On With The Adventure

Okay it has been quite sometime since I wrote regarding my arm. Yes I did agree with my daughter to see Dr. Ding, the acupuncturist. I think I am pretty open minded when it comes to medicine. If someone can change my attitude or attributes towards my physical health I am game. It has to be better than surgery. Stupidly I might have waited too long between agreeing and actually seeing Dr. Ding. I love saying that, Dr. Ding. It really sounds like he knows his stuff. Dr. Ding, Dr. Ding, Dr. Ding.

I had a moment when mind is stupidly over matter. I had adult children coming and going one weekend when it had been snowing at my house. My husband was working 48 hours almost straight so he had no time to snow shovel anything and did anyone of those adult children say, "I can do it for you." So after a very frustrating weekend and trying to hint (as my psychiatrist says, don't hint just say full on, its better for communication) I took matters in my own hands. I thought lucky for me the snow was fluffy light and hopefully won't do too much damage. Oh was I so wrong after lifting a shovel approximately 100 times repetitively within 20 minutes.

The arm didn't seem to hurt too much the day after, I thought maybe my arm is getting stronger and I just need to work out and stay with it. The next day I felt like I had been hit with a truck, maybe not even hit, but ran over several times in one particular area.

I immediately called Dr. Ding and amazingly he could get me right in. I thought this little Chinese doctor must not be too busy if he can get me right in. That was another misnomer.

The day of the appointment I was slowly moving around in my office when everyone asked what I was going to the doctor for (of course thinking it was a western doctor with actual medicine, Oxycontin would have done quite well), I explained I was going to an acupuncturist for the first time. They all looked at me quite weird, but I explained that this doctor couldn't make it any worst and hopefully make it better for less money than a western doctor. My boss turned to me and told me that I probably have carpel tunnel in my neck and arm and would either have to have physical therapy and/or several operations. Well then definitely this acupuncturist was going to be a lot less than operations and hopefully a lot less pain.

Painfully driving myself to Dr. Ding, I got on the elevator to go down to his office and could smell the strong Mentholatum ointment that my kids had bought me to relieve pain. I knew I was hopefully going down to my solution. I walked in knowing my appointment was in 10 min and there sat 3 patients. I forgot I was dealing with a china man. Chinese have no qualms of thinking they can over pack their schedule to meet there pocket needs. I just hoped he wasn't going to overpack my level of irritation.

All 3 patients went in quite quickly and he ushered me in for consultation. After approximately 30 needles were put in, a heat lamp, a nice little snooze, and 30 mins went by I was supposedly cured half way. He told me that I would need 2 to 3 treatments and that all of my pain would be gone and never return. Man am I holding him to his word on that.

A footnote to this appointment is that I went home and was in the worst pain I had ever been in with regards to my arm in months. I either was lathering myself up with Dr. Ding ointment or was sitting in the jaquzzi or heating pad for the entire weekend. I have said at least once in my blog it sucks to get old. If it is the last thing I do (and it maybe the last thing I do) I am going to get a handle on this and try to be in the best physical condition ever. Three days later I will be having another Dr. Ding appointment. The story continues. . .

Slapping The Child Around

Getting older (not old) has made me realized that things start breaking down. My eyesight has changed, my skin has got sagger, my boobs have started dragging on the floor, and believe me I originally didn't have enough boobs to consider them to be boobs, so that is quite a feat for my boobs to be dragging on a table little alone on the floor. I have got a little thicker around not just the middle and of course my insides are all a jumble. I have been having problems with my right shoulder. I would like to think it is from slapping a child around into being better than me, but I pretty much have only done that mentally, mind games with your children are actually an art. Between the guilt and the obligation factor you can go along way.


My daughter has been seeing an acupuncturist, so guess what she talked me into seeing him as well. He surely couldn't hurt the situation any more than it is now, could he.


It brings me back to the a trip to China that I had, all of us woman thought a Chinese massage would be just perfect at the end of a very long day of traveling. Were we wrong!!! You wouldn't think small little Chinese women could torture you to do death in a matter of minutes. It also reminded me of being on the Yangtze when we went to the Chinese medicine class on the ship. The Chinese doctor truly looked like he was Jerry Lewis off of the Nutty Professor, buck teeth, lab coat and the messed up hair. It was hysterical.


I hope at the end of this appointment I am not wishing I didn't just slap a few more children around with the left hand so that I would be balanced and in shape. Just kidding readers. Watch for my update from the deep dark recesses of the mystical Chinese dungeons, actually a spa in Park City.

Deep Fry

My husband sometimes can come up with the greatest ideas. At the great age of what, he has realized to listen to me is better than not and so there were several things under the Christmas Tree that screamed at me once I opened them, "HE IS LISTENING." One of the items was a deep fat fryer. It kind of threw me off when I opened it because I haven't been able to eat anything from a deep fat fryer since I went gluten free. Most everything has flour or bread crumbs wrapped around it.

Several months ago my husband and I went to one of our favorite restaurants "Spin Cafe." When we got there I realized that I wouldn't be able to eat any more of their wonderful onion rings. It made me sad. I went ahead and asked if they had a gluten free menu, which they did. When I got it, there in the middle it said "onion rings." I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought they were playing tricks on me. When I asked the waitress she said they are not made with wheat flour. I said "no way." She said, "oh so way." I asked her if they don't use flour what do they use which initiated her to go ask the chef. The chef told her he dips the onion rings in buttermilk and then into rice flour. I said to myself, I have rice flour, I can do this one day at the house.

Shortly after my daughter and I went to Thai restaurant. Not being too hip on Thai food, I know my love is for Chinese food which I have to specially cook for myself gluten free, I wasn't happy in going anyway, but I remember most Thai food have rice noodles and I thought I could do that. When I got there, there at the top of the menu was calamari specifically in Tapioca Flour. I was ecstatic. I haven't had calamari it seemed like in so long. It was wonderful.

I always wanted a deep fat fryer in my countertop like Paula Dean has on her show, but when I went gluten free there is no need to think I should need one. So when I got my deep fat fryer I realized I am in business.

Who said going gluten free you lose weight. That is so much crap. Now with my own deep fat fryer, not that I am going to be cooking every night, but I am sure just that little added fat in my diet will not be good. Who cares, for the things we have to sacrifice (i.e. cakes, cookies...), a little fat in my diet will be just fine.