Bad knees day

Today I am out of sorts physically. I made it through the exercise series this morning but it seemed to hurt more than usual. I made it down the steps and out the door with the doggie, and later out the door by myself, but my knees didn't get over hurting.

I suspect a ride on the subway last night did this to me. It wasn't such a long ride, but we stood up the entire trip, pushed on all sides by other riders. I gripped the bars and clutched the papers I was carrying and kept feeling the camera I had in a side pocket, in case anyone near me was an opportunist. So I was tense the whole way and standing up and that's not a good combination. Today I seem to be paying for it.

It sucks when one small thing like a subway ride can have such an effect.

How to measure

I don't know how to measure my progress with the arthritis program. I am currently in New York, staying in an apartment that is two slippery flights of stairs from the street. The stairs are a challenge. It is cold outside, there is snow on the ground, and I think the cold also has an effect on my arthritis.

I am still in pain, particularly when I wake in the mornings. I dread standing up for the first time. But do I dread it more or less than I did before I started this program? I don't know. I am sure not more, but because I am challenging myself with this visit to New York I know I have pushed the pain out there more.

I have done a few things, though, that seem to suggest there has been improvement. My daughter and I visited the site of the World Trade Center and walked about a bit the other day, and I noticed that I was walking all right. The stiffness was still there but I didn't go into pain mode. I had the sense to move to places to sit when I had the chance, though.

Last night I took the subway to Symphony Space to see a radio favorite: Selected Shorts. I had dinner, then went to the program and returned to the apartment. The last time I was in New York I felt too drained and in pain to do anything at night. It's possible that this excursion, too, means something.

But the real answer will come when the pain is gone. Will the pain go? Completely? Keep reading. And I'll keep writing.

Finding space

Today I did my A series exercises early in the morning. I pushed the couch out of the way and lay a sleeping bag down on the wooden floor to make it softer. When I lay on my back to do the sun salutation lying down, I was not able to make my arms stay straight as I stretched them to the side and then on up above my head.

I have to make compromises every time I do these because I do not have a large flat floor area, free of obstructions, no matter where I am. I do not think that bending my arm here and there, while lying down, is a significant amendment to the exercise, however. The joy of doing these exercises has been that not only do they take a short amount of time but they also can be done just about anywhere you find yourself. No, I do not think you would do them in the middle of a crowded airport but generally where there's a will there's a way.

Week Four

Week four begins today! Sunday is rest day, but I took the pooch for a walk, thereby getting a jump on the aerobic segment. I am in NYC, in the cold, and I'm feeling it in my knees, of course. Yet I handled the walk today, about 12 blocks, without severe pain.

Tomorrow is a test I do not need. We have to stand in line for about three hours to get into a show I want to see. I am going to look for a shooting stick or something else I can sit on.

Setback?

I flew to Las Vegas last Wednesday. I took a small plane to Los Angeles, had a two-hour layover, then took a larger plane to Las Vegas. My home airport is small, can only accommodate small planes and has only three ticket counters. So there was no walking there. But in Los Angeles I had to trek some distance from one gate to another. When I got to Las Vegas I had to make my way through the terminal, to the shuttle, through the main terminal to the baggage claim area, and finally to the passenger pickup area, where my daughter Mary waited.

Mary and I had lunch, then went to the Tropicana Casino to see the Bodies Exhibition. There was a bit of walking involved in getting to and through the exhibit, although I did take advantage of the benches within the exhibit.

All of this walking on hard surfaces took a toll on my legs, on my knees. I followed up, yesterday afternoon, by heading back to the Las Vegas airport, trekking through to the same distant terminal, and flying to New York City. I arrived at midnight, took a cab to my daughter and son-in-law's apartment, and tried to sleep. But it was just about no use.

My knees hurt a lot. I couldn't get comfortable. Wednesday night, at Mary's place, I took a couple of Tylenol pm tablets, giving in. But I didn't take any last night and perhaps I should have.

So here I am, as stiff as I ever get. Dealing with stairs again, feeling quite a bit of pain. Is it a setback? Or just a challenge? The last time I visited New York my body took a hit but it wasn't permanent. I expect the same to happen this time.

This morning I did the A series of exercises. I haven't missed any since I started this program. I feel this is where the change will start to take place. Right now it is hard to feel there has been any difference, but it is only week three.

Third week

I'm starting my third week on the program. Yesterday morning I managed to do my A series exercises in a hotel room I was sharing with a friend, while she was getting dressed in the bathroom. It's encouraging to find that there is little to prevent anyone from doing these moves. I don't have a lot of room in my house so sometimes I have to move my arms a little differently when doing the "sun salutation lying down" but I don't think my minor adjustments affect the basic exercise.

Sunday I drove to Desert Hot Springs and yesterday I drove back. It takes over five hours each way. I am happy to report that I have no lasting effects in my knees from the drive and I didn't have any difficult times along the way. I say this because sometimes pressing the accelerator or clutch can be very painful. I am not saying, of course, that the program is entirely responsible for a reasonably pain-free drive. Certainly I still had to stop a few times to get my legs working again after they stiffened up. I wonder if this will change over time.

In the swim

Today, for my aerobic activity, I swam. When I left off swimming last October I was doing 20 laps a day, four days a week. There is no doubt it was helpful for my arthritis. Yet I don't really enjoy swimming and I really dislike having to fight for a free lane. When I went traveling for extended periods I got completely out of the habit. So today I started over again.

That's me, Ms Start Over. If I dwell on how much ground I've lost I will give in to depression. So I don't. I give myself a minute here and there for self-pity, tell myself that it isn't getting me anywhere, and charge ahead. "Charge ahead" really does not describe what I do, though. I take steps slowly and carefully.

Today I swam 10 laps. I could tell I wasn't even as good as I was last October. But I'm doing the program. 22 minutes (min) three times a week; today's swim was about 25 minutes.

I realized while swimming that one reason swimming is good for the pain is the breathing. I swim freestyle, breathing, no devices except goggles and a swim cap. It's harder for me to do the breathing underwater but I know it's better and I have it down in a basic way. Today I did no flip turns. That I can get back to.