Kelly’s “Take Me Back To The Start� Challenge

[msuroo]

Biggest really small number wins? Non-official PvP? For shits and grins? Or you know, whatever you get when it's not a public PvP?

Fistbump - let's do it.

[Blueberries]

Re: your back. Does the pain increase or change at all when you turn your neck to either side or touch your left ear to left shoulder/right ear to right shoulder?

You are making me want to attempt DUs, which is crazy since I am so bad at singles.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Fistbump - let's do it.

Hell yeah!

Re: your back. Does the pain increase or change at all when you turn your neck to either side or touch your left ear to left shoulder/right ear to right shoulder?

No. It's sore right on my bra line, like the bottom of bra (so mid-back) not on the shoulder straps. It aches most of the time. Sometimes when I'm sitting still there will be a sharper pain, but it's not from movement (I don't think). The only way I can MAKE it hurt is to put pressure on it. Fairly hard pressure, too. It seems like it's a knot right next to the spine.

You are making me want to attempt DUs, which is crazy since I am so bad at singles.

You should try them. It's kind of fun when you get the first couple. Then they become a pain in your ass. Jokes. Jokes. (Not really.)

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Ugh. My doctor's ruining my night. Why do doctor's gotta be bullies when you try to research stuff? I get that some people got to webMD and diagnose themselves with cancer. But I am genuinely interested in naturally being healthy, and strongly believe what we put in our bodies is the biggest impactor (is that a word) of our health. I've been struggling with my weight loss, but ultimately decided, "If I can't lose weight, I want to be as healthy as I can be at this weight (as opposed to yo-yo dieting, which I think is very unhealthy)." So that's when I started doing my own research, and ultimately ended up at NF.

So today I call my doc because I have bloodwork scheduled tomorrow. All these sites say, "Yeah, just tell your doctor you want to add on c-reactive protein and LDL particle size and those are easy tests to do." These are articles written recently, and comments written recently (recently=this year).

I call today, and first the person who answers is annoyed/sarcastic. Then the person who calls back is all, "She's NOT going to run that test." I try to explain WHY I want it done, she's insistant that I'm wrong and I don't need it. OK, who are you to tell ME what I need?? Isn't this my body?

Then the doctor gets on the phone and talks down to me, then gets defensive with me, then essentially bullies me until I give up. Whatever.

She kept saying that none of those tests or changing those results WITH MEDICINE have proven to decrease heart disease. I kept saying, "I don't want to be on medicine. That's the point. I'm trying to be proactive." She kept saying that lowering CRP doesn't decrease likelihood of heart attack, I say, "I thought it was one of the best indicators." She says, "yes, it indicates it, better than anything, but even if it's high, lowering it with medicine hasn't proven to do anything. So insurance companies don't run the test." And I said, "But if I can tell it's igh, I can try to fix it and monitor m yprogress." She says, "Just do what we'll tell you to do if it's high: eat right and exercise." And I said, 'How do I know if I should be concerned or if I need to adjust anything for MY body?" And she kept circiling back to medicine.

Same thing when I talked about LDL. I said, "I know eating less of the processed carbs and grains will make my triglycerides go down (something I researched on my own, through no help of her even when my triglycerides were high for five years), and allegedly replacing those carbs and grains with more meat should also eliminate the bad/small LDL particles. But I want to be sure. My diet's not perfect, and I don't know how to know if I need to keep adjusting stuff." She says the LDL numbers are a range and if they're out of the range, then that means they're bad. Which is not how I undersatnd it. Sigh.

Looking for a new doctor.

(Sorry to those who are friends with me on FB. I had a tiny rant, but needed to put it all into one long post to "get it out.")

[chairohkey]

Nothing worse than a doctor who thinks they know it all. I don't care if they've got degrees and years of specialized experience, I've got the internet.

[nightlight]

ugh. i'm so sorry you had to go through that.

you should call your insurance company and see if they will cover the tests you want. if they tell you that, FORCE the doctor to run it.

else, find a new doc.

but. i'm sorry. hugs.

[wildross]

You want to really stump them (on any thing where doing xyz "reduces your risk of <horrible thing> by 50%"), ask them "50% of what?" If they can't answer, they are not practicing medical science.

In my case, it is blood pressure. So "lowering your blood pressure will reduce your risk of a heart attack by 50%". Standard fare. Ok, what is my risk if I have high blood pressure? (me, expecting some number, like 10%..). Them, twice as high. The answer, best I can find is 8% to 5%.... Yep, take powerful medication that messes with one of my body's most basic functions for 3%........ No...

[concretecavewoman]

Oooooh gosh, sorry that is awful that your doctor was so condescending. It's a really tricky relationship because it is predicated on their having more expertise than you, which isn't always true. Sure, they go to school for a long time, but medicine is fundamentally a -practice-; no textbook is the end of the line when it comes to an experiential field. I think that it was really gutsy and noble of you to confront her. I hope you find a vastly more reasonable and empathic doctor!

[Bean]

Think it is time for a new doctor. This area probably falls into the part she didn't study since you do only need 50% to pass

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Nothing worse than a doctor who thinks they know it all. I don't care if they've got degrees and years of specialized experience, I've got the internet.

Well, I'm sure she knows far more than me, but I was very frustrated with how defensive, aggressive and condescending she was. If she would just listen to me. Plus, she seemed to think it was absurd that I was trying to track anything that couldn't be fixed with medicine. I've seen what medicine does to people. I want to avoid medicine. Unfortunately, I think that's her approach.

I also found it discouraging she didn't like that I was trying to learn about my body. Weird.

ugh. i'm so sorry you had to go through that.

you should call your insurance company and see if they will cover the tests you want. if they tell you that, FORCE the doctor to run it.

else, find a new doc.

but. i'm sorry. hugs.

It was mostly just infuriating, which seems to be normal with stuff like this anymore. I didn't realize it was so strange to want to understand your body and be proactive. Unfortunately, the nurses were also hateful to me this morning. Time for a new doctor!

You want to really stump them (on any thing where doing xyz "reduces your risk of <horrible thing> by 50%"), ask them "50% of what?" If they can't answer, they are not practicing medical science.

In my case, it is blood pressure. So "lowering your blood pressure will reduce your risk of a heart attack by 50%". Standard fare. Ok, what is my risk if I have high blood pressure? (me, expecting some number, like 10%..). Them, twice as high. The answer, best I can find is 8% to 5%.... Yep, take powerful medication that messes with one of my body's most basic functions for 3%........ No...

Haha. No lie! My dad took blood pressure medicine and he swears it's what caused himto need a pace maker. He reduced his own doses (also did the same with his statins).

My doctor tells me I have high blood pressure. But when I take it anywhere other than the doctor's office, it's around 105-120/65-80. I realize the 80 is borderline high, but at the doctor's it's generally 140/90. Because I'm stressed. When I tell them that, they just laugh at me like I'm making it up. Partially, I'm irritated because I end up sitting in the waiting room for 30-60 minutes, and I get anxious and restless and frustrated. Partially it's because I know the blood pressure test (and weight and sometimes needles) is coming. I try to relax, but can't. I go home the same day and take it and it's 105/70. I feel like they WANT to put me on medicine without it actually being an issue.

Oooooh gosh, sorry that is awful that your doctor was so condescending. It's a really tricky relationship because it is predicated on their having more expertise than you, which isn't always true. Sure, they go to school for a long time, but medicine is fundamentally a -practice-; no textbook is the end of the line when it comes to an experiential field. I think that it was really gutsy and noble of you to confront her. I hope you find a vastly more reasonable and empathic doctor!

I AGREE!! Two friends recommended the same doctor (a young DO). So I'm going to give her a call and see if she's a better fit for me. I leave the doctor and want to be LESS healthy. I start to feel like, "WEll, maybe I should just give up, get fat, eat whatever, stop exercising, and get on medicine. It's easier than THIS." A few days later I snap out of it, though. But I don't think a doctor should make you feel bad for trying to be healthy.

My mom said their doctor is the same way and they hide some of the natural stuff they try - most of it doesn't change anything. Some of it does. But they never tell teh doctor they're trying any of it. Kind of sad that's the norm (at least in Kansas).

Think it is time for a new doctor. This area probably falls into the part she didn't study since you do only need 50% to pass

Yes, you're right. And that's funny about only needing 50% to pass. Hilarious. I'm not saying she isn't smart. She is. But I keep running into the same wall with her.

And when I try to tell her I've really been trying to lose weight, but haven't been able to, she thinks I want on medicine. No, I want to figure out if there's a reason that I can't lose. Is something off in my body? Or if it's not, and I can be healthy at this weight, then I want to be as healthy as I can at this weight. That doesn't seem to register with her. She sends me home, tells me to eat 1600-1800 calories, and if that doesn't work we can talk about medicine.

I have this strange need for people to HEAR me, when I should just give up and not worry about if anyone does.

Thanks everyone for the responses! I think becaus I've been dealing with this for so long, it's a hot button for me. I get overly-excited about it when I should just stop worrying.

Last night's workout:

I think I was up to 14 DUs after work yesterday. Got up to 46 last night. I REALLY wanted 50, but my shins were KILLING me. And I knew I needed to run. The run was really painful, but I got through it. 16 days til Zombie Run!

Oh, on the DU front: I had a point where I did a few SUs, one DU, ONE SU, and one DU. It was what dreams were made of. I know it's silly I get so excited over it, but just think, on Monday, I couldn't do DUs. And on Wednesday, I can alternate 1:1. Of course, it only lasted for that one set. But now I know it's in me.

I'd love to string together 10 DUs (with SUs in between) by Saturday.

End of year goal: 100.

[msuroo]

I think I was up to 14 DUs after work yesterday. Got up to 46 last night. I REALLY wanted 50, but my shins were KILLING me. And I knew I needed to run. The run was really painful, but I got through it. 16 days til Zombie Run!

Oh, on the DU front: I had a point where I did a few SUs, one DU, ONE SU, and one DU. It was what dreams were made of. I know it's silly I get so excited over it, but just think, on Monday, I couldn't do DUs. And on Wednesday, I can alternate 1:1. Of course, it only lasted for that one set. But now I know it's in me.

I'd love to string together 10 DUs (with SUs in between) by Saturday.

End of year goal: 100.

This is gonna end up being really close .

Sorry to hear about all the doc stuff - hopefully you can find someone you can actually work with.

[goodwince]

Good job on the double unders.. I may switch to doing double unders because I enjoy them more. I feel like I'm accomplishing something. Also, I wish my ceiling was taller in my house.. just like 4 inches? Then I could watch television and do DUs! Haha.

So.. I think the reason everyone is responding is because we're frustrated with doctors too. Mainly because there's plenty of scientifically minded people on the internet and they try to portray they're opinion is actually better.. The thing is the complications of our body and all the research points to many, many different confounding things. It's crazy to consider.

As far as calorie counting goes. I'm surprised. It doesn't work for everyone.. and I've been watching this guy talk on Smarter Science of Slim. He discusses metabolism quite often and he gets even more frustrated about everyone thinking calories in/calories out is the solution. My only point is science of the body while getting better all the time is in limbo on things.

I'd say just based on your doctor's reaction to only be concerned about things that are fixable with medicine. Is terrible. I'd leave based on that (if I went to a doctor..). Find someone proactive! Hope the new doctor works out!

I've heard it a million times that doctors need to focus more on prevention instead of curing. Get to things before they start!

[Hermione Gainser]

Whoa. I missed a bunch! Um yeah, your doctor sounds like a jerk. My workout buddy has a doctor I regard in a similar manner... too much emphasis on the use of drugs and not enough on the other stuff. Definitely ditch that fool. I lucked out and found a good doc and I honestly didn't think it was possible. So, don't give up hope!

[nightlight]

i totally have white coat syndrome too!!!

when i go in my blood pressure is THROUGH THE ROOF.

but then 10-15 min into my appointment, i get checked again, and it's fine.

it is a real thing.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

This is gonna end up being really close .

Sorry to hear about all the doc stuff - hopefully you can find someone you can actually work with.

I saw you were at 50 this morning. I was at 46. I've made it up to 51. My shins are killing, but they don't feel like splints, yet. So as long as I can avoid that, I'll keep on keepin' on!

Good job on the double unders.. I may switch to doing double unders because I enjoy them more. I feel like I'm accomplishing something. Also, I wish my ceiling was taller in my house.. just like 4 inches? Then I could watch television and do DUs! Haha.

So.. I think the reason everyone is responding is because we're frustrated with doctors too. Mainly because there's plenty of scientifically minded people on the internet and they try to portray they're opinion is actually better.. The thing is the complications of our body and all the research points to many, many different confounding things. It's crazy to consider.

As far as calorie counting goes. I'm surprised. It doesn't work for everyone.. and I've been watching this guy talk on Smarter Science of Slim. He discusses metabolism quite often and he gets even more frustrated about everyone thinking calories in/calories out is the solution. My only point is science of the body while getting better all the time is in limbo on things.

I'd say just based on your doctor's reaction to only be concerned about things that are fixable with medicine. Is terrible. I'd leave based on that (if I went to a doctor..). Find someone proactive! Hope the new doctor works out!

I've heard it a million times that doctors need to focus more on prevention instead of curing. Get to things before they start!

Jump on the DU train. It's fun. There's lots of room, and the drink cart comes around regularly!

As for the doctor, it seems like her idea (and probably the industry's idea) of prevention IS meds. Too bad, really. But I have a suggestion on a new doc, so I'll call her. Here's hoping.

Whoa. I missed a bunch! Um yeah, your doctor sounds like a jerk. My workout buddy has a doctor I regard in a similar manner... too much emphasis on the use of drugs and not enough on the other stuff. Definitely ditch that fool. I lucked out and found a good doc and I honestly didn't think it was possible. So, don't give up hope!

I had to go in today to get my last shot in a round of three. But after that, I'm done with them. Those nurses were bitchy this morning. Grow up.

And I'm going to give this new doc a try. If she's not a good fit, I'll probably take a break from doctors for awhile and hope I don't get too sick.

i totally have white coat syndrome too!!!

when i go in my blood pressure is THROUGH THE ROOF.

but then 10-15 min into my appointment, i get checked again, and it's fine.

it is a real thing.

I agree. My mom said, "Just record your BP throughout the day at different times, and next time you're at the doc, give them the journal. They're jsut trying to cover their asses because if they don't do anything when your BP is 140/90, they are liable." I guess that makes sense. Why don't they suggest the journal thing? Sheesh.

Work blows today. As a result of that and the doctor stress, great food decisions haven't been made. But I'm trying to get the "F it" attitude with work, because it won't be getting better any time soon.

[PrincessHeather]

GRRRRRR... Your doctor story makes me infuriated for you. I've told my story on the women's guild, but I have certainly had my share of arguments with doctors who are more than willing to prescribe me things for the symptoms but not find and treat the cause (Just because you can prescribe me something to stop my month long period, doesn't mean you're done Doc). I had to do my research and insist and refuse to leave until I had the referral I needed. I hope you're able to find someone who is willing to honor your requests... you shouldn't feel like you're being brushed off and belittled for wanting them to do a test, especially since they were already doing other tests!

[wildross]

i totally have white coat syndrome too!!!

when i go in my blood pressure is THROUGH THE ROOF.

but then 10-15 min into my appointment, i get checked again, and it's fine.

it is a real thing.

Similar here, but mine is border line "high" by their standards. The 2 things (other than the 50% of what question) that rip me are

1) 140/100 is too high...unless you are on BP medication when it is fine. Yep, the point of BP medication is NOT to get BP to "normal".

2) Dentists. About a year and a half ago I got up at 5AM and drove over an hour in rush hour traffic to see my 'regular' dentist. I wanted her to see the results of my wisdom tooth surgery. Get there for my 7:30 appointment and they slap a cheap, autoinflating cuff on me, then tell me they CAN NOT clean my teeth because my BP is too high! Then tell me "we've been doing this for years". Not the time 6 months before when they saw me!! Since when are dentists GP's??? I've had this happen several times. Usually the tech just gives up and writes something down and off we go...

Sorry, this probably belongs in the Argh thread.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

GRRRRRR... Your doctor story makes me infuriated for you. I've told my story on the women's guild, but I have certainly had my share of arguments with doctors who are more than willing to prescribe me things for the symptoms but not find and treat the cause (Just because you can prescribe me something to stop my month long period, doesn't mean you're done Doc). I had to do my research and insist and refuse to leave until I had the referral I needed. I hope you're able to find someone who is willing to honor your requests... you shouldn't feel like you're being brushed off and belittled for wanting them to do a test, especially since they were already doing other tests!

And I think you've talked about sometime having babies. So that's even more infuriating. Figure out NOW (before you're ready to have babies) what's up with your hormones, rather than waiting until it's time to conceive and you can't because your period never stops, so you're probalby not ever ovulating. <--I know no such thing to be true. BUT I do have friends who had "weird" hormonal stuff their whole lives and the doctors "treated" it with hormones only for them to struggle for years, when they finally decided to try to have babies. All I can think is, "Why didn't they look at this for the six years you were having this problem before you were trying to get pregnant." Of course, those girls think meds ARE treatment and let their doctors blame them, "You can't expect to get pregnant immediately. NOw that you're trying we can figure out what works to get you pregnant." Sigh. Plus, hormonal stuff always freaks me out because sometimes it's a sign of a bigger issue and your body's TRYING to tell you, but you're muzzling it with horomones or other drugs.

Anyway, that's not to freak you out. You'll probably be like the Catholic girls I went to HS with and will have babies like it's your job. (I'm NOT judging their choice of career. Most days I'm at work, I feel like they chose better than me.)

Similar here, but mine is border line "high" by their standards. The 2 things (other than the 50% of what question) that rip me are

1) 140/100 is too high...unless you are on BP medication when it is fine. Yep, the point of BP medication is NOT to get BP to "normal".

2) Dentists. About a year and a half ago I got up at 5AM and drove over an hour in rush hour traffic to see my 'regular' dentist. I wanted her to see the results of my wisdom tooth surgery. Get there for my 7:30 appointment and they slap a cheap, autoinflating cuff on me, then tell me they CAN NOT clean my teeth because my BP is too high! Then tell me "we've been doing this for years". Not the time 6 months before when they saw me!! Since when are dentists GP's??? I've had this happen several times. Usually the tech just gives up and writes something down and off we go...

Sorry, this probably belongs in the Argh thread.

I did not realize BP meds weren't supposed to lower BP. What's the point of them, then? Is high BP not the specific cause of things like stroke? And if not, then why do we check it? And if so, then why don't meds have to control it.

I dont' know if I said this already, but my dad blames his BP meds for having to get a pace maker. And getting to the point of getting the pace maker was pretty traumatic for him and my mom. He passed out for several years, wore those 24 and week long halters on several different occasions, and I think the doctors thought he was exaggerating or lying. Normally he'd pass out then wake up pretty quickly. That was still scary, for both him and my mom. And my dad became kind of recluse because of it, scared to go anywhere b/c he didn't want to pass out in front of anyone. The final time he passed out, he wouldn't wake up. When the EMT go there, his heart rate was in the teens. They had to give him adrenaline to make his heart start working again. Then finally put in the pace maker. And he's been fine since. Anyway, my dad is certain the BP meds did that (I believe it's somewhat common?), so I agree. The side effects are definite impact on your body and internal organs. And he wasn't even sure he needed to be on the meds. He and my mom do some self-experimentation. He started taking half doses, or goign every other day or every third day. And my mom would monitor his BP until he got down to the minimum dose he thought his body could take without his BP going up in to the hypertension range. He has also quartered or eighthed his cholesterol meds. And takes TONS of herbal stuff. It seems like all they do is research.

Sadly, their doctor refuses to talk to them about any of this. He orders his meds online, so the doctor doesn't know he's ordering half or a quarter as often as he should. And he can't discuss anything that's worked for him. To me, that's a shame because if doctors were at least open to documenting this stuff they could say, "Method a and b worked for patient z at this dosage." And after awhile at least doctors could say what's worked and what hasn't. My Dad says, "Yeah, I credit this for this. But the doctor has no idea. I jsut say to him, "Hmmm.... My heart healed itself? It's a miracle?"" Haha. If you knew my dad that's way funnier.

And second, my dentist has never taken my BP. Half the time they are working off of my sister's chart. Sigh. So I don't know if they know how to take a BP, even with an auto-inflate cuff.

I'm pretty sure rush hour traffic is the cause of half of my tension. And I don't even live in a big city! Smaller city = people drive twice as stupid?

Last night: NO WORKOUT. Nothing. Tried to do a few DUs, but my shins hurt so bad, I gave up. Then a bunch of friends got together for dinner and drinks. I joined them. I drank beer. And ate chips and queso. Not healthy, but after the day I had yesterday, I suppose I could have made worse decisions (I stayed away from the sugary margaritas on special, I only at queso and did't graze other people's food, and I had set a limit of three beers. Which, admittedly is still a decent amount of beer since they're 16 oz, but from 7-10 wasn't a ton, either.) Plus, hanging out with friends and having a few beers keeps me from committing homicide. I know some people get in great shape in prison. But I'm pretty sure I'd just lay around.

[goodwince]

Doctors are dumb sometimes and great others. Unfortunately it seems more fall into the dumb category. It's just they have soo much they learned in school and hear so many people who are flat out wrong that anyone who could be partially right is weeded out. And some are just arrogant haha.

I live in a big city.. I miss the smaller city driving hahaha.

Glad you relaxed some and were conscience of drinking choices as well. For your shins.. ice!! Ice, ice, ice! I can't recommend it enough. When I prepped for my half I iced daily (I only ran 3 times a week). I even did ice/heat/ice. I was serious. And it worked.. Eventually my legs could handle the runs. Before that it was too painful to walk after..

I had two doctor visits and he didn't even tell me this.. I even went to a sports doctor! The only good thing is they x-rayed me to make sure I didn't break anything. Man did my legs hurt. I went to a running store and got all the advice I needed from a runner in college lmao. He said stick a solo cup in the freezer with water. Pop out the ice and ice my legs the entire area from the knee down. Looking back I was pretty serious about finishing my race.. lol

[PrincessHeather]

And I think you've talked about sometime having babies. So that's even more infuriating. Figure out NOW (before you're ready to have babies) what's up with your hormones, rather than waiting until it's time to conceive and you can't because your period never stops, so you're probalby not ever ovulating. <--I know no such thing to be true. BUT I do have friends who had "weird" hormonal stuff their whole lives and the doctors "treated" it with hormones only for them to struggle for years, when they finally decided to try to have babies. All I can think is, "Why didn't they look at this for the six years you were having this problem before you were trying to get pregnant." Of course, those girls think meds ARE treatment and let their doctors blame them, "You can't expect to get pregnant immediately. NOw that you're trying we can figure out what works to get you pregnant." Sigh. Plus, hormonal stuff always freaks me out because sometimes it's a sign of a bigger issue and your body's TRYING to tell you, but you're muzzling it with horomones or other drugs.

Anyway, that's not to freak you out. You'll probably be like the Catholic girls I went to HS with and will have babies like it's your job. (I'm NOT judging their choice of career. Most days I'm at work, I feel like they chose better than me.)

Yup, babies are on the horizon! Haha, not really...realistically, we'll start trying in 1.5-2 years from now, when I'm finishing/finished with grad school and will have that headache behind me. I've come up with an effective strategy for dealing with the doctors though. Even though I'm currently better on the hormonal stuff as far as I can tell (thanks paleo!), I want to make sure that my use of BC and the possibly long term undiagnosed cysts I had been having (when the monster periods struck) aren't going to affect my fertility. So at my last visit, when the doctor was appalled that I stopped taking my pills, I told her that we were going to start trying after New Years and we wouldn't be upset if it happened sooner, even though we're using other means of contraception. She said that I could come in for some tests then to make sure everything is okay. I really hate that I have to lie, but I know they'll make me wait otherwise and I'd really like to know if I'm going to encounter obstacles now so I can mentally deal with that and have more time to discuss other options if necessary. I wasn't happy to go on BC in the first place even once they had a reason for me to do so, since that wasn't a cure by any means, and then I had a terrible time with it (terrible mood swings, depression, crying spells on one Rx and completely bland personality on another).

I'm pretty sure rush hour traffic is the cause of half of my tension. And I don't even live in a big city! Smaller city = people drive twice as stupid?

TRUTH!!!

[DangerDave]

I'm pretty sure rush hour traffic is the cause of half of my tension. And I don't even live in a big city! Smaller city = people drive twice as stupid?

I can confirm this. Small town of ~10k, most drivers are:

-afraid of speeding so they drive 10 below the limit at all times, and our highest limit in town is 25, even on the big highway cutting through town (US-2).

-clueless when they come to an intersection. I've been stopped at a stop sign when somebody without one stops and tries to wave me through.

-drunk. I lost count, but I'm fairly certain that bars and casinos (bar + video poker, they're like cockroaches) finally outnumber churches here, and are still neck and neck with auto parts stores and mechanics.

-Canadian. I'm just south of one of the major AB/US crossings, and not much further from a SK/US crossing, so we have lots of them coming through for duty free stuff. The speed limits are in MILES not KILOMETERS here! /facepalm

[PrincessHeather]

I can confirm this. Small town of ~10k, most drivers are:

-afraid of speeding so they drive 10 below the limit at all times, and our highest limit in town is 25, even on the big highway cutting through town (US-2).

-clueless when they come to an intersection. I've been stopped at a stop sign when somebody without one stops and tries to wave me through.

-drunk. I lost count, but I'm fairly certain that bars and casinos (bar + video poker, they're like cockroaches) finally outnumber churches here, and are still neck and neck with auto parts stores and mechanics.

-Canadian. I'm just south of one of the major AB/US crossings, and not much further from a SK/US crossing, so we have lots of them coming through for duty free stuff. The speed limits are in MILES not KILOMETERS here! /facepalm

Do you also get the overly courteous drivers? In Rapid City, I'll be like 4-5 seconds from stopping at the 4 way stop where a driver is already stopped, and then they'll wait for me to stop and then a few seconds later, waive me through, like they are doing me a favor. All I can think is, if YOU were just following the rules, you'd already be well out of my way without wasting either of our time. Super annoying, almost more annoying than facing traffic in Los Angeles like I did for years...almost.

[goodwince]

Do you also get the overly courteous drivers? In Rapid City, I'll be like 4-5 seconds from stopping at the 4 way stop where a driver is already stopped, and then they'll wait for me to stop and then a few seconds later, waive me through, like they are doing me a favor. All I can think is, if YOU were just following the rules, you'd already be well out of my way without wasting either of our time. Super annoying, almost more annoying than facing traffic in Los Angeles like I did for years...almost.

I think it's funny because both situations are annoying. I used to piss people off (16 year old boy in a small town) because they'd take too long to go so I'd just go. LA.. I live in San Diego and must say.. I think I'd have to have a motorcycle so that I could split lanes.

I can confirm this. Small town of ~10k, most drivers are:

-afraid of speeding so they drive 10 below the limit at all times, and our highest limit in town is 25, even on the big highway cutting through town (US-2).

-clueless when they come to an intersection. I've been stopped at a stop sign when somebody without one stops and tries to wave me through.

-drunk. I lost count, but I'm fairly certain that bars and casinos (bar + video poker, they're like cockroaches) finally outnumber churches here, and are still neck and neck with auto parts stores and mechanics.

-Canadian. I'm just south of one of the major AB/US crossings, and not much further from a SK/US crossing, so we have lots of them coming through for duty free stuff. The speed limits are in MILES not KILOMETERS here! /facepalm

Wooaahh.. I bet the Canadians get confused.. My old car (may she rest in piece) has a button to switch to KMs. I managed to accidentally hit it getting into my car. Spent 10 minutes wonder why everyone was driving faster than the guy that generally goes 10-20 miles over the speed limit.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Doctors are dumb sometimes and great others. Unfortunately it seems more fall into the dumb category. It's just they have soo much they learned in school and hear so many people who are flat out wrong that anyone who could be partially right is weeded out. And some are just arrogant haha.

I live in a big city.. I miss the smaller city driving hahaha.

Glad you relaxed some and were conscience of drinking choices as well. For your shins.. ice!! Ice, ice, ice! I can't recommend it enough. When I prepped for my half I iced daily (I only ran 3 times a week). I even did ice/heat/ice. I was serious. And it worked.. Eventually my legs could handle the runs. Before that it was too painful to walk after..

I had two doctor visits and he didn't even tell me this.. I even went to a sports doctor! The only good thing is they x-rayed me to make sure I didn't break anything. Man did my legs hurt. I went to a running store and got all the advice I needed from a runner in college lmao. He said stick a solo cup in the freezer with water. Pop out the ice and ice my legs the entire area from the knee down. Looking back I was pretty serious about finishing my race.. lol

I will try the ice. I read somewhere that icing is "a tactic of the past." But maybe it's not in this case. I honestly can't remember what that was said for, though. Might have been DOMS, which I never ice for. I also haven't taken ibuprofen, so my pain scale just walking is probably a 2. When I start jumping rope, it's up to a 7. Still tolerable, but it's definitely enough of a distraction that doing something new is way too challenging. So I can run with the pain, but trying to focus on the jumps and NOT focus on the pain has proven too much.

But I'll ice tonight. Hell, today if we have any ziplock bags around here.

Thanks for the advice. I also have a heating pad that I'll throw in for good measure. And I'll keep foam rolling, which actually helps a TON with just daily activities like walking and lifting.

Yup, babies are on the horizon! Haha, not really...realistically, we'll start trying in 1.5-2 years from now, when I'm finishing/finished with grad school and will have that headache behind me. I've come up with an effective strategy for dealing with the doctors though. Even though I'm currently better on the hormonal stuff as far as I can tell (thanks paleo!), I want to make sure that my use of BC and the possibly long term undiagnosed cysts I had been having (when the monster periods struck) aren't going to affect my fertility. So at my last visit, when the doctor was appalled that I stopped taking my pills, I told her that we were going to start trying after New Years and we wouldn't be upset if it happened sooner, even though we're using other means of contraception. She said that I could come in for some tests then to make sure everything is okay. I really hate that I have to lie, but I know they'll make me wait otherwise and I'd really like to know if I'm going to encounter obstacles now so I can mentally deal with that and have more time to discuss other options if necessary. I wasn't happy to go on BC in the first place even once they had a reason for me to do so, since that wasn't a cure by any means, and then I had a terrible time with it (terrible mood swings, depression, crying spells on one Rx and completely bland personality on another).

TRUTH!!!

Oooh. Good plan. See, this is why we're friends. You're smart, and I learn from you! And I don't think 1 1/2-2 years is that far off, honestly. Time flies. And when you're ready, you'll actually be READY! And plenty of people can't get pregnant for a bit when they first start trying so even if your doctor follows up, it won't be strange if they don't find anythign and you aren't pregnant for that first bit. So I wouldn't worry about it at all!

I can confirm this. Small town of ~10k, most drivers are:

-afraid of speeding so they drive 10 below the limit at all times, and our highest limit in town is 25, even on the big highway cutting through town (US-2).

-clueless when they come to an intersection. I've been stopped at a stop sign when somebody without one stops and tries to wave me through.

-drunk. I lost count, but I'm fairly certain that bars and casinos (bar + video poker, they're like cockroaches) finally outnumber churches here, and are still neck and neck with auto parts stores and mechanics.

-Canadian. I'm just south of one of the major AB/US crossings, and not much further from a SK/US crossing, so we have lots of them coming through for duty free stuff. The speed limits are in MILES not KILOMETERS here! /facepalm

Haha! That sucks! I'm from Kansas, I think our city's around 400K people. So can I say, "Take that times forty?" No, it's not that bad. Mostly it's bad during rush hour when people seem to think it's their job to police speed. So people intentionally get in the passing lane and slow down because "people don't need to be going that fast." Yeah, that's a good plan. ANd that's a for-real thing. Several people I've come across have admitted they do that. Sheesh. Just get over and stop worrying about how fast everyone is going. It's a lot more dangerous to be going 10 over the speed limit and hit someone going 5 under than it is to just keep going 10 over.

Do you also get the overly courteous drivers? In Rapid City, I'll be like 4-5 seconds from stopping at the 4 way stop where a driver is already stopped, and then they'll wait for me to stop and then a few seconds later, waive me through, like they are doing me a favor. All I can think is, if YOU were just following the rules, you'd already be well out of my way without wasting either of our time. Super annoying, almost more annoying than facing traffic in Los Angeles like I did for years...almost.

Oh man, I grew up in a small town that only had stop signs on the main street that went through town, and people were so weird at those stop signs. The town's grown a lot since and it's not as bad now. In high school I was a lot more relaxed (probably because I wasn't going into Wichita all the time - which is what stresses me, I need to get out of the city - I think I'm a country girl at heart), so it didn't bother me. I'd see an old man and know he was going to let me go. My dad used to say, "I'd let you go, too, so you're not near me driving." Haha. Funny, Dad. YOU taught me to drive. So joke's on you!

I think it's funny because both situations are annoying. I used to piss people off (16 year old boy in a small town) because they'd take too long to go so I'd just go. LA.. I live in San Diego and must say.. I think I'd have to have a motorcycle so that I could split lanes.

Wooaahh.. I bet the Canadians get confused.. My old car (may she rest in piece) has a button to switch to KMs. I managed to accidentally hit it getting into my car. Spent 10 minutes wonder why everyone was driving faster than the guy that generally goes 10-20 miles over the speed limit.

Oh, I've always wondered. Is it legal to split lanes? Some people do that here and it scares the crap out of me in moving traffic. In stand-still traffic, I'm mostly annoyed I don't have a motorcycle.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Oh, and there's a girl at my work that's in charge of a lot of the zombie run (it's not a Run For Your Life run, it's something they'e putting together locally). And she forgot I was running it so today she was talking about one part in the race. I guess you go into a barn and it's completely dark except for an occasional strobe light (that's supposed to be like a light bulb flickering). And I guess when you get into the barn and the strobe light goes off, you can see some hay bales. She said you climb ovver them, get to the other side and start to run, and when the light flashes again you'll see a freaking clown zombie. Then you have to run away and over more hay. Sheesh. Clown zombie. Unexpectedly (in a no-zombie zone). She said he can't take your flags (because it's an obstacle), but he'll be there to give you a heart attack.

Would have worked.

Awesome. bring it on!

She said they're also toying with the idea of buying mulligan flags so instead of three lives you can buy 10. She said this almost guarantees you'll make it through the course alive.

Not sure why I'd care as my time will be terrible.

She also said there are two "dead zones" where your'e guaranteed to lose a flag. I guess you have to run through a tallgrass maize and zombies are waiting on the other side. THere's only one way out and the zombies wait there for you.

That's all I got before she said, "Oh, crap. You're doing the race! It's supposed to be a secret." I might have been better off not knowing.