Ahh, I can finally get back on track!

Can you believe that January is over already???

At times it seemed like it was dragging on, but now it feels like it went by in a flash!

Both me and my blog turned another year older, I had a great birthday party, several blogger meet ups, a crazy couple of weeks at work and I finally got to see Mr. Darcy.

It’s been quite the month!

Despite the migraine that crippled me at 4am this morning, I woke up today feeling like it was a fresh start. It wasn’t til I needed to get out my February TTC pass that I realized it was a new month already!

For some reason I feel different today. A little more vital, a  little more calm. It could be because I finally got a chance to relax after my crazy week. I even ate an apple before work today (unheard of!) and tested my pH for the 21-day challenge. (6.4 for those that are interested. Looks like I’ve got some work to do!).

Tonight I have plans to get sweaty, intimate and rough with a group of men… Get your mind out of the gutter! I’m going to fight tonight! J So I can fit in my Greens+ after my session. I feel a little more motivated to go. It’s the first time in a while I’ve woken up and haven’t felt like crap, so I think it’s a sign. Plus, I watched Whip It (Ellen Page & Drew Barrymore) last night which is a cute film about roller derby and it was so cool! I’m inspired to look into it more, see if there is a derby around here. I don’t know if I would actually participate (but wouldn’t that be SO COOL?) but I would love to watch and get my fill of aggressive moves and speed! LOL

Fingers crossed the rest of the day goes by without too many “argh!” moments. I want to keep this loose feeling for a while longer.

So, I got my H1N1 shot this weekend, and it went just fine. My mom’s office had finished giving it to all their high-risk patients and there was enough serum left for one more shot, so she brought it home to give to me.

My mom was pretty adamant about me getting the shot this year. Our family firmly believes in preventative medicine. If you have an option to prevent illness whether that is by getting a vaccine, taking vitamins or eating healthy, then we do it. The chances of me getting a shot here in TO in the next little while are pretty slim. Too many people were swamping the clinics, nothing was organized and there was a problem with shipment of the vaccines. What a mess! So she really wanted to make sure that I got one.

There are two main reasons I decided to get the shot (and always get the flu shots).

My mom is a nurse. It is her job to stay informed about possible public health issues and counsel her patients. She has been to several official seminars on H1N1 recently, and she also had to go through a ginormous stack of papers that lay out all the risks and benefits of getting the vaccine for each type of person (high risk, low risk, pregnant, diabetic, etc.) She needs to know this information so that she can not only inform her patients about the vaccine, but also to answer any questions that people may have about it. After fully understanding all information on the H1N1 vaccine, mom believes that the benefits of getting the shot far outweigh the few and small risks. If she is confident that getting the vaccine is a good thing, then I believe her.

Additionally, my mom has first-hand experience with the flu. Not only treating patients that have come down with it, but she actually caught it herself a month and a half ago. The flu is a little bit different for everyone that gets it, but it is quite the doozy!

I don’t want anyone to take this flu lightly. It is not like anything you have ever seen before. Yes, thousands more people die from the regular flu every year than H1N1 globally, but I’m not talking about death here. I’m talking about the plain old shittiness of getting this bad boy! Lots of people will get it, and most of them will survive.

But seriously? This is some scary shit. Like I said, my healthy, strong mother who is usually resistant to illness after years of nursing building her immune system came down with this in a bad way.

I have seen her with the flu before, but I have never seen her affected this badly. She had a high fever, intense body aches, pain all over. The sweats, the chills, nausea, diarrhea & the inability to consume food or drink for days on end. My mother, my caretaker, was totally broken by this flu. She was so weak she could hardly move, and would just lie there and moan when she wasn’t breathing erratically. I was only home for a weekend to take care of her, but what I saw scared me. My mom is a real trooper but she just couldn’t spring back from this. It took her weeks to regain her strength and shake the rest of the symptoms.

We were extremely lucky that she did not pass on the flu to any of us, and also that she did not acquire any secondary infections or complications (Such as the pneumonia that took the life of Joanna’s husband after a bout with Swine Flu).

I definitely think it is worth getting the shot, if only to prevent yourself the sheer misery that is H1N1!

I had another thought about the H1N1 shot, and flu shots in general. I know there are a lot of people who avoid getting the flu shots because they feel sick afterwards. Sometimes just for the day, sometimes for a week.

I hope that everyone realizes that you CANNOT catch the flu from the flu shot. The icky feeling you get after the injection is actually your body going into overdrive to create the antibodies and other protections that you will need to combat the virus.

Think of it this way: your body is a toy factory. It is constantly producing toys (antibodies for sake of argument) to ship out to the stores. Suddenly Christmas is around the corner and Toys R Us sends in a huge order that they need ASAP (the shot). The factory has to go into overtime to make all these toys to meet the deadline. Employees are working longer hours, management is trying to reallocate resources & pay overtime, and it’s just a general flurry of activity in the factory until the job gets done. Finally, all the toys are ready and sent to the warehouse. Everyone is a little bit tired, but they got it all done in time.

That same flurry of activity at the factory goes on inside your body when you get the shot. It sort of happens all at once and uses up your resources. That’s why you feel tired and icky and as if you’re coming down with something. Once the production is done, however, you’ll feel back to your old self, plus you’ll have all those toys (antibodies) in storage for when they are needed!

At least, that’s the way I understand it in layman’s terms. Of course I’m not a scientist or medial professional, but it makes sense to me. Take it with a grain of salt & do your own research if you think it sounds weird.

Now, this is purely speculation on my part, but the next thought I had was “why do some people feel fine after a shot, but some people feel gross for a week?”

My thinking? If you’ve already got a good and efficient immune system, your body won’t have to work so hard to create all those new antibodies. Maybe it’s even got a few on hand already! Therefore you wouldn’t have any of the sick feeling after getting the shot.

Conversely, if you don’t have a really efficient immune system, it’s going to take more time, effort and resources for your body to produce those antibodies, which is going to make you feel ick and for longer. I figure that these people who feel sick for a week after getting the shot are probably the ones that need it the most. Could you imagine that poor immune system having to combat an aggressive virus without being prepared? You’d lose the battle & get sick.

And again with the disclaimer… these are just my educated guesses on what goes on with vaccinations and our bodies, in layman’s terms. And I don’t think I need to tell you I have no idea if any of this applies to people with other medical conditions. If you’re one of those medical-types, feel free to confirm or correct my thinking on this. But be nice about it, sheesh!

So, do my musings strike a chord with you? Do you think I’m totally off base? As long as you’re not mean about it…DISCUSS!

I have recently embarked on a quest to get myself healthier, taking one baby step at a time.

I don’t really eat well currently, and I’m not exercising enough, either! But I know that if I make any big, sweeping changes in my life I’ll soon give up and go back to my old ways. The key for me is to make small, effective changes that I can incorporate easily into my lifestyle and eventually cause them to become habit (it takes about 3 months of doing something to make it a habit).

As most of you who have been following me know, I recently started taking a product called Greens+ by Genuine Health to help give me an energy boost. I’ll admit it! I was influenced by some of the other blogs out there writing about it, but I knew people who had used it in the past as well. So I picked some up not long ago and have been doing a “test run” to see if it’s any good.

So far, so good!

I’ve been feeling slightly more energetic and more focused, too. The 3pm slump doesn’t hit me so hard and I feel a little bit happier than I think I did before. Its not a miracle food or anything, but it performs well enough for me to recommend it to you. Which is more than I can say for all the other weird superfoods I’ve tried… (don’t ask!)

One thing I really like about Genuine Health is that they’re a Canadian company. It’s important to me to support Canadian business, especially with all the giant American corporations bullying their way into our economy (I still love ya, but you’re all bullies!). Genuine Health also uses top quality ingredients and goes organic whenever possible. Obviously this means a great deal when you have to ingest the stuff for your health!

So this is why I am pleased to announce that I am able to give away two totally stellar Genuine Health prize packs to two lucky readers! And the best part? Both Canadians and Americans can participate!

Here’s what you’ll win:

Canadian Gift Basket

US Gift Basket

TO ENTER: I want to know what small steps you take everyday to improve your health & well-being. Leave a comment including whether you live in Canada or the US!

For Extra Entries do one or all of the following:
(but leave a separate comment for each!)

• Subscribe to my RSS
• Blog about this giveaway, with a link back to me.
• Share your Happy Place on GenuineHealth.com & post it in the comments
• Tweet the following (or something similar) and leave the link to your tweet in the comments
  “RT: @gingercorsair Win 1 of 2 @GenuineHealth prize packs from GingerWontSnap.com! Enter now! http://bit.ly/1io1AR“

This contest is open to Canadian and US residents until October 31st 2009. Winners will be chosen from the comments via random.org.

So I’ve been trying out this Greens+ stuff for a couple of days now.

The gal at the GNC store said to give it a week before looking for results, so I’m making the effort to drink it every day this week.

It’s taking a little bit of finagling though. The Greens don’t necessarily taste bad, but they don’t taste good either. I purchased the berry flavour with a coupon and my friend’s discount.

On Monday, I mixed 1 tsp in with the whole bottle (250mL maybe?) of apple juice we get at work for free. Ugh. WAY too sweet. I think this berry flavour must be pre-sweetened.

On Tuesday I skipped the apple juice and opted for a mini bottle of water instead, reasoning that the super-sweetness of the day before would be toned down.

And it was… but I think I just used too much water this time and didn’t mix well enough, the Greens clumped down in the bottom and it just sort of tasted blah. The texture kind of put me off as well.

So today, Wednesday I decided to use just a small amount of apple juice with maybe 2 tsp of Greens. I shook it up in a small bottle, plugged my nose and downed it like a shot. I think this may be the winning combination.

I think my earlier issues stemmed from the over-sweetness, weird texture and the sheer volume of liquid I had to consume. I think I’d much rather just bite the bullet and get it over with, so the shot method seems to be best. Plus I follow it up with a coffee chaser

As for results… well the jury is still out on that one. Right now, this instant, I feel better than I normally do. A little bit more energetic, but not much. (By energetic I mean that I am not lapsing into a coma, brain fuzz or sleep like I normally do).

You know, I haven’t even read the back of the bottle yet? The part where it describes all the wonderful things this junk will do for you? I’m not totally sure I want to. I want to see how it makes me feel without any expectations or mind tricks. I don’t want to read the promises and either imagine the results, or be totally disappointed, either.

So we’ll see how this goes. Hopefully it will make me feel great; especially now that I’ve figured out how to take the stuff!

I got my Greens+ for around $33 after a discount at GNC. You can check out the Genuine Health website for coupons for their products, sometimes they have them after you answer a questionnaire. This isn’t a paid post, but if someone would like to send me more Greens+ products to try I would love it! LOL So damned expensive…

I was checking out my Google Reader today per usual and noticed an article FB posted that was originally here.

It’s about the Greens+ line of supplement-type stuff.

I’ve seen this brand around for a long time and have heard good things about it, but have never actually tried anything from it. (Well, I tried their omega3 pills, but not the actual Greens stuff)

All the products sound pretty good, I think if I were to try something I would probably do either the original Greens+ or their detox and healthy skin variants.

What I really want to know is

• How do they taste?
• What is the best way to take the mix, in juice or what? (I’d be taking them at work, so no blender, etc.)
• What would be the best flavour to get?
• Can you really tell that you’re drinking weird shit? (I once tried a seaweed detox and couldn’t handle the taste/texture)
• Does taking Greens+ really work? Do you feel better?
• Is it worth whatever god-awful price I’m sure they’re charging for it?

I realize that taking something like this is not going to work miracles, but I’m hoping for more energy, better digestion and a better sense of well-being.

I think it might be a good way to start things up–now that I’ve got my skin relatively under control I want to focus on my health/body/weight and see what improvements I can make in that area. This would just be a baby step.

It would really help me if I could hear what people think of this product–usually I am the one doing the reviews but this time I am an observer! I would really appreciate it if you folks would tweet about this or something to help me get lots of people to weigh in!

Thanks in advance!

This morning I paid a visit to my dermatologist for my monthly checkup.

Bloodwork was good, skin was good, everything was good!

It’s been 4 months and my skin is pretty much clear. There was only 1 tiny spot on my cheek that I know will go away once I put a special cream on it tonight, and assuming I don’t pick at it.

The things that have been bothering me the most lately about being on Accutane are actually taking the pills themselves (ugh I get tired of taking them!), the dryness I am experiencing (my eyes and lips are always super dry) and also my inability to heal well while on this drug.

Yeah, that part’s a bit scary, isn’t it? One of the side effects of Accutane is that it really reduces your ability to heal in general. You can’t wax anything while you’re on it, and you can’t have any kind of surgery for a year or two afterwards. I didn’t realize it would get that extreme.

I had what I thought was a bug bite on my chest and I scratched at it. I know I shouldn’t have, but it was itchy! Anyway it became one of those ugly red things, kinda crusty and such. That part was normal. What wasn’t normal is that it just sat with a weird white scab type thing for ages, and just didn’t heal.

It was painful if I tried to pick at it, and looked like a little red crater filled with white–strangely it was not pus as I had feared.

At first I thought I had gone and gotten myself infected, but none of the normal symptoms of an infection were present–it was so bizarre. Then I thought about it a little and similar to diabetics who can’t heal, I couldn’t heal either. THAT is where I had seen something like this before!

Anyway I just bandaged it with polysporin for a couple of nights and it was ok, but I was just stunned by how much my ability to heal had been reduced. I definitely won’t take it for granted any more!

So there’s my interesting little story. All my cuts, bug bites, blisters, etc. are taking forever to heal, but I’ve only got 1 month more of low-dose treatment and then hopefully everything will go back to normal.

My derm says there is an excellent chance that the Accutane “cured” my acne… however I also have rosacea which creates zits and cysts similar to acne. If it is the rosacea that was causing me such grief it may come back again. She said in order to combat this I should keep up with my rosacea creams and she will give me a vitamin A cream (in place of Accutane) to help me maintain my good skin. There is no cure for rosacea.

All in all I think I’ve had a better run of this drug than most people. All my bloodwork came back fine, my symptoms weren’t nearly as bad as some, and my skin responded incredibly well to the treatment, with no redness! My doc was pretty impressed that things went so well.

As for my mental state… Wow. Accutane has helped me in more than just one way. Similar to when I got laser eye surgery and lost my glasses, I feel SO much more confident. I don’t worry so much about how I look, and dare I say it, I may even feel a bit happier on the regular.

My skin is finally back to it’s natural and beauteous peaches & cream state and I feel so much better! I can go without makeup if I want to… I can just wash & go… my “face” doesn’t melt off quite so often and I don’t feel so self-conscious!

I feel it has made a big difference in my life. I didn’t realize how much my bad skin really bothered me, and how much time and attention I paid to it. Of course I will still take care of my skin, but now I’m not obsessing over it.

I also love that when I put makeup on now I can start with a truly blank canvas and focus my skills on more of the fun stuff like eyes and lips versus covering up zits.

I was really worried when I started Accutane. It is a monster of a drug with some terrible side-effects, but I’d say I had a pretty positive experience.

I think that if you’re considering Accutane for your acne it pays big time to do some research, talk to people who have been on it, etc. It helps you get mentally prepared and to manage your expectations.

If you have any questions/comments about my run with Accutane or my battle with acne, feel free to leave a comment! If you’re shy you can just email me too. That’s what most of ya did, anyway

Now, please excuse me while I recreate the story of Narcissus in my mirror… *LOL*

There’s a huge bru-ha-ha going on over in Twitterland over the top trending topic of the day, #fatpeoplearesexier.

I’ve seen some people in my feed making comments about it in a negative fashion, as if you can’t be sexy and fat at the same time, or that being fat automatically means that you can’t be healthy.

This obviously upsets me because (in case you haven’t figured it out by reading my blog)

And sexy.

And healthy.

The terms are not mutually exclusive. You can be all of the above, all at the same time.

It upsets me that people who “know” me online are making comments, forgetting the fact that fat people (and sometimes their fat friends) are reading those comments, and are being offended by this whole thing.

There is such a thing as health at every size, my friends. Just because you’re thin doesn’t mean you’re healthy OR sexy by default.

I happen to be fat, yet I take care of myself. I get regular exercise, I eat healthy and in moderation and I dress myself well, do my hair, etc. Just like everyone else.

But I’m still fat. Sure, I could do more (and I will) because I would like to be a smaller size, but as it stands, my doc thinks I’m healthy, I think I’m sexy, and so do all the guys who follow after me when I go out!

I would like to direct your attention to the following points [via Kate Harding's Shapely Prose] to help you better understand obesity, being fat, and BEING HUMAN:

1. Weight itself is not a health problem, except in the most extreme cases (i.e., being underweight or so fat you’re immobilized). In fact, fat people live longer than thin people and are more likely to survive cardiac events, and some studies have shown that fat can protect against “infections, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, osteoporosis, anemia, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes.” Yeah, you read that right: even the goddamned diabetes. Now, I’m not saying we should all go out and get fat for our health (which we wouldn’t be able to do anyway, because no one knows how to make a naturally thin person fat any more than they know how to make a naturally fat person thin; see point 4), but I’m definitely saying obesity research is turning up surprising information all the time — much of which goes ignored by the media — and people who give a damn about critical thinking would be foolish to accept the party line on fat. Just because you’ve heard over and over and over that fat! kills! doesn’t mean it’s true. It just means that people in this culture really love saying it.

2. Poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle do cause health problems, in people of all sizes. This is why it’s so fucking crucial to separate the concept of “obesity” from “eating crap and not exercising.” The two are simply not synonymous — not even close — and it’s not only incredibly offensive but dangerous for thin people to keep pretending that they are. There are thin people who eat crap and don’t exercise — and are thus putting their health at risk — and there are fat people who treat their bodies very well but remain fat. Really truly.

3. What’s more, those groups do not represent anomalies; no one has proven that fat people generally eat more or exercise less than thin people. Period. And believe me, they’ve tried. (Gina Kolata’s new book, Rethinking Thin, is an outstanding source for more on that point.)

4. Diets don’t work. No, really, not even if you don’t call them diets. If you want to tell me about how YOUR diet totally worked, do me a favor and wait until you’ve kept all the weight off for five years. Not one year, not four years, five years. And if you’ve kept it off for that long, congratulations. You’re literally a freak of nature.

5. Given that diets don’t work in the long-term for the vast, vast majority of people, even if obesity in and of itself were a health crisis, how the fuck would you propose we solve it?

6. Most fat people have already dieted repeatedly. And sadly, it’s likely that the dieting will cause them more health problems than the fat.

7. Human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Fat people are human beings.

8. Even fat people who are unhealthy still deserve dignity and respect. Still human beings. See how that works?

9. In any case, shaming teh fatties for being “unhealthy” doesn’t fucking help. If shame made people thin, there wouldn’t be a fat person in this country, trust me. I wish I could remember who said this, ’cause it’s one of my favorite quotes of all time: “You cannot hate people for their own good.”

10. If you scratch an article on the obesity! crisis! you will almost always find a press release from a company that’s developing a weight loss drug — or from a “research group” that’s funded by such companies.

There. Now that you’ve read that you’ve been given the opportunity to be a MUCH nicer person.

Some people think that #fatpeoplearesexier. Just to clear this up, I don’t necessarily believe that. I feel that #fatpeoplearesexy is a better descriptor.

Feel free to hash this out in the comments. You all know how I feel now. Just remember, this fat chick is watching what you write, so be smart.

Whether you prefer hot pink, French or natural, most of us are getting our hobbit feet cleaned up, if they haven’t been already!

But did you bargain for that foot fungus with your new feet?

How do you avoid bringing something nasty home with you on your feet? It’s pretty easy.

I’m a spa junkie, and over the years I have picked up some tips from spa professionals as well as doctors and nurses on how to protect yourself from infections at these types of places. I’ve compiled a list for you to use as a guide. Ain’t I great?

Inspect the foot baths/whirlpools

Check to make sure that they are well-sanitized in between uses; the technician should be using an antibacterial solution to wipe them down in between uses, and the tubs should also be rinsed thoroughly. Each night they should also be deep cleaned and disinfected.

Inspect the tools

If in doubt you can always ask the spa about their process for sanitizing tools and footbaths.

Communicate with your technician

Techs should also be washing their hands inbetween clients, and/or wearing disposable gloves during your pedicure. This protects you AND them!

• Don’t shave, wax, or otherwise epilate your legs for 48 hours before getting a pedicure. These procedures can cause small cuts and tears in the skin, and when you’re soaking in the footbath and getting that leg massage, microorganisms can be introduced to those openings.
• Same idea: if you’ve got an existing cut, bug bite or scratch on your legs or feet you shouldn’t be getting a pedicure
• A lot of technicians will try and trim your cuticles, but this is also risky business. Littls slips of the snippers happen quite often, which can again leave you with small (and sometimes large, ugh!) cuts in your toes. Nobody wants that!
• Your toenails should also always be cut and filed straight across–this will prevent ingrown toenails (it happens on the sides a lot!)
• If you have diabetes, you need to be extra careful of the massages and any type of cutting tool used around your feet. Speak with the technician beforehand about your condition
• Don’t get a pedicure if you’ve already got some sort of infection! Warts count too, ladies! You don’t want to catch anything, so why would you subject some other innocent woman to your virus? lol
• Never allow your nails to be cleaned out with a sharp instrument that may puncture your skin. Duh.
• Make sure your toes are completely dry before you leave, extra moisture can cause fungal growth
• It’s always ok for you to bring your own tools, and even your own polish! Better safe than sorry!

Now, looking back it seems like there might be a lot to be worried about when you go to get your feet done. But really, it’s not that bad! Much like any situation, use your common sense. Most nail bars and spas are happy to answer any questions you have about their maintenance or procedures; and want to make your experience as enjoyable as possible!

I personally love getting my feet done and with a little common sense and the tips above I have avoided getting any kind of infection from the spas I frequent.

With that said… Get out there and beautify yourselves, ladies!!!!

Wow. Today is officially the first day that my skin has been clear enough for me to go without makeup.

I spent a good 5 minutes this morning debating whether I should put a little makeup on or not. It was a bit of a surreal experience.

I’ve written before on how my skin has been persistently bad since I hit puberty. My derm recently put me on Accutane as a last resort. Thank the Gods, it’s actually working!

After one month on it the clarity of my skin really improved. I still had the occasional spot or two, but they were showing up less and were decidedly smaller than before. After the second month my derm bumped me up to a slightly higher dose, which I am on right now, and my face is finally clear!

I can’t say I enjoy the chapped lips, dry eyes, monthly blood & urine tests or the stress this is putting on my liver, but I am definitely loving my baby-soft face that doesn’t have a single spot on it! It’s just…incredible!

Anyway, I don’t want to sound like an ad for Accutane, but I am SO glad that it’s working. If this didn’t work, then nothing would and I’d be stuck with terrible skin for the rest of my life. I still need to deal with some of the redness from rosacea but overall I’ve had a huge improvement.

Next up (and the final task!) on my list of physical self-improvements: lose some weight!

Ugh. I had a deep tissue massage on Saturday and I really needed it. I have a great little gay man with magic hands who unties all the knots in my muscles and fixes me.

But I waited too long for a treatment this time, and it was murder, I tells ya! Therapeutic massages always hurt a little bit, simply because of the work that needs to be done to your muscles. But this time was particularly horrible.

Apparently some of my muscles were actually glued to other ones. Yeah, uh-huh. Your body can actually glue itself to itself on the inside! And it hurts when he goes in and breaks all the little glue strands because they’re not supposed to be there! Torture!

My pec muscles (the big frontal ones underneath your boobs) were also in a bad way. I totally got a boob massage. But not a pleasant one. I’m still recovering from all the work he did to my shoulders and chest, but the chest is the worst.

Today I want to whimper because as I walk, my wonderful boobies bounce as all good boobies do. But this means that they hurt my healing pecs underneath. I don’t normally notice my rack bouncing, but today it’s all I can think about.

Step, bounce, OW! Step bounce, OW!

What a peculiar day it has been.