Summertime 2016

*229*

   I am laying out on the couch with the little dogs with the AC intermittently going and contemplating what is for dinner. I am thinking a stir fry of cut up pork chips with onion and red bell pepper. That is probably gonna be it. Easy peasy meal. 

  I have some really great news. I called my endo office yesterday to find out what dosage of Lantus insulin I should take at night. I stopped taking it for over a week to see what my numbers were. I would have a before bed number around 110. My morning number would be like 130-140. Those are not normal people numbers but they are good for me. He said I don't have to take it anymore. Stop taking the lantus!! I have changed my life by myself. This is huge news for me. I went from the prospect of just careening down hill two months ago with this type 2, to eat low carb and discontinuing one of my insulins. The other is humolog. I take that with meals. Barely take it with meals. So I basically use it on occasion. Like I might need a small dose cause of the veggies I will eat tonight. Best news of my life in recent times. 

  Lu is not doing so great. I think her heart meds are not working like they did. She is close to last resort because she is so small. I am keeping her comfy, full, and happy. When the time is right, I will take her in. I love her to bits and pieces and I will be heartbroken over her. But not everything lasts forever. This I know. She is on three meds for her heart. That is more then some people. I will enjoy her now while I have the time. 

  The garden is doing okay. There was an issue with the potted plants here at the house. The plants started to turn yellow. I added some Miracle Grow and they are perking back up. Our broccoli was a major dud. We found out that we put too many in the space. We will pull them out and plant some leafy lettuce. I also learned that right now is a good time to pull all the flowers off the pepper and tomato plants. They need more time to grow and flowering is not the time. I will get bigger plants if I do that. You learn something new every day. Our strawberries have been a big crop. We have harvested about 4 quarts so far and we still have fruit that isn't ready yet to pick. I am very happy this year with the progress.

   Since my Dr appt when I decided that low carb high fat would save me, I have lost 17lbs. My gastro appt is on Monday. I am hoping to drop another 3-4lbs so that I can at least show that I lost 20. I didn't make it to the 30lbs but he won't balk at the 20. He has been trying to get me off diabetes meds forever. My stomach is still iffy at times but not as bad as it was before. It doesn't have the carbs and sugar to feed off of. Except for a couple French fries in the beginning, I have stuck to my plan. I have had to tweak it here and there because I had stalled a little in weight loss and I figured out I was eating too much fat and not enough protein. Hubby has joined me also. He sees how the results are working for me and he wants some of that! Lmao

  I am going to be going to the beach at least once a week, maybe more. I am wearing sunscreen but not spf 5000. Part of my problem is not enough vitamin d, so I will try to fix that with some good old fashioned sun bathing. I won't be out there for hours but enough to get a bit of color, enjoy the day, and get in the water. The ocean was too cold today for swimming. It needs some warm days to get the water at a better temp. 

  

 We have been walking much more. It is starting to get warmer so I won't be able to do it when the temps reach the upper 80s to 90. I have to stay out of sun. 

That is about it here with me. I need to get off this couch now and start the dinner. The man will be off work in an hour. 

Have a great rest of your day!

Memorial Day 2016

*238*

  It is O'dark 30 here this morning. Downpours over my head woke me up. There is a tropical something passing by today. The garden will be very very happy. It sucks for any cookouts or parades but we here needed the rain. Crossing fingers the basement doesn't flood. Not in the mood.

  Today is a month on a low carb way of eating. Yay! I have lost the 7lbs I gained plus like 3 more so far. I stalled a little bit so I had to adjust my macros. When you eat this way, you eat low carb, moderate protein, and high fat. I was not eating enough fat and too much protein. I should start seeing a difference in the weight loss. The endo gave me permission to fiddle with my insulin. His assistant told me that if I kept my shots as they were, I would end up with low blood sugar reactions. So I got that going for me.  I feel a lot better. I am not always hungry and I have had some unintentional ketosis which is good. It was so hard to achieve the last time I tried. I am not trying this time but I am sure I am in fat burning. I don't have proof but I just can feel it. 

  C-diff sucks...the end. I am all done with the Dificid. But my gut still feels wrecked. I keep being told that I will overcome it. It will go away. Right now, I feel like I have no hope for that scenario. Some days I am okay, some days I have pain. I see the gastro in June and I am due for an upper endoscopy. They will see how my ulcers and esophagus are doing. I feel like the meds have helped with it. I don't get the searing pain anymore but pics will give us a clear idea.

  So far we have had one hiccup in the garden. The beds have a case of leaf miner. My Swiss chard had to go in the trash. I was able to replace with three types of eggplants and some Anaheim peppers. Leaf miner effects chard, spinach, and beets. A couple of us will try again in the fall. My butter lettuce at home is not doing well. But the ones at the garden are ready for harvest. I will bring the ones from home there and switch them out. I will post pictures when I go to harvest on Tuesday. My buckets of sugar snap peas and beans are growing so well also. I need to twist some twine around the cages to give them more stuff to grab and grow on. I planted three bleeding hearts this Spring and they are all growing nice. Except for the killed chard, it has been a good kick off to the season. 

  Lu is doing okay. The antibiotic helped her. Her gum infection is at bay and her cough is much better. We just have to dose her ever few months to beat the infection back. Perla the chichi has to go on Friday to the vet. She also has a tooth infection that needs some syrup. She absolutely hates it. It is like mostly alcohol so she fights me every time but for her it works good and longer, she took it like 6-7 months ago so it lasts longer.  Lu actually likes the *vodka*. She slurps it down out of the dropper. Little booze hound. 

  Yesterday night we went to Walmart and picked up the very last 10k btu air conditioner in the store. The price was right and we were very lucky to get it. We will drag it inside after the rain ends later and prop her in the window. I hope it doesn't kill the man's back. Lu and I cannot survive another summer without a swamp cooler. I tried to be all 1976 economical but my IIH demands cool air on some days. I have said we won't abuse it. If it is in the 70s, don't you dare turn it on. No sense and I will be pissed at the electric bill. So yeah, we did a adult thing and bought a big appliance. Feels good that the economy of the house has gotten a little better. 

  I am going to try to make something called Fathead Pizza this week. It is a low carb crust made from cheese. If it is good, I will share pics and the recipe. I miss pizza sooooo much. If I can find something satisfying to me, it will make me very happy. I tried the cauliflower crust and I just didn't like it. There are alternative flours i can use in baking. Here is coconut and almond flours. I have to make a trip to the store to get supplies. There is also a sweetener for baking called Swerve. I have never had it but it supposedly tastes just like sugar hut without the aftertaste of Stevia. We shall see.

  We don't have a grill, yet. So even if it wasn't raining, we wouldn't be cooking out. *insert sad face*. We only had air conditioner money. Maybe next month we will have enough to get a grill. It will happen before the 4th, hopefully.

So that is about it. My head is feeling the effects of the storm. I am gonna roll over and try to go back to sleep. It is 517am. I think I will just have to nap later instead. 

Ouch!

*i dont care*


    It is a hot and muggy Summer day today (and yesterday). I have been sitting around in front of fans in shorts and tank tops. Hubby is making dinner on the grill. I just cannot do it.

I think the evil diamox has messed up my gut. I have been told by my endo to push the fluids today and I will see him tomorrow morning. I have pain on my right side like when I had my liver troubles. It is a constant nag that has gotten worse over the days. I get sharp pains, nauseated, gassy, and just feel ill. TMI!! I have no trouble with #2 but afterward I feel like I still have to go but I dont. I have a slight appetite. It could be my liver, my gallbladder, or my pancreas, I reckon. Whatever it is, I aint staying in the hospital. I refuse! Okay..if it is serious I will go. But otherwise I want to just make it go away. So yeah..what do I do if I have to start the diamox again if that is what is messing with my gut. There is only one other pill. If that doesnt work.....
Yeah..nothing positive to say.  I will post what happens in the comments. I wish to be happy again.

 The heat is not helping at all.  

What I would`nt give to have a block of ice to lick!

That looks like heaven.

*242*

   It is a scorcher today and it is only 1030am. I took the d.o.g.s out. Fresh water for them with ice cubes. Fresh food. Meds for Ruby and Perl. I wet Lu in the sink (that will happen multiple times today). Gave a huge drink to all the plants on the front porch (gotta do the few in the house). I folded towels and started a load of wash. I took out the stink-a-poo garbage and brought the recycling out to the curb. I have to take my meds and force the liquids today. The pill that I take for my head  makes me heat intolerant. I have never noticed it until today. My eyes are not good either. We dont have a AC on 1st floor so I will suffer it out.

   First things first. We think Hubs may have rebroken his foot from going back to work. He sees the foot surgeon tomorrow morning. Later on he goes to have his deposition for his comp case. It is looking like it is in his favor. He was told he would do this and then he would have to see the comp dr at some point. I hope to the baby Jesus that I don't have to do it. I could end up having to do it. I don't think my brain could handle that.
   We need some positive thoughts and prayers going his way for this, his foot, and something else. It is for a very positive outcome and it will alleviate some of my stress about money. This has been a long year of torture trying to pay bills. Today is just as hard. I have to ask my kid to loan me cash to pay a bill. She should be giving us rent anyway but don't get me started on that. I have to ask her or said service will be shut off. If it is shut off, I will have to pay the back and current balance plus an added kick in the ass of $25. So I wont be able to pay all of that till the end of the month. She relies heavily on this service so let us hope she helps. Usually I am pretty good but when extras happen,  I get screwed.

This is why we have to pray for Hubs. He needs to get off his feet and back sitting on his bootay in a cubicle.  PRAY!!!

  On a positive note, we are having a bumper crop of tomatoes. The plants are huge and full of flowers. That means lots of tomatoes! I am happy cause the Farmer`s Market has gotten expensive. It used to be cheap. You could spend $10-15 and come away with a ton of produce. I went last week. Tomatoes were $3.50 a lb. Yeah! And not heirloom ones either.  It was ridiculous. I will have a ton of leeks also. I will make a large pot of potato leek soup, put them in Chinese soup containers, and freeze till for the Winter. Yum! I might try to dehydrate them also. That would be a great way to utilize them.

   I see my neurologist on Thursday. My friend is going with me. I have to see if I really do have IIH. I don't want a Lumbar Puncture. I really don't. They scare the shit out of me. It wouldn't happen then cause you have to plan for it and a anesthesiologist does it. I don't want to do it.

It is hot but I am sitting in front of the fan and it isn't that bad. As long as I dont move or blink, I am okay.

Fat As I Am

*243*


   I am 243 this morning.  This is with clothes on so you know I weigh like 2-3 lbs less then that but I will stay with what the scale says. For a little while there I was not following my food protocol. I was essentially falling off the sodium/junk food wagon. I wasnt going crazy but my head and scale were whispering to me. Girl, knock that shit off! You have to lose weight and protect your eyesight. You are not gonna do that while eating bread or pickles.  I lost 4 lbs so I am back on track. My goal is to be 210 by Christmas. We shall see. 

   Perla is doing so much better. The medication has shrunk the inflammation below her eye, made her stinky breath go away, and put a ton of pep in her step. It is like the meds added a few years to her. She is acting like a youngin. It is a pain to dose her but it is worth the twice a day fight. She has to finish this bottle and another bottle. It wont fix her but it will make her feel better while we decide what to do about her teeth.

It is warm today. Thankfully not humid. I always have a bunch of stuff to do. Especially now that Hubs is back to work. It isn't like the adult children will help me. That would take them away from watching tv, having iintellectual conversations, and treating me like a maid/cook/chauffeur. Yeah. something is gonna change with that.
  I paid bills, and replaced hubby`s work shorts. That is all the money I have spent. So far so good. I have a new motto: Dont count yer chickens!! I wont spend it cause who know what will come up. My kids wont help bill wise so we have to economize and hope the frugality makes them so crazy that they move out. I could dream it. That is just as good for now.
I have to go...see the dog needs to go out but the two adults are too busy talking to do it while I try to type. They actually turned to look at me as to why I havent taken her out yet cause they are oh so busy. Grrrrrrr


Have a great Tuesday!