Running towards something…

Ok.. all this talk about shit that happened in the past is bothering ME and it’s MY blog, so let’s change that, shall we?  Current Events:

Well, really I only have 2: I went to the doctor for my knees last night, and I met Jen Lancaster.  One is far more exciting than the other, but I’ll tell you both stories anyhow.

Let’s start with the doc.

So, my new “main” doctor basically told me the reasons my knees go “crunch” is because I’m fat.   The way he said it, he implied that all size 14/16 women have knee problems similar to mine.  If I’d simply lose a few pounds, I’d be juuuuust fine.  Hmm, is that bullshit I smell?

I called the dr’s office and decided to see a DIFFERENT doctor and get a second opinion.   The nurse on the phone suggested I come in on a Tuesday and see Doc T, who specializes in sports-type medicine.   Lovely.

Of course, I wasn’t thinking when I left the house without shaving my legs yesterday morning that a visit to a doctor to look at my knee would involve her pulling up my pant leg.  (She’s telling me to relax and all I can think is, “I could have at least put lotion on so I wouldn’t be hairy AND shedding a layer of skin.”  Oh well.)   Anyhow, her assistant (I think Resident - she’s probably an Attending - Thanks for my medical knowledge - Grey’s Anatomy!) did the poking and prodding first and there were a couple sensitive spots, but nothing hardcore. 

The resident left the room to talk to Dr. T, the attending, and then both of them came back in.  Dr. T tells me she’s going to feel around for a bit while Resi McResident tells me what they think is wrong with my knee.  Just as RR is starting to talk, Dr. T does something that has me gripping the sides of the table in pain and saying, “UHM. OW!” Then, I got the typical doctor response to my reaction, “Oh, does it hurt when I do that?”  Nah.. I just like to writhe around while a doctor is touching my hairy, scaly, limbs.   This is the best time ever! Yay!

Anyhow, her suggestions/assumptions were these: She wants me to get an x-ray to check for arthritis, though she thinks if it is arthritis it shouldn’t be too bad as I am, “still quite young.”  She wants to put me on a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (which she warned me has some nasty side effects - one she didn’t tell me in person was that this med is not recommended for people with a prior history of blood clots.  I’m currently waiting for a call back to make sure she read my novel of a chart to see that I’ve had one before).  And she wants me to go to Physical Therapy.  This last thing has me curious what they would make me do… and would this be the closest thing I’ll ever have to a personal trainer?  We’ll see.

I did ask her what I COULD do at the gym, as the elliptical hurts, as does the treadmill after a bit, and lets not even discuss the stairmaster.  Her suggestion was swimming.  Since I now have a decent swimsuit thanks to my Florida trip, I think I’ll be making some trips to my gym’s pool in the near future.  The only reason I haven’t yet is because I’m wearing my last pair of daily contacts (for 2 days now) and I have to have something in my eyes to go swimming.  If I were to go in glasses I’d probably run into someone in the pool while I was doggie paddling my laps.  (Though on the other hand, if I didn’t have glasses in, I wouldn’t see other people looking at me wondering how they let Shamu out of Sea World.  (hehe! Get it?? Shamu?? My suit is black and I’m so pale I’m practically white??  And I’m fat?? No.. not funny?  Whatever.  I’m laughing.)

And because I’ve babbled about my knees, I’m going to hold off on my Jen Lancaster story for now.  Besides, I want to be able to post the photos I took from her book reading/signing.  I will say this: she’s STUNNING in person, and so crazy funny!  I’m reading her new book, Such a Pretty Fat, and I’ve already had to call 2 of my friends to read small passages to them because they’re things that have or could have come out in our own conversations.   I highly recommend her new book already, and I haven’t even finished it!