January 14, 2006

I'm not really one for resolutions about my body. I try them. I've tried to stop biting my cuticles, I've tried to take better care of my teeth.

The resolutions to do so really mean nothing to me.

I do, slowly, stop biting my cuticles though. They're not the gnarled mess they were when I was in college.

My teeth are in much better shape than they were fifteen years ago and I should stop wishing they were white and either do something about it or accept that they'll always be normal teeth colored.

There are some things, I'm guessing that you can't make up for in a day. Nutrition is one. So I'm going to make an effort to eat more calcium to make sure my bones stay strong.

I don't know if eating calcium when you're in your thirties and forties really does anything to make them stronger, but I'm hoping it will at least keep them from weakening.

What brought this to mind is not the new year, but my knee. I have a problem with my knee right now and it mirrors a problem I had with the other one about five years ago. The problem five years ago was a ruptured miniscus, which is that cartelige coating on the ends of our bones at the joints. Apparently my right knee was missing a small spot which meant quite a bit of pain but not real evidence of what was causing it until I had an MRI. There is no cure for it, though they recommended surgery to smooth things out and remove any floaters.

So, here I am with the exact symptoms on my other knee a scant four years and three months later.

And the recommendation then was take it easy and take glucosamine and chondroitin.

So that's what I'm going to do instead of hobbling all over town to different doctors trying to figure out why my knee hurt but it wasn't swollen.

On a side but slightly related note, I turn 40 on Monday. Yes, it seems that this little knee problem is an early reminder that I'm entering a new decade.

The good news on the health front so far is that I have not gotten bronchitis, which I usually do in January and my cycles continue to be normal, so at least my ovaries are going to accompany me into my fifth decade.

Posted by Elizabeth M. at 10:11 AM

January 22, 2006

I'm not sure why, but I think I skipped a cycle. This isn't unusual for me at all. I almost always skip my January cycle, but I've always chalked that up to traveling for the holidays.

This year I didn't go anywhere.

So why did I not have a period this month?

I did have some suspicious breast tenderness and some slight spotting, but nothing that would qualify as my new "period."

Of course I've been walking around with a panty liner for a week - because you know the moment I stop wearing one it'll start. I guess there's only one way to find out.

If the skip happens again next month I'll contact my doctor. At the moment, it's something absolutely normal for me.

Posted by Elizabeth M. at 5:28 PM