It's Time to Put My Money Where My Mouth Is

After 6 months of cancer treatment for my husband ~ I found out today that my always good blood lipids are totally out of control. My doctor says try 2 months of diet and exercise before resorting to drugs.  Now that's a plan I respect!

I always knew this day would come.  I've been preaching the benefits of low carb eating for years.  I've responded to my husband's eating of pie, cake, cookies, candy, etc. with "that sh_t will kill ya" for even more years.  While that kind of sugar hasn't passed my lips since I was 40 years old (and that was before the year 2000) I haven't always lived by my own rules of low carb eating.  Nevermind that it made me feel great.  Nevermind that I was the thinnest I had been since 18 (and that was before the year 1980!)  Nevermind that I absolutely believe that our medical community is generally clueless about proper nutrition and that our government is more interested in keeping the corn industry going that really understanding what's good for our health.  I didn't always follow my own rules, often consuming foods that I personally think we are really  not designed to eat.  I will just have to give myself credit for not breaking the no sugar, no trans fats and never ever HFCS rules rather than beating myself up for often breaking my own no refined carbs rule.  I can't help it, I've always been a rule breaker.

But no more!  It's time to actually prove what I've always believed.  I had my annual check up and guess what - my cholestrol was totally out of whack and all over the place.  This from a woman who is not overweight, never eats processed foods and follows the rules above.  My doctor - God love her - instead of saying "here's a scrip for NastyCholesterolLoweringChemical drug" she said "change your diet and exercise and come back in 60 days."  Yes, she's awesome.  A doctor who actually recommends lifestyle change instead of pushing a prescription is the one for me.

So...if I were to ask her what diet should I be on...you all know what she would say.  It wouldn't be the Atkins diet or some version of it.  But I absolutely believe that strict adherence to a low-carb, high protein diet made up exclusively of proteins, vegetables and good fats will turn my numbers around.  And for those of you who don't believe - I am about to prove it. 

So follow along while I document this journey - beginning tomorrow 4/19 with results measured on 6/2.  That's about 7 weeks of a major lifestyle change involving diet and the most dreaded thing of all - regular exercise.  UGH.

I knew this day would come.  The day when I couldn't just eat whatever I wanted, do whatever I wanted (or not do what I should), and still have those awesome blood lipids.  That's ok - I'm thinking I'm pretty lucky to have made it this long.  And now I'm about to not only prove that Bob (that's Dr. Robert Atkins you know) was right, but also that you can teach an old dog new tricks.  Exercise and diet tricks, that is.

How Much Do We Hate the Word Lymphoma?!

Yesterday my husband had a needle biopsy on a lump in his neck.  It's a lymph gland that was swelling up and down as the result of a bone infection he had last year - and then it never went down.  That's the good news, but still we have to be sure it's not something else.  Yesterday was the first time I'd heard the word "lymphoma" used in reference to my husband - or anyone I love for that matter.  I can hardly bear to write it and I certainly cannot say it. 

I am quickly learning how when you're dealing with this kind of problem there's more uncertainly than fact.   The biopsy results will tell us if it IS the dreaded L word, but they will not tell us for sure that it is not.  The blood tests he's already had don't LOOK like there's anything to be worried about - but we can't tell for sure from that either.   When will we know for sure?  And how?  I don't know. 
So we'll see and we are both optimistic.  He is strong, healthy, young and feeling fine - there's just this gland that is still there.  The bone infection didn't come from poor health, it came from a surgery he had after breaking a bone.   Everything points to all is ok. 

But in the meantime I am haunted by the hated word Lymphoma and am thoughtful of the so many others who have gone through the uncertainty, the hope, and the despair of a loved one with any kind of illness.
No Rachael Ray talk today.  I'm focusing my mental energy elsewhere.