Colonoscopy

 Well, after doing so well with my running in April, I have cut way back in May.  I cut back because I've been having some back pain, and I didn't want it to get worse.  Lucky me, it's gotten worse anyway.  My sister has been bugging me to go back to the dr and ask for an MRI, so I messaged them, and my provider is ordering a x-ray and physical therapy.  I'm not super happy with that.  I really don't want to do physical therapy, maybe it will help, but I am an active person, so I don't think that's the cause of it.  

I know in my last post I said that I had increased a bunch of things, but even after decreasing weights, not running on hills and stretching, it's not helping at all, so how can it be because I got more active.  I don't know.

I am getting a colonoscopy tomorrow, I've put it off for 3 years, but I finally decided to just do it.  I can't be getting mad at Chris for not doing medical things, when I am avoiding a colonoscopy.  You have to actually prep before a colonoscopy, which if I knew about that, I would have probably continued to put it off.  Basically the 3 days before you aren't allowed to have fiber.  It's supposed to be a protein heavy diet and then on the day before, clear liquids only, like broth.  I can have jello and popsicles, but nothing with red, purple or blue dye in it.  And then that evening you have to clear out your bowels by taking a supplement of some sort.  They have a pill form and a liquid form, the liquid sounded nasty (and you have to drink a gallon of it in a short amount of time) so I got the pill form, and then you sit on the toilet.  THEN at least 5 hours before the procedure you take the supplement again. 

My procedure is at 8:30am, and when I complained that meant I'd have to be up at 3:30 just to take the pills, she said I can start the pills earlier the next day because my procedure is so early, and then I have to wait 6 hours and can take the second dose.  I'm a little worried about not getting any sleep tonight, but I have a friend who did it and she said the second dose isn't too bad. Sitting on the toilet isn't as bad because you've already cleared your system out. I really, really hope she's right. 

Anyway, this high protein diet I've been doing helped me to lose 4lbs.  I assume the events of today will cause me to lose more, but I refuse to stick with today's diet (all liquid, and "poop pills").  I'm thinking I may work on keeping closer to a strict protein diet.  I also have not been drinking alcohol, so that may also play a factor in the weight.  I plan to continue that as well.  I'm going to weigh myself tomorrow after everything is out of my body and see how much shit I actually carry around.  😂

I ran this last weekend, on Sunday, but I haven't run since.  I was going to run today, but I don't think I'll be able to.  Once I'm done with the colonoscopy, I'm told that I'll go "back to normal" and be fine (I can eat and drink whatever I want), so maybe I'll go run tomorrow, although there is sedation that happens, so I may be sleeping.

We did go to e. WA last weekend, which I forgot about.  But here's a picture of the sunset Saturday night after it rained a ton.

Still here, still running

 Oops, I didn't write at all in April.  That was not on purpose!  Anyway, I have not stopped doing all the things, in fact, I upped my running in April.  

The last few weeks I've had some back pain that just won't go away.  It feels muscular, not spinal, but I went to the dr last week anyway because it got worse.  I even quit all activity for 8 days but it actually felt worse.  Anyway, the dr didn't think there was anything wrong, other than overuse, upping mileage, running hills, and increasing my weights for weighted pilates. I've been doing some stretches and she said she thought it would be fine to exercise, just listen to my body.  

Just now I was looking at mapmyrun and noticed that I ran 45 miles in April.  That's not a lot when looking at my past mileage, but for the last few years I've really struggled with motivation to go run, so I looked back at my monthly mileage to see the last time I ran that much.  January 2023 is the last time I ran 45 miles in a month.  Plus, I have added hills back the last few months.  It makes sense that my body is rebelling.  

Anyway, I started running again this weekend, and did yoga for the first time this morning.  Yoga really bothered my back, but it's probably what I need most. 

Sunday I decided to brave crossing a highway.  It's a 2 lane highway, and is fairly busy, but they put a crosswalk on it a few blocks away and down from the street I live on, however, I didn't use the crosswalk, but it being there made me think I could cross.  It was a beautiful run, it basically went out of town into farming country, but was still only 3 miles.  I could make it longer, but 3 miles was perfect this weekend.  I will definitely be doing it regularly now. I even found a cemetery, and I love cemeteries.