- Monday: Psychopathology paper turned in.
- Tuesday: Last clinical prep for Med-Surg.
- Wednesday: Last Med-Surg clinical (yay!)
- Thursday: Last lecture for Med-Surg
As of today, I have one remaining Psych clinical day (Monday), two more Psych lecture days, Test 3 in both Psych and Med-Surg (lecture tests) and then Final Exams in both Psych and Med-Surg.
My hope had been to start working through the Study Guides yesterday - in hopes that I'd have them ALL (for Psych and Med-Surg) ready, so that I can take them with me to my Thanksgiving destination for reviewing and studying. After Thanksgiving, I have Test 3 in both Psych and Med-Surg... so rather than working on the Study Guides during thanksgiving, it would be better to have them done so that I can actually STUDY them. I'm sure I'll still drag my textbooks with me (just in case I need to look something up), but it's nice to be able to sit and read my study guides and powerpoints from lecture. Plus having Study Guides completed, I can take them with me to the gym easily.
HOWEVER, last night I stayed with a friend's dog overnight while they were out of town and I woke up with sneezing and runny/stuffy nose. My hope had been that it was just allergies from the dog- as it's been a long while since I've stayed with a long-haired dog. But I left the house this morning (cancelled work) and went home straight to bed. Took an antihistamine and a decongestant and been sucking on zinc lozenges. I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with a cold - and not allergies. If it was allergies, I think just removing myself from the situation would have been enough. It's for sure that I've not been getting adequate sleep for the past semester. Between long nights of clinical prep and papers due and getting up early and going to the gym...I'm lucky to be averaging 6 hours of sleep a night - if that. And I can also see where I've been getting a bit more sugar than I normally do - specifically increased Hot Chocolate!!! And on Wednesday I had 2 tall glasses of lemonade when our clinical group when out to eat. Plus I think my immune strength naturally dips at the beginning of my menstrual cycle. So the stars aligned, as they say, and I got sucker punched. I'd say this is probably the best weekend for me to get sick since I don't really have anything pressing or due and I don't have to be anywhere.
However it's a bummer to be going into the Thanksgiving holiday knowing I may end up coughing and feeling a bit miserable. But hey, perhaps since I started this thing today...that by Wednesday I'll be feeling a lot better. Hopefully the zinc will cut the cold. Also, my chiropractor suggests breathing in/out of nose while having a blowing hairdryer (on warm setting) pointed at nose for 2-3 minutes several times a day (another site said 20 minutes each time). It really did make my nose feel better for a while. I also remembered that earlier this year, when I was suffering with allergies, I purchased, but never used, a NeilMed Sinus rinse system (similar to the nettipot). So this afternoon I pulled out the directions and tried it. Not a bad experience...just new...will take time learning to use it. I know people who SWEAR by saline rinses. And after having used it, my nose has remained clear for the past hour. They say you'll find benefit to use it twice a day, but that you can use it more than twice, but might not find anymore improvement - perhaps just comfort. Hey the comfort factor alone makes it worth it! I think the biggest thing I need to do is to chug water/fluids and that will hopefully keep things out of my chest/lungs.
I had planned to get up early this morning and head to gym before work, but I slept through my alarm and then woke up feeling crappy. Tomorrow is my weekly weigh-in for the weight loss program at my gym. The contest that I'm in (8 pounds in 8 weeks) ends next Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I've been doing okay, but been a little behind my goals each week. But last weigh in, put me at exactly 6 pounds lost in 6 weeks--which you'd think would have me on target. BUT because I'm a Saturday weigh-in, this contest is really only 7.5 weeks for me because it ends before Thanksgiving. So, my plan had been to step up my workouts and see if I could pull it off. I had even gone so far as scheduling 2 hour workouts this weekend - instead of just one hour. But now that I'm sick, it looks like I'll miss my workout for today completely. It doesn't help that I've been PMS-eating this week either (despite my goal to eliminate unnecessary snacks). When I'm sick, I don't have much of an appetite (especially when sucking on zinc lozenges!) so perhaps that will counter my lack of exercise? I'm kinda feeling like there's no chance I'm going to make the 8 lb. goal on Tuesday - when I do my final weigh-in before leaving town. But I'm not going to give up. There's still a chance!! Would love to win some $$ (split among those who make the 8 lb goal), and of course will be glad that I worked hard to lose 8 lbs. However, I'm definitely going to chill out and give my body a break after this contest. The stress of school, little sleep, and working out so much - are likely why my immune system crashed. My body's way of saying "Hey you! Chill out!"
I won't drop work-outs all together, cause that would be stupid, but may drop back to only three cardio days a week, instead of four. And I might take a hiatus from my beloved aquatic classes so that I can get an extra hour of sleep those mornings--especially once the semester ends and I'm not heading to class those days. Once the semester ends, I'll be working four days a week at the distribution center job over Christmas break- which will have me walking/climbing ladders for 8 hours a day. So... just so long as I stick to taking my lunch to work with me (and not eating out - which is fun to do with the seasonal hires) and get four workouts in a week, I'll probably continue to lose slowly or at least maintain. Maybe I'll find that I'll lose more, as perhaps I've been over doing the workouts? We shall see.
Since I didn't work on Study Guides last night (instead I went and helped out with an activity for first year nursing students) and I haven't done anything but rest today, I think I'm going to pop a movie in and start working on Study Guides tonight. And get to bed at a decent hour tonight (if I can sleep after napping for 4 hours today). Depending on how I'm feeling at 6 am, I might get up and go workout, otherwise I'll sleep in and just go to the gym for my weigh-in and maybe a late work out.
Until Later,
Joy
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