Thursday, July 15, 2010

Ins and outs and ups and downs

For some reason, I have had a day of pretty substantial GI disturbance at the lower end of the tract...translate: many trips to the ladies room.  Now of course this has in no way interfered with my appetite, and I feel completely fine.  So far I have kept the food totally on plan and am feeling pretty confident that the way things are "going", my weigh in tomorrow will be pretty decent.  No massive loss like the 9 pounds in 6 days prior to my trip to Texas, but I've done okay this week, even before this day of...evacuation.

EXCEPT...I am going to dinner with a close friend tonight to...P.F. Changs.  Just typing the letters makes my myriad cells start to take on water.  I'm hoping that the fluid retention effect of the nouveau Chinese cuisine will be offset by the day I've had where virtually nothing that has been ingested has stayed in the system very long.  Isn't this a delicate way to dance around describing a day of diarrhea? 

I've been eating tons of fruit and salads all week, and often when I do that my wittel tummy rebels.  Not like it isn't made of cast iron, but after so much fruit and produce for so many days, sh*t happens.  Hahaha...I do crack myself up...hey! No pun intended!!

Not much else going on this week except our home internet connection continues to flicker between on and off with increasing lengths of time in the off category.  Comcast has been here no less than 4 times, and each time (according to Hubby who works out of the house) they have found significant f-ed up aspects of our connection and allegedly fixed each.  I'm actually using wifi in the house for now but fear it could go at any second.

My exercise has been okay this week, but I can definitely tell that the heat and humidity really affect my knees...they've been stiffer than usual.  I'm at the 5 month mark from my R knee arthroscopy and 8 months since the L, and they have yet to return to their pre-meniscus-tear statuses.  Harumph!  For awhile I was almost without any pain or stiffness, but summer has caused some of those unwelcome symptoms to return.  And since my 5 mile walk on Sunday at the hilly park, my R hip has also felt a little off.  No pain - but minor soreness and weakness.  Man...this being 50-something (alright dammit, 55-something) is not for the feint of heart.  Until the cartilage tears in my knees this past fall, my body still felt pretty normal.  And I'm just enough of a magical thinker to still hope for a return to that status.

Finally, speaking of being a woman of a certain age, cough cough, just yesterday I passed a new development of really beautiful town homes that finally has put up their sign that advertises "Luxury Senior Living for Ages 55 and Up", and I felt like I'd been socked in the stomach.  The age categories of demographics almost all stop at "55 and Up".  Now senior communities have "lowered" their requirements?  Gheeeesh, here I've been excited about my upcoming birthday (next Thursday), and certainly I'd rather be this age than not.  But I am in no way a senior citizen.  It's hard to believe that I'm where I am chronilogically.  That being said, I really hope to be around long enough to hold and spoil not just grandchildren, but GREAT grands too.  So I'd better get used to being a used up old broad! 

Wow - this was a rambling and disjointed post...very much in keeping with where my head is today.  Now I'm off to get ready for my dinner out.  Beat the heat, blogging friends.

19 comments:

  1. Have fun at The Chang! There will be sodium-induced swelling - there's just no way around it. Drink lots of water and hope for the best. I hope your *tummy* likes Chinese food.

    I don't have grandchildren, but I wonder if they would like at me (like I did my grandmother) and think "My, she is old." I think we are getting younger as we age, right?

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  2. I hope you're tummy feels better before you head out to PF Changs. I've been craving those lettuce wraps ....MMMMmmmmm....

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  3. Thanks for your comments on my blog yesterday...and no...I NEVER tire of your AA knowledge...I learn so much from it...Please don't stop.

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  4. Hi Leslie, I've been trying to stop by and say hello to all my fellow Freedom Challenge participants. Have been reading your blog for a while now and getting up to date with your "story." I enjoy it a lot. Couldn't pass up the chance to tell you I'm right behind you with the 55th birthday. Mine is the 30th. I don't know about you, but I'm just getting better instead of older. I think you are too!!

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  5. Did you see my post (when was it?) where I made the stir fried rice from Cook This, Not That that was supposed to be better than PF Changs? Seriously, I don't want the bloat but I think I need to eat at one of these because people rave about it. There's not even one near me though...

    I keep telling Mr. Helen that the Very Best Thing about him turning 55 this year is that we now qualify for Active Adult Living spaces!! (Gotta look on the bright side, right?) It's definitely NOT Senior Citizen or whatever they're calling it where you live.

    Sorry to hear about your knees. The meniscus can be the devil. Mr. Helen's has started acting up again and he's ticked off! So while I've never experienced it, I understand.

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  6. I love it when you talk about diarreah and P.F. Chang's in the same post!! lol

    You know what's weird. We have a P.F. Chang's now at Cumberland Mall....I work behind Cumberland Mall, about 1/2 mile away....and I still have never been there. And I think you know what a lover of Chinese food I am. Something weird about this, lol. One of these days!! Hell, I'm supposed to be back on track come the first of August when I get all moved in...so shouldn't I run over there and try them out sometime in the next 2 weeks?? You don't mind being my instigator, do you? lol Watch us end up THERE for dinner when you're down in August, lol...don't worry, we just won't blog about it, lol. :)

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  7. Hope things settle down so you can enjoy your night out. My Eat This Not That book said that the best choice at PF Chang is their steak. Last time I was there (early June), DH and I ordered wonton soup, the lettuce wraps and the steak and shared the last two. It was plenty.
    As to the age thing--I'm way ahead of you (just 59) and I still feel ~25 inside my head. Amazing to me that my kids are in their mid 30s!

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  8. PF Changs - that is one of those places I best avoid. :-)

    BW, fifty-five is seeming younger and younger every day.

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  9. Rice is good for your kind of tummy troubles, so P.F. Changs sounds like the perfect place to eat. Just don't get on the scale for a couple of days afterward...let that sodium flush out. Hope you are feeling better.

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  10. I'm back! I used you as an example in my post tonight. I hope you don't mind. I know when you read it you'll know exactly where I was coming from. :)

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  11. Oh, Chang's is sooooo good.

    51 isn't all it's cracked up to be either. My knees were no trouble until about a year ago.....

    Good luck with the scale. You're doing so wel1!

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  12. Love your title. It's perfect.

    Don't let the marketing get to you. . . no one identifies themselves as a "senior"--unless you're in HS--so they have to put an age to attract people, and needing the largest possible market in this economy. . . .they aimed at the "youngsters!"

    Lettuce often upsets my tummy--you gotta wash it well and not eat any mushy leaves!

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  13. Anonymous15 July, 2010

    I LOVE the places that give senior discounts at 55! LOL

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  14. I turn 50 this year. Never felt better. Even though it seems like I am falling apart at times. Totally relate to the 55+ thing. I am not an old fart.

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  15. Hope your tummy rebellion settles soon ! I am 52 and I keep thinking things like AARP and anything Senior SHOULD be years and years and years away still. I think perhaps we need to work hard at shaping a new definition of that status !

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  16. Hope you had a lovely time and you tummy troubles (I was going to say "trots", but realise that probably sounds a bit coarse!) are much better. Funny thing: I can't remember ever being so ill that it affected my appetite! Even if I was dashing to the loo every 5 minutes, I'd still want to eat! :o(

    Hope you have a lovely weekend!

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  17. your post brought a smurk to my face a few times today lol. I hope your feeling better soon, this hot humid weather is no fun at all!!

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  18. Anonymous16 July, 2010

    I love P.F. Chang's! Hope you had a great time.

    And if I eat too many salads in a row, my tummy revolts too :(

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