Okay - second major accomplishment. My husband loves to enjoy a Nutty Buddy every night for a snack. ONE Nutty Buddy. He switched from sugarfree jello and topping (which I had no problem staying out of), to these Nutty Buddies that call out to me during the night. So last week I bought some Skinny Cow Salted Caramel ice cream bars. ONE a night would be okay. But in my past - I've never been able to control myself, and that box of 5 bars would be gone in one or two days. SUCCESS. The box lasted me five days, and I did not eat one Nutty Buddy.
Hey I just thought of a third major accomplishment - I'm going for physical therapy on my knees and getting myself back up to the fitness center. Exercise is a scary thing when you don't know if you're helping something, or making it worse. Early this year I thought it was making it worse so I stopped. I have to be honest here and say I HATE EXERCISING, and will use any excuse in the book to get out of it. But I saw an ortho surgeon this week. He cared for my mom for ten years, and Dick even went to see him last year. So this doc knows me, and I told him one day I would be his patient. That day arrived on Tuesday! I told him I was not going to let him touch my knees for the time being, I just wanted him to look at my x-rays and talk to me. He laughed and said, "Yeah, I know. My assistant who got info from you told me I'd have to wrestle you to the ground before you'd let me do any intervention." I said, "Good, I got my point across!" and we both laughed. He said I have moderate arthritis in my knees, more in the kneecap area, which is a little unusual, but all he said he'd recommend right now is physical therapy so I can learn the appropriate exercise which will strengthen the muscles around my knee, making it more stable. He said I'm six years from needing a knee replacement, if then, and he'll be around to do it for me cause "we've got a history." I love that man. So I'm lined up for physical therapy at a place around the corner from us, twice a week til mid-May. My hope is to be able to learn what to do and then do it on my own. I'm sure any piece of equipment that the physical therapy place has, we have the same in our high tech fitness center here in Sun City.
Sorry to make this so long, but one more thing. Early in the year I went for a consult to an alternative medicine practice who gave a seminar here in Sun City about options to knee surgery. Because I attended the seminar, I got a free consult. So I got new x-rays done and went for my consult. I told her upfront, too, that I was not seeking an intervention, just wanted to know what she thought. Well - it was so depressing. She looked at my x-rays with me and said my knees were really bad, and there wasn't an orthopedic surgeon around who wouldn't be comfortable replacing both of my knees, NOW. Wow - well, I knew that wasn't gonna happen, but depressing all the same. She also said that even if I exercise a lot - I'll be back in two years with pain so bad I'll need an intervention. I told the doc I saw this week what I'd been told by that practice and he couldn't believe it. They were just using scare tactics. Kinda scary, but that's why we all need to be educated patients and not be afraid to challenge any doc about anything....
Thanks for reading, gotta close and run to the bathroom (drinking more water again). And how unfair is this: At my stage in life - my bladder demands I get to the bathroom quicker, and my knees take longer to get me there. Not good! Very poor planning on someone's part, and I'll had that to my list of questions to address when I walk through those Pearly Gates. (hopefully I make it)