A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Health

When your back goes …

I have many friends who have had back issues and I’m sure each one will say how tough it is to deal with.

In the past, I’ve pulled my back before. But either a trip to the chiropractor or some meds have helped fix things up and I’ve moved on.

My mistake, I believe, is not worrying about “maintenance” checks with my chiropractor. You see, it turns out it’s not bad to visit them when you are feeling good so … well, so that you keep feeling good.

This past February, about two or three weeks before I left for spring training (post on that coming soon), I was out doing what a lot of people in the Northeast do during the winter months — shoveling snow.

This was a snow that I should have been using the snow blower for, but I had been getting really active and sometimes shoveling felt like a better workout.

Well, except when you are near the driveway and the plows have been through, and there’s some water mixed in …

… if you live in a snow area, you probably know where this was going.

I scooped up a shovel full and turned to throw it and … ohhh that isn’t good. That tweak hurt a bit. And then I continued. After, I went inside, took a shower, grabbed three Advil and went to work.

The pain started to get a bit worse, so I called the doctor. He gave me some thoughts and said to call him again if it got worse.

It did.

So I went in to see him. He looked things over and eventually got me an XRay. Nothing showed there really.

This is when it all kind of started to mix together, so let me just give the cliff notes version.

I got in to see an orthopedic guy, who thought maybe I had some sciatica in there and said I needed to let nature take its course. He prescribed some meds that were supposed to help.

They might have some, but not a lot.

I also went to an acupuncturist in hopes of a quick fix … nothing doing.

Do you notice the one thing I haven’t mentioned here? Yeah … I am sure you have.

Then came the spring training trip. Flying wasn’t too bad as it wasn’t a super-long flight. But getting around spring training was awful. My back was killing me. I couldn’t walk too far without having to go into a catcher’s crouch to try and relieve the pain. I am sure I got many looks with that.

After the trip, back to the Northeast I went. This time, I got an MRI (and for those of you who’ve had to go into that tube for things like this… ugh. Talk about not fun. I don’t do well when in those situations), which didn’t really show anything.

That’s a good thing because the doctor never mentioned surgery.

Meanwhile, there’s a massage therapist who volunteers at one of the places I work. She works with some students with things for PT and such. A staff member knew this person and brought her to see me. I explained the whole situation and she had me do a few stretches and movements to see how I reacted.

In the end, she said she could work with me if I wanted, but what I really needed was a chiropractor.

Go figure.

It seems chiropractors aren’t usually something some orthopedic doctors will send you to, so I did it on my own. Though it cost me a few hundred bucks in appointments, it was the best move I made. Within a couple of weeks, I started feeling better. It kept improving.

Heck, when I went to the orthopedic guy and he checked me out and I told him what I was doing, he basically said “Good for you and keep it up so you feel better.” The nurse who tended to me that day told me it had probably been a wise choice and even she went to chiropractors sometimes.

Now, I’m much better. I go once a month for maintenance and I plan on keeping that up. I’m still not where I was before this all happened — and I know I need to because being active helps because I can lose some weight, which helps with the back as well — but I know I will get there.

I’ve learned backs aren’t something to mess with. This was several months of pain — sometimes severe so much where I slept on a recliner for several weeks — that I could have reduced by just getting to the chiropractor earlier.

Lesson learned.

Backs are an important part of a body. Take care of them the best you can!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Living with Diabetes: December/January

It seems like the months got away from me on this one! With everything going on over the holidays, I obviously missed December’s “report,” so I’m going to double up, and there is a lot to report on!

Last told, I made it through Thanksgiving without much of an issue. So, there’s a lot to update on.

Something I was quite proud of was making it through 2017 without having candy over the final three months. That means getting through the holidays without being silly with mass-produced goodies. Yes, a few of the famous caramels done up by my mother each Christmas were had, but outside of that I was good. I stuck to the one soda per week and I was out walking.

Boy was I ever.

Since I started this odyssey at the end of September, I’ve made it a priority to get out and walk. Though I can’t say I’ve never missed a day, it’s highly rare. From early October when I started this, to early January 22 (the day before my latest doctor appointment), I had taken more than 1,218,000 steps.

For some people, that might not be a super ton over that period (though I think it would be pretty good for most people, as that is averaging more than 10,500 steps per day), but for me it was a huge step (you like what I did there?) in the right direction. But looking back to when I first started using my Fitbit again, this is way better. From July 23 until the end of September, I had 457,856 steps. Though the time is shorter in that comparison, it gives a glimpse of what I was doing as compared to now.

Routine is important and I think I am doing well with that.

I make my goal to get to 10,000 steps per day, which is (give or take) about five miles per day. Some of that is done throughout the day as I push myself to walk more during work hours, and then I make up the difference with walks at night. I tend to push myself to make sure I get these steps, as if I don’t, I know I’ll regress.

My eating habits have changed, but I know I have to continue down the right path. I watch what I eat and the portion size is down, but there are times I know I am eating too much of one thing or another. I have had a few pieces of candy here and there, but luckily it doesn’t seem to do a lot to me as I am smart about it. It’s hard at times – don’t get me wrong – but I know how important this is.

Weight wise, I’m down about 8-10 pounds. This is where I know I am doing something right, but at the same time not enough. It might be the portion control and all, but with as much as I’m actively doing, I think I should be losing a little bit faster.

The biggest thing is my numbers.

My daily readings are improved, but my overnight reading and what I take around lunch time is usually higher than it should be. Once I hit dinner, I’m better.

These all fluctuate some, and I do make some positive steps. This all gave me confidence in my A1C, which I knew had to improve.

That thought was fully correct.

My A1C went down a full 1.5, which brings me in line of a better place. I’m going to keep pushing and see how low I can get it. I know I can keep improving and I will. I am looking forward to things.

There are still items I need to work on and I’m trying to figure them out. Blood sugar is a crazy thing, and there are times it just doesn’t make sense to me. I’d like to institute some exercise in the morning, but I just am not sure how to do it with a medicine I have to take in the morning, when I can eat, and how to do both before exercising, yet also make it to work on time. I’ll figure it out eventually!

I will keep pushing forward and working to get healthier and healthier.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Living with Diabetes: November 2017

It’s the day after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday, as we all know it.

For me, it’s a good Friday of sorts. I successfully made it through the holiday without gorging. My numbers, too, have been doing much — much — better. To understand all of that — let’s go back to the beginning of October. That’s when I made this newfound pact with myself to finally do something about things.

Actually, let me go back even further — to April’s post. That’s when, in a comment, Denise wrote the following:

“Research now shows that it takes 66 days of consistent behavior change to modify existing habits/establish new habits, so consider printing off a sheet with 66 big squares numbered 1 – 66 and putting a big red X through each day as you fit in some exercise!”

I thought — at that point — easy to do. I could do 66 days to change habits! My numbers back then weren’t that good. I knew I needed to do something and, yet, I didn’t.

Then as I approached my doctor appointment in October, I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t let my A1C be really bad.

There were several things I started doing:

  1. Stopped eating all candy (still going strong with that, outside of gum)
  2. One soda (at most) per week)
  3. Walking every night

When I went to the doctor, the A1C number wasn’t very good. In fact, it had gotten worse since June. It went up .6, and that wasn’t something I felt should have happened — so I knew I was crapping the bed.

So, time to fix.

Eating better. No more stupid snacks. Walking. Seems like a simple plan, doesn’t it? I have said for a long time these are the things I needed to do. Then take into account that I’ve received good advice throughout — and still did nothing.

This was the time. And here’s the update.

I haven’t had any candy since September 30, and I’ve stuck to my soda plan. I’ve also kept to my walking regimen, and once habits start — they are hard to break. I have done well with getting out and walking anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 miles per night, often depending on how much I walked during the day.

And the results have shown.

Though my numbers aren’t where I want them (yet), they are vastly improved. Before I started this, my blood checks would often be in the low 200s for fasting, and sometimes throughout the morning. Since this, that has come way down. My fasting sugars are still a bit on the high side (for my liking), but the improvement has been steady and earlier this week was 154. That is way closer to where it needs to be.

The checking of the blood for other times (lunch, dinner, after dinner, other random times) has shown an incredible change, too. The highest points of the day have been around lunch, which still throws me off. But as the day goes on, the numbers get even better. For the most part, I’m staying within my ranges, but the lunch time is often at the higher end, while other times are on par of where they should be.

The biggest win for me was making it through Thanksgiving without overeating and feeling like I would have killed something I had worked so hard on. And that didn’t happen. Not only that, but with two separate walks that day, I covered 2 miles and 3.1 — and that doesn’t include all the other moving around for the day.

I always say things like this are a marathon — everything isn’t fixed and made better overnight. It has been good because I’ve gone out on walks and things like that in a lot of different weather situations so far, so I know I can push myself. I’ve seen some weight loss, too, which helps.

So far, November and Thanksgiving are a hurdle I got over. The tough is going to be Christmas. But, as long as I keep focused and don’t go overboard, I should be able to get through it without too many scars, so to speak. My next appointment is in January, and I’ll be getting an A1C test then, too, so we’ll see how things go!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

November 14 is World Diabetes Day

I usually wouldn’t put up posts back-to-back of “special days,” but I couldn’t avoid it.

World Kindness Day was important.

And today is World Diabetes Day.

This is, obviously, a day that I relate with. Created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization, it is an official United Nations Day and is the world’s biggest diabetes awareness campaign. The idea of the campaign is to draw attention to the issues in the diabetes world, as well as keep the disease in the eyes of the public.

For me, with how I have been trying to be healthier with my eating and everything else going on, it’s a good day for me to see where I’ve come over the past couple of months.

And I think I’ve come a long way.

I’ve pushed myself with my walking every day. It’s rare that I don’t make my goals for each day and I get out and get moving every day.

That’s a good thing.

I think I’m eating better, too. I’m eating less. I’m watching what is going in so I know what it might do to me.

All of this has meant my numbers have been improving. They aren’t quite where I’d like them to be yet, but they keep getting better.

That is good as well.

On the flip side, there are things I have to continually get better with. I’ll cover the gamut of things in a week or two when I do my normal monthly post.

But a day like this makes me kind of continue to look at how things are and what I am doing myself. I think I am — finally — on the right path.

The reality, though, is that this is a disease that a lot of people deal with in one way or another. There are a lot of things we can do as a society to battle diabetes, which is why days like this are important as they allow a platform for information to be put out and for people to see it.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

National Diabetes Month is November

November is National Diabetes Month.

Like months for other causes, National Diabetes Month is to bring awareness to this disease, both Type 1 and Type 2. It’s also an important month for the American Diabetes Association’s effort to bring attention to this disease and the tens of millions of people affected by it.

My battle with diabetes has been up and down. There are times I try to ignore it, and other times I’m way more vigilant about dealing with it. I’m currently with the latter part. Hopefully I can keep pushing myself to stay that way.

For those of us with diabetes, this is a good month to look at things and check yourself out. That really works this year as, according to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the theme for 2017 is “You are the center of your diabetes care team,” which means you can really look at everything you are doing.

I’ve been doing that since the beginning of October. Though the fight hasn’t been the easiest and I’m still trying to figure out how my body reacts to certain foods and such. I’ve done pretty well with a lot of things, but know I need to continuing improving.

The website “Diabetes Self Management” has an excellent story on 10 things one can do to observe National Diabetes Month. It’s a pretty solid article with some good tips. I’ve read through this a few times and there are some things I definitely want to look more into a bit more in-depth.

There is also a good read about managing diabetes by following this link.

There are other causes that are recognized during the month of November, but this is the one a bit more close to me. I’m going to utilize it to try and keep getting better in my management of things and continuing to educate myself on how to keep improving.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!