Week 10: Making Progress

Busy, busy week, but feeling better all the time.

Saw my doctor and he agrees that where I felt better when I started taking iron supplements, iron deficiency was/is likely the problem. I am going for a blood test, will continue the supplements for 3 months, then get another blood test. Hopefully at that point, all will be well.

I think I really am starting to feel more like myself. I went to yoga at noon today and it was so much better than it has been in a long time. Lately I'd go, but it all felt hard, and it was hard to catch my breath, and I'd end up with headaches...Today was good.

And I planned to go to Zumba after work as well. I actually wanted to go! It feels like it's been forever since I could say that, I was starting to think I had imagined that whole "I love Zumba" phase. I didn't end up going, because Husband called, so I spent the time talking to him instead. It was way early for him, he was awakened by a phone call and couldn't get back to sleep. 

Got a second hearing aid on Friday. I had forgotten what it is like when you first get a hearing aid.
A person with normal hearing is constantly filtering out background noise without realizing it. When you start to lose your hearing, one of the first things to go is background noise.

Then you put a hearing aid in your ear and suddenly you are hearing everying: paper rustling, plasic crinkling, your own footsteps, keys jangling, change rattling around your wallet, the turn signal when you're driving your car. Everything is loud. I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from the audiologist and the background noise in the store almost drowned out the voice of anyone who spoke to me. When I went out on Saturday to finish my shopping, I ended up turning the new hearing aid off after a while. I'm finding that having the radio on my car irritates me at the moment. It's all rather overwhelming, but it should get better eventually.

While we're on the subject of hearing, and the lack thereof...If you are speaking to someone and they say they are deaf or hard of hearing, and could you please speak up; do make an effort to raise your voice and maybe even ask if this level is okay - can you hear me now? So many times I have told people that I can't hear them, and they say oh right, then keep right on talking at a low volume. It is frustrating and it makes you feel stupid when you have to keep asking people to repeat themselves.

Sorry, that little rant just came out.

Anyway, as I said, busy week. I have no new photos because I didn't take any this week. So, I thought we'd revisit Japan! This time last year, Husband and I had just returned from our trip; and Husband is there now, so it's been on my mind.

We tried to cram as much as we could into that trip, and took a lot of pictures. It's hard to choose, but these are some favorites.

View of Tokyo from Tokyo station

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Kyoto

Landscape Gardens at Himeji Castle

Arashiyama Bamboo Groves

The Golden Pavillion in Kyoto

Week 9: Self-Diagnosis Says...

One year ago today, in Kawazu, Japan, for the cherry blossom festival:

How time flies!

This week started off with a snow storm, that turned to rain and started melting away the snow...all in the same day of course, because I live in the Maritimes.

I had an appointment with my audiologist on Monday afternoon and she went over my latest hearing test results (from meeting with the specialist a couple of weeks ago) in more detail. The short version being, that my hearing has deteriorated a fair amount - where I was at about a 40-60% loss before, I am now looking at a 60-80% loss. We discussed next steps, and I go back again at the end of this week.

I found myself in tears on the way home. This is nothing new, I've been living with this for 10 years now. I was upset when I was first diagnosed, but I thought I had come to terms with it, the fact that things would likely get worse...But I guess it's different when you are faced with the reality of it. I am doing my best to focus on how fortunate I am that I have options, and that hearing aids are so much better now, and getting better all the time. It's still hard though.

By Monday, I was also feeling exhausted again, which probably didn't help matters. When I got home, I was flipping through a magazine and happened to see something about fatigue and Iron deficiency. So I looked it up and saw a list of familiar symptoms - fatigue, headaches, feeling weak, shortness of breath, inability to concentrate, dizziness; that describes exactly how I've been feeling.

How does one have these symptoms and not clue in that something might be wrong? I'm just so used to being tired. I get tired easily, I've always been that way. When I start to get over-tired, to the point that I can't keep up with things, I just try to take it easy, rest up, wait it out. This time, things were pretty extreme, but when you get in the habit of ignoring something, I suppose  you need some sort of wake-up call to realize there is more to it.

On Tuesday I bought iron supplements and started taking them right away. By the second day I was starting to feel better. I'm still not bursting with energy, but I don't feel half dead and that is a huge improvement.

I did make a doctor's appointment as well. This seems like something I should get checked out, and I'm not sure what the deal is with iron supplements - how long one should keep taking them, for example.

I haven't mentioned this to Husband, since he is still away and I don't want him to worry. I'm expecting a rousing chorus of "I told you so!" when I do tell him. He's been saying for years that I need to eat more red meat, then I wouldn't be so cold all the time.

I have actually been looking up the iron content of everything I eat as well. I eat lots of things that contain iron, just not necessarily in large quantities.

Anyway, I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel now. I'm honestly still being pretty lazy. I forced myself to work out on Monday & Tuesday, because I'd been feeling like I couldn't just sit back and give in...But since then I just haven't been able to make myself do it. I'm not really feeling bad about that, truth to tell. But since I am feeling better, I'm hoping this coming week I'll be back in the game.

Monday

Let me in! It's snowing out here!

On Thursday, I went to see Ray's Reptile Zoo on my lunch break because I wanted to see the Lynx.  Her name is Hazard. She did not appear to be impressed with the proceedings. Don't you just wish you could give her a hug?

Week 8: Hanging In

This was a long, hard week. I was tired and not feeling well. I've been getting a lot of headaches; the radiate from my neck and base of my skull; a few times I felt light headed. Before you ask - yes I've been eating enough; that's the first thing I thought of. I'm not sure what the deal is, but by yesterday I was starting to feel pretty sorry for myself.

The good news, I am definitely feeling  better today, so hopefully things will be back to normal this week.

Eating was very much the same as last week, though toward the end of the week I was just tired and going for whatever was easy. Along with everything else that was going on, my tummy was unhappy so it was hard to figure out what to eat that wouldn't make me feel worse.

February Workouts
01: Jackie Warner 30 Day Fast Start UB&LB + Treadmill Walk
04: 12PM Yoga + 6PM Zumba
05: Jackie Warner 30 Day Fast Start UB & LB
07: Treadmill Walk
09: Kathy Smith Personal Trainer Sculpting
13: Ellen Barrett Skinny Sculpt
18: Zumba
20: Jackie Warner Power Circuit LB + UB
22: Zumba Fitness Party
23: The FIRM Cardio Power Burst + Interval Blast
25: Yoga @ Yoga Haus
26: Jackie Warner One on One Training UB + LB
27: Zumba

...And I am missing a workout in there somewhere because I remember doing my Cardio Sculpt DVD, but I can't figure out when it was...Grrr!

 

Looking forward to  spring, though I know we can still get plenty of wintry weather for the next month or so. I just keep telling myself that the end of winter is around the corner.