Delusions of... Everything

Lab Vs. Raccoon

Scout, our yellow lab, has always been a winner when going up against the nasty, annoying raccoons who visit our backyard.  His barking, grunting and general badass attitude have scared off many a raccoon over the years.

Maybe you remember this story?  I’ve been angry at those critters ever since they ate the heads off every one of the gold fish in our pond.  They continue to make a mess of our pond, uprooting plants, throwing rocks and eating tadpoles.  We’ve been able to relocate a couple we’ve caught in a trap to a rural location, but they continue to harass us with their destruction.

Yesterday morning was the final straw in my mostly gentle attitude toward those little beasts.  As is normal every morning Handy Man let Scout outside to do his business.  We can always tell if we’ve had or are currently having a visit from a raccoon because Scout starts making grunting noises and runs back and forth between the pond and the gate sniffing like crazy.  That did not happen yesterday.  What happened instead was the scariest and creepiest howling and crying I’ve ever heard come from my dog’s mouth.

Handy Man ran outside and kicked the raccoon who had attached it’s mouth to Scout’s leg and was refusing to let go.  The raccoon escaped over the fence and Handy Man brought Scout in the house.  After an inspection blood was found and it was decided HM would take Scout to the vet when it opened.

The vet said the raccoon basically “corn cobbed” his leg leaving multiple lacerations requiring 15 stitches, a rabies shot and 3 different medications.  On top of the injuries on his leg, the raccoon also got a claw or tooth in one of his ears, where the vet also discovered he had an ear infection (totally unrelated to the raccoon attack).  The vet also said the raccoon just missed severing a tendon which would have required surgery and 12 weeks in a cast.  Anyone with a lab knows what a nightmare that would have been.

It’s truly amazing how much destruction one little animal caused in a manner of seconds.  Please send healing thoughts to my puppy, he needs them!

Life After Gallbladder Surgery

It’s been 2 weeks since I had my gallbladder removed.  I tried to go back to work last Tuesday (as in 5 days after surgery), that was a really bad idea.  I was still not feeling well and being at work only made it worse.  I made it for about 4 hours before I went home.  I was to the point where if one more person asked me to do something I would burst out crying.  By Thursday, one week after surgery, I started to feel pretty good.

I got my staples out yesterday and am finally feel 100% “normal”.  I was starting to get a pretty bad rash from staples and the skin around my incesions was very red and angry looking, not to mention painful.  It was a huge relief to get the staples out!  Today is the first day I've worn a bra in 2 weeks, I'm not sure if that's good or not!

As I was walking out of the surgeon's office yesterday he asked me if I still had my appendix.  I told him I did and he told me that if it gave me any trouble to contact him.  I laughed and told him I'd be sure to give him a call if my appendix decided to go south.

It’s been liberating to be able to eat what I want again.  A little too liberating!  I really don't want to gain back the weight I've lost (30 lbs as of surgery day). It’s time to get back to eating more veggies and fruit and less processed foods.  Although that bacon I ate both Saturday and Sunday mornings was pretty damn tasty as was the Mimosa and Bloody Mary!

 

On the Mend

Thursday was the big surgery day.  I got to the hospital at 6 am and was in the OR by 7:30.  They put an oxygen mask on me and the next thing I know I'm waking up in recovery and it's 9:00.  About an hour after I woke up they moved me out to the pre/post op area.  I really was not feeling well.  General anaesthesia and I do not get along.  I've had it twice in the past and have been violently sick for days afterward.  This time they put a patch behind my ear and gave me anti-nausea meds. Even with the patch and meds I ended up having dry heaves and the nurse gave me more anti-nausea meds.  Thankfully that was the end of my nausea.

By Noon I was home and all settled on the sofa in the family room where I was in control of the TV remote.  My family kept checking on me to see if I needed anything, they brought me ice chips and Star Wars Son ran to the store to get me Popsicles.

The pain meds are amazing.  Most importantly they do not make me nauseous and they fully take the pain away.  They do make me a little dizzy, but I can deal with that.  I can't deal with throwing up.

Now I'm on the mend.  I slept through the night last night, but was so stiff this morning I had to have Handy Man help me out of bed.  I'm so thankful for my family, they have been so great!  I don't know what I'd do without them.

On of my bloggy friends, Coffeeyogurt asked some great questions when she commented on my gallbladder post.  Here are the questions and answers:

I hear gall bladder pain is horrible. What is it, exactly, with the gall bladder trouble as a result of weight loss?  is the stone there all along, only making itself known when the body size shrinks? Protesting it's lack of comfy space? Or does the stone form as a result of the weight loss? Do tell!

Gall bladder disease is hereditary.  Both my parents had their gall bladders removed.  Being overweight is also a contributing factor in developing gallstones.  According to my doctor the stone and "gunk" in my gallbladder had been building for years.  He didn't explain to me how rapid weight loss can cause an attack but this is what I found at this website:

"Experts believe weight-loss dieting may cause a shift in the balance of bile salts and cholesterol in the gallbladder. The cholesterol level is increased and the amount of bile salts is decreased. Following a diet too low in fat or going for long periods without eating (skipping breakfast, for example), a common practice among dieters, may also decrease gallbladder contractions. If the gallbladder does not contract often enough to empty out the bile, gallstones may form."

Ok, my pain meds are kicking in so that's all I got for today.

One Inch Stone

So I have to have my gall bladder removed. If you missed it, here is the post about my attack. Just thinking about it makes me cringe!  Last week I met with the Surgeon.  Apparently the gall stone I have is rather large, 1 inch to be exact and will require a much larger incision than is normally used.  Oh joy!

Since the major attack that landed me in the hospital, I've had two other times when my gall bladder has let me know it's not very happy.  I have to stay away from fat, alcohol and for some reason Dave's Killer bread, which I love.  I've been sticking with low fat fish and chicken breasts.  I'm so bored with my food choices.  It sucks.  I'm also still trying to stick with the detox diet, which means avoiding anything white.

The good news is, I'm losing weight.  :/

The surgery has been scheduled for July 28, one week before Blog Fest West!  GAH!  It was his first available appointment and I didn't want to wait another two weeks to have the surgery.  The Surgeon told me I'd be back to normal in 5 days...

To all those attending Blog Fest West, I'm apologizing now for what I'm sure will be a messy house.  My family will clean, but it will be their version of clean, not mine.  I'll make sure there are clean sheets and towels and that's about all I can promise. :/

Pain beyond belief

About a week ago I was happily getting ready for work.  Handy Man happened to be home because we were having a new refrigerator delivered.  I had drank about half my smoothie, went to rouse Dancing Daughter out of bed when the most excruciating stomach pains had me doubling over.

At first I thought it was gas even though the pains were very high, so I laid down on my stomach on the floor (weird I know but that sometimes helps me relieve gas pain).  Not one bit of relief.  I crawled on to the sofa and told Handy Man there was something very wrong with me.  I was doing "labor breathing" (anyone who has given birth knows what I'm talking about) and trying very hard not to moan or cry out in pain.  That didn't help either.  And I did end up moaning and crying.

It became evident very quickly that I needed to go to the ER.  DD found a ride to school and Handy Man took me to the hospital, which is luckily very, very close to our house.  They took one look at me, got a wheel chair and took me to a room, triaging me on the way.  They hooked me up, asked me a bunch of questions, gave me some pain meds, which did not work, gave me an EKG and had me try to go pee, which I couldn't do.

All this time I felt like I was dying... Oh and Handy Man had to run home so the refrigerator could be delivered.

Finally they brought me this GI "cocktail" which tasted horrible, but I was very thankful for because it took my pain away immediately.  My blood work came back and they said everything looked fine, it wasn't my heart, liver, kidneys or gall bladder.  Because of how I responeded to the GI cocktail the ER Doc said he suspected an ulcer, prescribed prilosec, told me to go see my Dr asap and I was on my way.

My Dr scheduled me for an ultrasound where they found lots of gall "gunk" and a gallstone.  So is it gall bladder disease, an ulcer or both?  Gah!

Now I'm scheduled to see a GI Dr next week, meanwhile I'm not eating anything that might bother my gall bladder or an ulcer, which is interesting because aside from nuts and alcohol (mostly just wine on the weekends) I haven't been eating anything that should have made my gall bladder angry.  Handy Man and I have still been following the Detox diet.

After doing some research I found out that millions of people have gall bladder disease without knowing it, they never have symptoms or an attack.  I also learned that losing weight too fast can trigger an attack.  Being that I lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks I'm guessing that if it is my gall bladder, that's what caused it.

I can tell you that I hope I never feel that pain again.  It was truly the most pain I've felt since being in labor.  Not a good time.

The Detox Recap

The 21 day detox Handy Man and I have been participating in has now come to an end.  It was extremely successful for both of us but in much different ways.

You can read how it was successful for me here. 

Handy Man lost only a few pounds but that slight layer of fat on his abs is going away and he's gone down two belt holes.  He found out there are certain food combinations he cannot eat without emitting an odor that clears the room of other humans.  His chronic heartburn is almost completely gone.  He stopped sleeping with his c-pap machine (to stop snoring) and I have not noticed any snoring.  He has not had the same feeling of having a ton of energy that I have, but he also has not been falling asleep in the middle of the day either.

Before I started the detox, there were a few things I already knew about myself.  I have always been allergic to milk.  It was not a stomach type allergy either, but a head plugging, sneezing, sore throat reaction.  I already avoided milk and milk products as much as possible, but I wasn't really strict about it.  I also knew that enriched flour did not agree with me.  I had already mostly given up white pasta and most breads, but again I was not super strict about it.  I had a feeling that my morning coffee with sugared creamer was not really agreeing with me either.

So the detox was a great opportunity to really give up these things and see exactly how my body reacted.  As I said in a previous post, it's amazing that I could see such a change in such a short time.  I'm convinced I was poisoning my body with foods it didn't like and didn't handle well.  Never mind that I loved to eat them.  When these so called toxins were eliminated from my diet by body started healing, and quickly.  I was able to start losing weight, which had been virtually impossible before.  I lost a total of 14 pounds in the 21 days.

Here are a few simple things that I plan to continue doing to help keep my body cleansed:

• If there are ingredients in it that I cannot pronounce I'm not eating it.
• Drink a lot of water, my goal is 1/2 my body weight in ounces.
• One cup of Aloe Vera Juice a day.
• One meal in liquid form like a fruit/green smoothie for breakfast.
• Whole grains only, preferably sprouted.  No enriched flour, including wheat.
• Limit sugar, try for foods containing 5 grams or less of sugar per serving.
• Eat plenty of fresh greens everyday.
• Exercise 4 times a week.  This will be the hardest for me to do, I really don't like exercising.

This way of eating is by no means easy.  It takes planning, label reading and lots of pre-preparing to be successful.  But when I think back to how I felt a month ago, headaches, heart palpitations, lethargic, forgetful, stomach aches, gassy, chest pains, aching joints and just feeling overall sh***y, all the planning and label reading is so worth it.  I know there will be times when I will have to partake in non-detox friendly foods, but I refuse to let unhealthy eating become the norm for me again.

I plan to do a weekly blog post about how my progress is going and to share healthy recipes and tips along this journey of turning my diet and attitude around.

Half Way Through

It's the half way point of the 21 day detox I've been doing.  it's not a specific detox, but one that a friend's daughter, who is a massage therapist and student of nutrition, made up.  (I shared the specifics of the detox in this post, in case you want to read about it.)  There are a group of us doing it together and we keep in touch via Facebook.  We encourage each other, share recipes, ask questions and report on how our days are going.

I hate to be all "omg, I feel great", and "I have so much energy", but both those are true!  I'll try to be calm as I share the following observations with you.

• The body is an amazing thing.  That I can change my diet for 11 days and have a 180 degree turn from how I felt 12 days ago proves that.
• My joint aches are virtually gone as are the headaches.
• The knee pain I've had since I "sprained" it almost 3 months ago is gone.
• No more swollen hands and feet.
• My brain feels really sharp and I haven't been forgetting as much.
• The heart palpitations that have plagued me since I've been peri-menopausal are gone.
• I have so much energy that I've exercised 4 times this week and enjoyed tolerated it.  I'm not quite loving it yet.
• My head is no longer all plugged up.  I haven't woken up sneezing once this week.
• The sharp, gassy stomach pains I'd get daily are gone.
• *Gross Alert* I'm successfully pooping eliminating every darn day, sometimes twice.  When eating a lot of beets the daily elimination will be shocking until you realize all that red is from the beets!  TMI I know, but I felt the need to share.

There is no drug that could have taken away all the icky feeling symptoms I had and even if there was I doubt it would work so successfully in 11 days!

The Detox

Week one of the 21 day detox is done!  Today starts week two.  Yesterday was the first day I started to feel really good.  I had tons of energy and no afternoon sleepies.  This has been a huge shake up of my diet.

I'm eating no:

• white flour, white pasta, white rice
• milk or milk products
• sugar
• beef, chicken or pork
• caffeine
• no alcohol

The caffeine I gave up on my own.  This detox allows for 1 cup of caffeinated beverage in the morning.  I just decided to try going without last Wednesday and haven't had any since.

This is what I am eating:

• Fish of all kinds, red snapper, salmon, shrimp and scallops
• Every color veggie you can think of
• Beets
• Sweet potatoes
• Almonds and pumpkin seeds
• Every fruit you can imagine
• Whole grain bread
• beans
• hummus

Key items to eat on the detox are radishes, beets, artichokes, aloe vera juice, lemons, garlic, ginger, Yogi detox tea, carrots, alfalfa sprouts and wheat grass.  The last item I haven't eaten yet.

Each morning I check my pH balance with a strip that I pee on.  I have very acid pH which is unhealthy.  I'm hoping by the time this detox is over it will be closer to the healthy range.

Once a week, on Sunday, I take a detox bath of baking soda and epsom salt.

I did my first weigh in today and I'm down 7 pounds.  Pretty exciting stuff!

The two things I thought I'd really miss were meat and my morning coffee with sugared creamer but I haven't missed any of it.  I did have a little bit of sugar cravings the first few days, but strawberries or a couple bites of banana and a few almonds really satisfied my sweet tooth.

The key to being successful for me has been pre-planning.  Cutting veggies so they are ready to eat, planning meals for the week, pre-making everything I can.  I'm lucky that Handy Man is doing the detox with me, this is making it so much easier than it would be if I was doing it alone.

This and That Thursday

Took Dancing Daughter to the Dr this week to get her ankle checked out.  She came down on it wrong after jumping for joy that she got a strike while bowling almost 2 weeks ago.  It hasn't been healing like I thought it should.  She has a torn ligament and has to wear an air cast for 4 weeks, even while sleeping!  She's done dancing for the season and will not be able to perform in the end of the year dance show.  We are all adjusting to that little bit of news.

Today starts day 4 of my 21 Day Detox.  It's going quite well.  It helps that Handy Man is doing it with me.  This will help keep me on track.  I've had no alcohol, sugar or artificial sweeteners, dairy (except eggs), beef, chicken or anything white.  I have been eating lots of fresh veggies and fruit, fish, whole grains, seeds and hummus (YUM).  Each day I've had detox tea and aloe vera juice.  I'm also checking my PH balance daily (I'm way out of balance).  I know I'm going to feel great very soon, just have to get through the slight head and body aches I'm currently having.

The weather here has just been terrible.  Last night we had a fire because the house was so cold and damp.  This was not the best year to start a vegetable garden.  I do have garlic, onions, lettuce and spinach up.  I had beets and radishes up, but some critter has eaten them.  I plan to replant this weekend, but the night time temps are still in the 40's and day time temps in the 50's...  We had the coldest April in something like 50 years and May is going the same way.

I hope it warms up for Blog Fest West!!  Are you planning to come?!

Being Sick

Here are some things I learned while being sick:

• Women of a certain age will leak when coughing and sneezing.
• Just when sleep is needed the most a coughing fit will materialize.
• Honey, lemon and hot water work just as well as cough medicine, if not better.
• There is nothing on TV during the day.
• A hot flash plus a fever is miserable.
• It's very hard to be at home in the middle of a weekday and not do chores.
• A sick body will make it very clear that it wants to lay down if chores are attempted.
• Did I mention leaking when coughing and sneezing?
• Missing 2.5 days of work makes for a pile of work to wade through upon return.

I'm happy to say that I am feeling much better today!