Hitting the Wall

In the world of marathon running, there is an expression called "hitting the wall." It is when you feel as though you cannot keep going; your body wants to quit because you have mentally and/or physically hit a wall. For some people it happens toward the end of the race. I didn't meet the brick beast many times when I was doing marathons, but when I did it, our introduction always took place between miles 14 – 18. I hate those four miles of a marathon ... just over halfway done, but nowhere near the end.

I am on day 25 of my 90-day EMAO experiment, and I am hitting the wall. Wiped out. Exhausted. I'm so tired that I don't want to spend time with myself. I feel sorry for my husband because I am definitely wearing some serious crabby pants. I should call him and tell him to stay out with his friends tonight. I drove home on autopilot, and when I pulled up at our house I was surprised at how I got here. I haven't been sleeping well lately; in fact, I cannot remember the last time that I got a good night's rest. Insomnia is normal for me; I'm not a huge fan of sleep aids, but tonight I'm popping an OTC tablet. Maybe eight hours of shuteye will knock down this damn wall and pick me back up so I can work out again. I have only exercised two out of the last four days, which is pathetic.

Okay, I'll stop whining now. Thanks for reading ... and listening.

AWW – XoXo

P.S. I weighed myself today. No change. Not one freaking ounce. ARGH!

Hitting the Wall

My Haphazard Health History—Addendum

When I wrote My Haphazard Health History post, I mentioned that I was due for a healthcare crisis this year since the last one was five years ago. However, I didn't remember that I have already experienced my health issue for this particular period of time. (Yay, at least it's over!)

On October 25, 2009, the day after I participated in Thrill the World, I came down with a bad chest cold that quickly progressed into bronchial pneumonia. Even though I was prone to bronchitis in college, having it four times in two years (and no, I don't smoke), it had never gotten into my lungs. This time was different; I was ill for two solid months. I thought I was getting better after three weeks, and then BAM, it kicked my ass again just before Thanksgiving. I went through three cycles of two antibiotics, and I also tried two types of inhalers. The second one, Advair, actually did the trick. Unfortunately, Advair has some unpleasant side effects. It caused me to gain weight, mainly in my mid-section. Although weight gain is not listed as a common side effect of Advair, constipation and hypothyroidism are "less common" side effects and both can cause you to put on the pounds. I did some research, and despite Advair's official report, many people complain about weight gain. One man gained 30 pounds in 30 days while taking a high dosage of Advair. Doesn't surprise me one bit.

I cannot believe that I forgot about being sick since my post-pneumonia bloated belly is what motivated me to start my EMAO experiment. I am grateful that Advair finally cleared up my pneumonia, but I am less than thrilled about my expanded tummy. I have already taken the "Before" pictures, but I don't have the courage to post them yet. I will though; I promise.

AWW – XoXo

P.S. Note to self: do not write blog when experiencing a migraine because you are bound to forget important information.

My Haphazard Health History—Addendum

My Haphazard Health History

While I will admit haphazard is not the best word to describe my health history (I like the alliteration), it is unusual. I always think of myself as a healthy person until I talk to someone else my age. Not too long ago, I caught up with an old friend on Facebook; we had not spoken in 15 years. After hearing about my past health problems, he responded, "Geez. I've never even been in the hospital."
That is when I realized that maybe I'm not "the healthiest" 37-year-old woman despite my best efforts to eat well and exercise regularly. My dad likes to say that I'm bound to lose my spleen one day since it is another organ you don't necessarily need. Forgoing all HIPPA laws, here is a brief look at my health history:

• After being very ill and snoring like a pig for a long time, doctors removed my tonsils and adenoids when I was three years old. One of my earliest memories, I didn't understand why my underwear was removed for throat surgery. 
• I experienced numerous fainting spells as a pre-teen. After the third one, my mother took me to see a neurologist for an EEG. Unfortunately, she initially forgot about the appointment, and I stayed up the night before at my slumber party. Even though I remember it, I slept through the EEG, which revealed that I was "brain dead." Cause of fainting: unknown.
• I'll never forget when my aunt saw me on a national game show; she called me and said, "Something is wrong with your thyroid. Go see a doctor." (Thyroid conditions are genetic, and they run in my family.) Even though I had been feeling terrible for months and my dad had noticed that my eyes seemed buggy, I ignored the symptoms of Grave's Disease, a hyperthyroid condition characterized by anxiety, fatigue, heart palpitations, heat intolerance, and insomnia. Honestly, I thought I was going crazy. I slept two hours a night for six months, I walked around in shorts in the winter, and I felt my heart thumping outside of my chest. It wasn't until I was unable to keep down food that my friend insisted that I go to the emergency room. Lying down, my heart rate was 150bpm; I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease within 24 hours. Initially scheduled to have surgery to remove the goiter in my neck, which I thought was just fat, the doctors decided to use radiation instead.
  Fourteen years later, I must take Synthroid every day to compensate for my missing thyroid. Unfortunately, your thyroid controls the body's metabolism so my weight fluctuations throughout the years have often been a result of being prescribed the wrong dosage of medication. As part of my EMAO experiment, I need to see my doctor to evaluate my current thyroid levels. 
• Four years after my thyroid problem was discovered, my appendix burst. Once again, I dismissed the symptoms. I thought that I had a stomachache that wouldn't go away. I didn't know that the pain from appendicitis begins in the middle of your stomach; it moves to the right side just before the appendix ruptures. I also didn't realize that a low-grade fever is common so I ignored mine even though my temperature is usually below normal so anything above 98.6 degrees should have caught my attention. I stayed in the hospital for five days, and the recovery was not easy because according to my surgeon, "You have about a two-inch layer of ab muscle, and that will take a long time to heal." At this point, I just want to be worthy of that compliment again!
• In 2005, I started having a serious intolerance to food. My weight dropped below 110 pounds, people told me how awful I looked, and I had no energy. After some experimentation on my part and some tests by my doctor, I found out that I have food allergies—the most significant one being wheat. Did you know that wheat is in everything? At least, in everything I like to eat. I'm also allergic to dairy, but I've known for years that I am lactose intolerant so that result was no surprise. I'm slightly allergic to seafood, but not enough for me to stop eating it. However, the allergy revelation made me change some of my food habits, especially when it came to eating pasta. After figuring out my diet and eliminating regular pasta as one of my main foods (I sometimes eat brown rice pasta), my weight stabilized at 112 – 114 pounds, which was perfect.

As I have been writing this post, I have discovered a general pattern to my health problems. As a child, they occurred every ten years or so. Then after my thyroid nightmare, things sped up to approximately every five years, which means I'm due for something to happen this year. Fantastic.

AWW – XoXo

P.S. My health history pales in comparison to my 15-year-old sister Adrienne, who died from liver cancer after being sick for only 147 days.

My Haphazard Health History