A Time to Heal

In case you couldn't tell by the title, I've been sick recently. Not anything too major. Sinus infection combined with bronchitis, which is in turn setting off my asthma. I feel disgusting with all of the random mucus. I know it could be worse (I could have had to go to the hospital instead of the doc like I have before...), but I'm ready to show this sinus infection the door. I don't think I've ever had bronchitis before. If I have, I don't remember it making me this tired. I had to climb a single flight of steps yesterday, and got dizzy and really out of breath from it. Not that normal for me, seeing as I climb ladders at work, and they don't usually bother my asthma, just my knees.

Speaking of which, they are still grand and crunchy. I feel like someone's creaky rocking chair. I was sitting on the side of the bed the other night, while Mike was still home, and would just extend my leg out, and back again, and definitely could hear the popping. I am thinking it's time to start wearing my brace at work. :(

Now, enough depressing health stories. Here's what else is going on in my life:

My husband has left for his final training before deployment. I am trying hard to deal, but it's not as easy as it was the last times he went to training. I think it has to do with him going to a war zone after this one. But I'm not thinking about that. Instead, I am going to concentrate on making it though this next year in one piece.

We recently found a black widow spider in our garage. For all of you who did know...I HATE spiders, all spiders, EWW. Seeing a large, black, shiny spider with red dots on her back, I was concerned, and asked Mike to kill it. Quickly. It only made it worse when he flipped the spider over to see that red hourglass on her abdomen. EW EW EW. We never had black widows or brown recluses or scorpions where I grew up. I don't care how common they are here, I hate spiders, especially spiders that can POISON me.

Luckily, I have great neighbors that will come over and kill said spiders.

Speaking of neighbors...mine are great. The ones that are in the other half of the duplex are a really nice couple with three kids, and we all seem to get along great. Which makes me super happy, especially since the experiences with the last neighbors weren't so great. I haven't actually met the neighbors on the other side of me, but I do know that one of them is tall enough to see over the privacy fence and directly into our kitchen. It's only slightly disturbing.

Other than this, I've been trying to keep my house clean, trying to get my creativity back into gear, and attempting to walk despite my knees. So far, it hasn't worked to well. The last time I walked, it was for a half an hour, and I felt fine...until the next day, when my right knee felt weaker than normal and threatened to give out a few times. So I've been taking it easy, which frustrates me to no end. Although Mike and I talked about some other ideas that might help me...one of which appeals to me. Rather than walking, or at least postponing my goals until I can figure out what to do about my knees, I think I might invest in a bicycle. There is a nice little lake about a quarter mile away, and it's three miles around. Plus, less stress on my knees this way, and I get in my fitness. Hopefully soon I can figure out which bike I need, and start looking.

Anyway, it's time for bed. I am exhausted from getting up at 430 AM to drive home to make it in time for work.

Update?

Things have been rolling lately!

My father in law came and went. His trip here was interesting...lots of things going on while he was here. I learned to cook a few of his recipes, so hopefully I will be replicating them soon.

Mike has left for predeployment stuff. And so it begins.

We moved into our new place. It's soo much bigger! So far, so good...but I'm still in the process of unpacking. We've gotten everything done except for my room and the office. But at least the rest of the house is habitable!

As far as exercise is going, I've only been able to get on the treadmill a few times in the last few weeks, and I can't run whatsoever. Both knees are acting up now, and I just can't push myself to strain them anymore. So I'm powerwalking, I suppose. Not a stroll, but not racewalking, either. I really need to dig out my knee braces and start using them at work. I'm pretty sure it's climbing the ladders all day that are slowly wearing them down.

As for my eating habits, they haven't been so hot lately. A combination of fast meals and snacks, which isn't good, but at least my weight is hitting about the same, so I haven't gone up any.

My asthma. It's been acting up. A lot. Since I was doing so well without using my preventative meds, I stopped taking them for a time, sort of to see how well I can be without them. Experiment was a failure, I blame spring moving on in. Not that I want spring to leave (I HATE winter), but I wish it would leave the allergens elsewhere. Like somewhere I'm not.

Long story short, I'm starting back onto my preventative meds. I am trying not to see this as a failure, or a step backwards. I've been struggling with that lately, telling myself it could be much, much worse. Sometimes I succeed (thank you Mr. Gaudet, for your inspirational self), especially when I look at my nebulizer and realize that I haven't had to use it in at least a year. Other, more trying days, I look at it with loathing and hope that today isn't the day that I need to begin using it again.

Oh, well. Not today, thank God. Not today.