Post Groundhog Day

Groundhog Phil saw his shadow yesterday and that's not reassuring. Temps are slated to dip into the negative double digits, making our small town colder than the city of Buffalo, a place notorious for deep snow and lake-driven wind chill. It's courtesy of the polar vortex that has Florida seeing more than frost in the orchards. I wonder if iguanas have fallen from all the palm trees. It's been so cold without respite that nothing has melted and snowbanks are piled high, obscuring vision at intersections. 

The dogs go to the park later in the morning when temps at least rise into the teens. Single digits are a worry for frostbite. Last week there was at least one pup to play with. This week there is no one. Uncharacteristically, my dogs now tell me they're ready to leave the park after 45 minutes. They're bored. And cold. The snow is deep and there's no one to make trouncing in it worthwhile. Yesterday, we found a dead bird right on the "trail" up to the shed. Mostly intact with feathers everywhere in the snow, it was a large yellow-tailed flicker with an egregious wound to its neck. Most likely an interrupted hawk attack. 

I moved the body to outside the park fencing, but not roadside as I didn't want any critters colliding with traffic while searching for a scavenged meal. The last thing I wanted was my dogs playing with the carcass although I'm not sure they were all that interested. What got them excited was finding a feral cat hiding behind the trash bin when we went for a walk this morning. Thank goodness I had a good grip on both their leashes as the cat zipped out and ran down the road. 

The gym wasn't too crowded when I finally arrived. I really tried to push myself on cardio so that worked out okay. Again, pull-ups really suck once I get past the first half dozen. The pain from my calf and lower back, along with the numb foot really makes the next half dozen difficult. I make it to 15 and it's definitely not pretty. I do a few of the stretches I learned at Physical Therapy and most of my routine in the super cold Aerobics Room. 

Dead Bugs, Bird Dog planks, push-ups all aggravate my sciatica, or vice versa. The sciatica makes doing these movements so much more difficult than they should be. I worry that I'm losing upper body strength and vow to make time to get a session of the DB routine in, maybe Friday. 

I went for the long awaited MRI yesterday. They call it an "open MRI" because you're not being inserted into a closed tube, but honestly, it was more like being rolled into a panini press with a huge white flat plate inches from your face. Yeah, the sides are open but since you're not supposed to move, you don't appreciate any "openness" and even with earplugs and headphones, it is still really really loud. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing, like a meditation. Then, after it was done, I got a CD to bring home. The doc will get a report. I viewed the images but I wish I knew what I was looking at! 

I'm worried that I'm possibly having an allergic reaction to the Alphagan P in that I've been unusually tired, even after a long nap. Some glaucoma patients report that their meds make them barely able to get out of bed. I also feel more susceptible to colds, or maybe it's just being out in freezing weather everyday with the dogs. My eyes are sporadically itchy and that could be a reaction. 

Or it could be that since all my meds reduce eye fluids to reduce eye pressure, the results are ultra dry eyes. But not just eyes. Dry mouth is constant, and lately, although my nose runs all the time, my sinuses feel really dry. I'm not sure how that's possible! But it could also be the ridiculous low humidity that accompanies cold winter air. 

My skin is disintegrating and I'm slathering moisturizing creams and petrolatum every few hours to tamp down the incessant flaking. Every time I change my clothes, it's like I shook a snow globe in the room. Today was balmy with a peak of 33 degrees. The rest of the week will rival Antarctica, but without the penguins. 

4 February 2026 1:09-2:26

Less Frigid Wednesday

Bare Basics w sciatica

Precor elliptical #1

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5290)

Distance: 2.75

Cal: 300

Precor HR: 145, 182-73

Fitbit: 43-134

(right foot numb)

HGPU 15 (w/ sciatica after 11 )

20 Piriformis/Hip flex

10 Hamstring stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (sciatica!)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2 (numb right foot)

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 30

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch / eye yoga

All of The Above

My night owl tendencies are getting out of hand. Lately I've been headed to bed after 2 AM and not even close to being asleep until nearly 3. It's been so cold that I've delayed taking the dogs to the park until temps at least hit double digits. No reason to chance frostbite and yes, even winter-hardy pups can get frostbite even if they insist on being outside. They're not huskies or malamutes, after all. They're mixed breeds, and while they have double coats, their undersides are fairly sparse of coat. They are super lazy at home, preferring to dine like Romans, in the reclining position. 

All this means I'm barely getting 6 hours of sleep and probably less. At least most of my carnivorous plants are doing well (Venus flytraps are flowering, tiny new sundews are making dew) except for the lone pitcher plant that needs exceptional babying. It's in a plastic bag to maintain high humidity, on a heat mat, under indirect light. Fingers crossed. I'm told they hate being handled, and that I need to be super patient with it. Okay... 

I've started to notice some odd side effects since starting the "new" glaucoma drops. Technically, Alphagan-P (brimonidine) is not a new medicine. It's just new to me. I'm sticking with the name-brand since I have a vague recollection of being allergic to the generic about 30 years ago. The side effects don't affect my eyes although they are much drier now, as is all my nasal membranes and mouth. What's odd is that now when I administer a different eye drop, brinzolamide (brand name Azopt), there is an unpleasant metallic taste afterward. But I've taken brinzolamide for years without this effect. I believe it's been precipitated by the Alphagan-P. And I space my drops almost an hour apart so it's not that my meds are mixing in my eyes. 

Another side effect of Alphagan-P, is a lowered heart rate, and possible shortness of breath. This might translate to feeling overly fatigued. Like I felt at the gym today. Except that 2 hours prior, I'd been trudging up and down the dog park hill and had to shovel out two more gates (we arrived late and a dog that one of my pups doesn't like was in the main area so I had to access a smaller side enclosure until that dog left). It's been too cold for the snow to melt even a little, and because the snow is powder fine, it's loose and slippery and great for skiing, but it doesn't clump, so bad for snowballs and making snowmen, and difficult not to slide down when descending steep hills. 

Which means there are several reasons why cardio was difficult today and my quads burned with fatigue early in the session. My sciatica has been actively annoying, aching before noon and reminding me how very little activity aggravates it. The ache extends up to my lower back and makes laying flat in bed uncomfortable. Sciatica makes pull-ups harder than they should be. I'm good for the first several, but struggle with the last 3-4. I can still get over a dozen so perhaps I should just be thankful about that. 

I forgot that the cleaning lady wipes down the equipment on Saturday afternoons. It's more than annoying when you're laying on a mat in the Aerobics Room doing Dead Bugs and she's mopping the floor by your head. There's no reason for me to be exercising while breathing in cleaning fumes! I actually complained to the front desk as nicely as I could. I'm glad the gym is being cleaned. But seriously, no one wants to be panting cleaning solvents while trying to do healthy things. I skipped the neck and shoulder stretches because of this. 

I finally got approval and an appointment for a lumbar MRI since the sciatica isn't any better and it's been almost 4 months. Is it a disk issue or stenosis or something else? I had to wait for approval from my health insurance company. Then, there was a question as to whether the micro stents in my eyes were MRI safe. I also have Durysta implants in each eye, but that might either have completely dissolved or is made of something other than non-reactive titanium. Depending on what type of MRI device is being used, titanium devices could generate heat, which would be very bad. Pacemakers, etc are a no-go. Not sure what a patient does if they have one of those. 

Meanwhile, we are breathlessly awaiting a nor'easter that might dump more snow on us tomorrow night into Monday. I am giving serious consideration into getting a snowblower. Not those monster gas-powered ones, but a smaller, more manageable rechargeable electric. There are several posts on YouTube with recommendations. Of course, this is absolutely the wrong time of year to buy one, but it's not to soon to research. Cuz this isn't the last year for heavy snowstorms. It'll be the Year of the Horse, a year of tumultuous and interesting times. 

31 Jan 2026 2:13-3:24

Frigid Saturday

Bare Basics (w sciatica aggravated by dog park ski snow hill)

Precor elliptical #1 (2:50)

Program 1

Time: 30 + 5 (5164)

Distance: 2.71

Cal: 293

Precor HR: 186-77, 146 avg

Fitbit: low battery

HGPU 15 (w/ sciatica after 11 )

20 Piriformis/Hip flex

10 Hamstring stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (sciatica!)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 30 

Air Squats 25

Snow Sore

In the car with pups

My forearms and glutes were (are) really sore when I went to the gym today. Shoveling 15" of snow, even dry powdery snow, is quite the workout. Not only are my forearms sore from wielding a heavy shovel, but so is my lower back and the entire posterior chain afflicted by my inflamed sciatic bundle. Trudging through snow that deep is also quite taxing. While I've shoveled a narrow path down the walkway, to the woodpile, the driveway, channels to the trash bins. 

At the dog park this morning, I had to clear the two front gates. And then I was too tired after making my way up the hill to the dog park shed to do any more snow clearing. The dogs appear to be very unhappy with snow up to their undercarriages. It's going to get colder this week, with low temps in the negative numbers. 

Happily, being sore wasn't too horrible on cardio but damn, between the forearm weakness and the inflamed sciatica, pull-ups were a struggle. I managed to make it to rep 15 but it was ugly. The Aerobics Room was frigid, which was pleasant in the beginning, but by the time I got to push-ups, I had to put my hoodie back on. Dead Bugs was the only movement that felt strong, but my right leg still hurt a lot afterward. Same for push-ups and bird dog planks. Air squats felt normal. Thank goodness for little things. 

I'm on a new "old" med for my glaucoma. So far, I don't think I'm having any allergic reactions to the Alphagan P but I did read about some folks having unpleasant side effects like low blood pressure, brain fog, faintness, weakness, shortness of breath. I have been panting a lot these past few days, but shoveling in 10F weather might do that regardless. A box of Hot Hands I ordered in November finally arrived at the end of December, and then I found more I had stashed away. Hand warmers. Toe warmers. All good, especially for time at the dog park in the middle of a northeast winter. 

I'm hoping my forearms will be better by tomorrow cuz I need to haul a couple of wheelbarrows of firewood into the house. At least I already have a trench dug out in the snow to the tarped pile in the middle of the yard. Not happy about the prospect of a new snow storm hitting us next weekend. I remember having to shovel every weekend waaay back in the 90s, when I was a lot younger and not hindered by sciatica and glaucoma, and/or the meds and their side effects... 

27 Jan 2026 1:24-2:48

Frigid Tuesday

Bare Basics / sore from snow shoveling w sciatica

Precor elliptical #1 (2:02)

Program 3

Time: 30 + 5 (5334)

Distance: 2.75

Cal: 301

Precor HR: 178-84, 152 average

Fitbit: 42-126

HGPU 15 (struggling w/ sciatica)

20 Piriformis/Hip flex

10 Hamstring stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (sciatica!)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 30 (sore arms & lower back)

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch / eye yoga

Better But Not Great

I got to the gym really late as it was damn near 2 pm on a Friday, but a Friday before a forecast of a huge winter storm. The town has already laid down salt lines on a lot of the roads in anticipation of icy roads over the weekend into next Monday. I'm hoping it'll skip us but that's highly unlikely. This after I finally got all the ice off my walkway and driveway yesterday when temps hit the mid-40s and allowed the de-icer to work properly on the stubborn patches. 

Dogs go to the park every morning, and if friends arrive, then we stay later to allow them time to play and socialize. Then another half and hour getting their dog park passes renewed because the website is under construction and the office is on my way to the gym. But there's a lot of paperwork and not everyone is terribly organized. It's okay. I'm not in a rush and the weather is chilly but sunny. 

Finally, on my way and there is a lot of traffic. Especially at the groceries cuz there's early panic about this huge, slow-moving winter storm. I'm really surprised at how empty the gym is when I arrive. There are electricians in the women's locker room, installing the new heater for the sauna. That sauna has been out of commission since early November. The replacement heater has been sitting in its box by the front desk since early December. (Happily, they are done before I come back to shower and change.) 

Wind Breaker is on machine #3 and all the other machines are vacant. I get on #1 and pedal program #2. I think it's the hardest program out of the 3 different "terrains" because it's two pairs of steep hills. I'm not unhappy about the mileage because I'm feeling better than I have in several weeks. That illness, whatever it was, really drained my energy and it's taken a long time to regain my former strength and endurance. Still not quite there yet. But better. 

I know I'm better because, although I haven't been able to add reps to my pull-up set, they feel stronger and the sciatica doesn't bite me until I get tired and start to curl my legs up. Prior to that, I'm able to hold my body straight with ankles crossed and knees bent out enough to feel like I'm shaped like a trapezoid. Weird? Well, yeah, I'm quirky. I know I'm better because I could knock out 30 reps at push-ups without my lower back aching and my toes going numb. Air Squats were fine. Bird Dogs were fine. I'm still skipping Hip Bridges because I don't need to aggravate that tender nerve bundle and ruin all the other movements. 

Tiny Sundews

I could go to the gym tomorrow as the storm isn't expected until the wee hours Sunday through Monday. But I anticipate a lot of shoveling on Monday since there's the potential for 18". That's a lot of snow. And bitter cold temps. Think single digits into negative number territory. Pups will still want park time, but I'll have to limit their time outside cuz frostbite is a real thing, even for winter-loving dogs like Jindos. Besides, they're not purebred Jindos. Good thing the reactive pup likes those "calming chews."

Flowering Venus Fly Trap

Meanwhile, I'm still worried about my kid's pitcher plant (bagged it as per recommendations from other carnivorous plant enthusiasts, placed on a heat mat with good indirect light) and I'm told they can take months to acclimatize and recover. The other plants, 6 venus flytraps, and a pot of teeny tiny sundews seem to be doing okay. As a matter of fact, the VFTs think it's summer (oops), and some are pushing flower stalks. I expect a few blooms any day now. This will be the first and only year that I overwinter them inside with grow lights to make them stronger. Apparently VFTs need a winter dormancy period for optimal life expectancy. Learning new stuff every day! 

23 Jan 2026 1:48-3:03

Frigid Friday

Bare Basics / Electricians in the Locker Room!!

Precor elliptical #1 (2:26)

Program 2

Time: 30 + 5 (5304)

Distance: 2.75

Cal: 301

145, 188-79

Fitbit: 41-137

HGPU 15 (sciatica rep 12 curl legs up)

20 Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

10 Hamstring stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (mild sciatica)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 30

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch / eye yoga

Been A While

Winter Bark Park

It's been over a week since I was last at the gym, mostly because the weather's been horrid (to drive in), and there were too many appointments for either me or my kid before the end of winter break. My kid went back to school yesterday and although it is very cold out, it's not snowing, sleeting, hailing or any combination of wintry mix. Temps, however, are forecast to drop into the single digits with wind chills making it feel like negative numbers. 

I've still had to shovel my driveway, walkway, and a path to the woodpile (always finding shed snake skins), and then load up two wheelbarrows worth of firewood. So, it's not like I've been slacking. None of this makes my sciatica feel any better. 

I do have approval from the health insurance gods to get an MRI although it's a bit iffy as to how much this is going to cost me cuz my hubs has changed our plan twice already. We went from a moderate copay with a "reasonable" deductible to zero copay to a high deductible, which meant that doc visits and prescriptions are now hundreds of dollars until I hit that amount. And then insurance will cover it until it hits an arbitrary max amount. Or maybe it's the other way round... 

And then we switched back to the copay lower deductible after I complained that one of my eye drops went from $60 to $600. Sure, I'm gonna hit that deductible really fast (something I don't normally do under the reasonable deductible plan) but I'm balking at shelling out thousands of dollars for meds and doc visits. The high deductible plan is obviously cheaper for the employee (less of a premium hit for every paycheck) but comes to the same amount in total if we hit all the maximums. I think we're back to the lower deductible but my hubs is under the impression that this can be changed every six months. Nothing in the literature says that, but he didn't share those docs with me until yesterday. 

I went to the gym today and did a session of cardio, a set of pull-ups which finally felt "normal" although the sciatica did hit me during the last few reps as I reflexively curled my legs up to assist, and then, most of my routine in the Aerobics Room. Still skipping hip bridges because other movements still make my foot go numb and cause my right glute to throb. The lower calf still hurts a lot when this happens. Honestly, physical therapy didn't do anything for me. Nothing has improved. At the end of the day, I'm in enough pain to make laying in bed very uncomfortable. 

Oddly, the only positive thing I've noticed is that I ran out of fish oil supplements, decided they were much too expensive to buy again, and after 4-5 days, the descending darkness clouding my right eye cleared up. I might have to take that VF (visual field test) again and see if the apparent vision loss progression has, in fact, reversed. Something to cheer about, right?

It's also time for me to apply for Medicare cuz I'm 65 and ain't getting any younger. I'm technically too young for full Social Security benefits but the admin keeps moving the goalposts, so I foresee never being able to qualify to collect on that, even though I've paid into it for years. And I don't expect anything else to change except more paperwork, more spam calls, more scam calls and phishing emails. Cuz these are the interesting times we live in and consumer protections are just a memory. 

20 Jan 2026 12:58-2:07

Frigid Tuesday

Bare Basics

Precor elliptical #1 (1:35)

Program 1

Time: 30 + 5 (5282)

Distance: 2.74

Cal: 299

Avg Hr: 152, 171-71

FitBit: low battery

HGPU 15 (sciatica rep 12 curl legs up)

20 Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

10 Hamstring/ stretches

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (mild sciatica)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 25 (sore lower back)

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch / eye yoga 

Moderate Improvement

I had just enough time to get some cardio done, do a set of pull-ups, and some basic core movements before running off to physical therapy. I honestly don't think the PT is improving anything in my life. If anything, my sciatica aches more after a session, and I don't see any increase in pain tolerance. By the end of the day, I still feel like I got kicked in the glute by an angry horse. 

I'm back on elliptical #1, which is a tad clunky. Recovery has been slow and my quads felt exhausted through the first half of the 35-minute session. I did fare a bit better at pull-ups. While not increasing the reps by much (one rep more than last time), they felt stronger and more "normal" than previously. My wonky sciatic nerve bundle is still unhappy with this movement and twinged a lot during the last several reps. 

I just had enough time to do a few basic movements in the Aerobics Room: Dead Bugs, piriformis stretch, push-ups, air squats, cat/camel. I went to physical therapy and did a bunch of exercises there that are meant to strengthen muscles surrounding the sciatic nerve, including a hamstring stretch that includes a foot flex. But honestly, all this does is make my foot go numb and eventually develop a deep ache in my glute and a mildly sore lower back. 

At least I'm over my "cold" so I'm no longer on those meds. Tomorrow I see my glaucoma doc and discuss the abysmal results of the Visual Field test I took some months ago. I know my vision loss is progressing in my right eye's upper quadrant. I can literally see it, and it is distracting enough to make me feel a bit off kilter cuz it's fucking with my binocular vision. 

12 Jan 2026 1:07-2:06

Chilly Monday

Bare Basics

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3 — fatigue

Time: 30 + 5 (5250)

Distance: 2.73

Cal: 297

Avg Hr: 148, 186-80

New FB: 42-131

HGPU 15 (sciatic pain during)

20 Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (mild sciatica)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 10 x 2

Push-Ups 25 (weak & sciatic pain)

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch / eye yoga 

Definitely Better With Meds

While I am fully off the antibiotics and prednisone prescribed by my doc for the upper respiratory illness I contracted over the holidays, I can't actually say that I feel all that much better. Well, I'm not as tired and not having coughing spasms. But my sciatic pain has crept back, as well as the inflammation in my gums. Both had been banished for the past week but have returned. 

The sciatica was so uncomfortable last night that I didn't fall asleep until 4 AM and only after rolling onto my side. Worse, I've been sporadically lightheaded and feel like there's a weight pressing on my chest. My pulse rate and BP are normal though. I have fleeting thoughts about going to Urgent Care but they're only open until 8 PM tonight. 

I did make it to the gym today, if only to get in some cardio (elliptical #1 since Wind Breaker reclaimed #3) and a paltry set of pull-ups. Those definitely don't feel right, especially triggering a flash of sciatic pain during the dozen or so reps that felt cursory and not at all normal. My sciatica doesn't normally twinge unless I curl my legs up, but today the nerves seemed inflamed without much provocation. 

Afterward, I did a limited set of movements in the Aerobics Room. Dead Bugs okay. Push-ups making my foot numb and exacerbating the sciatica. Air Squats okay. I've been going to physical therapy, and while I was on prednisone, it was fine. Tomorrow, I suspect it will not be fine. I see my glaucoma doc next week. I wonder how my IOPs will be... I hope this chest pressure goes away... it feels like I have a large pill stuck in my throat but further down. My face has been flushing intermittently as well. Very weird. 

8 Jan 2026 12:48-1:56

Thursday No Meds

Bare Basics after 3 weeks

Sleepless w/d meds

Precor elliptical #1 

Program 2 — right calf pain

Time: 30 + 5 (5294)

Distance: 2.72

Cal: 296

Avg Hr: 148, 184-48!? seriously? 

New FB: 42-119

HGPU 14 (sciatic pain during)

20 Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5 (mild sciatica)

10 Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 25 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Arm rotations 20

Push-Ups 25 (sciatic pain)

Air Squats 25

Neck Stretch / eye yoga (2:16)