Counting the minutes

 General Health, Life  2 Responses »
Nov 302008
 

Here it is almost 5 PM, and I’m not sure how much longer I can last without putting some substantial food into me.

I rode pretty hard today, and all I’ve had since getting home is some left over meat loaf, an apple, about 6 sticks of celery (each stick is good for about 90 seconds), and one of those chocolate chip cookies that are always staring me in the face in the kitchen.

I know, but I couldn’t resist. Hey, I rode hard today, and I needed a sugar fix. Unfortunately not even that has quelled my desire to eat more at this moment.

The worst part is, Edie is planning on baked chicken tonight, and that takes at least an hour, which right now is seeming like an eternity.

This losing weight thing isn’t getting any easier yet, but at least I’m getting closer to my goal. I’ve already lost one pound since last Sunday. :)

I think I’ll go make a salad now. That may encourage Edie to get dinner started.

Will power

 Life, My MCL  2 Responses »
Nov 282008
 

When you love to eat, especially desserts, like I do, the absolute hardest thing in the world is to go without. Even limiting yourself is difficult, because you know, once you’ve had a little, it’s so easy to rationalize having just that little bit more.

I know, because I’ve been there and done that.

When I was first diagnosed with mantle cell, I read an article by Dr. Arthur Robinson about diet and cancer, and decided the best way to combat my lymphoma, was to lose weight by decreasing my food intake, and increasing the amount of exercise I do.

It was going to be my mission in life to prove Dr. Robinson correct, and exercise and starve my lymphoma to death. It was difficult, but I did a pretty good job accomplishing that task. I lost 30 pounds [attaining a weight of 147 pounds], and I was riding and feeling better than ever.

But then a trip to France in 2003, to consult with a doctor there, as well as experience the Tour d’France in person, resulted in my gaining about 7 pounds. (The food in France is to die for!) Then a bad bicycle accident in November 2005, which kept me off the bike for about 3 months, resulted in me gaining another 7 pounds.

Ever since that date, I’ve been unable to get below that 160 pound threshold [fortunately not going above it either], not that I’ve been trying that hard. Don’t forget, I love to eat. It’s also one of the reasons [maybe even the main reason] I ride my bike so much, that is so I can eat as much and whatever I want. At least that’s what I tell myself

But if you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know I’m on that mission again. I’ve committed to getting back under 150 pounds, but I am finding it a little daunting, made even more so by all the temptations this time of year.

Last night we had Thanksgiving dinner at our niece and nephew’s house in Granada Hills. There was turkey and gravy, cranberry sauce (my favorite), stuffing, green bean salad, etc., and dessert. Everything was very good. I’m just thankful there weren’t any chocolate desserts.  Had there been, I’m not sure I could have restrained myself to the degree I did.

Still if it was only those special dinners that proved difficult to resist, I could deal with that, but even after having dinner at home tonight, I found myself tempted by those chocolate chip cookies, staring me in the face, in the kitchen.

It was only resorting to writing this post that has given me the will power to resist them so far. I’m just not sure I can come up with enough ideas, for more posts, to get me to my goal before the end of December.

 Posted by at 9:30 pm  Tagged with:

Always expect the unexpected

 General Health, My MCL  4 Responses »
Nov 222008
 

Last month when my oncologist said she was going to order additional tests that hadn’t been performed for awhile, my only concern was with the PSA test.

I had heard having an enlarged prostate typically produces a false positive, which then requires a very painful biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of prostrate cancer. Assuming Certain I had a large prostrate, because of frequent trips to the bathroom, seemingly mostly at night, I was fully expecting to see a high reading, and kept thinking about this painful test, and what to do about it.

But NO, my PSA didn’t turn out to be a problem at all. It was only .73 ng/mL, which based on everything I’ve been able to glean from the internet is a relatively low number. (The lab did not provide a reference range for my test.)

So then what is causing those frequent trips to the bathroom at night, you might ask?

Could it be the blood glucose level of 106 mg/dL, I reported in my previous post, may not be a lab error after all, especially considering my glycohemoglobin level came back at 6.1% (reference range 4.8 – 5.9%)? It turns out, frequent urination is a symptom of diabetes. Fortunately, I don’t have any of the other symptoms, except for maybe some irritability, which Becky may attest to. :)

So now that prostrate cancer and a heart attack don’t appear to be a problem, (total cholesterol was 137, HDL 42, LDL 87, and triglycerides were 41), all I have to worry about is my lymphoma, and the possibility of diabetes.

This just sounds like a wake up call to me, to do what I haven’t been doing for the last few years. It’s time to commit to eating healthier, eliminating all sweets, and increasing the intensity and lengths of my workouts.

I plan on being under 150 pounds by this time next month (currently I’m just under 160 pounds), after which I expect a marked improvement on both fronts, but also not forgetting the title of this post. And hopefully I might even see an improvement in my cycling.

Latest blood counts

 My MCL  3 Responses »
Nov 212008
 

Well this month my doctor ordered some additional tests, which haven’t been checked in quite awhile, on top of my usual CBC and LDH.

Now, I’m almost wishing she hadn’t. Here I was cruising along quite happy, learning my hemoglobin remained stable at 12.6 g/dl, my lymphocyte count had dropped below 90 thou/cumm again, and my LDH had improved, from last months 160 IU/L reading, to 126 IU/L , that is, until I received my glucose results.

Seeing a glucose reading of 106 mg/dl (reference range 70-99 mg/dl) was very disconcerting. Not even the stock market climbing almost 500 points could help.

I emailed my oncologist, and she agreed to another glucose test next month, to confirm the reading. I’m hoping it was just a lab error.  I’d hate to think I may have the onset of diabetes. That’s not a pleasant thought, especially on top of my MCL.

Having to give up sweets won’t be a problem, but the thought of having to give up wine is just unacceptable.

The best “Survivor” ever

 Off Topic  No Responses »
Nov 202008
 

Edie and I have watched every Survivor from the start. It was the first reality show, and in my mind still remains the best. The producers just seem to have that knack for picking the most interesting participants, and are always able to create enough new twists and turns to peak your interest, and continue to watch year after year.

Even after 17 seasons (twice a year for 8 years), when you think things can’t get any better or more interesting, this latest season, Survivor Gabon, has done just that.

This latest episode, when Sugar conspired with Bob, to make Randy think Bob had the hidden immunity idol, and then give it to Randy at Tribal Council to protect Randy from the near certainty of being voted out, has to go down in television history as the best absolute episode ever.

There have always been people I disliked, and people that I like, but I can’t think of any other single participant, not even Sue in the very first Survivor, who deserved being voted out more than Randy did this season.

That’s just more proof for me, “what goes around, comes around”, and no matter how bad things may look at the moment, remember, there really is justice in the world.

At the crack of dawn

 Cycling, Life  7 Responses »
Nov 162008
 

While progress has been made fighting the wild fires in southern California overnight, there is still the smell of smoke in the air, and the sky has that eerie look to it.

But even with all the devastation around us, it did make for one spectacular sunset last night, and it’s still a good excuse for not going on a bike ride this morning.

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