The Score So Far (Health & Fitness)

[_Res Ipsa]

You’re very welcome. I was also thinking it might be of help to someone else. UW Medicine is my provider, and I’ve spent more time at the Roosevelt Clinic than I care to think about.

[_Res Ipsa]

You’re very welcome. I was also thinking it might be of help to someone else. UW Medicine is my provider, and I’ve spent more time at the Roosevelt Clinic than I care to think about.

Now you’ve got me reading. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... po=39.2308 was pretty eye opening.

[_Jersey Girl]

You’re very welcome. I was also thinking it might be of help to someone else. UW Medicine is my provider, and I’ve spent more time at the Roosevelt Clinic than I care to think about.

Holy crap are you ever in luck!

I know for a fact she's done phone consults to sort people out at the very start. You might want to try that first. Look up her CV, you'll see she's first rate and then some. Just have your health history in front of you and leave her a message to see if she suggests a baseline.

Indicate things such as:

Lifelong serious athelete (think: long distance runner)
Long term use of steroids and corticosteroids
Cancer medications
Eating disorders
Alcohol or substance abuse
Malabsorption issues--celiac disease and the like.
History of fractures (not trauma fractures that involve forceful impact)
Thyroid issues (Hypo/Hyper-medications)
Hyperparathyroidism (different issue)

Those are among the things that you'd want to mention along with your new RX. She'll know if a baseline scan and labs are advisable.



PSA for the readers/lurkers: There are a variety of medications used to treat bone loss. They work in specific and different ways, for particular issues, and have different methods of delivery. If anyone mentions an "annual infusion" to you--jam on the breaks like you mean it, and avoid it entirely. Sounds good on paper, in actual fact, if you experience serious side effects you're stuck with them for at least 9 months (some forever) and there is no antidote for that particular medication. In other words, you're screwed.

I'm medications free and in good shape, however, I've spent the past 5 years of my life learning, researching, and discussing. I'm available if anyone has a question and can point you in the right direction in terms of doctors, accredited DXA techs, studies, articles, etc. Pay attention to the list of labs that I posted. Some of those are to rule out underlying causes for bone loss and others indicate the activity within your bones. An example: If you have undiagnosed hyperparathyroidism, all the meds in the world won't cure your bone loss until that disease is corrected via surgery.

If you've got bone loss and are put on meds, you want some of those labs done as a baseline before beginning your treatment.

Happy to share what I know and remember that your doctor works for you, folks. :-)

[_Jersey Girl]

You’re very welcome. I was also thinking it might be of help to someone else. UW Medicine is my provider, and I’ve spent more time at the Roosevelt Clinic than I care to think about.

Now you’ve got me reading. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... po=39.2308 was pretty eye opening.

There are TONS of research studies just like that on PubMed. Look to the right for additional studies/articles. Keep going. It's a vortex in there.

Any question you have, I can point you in the right direction.

You need Dr. Ott because she'll know what is best and right to do given your particular health history and medications history. She will know if your inhaler (or other meds) warrants looking into. Like I said, better to have her as part of your team right now than encounter a gigantic medical cluster 10 years down the road that happened because no one paid attention to your meds and their influence on your bones.

I have seen this happen over and over and over and over again.

You may have no problems whatsoever. You also don't want to become the patient who has multiple concerns and issues, one on top of the other, not knowing which way to turn, so it only makes sense to get with an expert right from the beginning and let her take it from there.

Readers: I have a good list of experts in various areas of the country if you need them.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Checking in... We'll be at Cheshire, MA today. I'm definitely reaching burn out with the trail. My wife, bless her beautiful self, is down with slowing things down for me. She's 100% the better hiker between us. I discussed taking our miles down to a place where I can get more rest and enjoy the town's we're passing through. I kind of had an epiphany today in that it's not a personal failing to always be balls to the wall, but to know your limits and enjoy a happy medium. We're very lucky to be in the place in life where we can be out here doing this sort of thing and there's no reason to turn this into a personal crucible I must pass in order to prove some intangible aspect of my character to myself.

Maybe health and fitness is as much mental as it's physical, and given RI's other post today I'm seeing the importance of cutting one's self some slack. My wife picked up this nice quip a couple of days ago that dovetails nicely with RI's post:

"Don't quit. Just learn how to rest."

Red lining your engine is just going to burn you out, no? Funny how I need to learn how to idle the engine once in a while. It seems my whole life I've been told that not pushing yourself is in of itself accepting failure. I'm not sure that's the case. We'll find out!

- Doc

[_Res Ipsa]

Checking in... We'll be at Cheshire, MA today. I'm definitely reaching burn out with the trail. My wife, bless her beautiful self, is down with slowing things down for me. She's 100% the better hiker between us. I discussed taking our miles down to a place where I can get more rest and enjoy the town's we're passing through. I kind of had an epiphany today in that it's not a personal failing to always be balls to the wall, but to know your limits and enjoy a happy medium. We're very lucky to be in the place in life where we can be out here doing this sort of thing and there's no reason to turn this into a personal crucible I must pass in order to prove some intangible aspect of my character to myself.

Maybe health and fitness is as much mental as it's physical, and given RI's other post today I'm seeing the importance of cutting one's self some slack. My wife picked up this nice quip a couple of days ago that dovetails nicely with RI's post:

"Don't quit. Just learn how to rest."

Red lining your engine is just going to burn you out, no? Funny how I need to learn how to idle the engine once in a while. It seems my whole life I've been told that not pushing yourself is in of itself accepting failure. I'm not sure that's the case. We'll find out!

- Doc

Wow, Doc, that business with pushing yourself so resonates with me. I've been told the same thing for most of my life, mostly by the critic that lives inside my head. When I hike, I tend to pick something ridiculous that will challenge me to the point of sheer exhaustion and will see not making it to the goal as a failure. What the hell? I'm lucky to live in an area of the country where I can experience amazing beauty without pushing myself to the limit -- so why not take advantage of that?

You've accomplished something pretty special already. There's nothing wrong with throttling back and just enjoying the beauty and the experience.

[_Jersey Girl]

Checking in... We'll be at Cheshire, MA today. I'm definitely reaching burn out with the trail. My wife, bless her beautiful self, is down with slowing things down for me. She's 100% the better hiker between us. I discussed taking our miles down to a place where I can get more rest and enjoy the town's we're passing through. I kind of had an epiphany today in that it's not a personal failing to always be balls to the wall, but to know your limits and enjoy a happy medium. We're very lucky to be in the place in life where we can be out here doing this sort of thing and there's no reason to turn this into a personal crucible I must pass in order to prove some intangible aspect of my character to myself.

Maybe health and fitness is as much mental as it's physical, and given RI's other post today I'm seeing the importance of cutting one's self some slack. My wife picked up this nice quip a couple of days ago that dovetails nicely with RI's post:

"Don't quit. Just learn how to rest."

Red lining your engine is just going to burn you out, no? Funny how I need to learn how to idle the engine once in a while. It seems my whole life I've been told that not pushing yourself is in of itself accepting failure. I'm not sure that's the case. We'll find out!

- Doc

Maybe you did this but, I would have taken a journal with me to write these thoughts down. And save page space for a photo of where I wrote from on any given day--because I can't draw to save my life. I think I said at the beginning of your journey that I've never spent time in the natural world where I didn't learn something about myself.

I think you are doing that right now. I think you are on a life changing journey that is giving you unexpected insight.

No, it's not a personal failing to not jam the gas pedal and push yourself like the through hikers do. It's wisdom in practice to slow down, and give yourself a chance to interact with and appreciate the places, people, and food, that bring themselves to you on your path.

Why chug the whole case without ever tasting the beer?

You're in a beautiful part of the country. Drink it in and drink it in slowly so you don't forget how it tasted.

I brought up a map with Cheshire Mass on it. I noticed you are right there on the same general route we took up to Canada. Ft. Ticonderoga is right there across the NY border. I've been there. It's kind of fun for me to follow where you guys are going and notice the places I've been to myself.

How I wish you could see New England in fall! And how I wish I could see it myself! That's on my list of things to do and see! About 3 years ago, I went to Jersey in fall for the first time in 40 years. Didn't notice the trees changing color until I got up into North Jersey to see my relative in a nursing home. When I caught sight of the woods, I cried, it was so beautiful. But that's me.

I cry over beautiful trees.

:-)

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Wow, Doc, that business with pushing yourself so resonates with me. I've been told the same thing for most of my life, mostly by the critic that lives inside my head. When I hike, I tend to pick something ridiculous that will challenge me to the point of sheer exhaustion and will see not making it to the goal as a failure.

That is exactly my issue, too. I can 't tell if feeling that anything less than excellence or perfection is a Mormon thing, an Army thing, or a growing up as a male in the 70's & 80's raised by a hard man thing... Regardless, you know all too well what kind of fun it is to live in your own brain with that background. I guess the upside to always punching above your weight class is a bit of success here and there...

On a funny note, my wife and I will be staying at a church tonight. There's a gas station nearby with air conditioning, Dunkin Donuts coffee, and free WiFi. Only on the trail does one think this is an amazeballs miracle...

- Doc

[_Res Ipsa]

Wow, Doc, that business with pushing yourself so resonates with me. I've been told the same thing for most of my life, mostly by the critic that lives inside my head. When I hike, I tend to pick something ridiculous that will challenge me to the point of sheer exhaustion and will see not making it to the goal as a failure.

That is exactly my issue, too. I can 't tell if feeling that anything less than excellence or perfection is a Mormon thing, an Army thing, or a growing up as a male in the 70's & 80's raised by a hard man thing... Regardless, you know all too well what kind of fun it is to live in your own brain with that background. I guess the upside to always punching above your weight class is a bit of success here and there...

On a funny note, my wife and I will be staying at a church tonight. There's a gas station nearby with air conditioning, Dunkin Donuts coffee, and free WiFi. Only on the trail does one think this is an amazeballs miracle...

- Doc

I suspect it's an all of the above thing. Enjoy the A/C!

[_Res Ipsa]

How I wish you could see New England in fall! And how I wish I could see it myself! That's on my list of things to do and see! About 3 years ago, I went to Jersey in fall for the first time in 40 years. Didn't notice the trees changing color until I got up into North Jersey to see my relative in a nursing home. When I caught sight of the woods, I cried, it was so beautiful. But that's me.

I cry over beautiful trees.

:-)

Just do it. Yeah, you'll cry. Totally worth it, though.