Personal Health Reset: Day 4 of 30

Usually by day four of a challenge, I'm bored and ready to quit. Often I'll squeeze out another day or two and then start forgetting or avoiding the challenge and ultimately will just let the challenge fizzle out.

This morning, I woke up eager to keep going. I may come back to analyzing why at a future date; for right now, I just plan to keep going!

Yesterday, I promised myself that I would floss my entire mouth, but I had major reservations (see yesterday's post about dental trauma HERE). I waited until fairly late in the morning to floss the first fourth of my dentition and waited until quite late in the afternoon to floss the second fourth. I almost went to bed without flossing the top half of my mouth. 

A.L.M.O.S.T.

I spent half a minute rationalizing why it would be ok to just skip finishing the flossing job before getting my butt to the bathroom to just do it. And, I'm glad I didn't skip this task. 

I didn't feel much different after flossing--my mouth still felt pretty much the same as it did before--but I kept the promise to myself which maybe counts even more than the actual flossing.

My goal is to be 10% healthier at the end of this 30 day challenge; so far, I don't feel all that different. That said, I've also dealt with a recent respiratory infection, severe nausea and abdominal pain, an ongoing hip injury that's stopped responding to physical therapy, and Covid-19. So, just getting back to my baseline would be welcome! My 10% healthier idea is to be 10% healthier than baseline.

My mood has been pretty good throughout these first few days, even as unexpected challenges popped up yesterday. Despite my own warnings to myself about not over-exerting myeslf, I did exactly that yesterday when I tried to accomplish two errands (I was masked, socially distanced, etc.). By the time I was done with the errands, I had to ask my roommate for help just to get inside and unload my two bags and then I collapsed in a heap into my favorite chair. I pulled a blanket over my body and fell asleep in the most awkward position. 

I continued to be fatigued throughout the rest of yesterday, and then I had a severe episode of acid reflux and nausea that is still with me today. It is not as bad as the reflux, nausea, and belly pain I had this past weekend which resulted in an Emergency Department visit, but it's definitely awful! It seems that the medications I've been taking for my nausea and reflux are losing their effectiveness as time goes on. 

(Please, no advice! I'm working closely with my doctor on these issues!)

Out of desperation, I spent much of the night upright in my favorite cozy chair with my favorite heated blanket and nibbled on some bland crackers while taking the tiniest sips possible of ginger ale. I also ordered a bunch of nausea related products online ("sea bands" for accupressure, ginger chews, and a few other items) that should arrive today. I'm hoping they will provide relief--I really need to be able to go to work tomorrow (my Covid symptoms are resolved enough and enough days have passed that I should be fine to work tomorrow, but I'll still wear a mask).

Once my symptoms were tolerable, I was able to go back to bed, but I was feeling pretty emotional thanks to the reflux and nausea. I ended up grabbing Gus, a teddy bear I've had since I was two years old, and hugged him all night as I slept. I haven't done that in probably a couple of years! My dog also spent much of the night pressed up against my back which she only seems to do when I'm feeling extremely ill (she's a great dog, but not a cuddler!). 

This morning, I woke up still feeling pretty nauseated and with a burning and gurgling sensation throughout my gastrointestinal tract. I'm taking things easier today than yesterday (what was I thinking? I knew I was doing too much and did it anyhow, even after having just written about avoiding doing so!?!?!).

When it comes to feeling unwell, I guage how badly I'm feeling not just by my symptoms, but also by my relationships with coffee and reading.

Besides my dog, family, and friends, coffee and reading are two of my favorite things in this world. I love all kinds of coffee and a wide range of reading materials. I have preferences, but also am pretty open to whatever is on offer for both. 

When I'm sick or in pain, however, and a bit mentally blinded to how poorly I might be, I can use my desire for or reaction to coffee or my ability to focus to read as a guage. I am a daily coffee drinker, but all week coffee has not sounded good. 

Today, I woke up wanting an iced soy latte, but it doesn't taste great--probably due to my nausea and reflux. I'll be sipping on it for several hours longer than it would usually take me to drink the whole thing (a Starbucks Grande, by the way--is Starbucks great coffee? No, but it is consistent and I use the Fetch app* to accrue points that I turn in for Starbucks gift cards where I average $15 per month in gift card rewards).

*This link is a referral link and may result in a small commission to me if you sign up. Fetch rewards you with points for purchases, playing games, and other activities. Most of my points come from receipts that I either scan manually or that Fetch finds in my email and various accounts that I've linked to the app or from playing games connected to the app).

I have been reading a lot this week, but at times finding myself having difficult concentrating. I normally have three to four books going at one time, but when I'm not well, I have noticed that I'll have as many as ten books in progress at once! I will read a page or two from one and realize I'm not concentrating but still want to read. So, I'll jump to a different book. Right now I'm reading (or just finished) these six (I have many more on deck!):

*The titles are all linked to Bookshop.org and may result in a small commission to me at no extra cost to you if you make purchases via Bookshop. 

1. Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason (Nordic Noir set in Iceland)

This was a book from the library that I downloaded late at night when I was too nauseous to sleep. I loved it and read it in two days! It is dark and grisly and involves some traumatic topics (child death, r@pe, p0rn), so be forewarned!

2. The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander (Cozy fiction pulled from my own bookshelf)

I'm actually having the most difficulty focusing on this novel, perhaps because it's not very complex or because it's filled with tropes? Regardless, it is enjoyable, if you like cozy rom-coms. I'm just not very into it right now.

3. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (Magical realism; elderly protagonist!)

Set in Ibiza from the perspective of an elderly British woman, this is a fun mystery novel filled with magical realism, grumpiness, loss, and found family. I loved this one and can't wait to read more of Matt Haig's work!

4. Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist by Terry Catasús and Rosita Stevens-Holsey (middle-grades biography; written in the form of poetry)

I grabbed this biography from the library based purely on the cover! I am glad I did. Was it the best written and most exciting biography? No, but it was easy to read and I learned A LOT! For anyone with a young person interested in the Civil Rights movement or early Women's Rights movement, this is a great introduction!

5. Inside the Wolf by Amy Rowland (Southern fiction, maybe Southern Gothic?)

This is a novel from my own shelves that I've had for a long while. I pulled it down because it isn't as long as many of my other unread books--my mind just couldn't comprehend the idea of reading something really long while not feeling well. I've just barely started this one, but if you enjoy mythology, story telling, folklore, etc., you might like this one as these elements seem to be woven throughout.

6. Welcome to Your Period by Yumi STynes and Dr. Melissa Kang (middle-grades non-fiction; health and well-being)

I picked up this book to read and review for my podcast and blog, Let Me Tell You About My Period. Wow! Where was this book when I was a kid? This is one of the best books I've seen about menstruation and puberty! It is incredibly straightforward, doesn't pander, meets a wide range of young people at a wide range of different points in their lives, and is incredibly inclusive. The illustrations and text are pleasing and inviting and the book truly is instructive. I plan to buy several copies and have them on hand for friends' kids who are pre-pubescent so they can be better prepared to start their periods than I was!

One of my errands yesterday (one of the two that wiped me out) was to pick up my library holds (again, I was masked, distanced, etc. and had not been feverish from Covid for 24 hours). I picked up several books ranging from art history to fiction to non-fiction and I'm excited by all of them! I'm trying to get back into my reading blog, so take a peak HERE there periodically to see what I'm up to with regard to reading.

Initially, when I start each of these posts, I have an idea regarding topic or theme. Today, I went way off the rails! I had planned to write about 0-10 pain scales and better ways to talk about our lives and experiences related to such scales. Instead, that will be the topic for day 5 of my challenge--I'll even have a couple of graphics you can save or print!

Check out my entire reset series HERE.