Holiday Woes

We spent the holidays in Ft. Lauderdale as usual.  There is so much stress going on in Ang's family that it was hard to stay sane.  Poor Ang was sick the entire time we were there (stress induced tummy issues).  I'm really not sure if I can get him to go back next year.  Maybe things will be better by then, but I expect they will be worse.  Most of my lack of posting has been associated with the home stresses.  I have a lot to say, but very little I can share.  *sigh*

On a better note, my Mom is doing great.  She has my brother and his cats (Mr. Sulu and Keiko) living with her temporarily, and I really think she likes having cats.  We never had pets when I was little, but I bet she gets her own cat(s) when my brother moves back out of the house.  Hanging with Mom and Sulu has pushed me further down the "I'm geting cats" pathway, so it might actually happen this year.  Mom also really liked the Roomba we got her for Channukah.  Her sister, Marlene, and I insisted that she name the little guy, and the only robot name she could think of was Robbie.  Yes, Robbie the Roomba.

I believe Sulu has his doubts about the Roomba.

I'm working on it!

So, the first thing that the orthopaedist said I need to do in order to avoid the evils of knee replacement surgery is to lose weight.  On December 2nd of 2004 I joined Weight Watchers and, as of a week ago (12/30), I have lost 11.8 pounds.  Yay, me!  It's been 5 weeks now, and I'm pretty happy with this plan.  I don't feel deprived, and it looks like a healthy way to lose weight and keep it off.

A huge bonus to this is that Ang has seen me making better food choices, and has been emulating me in a way.  His blood sugar has been creeping up this year, so he wants to lose some weight and get more fit.  He's eating smaller portions, and choosing healthier foods, even when I'm not around.  Plus he has started walking at night (without me, sad to say), and he's really motivated to continue.  Yay, Ang!

The second thing that the doctor listed was for me to start exercising, non-impact of course.  Swimming or biking is the best.  I have not yet started this, but Ang and I did walk over to the exercise facility in our housing development to see what was available.  I may end up joining a gym for better pool hours, and I certainly plan to get back on my bike.  Soon.

The third point was to wear flexible soled shoes, and to refrain from high impact activities.  Check.

Number four was to start taking supplements:  calcium, vitamin E, vitamin C, and (although there is no solid data) glucosamine.  Check.

Pain management was to be handled via Aleve.  I'm still taking it, even though there are some possible health issues, but I'm keeping an eye on the news.



You know, my knee feels better already!  :)