Stiff

Woke up feeling very achy this morning. Was it the long car trip? Was it something I ate? Was it the extra long walk while talking to Karen on the phone? I have no idea. I am stiff but not in a lot of pain.
Today, I have physical therapy at 10:00AM. I think I'll take an Aleve or Advil after that.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Amy’s Pad Thai (410 calories) (11g protein)
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
small (12 ounces) Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (310 calories)
2 gimme seaweed snack pack (50 calories) (2 g protein)
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg
Mushroom and Black Truffle flat bread (360 calories) (13g protein)
1.5 cups hot cocoa (225 calories)

32 oz water

Fit app:
Heart Points
miles

9:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

For some reason unknown to me, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte seems to make my stomach a bit queasy now. What has changed - the latte or me?

Got a new thing in physical therapy today - rotating my hips while sitting on an inflated exercise ball. This was a lot more comfortable than a regular chair, so I think I'm going to make this my regular seat for my desk and to watch TV without having to lie on my back while craning my neck to one side.
This will not help me with driving or siting in normal chairs but it is a lot better at home.

Oncology appointment today

MonsterMustDie went with me to my oncologist appointment today.
It was a very good check up with my oncologist today. She spent it reassuring me and saying that I have no cancer in my body now and we just need to monitor things from now on.
I had a long talk with Karen during my walk this evening.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (150 calories)
3 cups Kefir + Blueberry + juice smoothie (400 calories)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Thai Chicken Salad (380 calories) (25g protein)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Pomegranite smoothie (470 calories)
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories)

40 oz water

Fit app:
49 Heart Points
4.12 miles

10:00 AM weight: 108.9 lbs

Tomorrow is my physical therapy appointment.

Tuesday

It's a clear day on the calendar for me.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Progresso Mediterranean-Style Lentil soup (185 calories) (12g protein)
1 gimme seaweed snack pack (25 calories) (1 g protein)
3 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookies (450 calories)
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories)
small (12 ounces) Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (310 calories)
salmon + avocado sushi roll (410 calories) (13g protein)

40 oz water

Fit app:
57 Heart Points
3.33 miles

11:30 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

Tuesday is trash-collection day and this week is a recycling pick-up week.
My friend Karen has agreed to drive me to my EUS procedure on October 15. That's good news because the procedure is scheduled too early in the morning for MonsterMustDie to take me without having to miss a day of work.

Anxious Monday

I had a Gastroenterology appointment at Duke this afternoon. Worried about the cysts in my pancreas.
Chest CT scan impression (5/13/2025):
1. Left upper lobe 15 x 12 mm part solid nodule. The appearance is atypical for metastatic disease and is more suggestive of a primary lung adenocarcinoma. Further characterization with PET/CT may be beneficial.
2. Heterogeneously enhancing right hepatic lesion has imaging characteristics of a hemangioma.
3. Small low attenuating foci of the tail the pancreas are favored to represent side branch IPMNs.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1/2 Pistachio muffin (340 calories) (4g protein)
1 slice Almond Butter + Blueberry preserves toast
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Progresso Mediterranean-Style Lentil soup (185 calories) (12g protein)
Ardens Garden Juice (230 calories)
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories)

48 oz water

Fit app: Evening walk
75 Heart Points
4.63 miles

10:00 AM weight: 109.3 lbs

The Gastroenterologist said the best thing to do is monitor my cyst because surgery can have complications and only 10 percent of these cysts become cancer. He said it is, in fact, only one cyst and not three like I thought I heard previously.
He ordered a blood draw to set a baseline for Cancer Antigen. He also said he would order a Endoscopic Ultra Sound test to get a better look at it.

I got the Cancer Antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) test results and spent most of the evening in an anxious knot over the higher-than-average result. Normal range =35 U ml and my value is 38 (High). I talked to Karen about that and she said that's still a normal or healthy range and that despite the name, benign factors in the liver and pancreas can also elevate that number. That calmed me down a lot. She's about to go to DC for a few days, visiting museums, making photos for art, etc. so I'll be on my own while she's out of town.
Fortunately, I also have an appointment with my medical oncologist on Wednesday so I plan to ask her about that too.
I also need to mention how much more I am walking and exercising now compared to how much I did before my diagnosis. I had stopped doing any bar exercises after my back injury (sciatica?) on April 13, 2024. Then, I started walking at least 1 or 2 miles a day in preparation for my first surgery and in recovery for both surgeries.

Sunny day after interrupted sleep

Last night, someone nearby started shooting fireworks off at 2:06 AM.
I had breakfast at First Watch this morning with MonsterMustDie.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Kale Tonic - kale, apple, cucumber juice (130 calories)
Power Wrap (600 calories)
Leek dumplings (225 calories)
3 oz rotisserie chicken (128 calories)
1/2 Pistachio muffin (340 calories) (4g protein)

52 oz water

Fit app:
35 Heart Points
4.23 miles

10:00 AM weight: 110.5 lbs

Saturday

Board game day with USS Bonaventure.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
4 cups Kefir + mixed berries smoothie (600 calories) (40g protein)
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Ocuvite multivitamin
3 oz rotisserie chicken (128 calories)
1 small bag of potato chips (160 calories)
1 cranberry-pear-balsamic shrub

Fit app: afternoon walk
33 Heart Points
1.97 miles

8:30 PM weight: 111.1 lbs

friday

Spent the morning listening to Clark Howard and other favorite podcasts.
Went to the Carolina Fair by myself in the evening and felt obligated to have a corn dog while I was there.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Ocuvite multivitamin
3 oz rotisserie chicken (128 calories)
1/2 Tofu poke bowl (300 calories)
Arden's Garden juice (230 calories)
1 corn dog (375 calories)

40 oz water

Fit app:
3 Heart Points
1.5 miles

9:40 AM weight: 110.7 lbs

I was surprised I got so few points on the fit app tonight while walking around the fair.

Thursday

We went to the NC Mod exhibition opening at TAG this evening with Karen and Bob. This was a perfect event for MonsterMustDie to go to. There were people who recognized him from things he had done in the past and it seemed very good for him to be known.
We went to the food court at Stock+Grain afterwards for eats because everyone was hungry and it was a big disappointment. Half of the kiosks are empty now and most were already closed or closing on a weeknight just after 6:00pm. Taco Street and Yumi Sushi were still going strong but everyone else was clearly ready to leave or already closed.
Later, MonsterMustDie and I had a nice Zoom with Brian and Laura.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie ((150 calories)
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Chobani low-fat yogurt (140 calories)
Ocuvite multivitamin
3 oz rotisserie chicken (128 calories)
7 leek dumplings, steamed (230 calories)
1 poppy seed muffin (350 calories)
1 Yellowtail + Avocado sushi roll (200 calories)
1/2 Tofu poke bowl (300 calories)

40 oz water
1 cup green tea

9:30 AM weight: 111.3 lbs

wednesday

I have my third Physical Rehab appointment this morning at 11:00AM, just around the corner from the house.
Got a call at 1:30 pm to set up an appointment with a gastroenterologist next week.
Had a Zoom meeting with the Women's Night group. It was good to catch up with everyone and it helped my anxiety to share my medical concerns with them and to hear what they are have experienced.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 crackers + almond butter (218 calories)
Amy’s Lentil Vegetable soup (270 calories) (11g protein)
L-Arginine L-Citrulline complex 1000 mg supplement
two Oatmeal+Walnut+Cranberry cookies (300 calories)
2 servings Italian Buffalo Mozzarella Arugula pizza (620 calories) (24g protein)
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories)

60 oz water

Fit app: walk
16 Heart Points
2.19 miles

9:40 AM weight: 109.8 lbs

tuesday

We have plans to hang out with Karen and Bob by the fire pit at their house this evening. I plan to wear a mask.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories)
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 Arden's Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories)
2 Trader Joe's tiny baguettes (220 calories) (8g protein)
2 crackers + almond butter (218 calories)
Leek dumplings (225 calories)
Arden's Garden Yoga 1 juice (190 calories)
2 home made chicken molé burritos

Fit app: afternoon walk
39 Heart Points
2.47 miles

10:30 AM weight: 109.6 lbs

Monday

Sunny day.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1 Amy's Non-Dairy Bean & Rice Burrito (320 calories) (11g protein) + 3 tablespoons homemade salsa
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
D3 1000IU supplement
Ocuvite multivitamin
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+Cranberry cookies (300 calories)
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories)
1 Arden's Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories)
Parmesan Basil Chicken frozen entree (270 calories) (34g protein)

Fit app: afternoon walk
46 Heart Points
2.9 miles

10:00 AM weight: 110.7 lbs

I spent nearly 3 hours trying to find out what was going on with a medical bill that listed three entities and no one could tell me what it was for and none of the charges showed up on MyChart portals. As it turns out, all of the Cone Emergency Room facilities physicians are actually under contract with Atrium, even though Cone Health itself is a separate entity. There is no escaping Atrium Health in or near High Point. We should have just gone to the Atrium Hospital around the corner from our house to begin with but there was no way of knowing that.
The bill is difficult to get through, much like the Atrium healthcare system. The logo at the top is Atrium. The payment address is Wake Forest Baptist, which doesn't exist now - Wake Forest Baptist was acquired by Atrium a couple of years ago. In a little paragraph under the header, it mentions my visit to Cone Health Medical Center High Point. We were there on July 10 but the date of the physician's bill is August 30, 2025. And, like I said, I could not get any of this information online.

sunday

Nice and cool outside this morning.
The evening was just as cool when I went for my walk.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
1 cup oatmeal + dried apricot (100+ calories)
handful of crackers
1 seasoned grill salmon filet (260 calories) (33g protein)
1 cup cooked spinach (41 calories)
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
two Oatmeal+Walnut+Cranberry cookies (300 calories)

Fit app:
42 Heart Points
2.77 miles

12:30 PM weight: 111.1 lbs

saturday

I took an Advil Dual Action this morning before going out.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
one Advil Dual Action
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake
small spinach + tofu salad (300 calories)
KFC small chicken tenders snack (510 calories)

Didn't get my walk in today because it was raining all day.
Concentrated on floor exercises instead.

10:00 PM weight: 109.3 lbs

Friday

Quiet morning. Karen and Bob are at the beach this week, so I'm alone for the weekend. MonsterMustDie is here but he has no interest in going anywhere or doing anything other than possibly watching the new Superman movie in a darkened theatre. He has had his flu and Covid vaccinations but I have not so I would prefer to go to the cinema for a matinee during the week when I think it would be less crowded.

I got a phone call from my oncologist this afternoon at 3:00pm.
I had a question about the likelyhood of my pancreatic cysts developing into cancer and whether or when they might want to remove them or will they just continue to monitor them every six months. I only expected a message back about her thoughts on that. Her office just phoned and they want to see me on September 17 now.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448105/#
"Given their malignant potential, all MCPNs should be excised in patients fit to undergo surgery."

After sending a message to the Oncoligist office, the nurse there replied they wanted to discuss my weight loss, so perhaps I am panicking in my usual Woody Allen-ish way. I am certainly looking forward to talking with her again about all of this.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
4.4 oz Siggi's vanillla skyr 4% (140 calories)
1 cup Oatmeal + dried apricots
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Ceasar chicken salad wrap sandwich from Fresh Market (440 calories)
1 Bubbies pistachio mochi bite (90 calories)
1 The Fresh Market Dark Chocolate Almond Peanut Butter Cups (310 calories)
small spinach + tofu salad (300 calories)
1 Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake (160 calories)

Fit app: evening walk
55 Heart Points
3.69 miles

10:00 AM weight: 110.9 lbs