Back-to-back sessions awaited Angie this week. She was convinced that physical therapy was just like working out - best to get it done early in the morning.
19 - Angie told Lily she was feeling ok except that she was still waking up in a little bit of pain. As Lily examined Angie's back she found that her mid-back was tight but once she massaged it, the muscle relaxed. As Lily did the full assessment of Angie's back, she found a lot of tightness in her lower back. She told Angie that it seemed that her lower back was compensating for her middle back. Based on the pain Angie felt from getting massaged, Angie had to agree that the lower back was now the problem. As Lily continued to massage the lower back, Angie whimpered because it hurt a lot.
Angie did her exercises and was off to jury duty.
20 - The next day Angie's lower back was still very sore from the massage the day prior. As Lily checked her back again, she stated there was no tightness in the middle back. Angie concurred and mentioned that she didn't wake up in pain in the middle back. The culprit now seemed to be the lower back. Lily attempted to massage the lower back but it was still too sore. She did electo-stimulation instead. Angie enjoyed this because once she got up, she didn't feel any pain in the lower back at all.
Angie slid off the massage table and did her exercises, even asking Lily if she could do 3 sets of the monster walk instead of the usual two. Lily laughed and told her to knock herself out. And Angie did.
The heating pad awaited and a small 10 minute snooze later, Angie made her way to jury duty.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Sing Along
My last entry, which was also music related, made me think about the great feeling of singing along with a song. One of my favorite things is when I’m driving in the car or some place that’s playing music (shopping at a mall) and an old favorite pipes through the system. The minute I hear it I immediately stop what I’m doing and start singing.
I adore music. So much so that one of my friends calls me a jukebox because I know the words to an awful lot of songs – old and new. Many of my great memories include music. A number of times in the past, I remember being in a grocery store with a friend and we would dance and sing as we walked down the aisles checking off items on our grocery list. Another friend and I associate some of our vacations with specific songs and whenever we both hear songs from those vacations, we become nostalgic.
The other day at work I was listening to my ipod and I had it on shuffle. All of a sudden a fantastic old song came on and I had to stop what I was doing to just sing along with it. I was stressed before that song came on but after I sang, I felt a thousand times better.
When the studies say that music can put you in a good mood, I have to agree.
I adore music. So much so that one of my friends calls me a jukebox because I know the words to an awful lot of songs – old and new. Many of my great memories include music. A number of times in the past, I remember being in a grocery store with a friend and we would dance and sing as we walked down the aisles checking off items on our grocery list. Another friend and I associate some of our vacations with specific songs and whenever we both hear songs from those vacations, we become nostalgic.
The other day at work I was listening to my ipod and I had it on shuffle. All of a sudden a fantastic old song came on and I had to stop what I was doing to just sing along with it. I was stressed before that song came on but after I sang, I felt a thousand times better.
When the studies say that music can put you in a good mood, I have to agree.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Silly Love Songs
A few weeks ago a friend of mine from France came to visit NYC and I hung out with him. We went to a karaoke bar and sang really badly which was a lot of fun.
We got to talking about how songs can evoke memories and he mentioned to me that the Lionel Richie song “Say you, say me” always reminded him of the first girl he liked. He told me a little bit of the background behind the memory and it a sweet story. He then asked me if I had a favorite love song. I told him that almost every love song that I adore is a depressing one. He didn’t believe me so I played a stupid song just to be silly. He insisted that I stopped joking around and select one of my favorite love songs. So I loaded up No Doubt’s ‘Don’t Speak’ and sang my heart out of it. When I was done, I looked at him and he gave me a look suggesting that it was indeed a very sad love song. Then I listed off a bunch of other love songs that I enjoyed. He agreed that my list was depressing.
Sweet love songs have never really appealed to me. I am not entirely sure why. I think a lot of it has to do with the emotions of the singers who sing the songs. I could never belt out a song like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion so I turned to the songs that I could sing to and they all happen to be very sad.
I do admit that I like the Paul McCartney and Wings song “Silly Love Songs”. It’s hard to not sing along to it since it’s so catchy. But it’s not my favorite love song in the least.
We got to talking about how songs can evoke memories and he mentioned to me that the Lionel Richie song “Say you, say me” always reminded him of the first girl he liked. He told me a little bit of the background behind the memory and it a sweet story. He then asked me if I had a favorite love song. I told him that almost every love song that I adore is a depressing one. He didn’t believe me so I played a stupid song just to be silly. He insisted that I stopped joking around and select one of my favorite love songs. So I loaded up No Doubt’s ‘Don’t Speak’ and sang my heart out of it. When I was done, I looked at him and he gave me a look suggesting that it was indeed a very sad love song. Then I listed off a bunch of other love songs that I enjoyed. He agreed that my list was depressing.
Sweet love songs have never really appealed to me. I am not entirely sure why. I think a lot of it has to do with the emotions of the singers who sing the songs. I could never belt out a song like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion so I turned to the songs that I could sing to and they all happen to be very sad.
I do admit that I like the Paul McCartney and Wings song “Silly Love Songs”. It’s hard to not sing along to it since it’s so catchy. But it’s not my favorite love song in the least.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Physical Therapy (Part 18)
Another early morning session and Angie was tired. She got to the office before any administrative people were there. As she began her exercises, Lily walked up to her and asked how she was doing. Angie told her that her back was hurting this morning…probably a 5 on a scale of 1-10. Lily was a little concerned to hear that. She asked if Angie had done anything differently in the last few days. Angie could only say that she’d been under a lot of stress the last few days and that was the only thing that was different. She informed Lily that she was continuing to do her exercises and stretches but had woken up in pain.
Lily hmmmed. She was astounded to hear this as Angie was making good progress. Sadly, Lily also informed Angie that her doctor would only approve an additional 5 sessions. The disappointment from hearing this news, coupled with her current pain, upset Angie. Lily told her to just continue with her exercises and to try to really control the stress. Angie said she knew this already but it is easier said than done.
Lily massaged Angie’s back and found the section that was creating all the trouble. A few of the muscle in between Angie’s ribs were still tight. Angie laughed as Lily worked her magic. Lily asked why Angie was laughing and Angie said it felt like Lily was trying to take her ribs off. Lily comforted Angie by saying her ribs were better than the first time she came to PT. She could actually touch them and move them now – like putty instead of like a rock. Although this was comforting to some degree, Angie still didn’t feel emotionally better, especially since she was in pain. Angie didn’t understand how she was going to get to complete relief with only a few more sessions available. Angie has been so good about doing the exercises and stretches at home as well as in PT. Aside from stress, she didn’t know how she was going to get better. Everyone has stress at some point in their life, right? Could that be the only thing that needs to change?
With heat pack applied and ten minutes of stillness, Angie began to view this back injury as a metaphor for her life – long periods of extreme pain and difficulty, very short spots of calmness and in between spans with a little friction and soreness. The only difference with her back and life is that Angie could see a moment in the future where her back would not be bothering her; whereas she couldn’t see that with life. This gave Angie more comfort about her physical therapy situation as she walked out of the office.
Tune in next time as the sage begins to wind down.
Lily hmmmed. She was astounded to hear this as Angie was making good progress. Sadly, Lily also informed Angie that her doctor would only approve an additional 5 sessions. The disappointment from hearing this news, coupled with her current pain, upset Angie. Lily told her to just continue with her exercises and to try to really control the stress. Angie said she knew this already but it is easier said than done.
Lily massaged Angie’s back and found the section that was creating all the trouble. A few of the muscle in between Angie’s ribs were still tight. Angie laughed as Lily worked her magic. Lily asked why Angie was laughing and Angie said it felt like Lily was trying to take her ribs off. Lily comforted Angie by saying her ribs were better than the first time she came to PT. She could actually touch them and move them now – like putty instead of like a rock. Although this was comforting to some degree, Angie still didn’t feel emotionally better, especially since she was in pain. Angie didn’t understand how she was going to get to complete relief with only a few more sessions available. Angie has been so good about doing the exercises and stretches at home as well as in PT. Aside from stress, she didn’t know how she was going to get better. Everyone has stress at some point in their life, right? Could that be the only thing that needs to change?
With heat pack applied and ten minutes of stillness, Angie began to view this back injury as a metaphor for her life – long periods of extreme pain and difficulty, very short spots of calmness and in between spans with a little friction and soreness. The only difference with her back and life is that Angie could see a moment in the future where her back would not be bothering her; whereas she couldn’t see that with life. This gave Angie more comfort about her physical therapy situation as she walked out of the office.
Tune in next time as the sage begins to wind down.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Calorie Counts
I went for a quick walk to the local Starbucks just a few moments ago. The humidity of this sunny afternoon made me want to get an iced drink. Looking over the calorie list though, I realized that I might need to modify my want a bit.
All of the iced drinks were at least 10 calories more than their hot counterpart;some were even 30 calories more. The question ‘How the heck?” immediately popped into my head (along with a couple of expletives, but that’s neither here nor there). I opted for the hot drink. (I don’t mind hot drinks since the heat makes me sweat thereby cooling me down a bit.)
While walking back to my office, I found myself completely perplexed by this variance in calories. I never thought that solidifying a liquid that had no calories would result in the solid version having calories. I need to explore this because it’s going to be a dagger of the mind all day.
Plus when those iced drinks melt, they tend to water down the drink which would lead me to believe that they should be fewer calories too.
Anyone else have an explanation to this quandary? I’d love to hear it.
All of the iced drinks were at least 10 calories more than their hot counterpart;some were even 30 calories more. The question ‘How the heck?” immediately popped into my head (along with a couple of expletives, but that’s neither here nor there). I opted for the hot drink. (I don’t mind hot drinks since the heat makes me sweat thereby cooling me down a bit.)
While walking back to my office, I found myself completely perplexed by this variance in calories. I never thought that solidifying a liquid that had no calories would result in the solid version having calories. I need to explore this because it’s going to be a dagger of the mind all day.
Plus when those iced drinks melt, they tend to water down the drink which would lead me to believe that they should be fewer calories too.
Anyone else have an explanation to this quandary? I’d love to hear it.
Physical Therapy (Part 17)
Angie had to get to a 7:00 am appointment. A large cup of coffee wasn’t too helpful in getting her moving but she made it on time. She told Lily that she was feeling better and hadn’t had any pain in the last 3 days. Lily told her that was good but it would take 2 full weeks of no pain in order for her to be dismissed according to the doctor’s prescription. This news didn’t encourage Angie in the least as she had yet to go more than 5 days without pain in the last 3 and ½ months.
On her way out of the office Angie was informed that she needed to get another prescription from her doctor to continue to physical therapy. Yet another item on Angie’s to do list.
Come back next time as we start to see if this story makes a turn towards a happy ending.
On her way out of the office Angie was informed that she needed to get another prescription from her doctor to continue to physical therapy. Yet another item on Angie’s to do list.
Come back next time as we start to see if this story makes a turn towards a happy ending.
Early Morning Run
I’ve been getting up at 5:30 the past couple of mornings to take my bigger dog out for a run in Central Park. The weather has been sticky and humid and my thought is that when it’s earlier, it’s a little more bearable. I’m not entirely convinced of my own thinking but it helps to psyche me into getting up that early.
It’s light out at that time and it’s very quiet in the city. A few cabs can be seen driving slowly in the street and a couple of other dog owners are out walking their dogs as well. Central Park is relatively desolate except for a few lonely runners getting in their workout for the day. The park is the epitome of peacefulness.
Except that there are squirrels running in insane zigzags around the park taunting my dog into a frolicking mania. She jets ahead of me on her leash and I am dragged behind her until it is safe enough for me to let her off leash. Once I do let her go, she tries to jump up trees to capture the fluffy-tailed rascals. Or she chases after the miscreants in the grass. This is all fine to me. Except that she’s fast and she hides in the bushes trying to eat those scoundrels. If she pops out of nowhere, she could seriously scare some passerby. So I need to keep up with her. This is where my running project comes in handy. In trying to keep up with her frantic pace, I need to run behind her or along side her.
Ultimately, these dawn designs are both to help my dog get out and walk, to aid her playful nature by getting her closer to consuming a squirrel and assisting me in getting my runs in.
It’s light out at that time and it’s very quiet in the city. A few cabs can be seen driving slowly in the street and a couple of other dog owners are out walking their dogs as well. Central Park is relatively desolate except for a few lonely runners getting in their workout for the day. The park is the epitome of peacefulness.
Except that there are squirrels running in insane zigzags around the park taunting my dog into a frolicking mania. She jets ahead of me on her leash and I am dragged behind her until it is safe enough for me to let her off leash. Once I do let her go, she tries to jump up trees to capture the fluffy-tailed rascals. Or she chases after the miscreants in the grass. This is all fine to me. Except that she’s fast and she hides in the bushes trying to eat those scoundrels. If she pops out of nowhere, she could seriously scare some passerby. So I need to keep up with her. This is where my running project comes in handy. In trying to keep up with her frantic pace, I need to run behind her or along side her.
Ultimately, these dawn designs are both to help my dog get out and walk, to aid her playful nature by getting her closer to consuming a squirrel and assisting me in getting my runs in.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Physical Therapy (Part 16)
Stiffness and slight pain sat on Angie’s back as she went to this session of Physical Therapy. Lily could feel the tightness but insisted that there was a lot of progress since Angie walked through the door for her first session. Despite this positive information, Angie was not impressed.
She told Lily that she did not understand how she could follow her instructions to the word and yet not feel better. Lily told her that it was simply due to the years and years of muscular deterioration from sitting for more than 8 hours a day and from stress. Even if Angie stopped sitting, her muscles needed to be ‘rebuilt from scratch’. It was important now to develop and strengthen them so that future pain could be avoided.
Angie asked Lily to really watch her during this session and ensure her form was correct. And it was fine except for one key exercise. The mystery was solved! Lily told Angie to concentrate on this exercise with correct form and a couple of others to see if more progress couldn’t be made.
Angie and Lily also talked about the accident that had happened during the day where a woman was run over by the train when she fainted onto the train tracks. Lily mentioned that New York should install Plexiglas doors on the edge of the platform that would only open once the train was in the station. Lily had mentioned that this was how the subway stations were in Hong Kong. Angie admitted it was a good idea but said she couldn’t imagine seeing that enhancement done until another 5 years at the earliest.
Angie went straight home and worked on her exercises. She could feel that there was a difference to how she was doing them prior and to the modification that was made now. Angie definitely felt the difference to how she was doing them prior to the modification and now; her muscles were more engaged. Here’s to hoping that this saga will soon come to an end. Tune in next time for more developments.
She told Lily that she did not understand how she could follow her instructions to the word and yet not feel better. Lily told her that it was simply due to the years and years of muscular deterioration from sitting for more than 8 hours a day and from stress. Even if Angie stopped sitting, her muscles needed to be ‘rebuilt from scratch’. It was important now to develop and strengthen them so that future pain could be avoided.
Angie asked Lily to really watch her during this session and ensure her form was correct. And it was fine except for one key exercise. The mystery was solved! Lily told Angie to concentrate on this exercise with correct form and a couple of others to see if more progress couldn’t be made.
Angie and Lily also talked about the accident that had happened during the day where a woman was run over by the train when she fainted onto the train tracks. Lily mentioned that New York should install Plexiglas doors on the edge of the platform that would only open once the train was in the station. Lily had mentioned that this was how the subway stations were in Hong Kong. Angie admitted it was a good idea but said she couldn’t imagine seeing that enhancement done until another 5 years at the earliest.
Angie went straight home and worked on her exercises. She could feel that there was a difference to how she was doing them prior and to the modification that was made now. Angie definitely felt the difference to how she was doing them prior to the modification and now; her muscles were more engaged. Here’s to hoping that this saga will soon come to an end. Tune in next time for more developments.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The King's Speech
Today my dad informed me that he was going to kill my dogs because he didn’t know what to do with them. Now, I know this is shocking but this is how my dad is with my dogs. He loves them to bits. Yet because we do not express direct emotion in my family, killing is really code for “I love them so much.”
I retorted to my dad’s commandment by saying “Give me a break! You love the dogs more than you love me.”
And he said ‘Oh no…you are my kid! They are just dogs.”
“But you know with dogs, it’s easier to let them get away with murder.”
“One of the Kings of Italy, I don’t know who, made a speech where he said that ‘if you hit your wife, she will go away; But if you hit your dog, two minutes later they will come looking for you’. Dogs are the most loyal creatures ever.”
To which I replied “That’s my point, Pop! You like the dogs better.”
His response to my comment was that I was full of something that rhymes with soup. Can you feel the love?
I retorted to my dad’s commandment by saying “Give me a break! You love the dogs more than you love me.”
And he said ‘Oh no…you are my kid! They are just dogs.”
“But you know with dogs, it’s easier to let them get away with murder.”
“One of the Kings of Italy, I don’t know who, made a speech where he said that ‘if you hit your wife, she will go away; But if you hit your dog, two minutes later they will come looking for you’. Dogs are the most loyal creatures ever.”
To which I replied “That’s my point, Pop! You like the dogs better.”
His response to my comment was that I was full of something that rhymes with soup. Can you feel the love?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
National Running Day
Today is National Running Day. In honor of this ridiculous day (and we all know how much I love ridiculous days – see Groundhog’s Day entries), I decided that I would start to run at least twice a week. Running being a loose term, people!
It means I’d run for a bit. I wouldn’t set out to run miles or anything like that. For goodness sake, I can barely run down the block when my dog drags me, but I thought it would be a goal towards which I could work.
To inaugurate this challenge, I ran for 2 minutes straight on the treadmill this morning. I know it’s not a big deal. I know I am able to run 2 minutes straight on the treadmill so I thought I would check if this is still possible and it was. Since this is my starting point, I will build from here. See, I have this figured out despite how insane this plan sounds. I will run for 2 minutes again later this week and I will increase from there. Hopefully by the end of the summer, I’ll be able to run for 10 minutes without falling off the treadmill belt or vomiting on the person on the machine next to me. (This serves as a warning to people at the gym, don’t get on the machine on either side of me!) These are the goals that I set for myself. Try to do something that’s hard or that I don’t like to do and see if I can progress. (This type of challenge in no way means I’ll be trying to sit with a snake any time soon. There’s only so much I can do and that I can deal with without checking myself into Bellevue!)
Wish me luck!
It means I’d run for a bit. I wouldn’t set out to run miles or anything like that. For goodness sake, I can barely run down the block when my dog drags me, but I thought it would be a goal towards which I could work.
To inaugurate this challenge, I ran for 2 minutes straight on the treadmill this morning. I know it’s not a big deal. I know I am able to run 2 minutes straight on the treadmill so I thought I would check if this is still possible and it was. Since this is my starting point, I will build from here. See, I have this figured out despite how insane this plan sounds. I will run for 2 minutes again later this week and I will increase from there. Hopefully by the end of the summer, I’ll be able to run for 10 minutes without falling off the treadmill belt or vomiting on the person on the machine next to me. (This serves as a warning to people at the gym, don’t get on the machine on either side of me!) These are the goals that I set for myself. Try to do something that’s hard or that I don’t like to do and see if I can progress. (This type of challenge in no way means I’ll be trying to sit with a snake any time soon. There’s only so much I can do and that I can deal with without checking myself into Bellevue!)
Wish me luck!
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