New Bone Doctor New SHOES!!!!

I like him... and I am so excited .. we are heading out in a little bit and I am getting my first new pair of real shoes in over a year... I have to get a hiking boot style shoe with good ankle support.. I have to use my inserts... and can do short walks in the new shoes and alternate between the leg brace and the new shoes now.. and NO wheelchair Next week.. YAY!!!  Speaking of inserts..
 I wanted to get a new pair of orthotics too however BCBS has other ideas and says my diagnosis is not valid for a second pair  for 2011 ( actually third pair in all)   apparently the new agreement states that I am only eligible every 24 months for 80/20 coverage on new orthotics.. which is the difference between 64.00 and 380.00 .. soooo.. I will wait...   yet again for that and make do with the one pair that are correct that I use now and just alternate them between shoes...

So thrilled about no Wheel chair next week... I can start trying to walk like everyone else. and Disney is certainly in my very near future  YAY...... how EXCITED AM I  YAY.. I can also officially ride the recumbent bike sans brace  now.. so one day is swimming and one day is bike.. YAY... things are finally looking up ... both new gyn and the bone doctor said for me to give it about 3 or 4 months to really start feeling like myself again.. but I just feel so much better knowing that the pathway I am on his finally not blocked and things are good.. new shoes have made me very happy....  I am so easy to please.... I see some great riding on the motorcycle this weekend... some veggie chili making.... a lot of outside time.. yay...  wishing you a great weekend too!


 

I ONCE HAD..

I once went to a obgyn who said to me,  I only am interested in your breasts and vagina the rest of your body is not my business... yeah she actually said that.. and I actually left her.  this same doctor did a test to see if I was menopausal yet ... they sent me a blue card telling me I was.. I called the office  to asked about medications that I was taking since I was told I was in menopause and the nurse said to me NO you are not.. and I said I got a card saying I was from your office.. she never apologized but said it was a mistake... sigh.. on to another OBGYN who.. things go okay for the first year or two.. then she decided I need to be off my birth control pill which I take for hormone treatment... since I have high blood pressure . Now I had been on Apri for 10 years even when my BP was at its worst I never had an issue... my bp is controlled and doing great .. but she decided to change things.. this is in August.. i start the new pill and my whole world falls apart .. with out going into detail it was horrible .. the head of the practice calls me and tells me I need to get my tubes tied..  WHAT THE FUCK WAS SHE TALKING ABOUT??   she never read my chart never knew what the issues were... the reason she did not want me back on the original med was that in the event I had a stroke... everyone would look at them wondering why they had me on that pill... SO IT WAS TO COVER THEIR ASS not to protect mine.. that was the way it  came across to me... SO my internist writes a letter to this practice having them put me back on the regular pill and I am back to normal.. well not normal.. my pain level is horrible.. I had another doc tell me there are 2 things I would not wish on my worst enemy.. MS or Fibromyalgia.  A flare up is difficult.. you can cop out and lay in bed .. and hide.. or you can tough it out and deal with .. I chose the latter always...
So.. the latest issue is getting the fibro back down... and finding a new obgyn...  Today that happened..
You see after trying to call my former obgyn and no return calls,  after trying 2 new offices and no nurse calling me back.. even after a promise of I will call you back before 4pm yesterday... I finally call my internist and he set me up with a new doctor.. I saw the new doctor today... he is taking care of my issue.. he treated me with great kindness understanding and totally got why I am on the birth control pills I am on.. and what the purpose is... he has agreed to keep me on them at least 2 or 3 more years.. he will then run tests to see where my hormone levels are.. and if  I am at that level where I have to give up the pill then I will he said there are a lot of treatments out there that will work just fine... and not to worry..
He explained why the other doctors wanted me off the Apri but he did agree with me that if after 10 years of no issues.. and a good quality of life.. why change things... MY Blood Pressure is under control .. and is  excellent as a matter of fact.. as long as that remains the same then I should be fine for the next 2 or 3 years.. we just have to watch..... I was so thrilled with him.. A listener, an Understander and a compassionate doctor.. who tells great jokes too.....looking forward to a long and HEALTHY  experience with him as my new GYN. and his office staff is great.. and being that  he is in the same building as my Internist.. they can consult each other should anything need to be changed..
Having to start over yet again on new plan.. in 3 days I gained 5 pounds just from being off the original pill.. i have lost 4 of those pounds.. and feel confident I am back on track.. this was a mess.. a huge fucking mess for me... at the same time it is shocking how 1 little red pill helps me... and with out that little red pill I am a mess.. how does someone gain 5 pounds in 3 days.. and not even enjoy it ( you know.. eating terrible etc.. ) One of the first questions both my former ortho doc ( my ortho  who I love is leaving to work for a football team as the team surgeon... I start with the new doc tomorrow)  asked me and the new obgyn asked was how much weight did I gain and how fast did I gain it.. ? neither were surprised but both were bothered that that one doctor was more interested in covering their asses than really looking at the options for the patient... I am one body and if you change one thing for me it affects how this body works..
Well time for me to go start getting dinner ready  .. vegetarian chili over a half of baked potato .. with a dollop of fat free Greek Yogurt.. yum...

Not Your Momma's Mac and Cheese

After a lot of perusing recipes and seeing which ones I could play with ... I created my own...
there are no additional oils  added ....

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350

The Ingredients are simple..

The concept simple... Make the Mac  mostly veggies,  keep the serving size to a half a cup...

 Recipe serves 8  ( REMEMBER 1/2 cup servings)

Fresh Baby Spinach not frozen  ( use whole Container )
1/2  cup Barella Plus Macaroni
1 Cup Whole Wheat Macaroni
1/2 red pepper chopped
Panko sesasoned bread crumbs or Italian bread crumbs
1/2 vidalia onion chopped
a sprinkle or 3 of  fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 cup mix of Ramano cheese and 2% or Fat free Cheddar cheese
3Tablespoons  egg substitute
1/3 cup plus 3 level Tablespoons of Fat free greek yogurt
a sprinkle or 2 of Kosher Salt

****you can throw in other veggies  if you want. or not.. ( I did not) . Asparagus, mushrooms work well..
Cook Macaroni per package directions.   DO NOT USE ANY OIL

Sautee in own juices  pepper,  garlic onion and spinach... DO NOT ADD ANYTHING but a grind or 3 of fresh black pepper and a sprinkle of Kosher Salt.. Sautee Spinach until it has cooked down and onions are nice and glossy.

In a bowl add sprinkle of cheeses, and greek yogurt .. mix,  then add  sauteed veggies  mix well sprinkle in a little more cheese.. mix well...   once mac is cooked  add to bowl fold everything in well...

Pour into   glass pan that has been sprayed with PAM or other Cooking Spray..

Sprinkle bread crumbs and  rest of cheese mixture on top..
I used my toaster oven.. which had been preheated to 350...
I baked it covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 30 minutes...

 it is delightful.. everyone that has had a serving loved it...
glad that worked...

You can pair this with a Salad loaded with fresh Veggies ... and using a light balsamic vinegar   dressing..

*******I used my smallest cassarole glass pan... I think its like an 8x 8 ... not sure.. its small enough to fit in my toaster oven...

Okay I think thats it.. Enjoy....

HI WORLD

WOW we have been so slammed at work.. non stop crazy.. finally a minute to write for myself... I hate that it is sporadic but frankly after spending all day on the pc or mac .. I want to be off of it and get up and do things.. and that is exactly what I do.. if you want to keep up with me more regularly just friend me on Facebook.. Otherwise I check in here as often as I can... I admire those that can post every day  if not more... I just do the best i can..  Same old same old in our world.. working hard through the holiday season... had a great lunch.. tomato salad, pizza ( tomato and basil ) veggie burger by Morning star ... and a diet Seirra Mist Cranberry Splash I LOVE THOSE seasonal drinks.. 

TIme to go get busy again...

HEAL THYSELF

Having to deal with chronic pain makes one think of ways to either drug themselves out so they do not have to feel.. or Stand up.. Take charge and find something that works with out drug intervention..
I have gone the drug path.. and it was a disaster..that was a couple years ago.. Most often I just suck it up and move on.. but sometimes the pain just screams.. I try not to listen to it.. but the ear ringing can drive me bonkers.. the ringing in my ears is related to the Fibro I believe as well the IBS and the other side issues I deal with when I have a flair up  It can be very depressing...
Recently I have decided to take the depression and turn it around.. in other words.. why let the dark cloud take over.. why not just take charge.. even if it is not the norm. I have been exploring other forms of treatment for my PTTS. as well as my Fibro. since my orthopedic doctor is moving on and I have to start over anyway.. he wants to send me to a doctor he likes.. which is fine however I would basically be starting over treating my foot.  but I wonder if going the way of a physiatrist (a medical doctor who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) .. might be a good path.... so I am not sure but its  something I will explore. I find it  interesting because here is one doctor that can treat all of my chronic pain from the PTTS to the chest wall pain to the Fibromyalgia.
Our Dinner was great last night.. baked potatoes with vegetarian Chili spooned on top.. yum.. I added a little fat free Greek yogurt to give it a more creamy texture and sprinkled a little 2%  shredded cheddar cheese on it.. absolutely wonderful.. and very filling... its kinda strange in that we have found we eat more types of what would be considered Starches  and a lot more fruit and vegetables...than ever before yet we are losing weight.. I guess all this whole grain , whole food ... plant based goodness is true.. if you follow it.. and again  it is not easy.. Its hard to pass up all the other stuff.. but sometimes feeling better outweighs something that might taste good for a few seconds.. I am also exploring foods that reduce inflammation.. that may be a lot of hokem I do not know yet.. but supposedly you can eat certain things that help reduce inflammation.. ..
Well time to get into the world and start working..  Protein shake  for breakfast and apple for mid morning snack and water through out the day.. coming up.. not sure about lunch..
 Oh one thing i wanted to share...  I was at the store and noticed aside from regular vegetarian frozen fair .. Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice are venturing into the market.. here is some info I found:
VEGGIE CUISINE  and some photos

I bought the Tuscan Style Lasagna to try for lunch one day... Sometimes these products are hit or miss will let you know what I think when I try it.
Have a great day !

GOING FORWARD

So much going on... I keep thinking we are going to have some down time but it does not look like it..
We did some great cooking over the last week,, Vegetarian Chili... OUTSTANDING,  Vegetable Soup OUTSTANDING.. Baked Eggplant Parmesan a hit to the last bit...
I have been silently reading a lot of blogs lately..  Seems most everyone has the same story they had a year or so ago... and out of that dust there are Success stories... some are very inspiring...
I think reaching the point in  your life where you can truly lose weight and get yourself healthy takes  time.. preferably not your whole life...
IT IS REALLY NOT EASY~
  We are going into 2 months of eliminating certain foods and changing the way we eat.. both of us have had significant weight loss... I hate saying with out trying.. but it feels like we have not been trying..  I guess its more that we are doing new things and that occupies the hard factor...the hardest thing we have had to deal with is the hunger issue.. however we are finding there are more recipes than not that yield meals that are filling and stay with us.. 
It is a learning experience~ we just purchased the Idiots guide to plant based eating....and that is a great basic guide following Dr. Mcdougall and Drs. Campbell and Esselstyn... now they really want you to go VEGAN..  but we are taking it one step at a time...
SO we go forward with our transition..  Got a lot going on this week with the holidays approaching later in the week ( Erev Rosh Hashanah and Rosh Hashanah Day ) we only have two big meals to contend with  as opposed 3 or 4  like others I know... My aunts are great  about having lots of salads and veggies to choose from... so we should have not problem.. we probably will eat the chicken...
We were looking at definitions last night... as we go forward with  exploring being vegetarian.. and found one that fits us for now. Flexitarian.. that is one who eats primarily a plant based diet but will eat Chicken and Fish on occasion. They break down Lacto and ovo vegetarians as well.. being people who will eat dairy ( lacto)  to people who will just eat eggs ( ovo)  or both..
Well off to keep working on Monday..
Have a great day!.

A DIFFERENT MENU

When you change your way of eating a lot of things happen, you might go through withdrawals , you might feel not so chipper until the new way of eating sets in... You might feel anxious  etc...
Well I am happy to say the only issue we have had to deal with is excessive hunger... in other  words  yes we are eating  good veggie meals.. but we never quiet get full.. and learning to live with that new feeling... Comfortable but not stuffed.. is ..... different... Its not horrible but it does take time to get used to...SO we are learning.. yesterday I   got to try an  artisan bread  sandwich stuffed with cold grilled squash, grilled onion , tomato, arugula, cucumber and other seasonal veggies... we had baked beat chips with a few baked sweet potato chips as well.. for dinner I had a caprice salad and that was it.. the hunger was there but it was not terrible.. and I slept well too... still learning new things every day.... which is very very good..
Not sure how far into this we will go .... but we still are heading that way... here is a breakfast recipe  we have found interesting and plan on trying  soon for a sunday family brunch..:
THIS is from  E2

INGREDIENTS Serving Size      spelt flour - 2 ounces oat flour - 2 ounces baking powder - 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal (ground) - 1 ounces milk substitute (soy) - 3 ounces applesauce - 1 ounces honey (or agave nectar) - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1 teaspoon blueberries - 2 ounces

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the flours, baking powder, flax seed meal, and salt together in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened; it will seem very thin, but it will thicken. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes (spelt flour takes a little longer to absorb liquids). If you can’t wait, your pancakes won’t be as crisp. After the batter has rested, fold in the blueberries. Cook according to directions for E2 Basics Pancakes. here they are: Combine the mix and the liquid in a large bowl, stirring to remove lumps. Heat a dry skillet until a drop of water dances on its surface. Spraying the skillet once should allow for three batches of pancakes. Ladle a large scoop of batter into the pan. Several pancakes can be cooked at once if you’re using a large skillet. Cook until the batter begins to bubble and the bottom of the pancake is golden. Flip and cook on the other side until both sides are golden. enjoy... here is the link to the E2  recipe site...ENGINE 2