walking forward, falling back

Daylight Savings time ended at midnight and we officially "gained" an hour when the clock fell back at midnight.
I woke up at 6:30 AM from a disturbing dream. I dreamt that we were in my car together with him driving and I look over at him and he is unconscious, head hanging down, drooling, hands still on the wheel.

MonsterMustDie is still acting wonky today but he's at home and entertaining himself quietly, mostly. However, every time he opens his mouth, it seems like he is either insulting me by talking like I am an imbecile or criticizing something or someone I like. I know he probably means no harm but he is very annoying today.

I got home from shopping-to-get-out and the entire back mudroom smelled so heavily of solvent and lacquer that the fumes even drifted into the kitchen around the door. He wanted to show me something and I said the fumes were too strong for me to stay there or in the kitchen. (This is not the first time this has happened.) He got very angry and accused me of saying he was spraying inside the house. I told him I knew he didn't do that but the wet or still curing chemicals were still making me light headed and the back of my throat burned. I'm sorry. I can't stand it, especially after lung cancer surgery. I suggested, as I have before, that we find a place out of the house like the shed that pieces can continue to cure and dry for 24 hours. He said he'd just throw EVERYTHING out of the shed. I have no correct words to say but I can't live like this.

8:00 AM weight: 111.6 lbs

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
one blue algae supplement
baked russet potato with home made chili (500 calories)
1/2 pecan brownie from Cheesecakes by Alex

24 oz water

Saturday

I baked frozen Samosas for breakfast.
I am planning to go to a Halloween party at Karen & Bob's house tonight. I might be going alone because MonsterMustDie generally does not like gatherings of people and recently his brain has decided that now Karen is mad at us or doesn't like him. Sometimes the part of his brain that controls emotions seems to take over the logical, thinking part. Most of the time, he thinks I am mad at him when he sinks into these moods. I tell him constantly that no one is mad at him and everything is ok.

MonsterMustDie broke down all of the outdoor Halloween decorations this morning and brought them inside. Everything is taken down and in the living room, staged to bring all the boxes down from the attic and put it away.

Also, today, MonsterMustDie unsuccessfully tried to replace the water filter cartridges under the kitchen sink. What should have taken five minutes took two hours and cannot be finished until the new cartridges arrive on November 6. Returning or exchanging the faulty cartridges was not an option on Amazon, where I purchased them. Meanwhile, the bracket that holds both filters up is hanging against the bottom of the cabinet because he unmounted them to put the new cartidges in.

9:20 AM weight: 113.8 lbs

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
3 Samosas (480 calories( (120mg calcium)
3 cups hot cider
Gummy Fruits (45 calories)
Amy's brown rice + black-eyed peas (300 calories)
OLLY Magnesium Gummy (336 mg Magnesium) (25 calories)
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg
1 bowl home made chili
1 baked potato
1/2 cup party mix

57 oz water

Fit app: afternoonwalk
31 Heart Points
1.69 miles miles

MonsterMustDie was very well-behaved at the Halloween dinner at Karen and Bob's house. He was very quiet but friendly to everyone. He didn't pressure me to leave ASAP and we ended up being there chatting with them for a while after all the other guests left.

Halloween 2025

Woke up feeling ok this morning.
Thinking about all the things I meant to cook yesterday when I didn't do anything.
Final count oh Trick-or-Treaters was 137 but a lot were double-dipping on their way back at our house.

9:00 AM weight: 111.3 lbs

Fit app: afternoon walk
Heart Points
miles

skies are clearing

It's finally sunny this morning. I hope it dries out today. Woke up feeling ok.

My stomach started feeling a bit queazy again after I had just a few chips with chicken salad this morning.
Also had a moment of my heart racing this morning without an adequate prompt.

9:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

Wednesday

Another rainy day in North Carolina.
I haven't heard from my family all week and I'm sure they were busy. I called my neice today and she said her mother got home this afternoon from the hospital. She had a group of her mother's friends at the church send her money via VENMO that she used to hire a maid service to clean my brother and sister-in-law's house today. The conversation was brief as her children were tugging at her while I spoke to her.

MonsterMustDie and I carved Jack-o-Lanterns tonight from the largest pumpkins we had on the front steps.

I went to bed early with an upset stomach.

9:00 AM weight: 112.0 lbs

Rainy Tuesday

Still raining today.

9:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

Monday

The first thing I did after coffee and meds was scoop the cat box and pull the bins to the curb for collection tomorrow morning.
It is raining today so I doubt I will get my walking in this afternoon.

10:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

Sunday

MonsterMustDie feels much better this morning but he woke up with a headache.
I toasted a flatbread he got a the Farmers Market on Saturday for him in the evening, which he ate. I tried to get him to drink some water and gave him some of my BioLyte drink (precious to me now) to try but he said it tasted like wet socks. I'll just stick to trying to coax him into drinking a little plain water as often as I can. Other than morning coffee, I only see him drinking low-alcohol beer all day. His choice, I know, but I try to get him to choose healthier options.
I feel fine except for my usual pain in my right hip.
Outdoor Halloween decorations are finished, except for carving the Jack-o-Lanterns this week.
I bruised the front of my right shin on the attic step while moving boxes back up. No biggie but I want to record that for Bruise Clues later.

9:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
42 Heart Points
1.85 miles miles

Saturday

I've been too anxious over the Novant medical bill situation. I know I need to let it lie for a few weeks until I can send in paperwork.

I also feel ok with my weight enough to stop the intake-blogging for a while.
I need to relax more, keep up my exercises and walking, and get out more into the world.

My sister-in-law had open heart surgery yesterday afternoon - a triple bypass. I spoke to my neice and texted my brother yesterday evening while she was still in ICU after surgery. They said the surgery went well. My brother said she will be recovered in 6 weeks. My neice said she will have a 6-month complete recovery, which sounds more believable. 

9:00 AM weight: 110.5 lbs

Pumpkin Pancake Day at the Farmers Market and pancakes were sold out before 10:00, but we did see some unusual cut greenery. 

ocra pods and hairy balls

MonsterMustDie had a fainting spell late in the afternoon while we were in a gallery in downtown Winston-Salem. I looked over and he was seated on a bench, leaning back, in a cold sweat. We waited several minutes with me putting cold compresses of wet paper towels from the bathroom on his forehead and the back of his neck. I made him send a message to his doctors via MyChart as soon as we got home. As it turns out, he had only been eating sweets and low/no alcohol beer all day (sounds familiar) to I cooked a couple of pork tamales we had in the freezer, topped them with mild salsa for him and made him drink some water for dinner.

friday

I did not sleep well at all last night. Was up until at least 12:30AM. Then I woke up when I heard MonsterMustDie stirring around at 5:30AM.
It's been a very anxious, frustrating day. I spent all day trying to deal with the Novant medical bill again with Medicare and Novant billing and got nowhere.

Message from Angela Perry, MD, sent October 6 at 4:40 PM
Good afternoon, I agree that this should not have resulted in a charge for you. I have turned this back over to the billing department to see if it can be resubmitted. Thank you.

Message from Tonnya B, CPT, sent October 7 at 8:32 AM
Hi Julia, I apologize as we can not sent this message to the billing office. Please give them a call at 844-266-8268. Thanks, Tonnya B, CCMA

It looks like the doctor copied my medical history from Duke and Atrium onto her files in a way that made it look like she performed an examination and then billed everything as a new patient appointment with my while charging medicare for everything Duke and Atrium did. She actually sent me a message admiting it was a mistake and that I should not have been billed for any of it but the woman in the billing department at Novant Health refuses to speak to her and insists the paperwork submitted states that she performed a very detailed physical exam and that the "coding department" says everything was submitted correctly and there will be no other review or changes to my bill.

I then phoned Medicare again to ask why I do not have my claims forms from them and they said they had mailed them to me nearly a month ago. I still don't have them so I think they believe my monthly Medicare statement is my claims form. No. I checked. The woman at Medicare said I can't ask for another claims form until a month after the last one was sent out, which will be Saturday at the earliest and I have to phone them to ask for the forms to be sent - she could not put in the order for me yet. And no one may be able to do that on a weekend so I should wait til Monday. Then it will take 15 business days to get the form in the mail.

I think I am completely robbed of the money they insist I owe for the nonexistant Welcome To Medicare exam and now there is no way I can have an annual physical exam and wellness visit until after October of next year. Medicare is not easy but I'm still glad I have been able to be treated at Duke for everything this year. I'm glad I was finally able to have a couple of things done through Atrium, like the original mammogram that detected breast cancer, before the problem with Novant happened. I sincerely hope I can continue my recovery on my back and surgeries without any problem. I don't know what to do about updating my Medicare coverage for next year, if I need to, and I have no one to advise me on this. I am trying to do everything right. I am doing my best.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 cups coffee
1/2 Asian pecan pastry
2 cups whole milk + Kefir (300 calories) + 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (40 calories)
Teriyaki Salmon filet + brown rice, aduki beans, roasted carrots and broccoli.
pumpkin seeds roasted with salt and olive oil (80 calories) (4g protein)
1 Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1 Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake (160 calories) (650 mg calcium)
1 cup chamomile + lavender herbal tea

24 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 112.4 lbs

not Friday yet

MonsterMustDie did not remember he left both of our ChillOut thermal carafes at work. He tried to take my one remaining cup - the large Orca stainless steel that Jennifer had given me - and I would not let him. I was able to fish out a not-so-great small, cranberry-colored 1-cup thermos I bought years ago at, of all places, Crate and Barrel but he would not use it. Tomorrow, he will probably once again forget the cups are gone and try to take my Orca cup with him.
Instead of working on the paintings we started, I went shopping for eye glasses for her and stainless steel carafes for me. We found some nice frames for her new prescription. I am still on the hunt for the right travel cups but I did find Orgain 30g on sale and some delicious-looking walnut cranberry bread at CostCo while shopping with her.
Got a text from my brother that his wife is having open heart surgery tomorrow. Phoned him several texts later to find out more of what is going on. She was "feelng things" wrong with her on wednesday and had a CT scan that reveals "a lot of things messed up" including her "widow-maker artery" is 90 percent blocked. They kept her in the hospital to monitor her and she has bypass surgery scheduled tomorrow afternoon.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (150 calories)
Dinner was brown rice, aduki beans, roasted carrots and broccoli.
1 Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1/2 Asian pecan pastry
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement

20 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 111.8 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
40 Heart Points
3.78 miles miles

Wednesday

Woke up with a slight headache that is still going on at 10:40AM. Stomach is still a bit queazy this morning.
MonsterMustDie went with me to TJ-Maxx and Target, looking for a new stainless steel thermal cup to have an extra one at the house. He's left two at work now and I think I will never see my red Chill-Out cup again. Since it is Halloween season, I hoped to find a spooky cup but most of Halloween theme stuff is already sold out everywhere. While we were at Target, he decided to buy a plastic retro-style blow mold plastic light. Then he surprised me by deciding to bring down some of the Halloween decorations from the attic today so we spent an enjoyable afternoon setting up the front yard scene. We got about halfway through it and will finish it tomorrow afternoon.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (150 calories)
1 Orgain 30g protein shake (160 calories) (650 mg calcium)
1 butter croissant (260 calories)
1 plate of tabouli + roasted carrots + broccoli for dinner (98 calories)
4 oz rotisserie chicken (186 calories)
1 Excedrin Extra Strength tablet

40 oz water
18 oz pomegranate + hibiscus herbal tea

9:00 AM weight: 112.2 lbs

Never got around to my evening walk today but at least I did all of my exercises in the morning.

Chilly Tuesday Morning

I spent most of the day hanging out with Karen and trying to get around to practicing painting.
Got home, roasted the veggies the Hatchers left for me, and watched the first Harry Potter movie with MonsterMustDie.

I had a bit of a queazy stomach today. I had a touch in the afternoon after my lunch of toast and again after my quickie dinner of fried chicken and home-cooked veggies.
There was some drama on the street behind us with neighbors outside screaming at each other. The woman next door was frightened and came over to our house for few minutes. The son of another neighbor behind us (kinda a kook himself) called the police, who showed up to calm things down, whatever it was.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
toast with almond butter and jelly (310 calories)
KFC 4-piece chicken tender snack
1/2 cup roasted carrots & broccoli

52 oz water

10:00 AM weight: 110.9 lbs

Monday

Today started with a sunny, cool morning after rain late yesterday.
MonsterMustDie is hot on buying a new refridgerator because he believes that means we would never have defrost and clean the fridge again. He brought this up late last night as I was trying to get to bed and he was, somehow, wide awake and excited about spending money. I really could not deal with that.

We had a Zoom conversation with Brian and Laura. Tried to avoid political downer talk and share positive things we were up to or new enjoyable things to discover. Found a short collection of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In clips of Halloween skits to watch together. Those jokes did not age well but the show was still incredibly fun for the style and the characters and cast.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
1 custard filled roll from Hansel & Gretel bakery (150 calories)
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (150 calories)
Chicken salad and crackers (300 calories)
1 Acai Berry Boost smoothie (420 calories)

36 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

Sunday

The Hatchers left for Asheville after breakfast this morning.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Yogurt with fresh blueberries and pecans
2 red bean cookies from Hansel & Gretel bakery
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (150 calories)
1/2 Grilled chicken panini

48 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 111.6 lbs

I have not been drinking enough water this weekend.

Saturday in the park

We spent today with the Hatchers, walking around a local park in Greensboro in the morning.
We went to Brown Truck Brewing (nothing for me there) and Cohab Space in the afternoon.
I finally got around to picking up my two ceramic pumpkins that were fired and ready. I also picked up the last painting I did at the classes there so Kim could see it.
The evening was spent at Southern Roots, which was a very good choice by Kim, based on a conversation she had with our neighbor at the brewing company. I'm glad we had one more dinner out this weekend. (bad influence) Tonight at dinner, I had my first glass of wine since my medical problems started. I had one glass of the same wine Kim was drinking and did not quite finish that glass but it was a large glass of wine.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (300 calories)
Dinner at Southern Roots - 1/2 Grilled chicken panini + fresh green salad

Birthday #66

Looking forward to an overnight visit from the Hatchers today.
Based on the Endoscopic UltraSound results, I successfully rescheduled my abdominal MRI to April 2026.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookies (300 calories)
1 Teriyaki Salmon filet (310 calories) (26g protein) (20mg calcium) (14.5mcg vitamin D)
1 cup cooked Swiss Chard
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
Dinner at Sticks+Stones - "Magnolia Mountain" Pizza - Portabella mushrooms, olives, arugula, fresh mozzarella, fresh ricotta, parmesan, fresh herbs, and extra virgin olive oil

48 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 110.9 lbs

Just after Kim and Harris arrived to visit for the weekend, I got a birthday gift from Audrey and Nick - a necklace with tiny bats flying around a large purple crystal.

I'm thankful to Kim for sending back the small pizza I ordered for my birthday dinner that they brought to the table so over-cooked the top was burned and the crust was completely charred black. We tend to be too nice sometimes and never send back anything. I was already very hungry and I would never have had a bite of anything they served to me at first - it was inedible. That's the first time we ever had an order ruined at Sticks and Stones Pizza. It was embarrassing to have that happen at at time we had dinner with friends from out-of-town because we said that was one of our favorite restaurants.

making my way back to normal

Back to normal, almost. Once again, waiting to poop after general anesthesia yesterday. Got a follow-up call from Duke this morning at 9:00 AM asking how I was doing. I think I'm fine this morning, other than the usual poop issues after anesthesia. No problem

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 Senexon-S 8.6-50 tablets
2 slices of wholegrain toast + almond butter + blueberry preserves
1 Sprouts sushi roll (340 calories) (25g protein)
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (300 calories)

48 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 113.8 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
45 Heart Points
3.44 miles miles

Fortunately, the Senexon-S worked a bit around 3:00 pm so I believe I can hold off on the more powerful meds like Miralax.

I resumed my exercises after two days off and got through my entire routine late this afternoon.
Now it's nearly 10:00 PM and time to relax and have a nice glass of prune juice while listening to podcasts.

Finished with my Endoscopic Ultrasound and having coffee & lunch before going home. Everything went as good as possible with the cyst in my pancreas being judged completely benign in the best way. I'll just have MRI every 6 months to monitor things.
I woke up from anesthesia to Karen waiting in the chair next to me in the recovery room with, smiling calmly.
Afterwards, we stopped by Mad Hatter cafe for coffee and lunch before going home. The trip home included a brief stop by Tanger Outlet mall, where I am pleased to say I made no purchases while still recovering a bit. Not a good time to make any decisions or operate large machines.

Tuesday

The first thing I saw on my phone was a health questionair asking me when I stopped eating and drinking. Made me worry for 2 seconds. Then I figured out that I should fill it out with what time I plan to go to bed tonight, thus no longer eating or drinking before my procedure tomorrow morning.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
HC Organic fudge bar (100 calories)
3 oz rotisserie chicken (156 calories) (23g protein)
Pumpkin Stuffed with Onion, Mushrooms, and Chard (258 calories) (4.5 g protein)

60 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 110.0 lbs

Monday

I slept until 8:00AM this morning. Had a slight headache on the right, top to down my neck that was completely gone by 8:30AM.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
2 stacks Trader Joe's pumpkin pancakes (290 calories or 580 calories) the serving size is kinda unclear.
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories) (650 mg calcium)
0.82 lb hot bar plate at Whole Foods Market with fried tofu, sesame kale, mashed potatoes, and rice + chicken tikka masala

40 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 108.9 lbs

Fit app: afternoon walk
39 Heart Points
2.83 miles

moist sunday morning

I slept until 8:28AM. I woke up with a very small headache and aches in my lower back and thighs. The body aches are from doing some exercises just before bed, too late, because I felt guilty for not having time to do any of my prescribed exercises earlier in the day between my MeetUp and cooking and the evening walk. Probably should have just stuck to the walk alone but I know I need to keep up the exercises as long as possibe and as completely as I can now.

With my weight being down to 108 this morning, I thought it would be a great idea to go out for a hardy breakfast cooked by someone else in a kitchen full of different ingredients so I got MonsterMustDie to agree to have brunch at First Watch this morning. When we got there, despite the wind and light rain, the host told us there was at least an hour and 15 minute wait, partially because they have a new kitchen staff in-training this week. We decided to skip eating out and just run an errand to Home Depot for a couple of tiny things.
At the last minute on the way home, we decided to go to Stock+Grain food court for lunch. We weren't sure if we wanted anything there until MonsterMustDie spotted the owner of B3, a friend of his. I decided to try the veggie burger at Smash & Sizzle and MonsterMustDie got a good BBQ plate at B3 which was much better than what they have been serving up recently - it's good to know people. The veggie burger I got was not very good but it was filling and I was hungry so it was what I needed.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Smash & Sizzle veggie delux burger (570 calories)
Bolthouse Protein Plus (290 calories) (30g protein)
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg
Pumpkin Stuffed with Onion, Mushrooms, and Chard (258 calories) (4.5 g protein)
3 oz rotisserie chicken (156 calories) (23g protein)
1 cup hot cocoa (194 calories)
handful of pumpkin seeds roasted with salt and olive oil (80 calories) (4g protein)

60 oz water

1548 calories today

9:00 AM weight: 108.2 lbs

Raining today so no walk outside to record.

Saturday

No headache this morning. I woke up just before 6:00AM.
This morning, the StarTrek fan group I'm a member of had an "away mission" at the Science Center. It was fun to hang out with everyone and see the exhibits there.

This evening, I cooked Mini Pumpkins Stuffed with Onion, Mushrooms, and Chard. I've had the ingredients for a while now and something seemed to come up or last later than I thought it would every day this week, so this evening my time to finally cook this before things went bad. The mini pumpkins were a bit dry this time but the chard and mushroom filling was delicious.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+Cranberry cookies (300 calories)
Pumpkin Stuffed with Onion, Mushrooms, and Chard (258 calories) (4.5 g protein)

48 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 111.8 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
43 Heart Points
3.62 miles miles

friday

I woke up with a very tiny headache, stemming from the top of my head, this morning. Might be from the shot a couple of days ago now or it might be the slight change in routine because yesterday was the first day I did not take an Ocuvite multivitamin. I have to avoid taking any products with fish oil for 7 days before my prodedure at Duke on Wednesday.
Having a morning headache reminds me of the daily headaches I had immediately after coming home from lung surgery.
I thought the morning headaches then were possibly some sort of rebound from pain meds in the hospital and the routine of ibuprofen and tylenol.

I had lunch with Karen in Greensboro today at Freeman's Grub & Pub. Then we went to Costco, where I could not resist buying two large pumpkins for just $6.99 each. I think Casa WereMonster is completely gourded up now. I also go a slinky black velour lounge outfit as an impulse buy. We discussed the possibilities for Halloween weekend this year. Casa WereMonster usually has a lot of Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween night, which is on a Friday this year. Karen wants to have a Halloween party. She said she might have her party on Saturday. That would certainly be easiest for me, since I love handing out treats on Halloween night here.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 cups coffee
2 cups whole milk + Kefir (300 calories) + 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (40 calories) smoothie
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookies (300 calories)
Amy's Brown Rice + Black-eyed Peas bowl (300 calories) (9g protein)
Orgain 30g vanilla (160 calories) (650mg calcium)
Grilled Chicken BLT (590 calories)
1 cup grilled brussels sprouts (135 calories)

48 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 109.1 lbs

thursday

Fortunately, the only effect I woke up with from the vaccine shot yesterday is a soar upper arm. Yay! I plan to ice it a bit during the day.
I know I need to try very hard to continue my therapeutic exercises and maybe even double up on them, once every morning and once every night, now that my physical therapy has ended.

I had a pre-op phone call from a nurse at Duke this afternoon to get ready for my endoscopic ultrasound a week from today. Among the instructions, I can continue most of my usual meds and supplements except for my multivitamin, because it has fish oil. No fish oil for seven days. I can take my calcium supplement until the day before the procedure. I can continue to take everything else as ususal. Of course, no food or drink of any kind after midnight before the prodedure.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
toast with almond butter and jelly (310 calories)
Bolthouse Protein Plus (290 calories) (30g protein)
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)
3 Triscuit crackers (60 calories)
1 gimme seaweed snack pack (25 calories) (1 g protein)

52 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 111.3 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
39 Heart Points
2.62 miles miles

Wednesday

I woke up at 7:00 AM this morning.
Today was my last day of physical therapy. They have done all they can do for me and now it's up to me to keep doing all of the prescribed exercises every day. One person said this is probably a chronic condition I have so I really need to exercise and continue to build my core stregnth as much as possible to prevent things from getting any worse. My hope is the pain continues to fade over time to nothing.

I finally got my Covid vaccine today at the Harris Teeter pharmacy. I chose the Pfizer vaccine on a coin-toss decision. I didn't have any preference between my three choices of Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax. The girl behind the pharmacy counter told me they were all the same, just from different companies. Now that I'm home looking at it, I see that while Pfizer and Moderna are both mRNA type vaccines, Novavax is a protein subunit vaccine. I hope to have no bad reaction (migraine headache) this time around but if there is one following this, I will certainly try the Novavax next year.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 cups coffee
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (300 calories)
battered cod + broccoli (300 calories)
Stir-fry noodles and vegetables with a few bits of chicken and shrimp (500 calories)
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg

60 oz water

9:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

Tuesday

Slept late today. Didn't wake up until 8:00 AM.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 cups coffee with Oatmilk + 1/2 teaspoon mushroom supplement
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (150 calories)
battered cod + broccoli (300 calories)
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)
1 piece Naan bread (250 calories)
1/2 cup grapes (52 calories)

40 oz water

Fit app: afternoon walk
29 Heart Points
1.89 miles

9:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

cancelled again

Once again, CVS cancelled my Covid vaccination appointment. I just got this message about my appointment at 9:30AM today.

"Hi Julia,
We're sorry. We had to cancel your appointment on Monday, October 6, at 9:30 AM due to an unexpected issue impacting our 124 Qubein Ave location.
We know your time is important. We're committed to giving you the best care."

My new plan is to get my Covid vaccination as a walk-in at Harris Teeter pharmacy.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1 cup oatmeal with dried cranberries (150 calories)
Orgain chocolate 30g protein shake (160 calories)
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+cranberry cookie (300 calories)
Spaghetti with marinara + broccoli + mushrooms (500 calories)

60 oz water

10:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

The last event of the day was the lock breaking on the kitchen door. The door knob came loose and stuck in the lock position. I'm glad I discovered it without accidentally locking myself outside the house but I had to get MonsterMustDie out of bed to at least remove it so that does not happen.

sunday

The air outside at 7:50AM stinks. The back yard smells heavy and bitter like car exhaust. That makes me wonder what the winds have carried to dump at our house. I wonder how long it takes to clear or for me to get used to it.
We have dinner plans with Karen and Bob tonight.
I moved my Covid vaccine appointment to Monday, just in case there are any complications to deal with, so it doesn't affect other activities on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. I am hoping that one vaccine at a time does not give me a migrain headache the next day.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 Oatmeal+Walnut+Cranberry cookie (300 calories)
4 triscuit crackers
1 cup prune juice (180 calories)

We had dinner with Karen and Bob tonight. That included:
creamy white asparagus soup
ravioli with fresh tomato sauce
green salad of spinach, candied pecans, raspberries, and red bell peppers
lamb chops
Swedish butter cookies

48 oz water

10:00 AM weight: 112.0 lbs

autumn Saturday

Wondering if the government shutdown will affect how soon I get things resolved with Medicare.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 cups coffee
one stack of 4 pumpkin pancakes (300 calories)
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)
1/2 cup grapes (52 calories)
Cheddar cheese (113 calories)
Uncountable snack foods and sliders at neighborhood block party

48 oz water

10:15 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
35 Heart Points
2.58 miles miles

Friday

Today is dedicated to car maintenance and groceries.
I had an oil change, which also lead to brake pads replaced. Then went shopping at Sprouts Market for some things I can't get at home.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 cup oatmeal + dried cranberries
toast with almond butter and jelly (310 calories)
salmon + avocado roll (450 calories) (26g protein)
one Oatmeal+Walnut+Cranberry cookie (150 calories)
pasta with marinara and rotisserie chicken (500 calories)

48 oz water

8:30 AM weight: 110.7 lbs

Fit app: evening walk
42 Heart Points
3.38 miles miles

thursday

Woke up to the smell of the first firing-up of the heater in the house.
It is 51 degrees outside this morning. The forecast high today is 71 degrees. Welcome, Autumn.

There is a medical webinar on Webinar on Sleep and Cardiovascular Disease that I plan to watch this evening at 6:00pm.
There are two other public events at art galleries tonight that I would enjoy a lot more - one just around the corner and one in Winston-Salem - but it all depends on how I feel about showing up alone and leaving the house with disapproval from MonsterMustDie. He has no interest in being around people and, although he does not forbid me from going out alone, he definitely kills any ambition I have very effectively. Maybe I can convince him to go out with me.

The rest of my day is empty.
I really need to find a job or side-gig that will work with my medical schedule and allow me some social activity + income.
I'm not quite to the point of having time to schedule a regular gig but I think I will be as soon as I get past the Endoscopic Ultrasound I have scheduled mid-October. Then, it should be just a couple of 6-month check ups to monitor things and I hope to keep progressing in physical therapy to where all I need to do is daily maintenance.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 cups coffee
Amy's Brown Rice + Black-eyed Peas bowl (300 calories) (9g protein)
3 oz rotisserie chicken (156 calories) (24g protein)
Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups (210 calories)
Yellowtail + avocado roll (215 calories)
2 pieces Smelt Fish Roe (Masago) (82 calories)
1 cup chamomile lavendar herbal tea

48 oz water

Fit app: afternoon walk
30 Heart Points
1.78 miles

10:15 AM weight: 110.5 lbs

Had a deep ache start in my right hip at 9:05 AM. Seemed to be already faded by 9:10 AM. All I was doing was standing upright, watching YouTube while eating breakfast.

Wednesday

I had a physical therapy appointment with Kevin this morning. I needed to ask him about my schedule before I left because I had to go online to schedule this appointment. He was going to have someone at the front desk check and schedule my next appointment but she was out and no one knew what time she was coming back. Kevin had asked her to phone me back to schedule and I never got a call so I had to schedule it myself, which seems fine but I need to know what he wants to do going forward on my therapy appointments. He said we will re-evaluate next week and figure out where to go from here.
I had a good session with a PA who is actuall a High Point University student. I asked him about pro-bono physical therapy at HPU and he assured me that I could probably qualify for it. I had thought it would be only for sports-related medicine.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 cup Oatmeal + dried fruit + cinnamon + honey (150 calories)
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)
Bolthouse Protein Plus (290 calories) (30g protein)
1 Orgain 30g protein shake (160 calories)
1 cup grapes (104 calories)
3 ounces of rotisserie chicken without skin (160 calories)
1/2 cup Chex Mix (120 calories) (2g protein)
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg
toast with almond butter and jelly (310 calories)

60 oz water

Fit app: evening walk
45 Heart Points
2.71 miles

10:00 AM weight: 109.1 lbs

Tuesday

I think I need to put everything stressing me aside for a week or two and deal with it later to let my head clear.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg (may have accidentally taken two this morning but I doubt it. One pill separator was open and missing it - probably fell out.)
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Healthy Choice Creamy Spinach & Tomato Linguini (250 calories) (10g protein)
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories)
Trader Joe's mini spicy pumpkin samosas (510 calories) (18g protein)
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)

36 oz water

Fit app: afternoon walk
52 Heart Points
3.19 miles

10:00 AM weight: 109.8 lbs

Monday worries

I had another night of not sleeping well because of anxiety. I am too twisted up over the bill from Novant for a non-existant physical exam that I will probably have to wait until next year to get, if I can find a doctor who has time to see. I thought it was an odd visit when I came in and all she did was pull up my pre-existing records. I don't even know where to start to make this right. I am waiting for forms to come in the mail from Medicare and I will probably need help filling them out correctly. I'm just a ball of stress over this.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Bolthouse Protein Plus (290 calories) (30g protein)
1 cup Oatmeal + dried cranberries + cinnamon + honey (150 calories)
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Magnesium citrate supplement 336 mg
St. John's Wort 700mg
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories)
Trader Joe's Mushroom & Black Truffle Flatbread (390 calories) (13g protein)
Trader Joe's dark chocolate almond butter cups (210 calories)

48 oz water

No walk tonight. It was raining all day.

10:30 AM weight: 109.8 lbs

sunday

The new exercises I've been given are really hard on my hips. I'm gonna have to break up my routine into more sessions.
We went to Home Depot this afternoon and bought a couple of pots of fall mums to put out in the front of the house.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg
2 cups coffee
1 cup Oatmeal (100 calories)
Arden's Garden juice (130)
1 cup grapes (104 calories)
1 Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake (160 calories)
2 fried chicken fingers from Publix

40 oz water

10:15 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

Anxious

Couldn't sleep last night. Woke up from 3:00AM - 6:00AM before going back to sleep for two more hours.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 Orgain 30g protein shake (160 calories)
Pumpkin Pancakes (290 calories)
Sushi salmon + avocado roll (380 calories) (13g protein)
1/2 cup Chex Mix (120 calories) (2g protein)
1/2 cup grapes (52 calories)

40 oz water

Fit app: afternoon walk
24 Heart Points
1.86 miles

10:15 AM weight: 111.8 lbs

Failed by Novant and Medicare

I spoke to Novant Health this morning and they say my bill of $589.82 is correct. I have to pay in full by October 21, 2025. This was my Welcome to Medicare appointment, which is Not Free and required no actual physical examination or tests.
I phoned Medicare again afterwards.
Welcome to Medicare appointments are not free and do not require a full physical examination.
Novant says they are finished with their review.

I phoned Medicare after this and they said I can file an appeal to this through Medicare. The man I spoke to said Medicare sid he would me a form to fill out to appeal the decision. I don't have much time to do this before October 21.
He said it looks like Novant filed everything under an outdated code that has not been in use for two years.

I got another phone call at 11:11AM from Novant Billing (corporate) telling me their review is final and their coding is all correct. They will not be speaking to me again about this.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Kind protein bar (220 calories) (8g protein)
Amy's Pad Thai (410 calories) (11g protein)
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 slice sourdough toast with lingonberry preserves (188 calories)
1 cup green tea
1 can Campbell's chunky classic chicken noodle soup (260 calories) (19g protein)
1 handful of salad greens added to soup
1 cup hot cocoa (150 calories)

60 oz water

Fit app: afternoon walk
25 Heart Points
1.59 miles

10:00 AM weight: 109.8 lbs

thursday

I hope Novant Health phones me today and clears the bill they sent me yesterday. I will not be going back to them again.
Meanwhile, I am still looking for a new primary care physician and I have missed every chance, all three that I had potentially set up, to have a Welcome To Medicare examination. I'm sure it will be impossible to schedule a physical examination between now and October 17, which is my deadline for that.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 cup Oatmeal (100 calories)
Amy's Brown Rice + Black-eyed Peas bowl (300 calories) (9g protein)
Arden's Garden green energy machine juice (130 calories) (2g protein)
1 gimme seaweed snack pack (25 calories) (1 g protein)
1 Aleve Back & Muscle pain tablet (NSAID)
brown rice (218 calories)
fresh cooked black eyed peas (207 calories) (12g protein)
1 cup broccoli (35 calories)
1 cup lavender + chamomile tea

40 oz water

Fit app: afternoon walk
48 Heart Points
2.79 miles

10:00 AM weight: 109.3 lbs

Wednesday

Argh! I had the time and possible recovery provisions set aside for my Covid vaccination today and I just got this email from CVS: Please reschedule your appointment:

Hi Julia,
We're sorry. We had to cancel your appointment on Wednesday, September 24, at 2:30 PM due to an unexpected issue impacting our location. We know your time is important. We're committed to giving you the best care.
We hope you'll reschedule with us soon.

My healthcare problems did not stop there today. I got a large suprise bill from another health care provider today.
I scheduled a Welcome to Medicare appointment last month with a new Primary Care doctor because my original PC has not spoken to or seen me, even when I needed treatment, in years. I don't even know if she's still there - for all I know, she's dead.

This was supposed to be a FREE check-up, taken within my first year of Medicare that I started last October.

I made an appointment with the closest doctor I could find outside of Atrium, Doctor Perry (no relation), who got great ratings on Google. When I went in, there was no examination. She just pulled up my records from Duke and previous Atrium test results. We chatted for about 30 minutes. I just got a bill today for $589.82. I have been on the phone all morning. -
1st to Novant, who said Medicare denied the claim.
2nd to Medicare, who said it was not filed correctly and Welcome to Medicare appointments are supposed to be absolutely free and include a full check-up with examination, labs, etc.
3rd back to Novant who said this was a problem I needed to call that doctor's office for.
4th the Dr.'s office, who sent me to their billing department.
5th Billing where I spoke to a young woman named Crystal who first said Medicare only pays $3.00 for Welcome to Medicare, actually. Then I told here exactly what the man I spoke to at Medicare said and she told me she could only put the bill on hold until it is reviewed at Novant Healthcare. She said the Novant Health review will take 2 to 3 days to do.

What I ate today:
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Kind Breakfast Protein Almond Butter cookies (220 calories) (8g protein)
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)
L-Arginine L-Citrulline complex 1000 mg supplement
fresh cooked black eyed peas (207 calories) (12g protein)
Sautéed Japanese (Hakurei) Turnips With Turnip Greens (158 calories)
3 oz rotisserie chicken (156 calories)

60 oz water

Fit app: Evening walk
34 Heart Points
2.24 miles

10:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

At least I can look forward to a Zoom visit with Brian and Laura tonight with expected complications.

tuesday

Today, I had physical therapy at 10:30AM with Kevin.
I woke up with a very slight headache that started before going to bed last night. After physical therapy, the headache was gone completely.

What I ate today:
Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories)
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
2 cups coffee
Chobani key lime Greek yogurt (140 calories)
1 Orgain 30g protein shake (160 calories)
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1/2 cup chex mix (140 calories) 1 Sanpelligrino soda (5 calories)
brown rice (218 calories)
fresh cooked black eyed peas (207 calories) (12g protein)
Sautéed Japanese (Hakurei) Turnips With Turnip Greens (158 calories)

32 oz water

9:15 AM weight: 109.8 lbs

I drove MonsterMustDie to a dermatologist appointment in Lexington, NC this afternoon. He had to have a couple of spots on his cheeks frozen off. One spot was pre-cancerous.
We are cooking together at home tonight.

monday

It's a clear day on the calendar for me.
I pulled the bins down to the curb for tomorrow’s pickup.
I made an appointment for the 2025 – 2026 COVID vaccine on Wednesday, September 24. I have nothing planned the next day so if I get a migrain for the shot, I am free to spend the next day or two in bed. I suspect the times I was sick after getting vacines, it was not Covid or the Shingles, but the Flu vaccine that I got at the same time as those previously. The first time I got a Covid vaccine alone, I had no unpleasant reaction whatsoever. This time, I am only getting the Covid vaccine so I'll have a good idea in the future what the culprit was.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1 serving mediteranean flatbread with hummus
3 oz rotisserie chicken (156 calories) (24g protein)
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 cup hot cocoa (150 calories)
Bolthouse Protein Plus (290 calories) (30g protein)
1 plate chicken nachos with cheese (500 calories)
Orgain 30g protein shake (160 calories)

44 oz water

Fit app:
44 Heart Points
2.93 miles

9:00 AM weight: 109.3 lbs

10:00 AM weight: 109.1 lbs
before drinking more water

Sunday

Sunny morning.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Oatmeal (100 calories)
Chips and Hummus (200 calories?)
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 cup cubed watermelon
Rotiserie chicken and broccoli (226 calories)

60 oz water

Fit app:
22 Heart Points
1.16 miles

10:00 AM weight: 110.2 lbs

saturday

My body woke me up at 5:30AM today.
MonsterMustDie has volunteered to clean the oven. If he cleans, I will cook the fresh produce we bought this morning at the farmer's market.

What I ate today:
1 Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus vanilla 30g (290 calories) (30g protein)
Advil Dual Action - Acetaminophen 250mg, Ibuprofen (NSAID) 125mg
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
breakfast plate from Deep Roots Market - grits, tater tots, 1 piece turkey sausage
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Orgain 30g protein shake (160 calories) (30g protein)
rotiserie chicken and broccoli

60 oz water

Fit app: Evening walk
37 Heart Points
4.23 miles

10:00 AM weight: lbs

I will say that using the ball as a desk seat didn't work in the end. I moved it to the den to try in front of the tv.

friday

No plans for today. My back is hurting a lot this afternoon.
Dinner was rotisserie chicken and broccoli.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 bowl Oatmeal (100 calories) + dried apricot + honey + cinnamon
1 Bolthouse Protein Plus 30g (290 calories)
1 Chobani low-fat yogurt (140 calories) (11g protein)
1 gimme seaweed snack pack (25 calories) (1 g protein)
Kind protein bar (220 calories)
Rotiserie chicken and broccoli (226 calories)
1 frozen organic fudge bar (100 calories) (3g protein)
1 cup hot cocoa (150 calories)

48 oz water

Fit app:
41 Heart Points
3.04 miles

10:00 AM weight: 110.9 lbs

Did a stupid thing while trying to cook dinner today. I grabbed a foil casserole dish to put it in the oven and, because I had the mitts on, I grabbed a plastic IKEA tray under it as well. A few minutes later I smelled got plastic. I opened the oven door to see what happened and the fumes were so strong, they made my eyes burn. Amazingly, the plastic dish didn't melt. I opened two windows and turned on every fan and air filter. Then we picked up a rotisserie chicken at Publix and I cooked broccoli in the microwave for dinner tonight instead.

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:
39 Heart Points
2.74 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

self-maintenance

I had a physical therapy appointment this morning at 10:15AM. I was back home by 11:15AM. The physical therapy started with 5 minutes on the treadmill to warm up. This time, my appointment (2nd) was with Alyssa, who was much better at coaching me through the moves I was making.
This afternoon, I had my first post-surgery haircut and style at 2:00PM. She remembered I used to live in Atlanta and we talked about Buford Highway, Doraville, Duluth - which she says has a large Asian population now, and favorite restaurants and foods. I filled her in on my health and recent surgeries without going too far into detail.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1 Orgain 30g chocolate shake (160 calories)
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 Arden's Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories)
2 slices fish (smoked kippers) + avocado toast (800 calories?)
1 Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus 30g smoothie (340 calories)

Fit app: afternoon walk
27 Heart Points
1.41 miles

10:30 AM weight: 108.7 lbs

woke up angry

I woke up angry this morning. Don't know why - maybe it was the dreams I had of RFK Jr. being a family member nobody liked but everyone had to endure. Maybe it was waking up with back pain.
Instead of my evening walk, I ended up watching two new episodes of Wednesday.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
L-Arginine L-Citrulline complex 1000 mg supplement
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup oatmeal + dried apricots
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake (160 calories)
1 Evol Frozen Butternut Squash and Sage Ravioli - 8.13oz (310 calories)
1/2 fresh tomato
6 leek dumplings, steamed (150 calories)
1 Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus 30g smoothie (340 calories)

10:00 AM weight: 111.6 lbs

Tuesday

Sunny morning. Cool afternoon. Absolutely boring day. I could swear my morning exercises make my back and hip hurt more. I finally took an Advil Dual Action late in the afternoon and I probably would have gotten a lot more done to day if I had taken it in the morning.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake
1/2 spinach spanikopita
1 Bolthouse Protein Plus smoothie
1 Evol Frozen Butternut Squash and Sage Ravioli - 8.13oz
1/2 large heirloom tomato
1 Advil Dual Action tablet at 6:00pm
1 Orgain 30g vanilla protein shake

Fit app:
31 Heart Points
1.58 miles

12:00 PM weight: 109.3 lbs

Labor Day

MonsterMustDie is off work today. He spent most of the day organizing his space in the mud room.
I was bored and went driving around to Aldi and Whole Foods in search of dried rice. I found everything but ordinary dried rice. Both stores had prefab mixes and bagged cooked or frozen rice but no simple containers of dried rice. I should have tried Harris Teeter as well but I did not.
Small milestone on my surgery healing: I finally lost the scab on my side where the drainage tube that went through my ribs and into my lung had been.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
D3 1000IU supplement
1 cup prune juice
1 cup oatmeal + walnuts + blueberries
4.4 oz Siggi's vanillla skyr 4% (140 calories)
1 Yellowtail Sushi Set, 9 OZ
1 Pineapple Apple Ginger Juice, 15.2 FZ

Fit app: evening walk
38 Heart Points
2.38 miles

9:00 AM weight: 109.6 lbs

sunday

MonsterMustDie made his first trip of the day to HomeDepot at 9:00AM.
It was too smokey outside tonight to walk. By the time I went outside to get my walk in, the air smelled heavily of wood smoke. I walked down to the school, put on my mask, and walked back inside the house. I stuck my head outside our back door later and the smell was even heavier.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1/2 spinach spanikopita
1 slice pumpkin bread
1 Bubbies pistachio mochi bite (90 calories)
1 Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake (160 calories)
1 Advil Dual Action tablet
red beans + rice + rotisserie chicken for dinner

9:00 AM weight: 109.6 lbs

Went to the Farmers Market and Deep Roots Market yesterday morning. Got my usual hot bar breakfast of grits, spinach mini quiche, and veggie links

friday

Spent the morning doing a couple of loads of laundry.
Went to the food truck event at Nomad Wine this afternoon. The truck today was Thai Smile. MonsterMustDie had a proper beer while I ate my noodles.
Most of the people I could phone during my evening walk are at DragonCon this weekend or out with friends. I had a long conversation with Audrey tonight.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1/3 prime rib + potatoes + veggie dinner from Harris Teeter
1 Orgain 16g protein shake
1 very sweet Thai iced tea
1 plate Shrimp Pad See Ew

Fit app: evening walk
45 Heart Points
3.13 miles

11:00 AM weight: 107.4 lbs

Thursday

MonsterMustDie has a check-up at Duke in Durham, NC today. He never wants me to go with him although I really want to go to at least take notes during his visit with his doctor. He never takes notes. He considers this none of my business. He left early, at 8:30AM, for his 10:45AM check-in at Duke.
MonsterMustDie told me his check-up with blood labs went very well. His numbers were perfect. That's all he had to say about it. He went shopping at a few places before coming home afterwards.
It's senior discount day at Harris Teeter grocery so we picked up a prime rib meal, which is huge, along with some other provisions in the 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
1 Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus 30g smoothie
1/3 prime rib + potatoes + veggie dinner from Harris Teeter
L-Arginine L-Citrulline complex 1000 mg supplement
1 dark chocolate almond butter cup

Fit app:
45 Heart Points
2.53 miles

10:00AM weight:109.8 lbs

Wednesday

Now that my other medical appointments are finally slowing down in frequency, I have decided my main priority now is to stay on track with dealing with my back problems in the hope that I can overcome this. I have a group of four weekly physical therapy visits coming up and a prescribed group of exercises to do daily.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1/2 almond poppy seed muffin
Amy's Non-Dairy burrito + 1/2 avocado
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement

Fit app: morning walk
21 Heart Points
1.32 miles

10:00AM weight: 110.0 lbs

Tuesday

I had a physical therapy appointment this morning for my constant back pain. I hope this provides a plan for me heal enough to travel, work at my desk, drive long distances and have a normal-ish life again. They set me up with a weekly schedule of visits and a list of exercises to try to do hourly during the day. My back hurt more after the visit so I took another Advil Dual Action this afternoon.

Sad facebook event of the day: I decided to walk to the library to attend the Hazard Mitigation Plan Public Input Meeting at 6:00pm. The presentation was nice, with PowerPoint slides and other planners online but I think I was the only person in attendance who was not a government employee. Not another regular resident showed up in person.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Orgain 16g protein shake (240 calories)
Momo Fuku noodles with 1 cup baby kale (320 calories)
1 boiled egg (78 calories)
1 oatmeal cookie (150 calories)
1 Arden's Garden Green Energy Machine juice (130 calories)
1 Amy's Palak Paneer frozen entree (340 calories)
1 Bubbies pistachio mochi bite (90 calories)

Fit app:
40 Heart Points
2.67 miles

Monday

Sunny morning with clear skies.
My back was especially painful today so I took an Advil Dual Action tablet.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 poppy seed almond muffin
2 cups snack of flax seed blue corn chips
1 Orgain 16g protein shake

10:15 AM weight: 109.3 lbs

sunday

Another sad facebook event: tiny flea market of t-shirts.
Saw a groundhog in our yard for the first time. There are plenty of them in High Point but I had not seen one at our house before.
Talked to Sandy and Karen while I had my evening walk.
MonsterMustDie and I watched the latest episode of Jessica Payne's podcast about her trip to France.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 salmon + avocado sushi roll from Sprouts Market
1 poppy seed almond muffin
Orgain 16g protein shake
1 or 2 cups snack of flax seed blue corn chips and zen party mix with roasted almonds

Fit app:
33 Heart Points
4.51 miles

Saturday

Went to the Farmers Market and Deep Roots Market this morning.
MonsterMustDie walked with me in the evening, which made it a slower walk.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement

4.4 oz Siggi's vanilla skyre
hot bar plate: grits + 1 mini spinach quiche + 3 veggie sausage links
1 dark chocolate almond butter cup
1/2 spanikopita
1 Bubbies pistachio mochi bite

Fit app:
11 Heart Points
1.46 miles

9:00 AM weight: 111.1 lbs

overcast today

I had an eye exam this morning. Only change was to my reading glasses/close-up vision. The recommendation was to go from 1.25 to 1.75 on my readers.

What I ate today:
1 cup coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 oatmeal cookies
1/2 cup cooked kale + 1/3 cup chicken fried tofu
Orgain 16g protein shake
1 yellow tail + avocado + cilantro sushi roll

Fit app: evening walk
36 Heart Points
2.42 miles

1:30 PM weight: 113.3 lbs

Thursday on the patio

I had no plans today. MonsterMustDie went with me to Whole Foods and I took a quick look in Anthropologie and Pottery Barn. I found a two-pocket shirt and some jeans I liked a lot but it was not a good time to try anythng on. While we were browsing, Karen texted me to invite us to join them for dinner at CB7. We met them there for dinner and live music on the patio. It ended up being a nice evening.

What I ate today:
2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Amy's non-dairy burrito
Arden's Garden Green Machine juice
1 oatmeal cookie
1/2 cup cooked kale + 1/3 cup chicken fried tofu + 1 potato samosa

10:30AM weight: 109.8 lbs

Wednesday

Waiting to meet a new doctor, possibly my next PCP, today at 1:00pm for my Welcome to Medicare check-up. This woman is a Novant family doctor and I hope I like her. Novant, in general, gets very good ratings.

What I ate today:
2 cup coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Momo Fuku noodles with a handful of baby kale
1 oatmeal cookie
poke sushi bowl
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement

Fit app: walk
19 Heart Points
2.48 miles

10:30AM weight: 108.7 lbs

Tuesday

Cloudy, dry morning. Went to Harris Teeter with MonsterMustDie after he got home from work and was spotted there by one of my former managers at the dress shop. I wanted to be invisible. He asked how I was and all I could think to say briefly was to comment on how my health has been one thing after another.

What I ate today:
2 cup coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
3 oatmeal walnut cranberry cookies
1 Orgain 16g chocolate protein shake
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
Amy's Quinoa Black Beans frozen entree
1 Bolthouse Protein Plus smoothie

10:00AM weight: 109.6 lbs

Rather than walk this morning, I spent some time trimming the creeping juniper and english ivy off the curb beside the house.

What I ate today:
1 cup coffee with 1 teaspoon mud/wtr
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
1 leftover veggie plate with chicken wings, faux fish, asparagus, and squash
Orgain 16g protein shake
PBJ sandwich with almond butter and lingon berry
D3 25 mcg (1000 IU) supplement

Fit app:
28 Heart Points
2.28 miles

11:30AM weight: 110.0 lbs

Sunday Morning

Sunny morning. Hot afternoon.
Didn't walk until evening.

What I ate today:
1 cup coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite multivitamin
600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
2 oatmeal cookies
1 slice pizza
1 Salmon + Avocado sushi roll
4.4 oz Siggi's vanilla skyre
1 Bolthouse Protein Plus smoothie

Fit app:
22 Heart Points
1.8 miles

11:15 AM weight: 107.8 lbs

Saturday

MonsterMustDie worked on the clay corner of the front yard this morning.
We had lunch with Karen and Bob at Blue Rock Pizza. This time, to change it up, I ordered the Waiting For Columbus pizza. (I usually get the Trippin Billies mushroom pizza.) Lunch was followed by a long nap.
Dinner was leftover Chinese food from Harris Teeter, followed by a late walk to the tiny stadium and back home. There was a soccer game tonight so the food court was still open at 8:00PM and families were hanging out together at the tables outside.

What I ate today:
2 cup coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1 Orgain 16g protein shake
1 Ardens Garden Green Energy Machine juice
Ocuvite multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
3 slices pizza
chicken and brocolli

Fit app: evening walk
43 Heart Points
2.63 miles

10:00AM weight: 108.2 lbs

Had a long talk with Karen on the phone today.
Not much walking today despite the sunny weather.

What I ate today: 2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
two 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplements
Amy's Mushroom Bisque + rotiserie chicken
1 Orgain 30g chocolate protein shake
1 food truck lobster sandwich
1 Bolthouse Protein Plus 30g smoothie

Fit app:
14 Heart Points
2.08 miles

10:30 AM weight: 109.5 lbs

It's another day of tired sleepiness. I blame the medications I'm on now for my lack of energy and the hot flashes I'm having today. My back / sciatica is especially painful today as well. Could that be the humidity (85%) and barometric pressure (30.10 in)?
I gave up and took an Advil at 1:20 pm because I was tired of my side hurting so much today. I can ignore most things.

What I ate today: 2 cups coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
Ocuvite Adult 50+ multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement
crackers and curry chicken salad
1 oatmeal cookie
1 Advil Dual Action tablet (Acetaminiophen 250mg + Ibuprofen 125mg)
love Butternut Squash Ravioli

hump day

Another rainy morning. I saw the city mowing truck go around the woman's yard downhill on the corner. Her house looks abandoned and so sad, it's surprising that someone actually lives there. She is much more of a ghost than I am.

I spent most of the day with Karen, browsing at Friendly Center, where I found a new pair of lounge pants. The sweat pants I have now, which I bought years ago while shopping with her, are kinda thread-bare now and I have been wanting to find some new pants to replace them for a while. We had lunch at Harpers.

What I ate today:
2 cup coffee
Rosuvastatin 5mg
Letrozole 2.5mg
1 oatmeal cookies
1 Orgain 16g chocolate protein shake
grilled asparagus
spinach quesadilla
fried chicken fingers
Ocuvite multivitamin
one 600mg Calcium + D3 10 mcg (400 IU) supplement

10:00AM weight: 108.9 lbs