Bea's Journal

[Anna Green]

Me too Bea, sending vibes your way. Wow, 1/2 mile, that seems so far to me. I am so impressed.

[BHealthy]

Gosh darn it! I wrote almost all of my message and hit some key and "poof" gone and back to the login page.

Thanks so much for all the postive vibes everyone. I'm doing really well with the eating and have my hopes up for the electric wheelchair. I see the knee doctor next week and will ask him to write a letter for the insurance company which the PT is also doing. Some days I think, "you don't need an electric wheelchair, you can get around with the walker and cane" and then other days the pain is not good and I think "I sure hope I can get one soon." The insurance company has to approve it through a committee and I'll only have to pay 10% of the cost, but I guess it's a hefty price. I shouldn't complain. At least I HAVE insurance!

Don't cheer for me regarding the exercise. I didn't get up to the pool once last week. I haven't been sleeping very well - waking up in the middle of the night and then having trouble getting back to sleep - which is exactly what happened at the sleep study last night as well - so go figure. Anyway, I was too tired and then worked most nights past 7 and up to 9:30 a couple of them - so it was not a great week for early rising. I left the sleep study early enough this morning to get to the pool for a good workout. I will really try to get home from work at a decent hour next week to get to sleep early enough to go swimming. I missed it. It felt good today. I think I'll try alternating total lap swimming with the 1/2 suspended aerobics/1/2 mile lap swim workouts. I think I could do a mile - but I don't really know. The goal is to workout 60 minutes.

My weight fluxuates from 376-382 depending on how much walking I do. During the school week - it's up higher due to fluids and weekends it drops. If I took lasix - that would sure help. Ideally, I would get home by 4:00, take lasix and pee like an irrigation ditch for about 6 hours and then go to bed, but I've never made it home by 4:00.

I really like my PT. He's so my type. Nerdy, funny, smart, honest and sensitive. If only I were about 20 years younger, perky and fit. Rrrrrrrooooooow! So, I get to enjoy physical therapy - it also helps doing the exercises and getting zapped. The next day . . . ahhhhh. Numb knee. Lovely. It's really remarkable how weak my right leg is compared to my left. I've really been protecting it - like a parent that is afraid to let a child get out in the world. Well, actually more like a parent who's child had been out in the world and lived a damaging lifestyle so the kid really needs to stay home and get well first. Anyway, my PT is terrific. Only 3 more visits or so I guess. It's a very healing place - part of the hospital but in a really peaceful building - all windows. It has good vibes - so those must be coming from you guys!

I made it through Curriculum Night. The parents we lovely and only had 2 measly questions. Really nice people. No wonder their kids are so delightful. We've been having difficulty with some of our technology at work. I retaught all the parts that needed fixing and had it all working great before the night began - but the PTA ran a video broadcast and somehow everything - the wireless mouse, keyboard even the digital whiteboard were all whacked out again. So I asked the parents if they wanted to wait for the activote presentation (they're these little handheld voting devices that provide immediate feedback on the digitial whiteboard in different formats - even can give the teacher info about who chose what answer etc.) while I tried some tricks and they all said sure. Anyway, I finally got it all working for them and they had a fun time taking the quiz. A tech-guru friend of mine created this dandy quiz and let me use it with some minor tweaks. It was so interesting to see the graphed results after each question. Most of my students are firstborn. Most of the parents were "Yippy-skippy" about sending them off to school. Parents were born all over the world - as were almost half the class. It was just a blast for them.

We created our classroom rules using the voting devices. The kids loved them. I was so happy the rules they came up with were great ones. It's always a little tricky because there are some rules they come up with that I REALLY WANT because they really need them, but they may not vote for them. It cracked me up that they came up with "Do what the teacher says." I told them I LOVE that RULE! with a big smile and they laughed although 2 rascally little muffins said "[url]I[/url]didn't vote for that one!"- which was such a hoot.

Well that's all for today. I'm lucky to have a profession I love, that touches my heart each and every day and that is just right for me - I can keep working at past retirement if I want to . . . is never dull - always full of change and growth and learning for me and provides plenty of challenges to overcome - it's just a real blessing. I love it!

[sksamboots]

Hey you,

Your passion for your job makes me want to know what you do and where you work. Then maybe I can decide if I want to do it to. I've been looking for something that I have passion for, that I don't come home because I enjoy it so much but I have yet to find my "path" yet. So if, when you have time. Can you elaborate more on what kind of teacher you are, what kind of school you teach at etc. I'm really curious. You can PM me if you feel more comfortable.

The thing about your PT guy made me laugh. Who knows what the future holds, eh?

Keep on keepin on

[ncyg46]

the PT thing made me laugh also....sounds like you really love your job...and that's great!

[Letha.]

Hi Bea,
Gosh, I just loved reading about the joy you take in your work. I’ve never had that experience. Now you absolutely must get healthy so you can keep on doing it for many years to come!
Letha

[BHealthy]

ooops double posted again

[BHealthy]

I do love my work, Letha. Not the pressures and hoop jumping - but working with the kids and their families and my team mates - as they say on that commercial priceless!

Last week was terrifically busy. I was on my legs way too much and in a lot of pain. I had a couple days of weird vision problems that totally went away - thank goodness.

I was measured for the wheelchair and if all works out it will be a wonderful help. So comfortable and turns completely in one spot. It's called a power wheelchair. It's narrow, too. I wish I weighed below 300 so I could get a little bit narrower model AND could choose spring green for the color, but I'm not so I can choose from 2 colors - blue or red. I chose red.

I've been doing a lot of reading and learning. Am taking classes in technology, science and reading right now. Not that I need any more credits or anything, but I love to learn and keep up on what works well.

Technology is emphasized where I work and it does save a lot of time and give the kids so many ways to express themselves and learn. I love creating materials for them to use, too.

I've been eating just fine and got in 3 hours of exercise this past week. I saw the knee doctor for my final injection last week and asked why my knee was so darn swollen and hurt so much now when he did the injections. He said "trauma" meaning - too much walking about my dear. Anyway, of course I have tons of fluids still. I can actually grab hold of my thighs or hips and squeeze the fluidy stuff around. It's totally gross.

I may take that darn lasix today but why - the fluids will just hop back on as soon as I start walking about with the cane or walker.

I plan on making a big batch of veggie bean soup today and curried kale and lentils tomorrow. I may cook Letha's curried sweet potato recipe instead, though.

My big hope was to be down to 360 by Oct 7th - but I don't know if that will be the case. I'll just have to wait and see. I feel this drive to lose weight so I can qualify for the knee replacement in time for doing it summer 2010.

Thanks for stopping by to visit my log.

Oh, the PT sessions ended BUT my doctor ordered more I guess so I'll get to work with that great PT fellow some more. He is absolutely perfect! as Kevin Henkes says in the children's book Chrysanthemum.

[sksamboots]

Glad things are working out with the chair, I hope you get it soon. Keep doing what you know to do

[Letha..]

I've been doing a lot of reading and learning. Am taking classes in technology, science and reading right now. Not that I need any more credits or anything, but I love to learn and keep up on what works well.

Technology is emphasized where I work and it does save a lot of time and give the kids so many ways to express themselves and learn. I love creating materials for them to use, too.

Hi Bea,
It’s great that you continuing to take classes. I am very interested in how technology is going to change the world we live in. It’s fascinating and kind of scary – like we’re living in a sci-fi movie.
Letha

[BHealthy]

I just got back from the water workout. I'm doing 30 min of suspended aerobics and getting stronger at it and swimming 30 laps. When I get to 39 laps it will be a 3/4 mile. I'm going to aim for 33-35 laps for the next week or so.

No news on the power wheelchair yet. I found out that I need to get a different type of mask for my cpap because they have to increase the air flow or whatever - like 50% more than it was, so I'm going in on Friday. I sure hope to get that brand new me feeling after that. I hear a lot of people with sleep apnea have that kind of experience. I'm glad to try on new nasal masks because the nostril thing was hurting my sinuses and I never felt perky or well-rested - somewhat better than without the cpap - but never refreshed or invigorated.

Today marks 3 months since I recommitted to taking care of my health. It seems longer than 3 months. It's good to keep in mind how time keeps on tickin' into the future no matter what so might as well make use of that time - to have a future. I was hoping to lose 15 pounds but am close - 13. Too many of those sprouted wheat tortillas? Not enough exerise? Plenty of fluids on the ole body. Now if I'd taken that lasix - yeehaw that could have brought the numbers down, but I haven't taken it for weeks and weeks. At least I know I really am losing weight. Oh, I weighed 366 first thing this morning and 367 after that - so the weight is 367. I hope, hope hope I can lose at least 45-50 pounds before the new year.

Gotta hit the road and head for work. Busy day ahead!

[LauraA]

Hi Bea - congratulations for three months on a healthy plan!! That is great. Be sure to have some "before" pictures, like Letha did so that you can do a wonderful visual recond of all that you have done. I'm looking for some good pictures to show my weight loss when I reach the one year mark. I so often would get behind people in pictures, or get people to take close up shots of just my head and shoulders. Oh well, I'll find something to post!
I'm glad that your chair is on the way and will be read - I can see that green would be relaxing, but red is so much fun, and lots of kids love red! Take care of yourself, and keep posting. Take care, LauraA

[Ege Bamyasi]

62 lbs. released in three months and swimming like a fish! I'm so proud of everything you're accomplishing, Bea.

[sksamboots]

Your doing amazing

[Anna Green]

You are rockin and I am so proud! How are your kids?

[BHealthy]

Anna - I love, love, love my class. Oh they are frisky and each one is unique, lots of languages and backgrounds and learning needs of all kinds - just the way I love my classes. They are still innocent and love to learn. They have already come a long way in the behavior department in just a month, which is so great for getting other learning accomplished.

Kirk - I'm just keeping on at it. Some days I just don't get the swim in - but lately I've been waking up at 3:30 and can't seem to get back to sleep - so I work on something until just before it's time to go swim at 5:00 and it seems to be a good plan. I do kind of dwindle a bit in the later afternoon. Hey, I am so proud of myself! I swam 3/4 mile today. Did my aerobic stuff really fast and swam like the dickens. It felt so good. I think I really am a morning kind of person.

Laura - one of my students had a picture taken with me the other day and you would not want to see it - it is Halloween ghastly, I am not kidding. I looked at it and thought - Oh my gosh that kid is getting hugged by some homely drunk woman. Poor thing! I'm not kidding. It was so horrible that I almost lost my lunch.

Letha - I really like using technology when I teach. Kids can relate to it so well and they enjoy using it. All of our classrooms have broadcast stations, activboards, activotes, document cameras and lots of computers. Our district got some major grant money for technology upgrades. It's not a big district. We have great internet connection and all sorts of wonderful programs we can use to create flipcharts, movies, storyboards - yadda, yadda. We use palm pilots to do assessing and we share materials district wide through a network. We have surround sound in our classrooms and voice amplification systems that make it easier for students to hear. Our school has a daily new broadcast we watch each morning - kid run and all my newsletters, the school newsletters are send via email to families with computers. Principals have some kind of thing where they cyber conference with each other and see each other on the screen - that one I don't know about. Anyway, every year it's something new to learn and integrate and I love it. The thing I worry about, though, is the trend to see technology as a replacement for actual books and manipulative materials and relationships with peers and teachers. That's pretty awful and I fight for using it in developmentally appropriate and effective ways - not just to use it because you can and it looks cool Homemade bread - the kind you mix, knead, let rise and create is always so much tastier than factory bread. Why AM I thinking about bread????

sksamboots - I still haven't heard a thing about the power chair. Last week the doctor gave me the final dose of this synthetic synovial fluid that is supposed to create a cushion in my knee. I've had these series of injections before and they didn't really work. It's very hard to get the needle into the right place due to the damage - the "trauma" as he says, but last week he got it in the right place and what a difference it's been! So much less pain and I feel so lucky. Oh, it's still a mess - but the reduction in pain is a treat. Since last week I've had more days where I'm able to get around with the walker and fewer excruciating moments. Standing up is still a killer, though. Sometimes I just sit in my car or stay seated to avoid having to do that.

Jim - I do feel those positive vibes coming my way. Thanks everyone!

So my birthday is coming up soon and I'm SO looking forward to having chocolate cake. A friend makes me this vegan chocolate cake that is to die for...totally awesome! I was going to go to a fancy veg restaurant with my friends but decided to go to a local Chinese place that steams me a huge plate of broccoli, onions, carrots, zucchini. They don't have brown rice but other than that - it's a fun place. They know me and say we will make you "Bea's Dinner". I plan on making a vegan carrot cake to take to work on my birthday. I make this totally decadent vegan carrot cake that NO ONE knows is vegan. They always talk about how delicious the cream cheese frosting is which cracks me up. Now it isn't good for you or anything, but for a celebration and a feast day - yum! I won't go into any details - but there isn't any tofu or toffuti stuff in it.

I plan on working out twice tomorrow morning - doing the water workout on my own and then staying for the aerobics class and doing it suspended. I've done that the past 2 weeks and really enjoyed it. I just have to watch out for these guys who barrel into me during the part where they criss cross the pool or do this whirlpool kind of thing. My swimsuit is actually getting a little baggy. Now we shall see how I feel when I wake up . . .arrrrggghh or yahoo, get going!