Hey Nerds,
Speaking of those goals I posted a couple of weeks ago…
So far, I dropped the ball on posting weekly (whoops!), but I am making some significant progress on focusing on my health.
OK, so what have you done?
First off, I’m focusing on improving my health in 2022. Clearing my skin? Check. Improving my gut health? Check. Get in better shape? Yup. Try to get rid of the agonizing pain in my right hip joint? Hell yes!
There’s a lot of things I want to accomplish, or at a minimum improve, in 2022. And I fully recognize I may not accomplish all of them, but at least I can make small steps for the long haul.
My father passed away at the age of 65. I’ll spare you the uncomfortable details, but 65 is too damn young. Period. I want to take better care of myself to hopefully live more than another (roughly) 30 years.
OK, REALLY what have you done?
Fine! Here’s the low down on the things I’ve done so far in January to focus on improving my health:
- Allergies: I suffer from some moderate seasonal allergies in the spring. The last two springs, I relied on medication from CVS with pseudoephedrine. Couple of problems with that…you have to register with the state to buy those meds. There’s a limit to how long you can take those medications. And I have to leave the house to procure them. To combat my allergies, I signed up for Picnic (www.picnicallergy.com) to have an online doctor help me get allergies under control. You take a quiz about your allergies and plan is created by a doctor. Afterwards, you confirm the plan and it automatically ships your home. Now I can get ahead of my allergies before the spring comes around with nasal spray and oral pills.
- Migraines: Actually, I started tackling my migraines much earlier than this month. Under the same parent company as Picnic is a company called Cove (www.withcove.com). This is where I receive my migraine medication. Again, mailed to my home and affordable. There’s a $4 monthly medical fee, but then it’s a 3 month supply of my orally dissolving Rizatriptan. It works SO much faster than the pill form and I can stave off a debilitating migraine more often than not. This service requires a much more rigorous initial consultation, all done online, but they want to determine that your migraines don’t require more serious medical attention.
- Skincare: There’s a common theme here. Much like my migraines and allergies, I have Curology (www.curology.com) to help with my skincare. Online survey. Online dermatologist you can message. This is a commitment you need give several months to see progress and I can confirm that I’m really starting to see clearer skin. I did have to message my dermatologist after I saw progress everywhere but my chin and still had some deep, hormonal acne. She had me change my multivitamin and start drinking Spearmint tea. I’m probably one week away from the clearest my skin has been since I went through puberty. <insert wide-eye emoji>
- Gut health: One more online offering! I was diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). It’s fairly common, resulting in things like cramping, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and other not so fun things. So to help with my gut health, my doctor recommended I take a probiotic. I have subscribed to Evens (www.evens.com) for a probiotic and fiber power to take with water or juice.
- Activity: One final thing I purchased was a Bowflex C7 Bike. It was $600 off, making it a MUCH more affordable alternative to a Peloton. It has WiFi connectivity and a one-year JRNY subscription for free, allowing you to access streaming services to watch content while you ride. The seat? It hurts your ass. But I found a $5 gel seat cover on Amazon to provide a little additional comfort and now I can power through a quick 30 minute ride with less issues and much sweat.
What’s next?
That’s a great question.
For the past (almost) year, I’ve dealt with some significant pain in my right hip joint. If I sit too long and get up, it’s sharp pain and I noticeably buckle a bit from it. One weekend last spring, I limped for three days from the pain. It’s gotten better, but I plan to go see my general practitioner (actually my RNP) to see if I can get this looked out. I suspect it’s probably tendonitis like my left hip. I had similar issues with it back in my 20s, but not to this extent. If that’s the case, then I’ll probably have to get an MRI…which is fun!
Fun Fact: MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging, which is essentially you are placed in a large tube-shaped magnet and a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body. Because of the magnetic aspect, you can’t wear any metal or have metal jewelry on when the MRI is performed. Metal zippers? Nope! Body piercings? Not unless you want it ripped out by the magnet. Oh and then there’s the NOISE. The internal part of the magnet produces super repetitive tapping, thumping and other noises. Since a MRI can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, you may want to prep for noise blocking or cancellation with earplugs or headphones.
There’s also a little matter of the dentist. I had no qualms visiting my other doctors during the pandemic, but the dentist made me uncomfortable. It’s literally the one time I CAN’T wear a mask. With that, I haven’t been to the dentist in over a year. (Eeek!) And logically I get that dental hygienists and dentists are professionals, but what about those other patients? I don’t know what kind of person they are and how seriously they took the pandemic.
One more issue? Our dentist sold his practice. He now works one day a week and the other dentist, who we haven’t met, has taken over. I have to decide if I want to drive 20 miles to a dentist I may not like or try to find a new dentist closer to our home. All something I plan to tackle in 2022.
And that, my nerds, is the plan for a healthier 2022. I will try my best to continue to update my progress here in an attempt to hold myself accountable. Here’s hoping that your goals, whatever form they may take, are fruitful and just the right amount of challenging.
Cheers,
Head Nerd