Wow, we made it through January! It’s always a long, dark, cold month, and this year it gave us a humungous dumping of snow on the way out. What a kick in the pants!
We usually get more snow in February, but it’s a short month, with a candy holiday smack dab in the middle. That’s doable. And if June, July and August are summer months, that means March, April and May are technically spring, right? In other words, we’ve only got one short month left of winter. Hey, that works for me!
I know I should spring clean in January, but it’s a hard enough month as it is. I don’t want to add more pressure into the mix. January is a good month for getting other things done, though, like scheduling those doctor, dentist and PT appointments you’ve been putting off.
In fact, Charlie finally went to the podiatrist this week. He’s been putting it off forever. Yup, you know you’re old when you have to see a doctor about your feet! I’m hoping he writes a poem about it. Now, that I would love to see!
‘Course, I’m not one to talk, because I just started physical therapy. Not just any PT, though. I’m going to a pelvic PT gal. This started when my new gynecologist asked me if I suffer from “frequent urination.”
“If you’re asking do I pee a lot, the answer is yes-siree-bob!”
“Does it affect your sleep?” she asks.
“I guess. I’m usually up four or five times a night.”
“That’s a lot, Ida.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, it is. I’d like you to see a Pelvic PT therapist who specializes in urinary frequency.”
“Wow, I didn’t know there was such a thing. Okay, sure, I’m always up for something new, and it would be nice to not have to get up so much during the night.”
“Wouldn’t it?”
So, I went to this nice gal, and we had a frank discussion about how much I pee, like you do. And get this: she said you shouldn’t pee more than every two to four hours.
“Get outta town!” I says.
“It’s true.”
“Now that you mention it, when I get together with my friends (in person or on Zoom), I must pee, what, three or four times in the three hours we’re hanging out? Most everyone else pees once, maybe. Shirley doesn’t pee at all, but then, she’s a freak of nature.”
So, she had me keep a bladder diary. For a twenty-four hour period, I had to write down every time I peed, how much, and what my urgency was, and what I drank, when and how much.
Holy cow! I filled up almost three pages of pee-ing!
“Well,” she said, looking them over, “you’re certainly urinating frequently. Let’s look at how much liquid you’re taking in.”
She counted it up. “Huh? This can’t be right.” Did it again. “Okay. Normally, we say aim to drink half your body weight in ounces. You’re drinking three times that.”
“You’re kidding!”
“The numbers don’t lie. I’d like you to cut back your liquid intake by two-thirds and come back and see me next week.”
“I’ll give it a go.”
I did, and guess what: problem solved! I’m the type of gal who always tend to think that more is better. That may be true of ice cream, but apparently not so much for liquid. Suddenly, I feel like I have a new lease on life.
And Charlie’s pleased because I’m not getting outta bed every five minutes. I least I think he is. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what with all the snoring.
Anyhoo, if you’re having some health issue and have been putting off dealing with it, or a wellness check that’s overdue, why not get it outta the way now, in the dead of winter? You’ve got nothing else going on, so there’s no excuse. Get it over with. Trust me, you’ll feel better once you do.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: Taking Care of Business