First, we'll start simply enough, with the food prepped last week for the Mrs...
I am unreasonably satisfied that after 6 months I've finally managed to use up the single pack of frozen berries that have been sitting in the freezer through creative application of the Magic Bullet - manufacturing delectable smoothie treats.
No food/nutrition log, and those who've been paying attention will also notice that there have been no training updates since 3/30 - though I kept up the workouts till 4/1 - and then this happened:
"What's this?" you ask. Good question. Of which the answer is long and ultimately not at all clear. In, let's say, the last 14 years I've had this happen to me about 4 times. A ridiculous swelling/pus filled infection that first presents as something similar to a bug bite or maybe an ingrown hair, then rapidly and painfully grows, fills with fluid, ruptures and then, finally, heals.
First time was in Hawaii, then 2X in Japan, and now, once, here in Liberia. In Hawaii was probably the worst, but at least was located on my torso, swelling up to about the size of a golf ball before rupturing and healing. Given my propensity for avoiding doctors I'd treated it myself - which is why you can still see the scar if you know where to look - but the magic of the internets and self diagnosis led me to think it was the result of a spider bite. The next time was in Japan, on my knee, and not nearly as bad, but due to the prodding of the Mrs I did go see a fine Japanese doctor, who said, yes - probably an infected insect bite - then proceeded to slice it open, squeeze out the the infected material, patch it up and send me on my way.
Then, nothing for about 7 years until 2008, back in Japan, when it happened again - over my right eyebrow - and while not as large as the one in Hawaii, still pretty big, and way more gruesome, since I couldn't hide it under my clothes. Once again, fine Japanese doctors sliced and diced and healed me up.
So, coming back from Japan about 3 weeks ago I came back with a head cold, snotty and sneezing and hacking and wheezing - which I attributed to my 2 weeks of intensive play with adorable yet always infectious Japanese munchkins, and my immune system was clearly out of practice and not up to snuff. But I ground [grinded?] it out for a week and a half and kept working out, and it felt like the worst was passing when last Thursday I felt an itch and a bump over my left eye [#1, upper left, above.] Doesn't look bad but I instantly I knew what was coming.
So went over to the med clinic Friday AM but all they were able to do for me is say "keep it clean" and give me some antibiotic ointment. By Saturday [#2, upper middle] the swelling started in full and the worst of it was, because of it's placement, the swelling was pushing on my eyeball and giving me what amounted to a constant 3-day throbbing headache. Which is probably the most miserable I've been in some time. Just horrible through Tuesday/Wednesday until it finally ruptured, leaving me drainage holes out of which I could squeeze the infected material - disgusting, right?
So, now that it's Friday AM, the worst is over, I think, and I can use normal band-aids instead of stacks of gauze that I have to change every few hours. As to what caused it - still dunno, really. Best guess is, as always, an insect bite or ingrown hair that got infected.
The only new twist I can think of, given my cold coming back from Japan, my eye explosion, and a strange rash that showed up for a couple days this week is that there's something going on with my immune system and it's overreacting to stimuli it might normally handle without much problem. But I've been reading and listening to a lot of Paleo nutrition books and podcasts - see here and here, for example - and they talk about the effects of grains and sugars on autoimmune conditions, so maybe there's something there worth checking further.
So, the upshot is that this week has sucked. Painful suckitude, all around. And no PT, obvious, with attempts to drown the pain with junk food and alcohol. OTOH, I now understand why whisky was such an effective painkiller in the Old West. Kicks the shit out of aspirin and Tylenol, I'll tell you what. Hopefully back at it all on Monday, and having missed a week of P90X, I'm hitting the cosmic reset on that - Day 1 all over again come Monday, and it still fits in the gap before we head back to the US this summer.
Onwards.
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