A Little Scare & Lifestyle Changes

 Every time I have one of my regular infusions, I have to have a blood draw to test levels of ... whatever in my body. Most times, everything is fine and I sail right from the lab test and into an infusion chair. Every now and then, one of the levels of... whatever is high or low or something, and the nurses will check with my doctor. The doctor will give the go-ahead for my having the infusion. Usually.

The last time I went in for my scheduled infusion, the nurses called the doctor and he did not give the go-ahead. 

What???

Less than 8
bucks for this

The nurse scheduled me for another lab test and an appointment with my doctor for that very next week. I don't do so well when my infusions are not done within every 7 to 8 weeks.

I was a little puzzled but I didn't get too shook up until the nurse mentioned that the problem was with my kidney function.

Oh, please, Lord, not the kidneys.

I went home and stressed myself to prayer, tears, and insomnia. I worried about my weight (I've put on a few pounds lately), and I worried about not drinking quite enough water. I worried about everything. 

I was in a higher than usual state of stress and anxiety all the way up to my appointment with the doctor. I went and had the labs done, then had to wait another hour until time for the appointment with my doctor.

$7.99
on Amazon

When the doctor came in and saw how tense I was, I think he was confused but he's probably used to me being weird. He immediately let me know that my labs looked good and that he would have my infusion re-scheduled quickly. He said that there had been a problem showing up with my liver on the day the nurse had called him from infusion, but it was fine now. He said that I had probably had some kind of viral infection that had cleared itself up in the meantime.

Well. Okay.

Not my kidneys, then. Oh, thank you, Jesus. what a relief. Whew!

Tasty but
so tangy

healthy
but, ugh!

But... my liver? What the heck? That explains why the nurse had casually asked about whether or not I was a drinker. If only she knew the sorrow of having lost an uncle and two exes to alcoholism. I might be many things but a drinker is not one of them...

I was relieved and kind of mad, then just relieved again. But I realize a need to step things up with my health. And, for once, I didn't just think about doing better, I've actually gotten into the game. I am about to turn 60 so if not now, when?

I now have one of those water bottles with the time markings on it. I empty that at minimum twice a day and sometimes more. I started getting out on the days I can and taking short walks - twice a day most days. I have cut back on creamy-sugared coffee I love and am drinking more tea - and not just tea but the healthiest I can find. 

I can always smell leaves
burning when I get to this block 
of homes

 Do I feel better? I don't know. I still struggle with fatigue. Contrary to what I've been told, walking is not helping to alleviate that. I do think that walking helps with my balance. I mean, I don't go walking on days when I feel off-balance, but my good days are better than ever. I've only tripped on the carpet a few times this week and I have not walked into door frames turning the corners. 

This is the shady
stretch & my favorite
part

One of the reasons that walking is such a challenge for me, even when my balance is good, is that I get anxious. I don't like walking through a lot of people or where there is a lot of noise or activity. I don't know why this makes me feel like laying on the ground and curling into a fetal position. It is what it is. Thankfully, I live in such a beautiful little town that there is plenty of space to walk without going near the crowded beach or park.

If I make it to this point,
I'm probably going to finish

I have gotten used to following a couple of different routes that let me get in a good 15- to 20-minute walk. I try to go before it's hot out or when the day has cooled off. Since I am such an insomniac, this works well.

Let's hope this is true!

There are days when I think I am addicted to the morning walk, then there are days when I have to fight my anxiety and depression to get out the door of my apartment.

Hopefully, I can keep this up. Hopefully, it will help with the weight and the moods. I did not walk yesterday. My fatigue kicked in big time. I couldn't sit up without feeling like my body was made of lead. Maybe one day, someone will come up with some cure for fatigue.

I think that maybe we sometimes need a good scare to motivate us. I wish I had had some kind of warning before I got this silly sarcoidosis. For now, though, I want to baby my kidneys. And getting my weight down is a good way to do that. Keep prayers going up for me, people.

Peace

--Free

Food Ahh's and Ick's

This food detox I'm enduring (yeah, it's been a whole 15 hours) has me thinking a lot about, well, food.

How much of what we hear about "the latest" berry, oil or seed is hype the greedy? There has to be something good about any natural food, I'm sure. What I wonder about is whether I need a pantry/fridge full of every kind of seed, berry, nut, tree, leaf or twig.

My shopping plan for eating better is real simple: whatever is grown, pure, colorful and on sale.
Problem is, I can be a sometimes picky eater. I have a thing about textures (hate grit, love creamy) and I'm hypersensitive to flavors.

I'm considering adding a couple of new things to my pantry though:

• Chia seeds - I like the idea (if true) that they hydrate the body. One claim I need to check on is that they promote weight loss by "preventing food absorption". That sounded great when I first read it, but I have to wonder if, by the same process, the seeds will prevent the absorption of nutrients. I get all yin yang in my feelings about stuff like this. I really hate this type of trendy hype. Since chia seeds taste nice (and might actually help the heart),  I don't care if they do anything for weight loss and will probably give them a try.
• Flax-seed - Even if I don't try chia, I will most definetly be adding some flaxseed to my blended concoctions. Reading about it on WebMD, I was pleased to see the Omega-3 and fiber mentioned, but my beady little peepers lit right up at the note about estrogen. The woman out there will know where I'm coming from with that one. (By the way, I just love that WebMD. Not as much as I love my docs, but they're probably glad I'm not calling them up with my random questions at... 6:15 AM   Pretty sure about that!

I hope flax-seed doesn't tasted disgusting. Already I'm thinking "gritty-grimy" as far as the texture. Maybe all the pulp in my "Veg-oothies"** (I made that up, so don't go stealing it) will protect my taste buds.

Now, getting to the ahh's and ick's I headlined with, here are some of my faves/not-faves as far as food:

• Liver - I used to hate this so much that I would gag when Mom forced it on me. I'd spit that nastiness right out the second she wasn't looking and actually scrape at my tongue with my dinner napkin. UGH! As I've matured (in all kinds of ways), I find I don't mind eating liver. If I don't have to handle it raw. Is it not the most disgusting common food known to exist? My sister cooks it with onions, with or without gravy, and that is some good eating. Sometimes. I have to be in the mood for it.And I only like beef liver, which is the chewier kind.
• Gizzards - Love, love, LUV chicken gizzards. I cook them with a little olive oil and some garlic salt. Of course, I look like some kind of crazed freak of nature while I'm gnawing around those tough little ligaments (or whatever) to get at all the meat. Thing is, you have to eat like a pan full of them to satisfy hunger. I have never eaten a gizzard in the company of all but my nearest and dearest. One time I lost my grip while tugging the meat from one and it shot across the table and hit my uncle in the face. So, yeah. My life and times...
• Cabbage - Never been a fan of cabbage. When I was about fifteen, I brought my mother a head of lettuce from the store because I thought it was a cabbage. (You ever tell anyone about that, I'll hunt you down to laugh with you about it.) My family likes to cook it in water with oil and salt pork. And this is why so many black people have "high blood" and "the sugar diabetes". Help us, Jesus.
• Beets - Just started eating them without pickling juices. Not crazy about these solo, but like tossing them into blends or drinking the raw juice. Not a bad juice, just don't wear clothes or get near furniture while you guzzle. That vegetable stains air.

My basic plan is simple: getting lots of fresh air and exercise and putting better stuff in my body. I used to think that "eating better" meant choosing making better fast-food choices. I'd get the green tea latte at Starbucks or the McDonald's ranch salad. I thought I was being smart, but I was just spending more money than I needed for stuff that only sounded healthy. Let's take a look at some those choices.

• Best and worst salad choices
• It looked good on the menu
• Even it that "chicken" is really chicken
• If it's not the fat, it's the sodium

The biggest thing about eating (or drinking) something that sounds healthy is that almost anything can be made to sound healthy.

I'm not saying that I will never go to Starbucks again, but I'm going to go less and go smarter. As this article suggests, I'll use a this-not-that way of choosing my treats.

Like a lot of people, I tend to point out that I only eat fast food occasionally. The thing is, I don't like mystery about what I'm ingesting - ever. While, again, not everything you read is true, this article pretty much put me off McNuggets for life. I used to love McNuggets more than I loved the last man I was with, and now I realize neither of them was any good for me. Ick.

This list of the 18 Most Sickening Food Ingredients gave me dry heaves. I'm going to need a Valium the next time I enter a grocery store. This article was way funnier and had "sex" in the title (even though I'd rather eat beetle ass than condom lubricant). I was only alarmed by a few claims.

All giggling aside, I think that we need to be more aware of what we're putting into our bodies. We've heard so much about what's bad for us, we've gotten tired of listening.

Peace
--Free