Minor set back and support

So it is about time I updated this thing with the results from the first weigh-in! I should say up front that I was extremely nervous about this weigh-in and truly did not want to step on the scale. Last week was that time of the month for me (and it is normal for me to gain around 5+ pounds of water weight) and my scale here at home was saying I had gained three pounds! Not what I wanted to think about when going in to get weighed for this contest. For those who have seen my Facebook post, there was no need to worry about it. I came in with an awesome loss of 8 pounds and 5.5 inches!! I am ecstatic. My trainer is too apparently. Since I did such a good job of blowing last weeks goal out of the water my weight loss goal for this week of 8 pounds. We shall see how I do with everything that has been going on.

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So I think I may have mentioned in my previous blogs that my back has been sore and hurting from overdoing it, even with trying to go easy by doing water aerobics and all. Tuesday night when I woke up to try and get ready for work, I couldn't get up. I was so sore in my low back I could not move. And I had slept so late that it was too late to go to Urgent Care and I didn't really want to pay the $200 copay to go to the ER. I had no idea what was wrong either, and to be honest it scared the hell out of me. I have had flare ups with my back problems before, but I had not been in pain like this since I first injured my back 7 years ago. I ended up not going in to work last night because I was in so much pain. It took me 10 minutes to walk to 15' or so to the bathroom. Not a good sign.

So this morning I went to Urgent Care. I went there initially when my vertigo started up and I really like the staff there. Everyone was friendly, caring, and sympathetic. I explained everything to the doctor seeing me and through the usual question and answer session (where he has to think all the bad thoughts) I do not have any pinched or damaged nerves causing my back pain. And even more to my relief it wasn't my back problems causing me issues either, I had just pulled a ton of muscles in my low back and hips so everything was extremely tight and tense. So I got some prescriptions for some amazing meds. A painkiller, a muscle relaxant, and ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory. After Marshall and I got home from the doc I took my pills and crashed. Hard. I haven't slept that hard in a while, but it felt so good to not hurt! I decided to stay home from work tonight even though I was feeling a bit better. Since I crashed after taking my meds I didn't know how I would be on them. Would I just be loopy and a bit uncoordinated? Or would I have a lot of balance issues which can sometimes happen with muscle relaxants? The last thing I needed is to injure myself in the lab at work while trying to work with chemicals. Turns out I am kinda sleepy and giddy (mostly from the pain med I think). So all in all I am just relieved. My back is feeling loads better, I will be able to go back to work tomorrow night, and I can still go to the gym tomorrow.

For those wondering about the wisdom of going to the gym with this, I asked my doc about it when I was there earlier today. I explained how I thought I had triggered all of this mess (seated leg press machine) and that I was part of this contest. He thought the contest was cool and was very encouraging of my efforts. He said this was just a minor setback and we would have me up and working out properly again in no time. I just need to take it easy for while. Walking is ok, and he loved the fact that I like to do water aerobics and highly encouraged that. I am still ok to work out with Sandy as long as she knows my limitations and we work together so I don't overdo it. He didn't want to put me on restrictions because right now moving is better for me than sitting still. Over the next couple weeks I will be making sure to do a LOT more stretching at the end of my workouts, and I will definitely be checking out the yoga classes available through my gym.

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There have been a lot of things with this contest that have been pleasant surprises for me, but none more so than the support I have been getting from all over. Of course I am getting a ton of support from my parents, Marshall, his family, and my extended family. For my family that reads this, you don't know just how much all your love and support means to me. It is mind-blowing to me, and it shouldn't be.

I am also getting a lot of support from all my friends near and far. Whether it is through phone calls, email, or facebook. The encouragement and congratulations on my efforts so far has overwhelmed me. And again, it shouldn't!!

But the biggest surprise is the support from complete strangers. People coming up to me in the gym when they see me wearing my t-shirt for the challenge and telling me to keep up the good work or ask how I am doing. The folks at Chick-fil-a who have taken a bigger interest in this contest than I would have dreamed. My coworkers (ok, not complete strangers, but not my closest friends either). The doc and nurses at Urgent Care.

A lot of this would not have come about if I hadn't started writing this blog and putting it all out there for the world to read. It takes me a lot some days to tell what's going on because I don't like to always share with a lot of people what's going on. But this has helped to keep me accountable for what I am doing and gets me excited to share with people. It helps me keep my motivation up and my determination strong.

To everyone who supports me in this, thank you! This is just the start of the road still and a long way to go, but you all are amazing!