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