Losing ground... OK, not really but it kind of feels like it. This was probably a week I should have taken off dieting since I was absolutely horrible about food choices. In other words, I managed to eat ALL my no-no foods and didn't do ANY exercising. It started out like every other week. Sunday I spent time at the pool with the kiddos (recuperating from a hectic week before). Monday was much the same except that in honor of my son's birthday we had an enormous steak and potatoes feast. Yum, steak... no-no, potatoes... no-no. And of course, since it was a birthday, there was cake and ice cream involved too. Yum, cake... no-no. Tuesday, much the same. Wednesday it was back to school and unfortunately, I didn't have too many human clients to keep me busy. I spent most of the day working on my mannequin head doing updo's and trying to keep busy. When I'm not busy, I'm a snacker, and snack I did, all day.
Now I should probably mention that about four or five weeks ago I developed a weird bump under my right arm. At the time, I thought nothing of it. I figured it was from razor burn. An ingrown hair that got infected. Nothing, right? It got nasty, inflamed, did it's thing and then went away. A few weeks later, I got another one. Same arm, different spot. This time I chalked it up to a dull razor and all the time I'd been spending in the pool. Again, it did it's thing and then much slower this time, went away. Well last week, I got a third infection. This time on my left arm, lower down on the bicep where I don't shave. Hmm... I was having a harder time rationalizing this one. I figured it was from all the rubbing my arm was getting from my school shirt and me sweating while working on clients. It's been hot on the salon floor lately. It's been hot outside too. See, just sweat and rubbing. Excuses, excuses.
If you can't tell, I'm not one to rush off to the doctor. I tend to brush thingd of when it comes to MY body. My children however, different story, I would have had them in the ER at the first signs of something like this but myself... well, I am of the 'suck it up, you'll live' mindset. Well, I'm having dinner with my kids' grandmother Thursday night, and she mentions how exhausted I look, and I mention the growing red infection on my arm. One look and she freaks. Not because it was gory or anything but 1. she tends to overreact to everything and 2. she's just had a co-worker develop a staph infection that had them in the hospital on their back for three days. Now she's got me freaking. She's throwing out things like, 'blood poisoning' and 'you could die.' Needless to say, Friday morning, bright and early, I visited the local ER to have my arm looked at. And the doctor tells me, 'Yes, it looks like a staph infection but no, it won't kill you.' Huh. In all my 30 some-odd-years, I've never had a staph infection so I really know nothing about them. She tells me they're pretty common but still I'm stressed thinking about how long I've been living with this and if the kids possibly have this too, just waiting to rear it's ugly head. Stress... Stress.... Stress....
Anyhow, the doctor did her thing, which I won't go into details about but I can tell you it's painful and gross. I was sent on my way with some super antibiotics and I'm currently waiting for the cultures she took to be tested and for the results to determine which kind of staph and whether or not I need even MORE super antibiotics. I'm having to be my own nurse now, changing the dressing twice a day. YUCK and OUCH! This totally sucks. Not only am I in pain but I'm constantly exhausted. I haven't had the energy to clean my house, do my laundry, or even tie my shoes. Thank god for slip ons and flip-flops.
So, although it's not diet related, there is a lesson to be learned here. If you're a parent, and even if you're not, don't let these things wait and fester. Get checked out at the first sign of something not being normal. I wish I had and maybe I could have avoided the pain and exhaustion I've been suffering for the last month. Looking back, I realize this started about the time I phased out to the salon and began working on clients. I was chalking up the exhaustion to all the hours on my feet but I'm thinking now, it was probably the infection raging through my system. As they say, you live, you learn. I did, the hard way.
Now, all this Stress... Stress... Stress... took it's toll on my body this week. In addition to my monthly food binging that most women are familiar with, I've been going gang busters with the naughty foods. We're talking cold cut sandwiches with (gasp) bread, chips, cookies, french fries (double gasp). Ugh! I'm cringing while I type this. A blue-cheese burger, cake, ice cream and candy... I'm telling you, I went BIG this week in terms of blowing off this diet. It's been bad.
But, I should mention that despite major water retention, bloating and horrible eating habits, I did just purchase some size 10 jeans that fit surprisingly well. Who would have guessed? So I can't complain there but really, I know this can't continue, and after today's birthday party, I'm going to have to get really strict about my diet again. Of course, I really can't help the exercising until this infection is totally cleared up. The more I move my arm the angrier it gets. And it get's wicked angry by the end of the day just by me doing normal day to day stuff without the extra exertion of rigorous exercise.
So what I've learned this week: 1. Don't put your health on the back burner... sometimes these things don't go away on their own. 2. If you have to, go ahead and 'stress eat' but try to keep it small. And finally,3. if I should ever mention interest in becoming a medical professional, smack me. I am SO not cut out for this kind of stuff.
Thanks to all my supporters... I promise to get back on track soon. I hope everyone has a wonderfully healthy week. Catch ya'll next week. Oh, and P.S. For those following, I found my cell phone (it had been lost in the chaos called the kids toy room and my car has been fixed and she's running like a dream. A few less Stresses on the list of life! Yah!
Total weekly weight loss: 2.4 pounds gained
Total overall weight loss: 30.6 pounds
