Tension

I'm going to skip ahead to the present with this entry.

I'm tense.

My mind is not. Well, except for when I stress about the tension in my body! But for the most part, I'm happy and calm and looking forward to the future. I'm productive and awake. I do realize that most of that is due to the good drugs I'm on (part of the story I've been telling on this blog that I haven't gotten to yet).

But these past few weeks I've really suffered from a lot of muscle tension. My entire body feels like I'm at the starting line of a race waiting for the gun to go off. The muscles are hard and contracted. It's interfering with my concentration on tasks.

I talked to my doctor about this a few weeks ago when I went in for a med check. I told him then that I suspected it was the testosterone. Could we reduce the dose? And so we did. And it seemed to help for about two weeks before creeping back.

I do Jazzercise. Yoga once a week. Breathing exercises. Meditation. And all those help, but the tension returns when I'm done with whatever I've been doing.

Yesterday I visited the chiro and consulted with him about this. We discussed possible dietary needs: electrolytes, Omega-3 fatty acids. I'll start measuring my water intake to be sure I'm drinking enough. I do drink more than the average bear, but maybe not quite enough for my activity level. The new rule is: Take the number of pounds you weigh. Cut that number in half. Drink that number of ounces of water each day. I'm pretty sure I'm not drinking 63 ounces of water. Maybe more like 40.

He also suggested adding Gatorade or something like that. I'll have to do some shopping around. I don't much care for flavored drinks like that. And the sugar content can't be too high. And it can't have sugar substitutes...that just rankles me....sugar subs.

The adjustment he did really helped a lot. But I sense the tension coming back on right now. I'll also look for a 30 minute massage. If that helps I may try to do that on a more regular basis.

Friend Julie suggested I cut back on the Jazz a bit. I did it 6 days per week for about 3 weeks. So I'll cut back to 4 and see if that helps. And I'll add back the little 20 minute relaxation yoga practices in the morning and evening.