Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Trying, One step up and two back?

I tried!  Really, I tried.

I failed!  I really failed.

I started working out to help improve my health issues.  It was not excessive, just three days a week with elliptical or indoor cycling.  It was challenging but refreshing, although I felt increasingly fatigued.  I went to the physician, who sent me to another physician, who sent me back to the Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist who performed my surgery about six years ago.  He evaluated me, and I learned more than I wanted to know.

What I learned was an untreated sinus infection can lead to bronchitis, worsening of asthma, and chronic cough.  Oh, so that’s why I feel bad?  He explained that continued contamination leads to nasal membrane swelling, obstruction, and mouth breathing.  Nasal congestion can cause snoring and lead to sleep apnea as well.  OK, I know that is happening.

The acute sinusitis I failed to treat created a low-grade chronic infection.  The presence of nasal polyps makes treatment of sinusitis difficult.

Here is the real bummer.  My sinuses have made me miserable.  Pressure, pain, drainage, and difficulty breathing have been issues.  I now learned that this is also a possible issue with my stomach pains.  As my sinus pressure impacted blood circulation to my eyes, I have sudden, patchy, blurred vision and blindness.  My sinus infection has spread into the bloodstream, affecting the brain and eyes.

My respiratory system was already weakened from the Pulmonary Embolisms.  As excess mucus is produced, and there’s a lot of it, it drains.  This excess mucous irritated my digestive system.  Nausea and loose stools follow.

I know, it’s TMI.  I know I need to grab hold of my bootstraps, find courage, and make progress.  Am I a mouse of a man?

I need to recall my tennis wisdom.  In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world.  It happens to the best of us.  If I can consistently win a few more points that I lose, I will succeed.  I will be ahead of the game with healthy eating and exercising if I consistently out-stepped my steps back.  If I expect perfection (and many of us do), I am setting myself up for disappointment and guilt.  With the medical issues, I do not need that to develop.

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