From alpha testing to the QUERCUS 200

Hello Quercus, I haven't read your old diary but I just read this one.

It's a little late for this, but I hope you had a happy birthday.

Quercus said:
All the meat you buy and eat is full of hormones unless you actively avoid hormone treated meat... (continues...)
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This is sad, but it's true. Its really sad that the quality of our meat (or food in general, for that matter) is decaying every day. I know some sacrifices have to be made in order to mass-produce food, but it is getting worse every day. I don't think we will understand the true price of this "beautiful excess" until the damage is already done...

My Apologies for going off topic here.

Quercus said:
The assholes at the MRI place told me it would be $535 if I didn't use my insurance (> $1600 if I did) and paid in full so that's what I did. Now I get a bill saying I owe an additional $3,500 for the MRI and I had to pay another $300 for the radiologist which wasn't even mentioned before. This has been a problem since May so don't think they move with any quickness here either.
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It's a shame that people can do this and get out with impunity.

I'm really sorry to hear about your back problems, and the ways they are affecting your life. I hope you can get the best possible outcome for this situation.

Hope you can enjoy what's left of the week, Take care.
 
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Hi Athala! Thanks for stopping in. It was a pretty stressful bday with all this mess. I'm happy to report that I am starting day 2 of really low pain. I hope it sticks. I intend to get the MRI billing fixed. I didn't eat as bad yesterday as the day before, but it was still too much and I'm super hungry again this morning. The dose is already tapering, so hopefully the appetite will taper too.
 
Sorry to hear about your back.
As you said. A few days then refocus.
Is hunger a side affect of steroids?
 
Increased appetite, swelling, and rapid weight gain are all side effects. My stomach keeps growling. I've tried to keep healthier snacks on hand to minimize any snicker reaction I might have to being hungry. It's temporary and so worth it to have the pain reduced.

I'll call the physical therapy people today and get that started.
 
I hate hardcore steroids. The last time I was on them was for my own back related issue. They just make you feel so crappy. :/
 
It's a bugger about your back Quercus. I'm glad the pain has subsided a little. Hopefully physical therapy will help & you can ease into some gentle exercise & work your way up. Maybe ask them about the lifting equipment & whether they think you'll be able to use it down the track, because if you won't be able to, selling it & getting it out of sight may be a good idea. I love my exercise bike & ride it regardless of the weather. It was only cheap. If there is a gym nearby maybe they would do a swap. Just a thought. Hope things improve for you soon. Cheers, Cate
 
I had to go work on a septic system compressor which sits about a foot off the ground and my back didn't like that. After a hot shower and a couple of rounds with an ice pack this morning I feel better. Of course I have to rebuild the pump tonight so we will see how that goes. I could move it, but that would require me to rewire the pump and alarm trigger so I will likely just sit in the dirt in order to avoid the stooping from last night.

I ate like a pig yesterday. I'm really working on lowering my food intake as I decrease my steroid dose. Regardless of what I do today the weight will be way up tomorrow. In part from the swelling and in part from the overeating. I expect a big drop between this Saturday and the next.

I'm going to try to do hydrotherapy or a swim tonight before I have to go home to mess with the pump. It's too hot to be fixing things outdoors before dark anyway.

Thanks Athala, Cory, and Cate! I hope everyone is excited for the weekend!
 
It really does suck that you have to go through this Quercus, but in the grand scheme of things getting healthy is a long term process anyway. Trust me I know, I'm the king of impatience, but eventually you'll get things worked out with your back and be able to start down the road of dropping the extra pounds.

Hang in there!
 
I hope you can regulate the food intake, but don't get frustrated about it, the last thing you need is more stress.

Keep that back safe, too. I hope you enjoy of a nice weekend. :)
 
Sorry to hear your back is giving you all kinds of problems. That really sucks. I hope you have a great weekend though, and good luck on lowering the food intake! :)
 
Sorry to hear your back is still giving you troubles. Do you have any vacation time available from work? Just thinking maybe taking a couple of days off just to rest a little bit might help?
 
I got out and about today. It went okay, but it was exhausting. Mandy, I would love a vacation, but I want to be able to enjoy it. I am hoping to get a cabin in the woods up in Arkansas soon. I just have to feel a bit better. Somewhere with a real bed and nice cool water to float around in. I like your new avatar. You're looking good!
 
That's great that you got out & about, even though it was exhausting. That cabin sounds good! Hope you get to go there! Cheers, Cate
 
The cabin sounds pretty neat--Like you said though, if you're not able to enjoy it to the full there's not much point yet. Hope you have a good Sunday, Q xxx
 
Cory your camping trip got me thinking about how much I miss camping out. There is no way I could sleep in a tent. Actually it would be more of the getting up afterwords that wouldn't happen. Aanyway a cabin seems a happy compromise.

Positives:
Today is the last day of steroids.

I've been keeping up with my squats. I am on day 8.

I'm counting calories again starting today.

I have lots of very nice people checking in on me here. Thank you all!
 
Glad to see your steroids dose is almost up.

Hopefully you'll make some slow and steady progress with your back and be back at near peak functioning capacity before too long.

There's a nifty place about a two hour drive north of here that's filled with pine trees and lakes and scenic views and in the summer is about 15 degrees cooler. I would dearly like to have a cabin there in the summer. Of course I'd like a mansion with supermodels feeding me grapes all day too, so...
 
Things will be looking up soon Quercus, by the sounds of it. Hopefully a little cooler weather is not far off. It is funny when you live in the opposite hemisphere to most people in the forum. Here,I am looking forward to the comparative warmth of Spring! We don't have the extremes of the seasons in Tasmania thank goodness, but I will be glad to see the last of Winter! Cheers, Cate
 
317.2 so after the week of steroids I still managed to drop 1 pound from last Monday. Seeing that I took my last dose yesterday, the reduction came as quick as the bloat. I'm very surprised to have lost any weight as I felt like I ate terribly and I did for sure a couple of days.

The point is to keep the ball rolling. We cooked a nice big quinoa based vegan meal yesterday with leftovers for lunch and several more meals this week. We also have leftover veggie tacos for dinner. I have sweet potatoes in the dehydrator at the moment.

I'm happy to report that my back feels pretty good today. I have 9 squats to do today and I'm hoping for a few minutes on the stationary bike this evening. My wife and I have the gym scheduled for Tuesday and Friday and I have my physical therapy eval on Thursday.

I hope everyone has an exceptionally good Monday!
 
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