Musicals, music, and general health update

[annathepiper]

solarbird, spazzkat, and I went and saw Avenue Q playing here in Seattle yesterday--and it was hilarious. Very happy to have gotten to see that. Three words: Bad Idea Bears! <3

And today, Dara and I went down to the Lake Forest Park Farmer's Market to busk! We made another $28 to go into the Buy Dara and Anna iPhones Fund, which was quite satisfying. I was also particularly charmed by a couple of little girls who happily bounced around while we were playing. The older one actually sort of danced, but the younger, who couldn't have been more than two, didn't know how to dance any other way than running around in circles. So the bigger one had to hold her hands and go around in circles with her. Then they both came over and dropped a dollar apiece into my guitar case.

As of this past Thursday, I'm back at work. It's a bit of a switch after three weeks off, and I must admit, I'm going to miss being able to be at home with Dara. But ah well, unless I get really lucky with the queries, I'll be at this a while longer yet.

I've had a couple more followup appointments, and have been told that I'm healing up well from the surgery. My energy's back to normal, more or less, though it was a bit of a bitch carrying the guitar up the hill from the market this afternoon. I'm off the Tamoxifen, too, though this has also meant that I'm going to have to take other risk reduction measures to try to keep my remaining breast clear.

Which means, mainly, an overhaul of my diet--because obesity is a risk factor for cancer, and I'm carrying way too much extra poundage.

For starters, I'm going to have to ditch the soda--and get hardcore about rationing the snacks. Dara's generally good about our dinners, but I need to pay harder attention to breakfast and lunch. Tuesday, I'm going to speak with a nutritionist as well to see if there are other modifications I'll need to make to my diet. I was given a big handout with a bunch of foods that are deemed helpful for cancer risk reduction, complete with stats and recipes and the like. Some of this stuff is stuff I eat already, but it'll be helpful to have somebody with a clue go over the other stuff with me.

Also on Tuesday, I have to go in to be fitted with what has now been officially named the Stunt Boob. Surprisingly, this means I go to Nordstrom's. It'll be very strange walking into a department store with a prescription, but apparently this is how the folks at Evergreen handle this. I'm to get the prosthesis as well as a couple of special bras for it. I dislike the idea of having to change bra types, but this is fortunately only a temporary measure, to tide me over until we can deal with reconstruction surgery.

In the meantime, we'll see how much poundage I can drop. Soda elimination and snack reduction efforts, plus the resumption of my usual workday walking, have already started altering my appetite. And I've already dropped a few pounds.

Wish me luck, folks. I'm aiming for 125-130. It'll take me a while; I've got over 50 pounds to go to get there.

Comments

[chamois-shimi.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine who's been rather hardcore exercising (weight training, step aerobics classes, jogging) to lose weight because eating like a bird wasn't doing jack for her has learned some very interesting (surprising!) things by seeing a nutritionist. A) she wasn't eating enough protein B) she wasn't eating enough fat C) she wasn't drinking enough water. She adjusted accordingly, and it's made a huge difference. She's had to replace her wardrobe twice, now. So I vote yay, nutitionist! Keep a food log before you go, I forget how long they'll want it for, but it might simplify matters when you see one.

[annathepiper]

Yes, a food log was in the instructions I was given in the form they wanted me to fill out. It's for yesterday and today. I'm already a step ahead on what I'm sure she'll tell me, what with the recent vow to ditch the soda and ration the snacks. :)

I intellectually know this will work. I've done it before. The hard part will be reminding myself that it won't necessarily be fast!