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Getting Healthier

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Day 232 in my pilgrimage to Mickey

Today’s plan to get to be a healthier me was to take the next steps along the way to my impending surgery.  So I got up this morning, drank some kind of contrast stuff, drove to Highland Park Hospital, and had a CT scan.  They scanned my upper and lower abdomen to make sure everything looks healthy enough for surgery.  I will have surgery on April 15 in Evanston.

When I started this journey 232 days ago, I never dreamed it would lead to where it has.  I just thought I would eat better and move more, and be a healthier me when we went to Florida.  I had no idea I would deal with a bout of cancer on my way to meeting up with Mickey.

It makes me very happy for the 7 months of this new lifestyle.  I AM healthier than I have been in a long time.  I know that sounds ridiculous, after all I have cancer.  But I feel better than I have in years, and I owe it all to better food choices and more movement.  So…so far, so good.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Docs, Docs and More Docs

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Day 231 in my wandering toward my Mickey meet-up.

Today’s plan to pursue better health was to see Dr. Elena Diaz, a gynecological oncologist.  I feel much better after seeing her.

She told me that we won’t know the stage of the cancer until surgery.  But there are three phases to the biopsy that I had.  1 is least number of cancer cells present.  2 is more cancer cells present.  3 is most cancer cells present.  My biopsy was a 2.

I will be scheduled for surgery in the next 30 days.  I should receive a call by Tuesday telling me when the surgery is to be.  I will have the surgery at Evanston Hospital (where the robot is located), and if all goes well, I will just spend one night in the hospital.  Before surgery I have to see my primary care physician for a physical to make sure I am healthy enough for surgery.  And I will have a ct scan to make sure everything looks OK.

I am so ready for the surgery.  I will just breathe easier when the cancer is out of me.   “To cut is to heal,” my dear friend Wayne says.  I believe it in this case.

Well, I’m off to pamper myself and think on more pleasant things for the rest of the day.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Preparing…

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Day 230 in my preparations to get healthier to meet up with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom in October (6 months and 17 days to go)

Today my plan is to tie up some loose ends:

  1. Quick Taco Skillet Casserole–I promised to tell you what I thought of this recipe.  Mike and I really liked it.  It easily made enough for two dinners for the two of us, so we’re having the leftovers tonight.  It is basically glorified Spanish Rice.  But it does use quick brown rice and no added spices, so it didn’t shoot my blood sugar level up.  That is always a win!
  2. Thinking about and planning for our new kitty.  My friend Joan has two cats that fight something fierce.  Mike and I have agreed to give Mary Ann a  home with us, so by this weekend we will have a fuzzy friend living with us.  Pretty excited about that one!
  3. Organize a few more things for the Women’s Retreat (Cafe Chocolat) at our church next month.  I want to get as much ready as possible before my surgery.  (See #4 below)
  4. I see my oncologist tomorrow.  Hopefully after that meeting we can get my surgery scheduled.  The sooner that part is behind me, the better.  Talk about doing something to improve my health, right?  I’m pretty sure my health will improve dramatically when they cut out the cancer!  BTW: I wonder how much a uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries weigh…instant weight loss.  😉  However, I do NOT recommend this type of weight loss!  Honestly, People, if I can’t laugh about this whole thing, then I’ll just cry all the time.  I like laughing much better!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Heart Medicine

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Day 229 in my endeavors toward meeting up with Mickey in October (6months and 18 days to go)

Today’s plan is to go and spend time with a friend, Joan.  She is in a rehab center, recuperating from knee replacement surgery.  My plan for today is to go and see her after work.  She is always good for my heart. a real barefoot friend.  She loves me warts and all, and the feeling is mutual.

So today’s plan is balm for my soul.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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October Game Plan

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Day 228 in thinking about hanging with Mickey in October

Today’s plan is to think about what I definitely want to experience at the parks in October.

Magic Kingdom (My absolute favorite park!)

  1. Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid
  2. 7 Dwarves Mine Train
  3. Peter Pan’s Flight
  4. Mad Tea Party
  5. Splash Mountain
  6. Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road
  7. Pirates of the Caribbean
  8. The Haunted Mansion
  9. Carousel of Progress
  10. And the best ride ever-It’s a Small World

EPCOT

  1. Soarin’
  2. Spaceship Earth
  3. The Seas with Nemo and Friends
  4. Universe of Energy
  5. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
  6. France’s Movie

Disney Hollywood Studios

  1. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
  2. The Great Movie Ride
  3. Muppet Vision 3D
  4. Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
  5. Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular
  6. Toy Story Midway Mania
  7. Voyage of the Little Mermaid
  8. The Magic of Disney Animation

Animal Kingdom

  1. Dinosaur
  2. Festival of the Lion King
  3. Finding Nemo-The Musical
  4. Kali River Rapids
  5. Kilimanjaro Safari
  6. Primeval Whirl

I get so jacked up thinking about it that I can hardly stand it.  And there’s even something that I am more excited about than all of the above: shaking Mickey’s hand and having my picture taken with him.  Woo hoo!

Meet you the Kingdom!

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Snow???

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Day 227 in my slogging toward meeting up with Mickey

Today’s plan is to survive another day. 😄  Today we are getting our “St. Patrick’s Day Storm” a week late. It’s not really so much a storm as it is just plenty of snow. I detest driving in snowy conditions, and I wouldn’t have driven today except for work. So my plan is to get to work. Already accomplished. And to get home from work. Yet to come. AND to make healthy food choices and stay sugar-free. 

As Edith Ann would say, “And that’s the truth!”  (Dated Laugh In reference)

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Cooking Up a Plan

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Day 225 in cooking my way to a healthier me to pose with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom in October

Today is all about a recipe.  I may have mentioned this book before.  It’s called Betty Crocker 30 Minute Meals for Diabetes.  As I am pre-diabetic, I try to eat as diabetes-friendly as possible.   This book has been a real Godsend.  So tonight’s new recipe is Quick Taco Skillet Casserole.  I like quick, I like tacos and I like casseroles, so it sounds like a winner to me.

The prep time is 25 minutes for 6 servings.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 pound (extra-lean) ground beef
  2. 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  3. 1 and a half cups uncooked instant brown rice
  4. 1 cup chunky-style salsa
  5. 1 and a half cups of water
  6. 1 can (14.5 to 16 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
  7. 1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
  8. 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

Directions:

  1. In a 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain well.  Return beef mixture to skillet.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-high; cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until water is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir before serving.

Sounds great, right?  I’ll let you know how it tastes.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Wise Words from Walt

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Day 224 in my journey to a healthier lifestyle for meeting up with Mickey (6 months and 23 days to go)

Today’s plan was to eat in a healthy manner, and I have managed to do that.  I feel a lot better than I did last night after having a sugar binge.  I feel mellow and satisfied.  I don’t mind telling you, I like this feeling.  It’s way better than a sugar-crazed crab-fest.  You’ve heard of mean drunks?  I am a mean sugar-fueled sugar addict.

Jake and Eliza gave me an Artfolds book for my birthday.  It’s really a cool idea.  You fold each page according to some lines on them.  When you’re finished folding the whole book, you have a piece of art, kinda like origami.  My book finished up as a Mickey Mouse head.  Perfect, right?  I love it.  And along the way there are quotes by Walt Disney.  Well I finally finished all the folding today.  And here is a quote that I found particularly fitting for my life right now: “Life is composed of lights and shadows, and we would be untruthful, insincere, and saccharine if we tried to pretend there were no shadows.”  Isn’t that cool?  Sometimes it’s just good to recognize that life has its ups and its downs.  I want to embrace both in my life.  I want to savor every experience, even the not so fun ones.  I think it’s really the only way to know that you have lived life, and not just sleep-walked through it.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Blech!

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Day 223 and blowing it on my way to meeting up with Mickey

I had a meltdown today and ate a bunch of crappy un-nutritious foods.  And now I feel awful.  Why did I used to eat that way all the time????

Moral of the story: She who eats crap will feel like crap.

I will get back to my healthy and nutritious eating starting now.  I will move more tomorrow.  And by tomorrow evening, I will feel considerably better.

Meet you at the Kingdom?