Weekend - Healthy Eating

I have this amazing supportive group of family and friends who have taken on the quest to find healthy alternative choices of food with 20 grams of fat. This has become rather humorous for us. The likelihood that we will be seeking out volumes of fat like this again in our lifetime is pretty slim - hmm, now this is irony! 

Link: Article published by Harvard University busts the "low-fat is best" myth.  

For those of you who are new to reading this blog, telaprevir is one of three drugs used in the new triple therapy for HCV treatment.  Telaprevir requires 20 grams of fat to be ingested by the patient 30 minutes before each 3x/daily dose.

My friend Val reminded me of a recipe I use to make years ago for some community children.  When we wanted to fill their little bellies with a healthy meal we would whip up some quesadillas.  The children loved them! 

Quesadillas are easy to make and you can change up the ingredients.

Basic Quesadilla Recipe - for one person

1 large soft tortilla shell

vegetable oil for the pan

Filling choices:

* cooked kidney beans (canned is fine)

* cooked chicken pieces

* cooked shrimp

* avocado slices

* salsa sauce

* onions (red, spanish, sweet...)

* green onions

* cheddar cheese (or any favorite)

* feta cheese

* sour cream or plain greek unsweetened yogurt

* sundried tomatoes

Process:

1. Place kidney beans, onions and enough salsa sauce in a blender to form a paste once blended.

2.  Spread mixture on half of the soft tortilla shell (1/2 an inch away from the edges).  Top with avocado slices and grated cheese.  Add any other filling item you like at this point.

3.  Fold the other half of the tortilla shell over to enclose the quesadilla and press down the edges.

4.  Heat the vegetable oil in the skillet until it is hot enough for frying. Cast iron pans work best.  Place the quesadilla in the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown. For best results: FLIP QUESADILLA ONLY ONCE in the skillet.

5.  Place on a plate and garnish with salsa sauce, sour cream (or yogurt), green onions, and a little grated cheddar cheese. I like fresh tomatoes on top rather than the salsa sauce.

I haven't posted the amount of fat per quesadilla because it depends on the ingredients you choose and how much you want to put into the quesadilla.

Basic Recipe for A Good Life

Try something new.
Be creative.
Experiment 
Don't be afraid to fail! 

Happy weekend, everyone ~

Deborah

Fridays - What Brings You Happiness?

Last Saturday I took out the guitar and got myself reaquainted with some original songs I'd written over the years. It's been about 4 or 5 months since I spent quality time playing any of my own material. Sure, I've picked up the guitar here and there, played a few songs and then put the instrument back in the case. This was different. 

The ideas for new material started to pour out.  It felt good to reconnect with this outlet. It wasn't that long ago when I was able to sit for hours and there seemed to be no end to the lyrics and melodies that would flow from some mysterious place.  Back when I was playing concerts and clubs fresh material was a must.

 

Years ago when there was an abundance of live entertainment here in the city, we use to go to a popular local club to hear some decent R&B. The audience was fellow musicians, music lovers and people out on the town having a good time.  The place was usually packed. The music was fabulous and the atmosphere was in full celebration. I hadn't played this particular venue but I loved going.

 

One evening I spotted a poster promoting something called "Porketta Bingo". This was all the rave at the time on Saturday afternoons. For those who have never heard of this, it is a type of bingo where the prize is a large piece of cooked porketta roast served to each person who wins a round of the game.  Yes - porketta roast as in MEAT! Everyone at the table usually shares in this thick tasty slice of spicy roast and people have a blast!  

Last weekend a friend came by to visit me who had just been at her first Porketta Bingo. I have to say - I haven't seen her so happy in awhile.  She was giddy with pleasure.  

So, whether it's music, porketta bingo or something you haven't participated in, in years - I hope you get out there this weekend and have some fun.  May you rediscover a few things that have brought you happiness.

Deborah

P.S.  A special thank you to the Frampton Family. 

Week 8: Update

After hearing some feed back from readers I decided it was time to revisit what my intentions were when I started this blog.  I also considered what some readers would like to see more of.

The focus of this blog is to offer an up close and personal look into one woman’s journey (that being me) through HCV treatment.  I have to agree with some of the comments re: wanting to hear more on what the process is like on a day to day basis and what it is that I am experiencing… the good and the not so good.

I have been avoiding getting overly descriptive and sharing too much information.  For me, there is a fine line between disclosing information and complaining. I realize it isn’t necessarily the content but how we share it. So respectfully, here is an update on what has been happening over the past few days.

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I am noticing a change in my good days vs. my challenging days.  I have to admit, I feel I was doing better with the peg-interferon injection on Mondays at 6:30 a.m. as appose to 11 p.m.  I got to sleep through most of the harsher symptoms. Before the change  - Monday night to Wednesday morning was the right off time. With the new change  in place I find I’m pretty much wiped right out Tuesday and Wednesday -  day and evening. By Wednesday between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. the peak starts to taper off but I am still not able to do much more than maybe prepare some soup or put a load of laundry in before my body starts to tremble and I am too weak to go up a flight of stairs. 

Come Thursday morning right through to Friday evening I feel like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.  Some of the brain fog even begins to lift.  I am able to take short walks, have a few decent conversations on the phone and even take in and engage in a  short visit from close friends coming by to check on me. At times I can get some journaling done.  These two days are precious hours that allow me to be a bit of my old self even if it is for brief moments here and there through out the two days.

By Saturday morning the fever kicks into high gear, the fatigue makes it difficult for me to do some simple tasks and I recognize that my body and mind are back out of balance with each other again.  I feel like I have been sucked back into the spiders web.  This is my cue to shift into another gear and work on myself.

This Sunday I awoke to blood on my pillow.  It appeared to be coming from my mouth and nose. My mouth starts to bleed just out of the blue and it takes a bit to stop it. 

Another skin infection has broken out.  The nerves around the infection are sensitive and the skin is showing bruising.  The injection sites have gone from red rashes to bruises and my scalp now has some sores along the lower back part of the skull.

My hair has thinned on the top and the right side but the lower back area still appears to be unchanged.  After years of having my hair long (lower part of my butt) it is time to cut it and take some stress off .  It has been cut to a place between my bra strap and my waist.  Next week it will be cut another 5 or so inches and shaped.  This has been a difficult decision as my hair was very healthy.  Spiritually, there are matters close to the heart that I have needed to deal with concerning this decision but thin long hair is just not a pretty picture!

I have my days of feeling resentful due to the drastic changes in my life.  I am experiencing sadness when it comes to not being able to jump in the car and take a weekend trip to one of the metropolitan cities close by or even hop a flight to visit my children.  The trips I do get to take that I find I am resenting are the ones to different doctors, nurses, and clinics for tests and blood work.

So, what do I do to get out of this funk? I take a moment, sit back, and simply remind myself of a time when there was no one listening to me when I explained how sick I was feeling.  I have had my share of doctors and health professionals who treated me with disdain and impatience.  This is no longer the case and I am thankful.  I get up, brush myself off and suck it up.  An appointment means there is a caregiver who will listen and offer compassion while they provide me with the care they know I need. With this the resentment melts away until … well, the next time. 

It’s all a process and one I need to be engaged in for better or for worse. I remain hopeful.

Deborah

Weekend - Healthy Eating

With spring comes a better selection of green vegetables in our supermarkets.  I have been finding swiss chard, kale, and baby bok choy which are wonderful in stir fries, chicken broth soups and smoothies.

This week I came up with a smoothy that tastes light and clean on the pallet. 

 

Swiss Chard & Ginger Smoothy

4 cups (loosely packed) swiss chard.  *cut into large pieces.

Juice of 2 lemons (remove seeds as they make the drink bitter)

1 cup of carrot juice

1 to 2 cups pickled beets

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup orange juice

1 apple (cored and cut into chunks)

1/4 tsp. of fresh grated ginger 

Blend together all ingredients and enjoy!

*NOTE:  Place fresh ginger in a zip lock bag and store in the freezer. Remove and grate as needed.  

Ginger, blueberries and beets help cleanse the blood of toxins. This means they benefit the liver.  Start off with smaller amounts of these ingredients to see how your body reacts.  If you are fine, than increase the amounts. 

 

Use colorful ingredients in your food.  Generally, the more colorful it is the healthier it is for the body.

Until next time,

Deborah

Friday - What Brings You Happiness?

I'm into my 7th week and I have 5 weeks more to go on the telaprevir. This way of eating has been an interesting one to say the least.  I would never have guessed that I would find it challenging coming up with high fat food items to eat three times a day...but I do! I can only imagine how happy my heart and arteries will be once I have completed this phase of treatment.

I shared with readers a few weeks ago that I was starting to get back into some guitar playing and writing.  I got right into it this week.  Once I started I just didn't want to stop.  Even as my fingers were throbbing with pain from not playing for so long I wanted to keep going. It doesn't matter if it is a one person audience or 2,000 individuals in a crowd, playing feels like pure happiness to me.

Immersing myself in the things that bring me joy benefits me so much right now. I don't want to put my entire life on hold during treatment. I want to stay current so I am prepared when it comes time to get back out there post treatment. What a wonderful thing to immerse myself in ... music.  It has helped provide a beautiful life for my family and I over many years.

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity."  Carl Gustav Jung (1875 - 1961)

Until next time,

Deborah

Thursday - Let's Get Moving

Physical movement of any sort when you are dealing with symptoms similar to the flu is certainly not up there on my 'can't wait to get started' list.  Add in some other extras like skin infections, rashes, frequent bathroom visits and extreme fatigue - you have your basic makings of a pajama party for one. 

Right now with the unpredictability of our spring weather it has been a welcoming breeding ground for virus'.  Friends have respectfully stayed away when they are dealing with a cold or anything contagious. I have a great deal of respect for this.  With my immune system at an all time low I need to be mindful of what I am exposing myself to.  I learned this over the past few years when I developed pneumonia a few times  upon contracting a simple flu.

Planned physical activity has been an uphill battle for me during this treatment so these are a few things I have figured out that work for me.

* I get some movement in early in the morning. I generally have a 45 minute to 1 hour window and I need to take a few breaks in between.

* Do some house cleaning, laundry, or take in a short walk.

* When I need to go out for an appointment, I park at a distance from the building so I have to walk a ways there and back.

* I take the stairs as often as this body will allow me to and I take my time. 

* Sitting and bouncing on the exercise ball.

* Thai Chi or yoga stretching.

Some folks with a strong disposition and immune system have no problems in this area during treatment.  I am told some people work, go to school, and even keep up their practice of jogging each day.  Okay,... confession time.  If you were physically able to see me right now I have no doubt the expression on my face would be described as one of envy.  If you were gifted enough to hear my inside voice you would hear me contemplating, "over achievers?"

But on a more serious note - no matter what, movement is important. Be your own gauge and do what you can.

Take care of yourself!

Deborah 

Wednesdays - Meditation & Stress Release

How many times a day do you catch yourself engaged in internal dialog – bantering back and forth with no one but you?

How often have you caught yourself going over a conversation you had with someone that lasted in total 10 minutes and here you are hours later still stuck in the conversation, carrying it around with you like it was tape recorder…play, rewind, play, fast forward?  But now, you have added “I should have…” or “Next time I’m going to...”. 

What this does is it gets your heart rate up, your blood pressure rises, and your stress increases.  In many cases it causes internal turmoil and even depression.

Internal dialog can be a dangerous thing.  It can take command of our attention.  Without realizing it we may have traveled miles unaware as to whether we recognized the red lights and stop signs of our lives.

Learning to let go of habitual internal dialog is not an easy thing.  It takes acquiring the skills that work best for you.  Then, it takes putting these skills into practice on a regular basis.  Like anything we practice, this will become easier with time.

A good place to start is in meditation or during quiet time in the morning with your tea.  Try it in the shower or next time you are taking a walk. Observe your thoughts. 

What are you investing your attention in?  You can learn so much about yourself.  I offer this to students early on in their meditation practice:

· Next time you are on your way to the bathroom check in with where your mind has wondered off to.  What are you thinking about while you are taking that walk? Is having to stop what your were doing in order to take care of a natural bodily function an inconvenience in your busy day?

·  Tomorrow when you are taking a shower check in and listen to what you are mentally invested in when you are standing under that clean water piped into your home.  Are you even aware of the gift you are receiving at that moment or are you somewhere else in your thoughts?

·  If you are waiting in a line-up at a grocery store - where are your thoughts during this time?  Are you agitated that you have to wait?

Photography by Nasir Brangman 2012, Botanical Gardens, Bermuda

These are all opportunities to check in with your breath - for you to do a body scan and see if you are tense in any areas.  You could observe your own internal dialog and see if you are stuck on something negative that your body is physically responding to.

This is a process.  Be patient and kind to yourself. You are your best investment!

Deborah