Facing Every Pound, One by One

I haven't posted in awhile, but that's because I haven't been happy with how I've been handling my health. I finally reached the tipping point. (Something about not being able to fit into certain pieces of clothing...)

I was inspired by my partner, who joined Weight Watchers. She had joined WW before, without much success, mostly because of the issues re: weighing in. She is now working with an online group, and is quite encouraged by her feelings of control over her own body as well as her dramatic weight loss.

But I didn't want to do that. Counting points...ugh. I don't want to write a food diary. I've tried that, and was really bad at recreating what I had eaten - in amounts and ounces. The other issue, and this is the BIG one, is that I can't figure out how to judge (1) how to control the number of calories and fat in one meal, and (2) how to judge portion size. When I had to eat out one night, I had a BLT, what I thought was one of the best choices I could've made. Oh, My God. Lots of calories, and obviously lots of fat.

So, with those challenges, I found that Nutrisystem was a pretty good match. You don't have to memorize the point system. You enter in your weight every day, or whenever you feel like it, and your meals. And it became a computer game.

I've been on the system for a week, and I have lost 4 pounds. I'm encouraged, more than the weight loss, because my glucose levels have been outstanding in the meantime. Well, that's easy to understand: since I'm not buying cokes and candy - I don't want to have to have the challenge of entering them - my blood sugar level is coming down to "normal."

If I could change one thing, it's the food Nutrisystem offers. It's not that it's bland, it's that some of it's weird. At least, unlike some other systems, you can order a la carte. I think I can do the breakfasts by myself, and I'm learning how to do lunch, but dinner is tough. So I have gone to some of the other sites, found better food on one, and ordered some from there, just to compare. We'll see how it goes.

The one thing I've learned is that the portion size is SMALL. I am so surprised. I thought I knew it all. I don't.

This Won't Hurt One Little Bit

The doctor suggested I get a shot for tetanus. This was after several weeks of "fixing" my newly arthritic knee with a cortisone/steroid shot. I had heard rumors about tetanus shots, but I couldn't remember when I last got one. Oh, sure, go for it, I said.

After the nurse pricked me with the needle, I told her, "Oh, that's not so bad." She smiled. Did she smile because I was complimenting her, or because she knew the pain that would follow?

Tetanus is a musculature injection. That upper arm ached for several days afterward. In fact, a full week later, I still have a bruise.

In spite of the knee injection, which hurt in a different way, and the tetanus shot, I asked for another shot, if you can believe that: an injection against shingles. The medical term for it is Zostavaccine, otherwise known as Zostavax.

I had read about it in one of the pricey medical newsletters I get - but if I can get the shot, that newsletter will have paid for itself. Unfortunately, my clinic, Lifelong, did not have it, and did not expect to get it. So, they gave me a prescription. I knew it would be hard to fill.

I've gone to my regular got-to-have-it-now pharmacy, Long's, and she immediately knew they didn't have it. I called in to my mail-order pharmacy, CVS, and they said they don't send that to individuals. Hmmm....

I will pursue this next week. I'll probably have to try the larger spots like Wal-Mart. One friend on Facebook suggested I try Sav-On drugs, as she had hers administered there....but in Nevada.

My partner had shingles. My son had shingles just last year. My father had shingles, which made the last years of his life terribly painful. I'll keep trying.

Colon Cancer Update on March 16th

There's a FREE class being offered to the public on Colon Cancer:

What you need to know...
*Cancer is preventable.
*Colonoscopy is the gold standard.
*Lifestyle does make a difference (i.e., diet, exercise).

Speaker: Brian T. Paaso, MD
Gastroenterologist, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Location: California State building, Monterey Room
455 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco

Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Time: 12noon - 1pm

For more information, call 1-888-315-5988, or email education@cpic.org.

Visiting the Contagious

My brother is still contagious, still sitting in Sharp Hospital in the MICU ward. James, the physician's assistant, was very helpful in letting me know how contagious this MRSA is. He made me suit up -- wear a gown and gloves -- before I went into the room to see my brother.

But see him this morning I did. I even touched him, although he didn't really acknowledge the touch of cold latex. He was awake this time, though, and talkative. The MRSA bacteria is still working on his brain, though, confusing him, so what he said didn't make a whole lot of sense. He did say, "What's new?" which was quite amusing.

He's still under treatment for a virulent strain of MRSA, which had been allowed to go unchecked for a year. But he's alive. And improving.

MARSA Hits Close to Home

I'm currently in San Diego, where I am visiting my brother daily. My brother is in Sharp Hospital, where he's being treated for various things. At the top of the list: meningitis and MARSA.

I hadn't heard about MARSA before I got here. Apparently it's an invasive bacteria that worked its way into the spine and eventually caused meningitis. He's in the contagious ward of the ICU, the MICU. And, in order to go into the room, I have to suit up so that I'm protected.

So far there's been no need to go into the room, as I can see him from the doorway, and he's been asleep the entire time. He does wake up from time to time, answers questions briefly, but, according to the nurse, can't process much or have a heavy conversation. He most likely will not remember any visitors.

However, I have hope that he'll be more cognizant of what's going on today when I go in. If he is, I'll suit up and go on in. I'm leaving town today, at least for awhile. He's in good hands.