the medical conveyor belt

So I have had 1 cat scan and two er visits in 9 days.

The pain is continuous and worsening.

I was referred to a gastroenterologist...

He decided i need to do several tests, a test to rule out Celiac's disease, a colonoscopy, and an endoscopy. they were going to be a few weeks out, but i was told that if i was continuing to hurt badly, to go back to the er and I would be admitted...
That didn't happen, but my scopes have been moved up to this week... I am nervous, I will admit it, but I know I will be ok.

also, the second er doctor is my hero. He gave me some anti-spasmotic medicine that is helping soooo much.


This ordeal reminds me why doctors call it a practice 8D. Comforting, when one realizes that we are the guinea pigs.

what's wrong with me?

Well, a lot has happened... I am gluten intolerant... most definitely...

The doctors also think I either am having gallstone issues and/or appendicitis....

I am officially on a no fat diet...

That no is very specific. no dressing, no mayonaise, no fat whatsoever... I can't cook in oil.

My sweet man made me dinner with grapes, garlic, chicken, etc. it was tasty...

i already miss gluten free bread....

But as Dave always says... "Health First..."

feeling mortal and this week's goals

i have been feeling quite mortal lately. Diabetes, both type 1 and 2 can kill. The more research I delve into, the more I know I need to make drastic changes...

I am now on a b supplement for my neuropathy(without the cyanide derivative. I had an allergic reaction to it.)


My first goal is to reduce diet sodas with aspartame and splenda, etc. This week, I have to drink less than 64 ounces. It's a lot still, but definitely less than I was drinking.

I have to drink 64 ounces of water per day.

I have to stay on top of my sugars and take insulin accordingly.

I am working on eating healthier meals in general, and eating good, nutritious foods for meals and snacks. that is difficult for me, but I am doing better this week.

My goal is 10 minutes of exercise per day. I know it's small, but I am working on up 8).

I want to focus on losing a .5 lb per week. It's a small goal but I think that's the way I need to go about this.

The family that Wiis together, Stays together 8D

The entire family is Wii-ing.... Wii fit to be precise. We are doing this as a family, and it has already been really good for us. We are encouraging each other to start making healthier choices and do better. We can do this 8).

Whew... It's always something

So glad Dave's bloodwork came back ok. We are still focusing on bettering ourselves and being healthier. We definitely want to focus on our diet and exercise.

One focus for me this week will be to drink 64 oz of water per day. Yesterday, I completed that mission. Hopefully, the rest of this week will be better 8)

I had some issues with low blood sugar a couple of weeks ago along with a bunch of red spots on me. The doctor ended up saying they were probably bug bites, but we think it may be a chlorine rash. We shall see 8). That is getting better, thankfully...

And now, I got a phone call that my yearly exam came back abnormal, so a small biopsy is in my near future. I am nervous, but I know it will be ok. Dave is being very supportive and I am glad of that.

True Blood Test

So my blood test came back. I'm normal. My concerns were proven to be unfounded and I am (save for some fatty liver issues) healthy.

That is all. What more need there be?

My Old Enemy

I work as a server at ****** *****, so I spend a good chunk of my shift on my feet. I do a fair of amount of lifting (certain cold shellfish dishes are heavy) and even a bit of furniture moving (setting up for large parties). I also have to park in a parking garage on either the fourth or fifth floor. A while back I decided to park on five, walk down the stairs and elevator up at the end of my shift. I justify that walking down the stairs gives me a little more exercise than taking the elevator and I can feel good about doing my hard work out for the day.

I know.

I get some exercise at work but I know it needs to be more. Last night fate gave me more.

It was a busy Friday night. I did a ton of moving around and ended my shift with sore legs and a sweaty me. I walked back to the parking garage and saw a sight that struck terror into my heart. The elevator was broken. I had no choice but to climb up to the roof to find my car.

Stairs!

Flight one was okay. "Maybe I'm not as out of shape as I thought," I thought as I started the second flight. Two steps into the second flight the thought changed to. "Oh, maybe I am as out of shape as I thought I was," as I struggled to find breath as I approached the third floor. It's a good thing I wasn't thinking out loud, wasting precious breath. By the end of the third flight I knew I had just one more set to go. I considered sitting by the elevator to wait for the repair man to show up. It was late Friday night, so I knew he wouldn't get the until Monday at the earliest. I'd have to wait three nights before I could take the elevator. I still thought about it but decided that maybe it wasn't the best idea. I forged ahead.

When I finally reached my destination I thought that my body would explode. My legs were screaming at me. My heart was saying "seriously?" and my lungs... well I think my lungs decided to wait on the fourth floor for the elevator to get fixed.

I have to work tonight. I have to work Sunday night. I know that the elevator won't be fixed so at the very least I'll have to climb to floor four at the end of it all, but I think I'll still park on five. I'll still climb to the roof. And I think I'll still do it when the elevator is fixed. I think it's called a Lifestyle Exercise. If it's not I'm dubbing the term now. Basically it's a thing you do in your daily routine that is a form of exercise that doesn't involve going to the gym or running around in circles. We're still going to do the gym, but I think finding little Lifestyle Exercises in various pockets of my daily to-dos will be a big step to reducing my body fat. 

Technology

Technology can be wonderful and it can cause problems beyond belief... We depend on mechanisms such as glucometers to tell us how we're doing health-wise. What if they fail?

After our healthy lunch, I got a reading of 346 for my blood sugars. I didn't insulin prior to that, as I don't always need to and honestly, I didn't check my blood sugar prior to lunch. I was so hungry as I had just volunteered at VBS and I was eating over an hour later than my normal. So, sometimes I insulin after a meal and monitor, especially since I knew my blood sugar would be going up since my food hadn't fully digested. Well, it was a mis-read, and next thing I know, my blood sugar is going down and quickly. So, a 20 ounce regular Coke later, I'm still feeding the insulin. I was tired and hot from being outside, so it felt like 346... I need to double check before utilizing insulin again like this with outrageous numbers that don't quite make sense. Sometimes, glucometers are wrong. Blogs are filled with examples, and I have witnessed this myself. I have taken my blood sugar and the glucometer read over 300, and retook it immediately thereafter and it was 100... So, I just need to be more mindful of this 8D.

But it'll be ok and we'll figure it out 8D.

A Healthier Choice: Kelly's at the Village

One of the things that Holly and I realize as we go down the road to a healthier lifestyle is that it is significantly easier to eat healthier at home than it is in restaurants. It's hard to say no to onion rings when they're staring you from the menu saying. "Look at us. We're onion rings and we're delicious. Remember?" Being a founding member of the fried onion of the day club, it's a particularly tough temptation to shy from.

That being said at most places you can find some really delicious healthy options if you look hard or creatively enough. Many places will let you substitute a healthier side for french fries or will have a section dedicated to lighter fare, some of those items are even tasty.

Today we visited Kelly's at the Village in Allen, TX in hopes of finding some great healthy options. We did not leave disappointed. 

The Fairview Burger.

There were many healthy options to choose from including a blackened salmon, a veggie plate (which includes three sides and some cornbread), a variety of salads including a spinach and mushroom salad and the item both Holly and I zeroed in on, The Fairview Burger.

 There are a number of healthy sandwich options that we passed over (though the veggie burger looked like it might actually be good.) and any of the sandwiches can be served with a variety of buns including rye, sweet sourdough and whole grain ciabatta. The Fairview burger sounded WAY too good to pass up. 

It's a turkey burger topped with sliced avocado, brie, bacon and a house-made raspberry chipotle mayo. We both had it on whole grain ciabatta, and Holly left the brie off. It was amazing. The sweet and spicy mayo worked well with the brie and avocado to create a wonderfully delicious combination of flavor that will certainly bring me back. The sandwiches all naturally come with hand cut french fries (which look like temptation personified... or foodified. I'm not sure of the accurate terminology) but they are happy to substitute any of a variety of sides at no charge including the veggie of the day, pinto beans and my choice, grilled squash. 

Of the many options of places to eat at The Villages of Allen and Fairview (of which there are literally dozens) Kelly's at the Village has rocketed up near the top of my personal favorite choices for healthy meal options in the area. There are many healthy options that sound amazing and I can't wait to see what we taste next.  

Liver Let Live

"Your ultrasound came back. You don't have gall stones," the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Okay. That's good."

"What you DO have is some small masses of fat in your liver."

"That's not good." I'm paraphrasing here. I don't recall exactly how the conversation went so bear with me.

"No, it's not. This is mainly do to being overweight. It can cause some pretty serious issues in the future if you don't take care of it now. You're going to need to focus on losing weight."

"I see." The rest of the conversation was basically about how I should check back on my blood test later in the week but the general theme of the call was "You're unhealthy and only you can fix it." That's a tough pill to swallow and a much tougher one to digest. And I know it's true. My doctor can tell me what to do. My loved ones can encourage me but the full truth of the matter is that I am unhealthy and that only person with the power to fix it is me.

When I hung up the phone I looked down at my Chili's menu. I know. Even prior to the conversation my co-author and I had resolved to eat better and exercise more and yet we somehow found ourselves at a place that many people say even the healthy food isn't all that healthy. We both ordered the healthier food options off the 2 for $20 menu and even though I think we made the best choice given where we were at, I felt a little weird talking to a representative from my doctor's office telling me I need to focus on losing weight from a Chili's booth.

So that's why I'm here. Why WE'RE here, actually. My co-author has her own story, but the idea is that for our own reasons we're finding ourselves wanting and needing to get healthier. Not just lose weight, though that's part of it, but to live a healthier lifestyle. We'll both come here periodically to let you know how things are going, what we're doing to get healthier and hopefully will be able to inspire those of you who are looking to live a healthier lifestyle.

Also, 277. Because you've got to start somewhere.

Why I'm here

I am here because I have known for awhile that food is my enemy. I found out how much of a war food and I are in when I was in diabetic ketoacidosis, which caused my healthcare providers to realize I am actually a Type 1 diabetic and I have been misdiagnosed for years... Yay... The good news is I know what it is. The bad news is there isn't a cure. The good thing is I can help my numbers and decrease my insulin usage by monitoring my food intake, by making good choices, by sticking strictly to my insulin schedule, and beginning an exercise program. There are some rough days in my new normal. I want to talk things out. I want those who are going through this same ordeal to know you are not alone, and we can conquer anything. My belief is they will find a cure for Type 1 diabetes in my lifetime.

This is my story in a nutshell and I would like you to join me, to join us in being healthier. We are doing what we do best, working on tough issues together. We can help each other by staying accountable and working towards our individual goals and our goal as a couple... To become a healthier we.