It's the day before turkey day and I had to gas up the car (will there be a line?), pick up pies I pre-ordered from a local farm bakery two towns over, and still make it to the gym. My sciatica hasn't changed at all, which means it's fine when I'm stationary and feels progressively worse the more active I am. Very frustrating.
Everyone is picking up their pies and the farm is so crowded that cars have resorted to parking along the narrow, shoulderless road leading to the entrance. The fragrance of fresh baked goods wafts out from the open doors. I'm tempted to pick up an additional pie since there are stacks of pecan and pumpkin pies on the "not claimed" tables, but I resist and content myself with a few double chocolate muffins (my kid's favorite) and the farm's stellar corn muffins. My kid got back from college late last night, spent an hour unpacking and refreshing, then ran off to hang with HS friends until the wee hours. Oh, to be 20 again!
I get to the gym by 2 pm. The shopping plaza has suddenly decided on cosmetic improvements: last week they painted the entire facade of the storefronts and replaced signage to make every store look like part of the team. This week, they've started repaving parts of the parking lot and the entrance and exit roadways. It's very inconvenient but nice to have those potholes finally addressed.
The gym isn't very crowded. Wind Breaker is one elliptical #3 as usual. I get on #1. This is the latest I've ever been here, and I'm really tired from not getting enough sleep. I did hear my kid come back at 4 AM because I'm a light sleeper and one of the dogs made some oddly quiet woofing noises. And I still had to get up at 8 to bring the pups to the park. I did have a coffee but that only quells the morning headache that develops when the barometer is changing. Bad weather gives me a bad headache.
My sciatica hurts a lot until the end of the elliptical program when my leg feels okay but my toes are still a bit numb. I just make it to 2.7 and that's gonna have to be okay. I manage a decent set of pull-ups, which I'm proud of. But that's enough. Because my leg and butt hurts as I limp away from the Stretch Cage. The Aerobics Room is nicely chilled, making the routine less stressful. Still skipping the hip bridges and bird dogs. Never doing a cobra pose again. The nerve flossing makes my hamstring sore. Push-ups are fine, but my toes tingle worse when I stand up.
I got my test results back from the semi-annual physical and it's not good. Slightly elevated glucose on a fasting blood test suggests pre-diabetes. I guess I should quit eating all that leftover Halloween candy, and a good thing I didn't buy that pecan pie! The cholesterol readings are much worse. Not sure how much of it I can blame on unfiltered coffee, butter, and whole milk. Might it have been that steak my hubs cooked a few days ago? Or the burger he made last week? Lately, the only time I eat red meat is when he buys and cooks it. Maybe, but probably not, right? I might have to do a complete rethink on food just to get all my numbers down to where they should be. This is going to be hard work, and I am not looking forward to it. This is depressing, especially right before a traditional feast day...
Meanwhile, the moderate temps today (50F) are giving way to winter temps tonight into the weekend. Good thing I dragged in a bunch of firewood for the stove! Well, at least we're not expecting snow.
I got to the gym late again, and on a (gasp) Saturday, but at least I made it. I managed to squeak out some cardio, steps, two sets of pull-ups. Oddly, Wind Breaker was pedaling machine #1 and the remaining 3 were vacant. Perhaps they were occupied earlier and he meant to switch later? I get on #3 because it does glide better than the other two machines.
Then I notice that the phone holder is missing. It's a solid piece of plastic add-on that saddles over a bar on the Precor; one side holds the phone and other is a cup holder. That cradle is missing the bottom, so an additional add-on cup is wedged into the grip and fits most commercial water bottles. It fits mine just fine. I wind up putting my phone on the slim shelf on the monitor face of the Precor. There are two and the phone is tall enough to obscure either the time elapsed or the number of revolutions. The latter can toggle with total number of steps and "miles" conquered.
My sciatica has not improved at all. Pedaling the elliptical is painful but eventually less so. Still, I've lost a lot of "speed" and haven't been able to get even close to 2.8. Hell, I'm lucky if I can get past 2.7! I manage pull-ups but today even legs crossed hurts. Pulling my knees up (kind of a small cheat) really hurts so I refrain from that position. Swaying hurts. I'm happy I can get past a dozen, but the last few are ugly. Pull-ups shouldn't hurt your butt or your calves.
The only problem with exercising at the gym on a Saturday is that by mid-afternoon, the "cleaning lady" tends to come around mopping, sweeping, and wiping down all the equipment even as we are using it. So I'm on the Stair Master and she's wiping the base and railings with some ammonia-scented disinfectant, which I'm sure isn't great for anyone's lungs much less someone breathing hard from exertion. That's my only complaint about Saturday. I'm glad someone's cleaning with disinfectant, just not while we're all exercising.
In the Aerobics Room, there's a guy teaching his kid (maybe HS?) to punch into his padded hands in one corner. Luckily the room is big enough for several groups of folks to do their own things. I've given up on Hip Bridges but try a different variation of neural flossing: lay on the mat, one foot flat on the floor with knee bent, the afflicted leg with knee pulled close to the chest with both hands behind the knee, then straighten the leg and flex the foot. I can feel a weird ache in the back of the thigh, which oddly, is the only part of the leg that doesn't hurt with this iteration of sciatica. After several reps, my calf and foot have less pain and numbness. Awesome! I refrain from doing more than one set of push-ups though. It's already late and it'll be almost dark by the time I leave.
from Doctors of Osteo website
The X-ray report was in the mailbox waiting for me when I got home. It was brief and used unfamiliar words. I'm so glad we live with the internet at our fingertips, otherwise I'd have to wait until the library was open and trot down there to search a medical dictionary! Bone mineralization within normal range. (Yaaaay! in spite of the Dexa scans.) Some arthritis (we ALL have arthritis), some loss of disc space (seems normal for someone in their mid 60s). But the anterolisthesis, now that's a problem. It's where a vertebra slips forward over the vertebra it's sitting on. Damn being flexible. Joking. Or not.
Well, at least I know what's causing the sciatic pain. Hoping that an orthopedist can suggest better exercises, but maybe that's not their job. Maybe I'll have to go to PT (physical therapy). Ugh. I'll be seeing my GP next week to check my BP and cholesterol, which will probably be too high for the mere fact that I haven't been filtering my coffee. The fancy coffee maker makes a mean cappuccino and the long espresso is pretty good too...the cafestol and kahweol (diterpenes that raise cholesterol) can be removed with a simple paper filter. I use one with a pour over cup of freshly ground beans, but it's so much easier to push a button and stick your mug under the spout and have the super expensive machine grind beans and press out espresso. I don't really want to filter my espresso, but I probably should...
I thought about going to the gym yesterday but decided I'd rather take advantage of the windless sunny day, just brisk enough to warrant a sweatless outdoor chore day. So I dragged a bunch of things out of the house and into the newly cleared garage, and then I got down to doing what I really needed: moving some firewood into the house. There was already a half dozen sticks from last winter, but I'm more comfortable with a bigger stack next to the wood stove. Ostensibly to dry out since the wood's been outside all year. Never mind that the logs had already sat for a year or two before being split and stacked.
Temps dropped into the high 20s last night so I got a fire started. To my delight, the outside wood ignited quickly with just one match and a bit of newsprint for a starter. It was enough to raise the chilly living room a modest 4 degrees, which meant a comfortable 67F. My doc called to tell me that the report from my X-rays were finalized and instead of playing phone tag, I told them to just leave the message and tell me what that meant. Cuz it's not like they're gonna put my X-rays online for me to view. The news wasn't great. "Degenerative changes in your lumbar spine. Recommending you see an orthopedic specialist." Yeah, well, that could mean arthritis, which literally everyone has, or something worse. I won't know until I speak to an orthopedic doc, so once I get my X-rays in the mail, I'll have to search one out in my health insurance network. Yes, I'm audibly groaning.
Meanwhile, my sciatica hasn't gotten any better. It hurts a lot if I'm upright and active. It hurts less if I'm sitting in a proper seat, not with my legs dangling or too soft a cushion. Standing around hurts the most, like I got kicked by a horse. I had a few errands to do and then I went to the gym. There was a guy in a cherry picker affixing a proper sign outside. I wonder if that means our gym fees will be increasing? It's late and the Senior class has ended. There's not a lot of people inside, although Wind Breaker is on elliptical #3. I climb on #1 and start pedaling program #3.
program 3
I have to start slower than I'm used to just to warm up the recalcitrant right leg. The toes and front half of the foot are numb and tingly. The lower outer calf, just over the ankle feels like a mesh claw has clenched it tightly, and the glute starts to throb, eventually becoming sore. By the end of the 35-minute program, the numbness and pain has dissipated, at least until I step off and walk down to the Stretch Cage for pull-ups.
The one good thing about having bad sciatica is that it prevents you from kipping or otherwise using your body to help get your nose past the bar. It just hurts too much. Now it's easier to just do pull-ups with a straight body and legs crossed to keep from swaying. It's literally the only good thing about this aggravating condition. I do my 10 minutes on the step machine, and then back to pull-ups at the Stretch Cage. I'm more tired and the temptation is great to curl the lower body just to give a bit of assistance. Except this is just too painful. Nope, straighten the body, cross the legs. Done.
Stair Master
The Aerobics Room is sufficiently cold in spite of the previous Senior class. A lot of those folks wear sweaters while getting their steps in although that's not the weirdest inappropriate dress choice I've witnessed. Recently, I saw a fellow on the leg press machine wearing a big leather slouch hat like the Aussie cowboys. And tinted shades. Not like he's gonna get sunburned. Or windburned.
I've looked into recommended exercises and stretches for sciatic pain. There are several that I've done over the years, but will no longer do. I read the comments section of an online article where people discuss the worst exercise for them, ranging from cat/camel through cobra. I can do cat/camel but cobra wrecks me and I suspect that movement is what's caused this latest episode. I figure, if it makes the pain worse, it's not doing anything good. Everyone has different sciatic pain because everyone has a slightly different circumstance for why that giant nerve bundle has been aggravated and aggrieved. So, bye bye to hip bridges and bird dogs. For now at least.
I did double down on push-ups because I've been musing about bone density and getting old and weak. One of my elderly friends (who is actually still quite active but is in her 80s) has trouble standing up from a chair that's too low. Those quads and glutes have weakened. I also know someone in their 60s just a tad older than me who also can't get out of a chair without help. Their son is a fitness freak and quietly complains about dad's lack of exercise consistency. I never want to be THAT person.It occured to me that I haven't pushed weights in several weeks and I feel guilty. Is doing a few pull-ups and push-ups enough?
Sure, gentle cardio is the recommended exercise for sciatic pain. And glaucoma. And I've been doing mostly cardio. But I have nightmares about losing muscle strength, so today I decided I would see what doing two sets of push-ups was like. One set of 25 was easy. My feet did go a little numb, especially in the toes. Did some arm circles and then a second set of push-ups. It didn't get difficult until rep 20. That tracks. Squeaked out the last 5 and felt okay. If I were to go straight through, I'd probably start to struggle somewhere near the 40th rep. The only reason I've stayed with 25 reps is because my glaucoma doc warns me against too much exertion (and asked me to limit to 25 reps) which might raise my eye pressures, and I'm already losing peripheral vision in my right eye. (It's always the right side!) Wonder if I'll be sore tomorrow.
19 Nov 2025 1:04-2:43
Wednesday Cardio & X-ray report
Basics with Sciatica
Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30 + 5 (5186)
Distance: 2.71
Cal: 294
Avg Hr: 146, 188
New FB: 42-134
upgraded FB is slow
HGPU 18
right foot numb & throbbing lower calf/glute
Matrix StairMaster (R)
Manual timer 8+2 cool down
Speed 5? (48-45) / 2 (31) / 1 (29)
Steps 423
Floors 26
Cal 64
Hr 114
HGPU 17 right foot aching
Skip Hip Bridges
20 Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
Skip hip rotations
DeadBugs 20 x 5
10 Piriformis stretches
Skip hip bridges
Child’s Pose
Cat/Cow stretch 12
Child’s Pose
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Skip Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25 x 2 (!) with Arm rotations 20 between push up sets
This week conspired against my attempts to get to the gym. Monday, my sciatica and blossoming sinus infection had me feeling too tired. Tuesday was Veterans Day and I was waiting for the septic folks to come pump my tank, as they do every two years. They were running a bit late and it was snowing. Wednesday, traipsed into the city and got my steps in. Thursday, the tree company was supposed to come but then they didn't come until Friday. And at the last minute, the Parks & Recreation Dept announced they were closing our local park to repave the road and parking area from 7 AM to 1 PM. Which meant taking the dogs for several walks until after 1 PM when I could pop them into the car and drive to the only fully enclosed area to run my pups. I suppose I could've snuck out to the gym on one of those days, but I didn't.
Today, Saturday my sciatica is as bad as it's been for the past three weeks. But my cold is better, although not completely gone. I'm not nearly as tired so I must've been down with a virus of some sort. I get to the gym really late but since it's Saturday, I'm not worried about the HS kids overrunning the equipment. Indeed, it's not very crowded. Of course, Wind Breaker is pedaling elliptical #3 and all the other machines are free. My pedaling is slow and labored to begin with, mostly because I've received a text from an old coworker who I haven't been in touch with for years. It turns out her partner has just passed away from pancreatic cancer. I've known them since the late 80s, which is like forever.
I get my two sets of pull-ups. My sciatica still really hurts if I curl my body when I get tired, usually as I pass the 12th or 13th rep. Pedaling was okay. Stair climbing was okay. The Aerobics Room is empty and chilly. Hip Bridges are still painful so I skip those. I read about nerve flossing and try one of the suggested techniques: lay flat on a mat, knees bent with feet flat on the floor, bring the knee of the afflicted leg up to the chest repeatedly. This doesn't do anything for me. There are other techniques but I'm still not sure how nerve flossing is supposed to work to alleviate sciatic pain. I'll have to try a different technique. The piriformis stretch (see diagram above) helps a little.
It's literally been a whole week since I was last at the gym. Dead Bugs, Push-Ups and Air Squats are surprisingly easy, and I have to remind myself to stop by rep 30 for push-ups. It's been a while since that's happened. I don't have anything on my calendar next week, so maybe I'll manage to exercise more than once. Maybe. Meanwhile, I've fallen down the carnivorous plant rabbit hole, along with my college kid who has a sundew and a pitcher plant, while I have a bunch of supermarket-rescued venus flytraps. It's good to have new hobbies and learn new things...
15 Nov 2025 1:52-3:43
Saturday! Cardio etc
Still Basics w Sciatica & Head Cold 42°F
Precor elliptical #1 (2:29)
Program 2
Time: 30 + 5 (5266)
Distance: 2.74
Cal: 299
Avg Hr: 141, 182-78
New FB: 41-142 (total steps 9,396 / 4.18 miles)
upgraded FB is slow
HGPU 16+2/2! — no kipping after 12 right foot numb & throbbing
I haven't been to the gym all week. As the dose of prednisone tapered down, my sciatica flared back up. The meloxicam hasn't been very effective as a pain reliever or even as an anti inflammatory, which means that even though today is the last day of a 10-day dose, I'm not going to ask for a prescription renewal. So, now I have a full-blown cold (head & chest) with a runny nose, wet cough, scratchy dry throat and sometimes laryngitis. And my foot continues to go numb, with a clenching grip on my calf, and after a while, my glute feels like I've been kicked. Sporadically, the front of my hip also gets a tingly numbness. Very weird and not at all pleasant.
Add to that, the 6-7" scratch my demon dog inflicted on me as I dragged him off to his crate yesterday morning before I could feed them breakfast. He's a very high strung dog. The only dog I know who regularly grinds his teeth in his sleep while he sleep runs. He was upset that yesterday there was no one to play with and we didn't spend enough time at the cold, overcast park. We were there for 45 minutes! But once home, he took offense to the other dog and I heard that low in the chest growl that signals he's going to go bonkers, so off to his crate... I released him once I got back home. And dosed him with calming chews for good measure. Meanwhile, the other dog parked himself right outside the crate, because he's so codependent.
Yesterday was busy: take dogs to park, bring them home and feed them, drive to the train station parking lot, walk a good hundred yards to the actual train station, walk the unbelievably crowded midday midtown streets of Manhattan to the theater and then up several flights to the balcony of the Hudson Theater to a lovely unimpeded view of the stage to watch a matinee showing of Waiting For Godot. With Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters.
It was wonderful. There is such nuance that isn't apparent in a reading of the play in written form. I know because I made a point of reading it before I saw the performance. The magic is in the inflection and gesture that conveys humor and sorrow, even from afar. The actor who plays Lucky is actually disabled and wheelchair bound. At the end of the show, he spoke about the stroke he suffered and how the health insurance provided by Actor's Equity helped him survive and rehabilitate so that he could remain a working actor.
Old theaters have very tight seating and several patrons joked about accidentally falling over the edge since the wall was so low and the seats so narrow. The ladies room only has two stalls so of course there's a line at intermission. Oddly, the water fountain is inside the door to the ladies room so people keep cutting the line just to get a sip, at least until one woman remarked about the cleanliness of the fountain, or rather, the lack thereof. It was kind of grody. I had the foresight to bring my own bottled water with me. Entering the theater, no one scanned or searched anyone and that was refreshing. It was like the old days when we were civilized, before we all feared strangers.
As soon as the play was over, I hurried back through rush hour streets to board a packed commuter train. It's amazing how many French speakers I heard in passing. Also, how many people were plugged in, earbuds quite prominent, as they chatted and marched through the crowds. I overheard one fellow (on the sidewalk a block from Grand Central) mentioning a moment during the play when there was a quick reference to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Yes, the audience went wild and we all cheered and clapped.
My FitBit tracked all my steps and heart rate: almost 12,000 steps which is more than if I'd gone to the gym, and a heart rate 43-123. So, sorta like working out, right? Not sure if I'm making it to the gym tomorrow. The park is closed from 7 AM to 1 PM so the through road and parking lot can be repaved. Still, my dogs will have to go to the park at some point, probably right at 1 PM. Maybe I'll venture to the gym over the weekend... I have no hope that my sciatica will improve. Being 65 means I got a senior discount on my train ticket, but that parts of my body are failing me without much warning or recourse.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking that I ought to drag a load of firewood in just to let it dry out in the house before winter really hits... We got snow flurries yesterday with about 1/4" but temps rose into the 40s today so there's nothing except a cold dampness. My red maple is finally changing color, turning from summer green to a brilliant orange to a magenta-red just as all the other trees have dropped their leaves. It still looks like October in my yard while everywhere else the leaves are brown and crinkly like craft paper. Weird about these micro climates.
I saw a PA in my doc's office on Tuesday and got prescriptions for prednisone and meloxicam (a NSAID). I also had time for a walk-in appointment across the street for an X-ray. Never mind that I've no broken bones. Not ever. But health insurance makes you follow certain protocols, so get an X-ray before they'll think about approving an MRI. And all because this is the 3rd week of having sciatica that is making my foot go numb and is more painful the more I active I am. Which discourages one from wanting to do anything fun.
The X-rays were fine; it was the trip across the street that caused me some concern. Apparently a month ago, the hospital decided you are not allowed to enter the facilities until you hand over a photo ID for them to scan. I'm not sure what they are doing with your info except maybe running it through multiple data bases to check all sorts of things that are really none of their business.
"What if you don't have a license and got a ride?" There's a lot of seniors who don't drive anymore. The guard could only repeat that you need photo ID. The police state is here, and they are tracking you at hospital appointments. I'm not sure I want to schedule my annual mammogram here now. No other medical facility has asked for photo ID except when copying the health insurance card, cuz apparently people have perpetrated identity theft for hugely expensive medical procedures.
I filled my Rx the next day and within 24 hours my sciatica felt milder. Not gone, but not as bad. It's Saturday and my sciatica still bothers me, but it's not nearly as painful. Meanwhile, I weighed the risk of having prednisone increasing my IOPs -- it's only for 6 days. What I hadn't fully realized was that prednisone also lowers your fragile immunity, and I've been battling a pesky sinus infection for weeks now.
Two days into prednisone and meloxicam, and I've developed a full blown cold with a sore throat, red hot cheeks, eyes burning like hot little coals, and the feeling that I've swallowed dry tissues. I even took a home Covid test to make sure it wasn't that. It's not Covid. I probably had a fever too, but it's hard to tell when you're taking a NSAID, which is also a fever reducer. My forehead tested at 97.6 but my cheeks read 98.7, while my hands were a bit cooler at 95. Friday I felt pretty crappy and made myself chicken soup with garlic, carrots, egg noodles, dried tofu skins and chicken. I feel much better today, Saturday.
I feel so much better that I actually went to the gym on a Saturday! While I'm still sick and my sciatica is still bothersome, I felt guilty about only having been to the gym this past Monday. Saturday is pretty quiet at the gym, with a few of the very same people from the week also there. Yes, Wind Breaker was pedaling elliptical #3 when I arrived. He might've still been pedaling when I left.
I managed a basic cardio workout with some pull-ups. The first set was better than I expected, but the second set actually made my sciatica ache. Off to the Aerobics Room -- I managed most of my routine, only skipping the Bird Dog planks because they made my right side throb the last time. This is not the type of pain you should work through, hoping it'll get better. This is the type of pain that says "Don't do this." Especially when you used to be able to do it, but now you can't. It says, give it more time and try again later. No one needs to permanently damage themselves cuz they were too stupid to listen to their own body.
I'm hoping the tissue paper throat doesn't devolve into a cough. That's usually the progression: sinus, post-nasal drip, sore throat, dry cough, wet cough. I can drag this whole progression out for weeks, but I'm hoping to be over this quite soon. No one likes being sick. I have things to do!
I had plans to make it to the gym more than the one day last week, but something always came up. I even thought about coming in on the weekend, but oddly, I couldn't find the hours the gym was open for those days. There were scheduled classes but no actual open and close times. Very frustrating. I wound up doing some yard work and trying to prep for spring bulbs. I realized much too late that I needed bags of good potting soil but this late in the season, most shops have holiday decor and not much else.
Job Lot was a bust, but the Tractor Supply Company had a few bags of potting soil left. They also had a pile of plushies that ranged from extra large (24") to cuddly, and I saw some extra large opossums so I had to get one cuz my kid has a thing for 'possums. Well, one Christmas gift done. And on sale! I also managed to buy a few bags of soil so I could plant some bulbs for next year: ornamental allium, irises, sunflowers (seeds). I believe the milkweeds will come back on their own, but I'd like some variety in the yard. The mono-culture of milkweeds was only successful for one summer and has been successively less so with each subsequent summer. Time to take a break and add some variety.
Meanwhile, this is going on week 3 of a rather nasty sciatic flare-up. Unlike previous bouts, walking actually makes it worse, makes my toes & foot numb, with clenching pain gripping my calf and eventually, soreness in my glute, like I got kicked. The foot numbness is definitely new. I have an appointment tomorrow at my primary care physician's office. Not the doc but her PA, so I'm hoping she doesn't just say go to physical therapy for 12 weeks and then we'll send you for tests. Ugh. I hate all the hoops the healthcare industry puts people through when it'd be much more efficient just to run the damn test first, then treat the ailment.
The wound on my hand is healing up nicely, which I attribute to the fact that I had leather gloves on when I got bit. So no icky dog germs in the wound. No swelling (animal bites always swell). No infection. But I had also washed it and rubbed a bit of triple antibiotic ointment on it just to be safe. Today, I finally made it to the gym, albeit, later than I would've liked. But at least I made it. I managed a decent pace on the elliptical although it was painful to start, but got easier. Of course, once I exited and had to walk to the Stretch Cage, my sciatica made itself known again. The sciatica is different this time, much more standard.
Minimal stretching at the Stretch Cage before I get a set of pull-ups. Those are fine and with no kipping, because kipping actually makes my sciatica hurt worse. Go figure. The step machine was fine as well. The second set of pull-ups was a bit more challenging, but I still got it done. I skipped the last cardio and pull-up session. I also passed on a few problematic movements in the Aerobics Room, like hip bridges (waaaaay too painful), and Bird Dogs (again, too painful). Surprisingly, Cat-Cow was fine! And, push-ups were fine. Air squats were also fine. But you don't know what hurts until you do it and it hurts. A lot. Then you stop doing it. At least for a while.
I have a doc appointment tomorrow afternoon so I'm hoping for some relief. I also want to get those irises, alliums (decorative garlic), and other bulbs and seeds potted outside before the temps drop. I might plant a few vegetables come spring. We've had tomatoes, zucchini, and lettuce in the past. Might be time to try them again. We'll see how long before I'm fighting off the local fauna...
One of my dogs has both friends and mortal enemies. He's very reactive with a lot of behaviors like sleep running, obsessive compulsive licking and wanting to be the alpha dog. He's also anxious so he's not good in the car and needs sedatives to visit the vet. Thunderstorms and fireworks are also bad, but that's normal for a lot of dogs. Except the other dog, the shyer and more skittish, less friendly dog, can sleep through thunder and fireworks. But that one is constantly looking over his shoulder when we go for walks. Normally these two get along okay.
poor pup
Today, the bigger one was very stressed at not having playmates at the park. After an hour, I was putting them in the car to go home when a dog friend (and owner) arrived and I decided to let my guys go back to the park to play. A terrible mistake! Once inside the fenced area, my bigger guy turned on his "brother" and they got into a horrible fight. I managed to separate them as other dogs/people arrived. I was wearing my thin leather gloves and I could see a spittle of blood on it. Ugh. My hand inadvertently got in the way of some teeth. Although the skin was protected by my gloves, it's still bruised and a bit scabby.
I got someone to retrieve a spare leash from my car so I could take the big guy home separately from his brother. The big guy has a crate he's okay with. The smaller dog absolutely abhors crates or cages or any sort of close confinement. The bigger dog has inflicted a wound to the smaller dog, a round pink wound devoid of hair atop his head. It's not bleeding but I've never before seen a wound like that.
Once home, I kept the bigger dog in his crate but fed him with the door open. Afterward, I gave him some "calming chews" and lock him in until I got back from the gym. It's well past 1 pm by then, and I'm surprised to see Wind Breaker on elliptical #1. Machine #2 is occupied by someone I don't recognize but machine #3 is open so that's the one I use. No one uses #4 if there are other options since it doesn't register the incline or the resistance of the program selected. But you can pedal it just fine.
party time!
My sciatica hasn't improved at all so my foot is numb and the calf feels strangled by an invisible claw. My glute throbs. The only part of the leg that doesn't hurt is my thigh/quad. Weird, right? As if the sciatic nerve skipped that part on the way to the calf, ankle, foot, toes. I manage a decent set of pull-ups but it's painful in all the wrong places. I've spent the past three days trying not to aggravate that big fat nerve bundle. But I did have a great time at the Rocky Horror Picture Show with shadow cast and prop bag. Sitting is okay but walking is reminiscent of that last bout of shingles where I had to stop midway across the hospital parking lot because it was so painful that I actually cried. That's very unusual for me.
shadow cast players
It's this pain that makes me skip hip bridges and bird dogs in the Aerobics Room. This time the sciatica isn't mollified by walking or exercise the way it used to be. This time is different. Other things are also different. I look at my bare feet and notice that the right foot is even more different than just the mild bunion warping the angle of the big toe. Now the 2nd toe is longer. What? The left foot has a perfectly gentle slope descending from big toe down to the pinky. Perfectly normal for a woman. Men tend to have longer 2nd toes. I don't know why. The 2nd toe on my right foot is now longer than the big toe. It's not as if toes suddenly have a growth spurt when you hit your mid-60s so I can only surmise it's a weird tendon issue. The three hammer toes are also enlarged. It's a good thing I don't wear stylish shoes.
non symmetrical
Does this have anything to do with my sciatica? Maybe. Meanwhile, I've noticed my eyes seem swollen lately and my eyelids have developed redness with flaky skin. That's a classic symptom of an allergic reaction to eye drops. Mind you, I've been on the same eye drops for years now. I also believe that changes in the tissue surrounding my eyes are due to the Durysta implants running out of bimatoprost. Prior to this, I had been using travaprost eye drops, in the same family as latanoprost, which discolored the skin and dissolved surrounding orbital fat. The skin has lost the discoloration and my eye sockets no longer have that hollow look. But it's the eyelid rash that's disconcerting because what am I suddenly allergic to now?
Meanwhile, I've taken the dogs for their evening walk and as advised by other families who have adopted from Jindo Love Rescue, am treating them as if everything is normal and fine. The bigger dog gingerly sniffed the wound on the smaller dog's head. I'm apprehensive but the dogs behaved fine. The true test will be tomorrow when I take them to the park.
It's only been a week but I was hoping that sciatic flare up would have subsided. It hasn't. In fact, it feels worse the more I walk around. Taking 600 mg of ibuprofen and 500 mg of acetaminophen has been brought some relief for a few hours. I only do that combo once a day because I'd like to spare my kidneys and liver from potential damage.
But going to the gym just once a week isn't cutting it either, so I limp my way across the parking lot. It's later than I planned but earlier than it could've been. The gym isn't very crowded and I'm glad that there's no one on any of the Precor elliptical machines. Actually, that's kind of surprising.
I did pass one regular as I entered and he was leaving. Wind Breaker shows up 10-15 minutes after I do. I'm not pedaling very fast because every step throbs up from my right foot through a clenched calve and lands like a kick on my right glute. I've been to the dog park every morning and trudging up and down and across the steep hill (while trying to corral the one dog who never wants to leave) has been quite painful.
It is curious that the pain isn't radiating down from my lower back/hip. Instead, it's traveling up from the unpleasantly tingly numb toes through the outer ankle, skips the knee but ultimately impacts the hamstring and glute. Or at least that's how it feels.
My dad, who I resemble in more ways (20/20 vision, not much gray hair, ability to create and maintain a semblance of fitness) than my mom (glaucoma, short stature, genetic dry skin and "poor circulation", food dysfunction) used to be decently athletic and trekked all over the city. Until he couldn't. The diagnosis? Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the vertebral canal that holds the spinal nerves.
He told me how frustrating this pain in his calf was because it limited his ability to take long strolls. Ever vain, he never allowed himself to get fat and out of shape. He wanted to always fit into his nice clothes, and I admired his resolve. It's what I need to do cuz I'm starting not to fit my nice clothes. You hit your mid-60s and the body decides it's going to do whatever the hell it wants. In many ways, I think my sciatica is potentially a result of spinal stenosis. Gee, thanks dad.
Today, I don't even make it to 2.7 but at least I showed up. And I got my 2 sets of pull-ups, without any kipping. Especially since any sort of body assist actually makes the sciatic pain so much worse. Standing in the Stretch Cage with the leading foot, the right foot all numb and tingly is not a great feeling, especially since I need to push off it to reach up and grab the overhead bars. But I got it done. Steps weren't any easier, and I didn't slow the speed although it was an option if Speed 5 was too much. It was bearable. I also did not pedal very fast on the cross-trainer, knowing it was going to exacerbate the numbness in my feet anyway.
The Aerobics Room was nicely chilled, even though there had been a Senior class earlier. I had to skip the Bird Dogs when I remembered how much that position made my glute hurt all the way down to my numb toes. The same with the hip bridges, which is disappointing since that movement is recommended for sciatic pain relief. Instead, it made everything hurt more. The piriformis stretch felt okay and hip twists felt worse.
I kept alternating between "This is okay" and "Wow, this sucks." Push-ups were okay, air squats were sort of okay. And cat/camel and fire hydrants were fine. Bird Dogs suck and I'm not doing them again until I'm more recovered. Dead Bugs were mostly okay, but started to suck as I approached the 90th rep.
I am relieved by the fact that even big, strong, and much younger people
also suffer from such indignities. Recently I watched a Buff Dudes
YouTube post where the younger, bigger Brandon finds himself afflicted
with lower back pain
and a potential disc problem. His older brother Hudson is, of course,
very supportive. Hudson had also previously posted his attempts at
following a natural bodybuilding routine, impressively got his body fat
down to 4% (I don't remember exactly but it was really low), competed
against other older fellows, and scored several victories. They're fun to watch, especially when they get their entire family involved (Buff Dad and Buff Mom)...
Other than the requisite morning dog park, I have no plans to do anything strenuous, except enjoy going to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show tomorrow night. It's the 50th anniversary, there will be a shadow cast, and we bought prop bags. That should be fun! If nothing else, I'll be singing along. Yes, I know all the words...
I thought I had a pretty good workout on Friday. Maybe too good. Woke up Saturday with a sciatic flare up that persists to this day. I can't remember doing anything different, but I did push myself a tiny bit more at the Stretch Cage: standing on tiptoe and arching backward while holding the cage. It's a near total posterior chain stretch that I use to loosen up after a bout on the elliptical. Muscles should be all warm enough, but doing pull-ups involves different muscles. Friday, the arch backward might've been a tad more.
It didn't hurt. But I've discovered that I often do things that don't hurt at the moment but cause something to impinge on that huge sciatic nerve that reacts later. It's very frustrating. Normally, walking around eases the sciatic pain I wake up with. Not this time. Walking around has made it worse all weekend. I even skipped yesterday because I needed to find a comfortable position for relief. Plus I felt very tired and had unsightly under eye bags. Comfortable turned out to be sitting almost semi-crouched with my knees closer to my torso than normal seating allows. I'm not sure how that eases the strain. I just go with what works.
I've had this issue with sciatica for some years now. It's why I've stopped doing Seated Rows at the cable machine. I can pull more than 65 lbs but when I do, my sciatic nerve screams at me the next day. I've stopped doing dead lifts and so many other movements. I can still drop down and touch my elbows to the floor with straight legs shoulder's width apart. I can roll forward and put my head on the mat while seated cross-legged. It's all things I could do for years. Except now, the sciatic nerve on my right side gets horribly upset and takes days if not weeks to calm down. My foot and lower calf have been going numb while just taking the dogs to the park. I started dosing myself with ibuprofen again, and rubbing a good dollop of the arthritis cream Voltaren on the afflicted areas.
And if it isn't because pulling/pushing weights aggravates my sciatica, then it'll be bad for my glaucoma. So I do what I can do, and try not to get too bored with myself. And try not to forget why I shouldn't be pushing to do more. It's no wonder I'm not as excited to hit the gym like I used to...
I just read that taking 3 ibuprofen tablets AND an acetaminophen together really helps with pain. I've just been taking the former while eyeing a bottle of the latter. But tomorrow I'll try the combo. Today, I also twisted oddly this morning and had to deal with a peculiar soreness under the shoulder blade. It wasn't much of a problem until the second set of pull-ups. Maybe it was because I was tired, but the sciatica AND the lopsided soreness made the movement much more difficult.
I got to the gym late and while I was expecting Wind Breaker on machine #3, he was actually on #2. And some other guy was on #3. But #1 was free. I hesitated for a second because I really dislike that old dried mushroom smell, but I didn't smell it today. When the guy on #3 finished and left, Wind Breaker immediately reclaimed that machine. I did okay on the elliptical and the first set of pull-ups. The step machine was harder. And the second set sucked since my foot was asleep (very distracting) and the sore back made me feel lop-sided. Pedaling the cross-trainer did not feel good. It was only 15 minutes and at least the numbness didn't spread past my toes and the front of my foot.
The Aerobics Room was freezing and felt very good. There were several other people in there all doing their own things. I pushed through my general routine, but sciatica was not happy with Bird Dogs, or push-ups. Oddly, Air Squats were okay. I'll probably skip tomorrow.
I've had a craving to make watercress sandwiches. Yesterday I made the British staple "cheese and pickles" sandwich (saw it on the British crime show Endeavour), aka bread spread with butter, layered with Branston pickles (more like a chutney) and mature cheddar. I added some sliced cherry tomatoes. It was a big sandwich and took me hours to eat. I'm finally seeing bagged watercress in the grocery after years of not seeing it. I read a recipe mixing chopped watercress into egg salad. That sounds yummy -- I really like egg salad.
I've also been watching some odd old TV shows. Yesterday, I discovered a hysterical series created, written and starring Alan Tudyk. It only ran for 2 seasons but I'd never heard of it before. Cameos included Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle, The Rookie), Sean Astin (LOT, Stranger Things), Amy Acker (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Gina Torres (Suits, 911), Henry Rollins... Tudyk's latest show, Resident Alien was great but unfortunately ended with the series finale in season 4. (I have yet to watch it since programs don't always end on the streaming network they began on.) This earlier show, Con Man, is hilarious, but I can see where it'd piss off a lot of industry people. It's apparently based on Tudyk's actual experiences trying to escape typecasting (Firefly).
21 Oct 2025 12:35-2:36
Tuesday All Cardio
Sciatic Flare Up Since Sat Morning & Side Strain from Twisting WTF?!
I got to the gym later than I planned but at least I finally made it. Actually, I had planned to go yesterday and got ambushed by a neighbor I had spoken to a few weeks earlier about a tree on the property line. From my driveway, it's dead with white bark and a sparse crown of autumn leaves. It's hard to see from my neighbor's driveway. Instead, what's more noticeable is a bigger tree that appears to be leaning toward my house. From my property, we're viewing it head on, and the lean is not visible. A tree guy showed up 30 minutes later than expected, and by the time we had agreed to a price, course of action, and a timeline, well, I had lost my incentive to head to the gym.
I really don't want to fight over equipment when the gym is full of HS and younger kids. If I can't make it during that Goldilocks time, then I just don't go. Today, the gym isn't crowded when I arrived, but elliptical #1 is occupied and Wind Breaker is on #3, as he will be for hours. I get on the Life Fitness cross-trainer. It's far from my favorite machine. I don't even break a sweat pedaling those 15 minutes so it's a paltry warmup.
The pull-ups are good though, and that's at least one consolation. Cuz cardio's been better, but not recently. The step machine is actually better although I entered the same 8 minutes with a 2 min cool down and increased the speed to 5. I'm finally warm enough! My hands are a tad sore/tired but I'm still able to knock out my pull-ups without resorting to desperate kipping. Elliptical #1 is finally clear. I don't get anywhere near 2.8 but sweat is dripping off my nose. Unfortunately, I can smell that weird dried mushroom odor emanating from the fellow two machines down... Ewwww.
I have a small internal debate as to whether I want to do a 3rd set of pull-ups. I've bailed the last several sessions, but today I feel confident enough to attempt this last set. Mentally, I tell myself that getting 12 is the absolute minimum, 15 would be great, and anything more than that would be awesome. It does surprise me to get 18.
Satisfied, I head to the Aerobics Room. It's unpleasantly warm even though the Senior class vacated it a few hours ago. I do the basics and I'm okay with it. Maybe I'll make it to the gym next week more than twice. We'll see...
I am a bit concerned about the latest news regarding lead levels in protein powders. It's alarming to see two familiar names: Optimum Nutrition (serious mass) and Ensure (plant based protein), although they are near the bottom of the list for concern and are specific products I don't use. (We have used the ON gold standard protein shakes, but not lately.) Yes, not as bad as the top two protein powders that have tested for a thousand times more heavy metals than the lowest products. But still... I'd like my protein shake to not have anything harmful in it.
After the very not exciting "not-a-nor'easter" this past weekend, we got needed rain and thankfully, not a lot of wind. Still, I didn't feel much like braving the wet after spending an hour at the dog park with the pups. They don't care what the weather is as long as they get to run off leash to sniff and pee on a bunch of interesting shrubs, leaves, dirt, rocks, trees, branches... I found an old gift card to a big chain bookstore and wondered if it was still good. Luckily, there's such a store at the big mall and I was able to use it to buy a cute little book on carnivorous plants. It's the perfect accompaniment to the plants my kid has in their dorm room, waiting to be gifted to a friend.
The dogs and I spent two hours at the park today because after 45 minutes solo, I got a text asking if we would still be there in a bit. Knowing that there would be other pups to play with always induces us to stay. The iffy weather made it unlikely that some of the more problematic pups would show. My pups got to play for another hour and then we all had other things to do. Still, it meant being late to the gym. Especially since the highway department decided today was the day to pave and patch an assortment of different roads all over several towns. Spent a lot of time sitting in traffic and by the time I got to the gym, it was 1 PM.
I got lucky. Elliptical #1 was free and I did my "cardio day" routine. I wasn't wearing my FitBit since I only noticed this morning that it had a low battery warning and had to be put on the charger. I got two sets of pull-ups, and since the Matrix Stair machine has been repaired, I got my 10 on that. Ended with 15 on the cross-trainer, and then, I walked away from the 3rd set of pull-ups. I'm trying to convince myself to go to the gym tomorrow and push some weights. But that'll still involve 35 minutes of cardio and a set of pull-ups: my version of a warm up.
The Aerobics Room is absolutely frigid because it's Tuesday so no blood-poor Seniors. The room is much better when it's cold. Since it's already half past two and I still need to do grocery shopping, I only do the basic routine and no extras. Nothing exciting. I do watch my form while doing push-ups and wonder about how anyone can consider a mere dozen an elite status for a woman over 50. Talk about lowered expectations. Anyone flashing back to those MadTV skits? No, just me?
