Challenge Update

Hi gang,

It's been an interesting 2 and a half weeks. Week one went great. I lost 3.2 lbs the first week. I lost 1.4 lbs the second week. But, it wasn't a perfect week by any means. I didn't exercise at all. Now, I'm in the middle of week 3 and still no workouts mainly because I came down with a cold last thursday.

It all began on a Thursday night in Roanoke. We drove up to stay with friends the night before we embarked on our Martinsville Race Weekend camping trip. At first it seemed harmless. I bought some cold medicine and cough drops and went on my merry way. But, it was cold and rainy on Friday. I was out in the elements until the wee hours of saturday morning and that was the beginning of the end. Each day was worse and worse. But, I fueled up on cold medicine and stuck it out like the trooper I am.

We came home Monday and I fell apart. I couldn't even get out of bed until 3:30 pm on Tuesday. Yesterday, I finally broke down and went to the doctor only to discover that my common cold had morphed into a series of "itus-es" -- Bronchitis, Acute Sinusitis, and an ear infection. To make matters even worse I had a rib rattling cough. At some point, I apparently coughed so hard that I burst a blood vessel in my ear. Really?! How does that happen? At any rate, I was sent home with a steroid pack, antibiotics and a sedating cough syrup (which, by the way, doesn't work worth a crap). Last night was by far my worst night. But, I am cautiously optimistic that I'm on the mend.

The steroids seem to be working. I can breathe and while my cough is still persistent, it's not nearly as violent as before. I am hopeful that I can return to work tomorrow and even more hopeful that I can get back in the exercise saddle on Monday.

So, my total weight loss to date is 4.6 pounds. I peeked at the scale this morning and it looks like I've lost another 2.7 pounds. But, I'll wait until Monday for official results given that I've barely eaten this week. I'll take it. If this illness has taught me anything it's not to take my health for granted. I've made many deals with God over the last several days. If you could just make me feel better, I will do ________ insert multitude of answers here. But, the most important one is that I will stop taking my health for granted.

Here's hoping that tomorrow I'm back to my old self.

Cheers!
Margar - On the mend