Thursday, May 21, 2009

Achy! Sick! Yuck! and worried about tomorrow

I've been pretty lucky so far this year. There has been a number of really bad colds/flus that have gone around my area and I haven't caught any of them. But last night I got a sudden attack of a killer sore throat and it's not any better today. :(

Last night & this morning I sucked on some Zinc Lozenges with echinacea and Vitamin C. Often that turns it around quickly but I'm not so sure this time. My nose is a teensy bit stuffy and I'm hoping it doesn't get worse because I can get killer sinus infections. My daughter had a bit of a bug the other day, though she didn't complain of a sore throat. She said she felt dizzy (which I have a little bit) and just felt kind of sick. Though she's never been great at explaining exactly what her symptoms are.

Anyhow, hopefully it doesn't last long. I'm taking today as a rest day from exercise. I'm tired and achy anyway, but I've also had a number of consecutive days where I've worked out quite hard and my body could probably use a break.

Had bootcamp again last night with the substitute instructor. She really does put on a good class. My foot was bugging me a bit again so I wasn't able to do the sprints, but I did run still. She also gave me some things to work on that might help my foot. She seems to think I need to strengthen the muscles in my foot (and she's not the first to suggest that).

The scale hasn't been budging this week. I'm hoping that it's either in relation to my heavy exercises and/or this cold I've caught. I know that it's not due to overeating or lack of exercise or water so I'm know I'm doing what I can. I do feel a bit firmer this week so maybe a loss is coming. My husband came in last night and said I looked skinnier. He is expert at noticing when I've dropped, and especially when I've put on, a couple pounds.

All I know is it better move soon. I told my family that I am not going on holidays unless I weigh under 150 lbs! That's totally feasible because I've got 7 weeks to do it in.

My son was shocked to learn that I weigh more than him. He's 5'9"ish, Size 13 feet, weighs 143 lbs. and is quite muscular and bigger boned. I told him this summer we need to exchange weights :) I want to be his weight and he wants to be mine - hahaha.

Here's my food plan for the day:

Breakfast - Red River Cereal with 1 cup mixed berries (this is SOOO good, never had berries with it) (3)
Lunch - Red & Orange Peppers, Cucumber, 2 tblspn homemade hummus, 2 sl Rye Bread, 3 sl. Chicken Breast (5)
Afternoon Snack - Asian Pear, 1/2 c. yoghurt (3)
Dinner - BBQ pork tenderloin, baked red potato with Becel Butter Spray, Spinach Salad with red peppers, mandarins and light creamy poppyseed dressing (8)
Dessert - Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich or All Bran Bar (2)

Liquid - 2 black tea, 1-2 peppermint tea, 8 c. plain water

Exercise - Rest Day

Total Points - 21

Tomorrow will be a tough day. My daughter has an immense fear of dentists and tomorrow morning she has a standard bi-annual check up. This has in the past kept us at the dentist office for up to 9 hours! (no kidding) It started when she was quite little and for no apparent reason, our dentist was amazing and all she'd had up to that point were the appointments where the dentist just looks in their mouth and runs his finger around. Then, when she was 6 she HAD to have some teeth removed. For most kids this would be a simple procedure at the dentist office, but for her we had to take her into Children's Hospital and she had to be put under. There was no other safe way to do it. Thankfully, they also capped all her teeth while they had her under so she hasn't had to undergo any fillings over the years.

For the next 5-6 years we went to a dentist where every 6 months we went in and we'd basically hold her down while they did a quick 5 min look in her mouth. The idea was that over time she would adjust and cooperate - but that never happened. She kicked, she screamed (in a sound proof room), she bit, she spit, and she cried buckets.

Finally about 2 years ago I decided that she really needed to have a cleaning and a proper check up. The place we had been going wasn't willing to do it, so we went to a new pediatric dentist.

That first time we brought her in fairly early and she was given an oral sedative to take the edge off. They said they would not physically force her to do anything but she is very feisty and they hoped the sedative would help her to be more reasonable. After a number of hours she still refused to get into the chair willingly. They didn't force her in, but they also wouldn't allow her to sit down anywhere else. I love this concept because that is how I parent. So she leaned against the wall, almost asleep, for the better part of the day. The office closed for the day and we were still there and she still hadn't budged. But her dentist is at least as strong willed as her and she wasn't willing to walk away. Finally she told her enough is enough get in the chair and let's get this done. Once in the chair she let them give her a dose of sleeping gas and they were able to do the work quickly.

The next time we went in, we took the first appt in the morning and they reserved a space for her for the entire day. They decided to skip the oral sedative because they don't believe it made a difference for her. Whatever her issue is, the sedative did not change her resistance. At this point she was 12 yrs old, a good 3-4" taller than the dentist (she's a teeny little thing, but tough) and probably outweighed her by 10 lbs. I've always told her that I understand that she is very uncomfortable at the dentist, but it is something she has to do and sometimes you have to face things that you don't want to do. It's important for her health. I also told her that she had until noon to get in the chair or I was leaving. This may sound harsh, but I know my daughter and given the day she would have used it all and hoped they'd give up on her. She is extremely strong willed and sometimes you have to put your foot down firmly or she will run over you. Honestly I would NEVER leave her there, that would be cruel. But ... it worked. She still refused to get in for a long time, but she did get in and somewhat cooperate and was done just after noon. Mad as hell, didn't want to talk about it, but done.

So tomorrow is her next appointment and we're already meeting with resistment. At the mere mention of the appointment she will begin to cry. There is nothing that breaks your heart more than having your child sit beside you in the car and cry silently for the entire drive.

I can't count the number of people who have told me she is just "being bad" or that I need to make her behave. People have judged me and her. They have said that I'm way too lax with her. If they only knew! I am not a pushover parent in the least. The only people who seem to understand are those who have strong willed children. It's tough. Overall she is a very good girl, but to see her at the dentist office you'd think she's a demon child. And she can't explain to me what the issue is.

She used to also have similar issues with having her picture taken. From about age 3-4 on we have almost no photos of her, no willing photos anyway. Then when she was about 11 she began allowing her picture to be taken occassionally and now she is a picture fanatic. She now has her own camera and has 1000's of photos which she takes almost daily. Who knows, maybe one day she'll work in the dental industry :).

So here's hoping that tomorrow goes somewhat smoothly. If we can be out of there by noon I'd like to take her for a nice lunch, maybe down to the beach.

2 comments:

Syl said...

feel better my friend and good luck tomorrow.

Tiffany said...

Hope you start to feel better soon!