I can complete a beginner workout with the beginner settings. At the moment I find it too hard to maintain for long so I decided to adjust the settings to make it do-able.
I feel like I have settled into a routine with my exercise lately. My goal is to do two weight sessions a week and that’s happening pretty regularly. I do one on the weekend and one during the week. On Tuesdays I have tai chi and fan/sword practice for 1.5 hours. On Thursday evenings I go to a pilates class. The other days I do cardio exercise, which is when I tend to use the bikes and treadmill. There are rowing machines but I haven’t used those for quite a while now.
For the weights workout I had one of the trainers update my list of exercises for a longer session. But I found it got a bit too long so that I was at the gym for nearly two hours. I’ve now managed to shift a couple of those exercises to my workout two and hopefully it will be more balanced.
On the treadmill I have mostly been doing interval work where I walk for a while and then I either walk really fast or do a bit of a jog. I was trying this fairly often and found I could manage with the breathing and heart rate. My feet and knees are a bit trickier to handle so I have cut back on that.
In addition to that I have been attempting to take the dogs for a walk much more often. One of the dogs is overweight and has arthritis so getting her walking is definitely an improvement. I can’t say I get that much exercise from walks with her. But the other dog moves quickly so I can get a good half hour in with him. So it’s good news for all of us. :)
I also started back to clinical pilates every fortnight and so every second Friday I have that class in the morning. Last week I had some tough exercises and I was so sore afterwards.
Overall I feel much fitter and balanced than I have in a while. I also have allowed for rest days when my muscles are particularly sore and that’s okay.
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Same but different
I think it was in the middle of last year I suddenly developed pain in my hips and glutes area. It was painful enough to take painkillers and I went to see my physiotherapist, who worked out I had gluteal tendinopathy. I’d never had it before and never heard of it either. She set me on a course of exercises and saw me a couple of times along with ongoing clinical pilates classes. It got better and I wanted to make sure I kept the muscles in good shape. A month or two later I had joined the gym and was improving my fitness so I thought that would be the end of it.
Fast forward several months to this weekend when I developed a similar pain on both sides that became worse on the left again. Again I had to take painkillers when it was particularly bad. After a few days I realised this was the same thing I had before. I went to see my physiotherapist this morning and I was right. Except this time the problem is I have overdone things and my muscles were quite tight. She did dry needling on both sides and then massaged it. The massage was quite painful on the left side. I have to lay off cardio exercises that work the lower body for several days. But I’m free to do as many pilates classes as I like. And I have several home exercises to do, some of which I had already started on.
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This and that
COVID numbers are rising here but still not quite exploding. We had 31 cases a couple of days ago but have been hanging in the 20s each day otherwise. But thanks to these higher numbers, there have been some changes to requirements for isolation with and without symptoms here. Also, the isolation upon returning to the state is now down to seven days, which is a good thing.
In my work situation as a support worker, there are two other people I work with to support one client. Recently one of them had travelled to an eastern state and is back but having to quarantine. The other one got a promotion and started training this week. So I had been left to cover for both this week and next. It’s quite disruptive for the client and also a burden for me as the only support worker available. The changes on isolation mean I should be unburdened with most of the hours by Sunday, assuming no COVID symptoms come up. A new worker is going to be introduced soon and we are hopeful for a good fit with the client. That makes this week a bit easier to get through.
My travel plans are feeling more and more solid with the upcoming changes. I won’t be too surprised if we are properly open by the time I return in May. I just have to avoid getting the virus throughout.
I got into the pool for the first time in months a few days ago and it went really well. The only issue was limited time as the pool and gym close at 5 pm on weekend days. I had gone to the gym for half an hour and then the pool but had a few hiccups along the way. First of all, I couldn’t open the locker (it’s digital and I might have mistyped the code I wanted). It took ages to find someone to help me with that. Then upon getting my items, the lockers in the pool area mostly wouldn’t lock even though they haven’t been there are long as those in the gym area. The actual swimming was good and I managed to get in 22 laps in the limited time. I was shifting between freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke and felt pretty comfortable throughout.
We are in the middle of a brief chill in the midst of summer heat. A couple of days ago it was super hot but yesterday and today have been significantly cooler, especially with the strong breeze. From tomorrow it should be shifting closer to normal for a while.
I’ve recently begun listening to audiobooks instead of music while at the gym. This helps me finish listening much faster than before. I currently have two books out from the library, one of which is in high demand. It only became available last night but I began listening today so I can finish it in the two weeks that it’s available. I had already started the other one but it’s not in such demand and I may be able to just renew it once it is due. I will just keep watch to make sure nobody requests it in the meantime. I can easily return to it once the other book is finished.
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Brief doctor visits
On Tuesday I saw a gp about the results of a blood test. I’m honestly not sure why I had to have an appointment. I had a cytomegalovirus test that came back equivocal in December and then had a repeat test a couple of weeks ago. That one also came back the same and that’s why I was called in. It could just be a false result or perhaps a reactivation of a virus I’ve had in the past. But it’s not really of any concern since I have no symptoms and it’s not causing any problems.
This morning I saw the specialist regarding my CT scan and blood tests and that was a short and easy visit. My iron levels are so good I am almost on the upper end of normal. She doesn’t think there’s any need for further investigations so I won’t be having the capsule endoscopy after all. I do have a follow-up blood test and doctor visit to do then, just to monitor things. I suspect if everything is still good I won’t need to see her again.