The Skinny on Skinny

Whenever there is a problem of any kind, I love to investigate and try to come up with a solution.

For instance, when we wanted to keep the dogs (but not the cats) out of the basement away from the littler boxes, I devised a rope mechanism that prevented the basement door from being opened beyond a certain amount so the cats could slip through but not the dogs.  Better than cutting a hole in the door!

I am the same way with health problems.

For the past 2 or three months, I have had a problem with my left leg.  When I sit for long periods of time, I have been experiencing pain and weakness behind my knee and up my thigh when I stand up and try to walk.  It only lasts for a few steps and then it goes away.  And it doesn't happen ALL of the time.  Only sometimes.

For instance, when I flew to Alaska in December, I never had a problem at all even though I was sitting on a plane for 12 hours!

I've been keeping notes in my mind when it happens and I believe I have figured it out!
Then I googled "skinny jeans leg pain" and it was confirmed!

My pants are too tight!  Haha!

Until last year, I used to wear regular old loose fitting jeans with sneakers and a sweatshirt.

Then I became a little more "hip".  

I bought some skinny jeans.

Everyone was wearing them - my girls, my girls' friends, other moms, TV stars.
So I tried some on and they didn't look half bad!  I felt younger!
And they were a great look tucked into my boots!

Over the past year, I have gotten a little more daring and bought some that were even more form fitting.

So, over the holidays I put on a few pounds like I do every year.
My skinny jeans got a little more snug too.
And the leg pain got worse.


Over the past few weeks, I've experimented and worn sweat pants some days and skinny jeans other days, and guess what?  No skinny jeans = no pain.

When I googled it, I found many articles about meralgia parenthetica. 

"It's a disorder that occurs when one of the nerves that runs in the outer part of a thigh gets compressed."
Typically, sufferers of the nerve condition include construction workers or police officers with heavy, low-slung belts, pregnant women or obese people; it also can result from a pulled-tight seat belt in a car accident. But over the last several years, experts say they’ve been seeing more young women at a healthy weight complain of symptoms. The culprit: too-tight jeans.


Well. I'm not ready to go back to "mommy jeans" just yet!
I will buy a few pairs of not-so-skinny jeans until I lose a few pounds.

Problem solved!