Hanging In There

Some days I feel so old.  Still fighting this upper-respiratory infection crud, meanwhile something has happened to my shoulder/neck.  The chiropractor thinks I've pinched a nerve, but says that (at least the day I saw him) it was so inflamed that it was hard to tell exactly where the injury is.  It is finally calming down...and then it flared up again today, but could be worse.  So basically half my back, plus my neck and my whole left shoulder hurt, hurt, hurt...but could be worse.  I keep thinking if I could shake this crud that has been hanging on to me for a week and a half now, and get some sort of relief from at least some of the pain, I wouldn't feel like I am 60.  The work with the chiropractor should be helping with that though (if I hadn't managed to mysteriously hurt myself without even trying), so I will just be hanging in there.

Yea!

I survived!  In fact, the concert went well.  It was fun and the organist was amazing!  By divine intervention, my voice held out just fine (high notes and everything) through rehearsing for an hour and a half and then another hour and a half of concert.  Even my speaking voice was not too bad.  Then I got home and started coughing and sniffling again.  I woke up several times during the night and the worst of the coughing has moved into my chest.  However, despite the light coughing this morning in church, I even survived that.  The last bit of singing I have this weekend is rehearsal from 3-5.  My voice is tired, but I think I'll be okay for that, too.  I will just need to try to rest it during the week so I am ready to go again next weekend.  At least there are no more concerts until April.  So, thank you, Jesus, for keeping my voice from giving out this weekend with all the singing.  I guess he knows how much I love it.  :-)

Feeling Brave

Still sniffly and coughing and headachey.  But I'm feeling brave.  I got through this morning's rehearsal for tomorrow and  still had a singing voice (though my speaking voice took a hit).  That combined with the medicine doing its job and I think I will be able to survive tonight.  I also went over the music for the concert and again kept a voice.  I will be taking medicine again about an hour before the concert, so it should be keeping me unachey and decongested (more or less) which saves me from the cough (also more or less).  I am looking forward to the singing despite my goofy health.  I will try to sit on the end, though just in case I do start having a coughing fit or some other embarrassing event prompts me to step out.  I am hoping I can have a little bottle of water with me just in case.

...So that's a lot of "just in case" and hoping and praying and adding a "y" to words thus making up my own words.  How's your Corrine-ese?  :-)

Okay.  I'm going to watch this Nova episode about physics and then take a nice hot shower which should also help clear the gunk out and give me another leg up on the singing adventure.  And shouldn't what we enjoy be a bit of an adventure?  Keeps us from getting bored and reminds us to be grateful for that thing.

Bad Timing

This is sucky.  The concert is tomorrow.  I am hoping God imbued Sudafed Cold & Sinus with some sort of magic healing powers because I really need to not be coughing up gunk while trying to sing a G above high C.  I've tried this week to come home from work and not do anything but rest and stay slathered with Vics in the hopes this crud would go away in time for all the music stuff I have scheduled for tomorrow.  I'm thinking things will get interesting with my throat tomorrow.  Fingers crossed and prayers raised that overnight I am the recipient of some divine intervention.  I would be very, very sad if I was too sick to sing tomorrow night. I have hope since there has been some improvement between yesterday and today.  Guess I'll be finding out in a few hours.

Eliminate This

So there's a new step to take in the war against my less-than-stellar health - an "elimination" diet.  I'll start this after Mom comes to visit over President's Day weekend (so I can actually eat out with her).  It's meant to kind of reset my system and help identify foods that are causing me trouble...but it won't be easy (or potentially won't be pretty either).  Here's the nitty-gritty of it...

Days 1-4
Vitamin shake before breakfast
Days 5-7
Vitamin shake before breakfast and before dinner
Days 8-14
Vitamin shake before each of the 3 major meals
Days 15-17
Vitamin shake before breakfast and dinner
Days 18-21
Vitamin shake before breakfast

The vitamins and etc in the shake are meant to "detox" the body (especially during the 3x/day period) - that will be the ugly part, I think (just interpreting the information in the packet I was given).

Now for the food (or lack thereof) part of the diet...

Days 1-7
No dairy, eggs, shortening, foods containing gluten, tomatoes and tomato sauces, corn, peanuts and peanut butter, alcohol, caffeine, soy products, beef, pork, bacon, hotdogs, sausage, shellfish.  No citrus.
Drink lots of water.  I can have herbal teas, sugar-free fruit juices (diluted with water 50/50), and vegetable juices.  I can eat foods from rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat or tapioca (which I actually shouldn't have).  I'm supposed to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, fish, chicken, turkey, and lamb.  If using an oil, it should be olive, canola or flax seed.
Days 8-14
Eat nothing.  Just kidding, but it seems like it.  During this week I'm supposed to not just cut out the ones I listed above, but for these days also not eat the fish, chicken, turkey, and lamb - i.e. no meat at all.  "eliminate all animal products"  Ugh!  I like meat!
Days 15-21
Go back to the do/don't of the first seven days, but during this time, add back in some of the other foods to see if my body freaks out - e.g. dairy for a day, then gluten for a day, etc.

There's actually a more comprehensive list of do and don't eat.  For example, no white potatoes (gah!), but it's okay to eat bananas...which bother my system, too.  *shrug*  The example menu has things on it like bedtime snacks of rice cakes with almond butter, mid-afternoon snack of a handful of cashews, and practically naked salads for lunch.  One carrot stick for a mid-morning snack?!  Really?!  Really?!
Dr. Miller says I'll feel much better after doing this.  I suppose I'll have to take his word for it until I actually put myself through the torture and come out the other side.
The good news is that I supposedly could lose some weight during the three weeks.  I wouldn't mind that, but seems like a helluva way to go about it!

So, that will be the next adventure.  Stay tuned for the reports when it starts in the latter half of February.

Concert Details!

I am so excited to be doing some more singing!  :)

Here is the official, complete (and correct) information for the Hymn Festival and concert at Grace Lutheran on Saturday (February 2).  I hope a few folks can make it! Pass the information along to others you think might be interested who don't read my blog.

 

http://www.1011now.com/starcitybuzz/headlines/Linc oln-Organ-Showcase-Presents-David-Cherwien-in-Concert-186892502.html

 

 

Inauguration Location

I didn't see the inauguration today, but I am seeing clips of it all on TV tonight.  What's neat about it to me is that I recognize the places they are walking by on the way to the capital building.  I looked up at the television and said, "I've been there!  I've crossed that street!"  And that makes me smile.  Couldn't care less for the reason it's on the news, but it is pretty cool to know that I have walked literally where presidents have trod.