Reminder of why I include these health checks here.
I had a cough for a while after being sick, but it's finally gone.
Feeling stronger and stronger. I can actually SEE and FEEL muscles in my upper arms now! Leanne tells me she has to paddle harder alongside me now (she's still stronger).
My body revolted one night against the grossness of my clothes--my sweat and the same dirty clothes for too many hours created an uncomfortable red-dots/red welts rash all over my torso one night. With an all-over spray of gold bond, most of it was gone by morning. Some of the welts took 36 hrs to disappear.
The day after long paddles or hard winds, my elbows really hurt and I have to be sure to wear kinesiotape on them and dose up on ibuprofen.
My inflatable mattress no longer holds air longer than an hour or two, so I was waking up to a deflated mattress for a while, which meant all the joints that need the most support (hips, mainly) are the heaviest and all the lighter parts of my body are supported, causing a vector toward the joints that need support. So I now sleep on the ground, with no mattress since this at least keeps my whole body flat and supported equally. It's not the best night's sleep, but I'm starting to get used to it. Sandy spots are the most comfortable, followed by dirt and grass. Hard mud with sticks and leaves is okay, but gravel and concrete are terrible. My pillow has also lost a lot of loft, and my sleeping bag is starting to get clumpy (it's down, and keeps getting wet). All of this combined with a very bright moon this month meant that I didn't sleep well several nights in a row, and am taking some sleep-aid medication occasionally now. It's been over 3 months since I've needed any!
Still have: trigger finger, synovial cyst, occasional numbness on forearms, charley horse/cramps in my forearms and legs. Left hip bursitis has been pretty bad, making standing and walking difficult and regularly waking me up in the middle of the night in pain.
Diet: I eat about a jar of peanut butter a week. I depend on fresh produce like carrots and cucumbers to keep good fiber in my diet. I eat a lot of oatmeal. In town, I crave warm meals, but am usually disappointed by the quality of the food and the low nutritional value. I expected this, knowing which states I'd be traveling through, and packed good food for myself. But as my stores dwindle I have less options for varied good food. Also, our strange schedules have not been conducive to a regular schedule for meals. I make a warm meal for myself when it's convenient, and it's never convenient. Sometimes I make one anyway, but I pay for it in lost sleep (takes a long time to take those extra bags out, do the actual cooking, eat it, clean up, and then re-pack all those bags). I usually just grab some quick-bite foods from my big food bag in 4 day quantities and subsist on a diet of peanut butter, chia seeds and coconut milk powder (what I like to call "pudding"), juice boxes, water, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, and some fresh produce.
Mental: Leanne and I have been traveling together for almost a month, and it's been great to have someone to share the experience with, chat with during the day, talk me down when I'm feeling glum or being hard on myself, and motivate me (she's an amazing encourager!). Sometimes I miss paddling alone, and doing this all on my own, but I'm pleased with how easily we communicate and respect one another's space and needs, and I enjoy her way too much to say sayonara. Plus, our parents are super duper happy we have a paddle buddy for safety's sake, and putting them at ease is worth a lot.
Dropping my camera in the river represented a huge disappointment in my ability to do well, and has provided opportunities for me to examine why I'm so hard on myself. I recognize how irrational this can be, and try to just be kind and move on, but it's something I struggle with.
I had a cough for a while after being sick, but it's finally gone.
Feeling stronger and stronger. I can actually SEE and FEEL muscles in my upper arms now! Leanne tells me she has to paddle harder alongside me now (she's still stronger).
My body revolted one night against the grossness of my clothes--my sweat and the same dirty clothes for too many hours created an uncomfortable red-dots/red welts rash all over my torso one night. With an all-over spray of gold bond, most of it was gone by morning. Some of the welts took 36 hrs to disappear.
The day after long paddles or hard winds, my elbows really hurt and I have to be sure to wear kinesiotape on them and dose up on ibuprofen.
My inflatable mattress no longer holds air longer than an hour or two, so I was waking up to a deflated mattress for a while, which meant all the joints that need the most support (hips, mainly) are the heaviest and all the lighter parts of my body are supported, causing a vector toward the joints that need support. So I now sleep on the ground, with no mattress since this at least keeps my whole body flat and supported equally. It's not the best night's sleep, but I'm starting to get used to it. Sandy spots are the most comfortable, followed by dirt and grass. Hard mud with sticks and leaves is okay, but gravel and concrete are terrible. My pillow has also lost a lot of loft, and my sleeping bag is starting to get clumpy (it's down, and keeps getting wet). All of this combined with a very bright moon this month meant that I didn't sleep well several nights in a row, and am taking some sleep-aid medication occasionally now. It's been over 3 months since I've needed any!
Still have: trigger finger, synovial cyst, occasional numbness on forearms, charley horse/cramps in my forearms and legs. Left hip bursitis has been pretty bad, making standing and walking difficult and regularly waking me up in the middle of the night in pain.
Diet: I eat about a jar of peanut butter a week. I depend on fresh produce like carrots and cucumbers to keep good fiber in my diet. I eat a lot of oatmeal. In town, I crave warm meals, but am usually disappointed by the quality of the food and the low nutritional value. I expected this, knowing which states I'd be traveling through, and packed good food for myself. But as my stores dwindle I have less options for varied good food. Also, our strange schedules have not been conducive to a regular schedule for meals. I make a warm meal for myself when it's convenient, and it's never convenient. Sometimes I make one anyway, but I pay for it in lost sleep (takes a long time to take those extra bags out, do the actual cooking, eat it, clean up, and then re-pack all those bags). I usually just grab some quick-bite foods from my big food bag in 4 day quantities and subsist on a diet of peanut butter, chia seeds and coconut milk powder (what I like to call "pudding"), juice boxes, water, oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, and some fresh produce.
Mental: Leanne and I have been traveling together for almost a month, and it's been great to have someone to share the experience with, chat with during the day, talk me down when I'm feeling glum or being hard on myself, and motivate me (she's an amazing encourager!). Sometimes I miss paddling alone, and doing this all on my own, but I'm pleased with how easily we communicate and respect one another's space and needs, and I enjoy her way too much to say sayonara. Plus, our parents are super duper happy we have a paddle buddy for safety's sake, and putting them at ease is worth a lot.
Dropping my camera in the river represented a huge disappointment in my ability to do well, and has provided opportunities for me to examine why I'm so hard on myself. I recognize how irrational this can be, and try to just be kind and move on, but it's something I struggle with.