Daily News Archives
April 2004
04/30/2004 - Recovery update; Thanks; Funny hospital story.
04/29/2004 - Surgery went well, but I'm hurting!
04/28/2004 - Surgery today.
04/27/2004 - Pre-op went well - surgery is on for tomorrow.
04/26/2004 - Pre-op this morning.
04/25/2004 - Tomorrow morning pre-op; Site updates to continue while recovering?
04/24/2004 - Last night's cheat meal; how I prepare my pizzas.
04/23/2004 - Friday at last!
04/22/2004 - No leg workout today.
04/21/2004 - Work, work, work ^ 2.
04/20/2004 - Work, work, work.
04/19/2004 - Biding my time; Waist down to 30 inches; Tough week ahead.
04/18/2004 - Problems at work.
04/17/2004 - Great "cheat" meal last night!
04/16/2004 - Surgery moved to the 28th; Shoulder; New site update.
04/15/2004 - Met with my Orthopedic doctor; Hernia surgery will put me out of action for a bit.
04/14/2004 - Going to Orthopedic doctor & meeting surgeon for hernia.
04/13/2004 - Not much time again this morning.
04/12/2004 - Busy Monday morning.
04/11/2004 - 10.2 miles in 50 minutes!
04/10/2004 - MRI results are in: I've been diagnosed with Chronic Tendonitis in my shoulder.
04/09/2004 - No MRI results yet...
04/08/2004 - Shoulder MRI; I have an inguinal hernia.
04/07/2004 - Going to the doctor today - shoulder and hernia.
04/06/2004 - Monthly pictures updated; Upper body plans.
04/05/2004 - Back to doctor for shoulder follow-up; New web site; Promo video feedback.
04/04/2004 - Daylight Savings Time sucks.
04/03/2004 - April here, Summer is coming; Success stories; Lisa has not smoked in 3 months!
04/02/2004 - "Ab-Solved" to be "Tight"; New video of my dogs.
04/01/2004 - Shoulder update; Happy with legs, altering workouts to stop building mass.
April 30, 2004
The recovery from my operation seems to be going well. There is still quite a lot of pain, but doubling up on the pain killers (at my doctor's suggestion) made all the difference. I was able to sleep through the night last night and woke up this morning feeling much better than I did yesterday. When I woke up this morning it had been about 9 hours since my last pain pill and the level of pain was about the same as it was on the first day *with* pain medicine, so there has been some good improvement. If things continue to improve at this rate, today should be the last day I'll need the Oxycodone.
As for the actual post-op wound, the area is pretty swollen and I'm looking really bloated in general. The cut is clean and there's been no bleeding or discharge at all.
I want to thank everyone who's taken the time to email me or post words of encouragement on the message board. Your positive thoughts and kind words mean a great deal to me. This was my first surgery and I've always been wary of hospitals. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about the whole thing. I would also like to mention that the staff at Health Central (the hospital where I had this done) was incredible. Every single person from the receptionist to the surgeon was a true professional and made me feel very comfortable.
Funny story: when I was in the prep area after getting my IV and all the monitoring devices attached, the alarm on the heart rate monitor kept going off
because my resting heart rate is 38-39 BPM and the thing was set to go off when the patient's heart rate drops below 40 BPM. It was driving them nuts, so they had
to come re-configure it so that it would not go off. The nurse couldn't figure out how to do it and had to call for backup. While they stood around trying to figure
out how to change the setting, they kept saying "you've got one heck of a strong heart! Do you work out?" 
April 29, 2004
OW! The pain was tolerable for the first few hours after my surgery, but then it started getting worse and worse. By the time I went to bed last night just the act of sitting down, getting up or turning over would literally take the breath out of me. I had a tickle in my throat and tried to cough last night and felt like someone stuck a knife in my gut. I'm far from a wimp when it comes to tolerating pain, and I really didn't expect this to hurt so much. They have me on something called "Oxycodone", but it's really not helping at all. I barely slept last night because every time I moved the pain would wake me up and I couldn't fall back asleep. Lisa is going to call today and see if they can prescribe something stronger for these first few days.
There's no way I can do pictures right now because I can't hobble over to my mark before the auto-timer on the camera goes off!
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April 28, 2004
They changed the time for my hernia surgery again - now it's at 9:30 AM (this morning), so I need to be there by 7:30 AM. This is
the third time it's been changed. Really, what's the point of having a time scheduled?
Well, I need to go now. I don't know when I'll be able to update again so until then take care, keep working hard and eating right!
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April 27, 2004
Yesterday's pre-op went well. My surgery was bumped from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM for some reason. I'll have to leave here about 8:00 AM because they
want me there 2.5 hours before the surgery. At least now I won't have to get up at 4:00 AM and will have time to update this page before I leave. I'm going to be
really thirsty because nothing to eat or drink after midnight is allowed. I'm so used to drinking lots of water that I'm going to be parched by the
time my surgery rolls around. I'm not even going to get into what I'm like without coffee.
Well, this will be my last cardio workout for at least two weeks - I'd better make it a good one. I'll update again tomorrow before I leave, and hopefully Thursday morning I'll feel well enough to at least do a text update.
Have a great day!
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April 26, 2004
I'm running late for my pre-op, so this is going to be a short update. I'm meeting with the surgeon and anesthesiologist this morning to go over the operation. That's really all I know about the pre-op, except that I can't be late! I've got to get out the door, see you tomorrow...
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April 25, 2004
Tomorrow morning I'm going in for my pre-op so, depending on how late I'm running, the daily update to this site will either be very early or a little late.
Everyone keeps asking me if I'm nervous about the operation. The answer is, "No, I'm not." About the only thing stressing me out is knowing I won't be
able to do cardio for at least 2 weeks, and knowing I won't be able to lift weights for at least 6 weeks. Also, after
almost 500 days in a row, I hate to break my streak of daily updates to this site. Depending on how I feel, I may do the daily updates
even while I'm recovering. The pictures may not be what you expect, though...
Now pardon me while I put some distance between me and this damn computer. Have a great day!
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April 24, 2004
After the past week at work, I enjoyed last night's cheat meal even more than usual. I'm as bloated as fat tick this morning, but I don't care! 
We had a nice vintage reserve red wine along with our doctored California Pizza Kitchen pizza, followed by a big bowl of ice cream. BTW, I say "doctored" because I don't just pull the pizza out of the box
and cook it. They are good like that, but the way I make them is much better. I use my favorite CPK pizza, 5 Cheese and Tomato (individual size), as a base. First I chop a bunch of fresh garlic and put it on the pizza. Then I take some fresh basil (we have some growing in the back yard now!), chop it and put it over the pizza. After that, I brush the crust with olive oil and then sprinkle it with Cajun seasoning. I bake it on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 15-17 minutes. It's easily my favorite food when prepared this way and served with a good red wine. I savor every bite and it takes me about 45 minutes or longer to eat it all.
I'm going to go do something about this bloat and get on the elliptical for an hour. After that, I'm relaxing and watching some DVDs. Have a great day!
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April 23, 2004
Friday's finally here! I thought this week would never end. I've got a lot to do today, but thankfully I should be able to take most of the weekend off. I'm going to go do my cardio and get started - the sooner I finish my work the better.
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April 22, 2004
The long hours and stress from work are taking their toll. I've lost some weight this week and I'm feeling a little under the weather this morning. I can't afford to get sick right before my surgery, so I'm going to skip this morning's leg workout because recovering from leg day takes a lot out of me. Besides, as Lisa frequently points out, I shouldn't be doing heavy squats and stuff like that with a hernia, anyway.
I'm glad the work week is almost over. It's been a tough one....
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April 21, 2004
Work is really kicking my ass this week. I'm going to go get my workout in and hope my Nextel doesn't interrupt me. Have a great day (is it Friday yet?!)
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April 20, 2004
Sorry for all the short and cheesy updates lately. I'm afraid this is going to be another one. Things are really cooking at work and I've got a lot of extra stuff that needs to get done before my surgery next week. I've got to get to it, work is calling as I'm typing this...
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April 19, 2004
With the hernia and the shoulder injury keeping me in check, I feel like I'm just kind of biding my time until my surgery. On one hand it really sucks, but on the other hand it feels good to know that soon I'll be back at 100%. The doctor said that I should be able to return to lifting about 6 weeks after the surgery, and by then my shoulder should also be ready to go. My shoulder, by the way, has felt great for the past week. I can't wait until I can start lifting again, even though I'll have to use light weights for a while.
My waist is down to an all-time low: 30 inches! That's 1/2" I've lost off my problem area in the past 3 weeks. I've got to hand it to Ab-Solved and Tight. They seem to be working because the smallest my waist has ever been is 30.5", even last summer when I was a 160 pounds.
This week's going to be a killer at work, so I may not be around on the forums as much as I'd like to.
I'm off to do my cardio. Have a great day!
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April 18, 2004
Problems at work again this morning - what a great way to start off my Sunday! I hope yours is good, see you tomorrow.
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April 17, 2004
Lisa and I had fun pigging out last night - we watched a movie and gorged on pizza, wine and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. That's the first time I've had Ben & Jerry's in over 15 months! It was fantastic. I'm about to go repent on the elliptical: 9 miles today. After that, I have to work. Oh well. I hope you have a wonderful Saturday!
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April 16, 2004
Update/reminder about my upcoming hernia surgery: The operation will take place on Wednesday, April 28. I won't be able to do any lifting for about six weeks after the surgery, and I won't even be able to do cardio or drive a car for at least two weeks after the surgery. There seems to be little point in doing daily updates to this site while I am recuperating from my surgery and unable to do any physical activity. Therefore, from Wednesday April 28 through Wednesday May 12 it is very likely (depending on how I feel) that the daily updates to this site will cease. I may post occasional text updates, but it's doubtful that pictures will be posted during this time. Thanks for your support.
My shoulder feels GREAT this morning! Cortisone is amazing stuff. Hopefully the total rest following my surgery combined with the cortisone will get me back to 100% very soon now. I have every expectation that I will be able to slowly resume my weight training in early June.
I've been getting a lot of emails from people wondering when the new site will be launched. I honestly don't know. I'm still waiting for the CMS and there's a lot of work to be done once I get it. I think Hipercom is almost done with the CMS, but I don't know for sure. They are busy people, so thanks for your patience!
I'm off to do my cardio - have a great Friday!
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April 15, 2004
I met with my new orthopedic doctor yesterday and he went over the x-rays and MRI pictures with me. He said they showed all the classic symptoms of someone who has been lifting heavy weights: rotator cuff tendinitis and Impingement syndrome. He feels that it is too early for surgery, and wants to try more aggressive cortisone treatments combined with physical therapy. Yesterday he gave me two injections of Depo-Medrol right into the rotator cuff. He wants to see me again in two weeks and will probably administer two more injections, along with a referral to a physical therapist (if needed). He said if these things don't correct the problem, I'm looking at surgery.
As for my hernia, that is going to be a little bit more of an ordeal. I met with the surgeon yesterday and we're shooting for the operation to take place on Friday, April 23. His office is going to call me later today and let me know if that date is okay. I won't be able to do any lifting for about six weeks after the surgery, and I won't even be able to do cardio or drive a car for at least two weeks after the surgery. There seems to be little point in doing daily updates to this site while I am recuperating from my surgery and unable to do any physical activity. Therefore, from Friday April 23, 2004 through Thursday May 6, 2004 it is very likely depending on how I feel) that the daily updates to this site will cease.
It's going to suck not being able to workout for 2 weeks, but I'm glad I'm getting this taken care of. Also this will be good rest for my shoulder, so I'm just going to accept it and make the best of it.
Thanks for the support - have a great day!
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April 14, 2004
Today I have an early morning appointment with my new Orthopedic sports doctor, and am just about to leave the house. Also, later today I'll be meeting the surgeon who will be performing my hernia operation. It should be an interesting day. I'm hoping to find out from the Orthopedic doctor what kind of treatment I'll need to get my shoulder back to 100%, and I want to get my hernia operation over with ASAP (I'm shooting for Friday, April 23). I'll have a complete update tomorrow morning. I just want everyone to know that I've never had surgery or any other major health problems, so I'm as sick of writing about these things as you probably are hearing about them. I hope to put all this crap behind me very soon so I can get back to building some muscle!
Have a great day, see you later!
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April 13, 2004
I'm in a rush this morning. I have to go get my X-Rays from my doctor and MRI pictures from the MRI place and get back here in time to workout, eat, shower and get to work. Tomorrow I'm meeting with the Orthopedic doctor in the morning to discuss my shoulder, and then I'm meeting with the general surgeon in the afternoon to discuss my hernia and setup a date for the operation.
See ya!
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April 12, 2004
No time to write this morning - some issues at work popped up and I need to get my workout done right away. If you didn't check in over the weekend, I received my MRI results on Friday, so check out the Daily News archives if you are interested.
Have a great Monday, see you later!
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April 11, 2004
Yesterday morning I decided to try something I've never done before for my cardio workout. I wanted to see how fast and how far
I could go on the elliptical without worrying about keeping my heart rate in its "aerobic zone". My goal
was to reach 10 miles in 50 minutes or, in other words, run 5-minute miles for 10 miles in a row. I managed to
beat that goal and went 10.2 miles in 50 minutes, averaging 4:54 per mile. My average heart rate was 175, about 91% of
my maximum heart rate, 192 BPM. It was quite a challenge, especially at the beginning as tried to find my rhythm. Once I found my pace,
though, I fell into a groove just like I used to back when I was a distance swimmer. It hurt, but it also felt cool to
push myself as hard as I could. I wouldn't want to do something like that everyday, but I may try this once a month or so. While I'm
happy with yesterday's performance, the competitive side of me knows I can do even better.
It's yard work time. See ya!
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April 10, 2004
As it turns out, my doctor was working yesterday after all. I heard from him yesterday morning, and I've been officially diagnosed with Chronic Tendonitis in my shoulder. I used to have shoulder pain when I was a competitive swimmer, but I never did anything about it. Back then we were always encouraged to work through the pain. The pain wasn't bad enough to effect my swimming - it just hurt and was more annoying than anything else. Swimming or any other activity that involves repetitive overhead motion can cause this kind of injury, so this is all making sense now. It's actually somewhat of a relief to know that I have had this condition for close to 20 years, and it was NOT caused by my recent weight training activities. Weight training is what caused the injury to re-surface, but weight training/MAT-OT did not create the problem. Aside from going back in time 20 years and dealing with the issue properly then, according to my doctor there is absolutely nothing I could have done to prevent this injury from re-surfacing. What a relief...
I've been given a referral to Orthopedic doctor for further treatment. Chances are, this chronic injury will require surgery to correct (lots of scar tissue, which will likely need to be removed), but I won't know for sure until next week. I'll know more after I meet with the Orthopedic doctor. Hopefully that will happen Wednesday. I'll post updates as warranted.
I'm off to do my Saturday morning cardio. Have a great day!
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April 9, 2004
My doctor has the results of my shoulder MRI, but I guess he didn't have time to review them yesterday. I called a couple of times and didn't hear back from him. He's probably off today (Good Friday), so it will most likely be Monday until I know more about what's wrong with my shoulder. I'll post an update in Tuesday's daily news.
I'm going to go do my cardio now and get to work (I don't have the day off, unfortunately).
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April 8, 2004
I went to the doctor yesterday and I definitely have an inguinal hernia. I'll be meeting with the surgeon hopefully next week to discuss treatment options.
As for my shoulder, we talked about it and decided that I should have an MRI done. I'm still experiencing occasional pain and I just shouldn't be after this amount of time (it's been 5 months now...) Luckily they were able to get an appointment and insurance approval right on the spot, so I drove across town had the MRI done yesterday. For those who don't know what is involved with an MRI procedure, it's not bad at all. They put me on a table (fully clothed, but all metal objects removed from my person) with my bad shoulder tucked into an attachment on the table. The table is then retracted into an enclosure. I had to hold very still for about 25 minutes as they did the MRI. It was very loud - lots of clicking and banging. You can read all about MRIs here.
Once it was done I asked the MRI tech what he saw. He didn't say much, so I tried to lead him on and said "I guess they didn't really show anything, huh?" He said, "Well, I'm not the doctor, but I wouldn't say that." He then asked me several times if I was absolutely sure that I had never injured my shoulder before this incident, or ever had an operation on it. Wonderful. I'll have the results sometime today, but somehow I have a feeling I'm going to need arthroscopic surgery. I hope I'm wrong. I'll let everyone know on the forum or tomorrow morning what the doctor says.
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April 7, 2004
I've got to get my workout in right away because I'm taking part of the day off to go to the doctor. I'm going for a follow-up on my shoulder, and to have him look at my hernia. I'm hoping that I can schedule the hernia operation for sometime next week. I don't think the recovery period is all that long, but we'll see. I think a lot of it depends on what method they use to repair it. I'll have a longer post tomorrow with details.
Have a great day!
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April 6, 2004
My monthly pictures have been updated. I've lost 4 pounds of fat this past month, and it really shows in the pictures. Last month at this time I was right on the top edge of 8% body fat (perhaps I was even at 9%), but this month I'm at the bottom of 8%. It's amazing how much just a few pounds of fat show at sub 10% body fat levels. Even though I'm cut up, I've lost quite a lot of upper body muscle due to my shoulder injury. I guess that's what happens when you can't lift for 5 months... Like I said yesterday, I've been doing my pushups again and am still 100% pain-free. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow and am very hopeful that I'll be able to start my upper body training again within the next few weeks. I will have to be careful to not lift too much for the first few months, so I doubt I'll be able to add much (if any) lean mass for a while. I just want to make sure I'm back at 100% by the end of the summer so I can bulk this fall. I want to add 2-3" to my arms and 3-4" to my pecs. Obviously my lats and traps need a lot of work as well, so they will receive particular attention.
Time for my cardio. Today it's 9 miles or 50 minutes, whichever comes first!
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April 5, 2004
I'll be going back to the doctor this Wednesday for a follow-up on my shoulder. It is still feeling very good, even after doing a lot of lifting and pulling while doing yard work yesterday. I did my 50 pushups this morning for the first time in over a month, and there was no pain at all! Just to be sure I don't re-injure myself, I may ask for another cortisone shot and rest it for another 2-4 weeks before I lift again. I'll keep doing my pushups and other light activities that involve the shoulder while monitoring for any pain. I'd love to be lifting again this summer, even if it's just moderate weight.
Hopefully the new web site will launch very soon. I think the CMS is almost done, and then it's just a matter of converting everything over and working out any problems that may pop up. I can't wait!
I sure have received a lot of positive feedback about the new promo video I did with Loki and Turtle. Thanks for all the great comments! I have tons of cool ideas, so I'll definitely be doing more videos! I may have to look for new talent, though. Loki and Turtle think they are big stars now, and strut around the house barking orders like they own the damn place.
Cardio time! See you on the forums!
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April 4, 2004
I hate the "daylight savings" time change. It takes me forever to get used to it. It throws off my internal clock, when I go to sleep, when I wake up, my meals and steals an hour of my weekend. I wish the whole stupid thing would just go away.
Ok, I'm done ranting. I'm running behind (duh!) this morning, so I'm going to make this quick because I have a lot to do today. See ya!
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April 3, 2004
I can't believe it's already April! Those of you who started a fitness program back in January (and stuck to it) are no doubt seeing results by now. As Summer draws closer I'm finding more and more "success story" posts on the message board. Many others who have not yet reached their goals have made tremendous progress, and have faithfully maintained their online journals as they close in on their goals. One can't help but be inspired by the dedication and work ethic displayed by our forum members. I'm proud and honored that so many fine people have chosen to be part of our online community.
On a personal note, I wanted to mention that my wife has been smoke-free for a little over 3 MONTHS! Way to go, Lisa! I know how tough it is to quit, and I'm very proud of you.
I'm going to go get my cardio in. Today it's 9 miles on the elliptical. Have a great day!
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April 2, 2004
I've officially started my "Ab-Solve" and "Tight" program in an effort to lose the last bit of stubborn fat just below my belly button. I have started an online journal (you must be a registered member to access this part of the forum) in which you'll find a detailed explanation of what I'm trying to accomplish, why I'm taking these two supplements and complete "before" data - including some unflattering close-up photographs of my lower navel fat, plus all my current measurements and stats. The next month should be interesting...
I'm running a little behind this morning, so I'm going to go get started on my cardio now. Have a great Friday, and I'll see you later today on the forum!
Oh, I have some new videos of my dogs acting like complete nuts. It came out pretty good. Check out my personal homepage at www.twowiresthin.com or my media gallery on the forum (I think the videos are on page 9).
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April 1, 2004
My shoulder is still feeling pretty good. It was acting up a little last week for no apparent reason, but that went away after a couple of days. I'm going back to the doctor next week for a follow-up, and I'm not going to start lifting again for at least a few more weeks. Even though it's feeling better I can tell that it's not ready yet. This time I'm not going to make the mistake of jumping back into training too early.
Today is leg day. I was looking at my legs and I'm actually really happy with their current size. I've decided that I don't want to add any more mass to them so I'm going to stop increasing the amount of weight I'm lifting, and will simply maintain the amount of weight that I'm currently lifting. Doing so should allow me to maintain my existing mass without gaining any more.
Well, time to get started. Have a great day!
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