Stalled diet

I certainly veered off my diet.   But as I have moaned and complained, life happens.  The thing I have most wanted to learn is how not to let these difficult times derail me.   But that's exactly what has happened.  The thing now is for the derailment not to last for several more months.

 I started my blog on such a high note of enthusiasm.  Then when the bottom fell out, I didn't want to post and talk about failure.  As I work to pull my mind and body out of this pit, I'm thinking I need to stop with words like "failure."  It has been several weeks of recovery from the colonoscopy and endoscopy.  I have no blockage or tumor, but I did have inflammation.  A lot of the problems I was having are much improved since the tests.  If I had merely done the prep, as loathsome as it is, back in June, I think I might have been okay.  Although I still have a lot of gas and bloating,  I am trying through trial and error to find the healthy foods that I can eat.  In the process I have regained every pound that I lost.

The struggle continues with new doctors.  I assume that the doctor who did the tests was competent.  I don't think he communicates well with women.  His name is Muhammed and I cannot pronounce nor remember his last name.  I had one appointment with him, and he never made eye contact with me.  Then when I saw him at the hospital before the tests, he stated that he would give the results to my husband, because I would still be asleep after it was over.  All I know of my results is what my half-deaf husband has reported to me.  The short sentence above is exactly what he remembers from Muhammed.   He is my love, but he's not who I would choose to receive medical reports.   I thought my new internal specialist might explain the results to me, but he reports that it will be a month before he receives anything. I'm going to let this paragraph stand as my explanation.  I am not going to have myself a rant over the medical profession.  This is making me feel like the little red hen.  I will do it myself.

Last week I had a nasty flu/virus.  I spent a lot of the week in bed.  My husband gifted me with a Kindle last month, so the time hasn't all been spent feeling sorry for myself. 

Here's what I have read:

 The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.    I have the 3rd book but haven't read it yet.  These are a great read!

Redeeming Love  by Francine Rivers   It's a beautiful story, but I expect no less from Rivers.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett  I didn't want it to end.  It tugs at the heart strings, and I found it to be what I remember of the early 60's in the south.

The Passage by Justin Cronin   I almost missed this book because it was described as having vampires in it.  It's an ambitious (long) book, but I was completely engaged and never felt I had read about vampires.  I'm looking forward to the sequel in a year.  His writing would take a year or more to produce a good book.

The Goddess of Fried Okra by Jean Brashear  What a treat this book is!  And I was ready for something a little lighter with lots of laughs.  For a short time, it was offered free on Kindle which was the reason I bought it.  Now I would gladly pay to buy a Brashear book.  Highly recommend!

A mystery series by Karin Slaughter.  She is a new author for me.  She has a new book, Broken.  After considering downloading it to my Kindle, I realized that it is the 8th book in the series.  I have to read series in order.  So I dug through Amazon and made myself a list, in order.  I have read the first 3 books in the last week.  Blindsighted,  Kisscut, and A Faint Cold Fear.  I think I would consider these good beach books.  Or books to read when you have the flu and don't want to be challenged.  I like finding good, new authors.  I'm not a huge fan of mystery, thrillers, but I like these.  I like her character development.  The first book was obviously by a new author, albeit a promising one.  She improves by the 2nd, and greatly improves by the 3rd.  There are some shocking crimes, but she does them well even for a squeamish reader such as I.  It may work for me, because often she gives the description after the fact.  Not always, but enough.

Confessions of a Carb Queen by Susan Blech This is one of the best stories of weight-loss that I have read. I have bought enough to buy a Kindle. I’m glad they are on my shelf, because I need the visual of seeing them there. I also highly recommend Blech’s book. There were only 2 pictures on my Kindle, but I googled and brought up several articles featuring Susan Blech with nice, pictures of her in color.


Now that I look back at that list, I’m seeing another reason why I wasn’t blogging. All of that luscious time spent reading!