health update

Guess what. I did not have to go to Oklahoma for work as originally scheduled this weekend. That was a really good decision. I think I am going to take a break from traveling, at least for a little bit (aka, as long as I can before duty calls again). Physically, my back can't handle long hours in the car, but also mentally, I really need to be home right now. Plus, the weather is in that sweet spot where it's not too hot and not too cold. I wish it could stay like this always. I need to be home so I can open my windows and find delight in the sunlight and the breeze.

Overall, it's been a tough week. I went back to the doctor on Tuesday to ask questions about my back. This was post the steroid epidural I had the Friday before, which, for most people, makes the pain go away within 48 hours. No such luck for me. It was a weird experience and now I have a picture of my bones in my desk.

I know I posted about having arthritis, but turns out, I don't really have arthritis. I have a degenerative condition in my back. Technically arthritis is a degenerative condition, but it's not quite what I have going on in my back. Confused? Yeah me too.

My understanding is that I have some kind of osteophyte, which is a bony outgrowth associated with the degeneration of cartilage at joints. So this is going on in my spine, which is pressing into the cartilage and putting pressure on my nerves. As a result, the pain alternates from being in my gluts, hip, calf and/or foot (and rarely felt in my back itself).  So weird. Am I 95? Yeah, probably.

More news on the old person front was also discovered this week at the eye doctor. I haven't been able to wear my contacts because my eyes are so dry. I thought it was just allergies but apparently my eyes aren't producing some kind of eye oil. (I didn't take notes so I have no idea what the medical terms are here. Sorry). In order to remedy this, I have to increase my intake of omega 3s. So I straight up bought fish oil pills at Dillion's this week. What in the world.

Is it fine if I cash in my social security or what?

Jokes aside, I still feel pretty discouraged about all these discoveries. Plus, this week, I also found out that I did not get a job within the organization for whom I currently work. I was overly hopeful. It was something I was really interested in and would mean limited traveling. No such luck. I am not sure how to balance the demands of work travel with my physical, emotional and mental well being.

Until I sort all that out, in the meanwhile, I am trying, once again, to up my health game. I am going to be an adult and take my vitamins, hence the fish oil pills as well as D3, which supports bone health, and B12 for nerve health. I've also been researching foods that help with arthritis (which is easier to google). I'm trying to eat more salmon and tuna, which are good sources of omega 3s as well as finding more ways to incorporate turmeric into my diet. I'm hoping this means I'll cook up more curries in the next couple of weeks, but in the meanwhile, I've been drinking a turmeric lime kombucha, which is a fermented tea drink and super weird. However, is kind of growing on me. (I've been drinking it faster than I thought I would).

Yep, for sure it looks like pee

Finally, today when I was in Wichita, I stopped by the cutest (and only) juice place and bought some veggie/fruit juice (one of which has turmeric in it) in order to help me be serious about veggies this week.

hmm

I'm doing better with all of these discoveries than I was earlier this week. But I did have an emotional down at work (yay) and stood in front of the vitamins at Dillion's for like 10 minutes trying not to gag as I picked out what looked like the most digestible fish pills.  (I actually did pretty good. So far, no fish burps. Geesh. I cannot even type that without getting super grossed out).

Thankfully, this weekend was really, really good. And I was home, which for me is one of the best therapeutic things in my life.