post-trip check-in

During my time in Spain I allowed myself to eat and drink what was in front of me: croissants for breakfast, beer and wine with meals, cheese and olives, rice dishes with seafood. I gained a few pounds back but this morning I was back down to my pre-trip weight. My belly is still soft and big. I may have lost weight but it's still settled along my abdomen. Next goal; another ten pounds in six weeks, or by the end of September. I need to buy more eggs and cottage cheese, and berries. 

The trip logistics all went well in spite of an unexpected mishap with Arun's passport; he didn't realize that it needed to be valid for six months beyond the trip date. He came to the airport but the wouldn't let him board so he and his mother, who also met us there, went back home to try to get a rush passport renewal in time for them to get to the village for the eclipse. They had an appointment for 5AM on monday, got the passport by noon on Tuesday, then made it to Zaragoza by 1pm on Wed where they were picked up by Blas and arrived in the village in time for the amazing eclipse viewing! We drove to a hillside and sat on folding chairs with eclipse glasses for all. Primi was there too, having been ferried out with her wheelchair to the village, then settled in a chair outside in the front patio. Ruben and Coba were there as were Carmen and Quique, Rosemary's friend Carina and her caravaning friends Melissa and Michael. They had rented a camper and made their way to the village and then joined us on our return to Zaragoza before continuing on their wandering way. Ruben made us a paella on a giant pan. When we got back to Zaragoza, Blas made us squid ink rice with seafood and it was wonderful!

The weather was blistering hot so we spent a lot of time indoors in the middle of the day with brief excursions to the Pilar, the Seo, and the Aljafería. We had a magnificent meal at the vegetarian restaurant Baobab and tapas in the Tubo. I was low energy because of the heat but managed to get around at a slow pace with Loren and his walking sticks.

to Spain!

 Tomorrow we go to Spain! I'm trying not to be anxious about the trip to the airport. I will take a Lyft at 8PM to get there to check in by 9 for a 12:30 flight. It's non stop 7 and a half hours so we get into Barcelona at 1;30 in the afternoon. We have tickets on the AVE for 4pm so with any luck no bags will go astray and we'll arrive in Zaragoza in the early evening. Then we have a stack of birthdays: Blas on the 10th, Arun on the 11th and Radikha on the 12th. I should get some little gifties. I can give Blas the Colson Whitehead book The Underground Railroad. I can give the Coffee book to Arun. what can I give his mom? 

it's going to be 100 degrees in Zaragoza. I need to get some sunscreen for my arms. I packed sundresses and tshirts.  I'll wear the skort and I have a cotton bucket hat for the sun.  I packed underwear and socks,  a sleep tshirt since I seem to have lost my cotton nightgown and only have flannel and warm pjs. I will suspend my weight loss diet and try to just eat sensibly, not gorge myself on olives. I need to eat a few things in my fridge tonight and tomorrow and take out the compost and the trash.I also need to leave the lead paint form for Kari and Jason and ask them to keep an eye on the drain if it storms. I can hear thunder now!

We will go to the village for the total eclipse of the sun. Carlos and Marisa will be there as well some friends of Rosemary's who are renting a camper. It will be somewhat cooler there but still hot. 

I will see if I can get a Spain football jersey while I'm there. 

celebrating Spain's win

 Yesterday we went to a bar to watch the World Cup final match. I've watched most of the matches on Telemundo so I didn't want to miss the grand finale. The first bar we wanted to go to, a Spanish culture club called La Nacional, was full so we went across the street to a little dive bar. I lucked out and got a seat right in front of a TV and was able to watch in comfort while Rosemary and her friends stood. I had two beers, the first time I've had that much to drink in months. After Spain won the game, I treated myself to a bacon cheeseburger and fries in the sports bar near my house. I was uncomfortably full after but it was fun to have a break from my regime of austerity.

I just ordered some popcorn from Rancho Gordo. It's not cheap but it's very good and I don't know where to find the crummy popcorn in my local grocery store.  

slog

 Checking in with my weight loss timeline: I'm 2-3 lbs behind. I had calculated a straight-up one pound a week loss but I need to be patient. I'm at the beginning of July and I'm down to 172.8 171.7. Drop by drop. I feel as if I've lost weight around my thighs and belly but I still have the basketball tummy when I look in the mirror. I need to focus on my accomplishments: my blood work showed that I am no longer in the pre-diabetic zone with my Ac1 or blood glucose and that my liver markers are back in the normal range. I also showed a reversal of fatty liver with my liver ultrasound. I have an appointment with the liver specialist at the end of the month. I'm making slow progress!

Iris Van Herpen at the Brooklyn Museum

 Yesterday we went to the Brooklyn Museum to see a show of Iris Van Herpen's couture called "Sculpting the Senses."  I especially like the Muses tab because you can see how the gowns look on people who are not models on a catwalk.

Alcohol free

Down 14 lbs  but I still can't see it--my buddha belly still makes it look as if I"m pregnant. Patience! it's coming off, slowly but surely. Yesterday I treated myself to a dinner with Rosemary at the vegetarian Ethiopian place, Bunna Cafe. We get the feast for two which is scoops of nine different vegan dishes. Our favorite is the mushroom but I also like the beets, the collard greens, and the kabocha squash. 

I have not had alcohol since I began my clean living program back in February. Every so often I miss it but it hasn't been hard to live alcohol free. I ordered a beer a Bunna and it turned out to be non-alcoholic. A sign.  I had been drinking a tall beer 4 times a week. Saving money, saving my liver.

 Yesterday I cooked a pot of field peas with goat meat in the crockpot. I had never had them before and looked up recipes. They are not regular peas that have matured and dried but a bean, and are common in the South. They are really good combined with Rao's tomato sauce with sausage and mushroom.

Green Plantains

 My health care clinic advertised that it was giving away free food this afternoon. I had visions of produce laid out on tables. But when I showed up there were grocery bags all packed with the same thing: 3 green plantains, 3 mangos, red grapes and a package of baby kale. I have never cooked green plantains before so I spent the afternoon looking at recipes. I can roast them, peeled and sliced, or I can boil them and mash them up. The grapes are delicious although I haven't been eating them because of the sugar. It was a good long walk go the clinic.

more scans

Today is Saturday and I woke up at 7:30 to go into Manhattan for some scans. I know the way to the radiology clinic of Mount Sinai now: take the L to 14th St and then the 6 going up town to 103rd and Lexington. I don't even need to use Google Maps when I get out of the station because I know what direction to go. Got there for a 9:30 appointment for a thoracic CT scan to follow up on a lung nodule and then had a radioactive injection for a full body PET scan to follow up on the endocrine mutation. I'm anticipating that both of them will be fine. Only paid $30 for one of them. We'll see if I get another bill. 

I'm watching Six Feet Under and I actually stayed up all night to watch it and then lay down most of the day and then watched some more. I lost track of time and went to bed at midnight last night. Still managed to get up in time for a shower and went to the store on the way home. I will cook some brussels sprouts later. I'm a little frustrated that I've plateaued on the scale again; holding steady at 177.  

heat wave

 I took my short morning walk today even though it was 88 degrees. It's 92 now but the temperature is going to drop at least ten degrees this evening: thunderstorm!

 

heat advisory

 We've gone from sweater weather to heat advisory. Today's temps were in the 80s so I stayed indoors, and tomorrow it will be even hotter. After Wednesday it will cool off. Tomorrow we are doing our Prediabetes meeting by zoom, so if I want a walk I need to get out of bed earlier than I have been. The topic is adding more exercise. I have been on target with the program goals so far but this will be a challenge. I can add exercise by using YouTube videos; I just haven't done it. 

Rosemary called from Minnesota. She and Loren are doing well. She's using the barn as her studio and working hard. This weekend she'll go into town and spend the night with a friend so she can attend some gatherings. I'm so glad for Facetime! Nancy and Mark are in Mexico. Johnny and Dana have just moved into the new condo they bought. I'm glad they are able to become homeowners. I saw some pictures of their place from the realtor listing and it looks spacious and bright. It's in the same school district so Morgan can continue in her Spanish Immersion program. 

 

I attended my last opera in the series. It was a newish opera in Spanish about Frida and Diego. The production values--sets, costumes, choreography and use of chorus---we're quite wonderful. I was less impressed by the score but the singing was good.  

 

Mother's Day

 On my walk to the cafe this morning I was wished a Happy Mother's Day by six men! 

Oncologist check-in

 I saw my oncologist today., after my DPP class in the morning. We reviewed the results of the blood work my liver doctor ordered and I asked about the meds and liver markers. We agreed that the progress I have made in lowering my A1C, my glucose, and my liver markers, and the good results of the Fibroscan, are all signs that I'm doing the right thing by making diet and exercise changes for reversing fatty liver and prediabetes symptoms. She noted that I am due for some more scans: a PET scan to follow up on the endocrinologist's recommendation for monitoring and a chest scan for the nodule on my lung. I scheduled the chest scan for two weeks from now.

I had a big kale salad at the Delancy-Essex marketplace and regretted my choice because it had some higher calorie ingredients (although healthy ones). Walnuts and dates and pumpkin seeds pushed the calorie count up. But I had a chicken breast and leafy greens, cucumber and tomato, garbanzo beans and tahini dressing and no rice; all healthy choices and only a few calories over. I was tired while walking but I got in my steps and went up and down a bunch of stairs, I checked my phone app for step and stair counts and got in quite a few.

 My Rancho Gordo bean box included lentils so I have been eating them for the last few days. Earthy and lots of fiber!

patience

Weight trending down! Finally! I was getting discouraged because it was just bouncing back and forth from 181-184. Now it's down to 177.7 for two days in a row. I need to be patient. I looked back at my timeline and I'm on track even though it was not quite so linear. I've been doing a good job sticking to my calorie allowance and healthy food choices.

On the exercise front it's not so good. For the last three days I have not gone for a morning walk. The first day it was fatigue from all the steps I logged the previous day, but the last two days I just have been lazy. I'm in my pajamas now and would need to change to go mail the checks I need to deposit. I will get up tomorrow and do that on my walk to the cafe.  

UPDATE: took my walk today! 177! 

Good news!

 Today I met with the liver specialist at Mount Sinai. I managed to sleep about 6-7 hours but was up at 7:30  to get ready for the long subway ride. I was moderately nervous about this consultation---would I need a liver biopsy? was there so much scarring that I had cirrhosis? As usual the trip and the waiting were tedious but I was seen after only a half an hour wait. That counts as on time!

I was relieved that the doctor saw no need for a biopsy. She had access to my earlier blood work and I showed her my more recent tests which showed improvement. She had my blood drawn and referred me for  a FibroScan, an ultrasound that is their first test that's non-invasive. I was lucky and they squeezed me into the schedule after the blood draw which took forever because I was dehydrated and my blood wasn't flowing. The scan was at the hospital down the street where I'd had my brain surgery. Ah, memories!

Good news. The test showed that I have little to no fat and no scarring! Apparently my weight loss and visceral fat reversal habits have actually paid off! My A1C is also down into the normal range: 5.4! they didn't test my glucose or other liver markers. No hepatitis of any kind. I almost don't believe it but 

One value came up high: GGT or Gamma-Glutamyl-Tranferese a liver enzyme that help protect the liver from damage. So there is still some inflammation. I still have metabolic syndrome. 

Tonight I'm going to meet Rosemary, Arun, and Paloma for Japanese food at Ozakaya, that place on Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights (take the C, leave at 5:15 and get off at Clinton-Washington).

new routine

 Today was Diabetes Prevention Program. My weekly routine is to leave the house early so I can get the J before it starts skipping my station for track work. Then the hike to the clinic--it's a lot of steps! I can have coffee there so I don't make it at home. Today's session was a review for me of sensible eating advice. Eat whole foods, the healthy plate method, skip the sugary drinks. Nothing new but it's a good reinforcement of what I've been putting into practice. My treat of the day is to have a salad with squash, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds with a chicken breast on rice at the Delancy Essex Market. Since I skipped breakfast, so I'd get my fasting walk in before class, I had calories to spend. I didn't quite finish the rice but everything else was delicious and healthy. Next time I'll try a different salad.

Tomorrow I will leave the house at 8:20 to get to the liver clinic by 9:45 for a visit with a specialist. I hope I will not have to have a biopsy. I hope the MRI was clear enough to show what level of damage there was. I hope that my adherence to a liver damage reversal  program will be enough. I wonder if she'll have a blood draw to check my liver markers. I wonder if she'll have an opinion on my medications. 

I'll have dinner with Rosemary before she leaves town for 6 weeks!

 

The Binc excursion

 I switched up my walk route to overcome my sadness about missing my Berkeley garden walks. It's spring now and the trees are leafing out. Instead of walking up to Broadway and dealing with the trashy street and the overhead subway, I'm turning left and walking through the park and over to Saratoga. I went to September and they gave me a bigger cup of coffee this morning. I then walked over to the library and returned a book. I walked back the way I came, feeling like my legs were tired. But I did it, I took my walk. I got 7 and a half hours of sleep last night--a midnight text and awake at 7:30. I lay in bed until 9 and dozed a little, then up and out. Now I'm waiting for my brussels sprouts to roast for lunch. I am going to join Rosemary and Arun for dinner at the bar he works at called The Binc. It's a short walk from the High Street station on the A/C line. I looked at their menu and it looks as if the grilled shrimp is the most diet friendly. I may treat myself to an expensive mocktail---both my tax refunds were deposited!

Psych meds and liver

 I had an appointment with a psychiatrist to talk about whether or not I should change my psych meds given my elevated liver numbers and pre-diabetes. The upshot of our conversation was that the meds are working for what they are prescribed for and I am doing what I can to reverse those negative numbers so I'd like to continue as is and check in with him in a few months and with my primary care physician as well when I see her in July. My symptoms before I took this med were so severe that I really an afraid of a relapse. He said that Metformin could help with the blood sugar. I didn't tell him that I'd already had a course of Metformin when I started and it didn't seem to help. So now I get to see if my diet and exercise changes are enough to reverse the negative numbers of my liver markers and glucose. My last blood work did show improvement. My glucose was 90 and my AST was in the normal range. My ALT was still high though and my A1C was 5.9 (the threshold is 5.7) not too far off the limit. I will see the liver specialist in a week. I sure hope she doesn't want to do a biopsy.

Lots of steps!

 Today is Tuesday so its the Diabetes Prevention Program --DPP--meeting at the Henry St. clinic in Manhattan at 10AM. This meant that instead of a neighborhood walk when I got up I walked to the J and then from the J at Delancy/Essex St to the clinic. After class I walked back and had lunch at the food mall there and then back to the clinic for an appointment with a psychiatrist to talk about my meds. We agreed that I'll keep my olanzapine dose the same and see how I do with my weight loss and activity program and meet again in 2 months. We talked about whether it made sense to add Metformin and I opted to wait. Then I walked back to the subway. So I made 4 short trips and ended up walking over 8000 steps. Now that I have my Health app on my phone set up to count steps and distance I can add that information to my weekly reports to Andrea in DPP. Tomorrow I'll go to Quest at 10:30 but I need to work around the J repair schedule so I'll leave here at 9 and get to the Joe cafe for coffee and to buy a sandwich for lunch. I should finish reading Hamlet. I don't know what they'll be talking about since I missed the last class but I have a ticket to see a performance at the BAM this coming Sunday with the National Theater company from London.

Tomorrow I will not do my morning walk but instead walk from the subway to Quest and back. It's probably going to rain.