costochondritis and walking.

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Monday I went to work. walked a bit at lunchtime. It was a beautiful day.

Came home and started feeling odd. Indigestion maybe? But I ate dinner and turned on the computer and went to class. By 10PM I felt like there was a man standing on my breast bone. And he wasn't invited. I shut off the computer and moved to the couch to watch The Blacklist.   Laying down was worse. Was I having a heart attack? I didn't know. Took my blood pressure. Perfect. Decided it was indigestion and found some generic pepcid that expired in 2012. I took it and went to bed.  By that time my whole left side hurt and my breast felt like bricks.

Tuesday I woke up. I was happy. I woke up. Not a heart attack but it was still there. I couldn't sneeze. Coughing was traumatic. As long as I didn't make any sudden moves I could function. We needed chicken to add to our leftover "rice surprise" (damn it was good) so I took the scenic route to Aharts. Walking up to Sioux street I was both fine and miserable. Walking up Fiot and 8th was even worse. I kept taking my pulse. Perfect. It felt like cracked ribs. The pain is sudden and sharp. The "little man" was really being a PIA and I lost all sense of concentration.

Driving to work I missed the school zone sign flashing. It was 4:00! I got a ticket. $169!!!

Since I was miserable, I decided to listen to the voice in my head and go to the doc in the box. Maybe it's Pneumonia. Maybe a heart attack. The horror visions were dancing in my head. And I have a half marathon Sunday. I decided to go after work. The stress of not knowing was killing me. I could hear Bonnie yelling, "stop being so cheap and go to the doctor". So I did. It's Costochondritis. A virus in the chest wall near the breast bone. There isn't a blasted thing you can do for it but take Aleve. 3 OTC=1 Rx. (I wasn't taking any pain meds because I didn't want to mask the symptoms.) The doc-in-the-box was $148. This is why I don't go to the doctor. It's just a money vacuum. On the up side my heart and lungs are healthy.


Did I mention there's a half-marathon on Sunday? One that I haven't really trained for? Not a good time to get sick. Have another one tomorrow.


Wednesday I walked at work a bit. But the Aleve was making me sick. Thursday I did very little. I drove Lydia to Lehighton and that took my walking time. My online class and my on ground class take up the day. Plus cooking dinner mid-afternoon.


Today I drove Miss Lydia to her home visits. Last week I went walking with Betsy. this week she wasn't available so I walked myself in a whole new neighborhood. The easiest way to explain it is the backside of the muni golf course. I'm guessing 50-60 'burbs. Lots of splits, ranches and amazing mid century architecture. When I was a kid I thought it was hideous. Now I think it's beautiful. I was about three blocks away when Lydia buzzed that she was done.

 Hand-painted, with a great view of the golf course.

 In front of an amazing mid-century house.

Multi-color ghosts.


My breathing was not normal during the walk. But I still have two days till the half. I cannot breath deep so pushing it might not be possible. But I breathed thru my nose the whole time. I rarely do that when walking. I'm an open mouth person.

I did promise my sister that I would not be a hero. I would get my ample butt in the sweep car  if I had to. I think if I pick a steady pace I should be okay. I will take two Aleve before I go. Don't want to lose my breakfast on the trail. Who am I kidding? Breakfast will be after the race. No personal records will be broken. I will use the full four and a half full hours if needed and the route is flat as a pancake.


Tomorrow we are walking on the D&L in the area of the marathon. The more familiar you are with a course, the better it is. Then after walking we'll go pick up our race gear. Michelle, the walking coach, is hosting a pre-race dinner on Saturday night.


If with my weak walking totals this month, I am still past 1000 miles for this Tail on the Trail Challenge. That is about six times around. The challenge ends Sunday.

nothing to do with walking

This is one of my periodic rants. So you might want to skip it. I just need to get it out of my system.

I try really hard to buy American made. Or at least North America. It has to do with jobs, sure. It has to do with growing up in a union house. It has to do with ecology and saving resources. There's really no reason to ship something half way around the world. Pretty much, we can make it here. So we should.

I am not always successful, but I thought, until yesterday, that I read everything and then made a decision. For example, I won't eat anything from China. No safeguards. I'm seriously considering not eating fish from the Pacific. That nuclear waste from Japan should be here soon. I am not eating radio active fish.

Yesterday Bonnie and I walked in her neighborhood. But we went down to South Fourth Street to Walgreens. My allergies had finally gotten the best of me. I needed drugs.  I don't like to take medicine, so I suffer longer than I have to. It's been years since I took a pain killer. The generic Claritin from previous years were half-used and expired. (One in 2009!) I needed a fresh batch. And whatever I pick needs to have it has pseudoephedrine in it. Complete with the song and dance that goes with it to prove you aren't making meth—pick up the little card, take it to the pharmacist, swipe my license, pay and leave.

I've never looked at where meds were made. I assumed it was here I guess. Who'd ship pills around the world? Clearly Walgreen does. Had I noticed it before I opened the box I would have returned them. I'm used to paying more for made in America. But they were open, so I took one. And then I waited for something horrible to happen. It didn't. They are 12-hour ones. They last maybe 5, 6 hours. I'm going back to generic Claritin. As long as it's made on this continent. If not. I'll suffer. Spring is almost over.