30th April - Size 14 Skirt :)

Fit into a size 14 skirt today - made me SO happy! bought a suit - jacket and the skirt and I look so nice in it.
Started Body Balance classes that I have renamed Body Torture.
Got my Wii going as the yoga section has many of the Body Torture elements in it - great for practice.
Decided to go for Body Pump once a week - have not started yet because Body Torture tortures me long after the class has finished.
Walked for 6km yesterday
Started drinking ea without the usual 2 sugars
Found a nice soy milk I like, reducing my cows milk (listening to my body not liking lactose so much anymore)
Getting into BI stuff, downloaded some books for my Kindle, as well as a book on data warehousing and on making dashboards with excel 2007

Feeling good!

27th April - approx 6 weeks since out of hospital.

Still in the high 87's, sometimes popping into the low 88kg range. I'm working hard but eating to much I guess. I walk the dogs every day at least once at a 5kg per hour rte for 35 mins - its about 3km. Today I went to a Body Balance class which is a mix of yoga and pilates - it was so hard, disheartening...but you gotta start somewhere. I do want to get into this stuff. A lady I spoke to before the class said it really strengthens the back and she gets no back injuries any more. Her last back injury was just in getting up off the couch. She looked in her late 40's or early 50's and she was nice and slim. The class had all ages and sizes and fitness levels. Some looked lean and strong and straight where-as I looked fat and bent and all-over-the-place. But I wasn't the only one.So I'll go each Wednesday I think, at least once a week and try to practice at home.

I'm also thinking of going to Body Jam as well. Its high impact, powerful, high cardio and the times flies. Body Balance is slow but just as hard work.

Easter has come and gone for this year - a 5 day long weekend. But someone was working through most of it, though we had some good quality time together too.

I feel good. I need to get more organised with my paperwork, and do a bit more organising around the house. I want to focus on health and fitness, especially while I can since I am not working.

BP is good.
Dizziness is rare, as is visual issues. I think I am close to 95% recovered. I remember feeling worried that I would never feel 'normal' again, and that was only 6 weeks ago when I left hospital and could hardly walk 200m with a walking stick. so that gets me wondering what else I can achieve with my body in another 6 weeks.

Still 87.7kg Easter Monday

On Sat I did heaps of exercise, ate very carefully, and still no change in weight. Sun I did no exercise, ate normally - no change to weight. Today the same weight, took the dogs for a 35 minute walk 5km ph average pace. I enjoy the dog walks, though wish I could walk faster so I could keep up with my guy. At the same time I know I can't over do it. and to go faster I would really have to push myself. Tried jogging but it hurt my knees for the first time. What I enjoy is the trees and all the birds in them. There are sulphur crested cockatoos, many others and even my favourite, lots of kookaburras too.

Making a Tuscan beef Stew for dinner, its from George from Master Chef's book, its a good, relaxed, easy book with nice home cooking. I have browned the beef,and the pancetta, added in garlic, thyme, bay leaves, put in white and red wine...hopefully its nice.

My sister sent me this http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html its a neurologists observations as she had a stroke, very interesting.

I'm doing ok, less shaking and visual issues, quite the exception these days. Need to work out my way forward.

87.7kg 23rd April, Day before Easter

Well I'm stuck on 87.7kg for 3-4 days now. I promised myself I would not go higher than the 86kg I left hospital with. I've done extra exercise, eaten carefully - but not carefully enough obviously. I have to be so careful because 1 kg can turn into 2kg, into 4kg, into 8kg. I am so determined not to let that happen.

Everything else is great, except my man is always insanely busy, too busy. I worry about his health. He says its just till end of the month.

20th April Wed - 87.7kg

So weight is becoming more challenging and I am having to be more and more careful. I need to focus on getting under 85kg. I had my hypertension specialist check-up yesterday. My blood pressure is being well managed with the medication I am on - atacan 32 in the morning, psysiotens 200 and cardisan at night. Better than taking the 5 tablets I was first put on.

The interesting thing was Malcolm C exclaimed a number of times how seriously ill I had been, just as the neurologists did. Considering these people work with people in hospital all the time, I must have stood out in how ill I was - not sure how or why. All I remember was I was so incredibly weak I slept for 24 hours a day, waking for doctors, nurses, and hubby and son. I lost most of my sight at one stage, I was constantly nauseous during the peak of it - for about 2 weeks which was awful, my headaches were unbearable for a time but I had morphine for that. Anyway, Malcolm also kept saying how great it was to see the healthy me and to see me so much better. He said to take it easy, that I am typical of people in my age group who still think they are invincible and we are not.

Anyway, since these specialists keep exclaiming about how seriously ill I was back then, I will forgive myself for being a bad sick person and not caring if I died. I felt so bad thinking that. I told my family I thought I would be one of those women in the magazines - she never complained and she never gave up, she fought so hard to live. And there I was not caring if I died. I was shocked at myeslf but it was how I felt.

I'm off to meet Deb for lunch today and really looking forward it.

86.1kg 5 weeks since leaving hospital

So its 5 weeks since I left hospital on March 11th. In two weeks I went from walking 200m with a walking stick and shaking so much that food nearly missed my lips on occasion, to walking 2km and doing much better. Now after 5 weeks my BP is steady, I walk 2-3km a day, sometimes twice a day, I am eating perfectly well and also I have maintained my hospital weight of 86.5kg. I did get into the 87's couple of days ago but now I am back. I am working to get under 85kg now.

We went to River Dance at the Regent last Saturday night, which was fantastic! But the theatre had stairs and I found I was remarkably weak, and they left me shaking. So I have pulled out the step enhancement for my Wii Balance board. Yesterday I just stepped up and down for 20 minutes in 2 x 10 minute sessions. This morning I jumped out of bed and could not walk! My calf muscles were killing me LOL. Well seems I achieved something then. I'll do 2 more sessions again today.

I feel ready for full time work, but the doctors seem to think I feel better than I am. I do still get visual disturbances, and I am still building strength, but I am close. I'd love to change my lifestyle though...and not work full-time for the corporates. I have my thinking cap on but I don't think there are many options.

86.4kg Phew back to the 86's

I'm back to the 86's after getting into the 87's yesterday. I am so committed to not getting higher than 86kg...and I want to reuce that too. Yesterday I walked the dogs twice, and one time I went further than I usually do. I just want to make sure I don't over do it and send my recovery backwards.

BP has been good. Still no headaches since I left hospital, shaking in hands has reduced, tingles reduced, main symptoms are visual..when I bend down and come back up, after a shoulder massage, and sometimes towards the end of a walk - my vision gets wonky, blury, like I am going cross-eyed.

87.3kg

Put on weight. Must do something about this.
Saw the neurologists yesterday. They wanted to do another lumber puncture, just to see what the numbers would be. We agreed not to since I am improving and since I don't want a needle in my spine for no reason. They want me to take good care of myself for another 3 months and not to work for another month. They said I did way too much too early.

Getting a kindle, veryhappy, can't wait for it to arrive.
Got computer set up for Windows and MS Project, got online but my consulting firm has no courses that are working. There is one for $750 online, but that is alot of money! I might just go through the Project for dummies book I got on the weekend.

Walked the dogs for 3km this morning, went an extra bit. want to increase the distance. Took them for a wash this afternoon. started to call people in my network. Went to Kmart and bought an iron. Made shepperds pie for dinner. sorted out my shoes and boots in my wardrobe.

1st April Bored

I am getting bored. I do a 2km 30 min walk a day. I watch 2 TV shows. I have been doing alot around the house. My PC is not ready for the software I need to do my online training course yet - hopefully soon.

I think I need to start the swimming. in my boredom I keep thinking about food. but I need to lose weight so I should focus on moving.

9.30am up/breakfast
10am Walk dogs
10.30am Laundry/kitchen
11am - 1pm TV time/lunch/forums/bills
1.30pm Swimming
3pm Shower
4pm Dinner prep

Somewhere fit in the online course
Consider scanning old photos into PC so I have scanned copies, upload into FLICKR and get a backup CD
Consider getting back into photo-scrapbooking, it's creative would have fun finding bits and pieces
Consider volunteer work
FOCUS on health and fitness
Consider focus on friendships
**Need to get resume ready**