Today wasn’t as bad as Monday regarding my outlook on life. I had conversations with Ari, Melissa, and a few Sweat Pink Ambassadors online during the past 24 hours, and they made me feel a lot better about everything. I am definitely not the only one who is/has been completely down and out with an injury. In fact, my decision to take time off of work was supported by another SPA that said she wishes she had done the same a few months ago when her injury first started. I feel good about the decision I’ve made, and I’m ready to work hard to get better!

I woke up this morning, and was pleasantly surprised about how good I felt! Then, within 30 minutes of being up, I started to get pain again. I guess that was just wishful thinking.

I went to the Take Care clinic this morning because my throat has been hurting since last week, and I just wanted to rule out strep or tonsillitis. I knew if it wasn’t either one of those, it was just really bad allergies. Well, fortunately, the strep test turned out negative, and my tonsils were just a little bit inflamed.  I already take Allegra and Flonase on (almost!!) a daily basis, so I really didn’t know what else to do besides maybe a sinus wash. I learned a few things from the nurse practitioner today that I did not know!

(Necessary disclaimer: I’m not a doctor (well, technically I am a doctor of pharmacy, but I’m not an MD) and I am not recommending you do any of these. I am just telling you what I learned today, and what I am going to try. Do not try this at home without consulting your MD! Thank you )

First, apparently the second generation antihistamines (i.e.: Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra) only minimally reduce the amount of histamine that is already in the body. They will keep them low if they already are, but will only lower by 10-20% on their own. If you have been suffering from allergies for a week or two, and introduce one of these 2nd gen meds into your body, you will not reap the full benefit unless you reduce the histamine first. Two first generation antihistamines do just that: Benadryl and Atarax (hydroxyzine hcl). She told me that if you take Benadryl every night for 7-10 days only, then d/c Benadryl and introduce your Claritin, Zyrtec or Allegra, you will have significantly better results. Also, she said that a lot of times it is better to rotate your “drug of choice” for allergies every season. She said Claritin usually works better for fall, and Zyrtec for spring allergies. I’m not sure about this, but I get the concept. Different things grow at different times of the year. What I have always told patients is that choosing which of the three is best for you is a trial and error process. Try one for 3-4 weeks, and if it doesn’t work, switch until you figure out which one works best. She agreed with this, yay! I told her we should just sit and chat all day and school each other. I love being a nerd with another cool nerd!

Second, not only should you wash your pillow case every week or two, you should also put your pillows in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes just as often! I told her that my throat seems to hurt more at night and in the morning. When you have a pillow full of allergens, no wonder it’s worse at those times, right?? Seems so simple, but I never thought of it! So that was my morning.

Then, I went by Goodwill on my way home to get a stool for my kitchen so I can sit while I am cooking.

I also brought home my newest project:

Thank you to the guy at Goodwill for loading it into my car, and for my neighbor Jason who brought it inside for me. Not a chance in heyell I’m going to try lifting that! I can barely lift Ali as it is now! (I mean, she weighs 26 lbs., ok? She’s just a little fluffy…) This is another great thing about having a convertible. You can load large things into it. I never realized how convenient this would be!

Yup, I had Spaghetti Squash Boats with Ari’s amazingly good meatballs and sauce for dinner again.

When I was looking at the table, I had the idea to smooth the surface with some kind of material and paint it. I ended up getting this:

I applied it all over the top of the table, because I didn’t like the pattern of the wood.

I covered the whole table with the wood filler, and tomorrow, I’ll sand it smooth and apply the paint. The paint is a dark red that matches the red in my rug:

I might stain the rest of the table a dark cherry like my dining room table. I love dark colored wood in general. I usually like darker or cherry colored cabinets and furniture when I see it.

I told my Mom about my little project and this is what she said lol!

I’ll keep ya’ll posted on the progress of the table. If I have to stay off my feet as much as possible, at least I can be Martha Stewart while doing so! Plus, now I’ll actually have a place to put a drink in my living room! Hallelujah!

I had freshly cut watermelon for dessert. After watching a guy fully cut a watermelon into chunks in 21 seconds, I managed to cut this one up in about 15 minutes, lol!

Watermelon is quickly becoming my favorite snack for the summer. I like it better refrigerated, is that weird?

I also juiced some fruits and veggies today to go with my lunch. I knew beets were good for you, but I didn’t realize this:

(FitnessRx Magazine—issue on stands now)

So endurance athletes, don’t forget to eat your beets! Or juice them…that’s what I do!

I also saw this online today:

I will not be getting a tattoo nearly this big or cool looking. Don’t worry. I just think it is so fun to look at! Whoever did this one is very talented!

Last, but not least, this was on tonight, and it made me very happy! Goosebumps before they even rolled the opening credits. I love this show!!

That’s all the randomness I have for today. No improvement in pain, especially in my right leg. Hoping tomorrow will bring some better news for me as I am seeing another provider to try and get some specific guidance as to how to kick this thing for good. Will keep you posted on that

‘Til next time….

Happy Trails!

Stacey