Danielle Blog

Tidings of joy

I have happy news! (health-related)

I don’t have breast cancer, uterine cancer or colon polyps! AND I don’t have to have another colonoscopy for TEN more years. TEN years! yay!

“What?!” you are probably thinking.

Well, it has been an odd couple of months. I’ve had some odd symptoms that required ultrasounds, mammograms, and a biopsy to check for breast and uterine cancer. All of that came out normal/negative, which was great.

Due to family history, I had a colonoscopy Tuesday. I was pretty convinced that I was going to have polyps, to be quite honest. But I do NOT have polyps, which is really exciting and joyous.
The procedure was really straightforward. The team that prepped me, did the procedure, and helped me after recovery was really terrific.

Everyone had warned me that the “prep” was the worst part. I would have to agree; I was pretty hungry and a little dizzy/cold at times. My last solid food was Sunday night for supper and I didn’t get to eat real food again until Tuesday at about 4 pm. Going almost 48 hours with only “clear liquids” to drink is a really unusual experience. I was actually getting pretty dizzy and lightheaded Monday morning, but I kept guzzling gatorade. Interestingly, I went to Target on Monday amidst the dizziness looking for a clear nutritional supplement (which they didn’t have), and found a type of gatorade that I hadn’t seen previously. It was CLEAR! This is critical, because I wasn’t allowed to drink anything with red or purple dyes. Better yet, the flavor was mango passionfruit! Turns out that once I drank THAT one, I wasn’t dizzy any longer. So, for those of you out there who have to have a colonoscopy, I highly recommend that you drink the 02 Series (Perform) Gatorade! It is terrific. Instead of 2 grams of sugars, it has 7 g. But it doesn’t taste overly sugary.

Texas Seestor was great about taking care of me before, during, and after the procedure. Trainwreck was really understanding and helpful too.

It has been nice to spend extra time with them this week. I’ve had a really good time playing and hanging out with my nieces this week too. This is the sort of thing we’ve done in years past when I would fly here for the holidays; Texas Seestor would take vacation and we’d spend time together.
Yesterday, Mom, Dad, Texas Seestor and I went to a Christmas art/music show. I got to hear a really great band play. I bought some art too; small things like ornaments and magnets. But I also got one larger piece of art for my walls. I definitely need to spend some time this break getting things framed and hung up! My apartment could really use some help.

Oh! Texas Seestor is home, I think we are off to the grocery for our Christmas grocery shopping now!

Exercising

I don’t believe that I mentioned it previously, but I managed to hook up my Wii last Thursday (today being Tuesday). It was actually very simple – remarkably so.

I was telling TX Seestor and Trainwreck on Friday how every time I manage to accomplish something that I used to have HB do, I have such a feeling of accomplishment. This applied to the wireless router too. Of course, the wireless router took about 1 hour of chat time with a technical service rep to get it accomplished; so for that one, when I was done it was more a feeling of exhaustion!

But anyway, back to the Wii.

Part of the reason I hooked it up was so that I could do some Wii fit. I ended up only doing about 10 minutes of balance games and yoga that night, because it was getting late. But it was enough to know that A) it was working just right and B) my balance has gone back to being sort of bad again – at least, in regards to where it was previously. I’ve always swayed slightly with my eyes shut. I notice it the most when praying in church with my eyes shut while standing. If I’m in a pew, I just hold on to the one in front of me. But when I was up in front on a morning that I was singing, I just had to crack my eyes instead.
Every now and then, the body test for Wii fit asks me to shut my eyes. When I do, my little red dot that indicates my balance just goes allllllllllllll over the place. No surprise there.
But it will get better with more balance exercises. I just have to work on it again.

Yesterday, I drove to school to use the free rec center. I hopped right on a treadmill, put my nano on a walking mix that I’d made for walking around the lake back in MN, and away I went. When I was on the treadmill, the view was of a grassy area, tree, and parking lot. Which, let me tell you, for 50 minutes is really really boring. As I just wrote, I’m not balanced enough to do it with my eyes closed at this point, so there was no way to avoid the boring view. At least with my eyes closed I can try to envision something pretty – like a lake. When I was at a gym in MN, I often just lightly held onto the rails and shut my eyes. This time, I ended up just singing the songs to myself and letting my eyes sort of glaze over instead.

In order to get a better view, I could try to exercise here in town on one of the walking paths, but it would have to be early-ish in the day before the temp gets too high.

The challenge is that I’ve always been more of a 3-6pm exercise person. I get a boost of energy at that time of day, so trying to go earlier in the day will require more will power.

In the meantime, I was so proud of myself for staving off a migraine after doing Zumba the other week when my heart rate reached 167. But this time, my heart rate never went up to 150 and I still got a migraine in the middle of the night. ergh. One more reason to stick to balance games and yoga for a while; I don’t get migraines with those.

Today will be a reading day and maybe some balance games.

And maybe some light unpacking/decorating.

What’s worse? – a guest post by Texas Seestor

Texas Seestor emailed me about something that happened to her this week.  I asked her to write a guest blog post about it.

Here it is, in her own words:

====

Out for a stroll…

I was out for a stroll on Friday with Danielle’s newest niece in the jogging stroller (walking, not jogging, and with an infant sling for those that might be concerned).

It was a lovely, sunny day and I was aiming for 30-45 minutes. I was about 20 minutes into my walk on a main street through our neighborhood, and thinking that I should hold the stroller tight as I was going somewhat downhill and I was pretty sure I didn’t have the energy or speed to catch it if it got away, when I stepped in something on the sidewalk. I looked back to see what it was…

So, I ask you, what is worse…stepping in dog poop or not realizing until its too late that you just stepped onto a mostly decomposed, but still stinky, armadillo? Oh, and then, a few minutes later, getting dog poop on the stroller wheel and one of your new running shoes while trying to walk in the grass to get rid of any dead animal stuff on your shoe.

Yuck! UGH!

Only in Texas…

I didn’t puke, so that was a good thing. I did keep my walk to 30 minutes as all I could think about the rest of the way home was cleaning my shoe and the stroller with the garden hose. This was also a challenge as I was trying to keep my thumb dry which I had managed to slice open earlier in the week while recycling some cans, thus requiring 4 stitches.

Last week doesn’t seem like it was my week.

Of course, it all seems quite humorous now.

more ill

I now officially have secondary bacterial infections as a complication of having had a primary H1N1 infection. Well, the H1N1 part is presumed. But the bacterial is definite.

I don’t want to go into the whole big story – since I already sent it to some of you who I know still read my blog – at least occasionally.

Suffice to say, I’m on antibiotics. I’m home from work. We happen to have Thursday and Friday off. Which is really great!

The sucky thing is that I was supposed to go to the So You Think You Can Dance show last night. I had a 2nd row ticket on Flr2 – which I assume means the 2nd section back. So, not as good as years past where I was on the Floor in the first section in row 5 or so, and then row 11-14…. but still a good seat. There wasn’t time to try to give it away. I find most people don’t like to go by themselves anyway. Such a shame.

I felt this terrible pang watching the Vegas Week show on TV last night when they would play the “song” after a commercial break.
Crappy, crappy timing. Stupid infections.

In general: I cough, it hurts. I swallow, it hurts. I sleep, which makes me cough and makes my sinuses plug up – it hurts. I eat, it hurts.
Do you see a pattern.
I shouldn’t whine. I could be in the hospital if I were like some poor people. But it just sucks being sick – as you know.

Okay, back to my toast. I’m trying to do at least a couple of the items in the BRATT diet – which to my knowledge is bananas, rice, apples, tea, and toast. I had an apple last night. It is nice that it is apple season here.

You also know I’ve got the tea thing all covered – there is no way I’m skipping that one!

ill (again)

I have had about 5 sick students per week for about 3 weeks who have had to miss class because of H1N1-like symptoms. Which I suppose isn’t many, considering that I teach over 100 students. But the bad thing, of course, is that when these sick students are “better,” we meet one-on-one to go over what they’ve missed.

I had 2 students who thought they were better and then relapsed really badly. So, I suppose it was inevitable that I’d get sick too. Not to mention that HB appeared to get it. The first time, I thought I’d gotten off easy with a mild case of just headache, sneezing, cough, sore throat and no fever. But this second time, I’ve had the fever part too. Yuck, I say.

I definitely feel more run down this round too. I pretty much slept for most of the day Saturday and Sunday.

I know no one really wants to hear the complaints of someone who is ill, so let me see what else I can tell you….

1) I’ve rediscovered my cache of herbal teas. They aren’t something that I drink much until it gets to be winter. So, it has been nice to delve into them again.

2) I just barely started Dan Brown’s book on HB’s Kindle last night. He had it with him for the weekend, and he had to do some work stuff over the weekend.
The Kindle is interesting. I really like that it is lightweight and I don’t have to use 2 hands to “hold it open.” This is a big advantage when reading while I eat. Usually I have to find something heavy (I use a stapler) to hold open my paperbacks when I eat. I used to have this multi-tool, which HB jokingly referred to as the “book tool”. When I would misplace it, I would utter something along the lines of “Have you seen my book tool?”

It is nice on my lap too. I haven’t quite figured out what happens if the computer chip goes wonky. I think that the books for an account are stored on Amazon…
…. but that always makes me a hint nervous.

I really like that HB isn’t collecting more and more paperback and hardback books that need physical space in our home. We are out of bookshelves. We already have whole containers of his books in our basement storage area. I think we need a library.

Anyway, I’m not very far into the book, so no news on that front. I’ll give you my general opinion without giving anything away once I’ve read it.

3) I have Thursday and Friday off! These are our “free days” which I suppose is like the equivalent of fall break. I will be spending it making sure my job application for the permanent position at school is up to par. oooooooooooo.

Now I just have to get healthy.

And stay healthy!

Bits and pieces of random news

I have little bits and pieces from this week to share with you.
**updated below**
1. I received my internal grant for summer research supply money! I am now in good shape to do the kinds of experiments I have hoped to be able to do with my 2 summer students. I spoke briefly with the person on the committee who is in the Bio department and he said that my proposal was well received. So, hopefully, if/when I go back to them for money to attend conferences to present this work (that I hope to accomplish), that will also be well received.

2. My Wii fit age was 29 on Monday!! Since I’m 35, this is quite exciting. Also, I’ve lost a wee bit of weight (a few pounds), but nothing extraordinary. I’m more excited that I’m beating myself at some of the games, whether they be balance (my favorites), yoga, strength, or aerobics. I’m improving in all of them. AND I’m getting to the point where I can do super hula-hoop without making my heart rate get too high.

3. I used a new lecture system this week by using a document camera. It is basically a live image camera that points down at the table. I can have my lecture slides on paper instead of transparencies and write all over those now. Now, I just have to wait on the tablet PC that Information Technologies has ordered for me…
… when I can use THAT for my lectures, it will be really seamless (and a better quality). Right now, I fight a little bit with focus and white balance.

4. I only have 2 weeks left of lecturing! Then review sessions, finals, grading finals….
… getting closer.
I have one lab to go, but a LOT of grading to get done. (I just sighed while thinking about it, and HB heard me and asked what is wrong.) It is weighing on me, but right now I’m just barely able to get my lectures done in time. So, grading labs, which aren’t as pressing, is hard to get done.

5. The weather has improved here dramatically. I went for 2 outside walks last weekend. Also, the greenery for the tulips is probably up 5 inches or so. The rest of the perennials are starting to show green sprouts too.

*** update ***

6. This morning there were two ducks in our back yard! Two mallards. One male and one female. I can only assume they were looking for a place to build a nest…
… alas, I was going to go discreetly out on the deck to take their picture and just opening the door scared them off. No ducklings for us (probably). Probably for the best, since the neighbor kids extend their play area into our yard all the time, and if the adults didn’t like me opening the door, then a game of football nearby would definitely not suit their need for peace and quiet.

What a week

It has been quite a week here.

First, we had our kitchen sink and dishwasher stop draining.  The rest of the sinks and showers were fine, so we imagined it was blocked.  Sure enough, we had ice frozen in one of our pipes.  That was an expensive thing to have fixed ($450).  Turns out, the insulation wasn’t really set up right.

On the very same day, when my car started, it sounded like there was something metal rattling inside of it.  It got worse each time I started it, and when I started it at the gas station close to our house right before I came home, it sounded like something large had broken loose and was now rattling around when I drove too.  It was quite scary to imagine something getting damaged as I was driving.

We took it to get fixed, and I had to get a rental while they fixed it.  A gear in the starter had stripped and was broken into pieces.  When I got my car that night, I still heard a fainter version of the sound.  So, I went back to the repair place and they had a technician ride with me.  Right after we heard it and were just on the interstate off of where they were located, my car completely died and wouldn’t start again.  Someone came and picked us up, they towed the car back to the repair place, and I got the rental again.

The next evening, they had the new problem fixed.  It was completely unrelated and entirely a (fortuitous) fluke that it died when it did.  If it had died when I was out in the middle of nowhere MN going to school, it would’ve been bad.

Now, we are looking for a replacement car.  I will start driving HB’s hybrid, and he will drive the replacement.  We were hoping my car would last until May when his was paid off, but this is just the way it is going to have to be.

On a happier note, I went on a faculty retreat for the faculty that are new  and it was really great.  I learned new teaching techniques and also got to know some new faculty really well.  I also got to spend some time in a hot tub and eat some good food, which is always a good thing.

I also realized I’ve lost about 10 pounds.  This is really 6 lbs or so that I had gained and then 4 more from my target weight.  But still, really cool.  I think it is because I spend quite a bit of time standing in front of the class giving energetic lectures.  And the printer is quite far away, relatively.  So, every time I print, I hurry down to the printer and back and get my heart rate up just a little bit more than usual.  Cool, huh?

Hot exercising Chicks – Week 72 & 73

Well, here it is Wednesday and I’m just now putting up the exercising post for the past couple weeks.

I hope that all of you have been exercising away! How have you been doing?

Hot exercising Chicks – Week 71

How did you do last week?

Hot exercising Chicks – Week 70

I know someone who did really well during the past week! (not me) How did the rest of you do?