Well, I guess it is time to restart a new consecutive exercise streak. It originally ended on March 24, 2019, at 4,196 days. The day I had a blood clot, and it went to my right kidney. I was out for a week. I started again March 31, 2019, and it then ended with the last day being Feb. 13, 2024. Again, all related to my right kidney. The last several weeks I have been sick more than healthy, having had multiple different kidney stones. Just after midnight Wednesday, the beginning of Valentines Day, I could not take it anymore. I was attempting to pass a stone that was unpassable. I ended up having surgery for it later in the day, and there was absolutely no way I was going to exercise that day. I am giving myself some days to recover, and then going to start again today, Feb 18. I had hit 1785 days on the new streak. During both of those times, I have exercised for 5,981 days combined, and missed 11, 7 in a row the first time, and 4 the next. My health is more important than the consecutive exercise streak, but what I can’t stand is having it be affected by something I have no control over. I am starting to think this right kidney does not like me, and it certainly wants to continue to make me go through pain and agony.
Sarah was once again by my side through it all. My forever training partner. I will start off slow and work my way back to the routine again. I will still continue to control my health for what I can control. The rest is out of my hands. What will be, will be. I think I can safely look back and say that whatever happens overall in regard to my health, it will be something that I do not have any control over. I will still always be a pusher of taking care of yourself. We are all for the most part in the driver’s seat of our own health. There will always be issues on the “road” that we can’t control. My kids were all checking up on me as well, and this time my daughter Megan was home and was up in the hospital with me. I don’t care who we are, what we do, or what we have going on, but when we are sick enough to be in the hospital, we are all afraid, and appreciate it when we are not left alone. The staff at Prairie Lakes Hospital were the greatest in all aspects of what I had done: ER, lab, Xray, med/surg floor, preop area, and the operating room. Thank you to all of them. This was a perfect example of what and how a team works for the care of patients. You will always have my appreciation and gratitude. You all helped me when I was at my worst. Thanks just does not seem enough. Keep doing what you do. You are all great examples of “doing what is right!” We have great health care in Watertown! So, as I finish writing this, I am going to go for a short walk…on the treadmill…and start the next exercise streak. I just got another reality check that I too am still only human. Exercise for the health of it! No excuses! Keep moving everybody.
Well, it has been a week. Lots of things going on. Started last Sunday with my granddaughter being baptized (the good!), then came down with the stomach flu Monday and Tuesday (the bad), then topped it off with a kidney stone Thursday (the ugly!). Let’s start with the good!
Our granddaughter Tessa got baptized on Sunday. We were originally going to do this in December but got snowed out. She could not have been better. She just smiled and giggled the whole time!
Our daughter Megan and her fiancée Dan were the godparents. They were thrilled! Our grandson Connor came down with the flu Saturday night, and he had been doing great prior to then. There has been a ton of stomach flu going around. Then, unfortunately, everyone started dropping like flies as the week went on. I felt bad for Connor. It is not fun being sick but is especially not fun when you are 2! I came down with it on Monday, and by Tuesday I had to go to the clinic and get IV fluids. I could not keep up. I felt much better after that, and even went to work on Wednesday.
Thursday, I felt really good. I was at a meeting and about 9:30 became really sweaty and felt nauseous. I had to make a trip to the bathroom because of it, and then started having right lower back pain. It would not let up. I drove home and got halfway and had to stop and get out because I had to vomit. I then made it the rest of the way home, and continued getting sick, and Sarah had to bring me to the ER. This was similar to 5 years ago when I had a clot go to my right kidney. I thought this was happening again. This time was a kidney stone. I have never had a kidney stone before. I think this episode came about more because I got dehydrated earlier in the week from the flu. I passed the stone late Thursday night, but literally felt like I got run over Friday. I slept most of the day, and then continually got better. Now, other than my energy level, I feel much better. I was trying to make an effort to push more water already, but now I really have to work on it. I do not want another one…EVER!
At the beginning of the week, even Dakota knew something was going on. She was hanging by my side. Checking on me at night. I stayed in one of the spare bedrooms because Sarah initially did not get sick, and I was trying to avoid having her get this. (It did not work. She came down with it on Wednesday!)
She has kept checking on me this weekend as well! Protective!
She likes to be close and be petted, but she was even more clingy than usual. She was just going to make sure everything was ok. Who says pets are not part of the family? They know when something is not right. They have a sense. I have to say, I appreciated her attention too! I am, and we all are, now on the upswing. Hopefully things can get back to normal for next week. So, there you have it. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! I still managed to keep my exercise streak alive. I got so achy just laying around that I went on the bike and just pedaled, nice and easy. I just had to move a little. I did not do anything like I normally would have. I actually felt better each day after doing this. You don’t have to do anything strenuous, just move a little. It gets tough on the back just laying around. Here is to a good week coming for everyone! Keep moving everybody!
We spent Saturday visiting my mom in Sioux Falls. She is at Good Samaritan Nursing Home. 2 of her great-grandchildren were there, so it was a perfect time to be able to get a 4-generation picture. It is safe to say we made her day. It was a fun day, and my brother Rich flew in this weekend from New Mexico to spend the weekend too. She was really happy!
Do you know how hard it is to get everybody to look at the camera, especially when one of them is 5 months old? I had to keep rubbing her cheek to get her to look ahead! Well, tomorrow it will be a day for Tessa! She is going to be baptized. We were originally going to do this in December, but there was a big snowstorm then, the only one we have really had, especially for Tyler MN, so we had to reschedule to now. I am really looking forward to that as well. I may be biased, but she is a cutie, and always smiling!
She had a great time looking at everybody and taking it all in. Her brother Connor was all over the place, and playing like crazy with all of us!
Family! Is there really anything else more important? We met them in Brookings and then took off to Sioux Falls. Connor came running out of the car up to me yelling “Grandpa Dan!” and wanted me to carry him in the restaurant. Of course, I was more than happy to do that! What a fun weekend. These grandkids are growing up so fast. They got to spend some time with great grandma as well, and she just sat back and watched them during the afternoon with a big smile on her face! Never forget what is really important in our lives. Everything gets so busy, and it is easy to take these moments for granted. Spend time with your family. Take care of yourself and keep working on what you can do for your own health. Strive to Survive, and live life to the fullest! Keep moving everybody!
Change…always happening…always creating stress…but it can also be very rewarding. I am going to talk about change this week. My daughter Megan also just did her blog on change for her as well. I told her she must have ESP because we are talking about the same thing. She does her blog on Saturdays, and I post mine on Sundays. But we are related. We have been going through lots of changes for each of us. For me, we are now part of Prairie Lakes Healthcare System. We are now Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic. I also have a new role as Chief Medical Officer at Prairie Lakes. Talk about change! This month has been a whirlwind. I am still seeing patients several days a week as well, but lots of other things going on in this new role. I am trying to get my feet under me as I move forward with this role. It is challenging, but I will admit, many times I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants. I just need to get acclimated to projects and procedures going on there instead of just the clinic. I will get there, but it is definitely a work in progress. Some days I feel like I am doing great, and then next day I feel like I am just lost. Welcome to change! But change is how we grow…and learn. And if we get to the point where we are done learning, then we probably just need to be done all together. We all need to learn to fasten our seatbelts and enjoy the ride!
This is my grandson Connor. He is wearing my daughters’ shoes. This is a perfect example of change. He is growing so fast, but for him, clearly not fast enough. But he is trying to be “big”. And boy is he active! This shirt is perfect for him. He is part of the “athletic department of awesome”! For some of us, we cannot grow or change fast enough, and for the rest of us, change comes too fast for us to keep up. Somewhere we need to find that happy medium.
Like Connor here, we need to find the time to just think about what we are going to do going forward. We get in such a hurry that we forget to really “think”. We end up panicking, where if we just slowed down, and thought about it for a minute, we could come up with a solution and a plan that will work, and would also help us maintain our own sanity as well. So, sit back, and think a little more.
Dakota is also a great example of showing how we just need to slow down. Relax. Stay by those close to you. Sometimes, we just need to know somebody, or someone, has our back, and will always be there in those times of change.
We see the weather change every day. Some days are good, and some days are not. We experience this every day in our lives. Our lives are just like the weather. You deal with it every day. Some days the wind is ripping your head off, or the cold is unbearable, but then we get a break in the temperatures, and the beauty of the day shows up again that makes up for all of the problems that may have come up that day. Pay attention to those moments. They are the difference makers. This is how we can cope with change. If there were no changes, life would be pretty boring. This is what makes life exciting. Take it on! Be a difference maker.
Remember to take breaks! Spend time with those closest to you. There is nothing like relaxation/nap time with my granddaughter Tessa. This is a small window of time that I am going to be able to do this before she starts getting older…and changing! Seize those moments when they come, because change will come!
Spend time with friends and family. They are a good sounding board when it comes to helping get through change. They are going through changes as well. Lean on them when you need them. This can be one of the “constants” that we have in our “changing” lives.
Change is progress. Change is inevitable. Change is needed. If you don’t change, you don’t grow, and if you don’t grow, you are not living your life to the fullest. Become the best you can become. There will be learning curves. There will be bumps in the road. There will be stress. But “your life is always possible”. Do it! Most of the time our potential is limited by our own minds.
The sky is the limit! Don’t be your own obstacle that gets in the way. Your daily life is not written in stone. It will keep changing, and you need to change with it. This truly is what is exciting about our lives, and how we live it. Don’t miss out on it, or dwell on the little things that come up during the day that may stress us more. Those little things are usually short lived. New changes will replace those things. The script of life is never done. It is your story, and you are always writing it. Make it the best adventure you can make. Keep moving everybody!
The temperatures this weekend are terrible! It is too cold to really do anything outside, including for our dog, Dakota. Normally we take her for a walk every day, sometimes twice a day. But it is too cold out even for her. So, she spent these last few days inside with us, even though her kennel is connected to a heated garage, we had her in the house all day too. She of course had to help me in a meeting on the computer. She wanted to make sure I stayed awake! She is also a great motivator to get outside and move as well. We had to come up with alternatives for working out instead then.
Our workout room is downstairs. We have the equipment we need to exercise inside when it is too cold outside. No excuses! If you are going to be serious about your health, then show it! We changed one section in our garage about 5 years ago to have our own weight room. I call it the “Reiflex Center”.
The heater for the garage is hanging up from the ceiling, so it does not matter the temperature outside. The other end is where the kennel is connected to the outside, so Dakota has heat as well. Again, if you are serious about your health, then you come up with ways to prove it. Whether in your own home or belonging to a gym. I like our own better because it is truly 24/7. I can go out anytime I want. The sign is hanging up just below the heater…”Reiflex Center”! We tell patients every day that they need to exercise and be a part of taking care of their own health. We as individuals have a responsibility ourselves to take care of things as well. We practice what we preach! Why? Here are a few reasons!
Family is number one! I want to be around to spend time with them. This is what life is all about. And now that we have grandkids, life has completely changed. Memories are so fun to make! There is just nothing like being there in real time!
Of course, you have to listen to your body too. You have to take time to rest and recover as well. Sleep always seems to be one of the things that keeps getting forgotten about. You have to get sleep! My grandkids are perfect examples of that also. When they are tired and need to sleep, you see them have a complete meltdown. Once they wake up, they are ready to go again, and have fun!
Connor thought it was the greatest thing to be able to take a nap in Grandpa’s bed! No arguments anymore about taking a nap, as long as he can be in our bed! We just have the pillows surrounding him on all sides to keep him in bed!
For me, when Tessa goes down for a nap, so do I! There is nothing like having her on my chest as she sleeps. I could do this for hours! In fact, I have!! They were some of the greatest naps I have ever had! I also over the last 5 years have really developed an appreciation of nature, and sunrise and sunsets. I have to admit I did not pay much attention before. Nothing like having a wakeup call to gain that perspective again. Going out to take pictures is my escape. I really can sit back and think, and just take it all in!
So, you do the same. Take it all in. Appreciate what is in front of you. Appreciate who you have around you. Appreciate life! Strive 2 Survive! Make memories. LIVE! Keep moving everybody!
