Last month I was diagnosed with tennis elbow - essentially tendonitis in
both forearms. It was due to a variety of things, I think, from
crocheting to raking to using a pick axe to dig a trench (more on that
in a future post). The pain started at the end of May, but I thought
that if I took it 'easy' that it would heal and get better. Instead,
things just got worse to the point where I would wake up in the night
with aching arms. I am seeing a physical therapist for ultrasound
treatment and massage and to learn exercises and stretches that will
facilitate healing. I also wear elbow braces all the time now, which
seem to help (the braces apply pressure on the arm muscle, which helps
rest the tendons). I still overdo it, unfortunately. You don't realize
how much you use your arms until you can't, or at least in my
situation, shouldn't. I had to stop my weight training, so since I was
relegated to just cardio, I canceled my gym membership (I can walk in my
neighborhood for free). Even with cutting back, I still find myself
aching after something I shouldn't have done. Most recently, the thing I
shouldn't have done was replace the drawer slides on my bathroom vanity
drawers. The twisting and pulling and tension of doing the work did a
number on my arms. Updating my blog today probably isn't the wisest
thing, either, as typing seems to aggravate. But, at least I have
functional vanity drawers now and at least my blog is slightly caught
up. I'll have future posts on all the home improvement projects I've
done (I'm quite the handylady now, from fixing toilets to painting
furniture and rooms), how cub scouts is going (I'm the cub master for my
ward's cub scout pack), and back to school updates.
It was a busy summer. I didn't read nearly as much as I thought I
would. But, I spent a lot of time with my kids and all the fun
activities that we participated in. School started a month ago (early
August), and we weren't quite ready for it. The kids have been doing
great, though, and while I still can't figure out where all my time goes
every day (even with the kids back in school), life is pretty good.
In this update:
May roundup
June
the library!!
July wrap-up
