One Foot on a Banana Peel

Can’t tell you anything folks.  The doctor doesn’t know what my problem is.  I have to get a bunch of bloodwork done and have sonograms done on my legs to look for bloodclots and collapsed veins.  Once that’s done he’ll decide what comes next.  Yea.  At least my blood pressure was good, the best it’s ever been in my life, I think.  120/60.  Walking’s on hold till I find out what’s going on.

Meg’s report card came today.  Not good news.  I knew it was going to be bad, but it was really bad.  Really, really, really bad.  She failed algebra, english and speech.  She got incompletes in study skills and phys. ed.  At this moment in time she is still a freshman.  She didn’t earn enough credits to be classified as a sophomore.  I totally freaked.  I don’t think Meg really cared that much until I read her the little enclosed note about how not being classified as a sophomore could affect her ability to do things such as the prom, class trips and the like.  That upset her.  A lot.  But she still isn’t any where near as upset as I am.  These grades prove that she lied to me.  She just never made any effort at all.  I don’t know how on earth she thought she could do nothing and get away with it.

Well, there’s a solution and it’s been put in motion.  Beginning Tuesday Megan will be attending summer school for four hours a day, five days a week.  That’s just one class.  Algebra.  She’ll do that until July 16 at a cost of $80 (just one more thing I’m not happy about).  Then she will have to make up english in one of two ways.  Either I will have to drive her about 40 minutes away and sit for four hours every day while she is in class at the $80 price or for $180 I can order a "packet" that she can do at home within a 3-week time frame.  If she passes both of those, she will earn 2 credits and be classified a sophomore, but she will still have to make up the other three classes at some point between now and graduation if she wants to graduate.  Plus she needs to get on the ball and never do this again because there is no way she can blow 5 classes a year and expect to keep making it up and graduate on time.  All I can say about the whole mess is that I hope she learns a huge lesson from this.

This is so frustrating.  I am up and awake and raring to go walking, but here I sit.  It rained a ton last night so it’s cooled off considerably.  Perfect for walking, but it’s my damn legs that aren’t cooperating.  They are still aching something awful and in a new twist, as of last night, they are swelling.  Man, I am telling ya….once you pass 40 your body just starts falling apart left and right.  I’m going to give in and call the doctor’s office today to schedule an appointment.  I kept putting it off and walking hoping that the pain was just from being out of shape and would go away, but obviously there’s something else going on.

Ugh.  So, I’ve been being good since summer vacation started.  I’ve dragged my half awake butt out of bed and down to the walking trail where I walk 2 miles with a woman I work with.  I’m not drinking much pop.  I’ve switched almost completely to water and sugar-free iced tea.  I’m sneaking more veggies into our meals and cutting back fats and carbs where I can. 

So, why can’t walking be simple?  I am walking, but can I just admit and whine for a minute that it really hurts?  My ankles just ache something fierce after a short bit.  I’m really not sure if it’s the joints or the muscles.  I do stretch out a good bit before and after and I wear really good (read, expensive) shoes meant just for walking.  I think it’s from the impact of my foot on the pavement.  It’s not fair!  I once worked with someone else who complained of the same thing and said that an eliptical machine was a lifesaver for him.  He got an aerobic workout, but without the pounding on his legs.  He could do it pain free.  We tried out several machines at Sears the other day and found one we really liked.  I didn’t do a whole workout in the store (though maybe I could just go to a different store every day and pretend to be shopping for a machine…it’d be a lot cheaper), but I was amazed at how smooth it was and how different my legs felt compared to walking.  An eliptical machine is now number one on my wish list.