Stitches

This weekend quickly went from being potentially busy to rather relaxing.

In March, I had my first ‘body scan’ with the Dermatologist. My father and both his parents have had melanoma spots removed, so I figured it was about time to get checked out. My appointment went really well, but my dermatologist was really concerned about a mole at the center of my breast-bone. I have had the mole my entire life, but I could not confidently tell her it hadn't changed. 

Normally, she would have biopsied it right then and there, but since I was getting married in a few short months and the area will easily scar, she had me make an appointment for after my wedding. Therefore 2 weeks ago, I went back and had the biopsy.

This week I was upset when I found out I had to have MORE of the mole removed because it was atypical. Its right at the center of my breast bone and therefore you can see it in almost every picture of my face. I had already come to terms that I would have a scar from the biopsy, but another procedure? After thinking about it, I realized stitches would heal a lot better than my current biopsy cut and a scar is much better than the eventual cancer that could grow there.

What I wasn’t expecting was how big the bandage would have to be to cover my 3cm of stitches. Believe it or not that one is a lot better than the one we originally had on it.

Since I am now past the 24 hour mark, I don’t need to keep it covered. Unfortunately it itches a lot so I am keeping it covered so I don’t play with it.  Just like the instructions say, I am keeping it moist with Vaseline, and avoiding hydrogen peroxide (who know you weren’t supposed to put that on?).  My cousin told me once, that if a wound doesn’t scab over, it won’t scar.  Here’s hoping!

 

Have you ever had stitches?

And yes, this was the first time I had ever gotten stitches in my adult life. The first time I got stitches, I was four and I have very little memory of that healing process.

The other disappointing thing about this little procedure is it did interrupt my weekend plans. Originally, I was supposed to go to a bachelorette party Saturday night. While I probably could have gone, both Jay and I agreed it was risky.

First of all because I would either have gone smelly or would have been late because I had to wait until 5 p.m. Saturday to shower. The party started at 5 p.m. and it was in Annapolis (at least an hour away). Jay’s standpoint has been do everything possible these next few days to ensure that it heals correctly. Therefore no bachelorette party, no High Intensity training and no cycle. He said workouts can resume Wednesday.

The good news, I still get to have BBQ with Paul and Hilary tonight :)

Therefore Jay and I are taking it easy this weekend and relaxing.  I want this baby to heal correctly and fully before we leave the country next month. And by relaxing, I mean playing indoor bocce ball and Labyrinth.

Have you ever had a skin check or scan?

FACT: I was Sick the Week of my Wedding

A lot of people would file this under their "Worst Nightmare" and honestly I sort of saw this coming. It is not uncommon for me to get sick after a big deadline but before the BIG event. In fact, working for an association, I have attended a number of our conferences sick. So a week and a half before my wedding when a friend cancelled on me for dinner because she was sick, I got worried. I knew I was suseptable and immediatly starting taking action.

The next two days I had that uncomfortable feeling that I was getting sick. I started taking Airborn and making sure I got extra sleep. The weekend before the wedding, Jay and I went to the beach for some rest and relaxation. I felt great Saturday, basking out in the sun all day. I thought I had completely over reacted the week prior. Then Sunday, while riding the Tandem Bike I knew I had got something. My throat was really tight and sore.

 

When we returned home Sunday evening I was exhausted and blamed the extra sun I got on Saturday. Sunday evening I slept almost 11 hours! Monday, I felt well enough to go to my typical gym class but cut back on the intensity, babied myself all day and got another 9 hours of sleep.

 

By the time Tuesday rolled around I knew I had to do something. I started googling "sore throats" "colds" and "duration of..". I knew that colds and sore throats last 7 to 9 days and prayed that since my sore throat started Sunday, it would be gone in one week. I continued babying myself and added lots of Green Tea to the mix. Tuesday, I took the day off from exercise, ate soup, drank tea and sat in front of the TV as soon as I got home from work. Unfortunately, Tuesday evening I did not sleep well. Waking up for a good 2 hours in the middle of the night. For me, it is not uncommon to have a restless night after sleeping soo much (oops!).

Surprisingly, I did not feel tired Wednesday and even went to my typical gym class (again I decreased my intensity). I continued to baby myself (sorry this post is getting old). Wednesday was also when I remembered something Jay had told me over the weekend. A study found that people who are prayed for heel faster and better. Previoulsy embarrassed that I would be the "sick" bride, I started telling people I had a sore throat in hopes that I would get an extra prayer or two. Sounds cheesy to some, but I definitely think it worked. By Friday, my sore throat was a distance memory and I was off enjoying the Aquarium with my friends.

Do you get sick before BIG events? What do you do to make yourself feel better?

Holy Sweet Potato

It’s Thursday Wednesday and I am finally starting to feel better!! Like a lot better! Woohoo! Plus, I am getting very very excited for the weekend. All I have to say is Jay and I bought some hot tickets for the weekend. I am soo excited! Now all I have to do is pack!

Since things were looking healthier today, I spent the evening doing some overdue chores, laundry, dishes, change the fish water, you know the usual. Then it was dinner time.

Tonight I made a sweet potato that had been lying around the kitchen for a while. It was a huge potato!! I kept debating about what to pair with it and was glad I decided to just make some garbanzo beans and spinach. Delicious.

Tomorrow I am hoping to finally get back on the exercise wagon. Now I have been working out a little bit here and there this week, but nothing serious. I have found that a short run when I have a cold can go a long way. I started this Sunday with a leisurely 4 miler, Monday I ran 2 miles outside, Tuesday I jumped on the elliptical for 20 minutes and today I spent 30 minutes doing Yoga and some ab work.

Now this weeks workout schedule was a huge cut back from normal. While getting a cold was disappointing from a training perspective, I really think my body needed the break. I am going to enjoy this weekend and then approach my training schedule head on next Monday.

Yes, I think a good cycle workout is very probable tomorrow :)

What is your workout style when you are sick? Do you cut back or cut out exercise?

Sick Run

I had plans this weekend, but life got in the way. I started the weekend by attending the blogger book club. It was a lot of fun to see everyone again. I just wish I had taken a few more photos!!

Besides all the lovely food, we talked about the book The Art of Racing of the Rain by Garth Stein. I really enjoyed the book! It was well written and captivating. Several times I even forgot that the books is told from the point of view of the dog. Though I think we all agreed that sometimes the dogs view was a tad far-fetched. Overall a good book and fast read.

Unfortunately, after book club my weekend went downhill fast. I woke up Saturday morning with the worse sore throat and spent the entire day drinking tea and eating chicken soup.

Thankfully, today was better. Since I do not have a fever, I decided to go on a leisurely 4 mile run. It may not have been the 9 mile run I had planned, but it was a run and it felt amazing. After my run, I felt so much better that I even got a few things done around the house.

Now I just have to decide on whether or not I should go to my Monday morning gym class.

Do you work out when your sick?

I follow the neck rule. If I have above the neck systems I will work out but with less intensity. If I have a fever I take a few days off.

Mary’s (err- Cooking Light’s) 20 Minute Soup

I am one more day closer to feeling more human. I am so glad this cold attacked me now instead of closer to the marathon. Not that feeling under the weather is ever good timing, but I have to say it picked a great week. I am also so glad we worked in some extra wiggle room into our schedule. I felt less guilty only accomplishing 10 miles this weekend.

Which brings me to another point. I no longer know how to categorize my runs. I am sure other long distance runners feel the same way. 10 miles is soo far, but right now with all our other runs it is just another run. Pathetic right?!?!?!

So with that I am starting a little blog challenge for all my lovely readers at home. I want you all to run a 5k with me on Thanksgiving in your neck of the woods. Not a runner? Well you have a little less than 9 weeks to train and I have the perfect program for you, the Couch to 5k. Good Luck!!!!

On to the delicious Spinach, Pasta, and Pea Soup Mary made us for dinner. This 20 minute soup from Cooking Light was delicious, I was shocked when she made it in the amount of time it took me to figure out rent and write the check. Pathetic on my end right?

To accompany our soup we had grilled cheeses. Nothing says it’s Fall like soup and grilled cheese. As much as I loved the summer months, I have missed warm soup!

But for serious, go check out the soup, then the Couch to 5k, then go visit our engagement pictures. In backwards order.

Where will you be running your Turkey Trot?

A Night or 2 IN

Good morning friends! Sorry I left you hanging last night. I have been tackling a cold since Wednesday.

This meant I was not able to go to the DC Blogger meet-up. :( Ladies it looked like fun, I hope I can make it next month!

Besides cancelling evening plans, I have been able to catch-up on TV shows and movies.  I am not very good about keeping up with TV shows, but this fall I am going to try my hardest to catch Glee, New Girl and Parenthood. Sorry Biggest Loser, but you have lost my attention.

For movies, I finally watched Something Borrowed with my roommate Mary. You may remember that both of us read the book first a month or so ago. The movie was good, but very different from the book.

They essentially made Ethan and Rachel’s friend Hilary the same person. It makes a lot of sense from a sequel stand point to develop Ethan’s character more in the first movie, but I missed the Hilary character. Oh well!

My only other complaint was the choice of Kate Hudson as Darcy. She just wasn’t what I expected.

What did you think of Something Borrowed (the book, movie or both)?

And what TV shows do you plan to watch this fall?

Zucchini Pasta

I know you were probably expecting some great wedding post. It is Wedding Wednesday, but I am not feeling 100% so instead you get a recap of last night’s dinner.

Another great find from the blog world. Another recipe successfully moved from Recipes To Make to Recipes I Love on Pinterest. Tonight I present how Jenna’s Zucchini Pasta made it onto my list of favorites.

To start off this recipe is easy and taught me the wonders of Mascarpone Cheese. Who knew that you could add it to hot veggies (or past for that matter) and a little lemon juice to get such an amazing sauce?

This recipe was fast and seamless. I felt like as soon as I was done chopping the sausage the water was boiling and ready for pasta. I did not find myself waiting around the kitchen. That keeps a spastic person like me from getting bored and burning something :).

While we are talking about Jenna, let me tell you how my 21 day Yoga Challenge is going. Well, its simply just going. I have made a conscious effort to practice at least 5 minutes of yoga and made it to 2 yoga classes :) Overall, a big improvement from the past few months (which makes me very happy). New yoga instructors are a real plus.

I am off to relax, watch some Glee, drink an Airborne and hope that this is just a 24 hours thing.

Sous Chef Sarah

Unfortunately, Friday I could just tell I was coming down with something. I drank an Airborn and hit the day running. Saturday, I was hopeful, I didn’t feel that bad. And then Sunday it hit me. After spending two entire days in bed, tonight I actually feel a lot better. With my upcoming work trip, I am taking no chances! I already e-mailed in that I will be in late and made instructed Jay as he made me some Home-made Chicken Soup.

Millet Chicken Soup

• 6 cups Chicken Broth
• 1/3 cup chopped Onion
• 1 cup Millet
• 4 Chicken Tenders
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 cups chopped Celery
• 1 cup chopped Broccoli
• 2 cups chopped Carrots
• Black Pepper
• Basil

1. Pour the Chicken Broth into a large pot. Rinse Millet. Add the Millet and Onion to the Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Chop Chicken into bite-size pieces. Sauté in oil over medium heat until slightly brown.
3. Add Celery, Broccoli and Carrots to broth after 15 minutes. Also add the Chicken when cooked.
4. Season with Black pepper and Basil.
5. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes or until soup is thick.
6. Serve and Enjoy!

Good thing I bought all those veggies at Costco! The last of them made their way into this delicious soup!

What is your favorite sick day recipe?

Sick Day no more!

I am FINALLY starting to feel better!!

I hate being sick! So I am glad to finally break free of my apartment. I spent the past 4 1/2 days in there... and slept away the majority of Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Tuesday, I decided to go back to work. Man was I wrong!!! I got there, sat in front of my computer and immediately felt clammy. I starred at my computer for a good 30 minutes before turning around to go home. There was no point in being there if I wasn't going to do anything.

FOUR tissue boxes later and another good night of sleep, I decided to tackle the office again today! I was a little smarter about it, I slept in as long as my body let me and took my time getting ready. I got in right after 10 a.m. and stayed until 4 p.m., but boy was I ready to leave.

Tomorrow, I am hoping to log a good 6 hours before going home. Wish me luck!

Besides the numerous cans of soup I consumed over the past few days, I also have had more than my fair share of Chili Chili Chili.

I have been creative with it, having it over salad.

and with lots and lots of red peppers. Someone may or may not be trying to eat all the parishable items in the fridge....

What is your most creative about-to-leave-town meal?

Another sick day

I had the best intentions to go to work today, but with Christmas around the corner and my body's lack of excitement to get out of bed at 6 a.m. I decided to stay home. And slept until a little after 11 a.m.

Yes, I got about 14 hours of sleep last night... I can't remember the last time I slept that long. I am feeling slightly better today, and am hoping to go back to work tomorrow. My internal debate is "what time to go to bed tonight?" I am thinking about crawling in at about 8 p.m. This would give me a full 10 hours.

Besides sleep, my day included oatmeal, soup, water and lots and lots of tissues.

Some tea was thrown in there too (and tissues).

And Airborn... Airborn is always in our apartment as I have found the vitamin and mineral boost has helped me to get over a cold quicker. I have been having two of these a day. Unfortunately, it isn't working as quickly as I wish.

Lastly, my sick days are filled with Pride and Prejudice, the BBC version. I mean who doesn't love a little Mr. Darcy? Plus this version can occupy me the entire day. LOVE IT!

What is your favorite Sick Day movie?

I also enjoy Little Women... maybe I will fall asleep to that!

You are probably wondering why the picture of a remote and Playstation controller. Well, our living-room TV has a Playstation instead of a DVD player. Until Alissa's Birthday, I had never tried to watch a DVD in the living-room. I was pretty successful then (without a lesson!). Today, it took me a couple more tries... maybe Alissa was right, I do need a lesson...

Happy Birthday Alissa!!!

A Cold at the Beach in Pictures

Friday evening, after a lovely homemade pizza dinner by our roommate, Jay and I drove to the beach. Thursday I came down with a cold creating a little twist and turn into my weekend plans. I did finish my book and got to try various home remedies!

I started my morning with the beloved coffee and oatmeal. I bought honey peanut butter the week before and was very pleased with its presence in my morning oatmeal.

I also threw in Maple Syrup, Cinnamon and Honey Nut Granola.

After breakfast Jay headed down to the beach, while I enjoyed the sun and sand from the balcony. I was very jealous and therefore stalked him from the balcony with my camera.

See all that sun and sand? That is normally where I am. :( And, no first weekend of fall tan either. Instead I ended up with these guys to keep me company, lots of water and tea.

And while this is not vodka, it provided a great companion for my book.

Leftovers for lunch, chilled with a pine nut surprise.

on the balcony of course!

A little trip to my favorite discount store.

Resulting in this Healthy Living Favorite

I have definitely joined the Green Monster Movement.

My two person Green Monster includes:

• Spinach (a handful or two)
• 1c Milk
  
• 2 Bananas
• 1c frozen berries
• Pinch of Cinnamon
  

They were a good substitute for our usual evening cocktail.

And, for dinner... more leftovers, but this time with shrimp.

On the balcony of course!

And the next morning? More oatmeal and Green Monster's before our trip back home!

How do you deal with being sick on vacation?