Day: January 21, 2009

Just got an email from Lisa on an unrelated subject and she asked how I was feeling which made me realize it’s probably time for an update.

As I told her, I still have some minor issues but am getting better.  Specifically, I have four issues, only one of which even concerns me in the slightest.

The first issue is my endurance.  I basically have none and am easily winded.  Once the weather turns nicer, I’ll start going for walks/runs and that should fix it.

The second is my strength (or lack there of).  It’s really amazing how much strength I’ve lost.  A week or so ago I decided to see how many push-ups I could do (actually, to be honest, I wanted to see if I could do ONE).  I got in a push-up position and quickly realize that if I were to try to lower myself, I crash onto my face.  So not only can’t I do a push-up, I can’t even do a lower-down.  My doc suggested that I join a gym and start lifting weights.  I’m not a big fan of gyms but I might have to take him up on his suggestion.

The third issue is one that I think that I have mentioned before.  I have a numbness in my ring and pinky fingers on my right hand (it feels just like a permanent hit on the funny bone).  At first I thought it might be carpal tunnel syndrome from sitting at my computer too much but a little internet research uncovered that carpal tunnel never affects those fingers, it’s the other three that are impacted.  My doc gave it a fancy name, which I forget, but it’s basically a nerve in my elbow that’s getting squeezed or pinched.  He said that what’s most likely is that all the sudden weight loss has caused things to shift around in my body and undoubtedly something is pinching the nerve.  He said to give it a few months to see if I put the weight back on, which probably would fix it, or to see if things naturally shift again.  If it doesn’t clear up on it’s own, he said he’d send me to a neuro guy who should be able to quickly fix it with minor surgery. It’s been a month and nothing’s yet happened (my weight is 175 so I’m keeping it down).  I’ll give it another month or so before I make arrangements to have it checked out.    

The fourth thing is the only one that I’m not sure what’s happening.  There’s something fishy going on around my lower right rib cage.  It’s like I have a muscle pull or something.  Occasionally, I’ll make a sharp turn with my body, or rollover in bed, or take a sharp deep breath, and I’ll feel a slight stabbing pain. Actually, pain is probably too strong a word. It’s more like a discomfort.  If it’s just a muscle pull like I think, it should heal up on it’s own so I’m just going to wait a while before I do anything about it.  

Other than that, everything is fine.  No more coughing at all which is the real good news.  Everything else appears to be just a matter of time coupled with a little effort on my part.