Pat, yes , I too sometimes feel like I want to work again. But, going that first yr. without my SS payments was finanacially disastrous for us. I worry about what would happen if I went back to work and then was called for my transplant. Would it mean another yr. wait before I could draw my SS again? That would destroy us. It's really not a risk I'm able to take. Somedays I feel like I'm healthy enough, other days I spend most all day in pain laying in bed. I really don't think I could handle any type of full-time employment. Therefore, whatever I could make would be less than I'm drawing now. When I get depressed about it, I have to remind myself that the money I am drawing is the money that I (and my employer) paid in for me during my 20 yrs. working as an RN.

We had a great time at the pool yesterday. I mostly swam laps and would sit out every once in a while to rest , then jump in and do some more. I felt like it was great exercise. We're going again this afternoon. SD and DD are using the tanning beds for 15min's prior to swimming. We are lucky, my DH won the free golf club membership last month for winning a golf tournament and it is Free for the whole family for a yr. I knew that he had won the free membership, but until I called, I didn't know it included the whole family. Me and the girls are gonna take full advantage of the pool this summer. It is only 15 min's from where we live and closer and cheaper than going to the lake. I'm really glad now that I got two new swimsuits and I'm not at all uncomfortable to wear them. (This is the first time I've swam in a pool in many,many yrs.).

Has anyone else ever had a problem with shin splints? I have noticed that the front of my left leg has started hurting a lot. So much so, that it even bothers me when I'm trying to sleep. It feels like it's totally "bone" that hurts. I never had this problem with pain when I was walking on my treadmill. It has just started since I started walking the steep hill. Is there anything I can do for it? Do I need to see a Dr.?

Lily - the good news is that if you got it from walking the steep hill, it probably truly is shin splints or muscle weakness and not something more serious. It may be the downhill part more than the uphill part that is getting you.

Make sure you have good shoes

Ice, massage, and if you are allowed, ibuprofen. I'm guessing you probably shouldnt take ibu though. Walk through the recovery but watch the hills - especially the downs.

Now to prevent reoccurence you need to work on calf and shin stretching and shin strength. Next time you go walking walk some flats first and then stop and stretch your calves - straight leg stretches the body of the calf, bent knee stretches the soleus. At home you can stretch shins by kneeling, toes pointed. Your heels should be wider than your hips but your toes should be straight back.
Put pillows under your butt so there is stretch, but NO KNEE PAIN. If this is at all painful - stop and there are alternatives. If you can kneel like that, then press the tops of your feet into the floor, this will help strengthen as well (here is a picture and expert description: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/490_1.cfm)

strengthen - get an exercise band, put it around the top of the foot and do toe raises/pull backs.

I ate awful last night, and it made me have a hard time sleeping. Hopefully that was a lesson learned. I am starting to (FINALLY) develop a real dislike of the stuffed feeling.

ennay, thanks so much. I will try your suggestions. I'm not supposed to ever take ibuprofen, but I have taken it on rare occasions. (Nor tylenol). Since the pain started when and where it did, I figured it must be shin splints. Is this unusal for only 1 leg to be hurting and not the other? I'm gonna try to find me some new shoes. My Nike's that I've been using are getting fairly worn. Do you have any suggestion on which type of shoe to buy? I'll definitely try the stretching exercises, thanks for posting this for me.

Hey Lily!

I can't wear Nike at all. About the only shoe I can wear is Adidas. But if yours are getting worn, it's time for new ones.

Most people have one leg that's their pushoff leg and one that's their landing leg. I'd guess maybe your landing leg is the one that's sore, if the downhill part is what's getting to you. But of course I'm just guessing.

Use ice, and stay off the hills for awhile.

No, you should NEVER take Tylenol with liver problems.

Hope you feel better soon!

Jay

Lily I would go to a running store honestly, they usually also carry walking shoes and can look at your gait and fit you properly. It is not at all unusual for it to be onesided...if you pronate more on one side it puts more strain. I would save the ibuprofen for something more serious...it will speed recovery a bit but a good warmup, a good massage, a good stretch and then ice will do. Tylenol would be useless anyway, the ibu is for inflammation, not pain.

Even though I'm the smallest person I know over the age of 14, this morning I felt incredible fat from the humidity that was still lingering in my bedroom when I woke up. I felt absolutely huge like I weighed my higest weight. Does this happen to anyone else?

Fortunately, a cold front from Canada came through last night with the rain. It's got to be 10 degrees cooler and feels like no humidity. I procrastinated yesterday from mowing the lawn again by paying bills, getting my disability paperwork copied and mailed off, and other errands.

Now I'm trying to get my 4 prescriptions refilled under my new prescription plan and when the pharmacy calls it in, they're told my coverage has been terminated. I called the human resource coordinator where I used to work and she was able to look up my id on the Blue Cross database and saw that yes, in fact I am covered.

I often fluxuate from feeling very grateful for being on disability to feeling guilty. Grateful that I have the coverage and can stay home in my 'safe' stress free environment and keep myself in balanced mental health. Guilty that I'm still very capable and could work given the right work atmosphere. But finding the right job through trying jobs that might be very wrong and put me into a manic or depressive episode is a risk my doctor, DH, and I no longer want to take. I've gone back to work so many times only to get 'sick' again.

So I volunteer to do publicity and write articles for art organizations which lead to my very part time job as a magazine editor for an honorium. But it seems that the amount is too high for my private insurance and may put that in jeoprady.

Ennay, thanks, I will try a running store and see if I find shoes that will help. I certainly don't want to give up my good exercise that is working for me.

So much for going to the pool again. It is storming here. Molly, my labrador, is huddled under the computer desk shaking. She is scared to death of storms.

Carolyn, I can definitely identify with the "feeling guilty but grateful" over drawing disability. I feel the same. Some days I feel like I should be working, other days I know there is no way I can. I'm glad you were able to get your prescription thing worked out. Medicine can be very costly. Mine are. I know that Walmart has a new $4.00 prescription plan for some older and generic med's. Next time I need refills I'm gonna see if any of mine could be on that plan.

Good morning maintainers!

Still here in Hawaii. I've been walking all over and trying to stay warm. I've been holed up in the convention center so much and they keep those rooms like refrigerators. Every so often, I have to go outside and get warm. Yesterday I walked several miles in the rain. Not enough rain to even see it on the sidewalks--but you could see it coming down and I got quite moist. Then the sun came out and you can imagine how uncomfortable that was! DS had his seeding rounds in the tournament yesterday. His team is seeded 10th out of 66 teams. Pretty incredible! We're certain he won't win, but as long as he places first among the middle schoolers, we'll be happy. There is no distinction on age in this tournament. A team is a team regardless of age (teams are mostly high school, middle school with a couple elementary teams in there as well). All compete for the top spot (which usually goes to a team from high school).

Next year, we'll be in OK city for the tournament. There is a guy who teaches at the U of Oklahoma who had a hand's on symposium that DS went to. He learned quite a lot and it turns out that it was a good class to go to as next year the robots will be using this platform (now they use Legos and some other things with tiny motors--next year they'll use Roombas). Do you know what a roomba is? They are those vacuums that you put down and they vacuum while you are at work. The kids will be taking those apart and programming them to do certain things for the next tournament.

I dropped DS off at the convention center and came back to the hotel for a rather boring lazy day. I may head down to the pool later. I wish DH had been able to come with me. I hate being alone in a strange place--it feels too much like a business trip!

Allison - take a walk to the beach! Then you'll feel like you're on vacation.

The pharmacist called back and my meds were approved. Now I just have to pay the $250 annual deductiable plus 20% co-pay. Could be worse - could be without a health plan.

I just now paid attention to what the competition was, my dh has been a judge for the lego thing a couple times. He laughed at me when I offered to get him the book "hacking roomba" (we have one), but maybe I should!

Hi everyone. Just plopping in for a wee moan. I've been thinking all day about posting something. I just don't know what really.
I guess I'm still struggling with the 'what to do next' thing. I can't seem to get my head around the food part. So far I've bumped my calories up with ice cream. Of course I know better than that.
BFL style suits me. I like it. It's easy.
Maybe I need a grocery trip, ya know ... scouring the stores for new ideas. Maybe soy sausage or something different.
I'm reluctant to get crackers or nuts ... they're such triggers for me.
I cannot eat just one slice of bread, no matter how grainy and hearty.

On the other hand, exercise is good. I love walk/jog intervals. This week's weight sessions have been much sturdier than they have for a long time.

And my garden's looking good. I have teeny tiny squashes! I'm really looking forward to them.

OK, so it's been one week since I began maintenance. And today I weigh the same as I did a week ago--in fact, a few tenths less--even though I feel like I'm eating "too much."

This is the way it's supposed to work, right?

If so, I like it!

rockinrobin, you'll have to give this a try...

Jay

Allison-could they rig me a roomba that also dusts and makes dinner? I think the competition sounds very cool.

Carolyn-I'm glad they got the Rx insurance thing figured out. I'm glad I have insurance too, but they don't make it easy.

Susan-Hang in there. I don't have any words of wisdom but I do understand the feelings.

I'm feeling much better now that the heat has dropped some here. Now if the baseball bleachers were just more comfy.

Yay Jay!!! Nailing maintenance, you go girl!!

Umm, yeah I'm kinda giving it a try. This is gonna sound a little crazy. But I think I'm working kind of on an every other week thing for now. First week, I maintained, then last week I tightened up a bit and lost, this week I've been a little more ... relaxed shall we say. Next week I will tighten again. A little Russian Roulette sounding perhaps, but we shall see.

Allison, you're in Hawaii? AWESOME. I am soo jealous, yes very, very JEALOUS. But definitely, get thyself out of that building and onto a beach!