Tag Archives: health

It’s Still Scattered Saturday After All

Posted on January 31, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: people who go on about their health woes are tiresome, yet here I go.  Now it’s a cold!  I have a crappy, sicky headache and a sore throat.  I feel like crap!  I can’t write a blog post when I feel like crap!

Well, apparently I can because, well, here I am.  I got myself out the door to go adventuring earlier.  I drove all the way to Dolgeville, NY (preview of coming attractions).  Then I came back home and have been nursing myself, not very successfully. Now I want to get the blog post typed in and published before Steven comes home from work.

I intend to cook some rainbow peppers, yellow onions and sweet sausage.  That will not make much of a cooking post, however, because I’m just going to throw them all in a casserole dish and put the casserole dish into the oven.  Then we might make sandwiches (sammiches, as some say) using French Peasant Bread from Heidelberg Bakery in Herkimer, NY.  I mention the bread just to give my post a little local flair.

Ooh, and I just remembered that the sausage has a local story too.  I stopped on the way home from work yesterday at the Mohawk Village Market.  They have a regular old-fashioned butcher department.  All the meat there looks wonderful!  I intend to return soon for some absolutely beautiful London broil and perhaps stuffed pork chops.  Yum!

As I walked back to the meat counter, I saw a Little Library.  There was a doll house and bookshelf filled with books.  You could take one, leave one. I’ve heard of these Little Libraries but had never encountered one, much less in a store.  I found three books I wanted to read.

“Can I take these books and bring books back at another time?” I asked.

“You can do whatever you want,” the lady behind the counter assured me.  “Bring them back, keep them, bring others in, whatever!”

You can imagine my delight.

Mohawk Village Market is located at 24 W. Main St., Mohawk, NY, phone number 315-866-3344.  You can also Like them on Facebook.

 

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Should Have Used Vanilla

Posted on January 7, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today is Wuss-out Wednesday and you can just be mad at me about it.

I tried to write a post.  I had, in fact, over 200 words of a post typed in and some of them were pretty good words.  I think my readers would have enjoyed them.  But were they honest words?  They sounded good, but I think I lied.

I really REALLY do NOT want to start complaining about my aches and pains again.  Oops, I guess I just did.  The point is, I do not have the brain power to finish that post.  I am hoping to come up with something mildly amusing now.  Slightly entertaining?  Vaguely not boring?

Oh, this is ridiculous!  I should be able to write with a headache.  I’ve done it before.  When I was in college I aced a couple of essay tests with strep throat and that brought on some major head pain.  Of course I wasn’t trying to be funny.  I think it’s harder to be funny.

Let’s try this. Picture me hitting myself in the face with a cream pie.   An ice cream pie.  Aaahhh…. Ice on my headache.  But what a waste of chocolate.  And now the syrup is dripping down my neck and will stain my sweatshirt.  Dammit, why didn’t I use vanilla?

 

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Spoiler Alert! It’s a Two-Parter!

Posted on January 2, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sometimes, when you want to do something, you just decide to do it, then you do it.  Some of you are rolling your eyes saying, “I’ve been TELLING you that!”  Others, perhaps also with an eye roll, are asking me if it is really, truly that easy.  My good friends (I hope you know who you are) are saying, “Oh, good for you, Cindy, what did you do?”

I have been trying, without much notable success, to keep from prosing on about my dreadful headaches (my computer seems to think “prosing” is not a word, but I’m sure I’ve seen it used elsewhere).  However, to convey my real sense of accomplishment today, I must emphasize that I have been suffering terribly from painful headaches, often accompanied by nausea.

These headaches often begin in the middle of the night, my most hated kind of headache.  I mean, if you get a headache during the day, you feel that in the last resort you can always lie down to try to get rid of it.  If you wake up with it, what are you going to do?  If you wake up with it in the middle of the night, go back to sleep with it, and wake up with it feeling even worse, I think you may be forgiven for feeling extremely ill-used.

And that is all the whining about my headaches that I have been trying so hard to keep out of the blog.  I am truly mortified. Is anybody still reading?  Should I erase the last two paragraphs and start over again?  Should I mention or refrain from mentioning that I have a pounding headache now which is making it difficult to write?  Should I further mention that I am running out of adjectives to describe my headaches?

What a big, fat baby I am.  My apologies.  At least you can all feel a frisson of virtue that YOU do not complain so much about your aches and pains

Be all that as it may, the last time I ran was Christmas Day, when I took a short run in the cold followed by, you guessed it, a worsening of my headache.  I have walked and shoveled snow for exercise since then.  I did not want to wait too long to begin running again.  When Steven left for work shortly before 9:30 this morning (New Year’s Day; ignore the date under the title), I got ready and set out.

It was snowing and just above freezing temperature, so I dressed extra warmly.  I had it in my head to run up the hill to Herkimer College (which I persist in referring to as HCCC).  I had meant to run up that hill BEFORE 2016, but one does not always meet one’s goals and I find it is best to refrain from beating oneself up but to keep striving.  I turned down German Street, picking my way down the icy sidewalk.  It was not glare ice, but thick, uneven ice, the kind you can easily turn your ankle on.

The falling snow was pretty.  It would have been a nice day for a walk with a dog.  I felt sad all over again, missing my dear departed schnoodle, Tabby.  At least I had the happiness of knowing her.

Would I really run up the hill to the college?  I was out here running at all, I thought that was pretty good.  I could probably feel pleased with myself no matter what I did, short run, long run, no hill, little hill… hill by Valley Health?  Back way to HCCC?  I pondered as I went.  I can’t say I was rocking it as I ran, but it wasn’t too painful either.

If this was in a book, I thought, it would be very important to make it to the top of the hill.  If I made it to the top of the hill, it would mean I would meet all my goals for 2016.  I would finish my novel, do a great job directing for Ilion Little Theatre, lose 15 pounds, clean my house, grow a vegetable garden…  And if I got halfway up the hill and turned around, I would probably be homeless by March, friendless and despised.

I knew, of course, that I was being silly.  For one reason, if I started running up the hill to HCCC, I was going to make it to the top.  I pretty much always do.

Hey, I just noticed something:  I am over 700 words already.  That is a long blog post for me.  I’m going to sign off here and make this a two parter (what, parter isn’t a word either?  What’s that all about, computer?).  Did I make to the top of the hill?  Did I try?  Did I continue to get silly?  Tune in tomorrow, for the first Saturday Running Commentary of 2016!

 

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Musings on the MRI

Posted on November 10, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Have you ever had an MRI?  They’re freaky!  I felt like I was being operated on by a mad scientist, and that was the fun part of the experience.

Am I really going to write a blog post about getting an MRI?  Well, nothing else presents itself, and it is Middle-aged Musings Monday (or Mental Meanderings Monday, take your choice).  I did not get a post written on breaks at work, because I was writing something else (yay me, at least I wrote), and I am home late and want to get this post published so I might have a little time to relax before bed.

I’ve often remarked that it is tiresome to go on about one’s health problems, but I have often observed that that does not stop most of us (don’t pretend you’re the exception to the rule; I won’t believe you).  Well, I won’t go on and on, because I like to keep these off the cuff posts short.

What I liked best about the MRI was that I got to lie down with my eyes closed.  I didn’t have to close my eyes, but they told me not to move my head, and I believe blinking counts as movement.  Best just to keep them shut.  Then too, when your eyes are closed you can’t see the cage-looking thing they put over your face and you don’t see the low ceiling they roll you under.

You don’t have to do anything but lie as still as you can and listen to all the noise.  Boy, is there a lot of noise!  I thought lying still like that I might fall asleep.  I’m sure snoring would count as movement in addition to being pretty embarrassing, so I guess I should have been happy for the noise to keep me awake.

The other good thing about this MRI was when they injected some stuff into my arm, I didn’t even feel the needle go in.  That’s some skill by the medical professional involved, that is.  In turn, they appreciated my prominent veins.

Probably the worst part of my medical ordeal was driving home in the dark afterward.  I took a wrong turn and ended up following an extremely dark road back to the highway.  At least by the time I was on that road, I was pretty sure I knew where I was.

And that is my story about my MRI.  I’ll see what I can do about not having a Tired Tuesday post.  As always, I hope you’ll tune in.

 

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Non-Sequitur Sick Day

Posted on October 9, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

On the brighter side, I haven’t had a headache in a long time.  On the darker side, there’s Darth Vader.

I am attempting to write my blog post while on a break at work, so that I merely have to type it in later, when I will be pressed for time if not brain power.  I am a little pressed for brain power now, in case you hadn’t noticed.  Unable to come up with anything of substance, I fall back on trying to be funny.

I’ve always tried to be funny.  It’s fun, it sometimes gets you friends, and it can cover up a load of insecurities.  Of course there are those times when the humor falls flat or you get accused of trying too hard or being inappropriate. Nobody’s perfect.

My headache is getting worse.

That is when I stopped writing and went back to work.  I felt fairly bad-ass for powering through a migraine.  At least, I felt that I was bad-ass, which is not quite the same thing.  What I actually felt like was Westley in The Princess Bride after Count Ruger has sucked five years of his life out of him on that torture machine (I’m just going to assume we’ve all seen that movie numerous times and and quote all the best lines).

Full disclosure:  I am in fact NOT pressed for time right now as was earlier predicted, because I called the director of the play I am stage managing (Lunch Hour at Ilion Little Theatre) and told her I was ill.  So it is a stage manager’s sick day as well as a blogger’s sick day.

It ought to be Non-Sequitur Thursday.  Unfortunately, except for that lame Darth Vader joke in the first paragraph, I’m afraid I’m kind of… sequential.  Not consequential, mind you.  However, as a consequence of my migraine, I’m going to go sit on the couch and relax.  Hope to see you on Lame Post Friday.  Have fun storming the castle!

 

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Me and Balzac

Posted on October 3, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Lame Post Friday.  I am your host, Mohawk Valley Girl.  To be perfectly honest, I would be taking another Blogger’s Sick Day, but it would be so tiresome in me to complain about my aches and pains.  Uh, I mean I don’t have any aches and pains.  I’m great!  I’m fine!  Everything will be delightful!

I got to work today and immediately sought out my friend, Dale, to say to him, “Balzac.”  I did not see him at first but paused to say hello to my friend Karen.  I told her, “If you see Dale, tell him Balzac.”  I thought she might not remember that, even after I explained why, but it did not matter, because I soon saw Dale and told him myself.

The explanation, which is not nearly as captivating as the word “Balzac,” is that Dale and I often work on crossword puzzles together.  Balzac was an answer we could not figure out.  While I was reading something completely unrelated the previous evening (while I waited for my desktop to boot up), I found out that Balzac was the writer referenced in the mysterious clue.  I spent the rest of the evening repeating, “Balzac” to myself so I would remember to tell Dale.

Full disclosure:  I have never read anything by Balzac.  I don’t know that I have even ever mentioned him in a sentence before this.  However, if this has been remiss of me, I believe I have made amends in the previous 24 hours.

If the ghost of Balzac is listening (and I’m sure I don’t know why he should be), I hope he is having a pleasant Friday, as indeed I hope you are yourself.

This was perhaps a silly post, but at least I didn’t whine too much.

 

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Monday Malaise

Posted on September 29, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I’m pretty sure I’ve used this title before.  I’m going to call today a Blogger’s Sick Day.  I actually wrote parts of a blog post while at work today, but I was not having a good day.  I don’t feel like talking about why.

OK, that’s not true.  I would LOVE to talk about ALL the things that are bothering me, but there are reasons why I shall not. One reason is that it is not all my stuff.  I don’t want to look as if I’m saying, “Oh, look at me, I’m so compassionate, worried about other people’s troubles!”  Anyways, it isn’t true.  Oh, I have a normal amount of compassion, I do worry about other people’s problems. But, how do I put this?  Sometimes other people’s troubles bother me because they bother ME.

This would be a ripe topic for a Monday Middle-aged Musings, but I’m just not up to having any profound thoughts today.  Did I mention Blogger’s Sick Day?  Well, it is not merely a mental malaise.  I also feel like crap physically.

I was afraid this would happen.  I was afraid I would feel too crappy to write a post. That is why I tried so hard to write something while at work. Oh well, sometimes these things work out, sometimes they do not.  All I can do is try again tomorrow. Happy Monday ,everyone.

 

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Scattered but Sick Saturday

Posted on September 27, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sorry, kids, but I feel like crap.  I’m going to give you a brief overview of my day, whine about my ills, and hit Publish.  That was your warning.  If you don’t want to listen to me whine, STOP READING NOW!!  SAVE YOURSELF!   (That last said in a sweeping dramatic tone with gesture, like the character in the disaster movie who sacrifices herself for others.) (I’m either taking myself pretty seriously here or else I’m being silly. You decide.)

I started this morning with Coffee and Conversation with a Cop at the First Baptist Church in Herkimer, NY.  This worthwhile community endeavor has been going on for a whole year now, and I support it wholeheartedly.  I intend to write a longer blog post about it. I had intended to do so today, but, well, shit happens.

Having eaten sweet yummy stuff at the church but not had breakfast, I was feeling a little upset of stomach.  I went home and had eggs,  thinking protein would counteract the sugar.  I guess it helped marginally.

I left the house shortly before noon, headed for Ilion Little Theatre (ILT).  I understood  that people would be working on the set for Lunch Hour starting at noon.  Lunch Hour, I believe I mentioned, is the first official offering of the ILT 2015-16 season.  I am stage manager.  Rehearsals have started and are going very well.  I chatted with the director about how well things are going, gave my opinion about a couple of set pieces under consideration, and other than that was not a whole lot of help.

That was when I started to feel like crap.  The lightheadedness that has plagued me lately came back.  I couldn’t handle it.  I went home.  After visiting with Steven when he came home for lunch (poor soul has to work most Saturdays), I took a nap.

And some more stupid stuff happened after I awoke, but never mind that now.  I am slowly becoming more open about admitting that I suffer from depression.  On the one hand, I think it is a good idea to become more open about these things, take away the stigma of mental illness, and encourage each other to seek help.  On the other hand, sometimes it feels like I am whining, asking for sympathy that I don’t necessarily deserve (although who can say what one truly deserves?  I’m asking seriously: who makes these rules? I’d like a word with them), or possibly seeking excuses to get less done than I might otherwise.

All that said, my depression has been making itself felt in full force for some time now.  Before I began this post, all I wanted to write was, “I am too depressed to write a post today.”  And look, I’m over 400 words.  I think I shall feel happy about that.  I hope you are all enjoying your Saturday.

 

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Scattered Saturday Stroll

Posted on August 30, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

First, to give a health update (although people who go on about their ailments are usually tiresome), I woke up this morning with no light-headedness but with a dreadful headache.

Still, I felt marginally better so thought to go for a walk to the post office.  I had finished a letter to a friend yesterday at the laundromat (so two useful results of the heinous part of the day) (I think I mentioned in yesterday’s post that it was a heinous part of the day).  I wrote three postcards, got ready and headed out the door.

It was cool in the shade but warm in the sun,  the beginning of a beautiful day.  I had on my crazy old lady hat and was grateful I was carrying my purse, which contained my prescription sunglasses.  As always, it felt good on my legs to walk.  For the first block or so I had the vague idea to return home, put on the proper gear and go running instead.  On the other hand, I thought, still ill, no running for weeks, maybe a longish walk would be better.

To make it a longer walk, after mailing my things, I walked towards Main Street then down Green Street.  I noticed the newspaper’s building, an old, interesting structure.  “Evening Telegram” stands out in stone letters on the front.  In fact, it moved to a morning paper some time ago and more recently merged with the Little Falls paper to become the Times Telegram.  I am actually quite impressed that the area can support a daily newspaper, three if you count the Utica O-D and the Rome Sentinel (in fact, we subscribe to the Times Telegram and the O-D, although there is some overlap in their coverage).

I thought it would be a good idea if I came down and took a picture of the building before they update the sign, if they ever do. After all, an elegant stone sign, why not keep it up there for the sake of history?

I continued down Green Street past the First Baptist Church, which hosts Cup with a Cop every month.  That is a chance to sit down and chat informally with our local police.  I enjoy it very much, when I am able to attend.  Unfortunately, this month it was last week, when I had to work.  I hope to be there again.  For one reason, it is usually good for a blog post.

Continuing on I came to the path over what used to be a hydraulic canal, a favorite place of mine to walk or run.  My legs were feeling a little tired by now, so I felt I had made the right decision not to run.  On the other hand, my headache seemed a little better.  I was setting a brisk, steady pace, which I have read is good for producing pain-fighting endorphins (why is my computer telling me “endorphin” is a word but not “endorphins”?).  That is one thing about not walking with a cute little doggy.  You can set a brisk, steady pace and not stop to let someone sniff every few feet.  That said, I would rather have my dog.  However, I do not mean to whine about my loss.

I continued walking for a little over a half hour, so I felt I had gotten some exercise.  My headache returned in full force almost as soon as I stopped walking.  I say this only to give an update, not to further complain (although I realize it may be difficult to tell the difference).  Later, after decongestant and a nap, my headache had gone to be replaced by the lightheadedness (again, UPDATE, not COMPLAINT! Sheesh!).

I did enjoy my walk.  I hope to take another one soon.  Happy Saturday, everyone.

 

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But It’s Only the First Week of August!!!

Posted on August 7, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yes, it is a three exclamation point situation, and it is not a diatribe about back to school ads. My fall allergies have kicked in.

In past years, fall allergies have involved stuffy  and/or runny nose, itchy eyes, sinus headache, you know, the usual stuff. I’ve taken the usual over the counter remedies with occasional forays into prescription territory. I’ve gone though whole boxes of tissues in a single afternoon.  I’ve irrigated and neti-potted.  I’ve drunk gallons of green tea with local honey (not all at once, like the tissues).

I confess, there has always been a stirring of joy with the first sinus twinge, because it means fall is here.  I love fall.  Well, my problems with my sinusy twinges this year are twofold.

To begin with:  it’s not fall.  Play all the back-to-school ads you want, lament that summer is half over, even start school if you are in one of those states, IT’S STILL NOT FALL YET!  Even the unofficial start of fall (Labor Day) is a month away.  Real fall is almost three weeks after that, and when (or if) we’ll get the pleasant fall weather is anybody’s guess.

The second fold of my problem is these are not the allergy problems I am used to.  What I’m used to is getting the above listed, normal allergy symptoms.  When the symptoms become too bothersome, I take something for it, which usually dopes me up.  It becomes almost a mathematical problem:  how much allergy discomfort makes it worth the discomfort of being horribly lightheaded?  Sometimes the answer changes.  It adds a little interest to my day.

Well, it seems now the main symptom is to be horribly lightheaded.  What the hell, body?

Someone will argue (and you know who you are) that it is really a time, money, and mathematical equation saver.  After all, I’m skipping right over the usual symptoms and going right to the lightheaded part. I suppose, too, I could be pleased that my body decides to switch things up now that I’m into my 50s.  After all, it proves that you can so teach an old dog new tricks.

In any case, I’m feeling too lightheaded to write a real blog post, and I thought this would make a decent Non-Sequitur Thursday post.  Fall allergies when it isn’t really fall.  Having the last step first in the allergy discomfort equation.  Sounds pretty non-sequential to me.  Then again, I am lightheaded.  Hope you’re all having a lovely Thursday.

 

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