Anxiety, depression, laziness...Can the nameless wonder change? page 253

[jenn26point2]

Yeah, my tub isn't very big. I had to fill it very high to try and get most of me submerged. It really wasn't terribly comfortable. I wish I'd had some oils to add! I just used epsom salt and baking soda. The water got pretty cool by the end of it, but I could do it again. Watching a TV episode helped pass the time.

We'll see how this helps my digestion. Last time I did this (for only about 20 minutes), it was very effective! I'm skipping Vitamin C for the night, just in case.

My skin is super soft right now . I didn't want to rinse my hair with all the junk in the water, so I'll probably still shower later. I feel fairly relaxed, my knees don't hurt, my hands aren't aching, but my left arm really does and it's travelling down into my hand. I think it's a muscular thing rather than inflammatory. It hurts when I hold my arm straight out or use the arm much (and a bit while typing).

Time for groceries!

Could have been a trapped nerve. Trapped nerves send pain down my legs all the time when things are inflammed. My piriformis muscle (little muscle in the butt that picks up all the work when the glutes are not isolated to do the work/strong enough to "turn on" when it's time to work) is usually to blame.

[drssgchic]

I'm afraid I'm too ADD right now to get all the way caught up in your journal, but I'm battling hard water right now in Maine. Boiling water for pre-mixed baking soda shampoo worked for me. I boiled it for 10-ish minutes and mixed in the baking soda, making sure to leave the white bits in the bottom in the mixer, not on my head. I also shampooed before I even got in the shower to keep it "pure." Mine was still warm when I used it, so I'm not sure how it would work to mix a lot ahead and use it cold.

[namelesswonder]

Yeah, the baking soda business was way too much of a pain to deal with. I ended up buying a paraben and sulfate free shampoo and conditioner (yes to cucumbers, good for colored hair) that I use about once a week. My hair is happiest about one week after a bleaching. I think it's because all the oil build-up gets totally stripped so my scalp "resets". Then it gets grimy week after week, until I bleach again, 6 weeks later haha.

Dudes, I got called for jury duty for the second time. First time, I was 19. I didn't get to sit a trial. My date is for February. Hopefully I get paid for going in by my work. The company isn't based in MA, so I'm not sure how that would affect things.

[Zee]

There are so many helpful suggestions in your journal, I spent almost as much time writing as I did reading. Thanks.

[namelesswonder]

Glad you got some good info, Zee!

Dudes, it's snowing today. I am happy. I still need to bring my scooter up to my parents house ><

[drssgchic]

Bummer about the scooter, but yay about the snow! I was hoping to get in some good New England snow while I was here. Looks like the snow-dance performed in my head was sufficient

(be safe on the scooter)

[namelesswonder]

Scooter is up in the backyard. Fishtailed a little on a turn that I didn't slow waaaaay down for. Driving over wet crosswalks on a two-wheeled vehicle is dicey. Anyway, it was fine. I'll probably go back up today to clear a little more space in the garage and actually put it away. I wonder if I should take the battery out for the winter (didn't last year). I should probably replace it next year, to be safe (I've been told to replace it every year, did not do it this year).

I'm in my typical scrounging mode for the weekend. I felt kind of sick last night so I only ate a chicken quarter. No veg. I'm still nibbling away at the walnut halves, but they taste gross to me today. I will go get some meat, frozen veg, and maybe coconut milk at the grocery store. I'm really craving chocolate, but I think hot chocolate would be a better and longer-lasting treat. Both are not Whole30 aproved, but as long as I avoid crap oils, and anything remotely un-Primal or un-Paleo, I am calling it a success. I guess I'm at about a week right now. I think I want to look for some good quality frozen sausages to make breakfasts a little easier and more filling.

Winter date is postponed because Boyfriend is going to be working Saturdays starting soon. I'll have to call the rock climbing place to see what their hours and business are like the weekend before Christmas. This also means we'd get dinner somewhere before or after, instead of lunch.

[namelesswonder]

Yesterday was good. I got the scooter in the garage with enough space to comfortable move my dad's and my brother's bikes in and out. My dad is still biking down to the train station (maybe 2 miles from the house, rather steep decline/incline there/back) on days of reasonable weather. He said his face gets really cold on the way down, so I think I'll get him a balaclava or equivalent cycling mask to stick in his stocking for Christmas. I had fun hanging out with my parents and godfather for a little while. Boyfriend and I had some nice together time too. All in all, it was an excellent weekend.

Sleep: I seem to be settling into my routine well. I can stay up a bit later on weekends, and sleep in, and it doesn't mess me up too badly come Monday morning. I wanted to stay in bed today, but when I got back in after the alarm went off, I couldn't even get comfortable. This is good.

Food: I stocked up on some pork chops over the weekend. I'll be a good girl and trim the fat. I got some good deals at the grocery store by watching for sales & using my store card. I ended up paying about $35 after $26 in discounts, including a $5 off coupon if you buy $30 or more. This is why the regular grocery store is much better than buying in bulk at BJ's or Costco. Of course, all these savings won't mean a thing when/if I can buy good quality meat. I will need to get more eggs later this week, but didn't want to go to multiple stores yesterday. I picked up some more apples & a box of the MOST AMAZING clementines. An apple, two clementines, and a tin of sardines in olive oil are my lunch. My godfather is dropping off 1/2 a bushel of utility apples (aka. the rejects that wouldn't sell well) today for me to make applesauce with!

Body: Boyfriend and I took Saturday off with our little exercise routine. My abs were still sore yesterday, and he had to help me through some push-ups and sit-ups. Super sore today! I am never sure when I should rest and when I should push through this kind of soreness. I had to lever/roll myself out of bed this morning because sitting straight up just wasn't happening.

Brain: Things are good. I feel like I've been able to think pretty clearly lately. Sometimes, I'm a bit scatter-brained, but that's fairly normal for me. I have to restart sentences pretty frequently because I can't get grammar to be intelligible. It's embarrassing, but I've been happy enough lately that it doesn't bother me.

Supplements: I'm trying an experiment. I increased the natural antibiotics (pau d'arco and oil of oregano) dose to 2 capsules each, twice a day, and am having ginger tea twice a day. Digestion seemed very functional this weekend. I am curious to see if that continues. I also increased the Vitex to 2x daily. I don't know why. Just felt like it. My mood has been so good lately, I'm curious to see if knocking one 5-HTP capsule out (down to 200mg) would help with some of the anxiety I'm having and the hyperemotions. I'm also scared about doing this because I really don't want to have a bad day. I think I will suck it up and knock down the dosage tonight.

TMI/gut stuff: Period is now 4 days late. I took a test yesterday to be sure (negative). I am waiting for it to arrive so I can report to the doc about the PMS, and then I want to talk to him about diagnosing whatever is going on with my gut. If my supplement experimentation is successful, I'm convinced it's SIBO or something of that nature, and I want antibiotics to get through it ASAP. I'm at over 3 months of symptoms now. It will be 4 months by mid-December. I'm fed up with it. I realized this weekend that I'm happy that I keep getting all these great alternative ways to treat the symptoms, but the doctor has made no effort to actually diagnose the issue. Gut issues can be difficult to identify, but I hope he will at least let me try antibiotics for a few weeks.

I am helping my grandma pick and order gifts for my parents for Christmas. My dad will probably get a book. My mom said she wants some Oxo containers for dry goods in the pantry (they have a moth problem), but I think I'd rather get her something nice for her office. My dad never finished the desk we built BTW. Next project is a hand-railing for the indoor stairs at my parents house so my grandmother doesn't need assistance when she visits. That needs to happen soon since she'll probably be down here for Christmas.

[namelesswonder]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises
I put this on FB. If you're on the computer a lot, do this every few hours!

I've been thinking more and more lately that I have a lot of thoughts that I want to get down, but they don't really fit here (I mean, I could blather on about how much I love Boyfriend, but I'm sure that gets tiresome) or in my blog. I still have an active handwritten journal. Active means it doesn't feel finished yet to me, which does not necessarily mean turning the last page. I have plenty of old journals that I didn't fill up, but I just didn't feel like it was right to keep writing in them. Some ended at a fairly defined turning point (near year in school, end of a year in school, birthday, New Years), some were pretty random. I've said many times that I think I'll start writing in my handwritten journal with some regularity again, and I'll keep saying it until I do.

[namelesswonder]

Nameless Wonders: Creepy tree fingers in the fog
Bloggy blog blog.

Shark week arrived. I definitely feel like the Vitex has helped with the PMS, since I don't think I really had any! I feel fine today (mentally) and this is usually the worst day of my cycle.

Sleep: Got to bed on time, slept well. Woke up easily. Woot!

Supplements: 2nd day in a row of neti pot in the morning. Yesterday, I hardly sneezed at all. Today, I've sneezed a bunch (only once I arrived at work). My allergies tend to be worse on wet days so that may be why. The sneezing has stopped for now, I hope it stays that way for the rest of the day! I'm experimenting with a lower dose of Vitamin C again. I'm down to 1 tbsp (2135mg) and even that might be too much. I took 200mg of 5-HTP last night. I'll give it a few days to be sure, and then I might try lowering the dose again. Promising! I am nearly out of Vitex and will have to get more at a shop this week (Whole Foods, if they have it, or Vitamin Shoppe, where I originally got it). It seems like the hormonal imbalance may be the key to all this, though I noticed the PMS issues a few months before the digestive stuff started (and the depression kicked back in).

Food: In between laundry and making applesauce last night, I roasted up sweet potato (regular for Boyfriend), broccoli (I love being able to stick cast iron straight in the oven), and cooked up some sausages. They were sooo good. I used the leftover sausage grease/juice to roast the broc in and they were amazing. mmph. They were not the cheapest sausages, as I got the super-natural-no-additive kind from the grocery store, but I really want to get more! Probably worth it. I'm going over to my godfather's tonight to help with his computer and bringing him some applesauce. If he feeds me, I will go off the Whole30 and eat as well as I can with whatever he has. He's accommodating, but my dietary restrictions are uncommon enough in most households that he might not have much I can eat. It's very awkward for me, trying not to be a bother, but also gracious.

Body: We did our bodyweight workouts last night. I'm not using the push-up app on my phone anymore, but I might start it up again. I can do 7 consecutive on-knee push-ups, so I think I'll be able to pick up where I left off. My legs have been restless lately. My knee started to hurt yesterday and I went for a walk around the building and it felt better. Today, it hurt when I got on the stairs, but now it's okay. I guess they're still kind of weak. I really should get back into doing squats. I didn't do any sit-ups last night because my abs are still really sore, but I think I'll be able to manage them tonight.

Brain: Focus is good, mood is good! Yay!