Just an update on my health issues here. Starting with weight loss, other than a bit of an upset where I gained 2 lbs instead of losing 8 like previous months, I got back on track and lost 6 lbs, so I made it to 215.6 this morning. This means I’m 1/3 of the way to the goal weight of 150, having lost almost 30 lbs since December 4th when I started.
For those who are curious, it’s mostly diet and outdoor walks when the weather allows, housework pulls a lot of duty on bad weather days though. Breakfast is typically tuna salad on whole grain bread or multigrain crackers or egg with salsa on toast. Banana bread is another variation occasionally, as is oatmeal with fruit. Lunches are typically 1/2 cup of lentils in half a can of soup, occasionally a turkey sandwich with mustard and Swiss or provolone. I also make batches of Mediterranean pasta salad (whole grain rotini, feta, Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, and a homemade red wine vinaigrette). Dinners are typically 5 oz chicken breast, baked or pan cooked in olive oil with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sauces for the chicken include buffalo ranch, sour cream Dijon with dill, tomato pesto, teriyaki (sometimes with Swiss, red onions, and pineapple rings), avocado (with sour cream, salsa, garlic and lime), and hoisin with sesame oil. I might add more but I loved all of these so I’m content to prep 8 dinners at once, 2 each with four different sauces. These also have a side of veggies including asparagus, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, green beans and/or potatoes. On occasion, I’ll eat tacos or farfalle Alfredo or even pizza if I make room for them but they’re higher calorie, sodium and saturated fats so those are rare exceptions. Snacks include Greek yogurt with chia, flax and hemp hearts, raw almonds, apples with peanut butter, bitter dark chocolate but I really deviate on snacks a lot and let that be a mood. It sounds like a lot but it’s cheaper than you think to whip a lot of it up in batches. Another occasional addition is homemade sushi rolls, typically with crab, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese, but you can’t store these for too long and it’s a lot of prep so I don’t often do this, as much as I love them. I prefer the things I can freeze for a week or two and heat up as needed.
Jumping to general health, BP meds have given a very slight drop in BP. I’m experiencing a lot of nausea and abdominal distress still and I’m scheduled for a HIDA scan to see if the gallbladder polyps means it needs to come out. I’m kind of hoping the solution to getting rid of the added digestive stress is that simple to correct. It’s not a complex surgery and my sister had it done and was back to normal in a little over a week. The gastritis I’m just not sure if it will be as easy to resolve or remain chronic and be a cancer risk. I hate these tentative ones but I’ll remain focused on weight loss which can do a lot for symptoms. After so many setbacks, I’m just so relieved I can lose weight at all because I had so many obstacles in the attempts. I had thought the ten pounds I lost after ovary surgery was a good start but complications elsewhere were always possible and I had to summon a lot of strength to keep advocating for my health.
Creatively, I’m not a force right now but I’m not dried up either. I’ve been building the mini houses and have slowly acquired the stuff to make a proper diorama for them. Since the nausea hit a couple weeks ago, that’s been on pause. If all I can do right now is focus on diet and exercise, to fight to earn back the energy and focus for my creative pursuits, I am embracing that and keeping my cognitive function as flexible as possible. Mostly doing logic puzzle type games on my phone, as much as I can without nausea interrupting.
Aging is fucking scary. Aging with grace is a privilege not everyone has. None of us like to be here but it’s inevitable. I just aim to do as much as I can with this life while I can. I don’t need some grand return. I just strive for peace and kindness and contributing to that for others as much as possible. Just with as little socialization as possible because people… y'all wear me out. I really can only take so much before I just want to be alone and interpret my experiences.
