It was a very pleasant weekend except the dogs didn't have many pups to play with. Few people and dogs arrived on Saturday, and because we had plans to go to Mystic Aquarium on Sunday (a 2+ hour drive each way), the dogs went to the park early when no one is ever around. My sciatica was very well-behaved, so non-existent for the entire trip. Next month I'll test my theory as to whether vaccinations are causing me nerve inflammation. I just have to space out the flu shot, the updated Covid shot, and then, the dreaded Shingrix shot. I really think the shingles vaccination triggered a sciatic flare-up, and I've saved my Rx for physical therapy for just before I get vaccinated.
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| My dogs look giant! |
Meanwhile, I'm still taking amoxicillan for gum inflammation, but I haven't needed the ibuprofen today. Two days ago, I discovered when applying oral anesthetic (20% lidocaine) with a cotton swab, that the roof of my mouth near the inflammation was in fact bleeding. WTH? I believe it's an opportunistic viral infection that takes advantage of stress. Or if I eat the wrong thing, like crushed red peppers. I used to love sprinkling that on pizza, but it always led to painful sores (aphthous ulcers) on the roof of my mouth the next day. So, no more crushed red peppers.
Since those sorts of lesions are usually related to canker sores, cold sores, Chicken Pox and shingles, I wondered about getting some acyclovir. This is an anti-viral that works well against this type of virus. But you need a doctor to prescribe it and I'm not sure about going back to the dentist for this. However, I was reminded by online research that L-Lysine, available over-the-counter, also works well against this family of viruses. And I have a bottle of L-Lysine in my kitchen. The recommended dose is 500 mg 3x a day for a few days. I started taking it with the amoxicillan yesterday and overnight I can feel that my mouth is less painful!
The music at the gym is aggressively loud and annoying. Thank goodness I've charged my wired earbuds and can drown out the cacophony. While I'm blissfully pedaling away and mouthing the words to my favorite songs, I catch a glance of some regulars on the treadmill. Square Jaw is moving at a brisk pace, but his companion is ambling, mostly because he's talking so loud. I think it's The Mayor, but I can't be certain from the back because he seems taller, thinner and his hair seems darker... probably dyed. I'm really happy that they've vacated the cardio section by the time I get to the Stretch Cage because that's situated directly in front of the treadmills they were using. Even better is that I get 15 reps today.
I read an article over the weekend about how doing a pull-up has become quite the "mid-life flex" for women as per the WSJ. Unfortunately, when I went back to reference the article, it was behind a paywall. But it's true that it's rare to see a gal knocking out pull-ups. (I don't even see them try. And as I've said before, the "assisted pull-up" machine doesn't give you the muscle training to do an actual pull-up.) Actually, I don't see a lot of guys doing it either, but there's always one who's very gifted. And then I never see them again. Granted, there's something to be said in finding the proper grip and not destroying your elbows and forearms with tendonitis. I can only do a dozen the second go-round, but still better than none at all. Planks are stuck at 90 seconds, and Wall Squats for 90 seconds seems like an eternity. Maybe I should go back to a few minutes on the stair climber now that my sciatica is at bay?
14 Aug 2023 12:19-1:50
Monday and the gym music is blasting
Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30 + 5 (5630)
Distance: 2.84
Cal: 316
Avg Hr: 150, 200-88
HGPU 15
20 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
20 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 90s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch
Eye yoga
Wall Squats 90s
HGPU 13
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