What is Your Body Trying to Tell You?

Every pop, ping, and pain has a meaning!

Symptom: Muscle cramps in legs

Most likely causes: Sitting or standing for too long (especially in sky-scraper but oh-so-adorable heels) can strain calf muscles and lead to cramps. Dehydration can also cause leg spasms.

What to do: Drink plenty of fluids, and stock up on food rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium (think leafy greens, bananas, and beans). We would never suggest you retire your pumps for orthopedic clunkers, so just be sure to stretch your legs after sitting or walking for long periods of time in high heels.

Symptom: Cracking Joints

Most likely causes: Even though popping your knuckles can be oddly satisfying, when you crack a joint you are actually causing it to stretch. This causes gas bubbles to rapidly release, and this is why you hear that snap, crackle, or pop.

What to do: Unless you feel pain with a cracking joint, don’t stress over it. In the case you do feel pain, swelling, or the joint becomes red and has limited motion you should consult your doctor. It may be a sign of a joint/cartilage problem such as arthritis.

Symptom: Dry or Bloodshot Eyes

Most Likely Causes: Even though it is painless, dry/bloodshot eyes are not the most attractive. Staring at a computer for too long (hello facebook!), a long night with lots of alcohol and little sleep, or dry/windy weather can cause your peepers to look less than their best.

What to do: Reach for some over-the-counter artificial tears to lubricate eyes after a long night to fake a well-rested sleep sesh. Use UV blocking sunglasses (preferably a wrap-around style) to shield eyes from harsh weather conditions. You should see your doctor if these symptoms are chronic, or severe.

Symptom: Cold Hands and Feet

Most likely causes: Stress can stir up the nervous system, which can lead blood vessels to become constricted. This slows down circulation and can make your tootsies feel like popsicles.

What to do: Try taking deep breaths to relax, and get your nervous system back on track. Keep your hands and feet warm if you are under pressure. If they have a habit of going cold for no apparent reason, ask your doc about Raynaud’s phenomenon.

Symptom: Bad breath or white film on tongue

Most likely causes: It’s not just those garlic fries that make your mouth smell. Not getting enough water, or poor dental hygiene habits (ahem, flossing!) can cause bad breath and even a white film to cover your tongue.

What to do: Even though you’ve heard it before, make sure you are drinking 8 glasses of water a day. Staying hydrated is an easy way to remedy this. Also, be sure to brush twice and day and floss (yes, everyday!) and keep routine visits with your dentist.

What is Your Body Trying to Tell You?

Every pop, ping, and pain has a meaning!

Symptom: Muscle cramps in legs

Most likely causes: Sitting or standing for too long (especially in sky-scraper but oh-so-adorable heels) can strain calf muscles and lead to cramps. Dehydration can also cause leg spasms.

What to do: Drink plenty of fluids, and stock up on food rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium (think leafy greens, bananas, and beans). We would never suggest you retire your pumps for orthopedic clunkers, so just be sure to stretch your legs after sitting or walking for long periods of time in high heels.

Symptom: Cracking Joints

Most likely causes: Even though popping your knuckles can be oddly satisfying, when you crack a joint you are actually causing it to stretch. This causes gas bubbles to rapidly release, and this is why you hear that snap, crackle, or pop.

What to do: Unless you feel pain with a cracking joint, don’t stress over it. In the case you do feel pain, swelling, or the joint becomes red and has limited motion you should consult your doctor. It may be a sign of a joint/cartilage problem such as arthritis.

Symptom: Dry or Bloodshot Eyes

Most Likely Causes: Even though it is painless, dry/bloodshot eyes are not the most attractive. Staring at a computer for too long (hello facebook!), a long night with lots of alcohol and little sleep, or dry/windy weather can cause your peepers to look less than their best.

What to do: Reach for some over-the-counter artificial tears to lubricate eyes after a long night to fake a well-rested sleep sesh. Use UV blocking sunglasses (preferably a wrap-around style) to shield eyes from harsh weather conditions. You should see your doctor if these symptoms are chronic, or severe.

Symptom: Cold Hands and Feet

Most likely causes: Stress can stir up the nervous system, which can lead blood vessels to become constricted. This slows down circulation and can make your tootsies feel like popsicles.

What to do: Try taking deep breaths to relax, and get your nervous system back on track. Keep your hands and feet warm if you are under pressure. If they have a habit of going cold for no apparent reason, ask your doc about Raynaud’s phenomenon.

Symptom: Bad breath or white film on tongue

Most likely causes: It’s not just those garlic fries that make your mouth smell. Not getting enough water, or poor dental hygiene habits (ahem, flossing!) can cause bad breath and even a white film to cover your tongue.

What to do: Even though you’ve heard it before, make sure you are drinking 8 glasses of water a day. Staying hydrated is an easy way to remedy this. Also, be sure to brush twice and day and floss (yes, everyday!) and keep routine visits with your dentist.

i have found almost everything written about love to be true.

Shakespeare said, "Journeys end in lovers meeting." Extraordinary thought.  Personally, I have yet to find anything remotely close to that but I'm more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should.  I am constantly amazed by its shear power to alter and define our lives.  It was Shakespeare who also said, "Love is blind." Now that is something I know to be true.

For some, quite inexplicably, love fades. 

For others, love is simply lost.

But then of course, love can also be found--even if just for the night.

And then there's another kind of love; the cruelest kind.  The one that almost kills its victims.  It's called unrequited love.  Of that, I am an expert.  Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other; but what about the rest of us?  What about our stories--those of us who fall in love alone?  We are the victims of the one-sided affair, we are the cursed of the loved ones, the unloved ones, the walking brain-dead, the handicap without the advantage of a great parking space.

Although this may not be a new idea-being in love with a man that does not love me back-it does not make the thought of it any more bearable.

Just some insight into my own missed connection.

 

stay with you.

lousy, lousy night and day. swollen glands going around breaking things. only charles bukowski can cheer me up at this point--but i dont know where my book is.  im spending too much time on facebook, waiting for the world to come to me.  i should be wandering my hometown right now but i cant pull myself out of bed. 

'scuse me while i make a call.

1:52 in the morning and...

It's almost 2 am, just caught a few minutes of Ms. O before vacating the couch so my poor mom could have a place to crash.  I tried convincing her to take my bed but she's stubborn like me, always trying to please others.   It's now the second day since my surgery and of course have to always get worse before they get better.  With Vicodin and a bag a peas by my side I'm well on my way.  In all honesty, this surgery was not all that horrible.  I decided to forgo the Ambien tonight which might help explain my insomnia--without such though, you might not be able to enjoy this late night post.

Tomorrow, my mom flies home.  Tough, bittersweet week.  When the girls left, the feeling of homesick sadness had flooded back to me each time they had left from previous trips or when I had returned home from visiting them.  I will feel the same when my mom leaves tomorrow.   I haven't had any visitors from home since my birthday and to see my mom, Christy, and Melissa all in one week was such a blessing.  It also makes it just as hard when they leave.  It's hard to well up with two black eyes and a nose cast crowding your face, but if such weren't the case... I'm pretty sure there'd be a warm trickle down my cheek at the thought of pieces of my heart from home are leaving me alone in this now cold city.. 

Especially in the events of this past week, two major parts of me are gone-never to be the same.   Just as the dr. surgically removed those sharp bumps I hated to acknowledge, touch, and feel... so to did I have to be my own surgeon and remove the emotional parts of myself that had been broken and never properly healed.  This was not my own fault.  I had done all I could and at some point you have to be willing to accept it for what it is or do something to change it.  Just as I had never been comfortable with my nose, and knew that I never would be, I took the initiative to do something about it so I could live my life comfortable within my own skin.  And yes, I did break my nose.  I am not going to lie about cosmetic surgery--I had it done.  There was also septoplasty performed as well but it was also a nose job.  

Just as I won't like about that, nor will I lie about the cosmetics of my friendship--while it lasted.  Somethings just don't age well together, and I think that we would be lying to ourselves--clinging to a history--making ourselves miserable in the future.   I could tell you had moved on and even though you still mean a lot to me, and will always, we are different people.  You are no longer good for me. 

To those of you still in my life, thank you for your support and setting an example for how humans are supposed to treat each other, even in your mistakes. 

My love is for you.

Getting things started... from me, to you.

Hello.  

I just got back from Napa (uploading photos right now!) I am new to blogging put deciding to use this as a medium to develop my writing.  I am not far from graduating college and as an aspiring writer I have no idea what the next step I need to take is.  This can only help me, right?  We'll just have to wait and find out.  The computer is burning my lap right now; I'm going to finish uploading pictures from my weekend with the winos and get back later. 

Peace and love.