I had an appointment with an ENT (Ear Nose & Throat doctor) on Monday. That pesky sinus infection just refuses to go away. I have been sick, off and on, since the last week of September. This time I am going on a significantly stronger antibiotic for 2 weeks, and the doctor is confident it will do the trick - and I am, too.
As I said in a previous post, I think part of the reason I keep getting sick is because I am just plain worn down. My life has been very full lately - and I am not complaining. I feel lucky to have been able to do and see as much as I have done and seen in the last 3-4 months.
But I need to start listening to my body. And that meant making some adjustments. One is a situational adjustment and I don't know that the others will be permanent, but for now, they are changes I need to make so I can get back to full health!!
- Cancelling a trip. It pained me to do this, but I ended up cancelling my trip to Des Moines to see Amber. We had plans to see Wicked and I had already bought my ticket to the show... But I looked at my calendar and knew that yet another out-of-town trip was probably not the best thing for me right now. I felt horrible backing out of this as I was so excited to see Amber, take in a musical, and check out more of Des Moines.
- New bed time. For months, I had been going to bed at 10-10:30 and getting up at 5:15-5:30. Which meant I was getting 7-7.5 hours of sleep a night. I know that is enough for some people, but it is not enough for me. Now I force myself to shut the lights off at 9 pm each nights so that I can get at least 8 hours of sleep. It has really helped!
- Social Butterfly Sabbatical. After having only 2-3 free nights in the months of August, September, and October, I decided to cut way back on the planning for awhile and to leave some week nights free. I have taken it to the extreme right now and rarely have social plans on week nights - I expect that to change in December, but right now, it is working really well for me. I really enjoy having most week nights to myself. I've been running, catching up on some knitting projects, and playing piano.
***
That said, I am excited to announce that tomorrow I kick off my Ten Days of Thanksgiving post series! It's hard to believe it's already that time of year! I am excited to spend 10 days focusing on the things in my life that I am thankful for!
I am bummed you won't be able to make it, but you're only about 3 hours away and you can come down anytime!!! Your health is more important and down time is necessary for our mental health. I hope you find out some answers from the ENT - this is making me nervous that it's still sticking around. My fingers are crossed and you're in my thoughts and prayers always! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to see what your Ten Days of Thanksgiving feature is all about, sounds good!
I do not know how people live on limited sleep either, I tend to need at least 8 as well. Get some rest and try to relax a little with some downtime!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of Ten Days of Thanksgiving! I'm looking forward to reading all about it! And yes, I'm one of those people who needs 8 hours of sleep a night or I can't function. It makes a huge difference!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that it's already time for 10 days of thankfulness! Can't wait for that :)
ReplyDeleteLately I have been getting in bed around 9, asleep between 10/10:30 (my wake-up isn't quite as early as yours) and it's making me feel much better as well.
And I'm learning to say no things on the weekends that take up all of my relaxation time; I do get to kind of relax during hte week but not as much as I would like. This means no long trips that take up time, money and leave little room for sleep, unless it's 100% essential. It's helping too!
So glad we are finally on the mend, and thank goodness for ENT's!
I'm glad to see this. You really need to cut back for a while - especially to let your body heal itself! Hope the new antibiotic is working. Be sure you're drinking lots of water with it! Xoxo
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy to hear you're taking time to relax and listen to your body. It's so important!
ReplyDeleteGood plan, Lisa! And that piano is just begging to be played! Looking forward to the 10 days of Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I think a little Bach will cure your ills!
ReplyDeleteI definitely need more than 7 hours of sleep like you...I get about 8 hours a night and feel like I could sleep more than that!
ReplyDeleteHopefully taking some things out of your calendar and spending time at home helps to kick this cold to the curb!
I am glad you are taking time to get healthy and have some ME TIME, which is very important. I think this will give you a good idea of how much you can commit to in the future. It's sometimes hard to find a balance.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your Thanksgiving series!
So I guess now is not a good time to ask if you want to join me for some shopping and a PSL on Friday afternoon....? I want to go to DSW and to try on a pair of pants at Banana Republic, so I was thinking of hitting up the MoA after going to a talk at the U on Friday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI really do hope you get to feeling better soon!
yea it's time to slow down for sure. I've got friday off too! First time I've ever gotten veterans day off from work before. Should be cool.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you are starting to slow down. Your schedule has been so busy for the last few months, you need this time for you before CFA studying starts! I sure hope you kick that pesky sinus infection asap!
ReplyDeleteYes, being worn down definitely takes it's toll on your health. Good for you for putting yourself first and taking it easy. Amber asked if I wanted to go to Wicked since you couldn't go but I'm going to be in Minneapolis this weekend! Ohhhhhh the irony ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm starting my Ten Days of Thankful next week (I do it every day straight up until Thanksgiving - although the original idea is from you of course).
ReplyDeleteI think it's really good you're listening to your body - better to miss out on some fun now than to get really sick/run down right around the holiday season.
I'm glad to see you are making concrete changes to make sure you have more down time :) I've been doing the same. You can add this situation to the list of reasons why being single is actually a good thing. It is SO much harder for me to do something like this because I have certain "obligations" as a wife (haha not in the sense of put dinner on the table which I clearly do not do) but in the sense that I cannot just decide to see my own friends/family and not Erics for awhile but I would really like to!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to your ten days of thanksgiving posts. It has made much such a more thankful person to do the daily thankful posts :)
I am a huge believer in listening to your body and am glad that you're taking steps to maker sure you're at your best and kick this damn sinus infection.
ReplyDeletei tend to go in spurts with overscheduling. right now is such a busy time in our life. i dont feel caught up anywhere, right now!
ReplyDeleteI really read this post on the right day. My own health and run down state is telling me to start paying more aggressive attention to things like overdoing social, pushing too hard and getting the right rest. I often forget how all those work together, just getting on a tear. Then I pay dearly. This is a good reminder to me to really take stock.
ReplyDeleteLife is full of ebbs and flows. I'm glad to see you recognize when it's time to make a shift ... and hopefully, there are more good things to come with this change in direction!
ReplyDeleteThis is so great for you, Lisa! Honestly, I don't think I could make such an adjustment, but clearly you need it. I'm sure the 8 hrs is feeling SO much better than 7ish. I know that even an extra half hour can make a world of difference that next day in terms of how awake and happy I am.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for getting to bed earlier - I need to do the same! It is hard, because I love staying up late.
ReplyDelete