This is going to be a short blog because I need to pack up the computer very soon in order to be ready to get out the door by 11 a.m. We are heading to Sanford to board the auto train. The earlier you check in for the auto train the better your chance of getting a decent time for the dinner seating.
I weighed myself this morning, and I was pretty happy. I am 276.7 this morning, which is exactly what I weighed last Wednesday. HAHA! All week I just gained a few and lost a few. Still maintenance in my book, but I admit to being happy when I saw that number. I was less happy when I realized it was the same number as last Wednesday. Oh, well!
I have planned my breakfast and I have packed a lunch to eat in the train terminal. Unless the dinner menu has changed significantly on the auto train since June, which I doubt, I know that dinner will be tilapia, rice, and mixed veggies. If I don't eat the bread and butter and have only the sugar free jello for dessert, I think the dinner calories will be 460, not bad at all. I think I can bring today in at around 1100 calories altogether. That's a great day!
If there is a blog tomorrow, it will be posted in the evening after we are settled in at Cindy's house.
Now to a different topic: diabetes. I am a poster child for someone who should be a type II diabetic, both my parents became diabetics after age 50 and I have struggled with lifelong obesity. So far I have not developed that, and I've been checked twice a year for fasting blood sugars and A1C.
Today I'm starting to worry a little. The last few weeks I have been drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot, but I didn't think anything of it. When you are drinking a lot, you pee a lot. I'm drinking a lot of water because the ENT said don't drink anything else. It's hot in Florida. I drink a lot of water.
BUT, yesterday I realized that for at least a week, I have felt dry as a bone in my mouth, prompting me to be drinking water like a chain smoker, constantly. As soon as the cup or bottle is empty, I refilled it and kept drinking. I'm peeing every half hour or so. Yesterday I decided that is NOT normal and IS a symptom of type II diabetes. So this morning I made Mark test my fasting blood sugar.
He said, "Oh, you're fine. It's only 120." I screamed, "WHAT? I've NEVER been that high." 120 is a good morning fasting number for Mark or for any diabetic, but not for someone who is NOT a diabetic.
Normal is up to 100. I usually come in at 99, although twice I got a 104 and a 106. In between those two higher numbers, I had another 98 or 99. Doctors have never said anything to me about being a diabetic, so to have a fasting number of 120 was stunning and scary!
Officially, you have to have a 126 or higher on two separate tests to be considered a full diabetic. I do plan to test two hours after I eat today and see what I get. Once we are at Cindy's, I'll test a few more times. Meanwhile, trying to continue to lose weight is the best answer because most type II diabetics who are obese can totally reverse it just by weight loss. Because Mark's been a diabetic since 1976, we both know a lot about the disease and counting carbs. I have always counted calories but never worried about the carbs. It's going to be a challenge to add that in to the mix, but I can do it. The hardest thing will be eating enough lean protein right now until I can chew better on the extraction site. Fish and eggs are soft, also tuna from a can. I can eat all of that, so I'm sure I can make some adjustments to lower carb and higher protein. I have been eating a lot of high carb foods the last two to three weeks because of my teeth, lots of yogurts and soups and canned fruits. Just carbs, carbs, carbs. It's possible that the higher sugar number is a result of that and is temporary.
Meanwhile, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this morning's number was just an aberration and that the next test will be back down to normal. Let's hope.
Next blog, tomorrow night.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Lots of wins yesterday!
Wow, I think yesterday was a first for me. I won THREE games in the morning session of Mah Jongg and then another THREE games in the afternoon session. Usually if I win in the morning, I don't win at all in the afternoon. Crazy and fun.
After playing Mahj, I went straight to the pool and swam 16 laps, which took 30 minutes. It felt great. I was the only one in the pool and it was nicely cool. A huge but brief rainstorm had cleared the place out and cooled the pool water to the perfect temperature for swimming.
After swimming, I took ten minutes to relax in the hot tub before dressing and waiting by the restaurant for Mark, the Goldbergs, and the Westens. We had a 6 p.m. dinner reservation at Lakeside. This was the at Susie G.'s suggestion since she had heard good things about it. We had a great table right by the window with a view of the lake, so it was delightful. I had only water to drink. I ordered the salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli plus two dinner rolls with butter. My best guess on the calories was about 920, which is certainly a lot more than dinner eaten at home. My total calories yesterday were 1710 if I guessed dinner accurately, but with a half hour of swimming, the day wasn't a total loss.
Weight this morning, 278.6, essentially the same as yesterday and Saturday. Yes, I'm apparently on a maintenance plan. UGH. Today's calories will come in at 1250 if nothing changes from my plan. I am going to do my forty minutes of water aerobics at 10:30. Once I get home, packing for tomorrow's trip is the plan for the afternoon. I went back to research this weight loss attempt. I have been strictly counting and logging calories for over two weeks, but since August 17, I have dropped exactly ONE pound. That is 12 days on an average of 1300 calories or less and a ONE pound loss. Very unusual. With that sort of effort back in 2009, I would have dropped six or seven pounds easily. Something has definitely changed in my metabolism over the last seven years.
Actually, I just delved deep into the logs of the Lose it! app. It was August 10 that I got serious about losing weight and started to carefully log in every calorie. I took the average of the daily calories for those 20 days from August 10 through today, and it was 1388. Possibly that is just a little too much for weight loss. It's possible that my maintenance number is now between 1300 and 1400. I need to do better to lose weight, I suppose. On the flip side, on August 10 I weighed 284.7, which I happened to record in the app. So it looks like I've lost five pounds in 20 days, but in reality I dropped those pounds in the first four days. I recorded my weight at 279 in this blog on August 14. So for the last 16 days, I have waffled up and down the same one pound. Frustrating as hell.
We leave on the auto train tomorrow afternoon out of Sanford to head up to Maryland for almost two weeks. Ilan's wedding is on Sunday. We will see Lowell and Emily for dinner at Cindy's house on Friday and then again Saturday night at her parents' house. Cindy is joining us for both of those dinners. We get to see Rabbi Saul in action at Mishkan Torah Saturday morning and play Mah Jongg up there with my MD group in the afternoon before heading to dinner at the Stackhouse's home. That will be our first time at their home, so I'm looking forward to it.
Meanwhile, we are consumed with watching the horrors of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Our hearts and prayers go out to those folks affected.
After playing Mahj, I went straight to the pool and swam 16 laps, which took 30 minutes. It felt great. I was the only one in the pool and it was nicely cool. A huge but brief rainstorm had cleared the place out and cooled the pool water to the perfect temperature for swimming.
After swimming, I took ten minutes to relax in the hot tub before dressing and waiting by the restaurant for Mark, the Goldbergs, and the Westens. We had a 6 p.m. dinner reservation at Lakeside. This was the at Susie G.'s suggestion since she had heard good things about it. We had a great table right by the window with a view of the lake, so it was delightful. I had only water to drink. I ordered the salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli plus two dinner rolls with butter. My best guess on the calories was about 920, which is certainly a lot more than dinner eaten at home. My total calories yesterday were 1710 if I guessed dinner accurately, but with a half hour of swimming, the day wasn't a total loss.
Weight this morning, 278.6, essentially the same as yesterday and Saturday. Yes, I'm apparently on a maintenance plan. UGH. Today's calories will come in at 1250 if nothing changes from my plan. I am going to do my forty minutes of water aerobics at 10:30. Once I get home, packing for tomorrow's trip is the plan for the afternoon. I went back to research this weight loss attempt. I have been strictly counting and logging calories for over two weeks, but since August 17, I have dropped exactly ONE pound. That is 12 days on an average of 1300 calories or less and a ONE pound loss. Very unusual. With that sort of effort back in 2009, I would have dropped six or seven pounds easily. Something has definitely changed in my metabolism over the last seven years.
Actually, I just delved deep into the logs of the Lose it! app. It was August 10 that I got serious about losing weight and started to carefully log in every calorie. I took the average of the daily calories for those 20 days from August 10 through today, and it was 1388. Possibly that is just a little too much for weight loss. It's possible that my maintenance number is now between 1300 and 1400. I need to do better to lose weight, I suppose. On the flip side, on August 10 I weighed 284.7, which I happened to record in the app. So it looks like I've lost five pounds in 20 days, but in reality I dropped those pounds in the first four days. I recorded my weight at 279 in this blog on August 14. So for the last 16 days, I have waffled up and down the same one pound. Frustrating as hell.
We leave on the auto train tomorrow afternoon out of Sanford to head up to Maryland for almost two weeks. Ilan's wedding is on Sunday. We will see Lowell and Emily for dinner at Cindy's house on Friday and then again Saturday night at her parents' house. Cindy is joining us for both of those dinners. We get to see Rabbi Saul in action at Mishkan Torah Saturday morning and play Mah Jongg up there with my MD group in the afternoon before heading to dinner at the Stackhouse's home. That will be our first time at their home, so I'm looking forward to it.
Meanwhile, we are consumed with watching the horrors of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Our hearts and prayers go out to those folks affected.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Lots of Mah Jongg on Mondays
I play morning and afternoon on Mondays. I'm back from an excellent morning, winning three games. Now I probably won't do as well when I go to the afternoon game. That's the Mah Jongg karma in action!
My weight is down one pound, back to Saturday morning's weight. Up one and then down one....that's maintenance. I had 1299 calories yesterday and took a 20 minute walk. Clearly I'm averaging 1200 to 1300 calories a day and maintaining my weight very nicely. That's sad because it's hard to sustain that low of a calorie count when eating out or traveling. It's actually pretty hard to do it in the house, too. Clearly, my metabolism, after years of yo-yo dieting, has slowed to a crawl if my maintenance calories are 1300. I am really not sure what is the best thing to do now. If I eat more, I'll surely gain. If I eat less calories, say down to 1000 a day, I will probably not lose and slow my metabolism even more.
My weight is down one pound, back to Saturday morning's weight. Up one and then down one....that's maintenance. I had 1299 calories yesterday and took a 20 minute walk. Clearly I'm averaging 1200 to 1300 calories a day and maintaining my weight very nicely. That's sad because it's hard to sustain that low of a calorie count when eating out or traveling. It's actually pretty hard to do it in the house, too. Clearly, my metabolism, after years of yo-yo dieting, has slowed to a crawl if my maintenance calories are 1300. I am really not sure what is the best thing to do now. If I eat more, I'll surely gain. If I eat less calories, say down to 1000 a day, I will probably not lose and slow my metabolism even more.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Up another one
This up and down yo-yo on my weight is getting very annoying. Another good day and another pound gained. 279.6 this morning. Last night I actually googled "unexplained weight gain" only to get scared by things like pituitary tumors and Cushing's Syndrome. Geez. I'm sure there's nothing seriously wrong with me, but I am frustrated by the inability to drop any weight while I've had a long stretch at home, eating and planning perfectly nutritious and low-calorie meals without a bit of snacking or alcohol. Once we go away on the train for two weeks come this Wednesday, it's going to get harder. This was the perfect month to drop some weight, but it didn't happen. It's beyond frustrating.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Still up but a little down.
I was up four pounds yesterday to 280.7 yesterday and blamed it on sodium with subsequent water retention. Today I am down two of those pounds to 278.5, although it's still up almost two since Wednesday. I stayed on track yesterday, logging in all the food with a calorie count of 1445, sodium at 1990 mg, and a half hour of lap swimming in the pool. I guess that's why I dropped two of the four pounds, but I was still disappointed. I really thought that would take all the four pounds away. Sigh.
Still, I feel strong and committed to sticking to this. Clearly I cannot lose weight the way I did all those previous times, the most recent one being in 2009 when an average daily calorie count of 1200 per day allowed me to drop 122 pounds in 12 months. I just don't seem to be able to do that now even though I'm keeping the calories low. I admit I'm not going to work anymore or walking as much, so maybe that coupled with being 7 years older is causing this. Clearly, I can't change my age, but I can step up the exercise.
Since I have no more restrictions on moving around, exercise it is!
We are heading out to the synagogue in an hour, but when we come home, I will need to go out for a walk. Rain is no excuse since we have treadmills and an indoor walking track.
Meanwhile, I am thinking of my dad today, Billie Getson Meese, who died on August 20, 1988 at age 62 of a heart attack. Today is the nearest Shabbat to the anniversary of his death on the Hebrew calendar, so that means saying a special prayer called Mourner's Kaddish at the synagogue. A few nights from now on the actual anniversary of his death by the Hebrew calendar, I will light a 24 hour burning memorial candle called a Yahrzeit light. He was a great man whom I miss all the time.
Here's a fun picture of Daddy letting Lowell, maybe age 5 or 6, drive the tractor at his farm in Weston, WV. Those were some fun times! What's really hard to believe is that Daddy could not have been more than 58 or 59 years old at this point if Lowell was about 6. Lowell was 9 when Dad died at age 62. Here I am at 67 already. Just goes to show that people all age differently.
Still, I feel strong and committed to sticking to this. Clearly I cannot lose weight the way I did all those previous times, the most recent one being in 2009 when an average daily calorie count of 1200 per day allowed me to drop 122 pounds in 12 months. I just don't seem to be able to do that now even though I'm keeping the calories low. I admit I'm not going to work anymore or walking as much, so maybe that coupled with being 7 years older is causing this. Clearly, I can't change my age, but I can step up the exercise.
Since I have no more restrictions on moving around, exercise it is!
We are heading out to the synagogue in an hour, but when we come home, I will need to go out for a walk. Rain is no excuse since we have treadmills and an indoor walking track.
Meanwhile, I am thinking of my dad today, Billie Getson Meese, who died on August 20, 1988 at age 62 of a heart attack. Today is the nearest Shabbat to the anniversary of his death on the Hebrew calendar, so that means saying a special prayer called Mourner's Kaddish at the synagogue. A few nights from now on the actual anniversary of his death by the Hebrew calendar, I will light a 24 hour burning memorial candle called a Yahrzeit light. He was a great man whom I miss all the time.
Here's a fun picture of Daddy letting Lowell, maybe age 5 or 6, drive the tractor at his farm in Weston, WV. Those were some fun times! What's really hard to believe is that Daddy could not have been more than 58 or 59 years old at this point if Lowell was about 6. Lowell was 9 when Dad died at age 62. Here I am at 67 already. Just goes to show that people all age differently.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Oh, that naughty sodium!
I was 276.7 on Wednesday, and this morning I am up FOUR pounds. Yes, I just love my body. NOT!
I had 1348 calories on Wednesday and 1178 on Thursday, so I knew it wasn't actual fat. Each pound on the body is 3600 extra calories. That just did not happen, so that leaves only water retention. Since I'm no longer on the Prednisone, I couldn't blame that. What else could it be? Of course, it's the sodium.
My Lose It! app will track the sodium in milligrams if the food programmed has it listed in the contents. Not every thing I eat includes that, especially a recipe Mark might have without that or I don't bother to look it up and record it; however, that was not the case with these two days. Every item was taken from a barcode and included the sodium. That's how I know I had WAY TOO much sodium yesterday, over 6,000 mg, which is far over twice what a woman should have in one day. Mostly it was from the two cups of no-chicken chicken bouillon that I drank as an afternoon snack.
So, yeah, mystery solved. Although even I am surprised that I held on to four pounds of liquid. In fact, I weighed at bedtime and in the morning. I gained most of those four pounds while I was asleep. LOL!
Today, because it's Shabbat and Mark bought raisin challah (one of my favorite foods, which I'm desperately hoping I can eat tonight), my calories will be more like 1500 for the day. Not every food has a sodium count attached to it today, either, but I think the total sodium for today will be far less than yesterday. It should be around 2,000 for the day, which is within acceptable daily limits.
Tomorrow I bet these four pounds are gone!
Now off to the nail salon!
I had 1348 calories on Wednesday and 1178 on Thursday, so I knew it wasn't actual fat. Each pound on the body is 3600 extra calories. That just did not happen, so that leaves only water retention. Since I'm no longer on the Prednisone, I couldn't blame that. What else could it be? Of course, it's the sodium.
My Lose It! app will track the sodium in milligrams if the food programmed has it listed in the contents. Not every thing I eat includes that, especially a recipe Mark might have without that or I don't bother to look it up and record it; however, that was not the case with these two days. Every item was taken from a barcode and included the sodium. That's how I know I had WAY TOO much sodium yesterday, over 6,000 mg, which is far over twice what a woman should have in one day. Mostly it was from the two cups of no-chicken chicken bouillon that I drank as an afternoon snack.
So, yeah, mystery solved. Although even I am surprised that I held on to four pounds of liquid. In fact, I weighed at bedtime and in the morning. I gained most of those four pounds while I was asleep. LOL!
Today, because it's Shabbat and Mark bought raisin challah (one of my favorite foods, which I'm desperately hoping I can eat tonight), my calories will be more like 1500 for the day. Not every food has a sodium count attached to it today, either, but I think the total sodium for today will be far less than yesterday. It should be around 2,000 for the day, which is within acceptable daily limits.
Tomorrow I bet these four pounds are gone!
Now off to the nail salon!
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Root Canal is done at last.
This morning I had the root canal in the other tooth, the molar with an infection in it. The endodontist, Dr. Kiran, said it was good that I had been on the antibiotics for the last week because it helped the infection. Also he said the extraction site right next to it was healing nicely and would be okay for him to go ahead and do the root canal. He did the entire root canal and then put on a permanent filling instead of a temporary one because I told him I was going out of town next week for two weeks. This way he said I don't have to worry about it falling off or breaking in any way.
He also said that I should wait at least another three weeks or so before going to my regular dentist for the crown to allow the extraction site to heal up completely. And while it's healing up, he said to stick with liquids and soft foods. OK. I see more weight loss coming if I have to do this soft and liquid diet another three weeks. Not going to be a lot of fun in Maryland! I have cancelled our eating out on Sunday, and on Monday I will go and eat eggplant parm with linguini, which should be soft enough.
Once I got home, I took two of the Tylenol 3 (with codeine) that I got from the oral surgeon. They helped because once the novocain wore off a pretty good throbbing started up. I dozed off for about an hour around 3 p.m. When I woke up, the throbbing was less, although it still doesn't feel all that great. Time will heal it up. I'm okay with sticking to soft food and being careful for another three weeks. I'm thinking of it as a good opportunity to eat low-cal!
He also said that I should wait at least another three weeks or so before going to my regular dentist for the crown to allow the extraction site to heal up completely. And while it's healing up, he said to stick with liquids and soft foods. OK. I see more weight loss coming if I have to do this soft and liquid diet another three weeks. Not going to be a lot of fun in Maryland! I have cancelled our eating out on Sunday, and on Monday I will go and eat eggplant parm with linguini, which should be soft enough.
Once I got home, I took two of the Tylenol 3 (with codeine) that I got from the oral surgeon. They helped because once the novocain wore off a pretty good throbbing started up. I dozed off for about an hour around 3 p.m. When I woke up, the throbbing was less, although it still doesn't feel all that great. Time will heal it up. I'm okay with sticking to soft food and being careful for another three weeks. I'm thinking of it as a good opportunity to eat low-cal!
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Quick Weigh-in Wednesday Report
After averaging about 1100 calories each day of the last week, I dropped 1.8 pounds, weighing in at 276.7.
I have to accept that, but deep inside I admit to being disappointed it wasn't more. Sigh.
I know from decades of losing and gaining weight that there can be weeks when the calories and exercise are perfect, even better than usual, and only one pound will be lost. Then the next week, which might be good for dieting but perhaps not as good as the previous week, will show a three to four pound loss. Overall, when looking back on the months of loss, an average of two pounds per week will show, but two pounds each week is not what actually happens. So, this is nearly two pounds, the previous two weeks showed a SEVEN pound loss, and for a three week period, I can report a loss of 8.8, nearly nine pounds in three weeks. THAT IS AMAZING! So NO whining, Beck. This is all good!
Today begins a new week. Due to the restrictions placed on me from the various little health issues and staying home to eat every meal, I have been in strict control and feeling okay about it. I have had some cravings, some moments of restlessly moving around the kitchen opening cupboards and the fridge, staring at food, thinking about snacking when I had no reason to do so. This is very common for me, but what is not common is that I did not give in to those urges. Not even once. Yay for me on that one.
So, this upcoming week will present a little more challenge. I will be eating dinner out twice, Sunday night and Monday night. I could cancel the Sunday one because it only involves me and Mark, but Monday is with two other couples. Can't cancel that one. My no coffee, no tea, no alcohol restrictions are still in play, so that will help keep the calories down; however, I think any restrictions on food due to the teeth problems will be lifted. Hm....any regular reader of this blog knows that restaurants are difficult for me. We will just have to wait and see how it goes.
Then next Wednesday I will report my weight and then take off for the auto train to stay two weeks with my sister. We have lots of meals out or dinner parties in people's houses planned plus the wedding that we are going up to attend. Those two weeks could easily undo the work I've just done if I'm not careful. Again, we will just have to wait and see.
I have to accept that, but deep inside I admit to being disappointed it wasn't more. Sigh.
I know from decades of losing and gaining weight that there can be weeks when the calories and exercise are perfect, even better than usual, and only one pound will be lost. Then the next week, which might be good for dieting but perhaps not as good as the previous week, will show a three to four pound loss. Overall, when looking back on the months of loss, an average of two pounds per week will show, but two pounds each week is not what actually happens. So, this is nearly two pounds, the previous two weeks showed a SEVEN pound loss, and for a three week period, I can report a loss of 8.8, nearly nine pounds in three weeks. THAT IS AMAZING! So NO whining, Beck. This is all good!
Today begins a new week. Due to the restrictions placed on me from the various little health issues and staying home to eat every meal, I have been in strict control and feeling okay about it. I have had some cravings, some moments of restlessly moving around the kitchen opening cupboards and the fridge, staring at food, thinking about snacking when I had no reason to do so. This is very common for me, but what is not common is that I did not give in to those urges. Not even once. Yay for me on that one.
So, this upcoming week will present a little more challenge. I will be eating dinner out twice, Sunday night and Monday night. I could cancel the Sunday one because it only involves me and Mark, but Monday is with two other couples. Can't cancel that one. My no coffee, no tea, no alcohol restrictions are still in play, so that will help keep the calories down; however, I think any restrictions on food due to the teeth problems will be lifted. Hm....any regular reader of this blog knows that restaurants are difficult for me. We will just have to wait and see how it goes.
Then next Wednesday I will report my weight and then take off for the auto train to stay two weeks with my sister. We have lots of meals out or dinner parties in people's houses planned plus the wedding that we are going up to attend. Those two weeks could easily undo the work I've just done if I'm not careful. Again, we will just have to wait and see.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Feeling pretty good.
I'm planning to go to water aerobics this morning because I'm feeling very much back to normal.
Normal...what really is that? The new normal? I feel like I usually do every today, my usual amount of energy. That's a good thing. I'm still a little sore in my mouth from the extraction and have a toothache in the infected tooth. I'm looking forward, if that's possible, to seeing the endodontist again on Thursday to get that one fixed. I'm still on food restrictions from the tooth and drink restrictions from the vocal nodes. I'm still not allowed to sing and trying (not terribly successfully) to minimize talking. So that's my current new normal.
It has been nice to get back to some actual food for lunch and dinner, even if it is soft food. Just when those restrictions will be lifted is when I have the next root canal! LOL
I am still holding on to all the weight. I weighed 278.5 again this morning, just like every morning since I reported it last Wednesday morning. Since then my calories have been the following:
Wed 1482
Thur 795
Fri 1055
Sat 1050
Sun 1250
Mon 1360
Tuesday planned so far 1165
Interestingly, that is an average of 1165 per day. On anybody's diet plan that would be a low calorie week with an expected good weight loss of about two pounds. Today is the last day for this week, so I will be reporting in the morning if anything happened. All week long I have gotten up in the morning and excitedly stepped on the scale, only to be disappointed with seeing the exact same number every day.
Today I am not taking a Prednisone, the steroid for the vocal nodes. My ten days of those ended with the last pill yesterday morning. I'm kind of keeping my fingers crossed that going off the steroid will allow my body to release any water that it has been retaining due to the steroid. Hey, a girl can hope!
Normal...what really is that? The new normal? I feel like I usually do every today, my usual amount of energy. That's a good thing. I'm still a little sore in my mouth from the extraction and have a toothache in the infected tooth. I'm looking forward, if that's possible, to seeing the endodontist again on Thursday to get that one fixed. I'm still on food restrictions from the tooth and drink restrictions from the vocal nodes. I'm still not allowed to sing and trying (not terribly successfully) to minimize talking. So that's my current new normal.
It has been nice to get back to some actual food for lunch and dinner, even if it is soft food. Just when those restrictions will be lifted is when I have the next root canal! LOL
I am still holding on to all the weight. I weighed 278.5 again this morning, just like every morning since I reported it last Wednesday morning. Since then my calories have been the following:
Wed 1482
Thur 795
Fri 1055
Sat 1050
Sun 1250
Mon 1360
Tuesday planned so far 1165
Interestingly, that is an average of 1165 per day. On anybody's diet plan that would be a low calorie week with an expected good weight loss of about two pounds. Today is the last day for this week, so I will be reporting in the morning if anything happened. All week long I have gotten up in the morning and excitedly stepped on the scale, only to be disappointed with seeing the exact same number every day.
Today I am not taking a Prednisone, the steroid for the vocal nodes. My ten days of those ended with the last pill yesterday morning. I'm kind of keeping my fingers crossed that going off the steroid will allow my body to release any water that it has been retaining due to the steroid. Hey, a girl can hope!
Monday, August 21, 2017
Solar Eclipse Day!
The solar eclipse marched across the entire USA creating a swath of totality about 70 miles wide and going from Portland, OR to Charleston, SC. WOW!
We had to cancel that trip to Charleston because I couldn't cope with it after the tooth extraction. We got about 85% here in Kissimmee.
After winning three games at Mah Jongg in the morning, I set up a "campsite" for us in the driveway with two chairs and a table to hold the iPad to run the live coverage on the TV. We had our glasses, so we were good to go.
We sat outside about two hours and watched it start, reaching the full level for the area, and then start the retreat. We cleaned up, went inside, and then four times ran out to watch it ebb away. Really was a lot of fun even though there wasn't a totality.
Evey got to see 75% briefly from work in San Jose. Lowell and Emily had a wonderful time in a small town near Columbia, SC. They even called and talked to me after the totality for about 15 minutes, which I LOVED!
I know the country as a whole really had a great time today!
We had to cancel that trip to Charleston because I couldn't cope with it after the tooth extraction. We got about 85% here in Kissimmee.
After winning three games at Mah Jongg in the morning, I set up a "campsite" for us in the driveway with two chairs and a table to hold the iPad to run the live coverage on the TV. We had our glasses, so we were good to go.
We sat outside about two hours and watched it start, reaching the full level for the area, and then start the retreat. We cleaned up, went inside, and then four times ran out to watch it ebb away. Really was a lot of fun even though there wasn't a totality.
Evey got to see 75% briefly from work in San Jose. Lowell and Emily had a wonderful time in a small town near Columbia, SC. They even called and talked to me after the totality for about 15 minutes, which I LOVED!
I know the country as a whole really had a great time today!
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Moving on to soft food
My liquid diet is over! YAY! Today I can add soft foods like pasta and macaroni 'n cheese. For dinner tonight Mark is making thin spaghetti (ACTUAL pasta instead of our usual spaghetti squash) with marinara sauce (nothing spicy until Friday) with grated Parmesan cheese. Sounds spectacular. For lunch instead of tomato soup I'm having Amy's Minestrone soup. I'm really moving up in the world! Well, not too quickly. For breakfast I'm drinking the last Ensure with the usual two yogurts, just like the last two mornings.
Today would have had us on the road to Charleston, about 450 miles away, for tomorrow's eclipse. Although the maps program claimed it was about 450 miles, a little over six hours to drive, in my driving estimate, it would be more like 9 hours, with a lunch stop and rest stops. We were planning on leaving early. We had not thought about the potentially horrendous traffic jams that the news are all reporting. Truthfully, I'm VERY relieved that we are not going.
Instead we will stay in all day and do the same things I've been doing the last two days: reading, watching TV, playing on the computer, resting.
I will be finishing an excellent book today. I'm reading the new biography of old friend Ralph Mollerick, written by our other old friend David Herschler. Dave's PhD in history made him the perfect person to take Ralph's oral history and turn it into a wonderful book. Ralph was born in Germany in 1930. His parents realized that terrible things were beginning to happen in their town, so they put both of their children, Ralph at age 9 and Edith at age 18, on the first Kindertransport, a train to take them out of Germany to a ferry to England. Ralph spent the rest of his childhood in a series of youth hostels and foster homes, trying to get an education, trying to understand why his parents never came to get him like they promised, mostly separated from his older sister, and eventually learning of his parents' deaths in concentration camps in 1942. On his 16th birthday he landed in NYC, having finally gotten all the appropriate paperwork and visa permissions.
Dave is an excellent writer and Ralph's story is fascinating. Maybe it's more fascinating to me because by the time we met Ralph in our MD synagogue, he was a married man with three kids, twenty years my senior, a respected former synagogue president and tireless worker. He was also a fellow civil servant with Mark at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. At the time, we had no idea of Ralph's background.
The full title of the book is Kindertransport: A Lifelong Journey of Survival and Redemption, The Story of Ralph W. Mollerick, A Kind, by David H. Herschler. It is available through Amazon in paperback or for a Kindle. I really think it would make an excellent book for anyone's book club.
On November 16 we will see Dave and Ralph speak about the book and Ralph's journey at his synagogue in Boynton Beach. Ralph and his wife Phyllis now live in Lake Worth, FL. I plan to ask them both to autograph my copy!
Today would have had us on the road to Charleston, about 450 miles away, for tomorrow's eclipse. Although the maps program claimed it was about 450 miles, a little over six hours to drive, in my driving estimate, it would be more like 9 hours, with a lunch stop and rest stops. We were planning on leaving early. We had not thought about the potentially horrendous traffic jams that the news are all reporting. Truthfully, I'm VERY relieved that we are not going.
Instead we will stay in all day and do the same things I've been doing the last two days: reading, watching TV, playing on the computer, resting.
I will be finishing an excellent book today. I'm reading the new biography of old friend Ralph Mollerick, written by our other old friend David Herschler. Dave's PhD in history made him the perfect person to take Ralph's oral history and turn it into a wonderful book. Ralph was born in Germany in 1930. His parents realized that terrible things were beginning to happen in their town, so they put both of their children, Ralph at age 9 and Edith at age 18, on the first Kindertransport, a train to take them out of Germany to a ferry to England. Ralph spent the rest of his childhood in a series of youth hostels and foster homes, trying to get an education, trying to understand why his parents never came to get him like they promised, mostly separated from his older sister, and eventually learning of his parents' deaths in concentration camps in 1942. On his 16th birthday he landed in NYC, having finally gotten all the appropriate paperwork and visa permissions.
Dave is an excellent writer and Ralph's story is fascinating. Maybe it's more fascinating to me because by the time we met Ralph in our MD synagogue, he was a married man with three kids, twenty years my senior, a respected former synagogue president and tireless worker. He was also a fellow civil servant with Mark at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. At the time, we had no idea of Ralph's background.
The full title of the book is Kindertransport: A Lifelong Journey of Survival and Redemption, The Story of Ralph W. Mollerick, A Kind, by David H. Herschler. It is available through Amazon in paperback or for a Kindle. I really think it would make an excellent book for anyone's book club.
On November 16 we will see Dave and Ralph speak about the book and Ralph's journey at his synagogue in Boynton Beach. Ralph and his wife Phyllis now live in Lake Worth, FL. I plan to ask them both to autograph my copy!
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Still resting, reading, and retaining weight.
I gave away all those eclipse glasses yesterday, so all my neighbors can enjoy the event on Monday. We are all just hoping that afternoon thunderstorms don't ruin the view. Well, there's always TV.
Tuesday and Wednesday I had about 1400-1500 calories each day when I was still eating actual food. Thursday I consumed 795 calories. Friday I had 1055. This morning I weighed 279.5, which is maybe down a bit from yesterday morning but still up almost a full pound from Wednesday's official Weigh-In report of 278.6.
Here's what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast, 250 calories: Ensure Light (80), Lowfat Activa yogurt (90), Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt (80)
Lunch, 180 calories: Ensure Light (80), Lowfat Activia yogurt (90), Sugar Free Jello (10)
Dinner, 395 calories: Can of Campbell's Tomato soup (225), individual serving Mott's applesauce (90), Dannon Light Fit Greek Yogurt (80).
Snacks, 230 calories: Lowfat Activia yogurt (90), Arctic Zero Vanilla Maple ice cream (140)
Today will be virtually identical except I have a different soup to eat at dinner that is a few more calories, bringing today's total calories up to 1090.
I really can only blame this weight gain on such small amounts of calories on one or both of two things. First, I have NO exercise of any kind. I am supposed to take it easy and I have. I walked to my neighbor's houses to deliver their eclipse glasses, but other than that, there was only walking from one end of the house to the other as necessary. The second thing is Prednisone. I'm on 10 mg of that steroid for ten days for the vocal nodes. Today I am taking the 8th pill. I know steroids can cause water retention and hunger that causes people to eat more. I'm definitely not eating more! So maybe there is just an unusual amount of water retention. I can only hope that after I take the last Prednisone on Monday morning that I can start to see some weight drop off then.
I know this blog looks like I'm consumed with my weight, and maybe to some extent that is true. However, keep in mind that this blog was created originally in October of 2009 to be all about my weight loss!
Tuesday and Wednesday I had about 1400-1500 calories each day when I was still eating actual food. Thursday I consumed 795 calories. Friday I had 1055. This morning I weighed 279.5, which is maybe down a bit from yesterday morning but still up almost a full pound from Wednesday's official Weigh-In report of 278.6.
Here's what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast, 250 calories: Ensure Light (80), Lowfat Activa yogurt (90), Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt (80)
Lunch, 180 calories: Ensure Light (80), Lowfat Activia yogurt (90), Sugar Free Jello (10)
Dinner, 395 calories: Can of Campbell's Tomato soup (225), individual serving Mott's applesauce (90), Dannon Light Fit Greek Yogurt (80).
Snacks, 230 calories: Lowfat Activia yogurt (90), Arctic Zero Vanilla Maple ice cream (140)
Today will be virtually identical except I have a different soup to eat at dinner that is a few more calories, bringing today's total calories up to 1090.
I really can only blame this weight gain on such small amounts of calories on one or both of two things. First, I have NO exercise of any kind. I am supposed to take it easy and I have. I walked to my neighbor's houses to deliver their eclipse glasses, but other than that, there was only walking from one end of the house to the other as necessary. The second thing is Prednisone. I'm on 10 mg of that steroid for ten days for the vocal nodes. Today I am taking the 8th pill. I know steroids can cause water retention and hunger that causes people to eat more. I'm definitely not eating more! So maybe there is just an unusual amount of water retention. I can only hope that after I take the last Prednisone on Monday morning that I can start to see some weight drop off then.
I know this blog looks like I'm consumed with my weight, and maybe to some extent that is true. However, keep in mind that this blog was created originally in October of 2009 to be all about my weight loss!
Friday, August 18, 2017
Day after extraction. up three pounds! LOL
So the weight loss didn't really get started for some reason. It just shows how nuts my body is.
I ate only 795 calories yesterday consisting mostly of Light Ensure (80 calories a bottle), yogurt, sugar free jello, and applesauce. And I am up three pounds this morning! I was stunned when I stepped on the scale because I was happily anticipating another pound gone. I may have actually screamed out loud at the scale. Ridiculous.
I have now programmed my meals into the Lose It! app for today. It looks like I might consume a whopping 955 calories today. I am still hoping that those three pounds, and maybe one more, will magically disappear by tomorrow morning.
Yesterday I followed all the instructions from the oral surgeon. I kept ice on my face, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, from about 4 p.m. until bedtime. I took the Tylenol 3 at 3 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. I was ragingly sick to my stomach from 8 to 11 p.m. I realized I was not in pain, so I did not take anymore at bedtime nor any this morning. I'm done with those. I still have Clindamycin, the antibiotic, to take three times a day for a week. Unfortunately, the 7 a.m. pill this morning has also made me ragingly nauseous. Maybe it was the antibiotic yesterday all along and not the Tylenol 3. More likely the combination of both was especially bad. I can't ditch the antibiotic, so I am just going to have to live with the sick feeling.
I am SO glad that we cancelled the Charleston trip for the solar eclipse. It's sad not to see a total eclipse once in your lifetime when the opportunity was right there, but my food restrictions and sick feeling just made it sound less desirable. Instead we will stay home and see an 80% eclipse. That'll be good enough. We can also watch it on TV. It might rain here and in Charleston anyway, so then the trip would have been for nothing.
Meanwhile, I saw that the package of eclipse glasses we got was actually a set of TEN glasses! I was able to give the extra eight away in just a few minutes. Ed Goldberg came to pick up a pair and said they were completely unavailable anywhere and that I could have sold each one for a million bucks! I'm sure he was exaggerating, but it never occurred to me to try to sell them. It's better to just give them away and let people enjoy the experience! I am happy that I could give them away to neighbors and friends so quickly. It's one of the wonderful things about Solivita, the great neighbors and friends!
Since I'm still supposed to be resting and minimizing movement for the tooth along with minimizing talking for the nodes, I did not go to water aerobics with Mark today. I'm staying home until 12:30 when the cleaning people will come. Then I'm driving up to the Palms to sit in their lovely, air-conditioned lobby to read Dave Herschler's new book on the Kindertransport and our friend Ralph Mollerick, one of the Kind. It should be excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading it and learning about Ralph's life.
I ate only 795 calories yesterday consisting mostly of Light Ensure (80 calories a bottle), yogurt, sugar free jello, and applesauce. And I am up three pounds this morning! I was stunned when I stepped on the scale because I was happily anticipating another pound gone. I may have actually screamed out loud at the scale. Ridiculous.
I have now programmed my meals into the Lose It! app for today. It looks like I might consume a whopping 955 calories today. I am still hoping that those three pounds, and maybe one more, will magically disappear by tomorrow morning.
Yesterday I followed all the instructions from the oral surgeon. I kept ice on my face, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, from about 4 p.m. until bedtime. I took the Tylenol 3 at 3 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. I was ragingly sick to my stomach from 8 to 11 p.m. I realized I was not in pain, so I did not take anymore at bedtime nor any this morning. I'm done with those. I still have Clindamycin, the antibiotic, to take three times a day for a week. Unfortunately, the 7 a.m. pill this morning has also made me ragingly nauseous. Maybe it was the antibiotic yesterday all along and not the Tylenol 3. More likely the combination of both was especially bad. I can't ditch the antibiotic, so I am just going to have to live with the sick feeling.
I am SO glad that we cancelled the Charleston trip for the solar eclipse. It's sad not to see a total eclipse once in your lifetime when the opportunity was right there, but my food restrictions and sick feeling just made it sound less desirable. Instead we will stay home and see an 80% eclipse. That'll be good enough. We can also watch it on TV. It might rain here and in Charleston anyway, so then the trip would have been for nothing.
Meanwhile, I saw that the package of eclipse glasses we got was actually a set of TEN glasses! I was able to give the extra eight away in just a few minutes. Ed Goldberg came to pick up a pair and said they were completely unavailable anywhere and that I could have sold each one for a million bucks! I'm sure he was exaggerating, but it never occurred to me to try to sell them. It's better to just give them away and let people enjoy the experience! I am happy that I could give them away to neighbors and friends so quickly. It's one of the wonderful things about Solivita, the great neighbors and friends!
Since I'm still supposed to be resting and minimizing movement for the tooth along with minimizing talking for the nodes, I did not go to water aerobics with Mark today. I'm staying home until 12:30 when the cleaning people will come. Then I'm driving up to the Palms to sit in their lovely, air-conditioned lobby to read Dave Herschler's new book on the Kindertransport and our friend Ralph Mollerick, one of the Kind. It should be excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading it and learning about Ralph's life.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Root Canal turned into an extraction. OUCH!
So we left at 9 a.m. for my 10 a.m. root canal appointment. Unfortunately the fracture went down into the root, so I was sent to see the oral surgeon. The good news was that he was in the same office and available to do it today. We had to wait awhile, so we didn't get home until 3 p.m. We had to stop for two prescriptions on the way, an antibiotic and Tylenol with Codeine for pain.
Now I'm on soup, yogurt, apple sauce, and mashed potatoes through Saturday night when I can add other soft, bland food like Ricotta cheese, mac 'n cheese, and pastas though next Thursday. Then BAM! Next Thursday is the OTHER root canal. Or at least the start of the second one...he plans to kill the nerve and put antibiotic in it to kill the infection before continuing with the rest of the root canal a few months down the road. So much fun.
I have to limit movement through Saturday night and keep a cold compress on my jaw through today and maybe half of tomorrow, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. As soon as I finish this blog, I'm going to get started on that.
So....we cancelled our trip to Charleston for the eclipse. We kind of talked about that yesterday before even all of this because it sounded like traffic jams would be monumental. Even getting in to restaurants to eat could be trouble. Now with all of these restrictions after surgery, I didn't even want to attempt it. Orlando should have an 80% eclipse, so we'll just go with that. I actually feel relieved that we are staying home now.
The good news is that my weight loss could be stunning over the next week! LOL Let's go with the positive!
Now I'm on soup, yogurt, apple sauce, and mashed potatoes through Saturday night when I can add other soft, bland food like Ricotta cheese, mac 'n cheese, and pastas though next Thursday. Then BAM! Next Thursday is the OTHER root canal. Or at least the start of the second one...he plans to kill the nerve and put antibiotic in it to kill the infection before continuing with the rest of the root canal a few months down the road. So much fun.
I have to limit movement through Saturday night and keep a cold compress on my jaw through today and maybe half of tomorrow, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. As soon as I finish this blog, I'm going to get started on that.
So....we cancelled our trip to Charleston for the eclipse. We kind of talked about that yesterday before even all of this because it sounded like traffic jams would be monumental. Even getting in to restaurants to eat could be trouble. Now with all of these restrictions after surgery, I didn't even want to attempt it. Orlando should have an 80% eclipse, so we'll just go with that. I actually feel relieved that we are staying home now.
The good news is that my weight loss could be stunning over the next week! LOL Let's go with the positive!
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Beautiful day
Today I will start with the weight. Last Wednesday I was out with the Goldbergs at the Studios, and apparently, I did not weigh in. The last posted weight on my blog was two weeks ago. So the weight this morning was 278.8, a loss of 7.2 pounds. I am beyond happy.
Yesterday I went to water aerobics for the second morning in a row, and if nothing gets in the way at the last minute, I'll be heading over to do it a third time in about an hour. It really is fun. The hardest thing is just making the commitment to get out of the house.
At our dinner at the new restaurant, STK, at Disney Springs last night, I think I made good choices. It's easier when you can't chew and aren't allowed to have coffee or alcohol! LOL. I ate the dinner rolls they gave us with some deliciously different herbed oil for dipping as well as a blue cheese spread. Then I ordered only two sides. The macaroni and cheese was my main entree. Also, I had grilled asparagus along with, which I shared with Mark. For dessert I got the orange cheesecake. Delicious.
None of us really loved that restaurant though. The music was in the background when we started at 6, but it kept getting louder about every half hour. By about 7:30, it was nearly intolerable with a thumping beat that was quite irritating. It was nearly impossible to have a conversation. It was a super expensive restaurant, too, so we all decided we would not go back there in the future.
It was fun to get together with Barb and Al to celebrate her birthday and anniversary. Today is their 47h wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to them!
Yesterday I went to water aerobics for the second morning in a row, and if nothing gets in the way at the last minute, I'll be heading over to do it a third time in about an hour. It really is fun. The hardest thing is just making the commitment to get out of the house.
At our dinner at the new restaurant, STK, at Disney Springs last night, I think I made good choices. It's easier when you can't chew and aren't allowed to have coffee or alcohol! LOL. I ate the dinner rolls they gave us with some deliciously different herbed oil for dipping as well as a blue cheese spread. Then I ordered only two sides. The macaroni and cheese was my main entree. Also, I had grilled asparagus along with, which I shared with Mark. For dessert I got the orange cheesecake. Delicious.
None of us really loved that restaurant though. The music was in the background when we started at 6, but it kept getting louder about every half hour. By about 7:30, it was nearly intolerable with a thumping beat that was quite irritating. It was nearly impossible to have a conversation. It was a super expensive restaurant, too, so we all decided we would not go back there in the future.
It was fun to get together with Barb and Al to celebrate her birthday and anniversary. Today is their 47h wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to them!
Monday, August 14, 2017
Root Canal Today: NOT, AGAIN!
We left the house at 9 a.m. to head up to my endodontist's office for the first of the two root canals. About 2/3 of the way there, I got a call saying the doctor was sick and my appointment was cancelled.
Oh well. Today's is now on Thursday, and when up there Thursday, I will reschedule that one for the following week. Geez.
So we went to water aerobics at the Cove instead, which was ever so much nicer anyway.
My food and drink restrictions are paying off. I weighed 279 this morning. Very exciting. Just hoping that the dinner out tomorrow doesn't screw it all up. Because I can hardly chew, I plan to order only side dishes of macaroni and cheese, asparagus, and maybe mashed potatoes. I can't order salad, coffee, or alcohol, which will save lots of money and calories! LOL
Last year on this date we had been driving around the southwest USA on our big trip. I ate very carefully and well and was losing weight. I weighed 261 on this date last year. Sad that I put so much back on in a year. Ah well, that's the story of yo-yo dieting and binge-eating disorder. It's my life. As Evey said to me when we were out there, "Why don't you just own up to it?" So, I'm owning it. I'm a yo-yo and a BED person. I know it.
Oh well. Today's is now on Thursday, and when up there Thursday, I will reschedule that one for the following week. Geez.
So we went to water aerobics at the Cove instead, which was ever so much nicer anyway.
My food and drink restrictions are paying off. I weighed 279 this morning. Very exciting. Just hoping that the dinner out tomorrow doesn't screw it all up. Because I can hardly chew, I plan to order only side dishes of macaroni and cheese, asparagus, and maybe mashed potatoes. I can't order salad, coffee, or alcohol, which will save lots of money and calories! LOL
Last year on this date we had been driving around the southwest USA on our big trip. I ate very carefully and well and was losing weight. I weighed 261 on this date last year. Sad that I put so much back on in a year. Ah well, that's the story of yo-yo dieting and binge-eating disorder. It's my life. As Evey said to me when we were out there, "Why don't you just own up to it?" So, I'm owning it. I'm a yo-yo and a BED person. I know it.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Almost over my caffeine withdrawal!
I was told no coffee, but when I whined a lot, the ENT doctor relented and said one cup in the morning. I have done that since Friday morning. I think I'm finally starting to feel less sleepy, but it's only 11:30 in the morning! I have been drinking only water the rest of the day, so I'm sure that's healthy, albeit boring.
I had a great four and a half hours at the salon on Friday. She lightened my hair a little more than usual, but she didn't tell me in advance. LOL! Oh, that Nicole! Still, I like it. I had the coloring, highlights, manicure, and pedicure. After that, I went home and watched the first few episodes of The Crown on Netflix. Excellent. Yesterday I watched seven more episodes, so there is only one left for this season. We also watched a couple of other movies together. It was definitely a TV, lay around in jimmies, kind of day. We also started a new book on tape, The Orient Express, in preparation for the new movie version coming out later in the year.
Today we are heading over to Disney Springs to renew our WDW Annual Passes. Before we leave, we are about to watch Hacksaw Ridge on TV. Should be excellent.
Tomorrow...ugh, the first of the two root canals. Oh yay.
I've been a good girl with my meds for my larynx and not singing, although not singing is proving to be harder than I expected. I have started up three times but caught myself after just a few notes. I'm also trying to talk less and talk softer. I don't know if that's helpful, but it can't hurt.
And because we are eating all our meals at home and I'm drinking only water and recording my food, I have lost a few pounds. This morning I was only 280.4. I will make an official report Wednesday morning after we go out to dinner with friends at the new STK steakhouse at Disney Springs. I can't order coffee or alcohol or eat anything hard. I'm hoping just eating salmon and soft veggies won't do any serious damage to my weight loss. I am crossing my fingers than I can soon be back in the 270s and stay there awhile, never to see the 280s again!
I had a great four and a half hours at the salon on Friday. She lightened my hair a little more than usual, but she didn't tell me in advance. LOL! Oh, that Nicole! Still, I like it. I had the coloring, highlights, manicure, and pedicure. After that, I went home and watched the first few episodes of The Crown on Netflix. Excellent. Yesterday I watched seven more episodes, so there is only one left for this season. We also watched a couple of other movies together. It was definitely a TV, lay around in jimmies, kind of day. We also started a new book on tape, The Orient Express, in preparation for the new movie version coming out later in the year.
Today we are heading over to Disney Springs to renew our WDW Annual Passes. Before we leave, we are about to watch Hacksaw Ridge on TV. Should be excellent.
Tomorrow...ugh, the first of the two root canals. Oh yay.
I've been a good girl with my meds for my larynx and not singing, although not singing is proving to be harder than I expected. I have started up three times but caught myself after just a few notes. I'm also trying to talk less and talk softer. I don't know if that's helpful, but it can't hurt.
And because we are eating all our meals at home and I'm drinking only water and recording my food, I have lost a few pounds. This morning I was only 280.4. I will make an official report Wednesday morning after we go out to dinner with friends at the new STK steakhouse at Disney Springs. I can't order coffee or alcohol or eat anything hard. I'm hoping just eating salmon and soft veggies won't do any serious damage to my weight loss. I am crossing my fingers than I can soon be back in the 270s and stay there awhile, never to see the 280s again!
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Vocal Nodes
After eight months of hoarseness, I finally saw the ENT doctor today. My self-diagnosis of vocal nodes has proved to be correct. The exciting thing was that I actually saw my own vocal cords this afternoon and the two nodes that are on them as the doctor used the camera to look. Other swelling of all the tissues around the vocal cords and other areas of the laryngeal area was also noted.
I thought I was just having a consultation today, but BAM. He sent that camera up through my nose and down to look at the larynx. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't know it was coming because I would have worried about it. It actually turned out to be not anywhere near as unpleasant as I had imagined. And it was seriously cool to see my own vocal cords!
So...I'm on vocal rest for a minimum of a month as well as three meds for a month and food restrictions like no coffee, tea, or soda. That's going to be one of the hardest things because I love my coffee. Not even a decaf in the evening or herbal tea. UGH. Water, water, and more water.
The really good news was that the doctor did not see anything cancerous, which was a huge relief to me. Also he said there is a chance they will go away on their own if I do what he said.
So...I'm going to try to be a good girl and follow all of his instructions.
If they are not looking better at my follow up appointment on Sept. 12, well, then he will send me for Speech Therapy. Doesn't that sound like fun?
Meanwhile, I had cancelled singing engagements last March, May, and June. At least I don't feel so bad about doing that now that I know there really is a problem. I have pulled out of the big choir here in Solivita, Guys and Dolls, at least for this fall season. It's also going to be a little tricky directing the synagogue choir and getting through the High Holiday performances. But I can do it.
Yesterday we did have a great time at Disney's Hollywood Studios with Susie and Ed. Here are some pictures from our afternoon and evening there, including the final time on The Great Movie Ride, which is closing on Sunday.
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| Frozen Sing-A-Long, very fun show. |
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| Fantasmic show at night |
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Super hot today on tap.
I know everyone thinks central Florida is hot in the summer, and it is, BUT today is going to be worse than usual. It will actually hit 100 this afternoon in Orlando with a heat index of 105. That is unusual. We rarely hit 100, even in the summer.
Just to make it extra fun, we are going to Hollywood Studios today with our friends Ed and Susie. We have Fastpasses to ride the Great Movie Ride this afternoon for the last time. It will be closing permanently by the end of the month, maybe the end of the week. Can't remember when exactly it is closing, but it's very soon. At Epcot Ellen's Energy Adventure is also closing on the same day. We rode it for the final time in June with Lowell and Emily.
To make it a Tourist Tuesday on Wednesday (Susie is calling it Wacky Wednesday) we also have Fastpasses for the Pixar Live concert and the Frozen Sing-a-Long Adventure. Susie and Ed have not done either of those, so it will be fun. Dinner will be at the ABC Commissary, our favorite, and if we are not completely wiped out from the heat, we plan to go to the late night show, Fantastic, which Mark says is his favorite fireworks show out of all the parks. We haven't been there in a year or more, so it's time to go again. On the other hand, if walking between the different pavilions for our Fastpasses wipes us out too much from the heat, we might just bail and go home after dinner.
There will be pictures tomorrow.
Tomorrow I have a super busy day: Mah Jongg from 9:30 to 11; pedicure a11:45 to 12:45; ENT consultation 2:40-?? The ENT appointment is the most important thing tomorrow. I'll wait until I get back from the doctor to write a blog tomorrow because what he says is going to either be upsetting or heartening. Because of the chronic hoarseness, I have sent an email to the director of Guys and Dolls telling her that I will not be participating this year. At the very least, I probably need to go on some vocal rest for awhile. I feel sort of free now that I've made that decision not to participate in the chorus this season. My Tuesday evenings are completely open now!
And finally it is Weigh-in Wednesday. I can't make a report because I didn't get on the scale this morning. Kind of weird, I know. I could do it now, but it's nearly three hours since I got up and after I've eaten breakfast. I wouldn't report that number anyway! Maybe tomorrow. Maybe I'll sweat out and walk off five pounds today at the Studios. LOL!!! I can dream.
Just to make it extra fun, we are going to Hollywood Studios today with our friends Ed and Susie. We have Fastpasses to ride the Great Movie Ride this afternoon for the last time. It will be closing permanently by the end of the month, maybe the end of the week. Can't remember when exactly it is closing, but it's very soon. At Epcot Ellen's Energy Adventure is also closing on the same day. We rode it for the final time in June with Lowell and Emily.
To make it a Tourist Tuesday on Wednesday (Susie is calling it Wacky Wednesday) we also have Fastpasses for the Pixar Live concert and the Frozen Sing-a-Long Adventure. Susie and Ed have not done either of those, so it will be fun. Dinner will be at the ABC Commissary, our favorite, and if we are not completely wiped out from the heat, we plan to go to the late night show, Fantastic, which Mark says is his favorite fireworks show out of all the parks. We haven't been there in a year or more, so it's time to go again. On the other hand, if walking between the different pavilions for our Fastpasses wipes us out too much from the heat, we might just bail and go home after dinner.
There will be pictures tomorrow.
Tomorrow I have a super busy day: Mah Jongg from 9:30 to 11; pedicure a11:45 to 12:45; ENT consultation 2:40-?? The ENT appointment is the most important thing tomorrow. I'll wait until I get back from the doctor to write a blog tomorrow because what he says is going to either be upsetting or heartening. Because of the chronic hoarseness, I have sent an email to the director of Guys and Dolls telling her that I will not be participating this year. At the very least, I probably need to go on some vocal rest for awhile. I feel sort of free now that I've made that decision not to participate in the chorus this season. My Tuesday evenings are completely open now!
And finally it is Weigh-in Wednesday. I can't make a report because I didn't get on the scale this morning. Kind of weird, I know. I could do it now, but it's nearly three hours since I got up and after I've eaten breakfast. I wouldn't report that number anyway! Maybe tomorrow. Maybe I'll sweat out and walk off five pounds today at the Studios. LOL!!! I can dream.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Root Canal today: NOT
First my Mah Jongg was very successful yesterday. I won two games in the morning and another two in the afternoon. All good.
It's not Weigh-in Wednesday, but here's my weight anyway. For some reason, even though I stayed below 1500 calories yesterday, I am up a pound today. Official report for this morning is 285.5. I definitely had a lot of calories on Sunday at Monsieur Paul for my birthday, even though there was a lot of walking and sweating at Epcot. I guess that's where it came from. Today should be better.
Now on to the root canal story. Sigh.
In May of 2016 at my regular dental check up, I told Dr. Correal that I was having some odd pains in the upper right molar area. I couldn't tell which tooth it was and it only happened occasionally. She couldn't see anything or cause me any pain by banging on the teeth, so she said just let it go and come back if it got worse.
Fast Forward up to December of 2016 at my next check up. I told her the same thing and she told me the same thing. She offered to send me to the Endodontist, but I refused since we had six cruises coming up in the next three months.
Fast Forward again to July of 2017, just a few weeks ago. This time the pain was stronger, happened more frequently, and lasted longer. She definitely was able to put me in pain with banging on the teeth and putting cold on it. She also saw a big fracture in the farthest back molar. I also felt pain further towards the front of my mouth, but she could not see anything there.
So, she referred me to the Endodontist with paper work that said root canal. When I made the appointment, I really thought it was to get that root canal today.
But NO....this was a consultation appointment only.
And surprise! I need TWO root canals. Not only did this dentist see the the fracture in the back molar, but he also found an infection in the tooth next to it. So both need root canals. I am now scheduled to have the farthest back cracked molar done on Monday, although he said if he goes in there and finds that the crack goes down into the root, it will be an extraction instead of a root canal. Ouch. The second one will be done on Thursday, but he's only starting the root canal process by killing the nerve and then putting an antibiotic in it to kill the infection, depending on how bad the infection looks. He will then put in a temporary filling, let it stew for a few MONTHS, and then I'll go back for the rest of the root canal.
All three of these appointments, (today, Monday, and Thursday), will cost $2033. Fortunately, I have great dental insurance, so my part is only $371. That, at least, is some good news.
After each of the root canals, I will need to go back to the regular dentist to have permanent crowns created, so that will be additional costs, which I will figure out later. The second will be months later, so at least it will all be spread out a bit.
So, I was relieved I didn't have a root canal today, but I was shocked to find that I'll have two of them next week instead. At least Mark can go with me for those two appointments.
Now I'm spending the rest of the very hot afternoon at home alone while Mark is teaching someone the Saturday morning prayer service. I have used my gift cards for Roaman's from niece and Amazon from Lowell. Shopping online is very good therapy!
It's not Weigh-in Wednesday, but here's my weight anyway. For some reason, even though I stayed below 1500 calories yesterday, I am up a pound today. Official report for this morning is 285.5. I definitely had a lot of calories on Sunday at Monsieur Paul for my birthday, even though there was a lot of walking and sweating at Epcot. I guess that's where it came from. Today should be better.
Now on to the root canal story. Sigh.
In May of 2016 at my regular dental check up, I told Dr. Correal that I was having some odd pains in the upper right molar area. I couldn't tell which tooth it was and it only happened occasionally. She couldn't see anything or cause me any pain by banging on the teeth, so she said just let it go and come back if it got worse.
Fast Forward up to December of 2016 at my next check up. I told her the same thing and she told me the same thing. She offered to send me to the Endodontist, but I refused since we had six cruises coming up in the next three months.
Fast Forward again to July of 2017, just a few weeks ago. This time the pain was stronger, happened more frequently, and lasted longer. She definitely was able to put me in pain with banging on the teeth and putting cold on it. She also saw a big fracture in the farthest back molar. I also felt pain further towards the front of my mouth, but she could not see anything there.
So, she referred me to the Endodontist with paper work that said root canal. When I made the appointment, I really thought it was to get that root canal today.
But NO....this was a consultation appointment only.
And surprise! I need TWO root canals. Not only did this dentist see the the fracture in the back molar, but he also found an infection in the tooth next to it. So both need root canals. I am now scheduled to have the farthest back cracked molar done on Monday, although he said if he goes in there and finds that the crack goes down into the root, it will be an extraction instead of a root canal. Ouch. The second one will be done on Thursday, but he's only starting the root canal process by killing the nerve and then putting an antibiotic in it to kill the infection, depending on how bad the infection looks. He will then put in a temporary filling, let it stew for a few MONTHS, and then I'll go back for the rest of the root canal.
All three of these appointments, (today, Monday, and Thursday), will cost $2033. Fortunately, I have great dental insurance, so my part is only $371. That, at least, is some good news.
After each of the root canals, I will need to go back to the regular dentist to have permanent crowns created, so that will be additional costs, which I will figure out later. The second will be months later, so at least it will all be spread out a bit.
So, I was relieved I didn't have a root canal today, but I was shocked to find that I'll have two of them next week instead. At least Mark can go with me for those two appointments.
Now I'm spending the rest of the very hot afternoon at home alone while Mark is teaching someone the Saturday morning prayer service. I have used my gift cards for Roaman's from niece and Amazon from Lowell. Shopping online is very good therapy!
Monday, August 7, 2017
Fabulous birthday and now on to double sessions of Mah Jongg.
Mark and I had a fabulous day yesterday. He planned out everything, and it all worked exactly as planned. Thanks, Mark! I also received well over 110 greetings on Facebook, which just made the whole day fun. Every time I looked at my phone there were a few more greetings, so it just made the day even more enjoyable. If you are reading this and were one of the ones who posted on FB yesterday, thank you so much. Those little greetings just were very warm and loving.
Today I am hosting two hours of Mah Jongg in my house with five women. Then in the afternoon I have my usual Monday afternoon game in my neighbor's house. Monday is an all day Mahj event!
I am planning on having a relaxing day of Mahj today because tomorrow is root canal day. UGH. Not every day can be as nice as yesterday!
Here are some more photos from yesterday.
Today I am hosting two hours of Mah Jongg in my house with five women. Then in the afternoon I have my usual Monday afternoon game in my neighbor's house. Monday is an all day Mahj event!
I am planning on having a relaxing day of Mahj today because tomorrow is root canal day. UGH. Not every day can be as nice as yesterday!
Here are some more photos from yesterday.
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| My seven cards all opened and displayed. |
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| Tram selfie heading in to Epcot |
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| Lunch in The Seasons food court inside The Land pavilion. |
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| Riding Living with the Land |
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| We also roads Soarin' before walking over to World Showcase |
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| Listening to Alberta Bound, the Canadian performers |
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| Our dinner location |
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| Enjoying my pre-dinner cocktail |
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| My view from the window |
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| Thanks, Mark, for planning such a great day. Love you lots! |
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| The waiter is pouring the cold pea soup over the lemon cream in the bowl for our second course. |
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| I don't usually like cold soups, but this one was spectacular. |
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| Sea bass with potato scales as the entree |
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| The chocolate sphere dessert. |
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| Dinner is over. Time to head out. |
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| Beautiful walk out of the park. We actually stayed for the fireworks show before leaving. What a nice day. |
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