Becky wishing you peace, saef happy for your reprieve!

After my first week of greatly increased exercise in the mountains (ah summer) I now have only about 7 1/2 pounds to go to get to the top of my ideal maintenance range. I haven't done any heavy-duty cleansing or strict dieting like I did last year when I lost 30 pounds, and this gradual rebalancing to my maintenance weight seems to be working nicely.

It may be too late to catch you, Dagmar, but a big & sore lump in the armpit is definitely something to mention to the doc.

Agree.

Yep. Both should be looked at closely. Lumps are not normal.

So far we're having a good morning. Lots of errands and chores to be done today and boy is it hot! I came home yesterday and thought "gee, this feels different" and then I realized the central AC was on rather than our evaporative coolers. Then I got a text from DS who said he and his friend were playing pool and realized it was very hot in the house, so they closed it up and turned on the AC. It was a welcome relief. I don't know the exact high yesterday, but it was at least 109. More of that to come, I'm afraid.

We're nearing the end of season 4 of Breaking Bad and I just got the first half of season 5 yesterday. I'm thinking marathon. We'll be inside where it's comfortable! And popcorn sounds kind of comforting. I've been "brewing" some rosemary olive oil just for the occasion.

Watched the doc lance my thumb (no freezing - I guess he thinks I'm tough or something) and squeeze out all the gunk . He poked around in my armpit and announced that it probably was a swollen lymph node (to go with the infection in the thumb).

No antibiotics, no nothin' . He did put a bandaid on it (wow! ), told me to soak the thumb in hot salted water, and to call him back if things didn't go back to normal in a week. particularly the lump - he wants to send me for all sorts of tests if that doesn't go away along with the thumb stuff.

I realize that all of the superbugs that people are dying from are mostly the result of things that have become resistant to the overabundance of antibiotics that have been prescribed over the years. But I think being told to buy some polysporin with antibiotics in it and being given a bandaid was a little too far in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately I have been to several other docs and my current one is the best of the lot. And he's open Saturday morning @ 8 a.m. so I don't lose a half day of work to go there. SIGH.

And I have to say that the thumb, after 2 soakings and applications of cream and new bandaids, is already much better. I can touch it now without wincing in pain. It's tender but bearable. DH no longer has to do up my buttons or shoelaces.

Dagmar

That sounds good, Dagmar. Glad he'll keep an eye on the armpit lump. FWIW, we do a lot with hot salt water in this household.

Good luck to you, Dagmar. I've had a lump on my armpit, but it went away. It wasn't so big, though.

Dagmar, do not ignore that lump if it doesn't go away or if it does and comes bak, see a doctor.

I will. I have a history of cysts and lots of them in the breast area so I do all the stuff necessary - self exams, doctor's exams, mammograms, etc. I have had 4 cysts removed over the years and I am now wandering into TMI territory.

Dagmar

Glad that your sandbags held, saef. For all our rain, we saw no tree limb damage. There was no wind - it all fell straight down.

Glad you're healing, Dagmar - I've soaked in Epsom Salts for many an hour. It's hard to work without a thumb.

My goal for today is to avoid snacking my way through an event that will delay my lunch. The other option is to eat from the boxes of cookies that will be provided.

Dagmar, your doctor is wise: the standard treatment for a "contained" infection (an abscess) is simply to open and drain it. Antibiotics are only necessary if there is a "cellulitis" - a spread of the bacteria into the tissues surrounding the area.

Saef, sorry you had another rainstorm. I think you're going to be skittish around "big weather" for years to come (a version of PTSD?), but the more of them that come and go without inflicting further damage, the more equanimity you will be able to feel when the forecast calls for storms.

My day sort of s*cked. I am on hospital duty this week, so I missed my youngest DS' 8th birthday party, spent the entire day in the hospital, and after dinner, DH and oldest DS had yet another set of arguments (the 6,748th) culminating in almost-15 year old DS crying in his room and DH devastated and furious, and both of them completely emotionally drained. I know this thread is not for major family emotional stuff, but it's hard to think about anything else right now.

Hugs Andrea. So sorry. Family stuff can be so draining. My two dd's were here and they can't stand to be around each other for more than 24 hours. We tried to go to lunch and they had a hissy with each other and one stormed off saying some choice words (this was in the parking lot before we went into the restaurant). We managed to go into the restaurant and eat but it was tense. So, you're not alone!!

I'll turn the family issue into a food question to keep it somewhat on topic.... we had Vietnamese Pho Soup. Any idea how healthy that might be? We had chicken (the other option was beef). I've never had it before but LOVED it-- if it's a good choice I can definitely see having it more often. There are Pho restaurants all over the place here.