Mini update

I'm officially in Russia and internet is pretty hard to come by... blogging is low on the priority list of things to do when I have a few minutes online sadly! I am actually doing well here - lot's of walking, sleep, water, sunshine, and food that's pretty rough so I'm not eating much of it haha. I will update when I'm able!

Nutrition in Italy

We went out for dinner yesterday and I opted for the seafood meal below as opposed to delicious Italian pizza. It was a big pile of protein and not much else but pretty tasty. The only downside was that my octopus (yep - there was an octopus on the plate) had a penis which, I'm not going to lie, was a bit of an appetite killer (perhaps a good thing?). I am not really into eating tentacles anyways so it wasn't a huge loss (and waterskier Kole munched it down penis and all without hesitation so I feel good to have provided one of my skiers a little extra protein boost). 

You may think I'm exaggerating by commenting on the octopus penis but nope, It really did have one...the Italian guy beside me noticed my observation (not difficult considering my lack of discretion in picture-taking) and googled it right there, finding out that "The octopus' penis, made by the male's third arm on the right, is called hectocotylus and is detachable. Mating can last two hours for several times, and the male introduces the hectocotylus into the girls' cavity where it deposes the spermatophores (pouches filled with millions of sperm cells). During the mating, the male loses its hectocotylus, but by the next season, he will have regenerated a new one." 

Inspiration - the abs of Waterski

This is a snip-it what I'm staring at every day....

Italy day 2

I am officially craving sugar like a maniac.
I have to admit that I have had pasta (delicious delicious tasty tasty pasta mmmm) two days in a row, but other than that I have been eating regularly through the day including breakfast, tons of veggies and protein, and much smaller portions (I'm also starving - FYI)....a huge improvement. Although my hard working athletes can afford to consume some simple carbs, they are all really health conscious of course and I am already being "pushed" into the light  ha.
Another great influence is in the water department...a few skiers took one look at my giant swollen feet and lost their minds (after a few off-side jokes about my swollen appendages). One guy in particular is becoming quite the water-nazi and literally is force-feeding me mid treatment and wont let me get up from meals without consuming his water-quota. We'll see if he can drain these feet. I am trying to help by icing every night...my room has a bidet as most Italian washrooms do (if you don't know what this is  - check out http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Bidet) and both nights I have filled it with ice and soaked my little huge feet. Now, just to clarify - I have lined it with a bag both ice baths...lets review that usually they are for soaking genitals and I don't love the idea of my feet soaking where some has soaked their anus. Lined carefully with a bag and purple duct tape it is a convenient and clean place to get these feet on ice!

The adventure begins...

Yesterday was day one of the trip and I spent 15 hours of it making my way from Vancouver to Italy. I have to admit that the plane ride was awful and also a good reminder of my "spring-board" plan....I was smushed in the middle seat of the middle isle between a nice-but-smelly girl and a not-as-nice-and-has-too-much-snot guy...it was not fun (may have been my own fault for being late-ish to the airport and having to take one of the stupid leftover seats...just saying). The guy beside me had some rad nasal issues and continually (CONTINUALLY!!!) made that snarfing snot sound that people (gross people) make when they suck snot up and then swallow it...it made me want to hurl and honestly I tried everything short of elbowing him in the face to get him to stop...I offered him a kleenex, I asked if he wasn't feeling well, I glared at him, I talked to girl beside me about it too loudly blah blah blah. No sleep for me. I did, however, have a bit of sweet revenge that also served as a reminder for me...dinner arrived and the first thing I did was attack the included bun with some butter. The scene that followed could have easily been included in an Adam Sandler movie as somehow my buttery plastic knife flew out of my hand (no idea how...I must have been buttering fairly vigorously?) and landed right on snot-man! He was really not impressed and I didn't care at all. I was, however, reminded from the situation that neither bun nor butter was a great choice and I let them be :)

Off to Russia

Yesterday I temporarily exited my everyday life for a few weeks to travel with Water Ski Canada as the team Massage Therapist to Russia for World Championships. We have 7 days in Italy for training (and rehab...that's me) before heading to Russia to kick some global ass.
I was talking to trainer-Meyrick about my upcoming trip a few days ago and the fact that I have 2 weeks away isolated at a lake with athletes came up as amazing timing. It is extremely difficult to be unhealthy on these trips because 1. I am surrounded by crazy athletes who are healthy to the max & I eat with them 2. Waterski is almost always located far away from access to stores, restaurants, etc and obtaining additional unhealthy treats is near impossible...I normally face a bit of a detox for the first few days since I eat way less and "clean" food.
This trip we decided that the best thing for me to do is utilize this trip as a "tool" since when I get home I will have had at least 2 weeks of way healthier eating and I can use it as a spring-board :)
Meyrick showed me the attached video....hopefully I'll be just like Rocky when I get back from Russia??

Health - fat feet hospital visit

This week the concern about my huge feet has been pointed out by enough people that I adventured to the Doctor yet again. When the doc learned I was heading out of town Monday (oh ya - going to Russia on Monday for Waterski Worlds) he suggested I head to the hospital so that the tests would be done right away.
8:30pm: Arrive at the ER feeling kind of sheepish for being there...not sure that fat feet are much of an emergency
8:35pm: Feeling sheepish turns into feeling worried as the triage lady was pretty clear that swollen feet with pitting edema is absolutely a reason to get some tests done asap.
8:45: settled in to the waiting room
10:00: ya! waiting room officially empty - I must be next! As much as the documentary about an octopus learning how to open a jar is riveting, I'd rather get outta here
10:15: girl with something poking out of her eye comes in - crap, bumped.
11:00: another lady comes in but it doesn't seem serious - good....oh geez, she keeps laying on the floor and yelling - crap, bumped (crazy is apparently effective)
11:30: I'm in! ya! Oh...never-mind....I'm relocated
1:00: Cute Doctor comes in to ask me about my feet...looks concerned...asks 100 questions while poking me (cute, but he did keep spitting on me when he talked - ew)
1:30: tests begin....
1:35: the lady beside me (literally we are separated by 6 inches and a curtain) pops over to let me know that her son (my age) is waiting for tests for his severe ball pain
2:30: I have now endured 2 x-rays, a pee-test, 2 heart tests, 1 really poor attempt at a blood test but no luck on finding a vein, 2 actual blood tests (lets review how I feel about these), and have had to stand around with no shirt on in front of at least 5 different people while they poke me in the abdomen and listen to my heart & lungs for the 10th time
3:30: A new doctor comes over to let the guy beside me know that he has a kidney stone and the ball pain should subside soon and then pops over to let me know that I'm perfectly healthy and can head on home

So apparently although I am having strange health concerns like hair-loss and huge feet, I am a healthy gal? This is great and weird news.

The fat foot video

Health - my poor poor giant feet

Sooooo I have giant feet....and ankles....and calves. They have moved beyond a-little-too-much-salt swelling to become giant water filled sacs of awesomeness. I have been to the doctor...twice.
Doctor number 1 says too much salt (now I'm not claiming to be a doctor but that's pile of misinformed something) and doctor number 2 says "hmmm - take some diuretics and give it a bit and then come back if it doesn't go away" (is the bandaid approach better or worse I wonder than the complete misdiagnosis approach? hmmm).
Helen the super straight up fancy pants ER nurse took one look at me in the IF change room (of course...where all the great revelations happen) and pretty much gave me the Im-seriously-worried-that-you-are-going-to-drop-dead-right-in-front-of-me-from-heart-failure look. I am personally on the same page as Helen...on going major foot swelling (with pitting edema....that's when it stays dented when you poke it....see video at your own risk) really does indicate heart issues. So - it's officially on my agenda to find a doctor who will take it seriously and get me a few tests.
In the meantime, running is like having 2 water-filled sacs attached to my feet...FYI.