It's been so long!

It's been a while since I wrote about what's going on PV-wise. Well, the bad news is…it's still there. The good news is…I'm down to one dose of medication every three weeks. I've been doing this for awhile now and it seems to be working well. My platelets occasionally rise when I have inflammatory issues (soy and wheat are REALLY hard to avoid, by the way), but for the most part things have been "normal."

Posing at the Finish Line with my good friend, Cheri!

Probably the most annoying side effect/symptom I still struggle with is fatigue. In an effort to deal with that, I've reduced my work schedule to two 12-hr shifts a week and I'm working with a trainer this summer to increase my strength and stamina. At this point, I'd have to say the workouts pretty much guarantee me a nap later in the day, but I'm hoping as my body adapts, it will get easier.

Back in May, I embarked on a 35-mile bike ride in Sonoma County…a pretty humbling experience as I used to be able to pull out 35 miles without even thinking about it, and this ride knocked me on my tush. Regardless, I'm getting out there and trying…mostly I'm trying not to feel disappointed in myself when it is obvious I'm not the same person I used to be. I guess we're all a work in progress, no?

Whole 30, Awesome-ized

Starting yesterday, I embarked on a Whole 30, which is basically a 30-day whole foods cleanse based on a primal or Paleo diet (check it out here). Anyway, I knew right from the start that I was not going to have a perfect Whole 30. I know me, and I know that I tend to strive for perfection, then dump the whole project if I mess up even a tiny little bit. So, I decided straight up that I wasn't going to be perfect and hopefully this will make it more sustainable for me.

Yes, I'm a wuss...plenty of people do a Whole 30 without cheating at all, but I do not have that kind of willpower or stick-to-it-abilities. I know that about myself, so I'm doing the cleanse in a way that I feel can be sustained for a whole thirty days. Basically my planned-cheats are a daily cup of coffee with a bit of stevia and cream. Though last night I did have a small dessert (I know....one day and I go off the wagon!)...but the husband had friends over and they brought dessert and I didn't want to be rude (I promise, I just had a tiny bit...and YES, I paid for it later....bloating, tummy upset, blech!)

To prepare for the cleanse, I made a menu for the week (something I've never done) and went grocery shopping for the specific items on the list. Usually I just wing it and thus end up with things I never eat, or a bunch of random stuff that doesn't go together into anything resembling a meal. This will be better. The fridge is packed to the gills with produce, so it's my challenge to eat it all by the next shopping day. I hate throwing out food, so that's even more reason to stay on plan :-)

Here is what my menu looks like, complete with assignments for prep work in the far right column....this comes in especially handy as I head into my work week (Friday, Saturday night).

So, there you have it folks...we'll see if I can keep this up. I know I definitely need to lose weight, but I am going to try to focus instead on how I feel and hope that weight loss is an added bonus. I am also going to try to incorporate more exercise, which will be a combination of barre workouts, cycling and ramping up my Cough-to-5K running again. Stay tuned and stay awesome!

Pegasys Injection Numero Uno

I took my first dose of Pegasys last night around 8pm. Other than being ready for bed at 9:30 (which is my usual time anyway), I have felt zero side effects. ZERO! I was told by one of the nurses I met with yesterday that the side effects may not kick in until the next dose...so I guess I shouldn't get too excited yet. I eve =n went for a 17-mile bike ride this morning, and actually felt great!

Next week will be the real test, as I have to work both Friday and Saturday. Keep those fingers crossed!

In other news, I am going to make some onion rings in my dehydrator today...well, I'm going to start them today. Dehydrating takes a looooong time. Trying a new recipe, so stand by :-)

Hugs to all!
Mo

It's for Charity!

I have signed up to do a charity ride in Napa Valley for the American Lung Association...you know, clean air, global warming, asthma, lung cancer, etc... You can sponsor me (no amount is too little or too large) by going to www.sacbreathe.org and clicking on the link for the Bike Trek in the first paragraph and then "Sponsor an Individual" on the left side of the page, and then "Find a Participant." I am listed under Moore. It will be about 150 miles over three days, and it would be great to know that I am riding for a reason (other than the beautiful scenery, fun, friendship and CALORIES BURNED!)

Hugs all!

The Garden of Eden

Hey there! If you've noticed my vocabulary lately has words in it like, "foxglove", "drip system" and "mulch", then it's because Tom and I have been working on the backyard! Yay! What started out as a huge expanse of weeds has become a mini-oasis (sort of...you have to squint and only look at one section of the yard under optimal lighting conditions, but hey...it's a start).

Here is a peek at our little slice o' paradise:


In other news...went on a bike ride on Sunday...I am happy to report that I made it up Daffodil Hill without stopping! It was touch-and-go there for awhile, but I managed to pull through. The reward was a nice long down-hill in which I may have broken my speed barrier. If not, I got close (it was either 36.1 mph, or 36.7 mph...next stop 37!)

A few of you have asked about Truman...thanks so much for your concern and kind words. He is doing good, though today there was some blood in his regurgitated catfood, but the vet prescriped some anti-vomiting meds and Pepcid. I'm hoping the vomiting isn't related to the cancer, and is just a factor of having a sensitive tummy. Poor guy. He says "thanks for thinking of me" and "meow" and a bunch of other indecipherable cat things that sound vaguely like "is this all that's for dinner?" and "where's my mousie?'.

Let's see...what else? I'm really trying to do exciting things so I'll have something exciting to tell you. Tom and I are doing the "Bay to Breakers" run on the 21st of May. Well, he's running and I'm walking it with my friend, Cheri. For anyone who doesn't know what this is, it's an annual run in San Francisco that starts at the Bay and goes all the way across town to the ocean. It's supposed to be rather outrageous as most things in San Fran are...outlandish costumes, people in their birthday suits and painted blue, music, etc... We're staying the night at a B&B in the Castro area...he doesn't know we're staying in a 99.9% male neighborhood and I'm going to just wait and see if he notices. Kind of like when I took him to "Brokeback Mountain" and told him we were going to see a western.

Well, gotta run and go help with dinner. Ciao and hugs!

Good kitty: Resisted the pull of "The Cookie Connection" while getting lunch today.

Bad kitty: I'm letting the laundry pile up...I hate laundry.