busy week

Monday was spent in Durham with medical appointments and a little shopping. Karen went with me for my Chest CT scan at Duke and my following Return visit with my thoracic team member. It is always a comfort to have a companion who will listen to everything and have a good read of it all when I go to my checkups. This visit was especially anxious for me after recent conversations with too many non-medical people who believe I have only five years left after my original cancer diagnosis. Karen is a lot more positive than that and she is the person I know who does a lot of self-education on the subject, especially being a lung cancer survivor herself and having a daughter who is a breast cancer survivor. She is always very reassuring.
The prognosis was good but I am not out of the woods for a long time. Next CT scan of my lungs is in 6 months.

1. Stable appearance of the left upper lung status post partial resection.
2. A few tiny less than 3 mm size pulmonary nodules of indeterminate etiology, attention to these on routine follow-up imaging is recommended.

In between my appointments, we had lunch at a nearby cafe. After my last appointment, which was very late, Karen had to switch one of her own appointments to a telemed. It was a regular visit she does often and she made the call in the garden.
After it all was done, we stopped in at Nordstrom Rack before going home and saw some very nice things there.

Tuesday I went grocer shopping with MonsterMustDie, who had his heart set on chocolate croissants from Lidl.
I came home and started prep vegetables for my cucina povera version of stuffed roasted pumpkins.
I went to the gym for the Power 30 workout. After the workout, I really just wanted to relax so I put off cooking for the night.

Today, I plan to send cooking vegetables - stuffed pumpkins and brussels sprouts.
It will probably be all be for me alone to eat on the rest of the week. MonsterMustDie is an incredibly picky eater now.

8:30 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
114.4 lbs
33.7% Body Fat
71.0 lb Muscle Mass
21 BMI

Fit app: afternoon walk
Heart Points
miles

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with half+half
1 chocolate croissant from Lidl (370 calories)(20g fat; 8g saturated fat)
(if I had looked at the fat content first, I probably would not have had the croissant)
3/4 cup pumpkin seed+flax granola (260 calories)(20mg calcium)
1/2 cup milk (75 calories)(140mg calcium)
1 bag Lesser Evil popcorn (60 calories)(2.5g sat fat)

Friday

I woke up early from the sound om MonsterMustDie moving around the room. I could have put in my earplugs and tried to go back to sleep but I was also having anxiety dreams.
Raining this morning and the forecast is for rain all day.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with pumpkin spice creamer

7:30 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
115.7 lbs
21.3 BMI
33.9% Body Fat
71.7 lb Muscle Mass
Bone Mass 4.6 lb (How does it figure that?)

Thursday - medical visits, electrical work, and food-making

MonsterMustDie is at Duke this morning for blood labs and return visit with his doctor.
The first thing I did today was make a batch of home-made hummus. I used the blender to break up, mix, and blend the tahini. Then I used the food processor to mix the final hummus.
Bob is came here late this afternoon to help install the new light fixture in the bedroom closet. Later, we all got together at CharBar7 for dinner and conversation on the patio. MonsterMustDie, predictably, should have stayed home. He had too much to drink and was being an absolute dick on the drive home.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
CoQ10 200mg
1 popcorn ball
1 mini snickers bar
Brussels Sprouts grilled with bacon
Baked Sweet Potato

9:00 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
116.2 lbs
21.4 BMI
34.1% Body Fat
71.7 lb Muscle Mass
Bone Mass 4.6 lb (How does it figure that?)

Wednesday - Blue Wave in election

I slept ok last night with some extra help.
Thankfully, I woke up feeling well, although I really needed that mornng cup of coffee.
I am cautiously optimistic about the election results. I hope things don't swing back red in two years. We need balance. We need accountability but not retribution. We need to repair whatever damage that we can.

Went for my walk and combined it with a trip to the gym to work out on the machines.
Ended the day on a Zoom with Brian and Laura.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
3/4 cup pumpkin seed+flax granola (260 calories)(20mg calcium)
1 cup milk (150 calories)(280mg calcium)
1 slice pumpkin bread (360 calories)
Hot Bar: Salmon
+ roasted potatoes
+ broccoli and mushrooms
1 glass red wine
1 bag Lesser Evil popcorn (60 calories)(2.5g sat fat)

9:00 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
116.2 lbs
21.4 BMI
33.8% Body Fat
70.8 lb Muscle Mass
Bone Mass 4.6 lb (How does it figure that?)

Fit app: evening walk
31 Heart Points
3.88 miles

Tuesday - Election Day

The first thing we both did this morning was to vote. The rest of the day was very quiet and inactive. MonsterMustDie stayed glued to his computer all day after work. I went to the Power 30 workout at the gym.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
2 slices pumpkin bread (720 calories)
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Momo Fuku soy + scallion noodles (320 calories) (10g protein)(20mg calcium)
+ 1 cup fresh spinach (7 calories)
+ 1/3 cup sliced carrots
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
OLLY Magnesium Gummy (336 mg Magnesium) (25 calories)
1 glass red wine
4 slices of baguette with gruyere cheese

Monday - Daylight Savings begins

Overnight, my arms ached. This time, it was my elbows more than my shoulders.
Went to Yoga at the gym this morning.
Hearing a forecast for rain prompted me to pick up every outdoor decoration I could this morning while it was still dry.
Later in the afternoon, I helped MonsterMustDie clean up more outside the house.

9:00 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
114.2 lbs
33.8% Body Fat
70.8 lb Muscle Mass
21.0 BMI

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
1 slice pumpkin bread (360 calories)
3 oz chickpea salad
Popcorn (60 calories)
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Handful of fresh blueberries
Lime potato chips (173 calories)
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg

Sunday

Spent Most of the morning taking down Halloween decorations and preparing to store them.
Went to a walking tour of Green Hill Cemetary in the afternoon.
I lined the Jack-o-Lanterns up for a final photo.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
OLLY Magnesium Gummy (336 mg Magnesium) (25 calories)
Progresso Chicken & Dumplings (160 calories)
+ handful of broccoli tops
+ handful of carrots
Sushi tray from HT
1 slice pumpkin bread (360 calories)
2 mini Butter Fingers bars
Apple Cider
Home-made roasted pumpkin seeds

Halloween 2026

Halloween Trick-or-Treat gathering this evening.
Phyllis came by and brough a tray of cut vegetables before taking her grandson trick-or-treating but she didn't make it back later.
We had the usual suspects - Karen & Bob, Alexa & Don.
Once again, I forgot to pull out the Halloween Crackers I had saved from last year.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
Pumpkin Bread
lasagna

8:00 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
113.5 lbs
20.9 BMI
33.6% Body Fat
70.5 lb Muscle Mass
Bone Mass 4.6 lb (How does it figure that?)

Fit app: afternoon walk
Heart Points
miles

Friday

No class at the gym yesterday.
I had hoped to at least get some walking in and weights or floor exercises done today but I spent all of my time baking pumpkin bread and carving two new Jack-o-Lanterns.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1/3 cup pumpkin seed+flax granola (300 calories)(20mg calcium)
1 cup milk (150 calories)(280mg calcium)
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)(1.5g sat. fat)
1 slice pumpkin bread (360 calories)
2 oz Rotisserie Chicken (160 calories)(20g protein)(8g fat)
1 supplement capsule St. John's Wort

9:00 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
116.6 lbs
21.5 BMI
34.3% Body Fat
71.9 lb Muscle Mass
Bone Mass 4.6 lb (How does it figure that?)

Tuesday

Kept waking up last night with aching shoulders. Maybe from planks I did yesterday.
Got no plans tonight other than the gym in the late afternoon.

I went to the Power 30 workout at the gym late this afternoon.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
Brown rice + roasted brussels sprouts + roasted carrots
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)(1.5g sat. fat)
1 cup matcha green tea
1 cup hot spiced cider
Brown rice + roasted brussels sprouts + roasted carrots
added some chili crisp to the last of the leftovers
hydrOXYzine HCL 10mg tablet

8:30 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
114.6 lbs
21.1 BMI
33.9% Body Fat
71.0 lb Muscle Mass
Bone Mass 4.6 lb (How does it figure that?)

Monday

I am still stessed over the lung cancer conversation with my paternal neice on Saturday. She told me her aunt had the same type of lung cancer I had and had surgery that was declared successful. Like me, she did not smoke or have any known genetics for cancer. Then she died of lung cancer five years after her intial diagnosis. I now feel hopeless. I don't know if anyone lives more than five years after lung cancer diagnosis.

I tried to have a pumpkin-carving party at our house on Sunday. Nobody came except Bob and Karen and another couple who did not bring pumpkins and only stuck around for a little while.
Other people who said they were coming did not show up.

Started today with yoga at the gym. It was just me and the instructor today. Nobody else showed up.

Cooking veggies tonight.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
1 Apple Cider doughnut
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Momo Fuku soy + scallion noodles (320 calories) (10g protein)(20mg calcium)
+ 1 cup fresh spinach (7 calories)
Brown rice + roasted brussels sprouts + roasted carrots
2 cups hot spiced cider
handful of tortilla chips

11:00 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
114.4 lbs
21.0 BMI
33.9% Body Fat
70.8 lb Muscle Mass
Bone Mass 4.6 lb (How does it figure that?)

Friday - stressful

I'm trying to work my plans for going to the Brevard Halloween Festival on Saturday. A few years ago, we had a good time with Karen & Bob, who met us there and were staying overnight nearby. There was an evening tour of a historic home, Silvermont Mansion, and a competition for spotting White Squirrel figures all over the tour. (Bob won a friendship bracelette.)
After that, I found out a lot of my paternal biological family live nearby - a missed opportunity to meet them, so this year I really wanted to repeat the experience with a meetup with that part of my biological family. Last night, I found out my half sister and her husband will not be around to meet me there because she has a craft booth out of town now on weekends. Her daughter still wants to meet me but she is having some health issues with an autoimmune disorder this week.
Lastly, and the hardest to work through, Karen and Bob don't appear to have an interest in going with us. It would make the long road trip a lot more fun and less stressful if they were with us. There is a lot less to do this year at the Brevard Halloween festival and there is no historic mansion tour now or any other late event after 5PM so it will be a short day, which would kinda make the trip less tempting to want to stay overnight but it really is a long drive - 3.5 hours and my car is not really trustworthy this time. The tires need replacing and I am in the middle of a fuel-consumption test again to get the engine replaced in a recall before my time is up.
So, once again, this might not be a good idea for this year, although I really want to meet these people I am related to in NW North Carolina.

I also had a phone call from my bank about investing my money in a CD or other interest-earning account that I am afraid of going into as financially ignorant as I am.

Finally, I am trying be ready to go to the Witches Walk event in Winston-Salem with one of the MeetUp groups I am a member of. That should be a lot of fun and, while I am looking forward to it, I am having trouble finding old costume parts and the remaining makeup that I have. The long white wig I had as part of my Ghost costume a couple of years ago would be perfect.

I need to be willing to let some things slide for now and revisit them after November.

Fit app: afternoon walk
Heart Points
miles

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
Amy's Beans + Rice Non-Dairy Burrito (270 calories)(7g fat, 0g saturated fat)(8g protein)
1 avocado (250 calories)
1 piece of Halloween milk chocolate
1 cup whole milk Kefir (150 calories)(390mg calcium)
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
CoQ10 200mg
1 bag Lesser Evil popcorn (60 calories)(2.5g sat fat)

thursday

Went to Cardio class at the gym.
Came home and took an Aleve before having a shower.

Went to Harris Teeter (senior discount day) and bought groceries.

9:00 AM weight: (WYZE scale)
114.0 lbs
33.8% Body Fat
70.8 lb Muscle Mass
21.0 BMI

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
1/3 cup pumpkin seed+flax granola (300 calories)(20mg calcium)
1 cup whole milk Kefir (150 calories)(390mg calcium)
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
CoQ10 200mg
Turkey + Cheddar sandwich
1 Aleve tablet
1/2 Newman's white pizza (600 calories)(10g saturated fat)(466mg calcium)

Wednesday

I had an afternoon dental appointment. Just a routine cleaning.
We spent most of the day setting up the Halloween decorations in the front yard. Spooky Lady and her graveyard are now set up and lit up on a timer.

I had very little to eat or drink all day. I just kept pulling things down from the attic and trying to propery label bins before putting the packing back in them and returning them to the attic without a break.
Ended up having a late evening bowl of soup & snacks and trying to hydrate by drinking more water + juice.

Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee with milk
1/3 cup pumpkin seed+flax granola (300 calories)(20mg calcium)
1 cup whole milk Kefir (150 calories)(390mg calcium)
Chicken + Orzo + Lemon soup (200 calories)
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1/3 cup rice crackers
1 slice of toast with almond butter + blueberry preserves