Oh My - News and summer

Dear, I have totally disassociated myself with the internet I think. The stupid thing kept crashing all spring - we suspect there is a bad wire on the line somewhere, but once the technician showed up it's been working since. My brother has been here and we've been busy...sort of. There has been painting, sanding and staining of items as well as a clean-up that seems to not last long enough anywhere. But you don't want to hear about all of that.

I will start by saying that is has been a stressful spring. After my layoff I suffered from mild insomnia. When my severance ran out my employer submitted and inaccurate Record of Employment and my claim was threatened rejection for benefits. Over a 6-week period I had to keep contacting them and they submitted 2 more inaccurate Records; however, the last one only had a pay-out ommission, so I just reported it and requested they contact the employer with any further questions. My claim is still being reviewed, but the are at least making payments based on the information submitted.

Anyway, during all of this I broke out in...lets call them hives for now. Well, I had just read an article on bed bugs, so I freaked out and actually pulled my back during the ensuing 'investigation'. I finally got into see my doctor and he (erroneously) diagnosed me with scabbies. Ironically, I was the only one showing signs in my family and was totally confused by this diagnosis, but began treatment. After several weekly treatments that did seem to offer temporary relief I requested to be referred to a dermatologist who now has be on steroids for Lichen Planus. This may put a glich into my getting back on track.

Ummm, yeah...during all of this craziness and poisoning myself with nasty creams I did slip up. Come on...this is in my scalp, mouth, back, arms, lower legs and feet - very generalized but a classic case according to the dermatologist. In case anyone is interested it is extremely itchy on the skin and painful in the mouth. Anyway, one evening I was even 5 lbs over my goal weight. I began drinking my water immediately and was much more diligent about writing before biting. On Saturday I officially weighed and was 2 lbs under goal. I suspect I will really need to rely on tracking and planning to get through this - steroids and weight-loss don't often mix. It sounds too like the steroid treatment is 'phase 1' and that this disorder is not easily cured. I am being optimistic though - I can at least hug and kiss my family again.

Hope your spring was better. Take care, Candace

The Clicker

Any Weight Watcher members out there who love the Quick Track method? Yes? Well, isn't it annoying that you still have to dig out your tracker and jot it down? The Clicker to the rescue. This little devil is priced low and allows you to set your points that you're going to eat today and click down to zero throughout the day. You can also click up if you're cashing in any Activity pts. It's up to you to be mindful of your Good Health Guidelines; however. I've been struggling with journaling and, eating with the GHG in mind is not a problem for me. So I gave this little gem a try. It's not for everyone (I recommend detailed journaling to new members and anyone struggling with breaking a plateau), but it's smaller than the calculator and priced right. I can hang it from a retractable key chain on my belt buckle or hook it on the side of my purse, so it's always with me. And as I go to eat that 2 pt. granola bar I suddenly think twice, because that's 2 clicks of my day.

New stuff is fun.