62 replies to this topic

[Ken-FL]

Just a note to change the thread to reflect the new month.
Off to a good start at the gym this morning. New weight rotation is working my shoulder muscles to a much greater degree resulting in that mild ache that suggests one is doing the right thing with muscles not worked in some time. Not pain so much as a good light muscle burn that suggests progress.

Must be August, hot and humid here today............................Oh yea, been like that for 2 or 3 months now.

Hope all are well or improving and maintaining exercise and activity.

Ken

[Tim]

I'm off to a good start this month. Now if I can only keep it up, I'm sure to feel better and breathe easier.

I did a stretching routine with my theraband this morning, some wall push ups, leg stretches and some
toes raises(I guess that's what you call them), I walked on the T/M and worked with the Dumb Bells today.
I don't feel to bad and the extra liter of o2 kept me at 90 - 91%. That should improve after a few days or
at least it always has in the past. One step in front of the other... right?

I'm doing well on the daily 20mg dose of pred but am noticing some of those side affects one would normally
associate with a higher dose, say 40 mg's or more. I know I've always been told to take the pred early in the
day so I would be able to sleep at night and that usually works. But sleeping isn't really the problem. Around
2pm everyday, I get those pred swats and jittery(pred jitters) but it passes after a couple of hours and I feel
OK again. Does Pred PEAK and then start to loose it's strength as the day goes on?

I have an Appointment with my Pulmo in a couple of weeks and I think I'm going to ask for some pred in
1 mg doses so I can try to taper down a bit. I'm hoping I can reduce the pred a little to get rid of the side
effects but still keep the benefit. It seems to be working for Darrell, maybe it'll work for me. It's worth a try
anyway.

I'm taking out all the Basal today. My daughter is coming over for Tacos tonight and since I don't see her
as often these days, it's a good time to get her to dry the Basil for me for winter. I also still have watering
to get done, and then it's kitchen duty for a little while. I need to get the Guacamole and fresh salsa made
for dinner. The Salsa is better if it sits for a couple of hours in the refrigerator before serving.

I hope all of you are having a good day,

Stay Active and don't forget to Hydrate....

Tim

[Darrell]

Taking a day off from the gym in favor of a followup app't with my pulmo. I surprised him and myself with improved spirometry, FEV1 up to 24% whereas I've been stable between 18-22% for at least five years. He was also pleased with my progress in general, staying off antibiotics and tapering my pred while continuing to workout.

Tim I don't know what the timing is but I take my prednisone first thing in the morning and I can feel its effects more during the day than in the evening but it does make it difficult to sleep when I'm at doses above 10mg. The one mg tabs have helped me to taper, before that I used to get 5mg tabs and break them in half but then I started to have problems tapering too much too fast. Back in the day, when I was younger, this all seemed so much easier.

Ken it sounds like we're on the same page. I increased my shoulder workout yesterday and definitely feel it today but in a positive way.

Darrell

[peg]

I never heard about taking the pred first thing in the AM....maybe that is why my evenings are so poor lately -

i have ended up many days taking it with the evening meal, then been shakey during the evening and hot flashes..will try early AM and see if that helps.

I have been on 5 mg daily and now having to increase it to 7 for a week or so to see if that helps. Used to love the energy the boosts gave me, but this daily dose is wreaking havoc and keeping me drained. I am no longer a fan!

Always helps to hear what works for others, then kick it around with your Dr to see if it could help yourself. Benefit of this site. Thanks, guys.

Peg

[Tim]

Peg, there have been a couple of times over the years that I was told to take Pred 2X's a day(very
large doses) but normally(40mg burst), I've always been told to take it in the AM with food. When I'm
prescribed a new med, I always ask what time of day I should take it because my Dr's usually don't
mention it unless it's a bedtime med or one of those that has to be spaced out from your other meds.
I use to be on a cholesterol med that had to be taken 2 hours after or 4 hours before my other meds.
Some Antibiotic are the same way. It's something to keep an eye on. Some of our meds have a
stimulant effect(jitteriness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite,etc...) and can really cause us a lot
of unnecessary problems. I think you will notice a difference if you take your Pred first thing
in the morning, especially in how you will feel during the day.

Tim

[Ken-FL]

Darrell, we all love good news when it comes from our Pulmos so congrats on the improvement and all you do to stay healthy!
Peg, I can't really help with the pred issue, haven't been on it enough to have any useful experience to share but hope that taking it in the morning makes for a better day and much better evening/night.
Tim, it sounds like you are taking one step at a time and seeing some improvement which is how we all need to react to the challenges presented to us, I am pulling for you to find a period of continuous improvement for a while.

Hope Claire, Dee, Munchee, Ronnei, Richard and everyone else are all staying active and fighting the good fight along with those of us here in the village gym on a regular basis.

Ken

[Tim]

It's another bright and sunny day out there with temps sure to hit 100* by 4PM. A good incentive to
get everything done and back in the house before then.

I did a quick check outside this morning and found all my plants doing fine. We watered late last night
so they should be OK until tomorrow morning.

I worked out with the theraband again today. I always start out with the theraband then exercises then
I move on to the T/M. I added a couple of min's today and my Sats ran 93% all the way through but while
doing my cool down laps, they were all over the place. That should improve with more T/M time. Or at least
it always has. No weights today.

I got the laundry started and the bed is made, now a little kitchen time and I'll be ready for Dew to come home.

I hear one of my Fire Alarms beeping, the Battery must be low. Something else to do....

Tim

[Darrell]

Back at the gym today but tomorrow will have to be a yardwork day, the chores are just adding up. Tomorrow will also be my wife's return from her week of yoga and I'll need to do some housekeeping so she won't think I've lowered my standards living as a bachelor this week. Actually it's not a case of lowering standards but we simply do things differently. What's important to her may not be so high on my priority list. Anyway I will need the day off from the gym because I've got something going in my neck and it is painful. I take the pain meds but they mess up my sleeping.

I'm going out to dinner tonight with my SIL. We decided to try Indian cuisine this time so I'll be sufficiently spiced up. I have not tried this restaurant but it has good reviews. I'm looking forward to some good food and even better company. I hope your dinner is specially good tonight but I bet it won't be the same as mine.

Darrell

[Tim]

Darrell, no Indian Restaurants around here but it sure sounds good. Dew wouldn't be able
to eat anything spicy but I'm always open for something new. I usually go to those types
of Restaurants for lunch with my Daughter. We both enjoy spicy food.

It's beautiful outside but it's going to be another very hot day. I sat on the front porch for a while
this morning and had my coffee but it's already getting hot out there. It must be time to move to
the back.

Some of my plants are done for the year. It seems a little soon but I planted very early this year
and have already had two - three crops from my herbs and now my peppers are about done. It's
a slow process, getting everything cleared and put away for the Winter but if I start now, I just
might be ready for the first snow when it gets here.

I still need to get on the T/M today. I'm running a little late but I don't have much to do and have
all day to get it done.

But right now, it's time to water....

Have a great day,

Tim

[claire]

Hi All:

It's hot here and plenty humid, too............oh well, give me a few months and I will be talking about the snow!!!

Finished all the yard work for the day and logged about 2 and 1/2 hours......watered, weeded and picked. I agree, Tim, that some of the plants are looking a little worn but we too got them in early this year so maybe that is why.

Darrell, hope your spicy food was wonderful as I love that kind of eating also.

Ken, you sound well and are probably looking forward to the weekend.

Hi also to Peg and Dee and Richard and anyone else I missed.

This weekend is two bbq's so I will be looking for some shade and bringing my appetite. Have a great weekend all.

Claire

[Darrell]

The lamb curry was excellent, interesting that I would develop a taste for spicy food when I grew up on a strict meat and potatoes kind of diet. To my Mom using onions was wild and crazy and garlic was not even considered. Now it turns out I'm the adventurer when it comes to eating new and different things. It must be an acquired trait from all my international travel, and living. I recall that when I lived in South America I didn't think much of their cuisine and then living in Cairo, Egypt I lost a lot of weight because I just couldn't get used to the local diet. These days I like almost any kind of international cooking but of course I still crave my good old American comfort foods. If we were to eat out ten times I'd only choose an American restaurant once and here in the Wash. DC there is a great variety of foods and restaurants from all over the world to choose from.

I worked in the yard this morning and then had a pleasant surprise when my two younger grandsons came by and washed my car and my wife's too. They are truly sweet kids. When they left I went around and cleaned the windows inside and out. My wife will be happy to find her car clean and with a full tank of gas when she gets home tonight. She has missed her own bed and is looking forward to getting home. And I mean it quite literally that she missed her bed because she has had significant back pain issues the whole week she has been gone. I think maybe she missed me a little bit too, I recorded all her favorite TV programs so now she will be able to rest and recuperate for a couple of days and hopefully get back to normal.

Have a great weekend, watch a little Olympic competition and use that as inspiration to go out and exercise.

Darrell

[Ken-FL]

Darrell,
Funny you should mention having the Olympics as inspiration. Each day this week in the gym when I got a little tired of what I was doing I thought about what these amazing atheletes put themselves through and each time it made my effort seem so small that I found it easy to finish and even to step up the speeds and weights a notch.

Finished a good week. Will hope to play some golf this weekend while keeping an eye on the tropics as a storm moves across the carribean.

Have a great breathing weekend everyone!

Ken

[LoganLarry]

Hello to all.......
It has been a good start to the month here in the NorthWoods.
I am in a great routine of riding Monday & Wed. Gym Tues, Thurs, Sat. and home workout on Sunday. Lots of variation there and Friday off every week. The Farmers Market is at peak harvest so we are freezing and canning (and eating) great healthy foods. We have been spared most of the drought so sweet corn has done well. green beans, brocholi, berries, peaches, tomatoes,and apples all available now and the kitchen is humming daily. On Friday we made and froze our applesauce for the year. We use transparent apples....yum!

Big physician visit for me later in the week......hopefully a reduction in meds will be possible, esp insulin and the requisite glucose testing 4 x a day. Blood sugars have been very steady.

After about 3-4 weeks of plugging along with not much to show for hours in the gym, this week has given me much less "tone" on my left side, both at rest and with a faster recovery after stimulation. The first noticeable progress in that area in about 8 weeks! It allows me to work out harder and get more use from that hand. Hopefully it will last.

Besides time with food storage, it is now the time to think about prepping for the long white season to come. Chimney sweep scheduled,
plow blade for my Polaris has gotten the steel wool cleaning and oiling last week, wood has been stacked in the shed (with paid help this year)...... not in full prep mode at all, but working at it a bit at a time. It takes a bit longer for most jobs these days. Furnace filters, fill up propane on this weeks agenda.

It sounds like August has been good for most, great exercise, food, and activity reports. I have come up with a new bran muffin recipe that is tasty and a fiber "bomb". It uses All Bran cereal, whole wheat flour, applesauce, rehydrated cherries and raisins. These babies are dense and just sweet enough, with no added sugar (besides apple sauce).......this could be a keeper.

A stormy night had "the girls" in their thundershirts which work amazingly well for relief of storm anxiety. The front has passed and we have cool NW winds and a high today predicted in the low 70s. AAHhhhhhhhhhaaaaaa. Not hard to keep fall chores in mind in that weather.

ADIOS!
Larry

[Darrell]

Larry I read your post and I'm so happy our cold season is shorter here but then I walked out the front door to get the newspaper and was smacked by a wall of hot and humid air. The flowers and garden have thrived in this heat and it has been productive for me too but the heat this year seems to have been just brutal. Plus my water bill will be higher than usual but we haven't reached the point of restricting water usage yet. I guess it would be boring with moderate temps and dew points year around but I'd be willing to try it.

That fiber bomb sounds deadly. I think if I ate that even the dogs would get up and give me space, it would have been perfect to try last week while the wife was out of town but she has returned from her yoga retreat and we are enjoying some quiet time this weekend.

I'm glad to hear your workout routine has been so successful. I hope you continue to recover and strengthen those left side muscles until they are just as natural as ever. I thought I was doing something wrong in my workout that was causing me neck pain but have come to realize the source of the pain is the hours I have spent doin a new jigsaw puzzle. Well the puzzle is almost complete and I'm starting to feel better already.

Have a great week.

Darrell

[Ken-FL]

Larry,
I am so pleased to hear of your continued improvement due to all of your hard work and therapy! Also glad you are so far along in your preparation for fall and winter and were willing to find some help for the more difficult parts of the preparations.

Darrell, Glad that your wife is home as I am sure you are and hope it was a great, quiet and wonderful weekend for you both.

Still the midst of summer here with mid 90s and lots of humidity and lots of PM thundershowers. Not the best breathing weather but I am coping well and completed my 9th day in a row of good exercise which is the schedule that I prefer. I don't mind missing a day here and there but find it very easy to let things slide if I make any kind of habit of regularly skipping my daily workout.\

i hope all had a great weekend and are looking forward to a ggod week in all ways.

Ken