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Original Cyn

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Listen to Your Body

March 11, 2016 by originalcyn 1 Comment

Health FreepikA few years ago, my body was sending me subtle messages that something was wrong with it. When I asked my doctors about my unusually heavy monthly bleeding, it was chalked up to be stress related. I accepted that for many years because I thought that the doctors knew best.

In 2014 I developed a bad habit of eating ice. I thought it was just stress related as my Mom was sick in the hospital. It wasn’t until the habit got worse in 2015 did I do the research. Not only was I damaging my teeth but the craving and eating ice is a symptom of anemia. Without health insurance I felt like I had nowhere to turn so I attempted to deal with this myself by eating more iron rich foods.

By the end of the summer of 2015 my energy was dwindling when friendly advise sent me to give blood at the Red Cross. Why? The first thing they do is to test your hemoglobin to make sure you are a healthy candidate for giving blood. With a simple prick of my finger, I learned that I was on the verge of becoming severely anemic (For information on hemoglobin levels by the Red Cross, Click Here) . I started taking iron supplements and eating more iron rich foods.

I started to feel a bit better and thought I had this under control. In September I went to an OB/GYN for a follow up and asked about anemia and how it could be related to my heavy monthly visitor. Again, I was told that it was just stress. It was also recommended that I find ways to relieve the stress.

By late October, I stopped teaching belly dancing and was finding it difficult to hike with my backpack group. I was getting drained quickly. I tried more vitamins and eating better. At the end of November I took a holiday position loading box trucks. I thought regular exercise and proper eating would help me feel better, more energetic. By the end of January, I was sick and exhausted. I thought I had caught was going around work, it was just a head cold and it would pass in a week.

On Feb 2, I passed out on my kitchen floor. When I came to I was disoriented with fuzzy vision. Dave (my hubby-to-be) called 911 and an ambulance was sent.

My hemoglobin was 8.1 when I was admitted so they scheduled me for a blood transfusion. I also underwent a battery of tests to find the underlying reason I was seriously iron deficient. The OB/GYN on duty found a fibrous mass in my uterus, which was the cause for the heavy bleeding as well as enlarging my uterus. In nearly five years, she was the first person to give me a medical reason other than stress for all of this.

To regain my life’s activities, I had to take a seat and rest with little activity, take the right iron supplement (yes, there are different kinds) and hormonal medications to reduce the bleeding as well as eat healthier. It has been a struggle to set aside my favorite activities such as dancing, hiking and exercising. Even walking around the stores can be a struggle some days.

The good news is I know what is wrong and am working with my doctor to find the best plan to recovery as quickly as possible. I just can’t help but ask – what if the previous doctors had figured this out a few years ago? Would they be following the same course of action to clear up the underlying problem?

Unfortunately, my experience has been that many doctors treat the symptoms without truly knowing the underlying cause. Sometimes they are lucky and the person gets better. However, as in my case, things became worse.

Moral of the story:

If you think there is something wrong that your doctor is not addressing, please seek a second or third opinion. I can’t help but to think how much easier I would have it if only I had pushed the issue when I first started seeing the signs.

 

 

Filed Under: A Little of This, Be True To You!, Various Tagged With: choices, dance, dancing, Doctors, exercise, fitness, Health, healthcare, healthy, lifestyle, Love Yourself, Loving You, stress, unheathly, Woman, Women

My First Car – A 1977 Pontiac Bonneville

January 9, 2015 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

My First Car

I have always been into cars and trucks so when I was approaching my 17th birthday, I couldn't wait to get my first car. My first choice was to get a pick up truck but the one I wanted was sold before I could buy it.

As I started looking for an affordable vehicle, a friend told me about a 1977 Pontiac Bonneville that was for sale by an older woman who just moved to New Jersey from Florida. She was the original owner and was only looking to sell it because of the snow and ice covered roads in NJ winter. Her son wantd her to switch to a four-wheel drive vehicle. She only wanted $400 so how could I not check it out.

A few days later my friend, who was a mechanic, and I went to see and test drive the car. From the moment I saw it, I was in love. With two doors, it was light blue with a white top and white interior with bench seats. The best part was hidden under the hood. It was a 400/4 barrel. I didn't really understand what that meant at the time but I knew that the car would fly.

The car handled like a dream. Only downfall was it still had the 8-track stereo systems in it. As a gag gift, my brother brought me a 8-track cassette converter so I could play my tapes in the car until we could install a better system.

I had the car for about a year. It was totoaled in an accident on a wintery and icy road.

To the left is the only photo that I have of the Blue Boat.

Filed Under: A Little of This, Adventures, Uncategorized, Various Tagged With: Car, Cars, My First Car

Start of a New Year – 2015

January 1, 2015 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.

~ Oprah Winfrey

It is the start of 2015. 2015 Happy New YearSo what is in store for this year?

Walking in the woods, belly dancing at various events, improving my health and wellness, visit histroical locations and the list goes on. I'll be sharing my 2015 adventures with you.

I'll record stories of my adventures and childhood memeries. I'll share my favorite artists, photos and inspirational quotes. I'll write about hisorical locations and people of interest. 

I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy 2015. Let the Adventures Begin!

 

Filed Under: A Little of This, Adventures, Be True To You!, Bucket List, Culinary, Drinks, Food, Historical, Leisure, People, Places, Travel, Uncategorized, Various Tagged With: adventure, Bucket List, dream, historic, journey, places

Challenged to Run My First 13.1 Miles

May 14, 2013 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

il_fullxfull.316791627If you knew me as a child or young adult, you knew that I was never much of a runner. I loved to hike, walk and be outdoors but I was never into running. In June 2010 a friend met me with a challenge to complete a half marathon in October 2010 (Divas Run in Long Island).

A half marathon is 13.1 miles, a distance I knew I could walk easily. The key to get the sparkly medal of completion is I had to finish wtih a time under three and a half hours. After all, wasn't it the medal the whole reason I entered the race to begin with or was it the pride of finishing the race?

Over the next few months, I trained by walking and running around my neighborhood. I ran at least four times a week during the months leading up to the race. I even splurged and purchased my first pair of "running" shoes from Road Runner along with the proper running clothes. I wanted to look like I was a runner, not just someone out for a walk. I was also told that a key factor to succeeding was to have shoes that were comfortable and supportive for the distance of the race.

The months flew by and race day came. I made the several hour trek from NJ to Long Island with my friends. I had done everything I could to prepare for this day. What I wasn't ready for was how many people were going to be there. Over a thousand men and women came to run. It was a mix of seasoned runners and beginners (just like me!).

47014_1667122957338_8325906_nI walked to the back of the pack to find my pacer and grew even more excited with anticipation of running this event. It wasn't long after I arrived that I heard  the horn blast, signaling the commencement of the race. I anxiously waited until the sea of runners before me set off onto the course. It seemed like it took a long time for the pack to move, allowing the 14-minute mile pacer to start towards the starting line. Upon crossing that line, I started running my first marathon.

I started getting nervous because although I knew the time limit was a critical part of the race although, I wasn't prepared for the short yellow bus following close behind the last runners just waiting to pick up those who couldn't make it. I started really pushing myself to distance myself from the bus so I wouldn't become one of those who had to climb on board.

Within the first two miles I lost my my original racing buddy in the crowd, but I slowly learned that racers make fast friends during the race. I found a group of women who were walking/running at my pace and we decided to run the marathon together. Strangers became friends as we spent the next three hours encouraging each other through the course. Around mile nine, I started to struggle wondering if I had anything left to get me the next few miles to the finish line. Not only had my new found friends cheered me on, but I heard cheering coming from the sidelines. The words rang loud and true for me. "You are over halfway there. Don't give up now!" These people didn't know me but they knew that a kind word could boost a person's spirit and help them get to the finish line.

At mile twelve, I was met by spirited volunteers passing out tiaras and boas. Mainly high school kids, they chanted that there was just over a mile to go. "Don't give up now, you have come too far," one said to me as she handed me my tiara and boa. The excitement from the kids helped to recharge me and I was ready to take on the last bit of the marathon.

The final stretch of the race meandered thru a park walking path lined with total strangers cheering you on. I got emotional during the last tenth of a mile, I  looked to the sidelines to see fellow racers who had already finished cheering for me to finish. They cheered the loudest because they knew what it had taken for me to get to this moment in time.

I crossed the finish line and was greeted by local firemen who presented me with the sparkly medal I had just earned. I finished my first race in three hours and twenty-two minutes.

Since then, I have finished a total of four half marathons, and I plan to finish a lot more, but my first will always be my most memorable.

Filed Under: Adventures, Bucket List, Various Tagged With: Bucket List, challenge, dream, half marathon, running
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