2021, a year in health

 The other day, Thomas declared that he wanted to be a writer….oh, and a minor league soccer player and maybe a football player. He stated clearly that if you are a writer, you’ll also read better. Seems logical to me! Writing everyday is his goal and I told him about my class in college where I wrote in a journal everyday and my blog, which, while not every day, was pretty frequent.  He wanted to see the blog, so I showed him and next to each year down column A on the front page is listed the number of entries for that year. While some were 200 or 300, since the kids were born, the numbers have dwindled to single digits or teens. He implored me to write more, so here I am!!

I’ve been wanting to write about health changes this year as some stuff is going on and it’s probably good to keep a written record. During covid, I put on probably 15 pounds as the gym was closed and I was recovering from shoulder surgery. Did that mean I had to snack before dinner and at night? Nope. Did I do that anyway? Yep. So, as I pushed 230, I realized I had to change my eating habits, plus the gym was now open and I was 6 months away from shoulder surgery and able to workout now. That was all this spring. I started coaching Thomas’ soccer team as I had in the past, but after the first practice in mid April, my back really hurt. It steadily got worse until I realized it was sciatica, complete with nerve pain going down each butt cheek.

To combat the symptoms, I bought new shoes and an inversion table, along with plenty of ibuprofen. Unfortunately it was probably a month or so before looking up online how to treat it and probably two months before going to see the doctor. While the pain was very present when transitioning from sitting to standing, it wasn’t present when sleeping or sitting or standing for short periods of time. Walking longer distances would require a break to stretch, but up to a mile was usually ok. Still, ugh.

My PCP diagnosed me with lumbago sciatica, which Laura got a kick out of (“who uses the term lumbago anymore?”). Anyway, here it is October and with our deductibles met, I’ve decided to try to clear it up with some physical therapy, we’ll see. Interestingly, it doesn’t hurt WHILE I’m golfing or working out; only after or the next day or even the same day BEFORE I do those things.

But I also am fighting the pain by losing weight. I’ve dropped 15 pounds to 213 and I hope to lose another 10. It’s a little tough during Bears season, but I’m managing.

The numbness I would get in my arms when sleeping on one side or the other has subsided though I don’t know if that’s from losing weight or being a year past surgery now or what. My PCP said it’s just part of getting old. Ha!

After my shoulder rehab, I wanted to get out and golf as much as possible this summer and I’ve probably played 25-30 rounds which is a ton more than normal for me. It’s been great and while I’m still a bit inconsistent, my strength is coming back. Unfortunately, the middle finger on my left hand seems to be developing arthritis or something as it stiffens at night, especially after golf. We’ll see what a winter off does.

My eyesight continues to deteriorate a bit, with more “spotting”. They aren’t super noticeable at any point in time during the day, but I do see them periodically if I look for them. And of course reading glasses, while rarely needed 5 years ago, are now essential.  Nothing I can do about that. Even the doctor who did my Lasik surgery when I was 35 said it would have no impact on my need for reading glasses when the time came. He was right!

So there you go Thomas, another update in the books. I’ll try to keep writing regularly if possible and you’ll be able to do whatever you want, or nothing, with the entries!