Searching for Summer

If I had written regularly since November 8, there would be screens and screens of lots of whining.  Now I need to squash 2 months into a short explanation of where I am and what I am facing.  I had a swelling on the left side of my face, in front of my ear for several months.  I thought it was a sinus infection.  Sort of silly, since I knew there weren't sinuses in that part of my head.  About 6 weeks ago I found a painful lump under my left ear.  Because of the pain I went to my family doctor.  He sent me immediately to an ENT surgeon. 

The hope was that the lump was a stone in my parotid (salivary) gland.  It turned out to be a 2 cm tumor.  It may be benign or malignant.  I also have a small tumor on one thyroid.  When I thought the surgeon had told me more bad news than I could handle, he told me that the left side of my face could be paralyzed.  The part of the tumor under my ear is under a lot of nerves, which makes surgery difficult and delicate.  Both surgeons in the group will work together on my surgery.   There has been a ridiculous amount of tests and CT scans to give me medical clearance for surgery.  It concerns me that I am having to wait so long for surgery.

The nurse called Wednesday to give me a date, and I reminded her that I would like to have the surgery in the hospital 5 minutes from me.  She said she would have to get with both doctors and would call me back.  The doctors use our hospital, but their favorite is in Arlington.  We had to go there for my appointments.  When we left the hospital I had a nasty surprise when only 3 blocks down is the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium.  For football fans, we are nearing the Super Bowl.  I don't want to be in the hurly-burly of Super Bowl during my surgery.

After having breast cancer in 1996, this is especially frightening for me.  I pray to God a lot and cry a little.  And appreciate prayers in my behalf for healing.   

Where Have I Been All of My Life??

     My poor little blog.  I didn't intend to just stop writing.  Perhaps it was that the winds of winter started to blow through my life, and I seem to have misplaced my invincible summer.
     I cannot write this in chronological order, although I want to start back when I finished my first hCG protocol.  I have been able to maintain the 19 pounds lost and have lost a few more, even through the holidays.  It took me awhile to do maintenance right.  At first there was a gain of about 6 pounds.  I put my trusty Bodybugg back on, started journaling my food, and downloading calories burned and was quickly back to 23 pounds lost.  Someone asked why I stopped.  I could have stayed on it for 40 days, and I was losing at the same rate.  But there came a day when my body told me that she was ready to stop for that session.  I wasn't hungry, although I was ready to put some yummy oil on my skin.  I wouldn't have cared if it were Crisco!  There are times I wish I had sucked it up and gone longer, but I am a big believer in listening to my body.  And my doctor agreed with me. 
     I had a "visit" to the hospital 2 weeks ago. I mentioned to my doctor about the hCG diet when she asked if I had lost weight.  She said that a lot of the doctors and nurses are doing it with good results.
     I am back to the part of my maintaining that includes Miss Jenny's husband locking the freezer that is in the garage.  I will include pictures of one unorthodox way of refusing to gain.
     I will do another entry to bring this up-to-date, which is the real reason that I have neglected so many things in my life, including my blog.  My life has turned bleak and grim.  I wish I could go back to a time when my worst problem was losing weight.  I wish I had treasured the days better.

 

A Girl's Gotta Do, What a Girl's Gotta Do!

 

26 days of hCG

Last week after 26 days of hCG, I decided it was time to quit and start the maintenance of mostly lean meats/fish, and fruits and vegetables.  I am not very hungry, but I am well aware of how easily the weight can come back.  My plan is to maintain until December 25, 26, when I will start again.  My doctor and I are pleased that my health is much improved.  I have lost 19 pounds, which is a good start.  Even better is that my blood pressure is improved, and my digestion is better.  I'm not out of breath with the slightest exertion.  And I'm sleeping, probably more because of taking melatonin as per my new doctor. 

Now I know, for me, what the pros and cons are of the hCG protocol.  The difficult parts, but doable, for me were 1) not a drop of oil in diet or life.  No make-up except for Bare Minerals or one of the similar ones 2) no lotions...just a little baby oil.  That was interesting.  Baby oil doesn't make skin feel one bit better. 3) no manicures/pedicures or hair coloring.  None of that was a hardship for me until last week, when I was tired of it all.   I am thankful that I did it and glad that I am started on this weight loss journey.  I was still losing weight when I stopped, but my body knew when it was best to stop.  

hCG report - October 30

hCG check-in: 
October 10 - 199.98
October 18 - 189.64
October 30 - 182.82

Total Loss - 17.16
     This is the most positive that I have felt in months.  I am rather sedentary, although I intend daily to start treadmill walking.  It will happen by the time I go on maintenance on November 18.   I'm free of food cravings and am rarely hungry.  If I awaken during the night I will feel hungry, but that has been my pattern for a long time...the night bingeing.  I'm able to avoid that, and I am not asking my husband to chain and lock the garage freezer.   That is a major celebration.  I have a great picture of the chained and locked freezer, but it's on Harry Patootie Laptop.  Presently I'm limping along with poor little elderly Daisy Dell.  She has been on life-support for a year.  She is a trooper and deserves more appreciation than she receives.  I would not want to leave the impression that hCG has turned me into a sweet old lady.  My capacity for patience is being stretched.   

Update on Near-Drowning of Toddler

Reported by Miss Skinny-Minny-Sleeveless-Dress Reporter from Lox News AP
     Late on the evening of Saturday, October 23, Harry Patootie Laptop was taken to Best Buy Memorial Hospital.  He is reported to have complications from the accident suffered earlier in the week.  The mother, Miss Jenny, was incoherent, but Mr. Jenny said that the baby would remain at BB Memorial in the ICU unit until he is stabilized.  The staff at the hospital said that Harry Patootie will be air-lifted to a larger facility on Monday.  The spokesman refused to disclose the location.  It is possible that the child will require organ transplants.  If organs are not available immediately, it could be weeks before Miss Jenny is reunited with her child.  She was heard muttering that the doctors at BB looked more like geeks than real doctors. 

hCG - Day 14

I keep thinking this hCG is going to be a dream, and it won't work for me.  This morning my total loss since October 10 is 14 pounds.  I've lost the last 10 pounds that happened after June when I had the digestive problems.  Now I'm 4 pounds into the weight I gained in February when my body went into shock from going off pain meds cold turkey.  Then the 10 pounds gained after the first of the year when our things were in storage, and we were living with our daughter until we could find a house.  At 170 was when I was wanting to throw myself on the floor, kicking and screaming, over my weight.  Things can change quickly.  There seems to be a one-to-one ratio between extreme stress and my weight gain.  I don't suppose that is a brilliant deduction, but I do need to keep it in my consciousness.

Near-Drowing Accident

Reported by Miss Skinny-Minny-Sleeveless-Dress Reporter from Lox News  AP

     In the early morning hours there was a near drowning at the home of Miss Jenny. She reports that she drifted to sleep in her recliner, holding her baby, Harry Patootie Laptop. She jerked awake when her large glass of water spilled all over her jammies and Harry Patootie’s keyboard.
     Mr. Jenny complained that he was rudely awakened by Miss Jenny yelling that she had just drowned Harry Patootie. Miss Jenny is credited with fast thinking and quick CPR on little year-old toddler, H.P. Laptop. She says that she flipped him over, and water ran out of all of his orifices. She gave him up for dead when she heard terrible sizzling noises coming from his poor little body and his face turned black.  A little later, Miss Jenny found a big, fluffy bath towel and lay Harry Patootie over on her best wool rug, with his body, face down, resting on the towel.
     Miss Jenny grieved greatly, weeping into her pillow, knowing that she would have to plan a funeral. It did not relieve her spirits to know that there was a $300 life insurance policy on little Harry P. She says she googled similar drowning accidents, and the reports were grim.
     At 8:30 a.m., Monday, Miss Jenny’s son insisted on plugging little Harry Patootie’s body into his life source. There was much rejoicing when, without coughing or sputtering, the toddler awoke, singing. Miss Jenny and her family agree that a real miracle happened this morning. When the Lox reporter left the home, Miss Jenny was sitting in her recliner, tears rolling down her face, cradling little Harry Patootie Laptop.

Day 9, hCG

Day 9, 10/18, Monday 189.64 (-1.32)

I’ve now lost -10.64. This from the girl who couldn’t lose weight. Every day I feel better with more energy. How strange. Today I was shocked when I realized that I haven’t taken Prevacid or had acid reflux since last Tuesday! I’ve acid reflux since chemo in 1996. Also my blood pressure is lower than in several years. I didn’t intend to report my weight today, but I have to share it. This morning I started watching more YouTube videos about the hCG protocol. So far I have read of no person who didn’t lose weight on hCG, and there’s been nothing I can find about anyone who has had a bad reaction. There are times of some aches and pains, but it’s when my body is releasing toxins. 

One week on hCG

Day 8, 10/17
I have lost -1.1 pound since yesterday.  After a week on hCG I have lost 9 pounds.  I don't have the digestive distress that has been my constant companion for so many months.  The foods I eat are right in line with an anti-inflammatory diet.  There is no hunger, and I have lost my cravings.  The night raids on the fridge and freezer are in my past.  My husband is happy not to have to pad lock the freezer every night!   I have very little fluid retention.  The only bad thing for me is the regret that I didn't do this a lot sooner.  But what a difference a week has made!

First Week on hCG Diet

This is what happened my first week on hCG.


Day 1, October 10, 2010, Sunday 199.98
Gorge Day. I didn’t eat nearly as much as I intended, because I was so distended and miserable. I couldn’t continue with gorging. Boo hoo…I couldn’t eat the 6-pack of Snickers, doughnuts, cheesecake, avocadoes, sour cream, Blue Bell ice cream, and Mexican food. I decided tomorrow to be miserably hungry and not miserable from stuffing my face and gut.

Day 2, 10/11/ Monday 199.1 ( -.88 lb)
I started my low cal eating today. Heartburn today. Hoping with only 500 calories a day, my digestion will improve. On the bright side, I have felt better with more energy today than in a very long time. I’m not talking running around the block…just getting out of bed, making my bed, cleaning up a bit. A cup of Peppermint tea took away the heart burn.

Day 3, 10/12, Tuesday, 196.45 (-2.65)
A loss of -3.56 since starting. I was retaining a lot of fluid on Day 1. Ankles and feet were very swollen. It's better today, but I'm still retaining fluid. Digestion is better. I'm still enjoying the euphoria that is mentioned in the literature about hCG.
Day 4, 10/13, Wednesday, 193.38 (-3.08)
Happy about the weight loss. No sense of euphoria today. After shot (every morning at 8 a.m.) I was headachy, a little depressed, not much energy. My doctor explained that these times will happen. Not uncommon for a person like me who has an a lot of illness and medications, and especially the chemo and Boniva. Those toxins live on in our fat cells... Fluid retention is much improved. Toward evening I felt better with no pain and more energy. The best news is that after all this time (since June) I don't have indigestion, heart burn, and my gut isn't distended as it has been. I can feel under my ribcage! I am SO thankful that I found this hCG!

Day 5, 10/14, Thursday, 192.5
Neck is stiff again, and I'm headachy. I should mention that I've suffered from a severe neck injury at age 19, so pain in my neck is the first place problems will show up for me. I am now sleeping! My new doctor told me to take melatonin to my tolerance...when I could sleep through the night. I'm taking 5 pills, which he says is fine, and it's unbelievable to finally sleep. I'm so thankful! I was out and about this afternoon, for the 1st time all week. I have to wear Bare Minerals, as make-up with oil isn't allowed on the diet. It's tedious to apply, but I lived through it. It's never suited my need for very little time spent on putting on make-up. Maybe I'll get faster during the 40 days.

Day 6, 10/15, Friday, 192.28
A tad more energy. I don't mind the very low cal food. I spread some of my lunch and dinner over several hours. I'm not at all hungry. The gut pain has completely passed. Thank you, Lord! I will get a little gassy when I eat, but it passes as I'm eating so little. My body is burning and using 2000+ pure fat calories to live. This is amazing. I did a lot of research on the internet, but the best information is from the downloadable, free book, Pounds and Inches, by Dr. Simeon, who developed the diet in the 1950's. My doctor had me buy HCG Weight Loss Cure Guide, A Supplemental Guide to Dr. Simeons' Pounds and Inches, Supporting All Types of HCG, Practitioner Guided. By Linda Prinster. There are many places where a person can buy the drops or shots and do the diet without the help of a doctor. I don't happen to know anyone who has been successful doing this on their own. I was afraid it would be very expensive. My insurance pays for my doctor appointments and blood work, and he gave me a prescription for the hCG for the shots. It cost me $160 for a 40-day supply. So I consider this the deal of my lifetime, after one week. I wish I had posted this daily, and then it wouldn't have been so long. But I wasn't at all certain that I would be this happy with the results. The hormone helps the hypothalmus to kick in. The science behind hCG is explained in the literature and online much better than I could do.

Day 7, 10/16, Saturday 192.06
No fluid retention. No hunger. Loss for the week is -7.92. Almost 8 pounds. My doctor said that when I go back for my next appointment on the 22nd I will have probably lost at least 10 pounds. What a difference a week has made in my life!

The website in my entry below...

Clarificatiion:  When I read my post, I didn't think it looked apparent that "Few Minute Wonders: Quinoa Salad Made Indian Style" is a clickable website.  Otherwise, what I wrote wouldn't be understandable without going to the website.

Few Minute Wonders: Quinoa Salad Made Indian Style

Few Minute Wonders: Quinoa Salad Made Indian Style

This site is a good description and history of quinoa and also a good recipe.

Kelly's post about quinoa (keen-wah)  reminded me of how much I've learned to like it in the last year, but how I need to find good recipes.  My California nutritionist, Rose Cole, recommended that I use quinoa.  BTW, she has an excellent website, http://www.RoseCole.com. She is an excellent nutritionist and is the one who saved me after the destruction to my digestive tract by Boniva.   She especially liked the red quinoa, so that is all I've bought so far.  It was difficult for me to find, and I ended up buying it on Amazon.  Now that I'm in the Dallas area, I am hoping I can buy it locally.  It is chock full of wonderful nutrients and is high in protein.  It's interesting to me that it is an antique seed that was grown by native Americans, and it's now grown in South America. 

My favorite way to eat quinoa is as a chilled salad.  I add chopped tomoatoes, onions, and a little olive oil.  Sometimes a little lemon or lime juice...sometimes not.  I'm a very basic girl when it comes to food preparation.  The salad in the website has more ingredients, but I can't believe it would be better than my basic dish.  I have failed miserably at any other way to eat quinoa.  It's flat and bland, if I try to eat it plain like rice.

I'm Back...Really I'm Back

On October 11, deep in the night,  I wrote a pathetic entry in the way I sometimes write my entries.  I wrote it on a Word document so that I could read it when I wasn't so upset.  I've just read it and am glad that it wasn't put out to live forever on the internet.  To summarize, that day I had the most demoralizing day in my memory.  On my scale I weighed 199.98.  That's the highest I've ever weighed.  And even worse, it was 19 pounds up from my weight in July. I understand that the gain was caused by the extreme problems I've had with my digestion, but it still feels that I've been bad.

 That day my lean, handsome husband was in Wal-mart, shopping for the week.  I can't even drag myself to Wal-mart.  For months I have felt so exhausted.  Almost everything I have eaten since June has made me extremely bloated.  My comfortable uniform for several years  is an XL men's denim shirt.  I would be embarrassed to count how many I own.  I buy decorated denims from my favorite little ebay seller.   For one year, I wore size L.  Then I had to go up a size.  In the last few weeks my XL wouldn't accomodate my tummy when I sat down.  On the 11th, I was beyond misrable.  I called my husband while he was shopping at Wal-mart and asked him to buy me an XXL men's denim shirt.  That, added to the new numbers on the scale, sent me into a tailspin.

The next thing that I explained in detail on that Word document was my journey for the last 2 months in deciding to do the hCG diet. I'm not going to rehearse that tonight.   I had to wait a month for an appointment with the doctor.  The first good news is that I finally found a doctor in this city that I love!  He listened, and he gave me some common sense answers to the digestion problems that have plagued me.  I wanted to start the diet the next day, but he insisted on a large battery of blood tests first.  I waited 2 weeks for the result.  Nothing was too bad (no cholesterol as I wasn't fasting) except for the news that one kidney is damaged and is only working at about 50% capacity.  I agreed with the doctor that it has been caused by the last 2 years of uncontrolled high blood pressure.  As I've mentioned, I have bad side effects to all the high blood pressure meds that I've tried, except for 2.  To be able to live, I must lose the weight.  I started the diet last Sunday, Oct. 10th.  This is Day 5, and I am pleased with my results so far.  I will report in my next entry about how that's going for me.     

Easy Great Veggies

I read so many impressive blogs of great, creative cooks who write their wonderful recipes and take the time to post pictures of their creations.  Someone was thinking of me when she said, "I only have a kitchen because it came with the house."  I think my little band of followers are all good cooks, which makes me a little embarrassed to even think about posting a recipe.  But here it is:   

I wish I could be one of those people who love veggies.  They are so beautiful.  I do love my veggies Barefoot Contessa style.  It works for just about any vegetable you like.  I cut them in bite-sized pieces, place on a cookie sheet and drizzle or spritz with a little olive oil.  Season with your favorite herbs and spices.  I'm such a minimalist when it comes to the kitchen that I usually rely on salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and toss with my hands.  Roast them at 425 degrees for about 20 or 25 minutes (give or take). 

Little Man Meets Baby Doll

I wanted to share this wonderful sequence of pictures of our Little Man.  This was the first time he had ever seen a baby doll.  When I need to smile, these pictures always do it for me.

#1


Whooaa! Now what do I do?

#2

Hmmm.

#3

Yer sorta' cute!

#4

Who ARE you??

#5

Cat got yer tongue??