Deciding Not To Decide

Because I've not worked out for three days, I feel as if I should be able to pick up from Friday's workout without any issues. Cardio goes well. But I'm having trouble completing all the reps for my push ups. Maybe lack of sleep is catching up with me? I did stay up too late, drink and eat too much. I don't feel bad, but I avoid even attempting pull ups. Pathetic. The GI doc did tell me to take it easy working out today, and I told him I was just doing cardio. Doing a couple hundred push ups is kind of like cardio, right?

I'm not entirely convinced that removing my gallbladder will cure my symptoms. Of course, doing nothing probably won't help either. The traditional 5 F's of gallbladder stones (cholelithiasis) are: Fair (Caucasian), Fat (BMI>30), Female, Fertile, Forty. There is talk of replacing Forty with Family since this is probably a heritable condition. So, other than being Female, I don't fit the typical gallstone patient profile. My sister also has some issues with GERD. But I don't have GERD. I don't even have gallstones anymore. What I have is sporadic pain where my gallbladder lives, but only when I do pull ups. Crazy.

I don't like the idea of snipping away organs just because they might be the cause of something evil. I'd like to see proof first. And I haven't, so I'm not convinced. If there were obvious gallstones, I'd say "Well, okay now, let's get rid of those suckers". But my body doesn't follow the rules as written. I just don't want it to surprise me in a bad way. I feel a little tired after the first cardio session but I can still knock out the first set of push ups. And planks. Diamond push ups are a bit harder. Seriously, I remember them being easier last time. I'm rushing because I still want to do another 30 min on the elliptical before showering. My son is in the Child Care Room, and we plan to see Hotel Transylvania 2 this afternoon.

I'm disappointed that I can only do 30 Dand push ups. Usually I can do 45. But today I can't. After another round of planks, I tackle the One-Leg Push Ups. Those I manage to finish. After Performance Program #3, I barely have time for a quick hamstring stretch before dashing off to the locker room. The gym scale reads 109 lbs. I guess eating brie, blue cheese, jarlsberg and crackers over the weekend has had an effect! I should probably stop though. I'd rather not get fat, even if I do keep getting junk mail for hearing aids, senior assisted living and funeral plots. I'm seriously having a problem with this "You're 55 So You're Old" thing. I don't suspect it gets any easier either.

I finally loaded some new songs onto my iPod like Where the Devil Don't Go (Elle King) and True Faith (New Order), and find myself grinning through Elle King's Exes and Ohs... Tomorrow I get to whack the machine. Yaaaay!



Tuesday Workout
(6.73 miles cardio)

Cross Trainer

Steady State

Calorie :   144 CAL
Distance: 4.17 mile
Speed :    8.34 mph
Duration : 00:30:02

Regular Push Up

100

Set 1 : 100 Lap/Rep

Plank

Straight : 00:00:30
Elbow : 00:00:30
Straight : 00:00:30
Elbow: 00:00:30

Diamond Push Up

45

Set 1 : 45 Lap/Rep

Bird Dog Plank

Set 1 : 00:00:30
Set 2 : 00:00:30
Set 3 : 00:00:30
Set 4 : 00:00:30

Dand Push Up

30

Set 1 : 30 Lap/Rep

Side Plank

N/A

Set 1 : 00:01:00
Set 2 : 00:01:00

One-Leg Push Up

45

Left : 45 Lap/Rep
Right : 45 Lap/Rep

Elliptical Training

Perf Prgm#3

Calorie :   289 CAL
Distance: 2.56 mile
Duration : 00:30:05

Nothing is Set in Stone

It's amazing how thirsty you feel when you absolutely can't drink anything. I had a cup of black tea with honey this morning, before 8 am, because I was having an endoscopy at 11. Nothing to drink after 8 am. I feel a bit lightheaded by the time I'm being prepped and my blood pressure goes from a bizarre 178/148 down to 145/135 down to 130/95 by the time the anesthesiologist is having trouble finding a vein that doesn't slither away from her so she can start the line. My pulse is a great 55 though. Go figure.

I wake up remembering only the most vivid colors. And questioning the anesthesiologist beforehand as to why patients feel cold when they awake. She tells me that the drugs affect a portion of the brain that actually causes body temperature to drop to room temperature. Now that's fascinating.

The GI doc tells me that yes, I do have a small hiatal hernia, but there's nothing else wrong with my system. I'm not currently in any pain so having my gallbladder out is not critical. The nurse takes my temperature. It's 98.1 in my ear. I already pretty much follow a gallbladder diet: no fast food, no fatty fried stuff, lots of fruits and veggies, low-fat proteins, lots of water. He says to come back in 6 weeks for a follow up. My choices are to have my gallbladder out, or to adjust my activities (and diet) and put up with the wonky organ. I'm not liking having to give up pull ups. My husband tells me that he's jealous (of my ability to do pull ups). Then he leaves for Boston because he has to work the night shift for the rest of the week there. Boooo! He's probably not coming home until Saturday. Which means it's me, my son and the dog.

I'm not suppose to drive for 24 hours although I feel okay. My son is perfectly happy to skip kung fu since he's had two sessions of gym today. I feel fine. The doc cautions me not to do too much too quickly. I'm probably just going to do cardio tomorrow. And maybe some push ups. Because schools in my town are closed due to Election Day. Neighboring towns are using their firehouses instead so their schools are open. My son and I plan to vote, go to the gym, get a bite to eat and then see Hotel Transylvania 2 before his MineCraft Mod-making class at the library. It's a full day.