Staying the Course -- 7-20-2015

[Superbob]

Welcome to a new Staying the Course week of focus on fitness! I am starting anew by posting starter comments on a Monday as we transition from the weigh-in Throwdown. By offering our thoughts at the beginning of a workweek, perhaps we can help each other set positive hopes or even goals for the week.

Anyone who wants to can still track weight here. I measure mine mostly by how comfortable my slacks or shorts feel around my waist -- or don't. I can tell when I am getting out of control or when I am paring down as needed. Hauling the scales out of the closet will be in order from time to time, too.

I apologize for the unrelieved negativism of my last Friday post. There is a lot to see on the bright side, and I am going to try to focus on that. First, I have the gift of another day to enjoy with my family -- that's something not to be taken for granted.

My son is at the surgery center this morning to have a procedure that hopefully will remedy his plantar fasciitis/bone spur that has given him terrible pain. He has to be on his feet a lot in his work, so he has been hampered. Any good thoughts/vibes/prayers you may care to offer would be welcomed.

We will take care of our challenges one by one. I know some of you are meeting even bigger ones, and if you would care to talk about it here, we would welcome that.

Our heat wave continues to reach the danger level, especially for those of us of advanced age, and the next few days will be even hotter. My basic plan is to do the exercise bike most every day, Way too hot to walk sweet ol' Sadie the Superdawg, but I am blessed that she still enjoys life - curls up on a day bed while I am on the computer, sleeps on her night bed beside my bed, wants to play every night after dinner, and still usually has an appetite though a little less in the past week (maybe because of the heat). She is a blessing to me.

Okay I will stop here, and just wish all the best to everyone. Would love to hear from our regulars as well as any newcomers.

Cheers,

Superbob

 

[Vincent63]

Thanks for this post. There is so much for all of us to be grateful for. You are right another day with the family is a blessing. It is now exactly a week since I had my AVR and I am just realising the magnitude of it and what it means for the future versus the alternative. Keep smiling.

 

[dornole]

Stay the course everyone. Don't be afraid to let other people's problems, even family's, go if you are already overloaded. You aren't actually doing anything about them by worrying. Set aside time to pray for them or to wish them well or give them an encouraging call or send muffins and try to lay down the load the rest of the time.

My goal this week is to get well. I think I picked up some kind of bug in the wilderness last week. Doctor visit today should get me sorted out. And to get ready for a trip up north to a cabin with my folks and sister next week. Absurdly I am worried they will not have fun. Why would they not have fun? Whatever, hamster mind. Hopefully soon I will feel well enough to exercise and eat something besides rice and bananas.

Prayers for you all.

 

[Superbob]

Dornole, enjoy that trip up north to a cabin -- sounds cool, and I mean literally and figuratively -- got to be cooler than a South Carolina summer! Hope you feel much better.

Vincent, a week post-AVR is indeed a blessing. Wishing you a continued smooth recovery. Hope you will continue to report on your progress here. Is your doc going to recommend cardiac rehab? I benefitted from it greatly 11 years ago, but I was fortunate my insurance fully covered it. Many do fine working out their own rehab programs, perhaps with the help of trained folks at a fitness center or Y.

Steve (replying to your post in last Friday's thread), I am sorry about the baby's digestive woes. I remember my son way back having colic -- and also ear infections -- and rocking him to sleep many times at 3 a.m. Tough on the parents, but things tend to work out. Hope they find the right formula quickly.

Re STC not staying -- that was something I wrote when I was temporarily in a bad mood -- I don't intend to stop doing this -- I know participation will fluctuate but I think there's value in having a place here. I am thinking first of week is best for what we're doing now, as opposed to a Thursday/Friday starter. Appreciate your thoughts on directions we can go. Maybe a periodic weight-check would be good -- monthly maybe? Guess I would have to take the lead, so I need to muster up some courage. Also some sort of roll call might be welcome when we get a good handle on who's in -- just to keep up with all and offer encouragement.

Oh and my son is already out of foot surgery this morning, and back in the recliner eating bacon and eggs. The big task will be keeping him off his feet for two weeks -- he thinks he is Superman. Don't know where he gets that from. : )

 

[Superbob]

Some good constructive ideas are coming in about the uses of this little forum within vr,com.

Pellicle makes a good point about the semantics of "Throwdown." I believe the forum originally took that name in the sense that this would be a weight-loss competition ("Throwdown: A physical or artistic competition.") Our dear Ross may have come up with that label; perhaps Cooker, founder of the Throwdown, could clarify the history for us. In any event, I know we had a lot of fun competing against each other (or maybe with each other) for a good while with weekly weigh-ins, but we eventually went in another direction. The Throwdown started about eight years ago.

Maybe we could think of a more accurate and appealing word or phrase now and see if Hank would approve it. But one advantage of keeping Throwdown is that it continues to hark back to our founding and provides ready access to an archive of weight-loss challenges (which we might want to return to, some day).

Something to think about.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

I apologize for the unrelieved negativism of my last Friday post.
Cheers,

none needed ... I'm glad to read you've found a light.

glad to see you're moving from the dark into light ... the cycles in life

Just throwing down my few cents ...

Best Wishes

 

[skeptic49]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif]Superbob...glad to read that your son's surgery is completed and he is on the way to recovery. Like you I'm trying to stay positive and not let some of life's disappointments drag me down. One thing that I read recently resonated with me. "Never dwell on past mistakes or regrets...learn from them and move on." Easier said than done, I think, but it makes sense. [/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif]I attended 10 cardiac rehab sessions. I think they were useful for a couple of reasons. First, you are monitored with a running EKG in progress while you exercise. This is reassuring as you exercise and begin to test your exercise tolerance limits. Second, attending rehab gets you into a regular routine of cardiovascular exercise designed to improve your fitness level. This is particularly important for individuals who would not otherwise exercise. Since I already exercise daily, and the trek and expense to rehab was significant, I decided to withdraw from the program after 10 sessions. I do plan to resume workouts that elevate my heart rate into the target range for me. This will be in addition to my walking and my workouts with weights combined with stretching. It's important to keep active as we age to avoid the trap of becoming frail prematurely.[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet MS, sans-serif]The heat wave continues here on Long Island for one more day. We should get some relief by Wednesday. Yesterday I spotted my first Portuguese Man 'O War washed up on the beach here on Fire Island. Scientists are trying to figure out why we have been invaded here in the northeast by this dangerous tropical organism. I have never seen or heard of these creatures in this area in 30 years of coming out here.

I was contacted by the marketing department of Temple University Hospital, where I had my surgery. They asked my surgeon if he could recommend one of his patients who they could interview about the experience, and perhaps even make a video. I agreed because I am so pleased with my surgical outcome and I have so much respect for my surgeon, Dr. Wheatley. He is a young and up and coming heart surgeon who is already an expert in his field. It will be my pleasure to give him my recommendation.[/FONT]

In a few weeks DH Dan and I will be leaving on a 12 day cruise around the British Isles. Dan is welsh but he has never been to Wales, so he is looking forward to that aspect of the trip. We both enjoy the cruise ship experience very much. When we were younger we did a lot of land tours and driving trips, but that was then. Now we prefer the more relaxed mode of travel by cruise ship.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Jim

 

[epstns]

This group is nothing short of spectacular. We have our ups and downs, some of them significant, but we come back here together to work them through, and we do so with genuine compassion. For me, this group and these threads are fast taking the place of the old "Small Talk" forum of 5 or 10 years ago. Back then there were a group of maybe a dozen members who not only "participated" in each other's lives with respect to our heart journeys, but also our lives in general. The group became much closer than the general membership, and visiting Small Talk felt like coming home after school to tell the family about our day. Sadly, many of those members are gone - some to other forums and some gone to their final rest. With all due respect to Sir Chimp, I am really liking this forum more as we "de-formalize" it and make it more into what we seem to need in the present. Thanks to everyone here.

At our house, our grandson is now transitioning to formula number 4 (or is it 5?), as the doctors work to find a formula that will not irritate his tiny tummy. His mommy says that they are only on day 2 with the newest formula, but she sees signs of improvement already. She is very cautiously optimistic, as he showed similar improvements each time they changed formulas, but in the past the improvements only lasted a few days, then he was in pain again. Mommy is especially frosted because they brought the Little Guy to the ER 3 weeks ago for these problems, and the hospitalist who was on duty pretty much patted mommy on the head and said "You have a colicky baby. Get over it." Fast forward 3 weeks and the Little Guy has now been diagnosed with reflux (just what mommy said he was presenting at the ER), has prescription meds and special formula. It is great that he is finally getting help, but mommy is so frustrated because that hospitalist's refusal to do his job resulted in a newborn having to suffer for 3 weeks longer than he otherwise would have. Mommy is writing a letter to the hospital management to share her frustration with that situation. At least that will help her to feel better.

SB - when you write about Superdawg Sadie, it brings back memories of my own furry four-footed children. Dogs will always hold a special place in my heart, as they are the very best companions for us. Their love is total and unconditional, and lasts their whole lives. I always had a dog when I lived with my parents and we had a dog when I was first married. Sadly, Paxton (our Shih Tzu) crossed the Rainbow Bridge - over 20 years ago - and still I miss him. We don't have a dog now, because we both work and we feel that it would not be fair to a pup not to have anyone home with him when he is young and in training. Once we are retired and have satisfied our wanderlust, we will again adopt a dog. Enjoy and cherish your time with Sadie. It is time well spent.

 

[Superbob]

Jim,

That's some exciting news Jim -- the cruise around the British Isles, and the media spot featuring your successful surgery and the surgeon. Love to see it if they decide to do a video. Also, sounds like you got whatever value you needed from CR with 10 sessions, given your existing dedication to exercise and fitness.

Steve, I sure hope the newest formula works for your newborn grandson. That is a tough thing to go through. I think mommy was fully justified in writing to management about the hospitalist's unhelpful attitude.

I agree about the potential of the group that seems to be forming here. There will be times when we have a lot going on and a lot of discussion, and there will be slower times, but the important thing is to be here, "staying the course."

And Pellicle, I haven't studied much about the yin and yang, but there is a lot to be said for striving for balance in life.

 

[epstns]

I think that the Asian concept of balance is similar to a concept in Western religion known as "Centering." A person is said to feel "centered" when all of the tensions of their life are in equilibrium and they are at peace in their present place. I try to use this technique in my daily "meditation" walks, as I think through all of the issues in my life at the moment and let my mind process them until I am comfortable "where I am" within them. It is very calming, but I have never tried to explain it to anyone. It just helps me to deal with the trash that life throws onto my mental lawn. It actually took me many years to even realize that I was unconsciously doing this, but now that I realize it, I can use it to my advantage. It was especially helpful when I first started my current job, as the company's records were in a shambles and I had to sort it all out myself.

 

[dornole]

Wishing your family luck with the puking baby, Steve. Been there with my twins who were actually "failure to thrive" due to the extreme puking. It's frustrating when they give you a long list of things that are supposed to help and nothing works. Plus, we had to have tarps all over the house and I would be soaked in vomit six times a day. GROSS!!

Worst comes to worst, though, our modern medical care CAN keep our babies alive and growing and that's all that matters in the end. The preemie clinic said though that dealing with constant vomiting seemed to be harder for parents than almost anything. Please give those poor parents a hug! It won't last forever, it just feels that way.

 

[epstns]

Thanks for the advice, dornole. The little guy seems to be stable, and seems to be developing just about on target. He passed 10 pounds at his last check-up, which is within his normal range. He is just having a rough time feeding, so mommy and daddy are being extra patient with him to ensure that he gets enough to eat. Fortunately, they both have some time flexibility, but in another month or so that will end. The other grandma has graciously agreed to come out to help for a while. It makes it rough when the kids live so far from their parents (we are 1,000 miles away, the in-laws are much farther than that) - but that's the way of the younger generations. They go where school and careers take them. In the future it will make them stronger for it, but right now it is more difficult for all of us.

 

[Superbob]

Hope all are having a good weekend! Didn't mean to leave Steve out here as the most recent poster so long. I don't have a lot to report -- biggest news is our heat wave broke -- sort of -- and the humidity is lower. 90F is tolerable when the humidity is moderate. Enjoying baseball. Enjoying grandchildren. Hoping to get DW's carpal tunnel fixed. Dreading my root canal. Need to step up exercise again.

Will start a new week's discussion tomorrow.