mrdead’s BodyBlog

Well, I’ve finally started to go crazy. No lifting anything over 10 lbs, sucks! It’s force of habit for me to carry things, and lift things. So, I decided to watch the DVD from my contest. That DID NOT help!!! All that did was remind me how much work I have ahead of me!!! Being the bloated fat guy onstage sucks!!! (By the way, the contest footage of me, would make a great horror movie *L*) I got bitched out by some old lady at the store, because my wife was carrying everything. So, now I feel like a WUSS!!!

I’m getting mixed answers on how long it will take to heal, how much pain I’ll have, likelihood of recurrance, and what I can and can’t do. So, that adds to my anxiety. I’ve never had surgery before, except to stitch up some lacerations, and when I was stabbed. So, I’m starting to feel like a "Big Baby"!!! And, my favorite holiday is now officially screwed up.

But on a positive side, I am finally getting it fixed. I won’t have to be self-conscious about my HUGE belly-button. And, it will improve the self-esteem department, as well.  

Wednesday, I had my pre-op appointment with my surgeon. I will be getting sliced open on the 30th of this month. So much for my plans for Halloween. But, it’s necessary that i get it done, and the sooner it’s over with, the sooner I get back to training. I got a little concerned, when I had to tell him all of my supplements. He had no clue as to what they were, why I was taking them, and asked "Who told you to take these?" But after we got through all of that, he went over what he was going to do, did a quick examination, and then "graphically" went over the procedure. They will be doing an incision near my belly-button, "shoving" the protruding tissue back in, suturing, and even adding a tension suture to give an "inny". So, no mesh will be used. No staples. Minimal scarring. Then I’m stuck with a 10 pound weight limit for a few weeks, and if I’m a "Good Boy" after that time, they’ll up it to 25. But I will be placed in LaLa-Land, for the procedure, and then I will be visiting Vicodin-Land afterwards. So, Halloween will be spent with me unable to make the teenage trick-or-treating boys (that are old enough to drive) scream for their Mommy like little kids. Oh well, there’s always next year…

This past weekend was actually a pretty good one. (Aside from the Oakland Raiders getting their butts handed to them.) Saturday, I got some house stuff done. Sunday, though, I got to go to a pumpkin patch! For those of you, that don’t know, Halloween is my favorite holiday. At Christmas, I get Halloween presents. My house is the one in the neighborhood, that all the kids want to go to. And, I get to watch horror movies without anyone giving me a hard time about it. So we went to the pumpkin patch, and wound up getting 187 pounds of pumpkins. We only got 4 *L*. And, it was fun, going out there in the fields with a wheelbarrow, and hunting for just the right ones. And, this Wednesday, I go in for my pre-op evaluation. Then they’ll give me a date for when I get carved up, and then the road to recovery!

I’ve got a dilemma. You know the angel over one shoulder, the devil over the other type of thing. Now, I’ve been told not to do anymore lifting, straining, etc… But, if they’re going to go in, and do the repair, anyhow, and it doesn’t hurt…. Why not go ahead, and continue to workout, until I finally get sliced open? Becuase, I have to tell ya… I’m going nuts!!!! I’m in a mass phase, and to "just do cardio" contradicts what I’m trying to achieve. (BTW, nurses make the worst patients) I mean, I was allowed to go on, and compete with it, so why not continue until I don’t have a choice?

I know, I know… I need to do what the doctor says, blah, blah, blah… But, still, I think mentally it would be more beneficial to continue my routine. Instead of going over the edge, and strangling a co-worker or something *L*. We’ll see if I can resist the urge to be naughty or not… (My money is on going to the gym, and being naughty, but anyhow.)

Hope everyone is doing great, and have a good one!

Yesterday, I went to the doctor, and got a referral to finally get my umbilical hernia repaired. So, I’m actually kind of looking forward to getting it done. It’s been a very self-conscious issue that will finally get laid to rest. But, in the meantime, I’ve been told no straining, heavy lifting, "bearing down", or anything of that nature. I’ll know the date probably in a couple of days. I’ve already been warned that there will be approximately at least 6 weeks, of no training. (That’s going to drive me insane!) And, I’ve been hooked up with a surgeon that doesn’t like to make big gaping holes. So, in the meantime, I’m going to kick it on the treadmill for a bit, and just try and maintain. But afterwards, it’s going to be full tilt trying to fill out my lats and pecs!

The wonderful gloomy northwest weather has arrived, and I could give a flying fig about most anything. Forget training, diet, fluids, etc… Better to just curl up in bed, and watch the time spent on all that stuff just slip on by. Hmmm… That kind of describes the past few days. Definitely not in character, nor shall it be. Sometimes a person gets caught up in the rat race of paying bills, do we have enough left over to buy supplements, I’m too tired and stressed out to go to the gym, well I’m going to have surgery soon enough so why bother working out when it will just go to waste? All that, and then some has wafted through my mind as of late. Between all that, and the needs, illnesses, and issues of friends and family. "Stop the world, I want to get off!!!"

Well, I’ve grown rather tired of worrying and stressing. And, what pray tell, is the best thing for stress relief and mood elevation? The good old workout! It never let’s ya down. Sometimes we (I) get caught up in everything, and forget about what’s been sitting right there in front of me. The weather is perfect for putting on some good old muscle size. The gym is the perfect and legal place to take out frustrations. And, exhaustion helps bring about sleep. Oh, and "cheat day" is just around the corner!

So, don’t do what I did. Just keep hitting the gym, and it can’t be as bad as things really seem, can it?