Day 94

When I had my ablation, the doctor found cancer cells in my uterus. As soon as he told me, I cried. As much as I tried to avoid getting a hysterectomy, I will have to have one to keep the cancer from spreading. Wednesday morning, I'm going to my first oncology appointment before leaving to celebrate Christmas at a hotel with my family. Friday I return to have my gynecology appointment. I decided not to let this ruin my holiday. 

My Christmas wish for everybody to forget their problems for one day. Just focus on your family and loved ones. Whether you're visiting your family in person or only able to talk on the phone/online, take the time to tell them you love them. No matter what problems you have in your life or with each other, just focus on the love. For one day forget the pandemic, forget family arguments, forget your different views on politics. Just love each other. 

You don't know what tomorrow brings. A friend or love one could get the virus. A family member could lose their job. Or a simple medical proceedure could change your life forever. 

If you do anything this holiday season, take the time to let your family and friends know you love them. 

Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Joyous Holidays. Seasons Greetings. 

Day 89

It was a horrible weekend. Friday and Saturday I was in so much pain, I was physically unable to get up. Most of yesterday, I hate an unbearable pain shooting from my back to lower front. I kept asking mt body, "Are you passing stones or cutting diamonds?" Then by late last night, most of the pain I've been feeling the past 2 1/2 weeks was gone. Slept about 4 or 5 hours. Went to the doctor today to discuss my infection and ear problems. He put me on yet another round of antibiotics and ear drops. Hoping to feel somewhat normal by Christmas. 

Day 86

My surgery was 2 weeks ago yesterday. Since then, my abdomen has gotten bigger and the pain has gotten worse. I also had severe pain in my left hip and lower back. The GYNE office swore the surgery has nothing to do with my abdominal issues. My primary doctor wasn't available, so I saw her colleague. I begged her to examine me. Without examining my abdomen, she just said all she sees is fat. Without examing my hip/back, she just said it's a pulled muscle and would heal in a few days. It's been over 2 weeks, and the pain's worse. My primary doctor is one of a few medical professionals that actually listens to me. I've been trying for a long time to see her, but she's been busy at the hospital with COVID patients. My GI doc kept telling me to get an ultrasound of my liver. I explained what's going on and said I was trying to find a doctor that will help me. He told me to come see him. He examined my abdomen, thought it was hernia. Had me get a CT scan. No hernia (that's the good news). I have a NON-ALCOHOLIC Fibrosis of my liver. As for my abdomen, I have a major infection from the surgery. My hip/back pain? Kidney stones! Can't take pain medicine. I don't allow myself anything stronger than Ibruprophen, because I want the stronger stuff to work after skin-removal and dual knee-replacement surgeries. Nothing weaker than that works. My GI doc says I can no longer take Ibruprophen because of my messed up liver. Pain was so bad all night and this morning, I was physically unable to get up until at least 2pm. Have to come up with another game plan. Meanwhile, found out heating up my chocolate weight loss shake gives me low calorie cocoa. So at least I have that. 

Day 80

Made some turkey noodle soup. Later made cocoa and watched "The Christmas Chronicles" & "The Christmas Chronicles pt 2" on Netflix with my daughter. Had video chat with my family. My sister received the package I sent her. She loves snowflakes, so I got her snowflake window stickers. No matter what the weather is, she'll always see snowflakes.. While on the video chat, she gave me a tour of the house she and my parents moved into today. Got to see the the dogs (aka my furry brother and sister). Chloe was holding my cat Stuart. I was doing Stuart's voice, and sis was doing Checkers' voice. Yep, we're related. Have a blessed night 

Day 79

Between my messed up hips and back pain from pull of the abdomen mass, I have been hurting. Bought myself an early Christmas present, a large heating pad that curves to your back and hips. There's a strap with extension (that fits) to hold it in place. Has an automatic shut-off, which will help when I fall asleep. Because of my hips and ab mass, it hurt too much to sit up. I wore this while sitting up to watch a movie with my daughter. I feel so much better. Thanks, Amazon and Sunbeam! 

Day 78

Having a nice Thanksgiving with my daughter Chloe and our cats. 

Tried doing a video call with my parents, but Mom was getting into the shower. Don't want to see that. 

We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. 

Tried video calling my parents again. Only saw Mom and lil' sis. Dad was in the shower. 

Made the cats a special Thanksgiving dinner. It's a mixture of turkey, broth, and dry cat food. 

Chloe and I worked together on our turkey chili. 

We watched "Free Birds". 

I'm sad "Sound of Music" isn't airing, watched it every Thanksgiving growing up. Instead I'm spending the evening watching Hallmark Christmas movies. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

Day 75

Still dealing with the pain and being sick from last Thursday's surgery. Over the weekend, my abdomen has swelled up. Doc and I think it may be related to my infection, will start stronger antibiotics. 

I'm thankful I'm not a horse... I could have been shot for a lot less. 

Day 73

Been 2 days since my ablation. Still cramping like hell. I'm sick but can't puke. Had a can of soup. Started to eat a slice of bread, got halfway through before realizing it was moldy. Damn, I'm messed up. Spent most of the day sleeping. Every time I woke up, my guy Stuart was right there checking up on me. Who ever said cats were magical were right. When the pain was the worst, Stuart would make me pet him. Every time I pet him, the pain lessened. 

Found out today is National Adoption Day. I'm adopted. Both my sisters are adopted. My daddy's adopted. My mom used to read this poem to us:

Day 72

Still not feeling well from surgery. Been cramping bad, stomach's been tore up. Had to go to pharmacy today, so I got soup while I was there. Came home, ate some chicken noodle, now laying down to rest. 

Day 71

Had my endometrial ablation today. Tired and crampy but not hurting yet. Just ate, going to bed. 

Day 70

Surgery's tomorrow. So nervous, can't eat. Only had a few sips of my breakfast shake. Spent the morning getting the house clean, so I can focus on recovery for a few days. Washed my bedding. Was supposed to go to my weight loss appointment, but the hospital said I had to self-quarentine between the COVID-19 test and surgery. They want to make sure I'm safe going in. WL doc understand, so we did a video appt. Told him I'll get a current weight Monday when I see my primary doc. I mentioned my swollen/leaky leg. He had some ideas. I didn't understand all the medical terms, so he added it to appointment summary. Also, I can share the info with primary doc to bring her in on it. I mentioned how the passed month has been an emotional rollercoaster, but I have some plans in the works to correct it. Since my blood pressure is under control, he put me back on the appetite suppressant. Thank goodness!!!  Told him about tomorrow's surgery. Made a plan to have another appointment in a month. After that, I got my bag and everything ready for the hospital. Checked to see if my daughter has all she needs while I'm gone. Now, I'm going to rest and try not to freak out so much. Good night. 

Day 69

Still hurting from moving furniture around. Have to finish in the morning. Went grocery shopping. Had to go to 4 different stores to get everything, got over an hour walk in. Wanted to make sure we have everything we need. Right after that, I had to take a COVID-19 test and take care of my pre-op. Now I have to self-quarentine until the surgery on Thursday. Was supposed to go see my weight loss doc tomorrow, so he's meeting with me via video appointment. It isn't even 7, and I'm already tired. Tomorrow, I have to make sure everything's set for Chloe while I'm at the hospital and for when I get home. I plan to rest for a few days after. 

Day 68

Since the accident, I've rarely slept during the night. Expect for waking up a couple times, I slept all night and woke refreshed. 

Took my medicine and had my shake. I mixed strawberry yogurt with the strawberry SlimFast in the almond milk. Tasted like a real strawberry milkshake. 

Wrote out my grocery list tomorrow. 

Then I went through our storage totes and got rid of a bunch of stuff we no longer need. 

After that, it was time for lunch. Mixed the SlimFast chocolate shake mix, black cherry yogurt, and almond milk. Tasted like drinking bon-bons. 

Did some laundry. 

The almond milk I ordered for my shakes came. 

Trying to decide on dinner. Thinking about having a burger patty with mushrooms and spinach. 

Have a blessed night. 

Day 66

Day 65 Vegetable Soup recipe

Vegetable Soup recipe

For everyone trying to lose weight I just made a HUGE pot of vegetable soup. The calorie count is so low its like you're eating air!

Bring chicken broth to a boil(6-8 cans worth or equal amounts of boxed broth) 

Add the following vegetables(about a half a cup of each): carrots, celery, onions, squash, broccoli, & cauliflower

Add to taste: fresh garlic, salt, pepper, tyme, orregano, basil leave

When the vegetables are almost cooked add 2 cans of kidney beans, half a bag of wide noodles and a can of stewed tomatoes.

It should come out okay. I didn't go by any recipe. 

And you're done!

(courtesy of Amber Rey) 

Day 64

Since the accident (Aug 2014), I've slept in a chair. Last Christmas, my parents got us a couch. Been trying to get used to sleep laying down. My frontroom is small, so I decided to move the furniture. Need to make it easier to get to the couch after my surgeries. While doing so, I hurt my hip. Luckily, I already have a video appointment with my pain doc in the morning. Unfortunately, I'm not done. I still need to move them more. 

Monday, I go back to my primary doc for the infection follow-up (still need help), Tuesday, I have to get groceries with my helper and take the COVID-19 test for the surgery. Wednesday, I have 2 appointments in Iowa City. Meeting my weight loss doc and having more tests done on my liver for GI doc. Thursday is my ablation surgery. Then I plan on recovery for a couple days after that. 

This morning, our apartment manager puts out a notice that someone in our building has tested positive for COVID-19. They're identity wasn't given, so it could be anybody. Chloe and I are taking extra precautions. I was honest with my doctors. Since I don't have symptoms and have been social distancing, they said I should be fine. 

My infection hasn't improved, hurts to lay down. 

On top of my issues, Chloe had upper GI tests yesterday. She has thrush, and is already taking something for it. As for anything else, it'll take up to 10 business days to get results. 

Day 63

 Veterans Day 🇺🇸

Day 62

Been having trouble dealing with hunger since WL doc took me off the appetite suppressant. The shakes seem more like a drink than a meal, so hasn't been working for me. My nutritionist suggested turning them into smoothies. Went grocery shopping today, got a ton of low fat yogurt, mixed one in my lunch shake. It was so good. Since I've been ignoring fiber, I started taking capsules. For dinner, I cooked some roast beef. While it was in the oven, I ate a big salad. It's a little after 6, and my tummy is content. Been keeping track on the "My Fitness Pal" app, and I am still well within my calorie limit. 

I still like to snack on my gluten-free cereal that I divide up into serving sizes and bag. Chloe's started to ask for some of it. So I asked if she wanted her own, she said yes. Today, I let her choose 4 boxes. Surprisingly, she chose oats and shredded wheat cereals with dried fruit. As I was getting yogurts for my shakes, Chloe asked for some to. I said for her to chose 30 (1 for each day). Once again, I was surprised. She chose light and fat free ones. Wow! Am I starting to rub off on her? Tomorrow, she is having upper GI tests. We think she also has Celiac like I do. If she does, no big deal. Chloe already likes some of the gluten-free dinners I make. 

Day 60

A little over 2 years ago, I adopted an energetic little kitten that I originally named "Howler Monkey" because that's what he acted and sounded like. My furry son calmed down much after bringing him home, he's still a bit hyper. Since he's a Celtic shorthair, I changed his name to Stuart after the Scottish clan my mother descended from. I actually named him after many heroes. His full name is "Stuart Allan-Anderson Toll".  Stuart for my mother, a nurse and missionary. Allan is my father and brother's middle names. They we're both Naval officers. My brother was also a police officer and paramedic. Allan is also the last name of an amazing, strong, kick ass woman that has given us great advice over the years. Stuart's other middle name Anderson is for a friend who's a retired homicide detective who is still helping people. Now why am I telling you so much about my cat and his name in a weight loss/health blog you ask?  I'll tell you. After my accident, I was in a nursing home for a couple months then alone in my apartment on a bad hill. My best friend moved halfway across the country. My other friends decided since I was no longer able to physically help them with stuff, I was no longer worth having as a friend. While I was in the nursing home the first time, I asked the church I was attending then to please come pray for me. They couldn't be bothered. After being alone in my pain, I became severely depressed. We later found a church that was amazing (spoke our current church and pastor in a previous post) and moved to a better apartment. Shortly after moving in, I decided we needed pets. I originally wanted to get a dog, but there would be a problem with that. We live on the top floor of our building, and the elevator had already gone out several times in the past 2 1/2 years we've been here. If it went out while Chloe was at school and the dog had to go to the bathroom... no, thank you. So we agreed on cats. Since I adopted my furry son, he always just knew when I was hurting or was depressed. During these times, he would just start loving on me. For a while, my sleep apnea was really bad. Wasn't able to get a Cpap. Stuart woke me up every time I stopped breathing. He made sure I woke up. After each surgery, he wouldn't leave my side.  This little dude is amazing. I talked to my doctor about getting him certified, but Iowa doesn't recognize cats as service or therapy animals. Stuart is my little hero. I think it's time laws were adjusted. I'm going to start making noise and find out who I need to talk to and what I need to do. The type of animal shouldn't make a difference if they are performing a service. 

Day 59

Not feeling well today, I'm resting so I'll feel well enough for church tomorrow. Just woke up from my nap, and both Silver and Stuart are watching over me. 

Day 58

Went back to the doctor today for my infection. Just as I thought, I have to have another round of antibiotics. No big deal. Just did my church job where I call to see who needs the bus to on Sunday. Really look forward to going. 

Day 56 pt 2

My Endometrial Ablation was scheduled for Thursday November 19th. I'm so nervous. 

Day 56

Went to my GYNE pre-op appt this morning. Not sure of the date, but my Endometrial Ablation will be one Thursday this month. Totally nervous, but it'll be better after. 

My blood pressure was 138/72. So happy about that. 

Found out my bank account was hacked again, almost $80 this time. 

This stress is making it harder now. I'm an emotional eater, but I can't let this take away from my progress. I've been kicking but so far, I need to continue to do so. 

Day 55

It's Taco Tuesday. Kept it simple. Sauteed pieces of beef and bell peppers with fajita seasoning. 322 total calories. Tomorrow morning is my Endometrial Ablation pre-op. Kind of nervous. Had my infection follow-up appointment rescheduled for Friday. 

Day 54

Damn day light savings tricked me again. Woke up thinking I was late for my labs and doctor's appointment, but I was actually early. 

While getting dressed, the doctor's office called to say he was on his way to deliver a baby and I had to reschedule. I said since medical transport was picking me up in a few minutes, I'd still get my labs done. Got there, was in and out. Getting my infection and thyroid tested. Left a message for doc asking for it to be checked when possible. I was finishing my antibiotic and needed to know if I had to do another round. 

My weight loss doc likes that my blood pressure is almost to a good spot, he's tweaking my meds to help. 

Got home to do some work around the house and do laundry. Chloe and I are taking breaks to watch family movies. Since there are very few Thanksgiving movies, we'll also spend the month watching family ones. We're not watching any Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving. 

Every time I got comfy, so did Stuart. 

Day 53

I woke up this morning, looked at the clock, and started to freak out because I didn't hear the alarm again. Then I grabbed my phone. I realized it was the end of day light savings. The reason my alarm didn't go off, my phone automatically updates and it wasn't time to get up yet.

My daughter Chloe was sick, and we missed church. When Chloe was in high school, she took Spanish and learned about "Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead). She wasn't to try and celebrate. I wasn't familiar with the Mexican holiday. We're watching movies like "The Book of Life" and "Coco". I love the idea of honoring family. I've always looked for ways to do so. I think we'll be incorporating "Dia de los Muertos" into our future traditions. 

Tomorrow, I return to my doctor for a follow-up on my infection. I'm hoping for good news. Have a blessed night. 

Day 52

It's Halloween, but COVID-19 got our church's Truck-or-Treat canceled. After doing laundry and chores, we made mummy dogs and are having a "Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors" marathon. Chloe put on the new jammies I got her. Happy Halloween 

Day 51

This morning, I went to my recall appointment for the spot they found on my mammogram last week. Turned out to be the same nothing of a cyst they freak out about every year. 

This afternoon was our building's trick-or-treating. Chloe was a wolf (again) and I was Wonder Woman. Chloe's shirt says, "THIS IS MY HUMAN COSTUME, I'M REALLY A WOLF". 

Tonight, we're watching a few of our traditional movies at Halloween. "Spooky Buddies" "Treasure Buddies" "Super Buddies"

Day 50

 We've been having issues with our water heater, so I had to get up at 3am to take a shower. It's hot for only 2 minutes at that time. 

Since I was up, I went ahead and cleaned the bathroom. 

After getting some sleep, I put away some of our new groceries, rotating the pantry. 

Then I went through and took inventory of our holiday decorations. Some we're destroyed last year when work was being done in our apartment, so I wanted to go through and see what we need. 

Tomorrow morning, I'm having an ultrasound of my infected area to make sure it's not worse than what we see. In the afternoon, we're having trick-or-treating for the kids in our building. I got all the candy pre-bagged for COVID-19 safety. 

It's "National Cat Day". Spent some time playing with my furry son and grand-purry, giving them treats. 

Now Chloe and I are watching the "Men in Black" movies. Have a blessed night.