LOL Saef, I guess it is pretty gross, maybe I should have put a TMI warning! It doesn't look as gross as it sounds, because the fluid from the cyst doesn't come out of my skin or anything. It comes out under the skin and gets reabsorbed by the body. A ganglion cyst is basically where some joint lubricating fluid comes out of your joint and forms a little pocket. Like a bubble of joint filler that's just outside the joint. Long term they are totally harmless, but depending where they are located they can put pressure on the joint or nerves and be uncomfortable.
In any case it's still sore today, and I still can't put weight on that hand, but hopefully it will get better. At least my wrist looks normal now when I bend it -- before it had a big lump on it.
Oh, and speaking of yoga classes, I have also seen a major difference in different types of yoga. I enjoy most yoga classes, but once I took a kundalini yoga class and it was just not for me at all. It involved a lot of talk of focusing on your third eye and building a bubble of peace and love around yourself. I'm all for relaxation, but if they start getting all spiritual it's a bit much for me. Also, in that class, the relaxation at the end of class lasted about 30 minutes and I nearly fell asleep.
Kundalini--that's the one my MIL talks about having taken. She said they're really into relaxation. Bikram, on the other hand, sounds much more intense (and hot!).
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone! It was pretty funny - the other bridesmaids were (very tall and fit!) teenagers, and one of them caught a peek at the pair of Spanx I was wearing under my dress. She asked me what they were and I replied, "A miracle you don't need yet."
saef - I had my eyebrows waxed a couple of days before I headed out to CO. Because I'm blond, I tend to let them go too long between waxings just because I don't have a unibrow, then when I get them done I'm always amazed by how much they open up my face.
Jessica - I had a cyst once, too, that I was told I need to push and squish and drain. YUCK! It hurt like crazy and was gross. I'm so sorry you're going through that.
I've never attempted yoga before, but am really interested in trying it. Does anyone have a suggestion for what kind to try first, or where to do it (I'm not part of a gym at the moment). I suppose I'm interested in some stretching, some strength, and some stress relief.
I've been waiting until October and a cold snap to make some pumpkin bread, and now that both are here I can't find any canned pumpkin on the shelves! Argh!
Jessica, I have had 3 ganglions on the same wrist, same spot, first two times he cut them out, last time it came back he sent me to a specialist and he said my wrist hadn't healed from the first two times and he didn't want to try cutting it out again. He simply drew it out with a needle and it never came back and that was years ago.
Allison, some people make their way through life by suing others for minor problems. When I fell on the city sidewalk this summer requiring 9 stitches, my neighbor tried to convince me to sue the city. What for ? Loss of wages? I'm retired, Medical expenses ? $50 for Emergency room, $30 to remove stitches and $130 for dentist to fix broken tooth. Hardly seems worth hiring a lawyer for but I suppose some ambulance chaser could inflate that to $100,000.
Allison-- good luck to your dh in getting the remainder of your payment.
Yoga-- I was never a yogi before. I had taken one or two regular yoga classes over the years and was never too impressed. I kept hearing about what a great workout Bikram Yoga was so when I saw a deal nearby to try it for a month, I gave it a go. That was about 6 months ago and I love it. It is hard, relaxing, hard, enjoyable, hard.... did I mention hard? I have much greater flexibility since starting, my balance is improved-- though still not great, and most days I feel more relaxed and balanced. The spirituality types of yoga wouldn't be my cup of tea either.
If you've never tried Zumba, try it! It is fun! I haven't done it much and I always feel like an uncoordinated fool when I try it, but I always have fun.
It started raining and getting cooler here. I don't think Dewey ever remembers seeing rain in his short life. He took one look outside yesterday and burrowed under every blanket he could find.....shivering.... Looks like I need to find him a sweater ASAP. He is not thrilled with going outside to potty but I told him it was a battle of wills and I would win. However, I finally gave up last night and he held it until this morning!
My dd made it safely to Seattle yesterday and met with the organization about a service dog. She wants to move forward with it, and I'm all for it, but I have no idea how she/we can afford it. She thinks she can get a loan, but she will already have student loans when she graduates to pay back and she will be on a teacher's salary. This morning she sees the specialist to see what he has to offer, then she'll drive back to Spokane. My heart breaks to see her so affected by her Tourette's. I'm thinking that my worrying about her is what is causing my severe neck pain. If I had time, I would see a chiropractor but between dh being gone and my two jobs, I have no idea when I would go.
I had a cyst at the base of my thumb a few years ago, same kind of thing with fluid leaking out around the sheath of the tendon. It went away on its own. I'm pretty sure I have one now on the back of my ankle - it does put some pressure on the nerve there and can hurt a little when my foot gets stiff.
Bargoo - people bring suits against us all the time for minor things that aren't caused by any problem with our building or facilities. I can't tell you how many people stumble over their own feet and then try to come at us for money.
Allison - that is annoying about the weather stripping.
Jen - there is a community center your school that does some yoga classes with good reviews. I don't know much about type - I don't do well with the slow ones with lots of breathing and third eye stuff either. I tend to do the power yoga podcasts, but I did take classes a few years ago to get the form down first.
Saef - I'm glad that the yoga and spin classes are giving you some peace.
My grandmother is doing well - she got up and went to church last night for a revival and being around people seems to have done her a world of good. I'm tired today, but working on shaking off the fuzzy head.
Michele - I was thinking about your daughter this morning, a veteran with a service dog was in line next to me at the bank. I know that they are expensive, can DD qualify for a loan that will cover it? How does a service animal help with Tourette's? I'm sorry that you are carrying so much stress over this - try to find some time to take care of yourself, too.
My gym was offering a new cardio/sculpting class taught by an instructor new to town, supposed to be a serious cardio burn. Yesterday was supposed to be the first class, and I got a call from the gym saying the instructor had decided not to do the class at all bc she had too many other commitments. I mentioned it to BF and bc I live in such a small town, of course he knew this couple, said they had flaked out on several other commitments they'd made since moving here about two months ago. I was ridiculously disappointed. My diet has been much better in the past few months but I'm stuck in an exercise rut. I was really looking forward to having someone else yell at me to move faster, bc while I'm very active I've fallen out of intense exercise (bc well, I hate it). I've been an excellent maintainer lately - even steven on the scale and balancing out treats with healthy eats - but not a very good loser.
Ok, well, that fell through. I need to come up with another plan to up intensity - anything that makes me drip sweat instead of lightly perspire! And I don't (can't) increase exercise time. I know I need to work out smarter, not longer. I've jogged a few times with Emma since the weather's turned, will continue doing that and increase endurance. The stairmaster at the gym is good. And though my diet's been better, I pulled out a photocopied food journal page this AM and am logging my food intake, which I haven't done in a while. I'm going to schedule workouts in my journal, and also continue with my weekly yoga class that I'm enjoying. Sleep has been slipping the last few weeks due to allergy issues, and I need to get a little more.
I took a yoga class a few years ago and though it definitely stretched my muscles, I couldn't turn my mind chatter off (a lot like what Saef described hers to be). The teacher would say things like "this headstand will help open your calcium channels" and being the biology nerd I am, I would get annoyed and think about the actual biological process of opening calcium channels, and the moment would be lost on me. I like the one I'm taking right now. We do similar poses but there is music, which seems to help me turn off the mind chatter, and I still get a really good stretch out and feel very relaxed when we're done. I've sort of accepted I may never feel the deep connection to my inner self that some yogis strive for/claim to feel. I'll take relaxation and stretching for now, especially since I'm bad about stretching after workouts.
In any case I feel better about life and losing weight since I found two jumbo cans of pumpkin at WalMart. (Jen, Walmarts near me seem to have a pretty consistent pumpkin supply. Have you looked there?) I am obsessed with pumpkin right now.
Michele, have you/your daughter explored the possibility of grants or organizations that help people in need of them pay for service dogs?
Jen, you look awesome in your dress! Saef is right, I also noticed your teeny waist right away. Thanks for sharing the picture.
Jessica, hmm, sounds like an... interesting cyst experience. I hope it breaks up and your wrist feels better.
Saef, your description of fall foliage is so nice! I miss the foliage. I'm glad you enjoyed your spin class. A different style is better than no spin at all.
I've got to get back to work... have a good day all!
DH and I aren't the type to sue. But we know some who are and frankly it's disgusting. We're currently in the 2nd year of a lawsuit here at work: we installed pocket doors in an addition. The doors are not rated for outdoor use and we always disclose this in our proposal. The doors are located under a patio cover of at least 12 feet (meaning they're quite recessed and it would have to be a hurricane to get rainwater on these doors). The homeowner (who we have investigated and now know that he tends to sue everyone) sued the builder who in turn sued all the subcontractors (many of who have now gone out of business due to the poor economy). Well, the homeowner "proved" our pocket doors leak by using a fire hose on them. Um, we live in the desert and rarely do we get wind AND rain at the same time! Anyway, we recently heard that the judge is mad at the guy now because he's torn farther into this addition to get more "defects" that he can pursue. The judge had specifically told the guy that ALL the lawyers (there are over 20) must be in attendance for all work, destruction, etc. and he didn't do that. We're hoping it gets thrown out for this. Granted our insurance will cover any costs, but it's a real headache for this. And to top it off, he does not and never intended to live in this house. And he's ruined it to the point where no one is going to want to buy it.
Pumpkin~my dog is currently eating pumpkin due to a bad case of diarrhea. Two big scoops every meal (he LOVES it!) has done the trick in just 3 days. I always have a couple of the huge cans on hand for this. The only other thing I use it for is Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. What do you make with it, Megan?
Jay~having worked for years in a hospital billing office I can say that your bill for an overnight stay isn't out of line at all. Unfortunately, they do have rules they have to follow and one of those is not discounting the deductible that patients must pay. Had you been someone without insurance, you could probably call them up and get a HUGE discount.
Tabata must have been what my DD tried once. Once. She had been doing P90X (an hour a day) and had stopped for a month or so. She did ONE Tabata routine and was sore for 4 days! It looks amazing!
Megan and Shannon-- if my dd moves forward with the service dog (and it looks like she will), investigating loans/grants is our next step. She spoke to the university because they will often pay for things to assist students with disabilities but they said a dog wouldn't be covered. They more often pay for needed technology so a student can attend classes, do their work, etc.
I also wondered what a dog could do for her and once my dd described everything, it made me very sad. She has hidden much of what she has gone through for years so we had no idea how much she has been affected. She tics in stressful situations (public) and her tics often involve her arms or legs jerking. She is constantly worried she will hit somebody so she stresses if anyone is near her in a store (airport, etc.). She can use the dog as a "buffer" to put between her and someone nearby. He would be trained to know "left", "right", "front", "back". She also has her muscles seize up and becomes almost paralyzed and she fears falling over. She usually has to brace up against a wall until the tic passes. She could use the dog as a brace. As a result of her tics (she has verbal tics though not words-- squeaks and other noises), she has social anxiety and near panic attacks making her not want to go places. The dog will serve as an aid to calm her in general, and also so people will realize that she has a disability if she is doing something out of the norm. There are many other things the dog would be trained to assist with, but those are a few of them.
Megan - I've done tabata sets before and they wore me flat out. The one I did had squats, jumping jacks, push ups, lunges, and I can't remember what else. It does pack in a high intensity workout in a small time frame. I've also had a lot of luck with workout number two on this All dumbbells, all the time page. Twenty minutes of circuit work, as much as you can do in that time. Crossfit does similar things - timed activities that can be tweaked for your available space and really hit hard. Would you do a hard core circuit workout on your own or do you need the person telling you when to change? I had trouble at first, but found that if I wrote everything down first and had to check off boxes I did better.
to everyone!
