Holiday is Over

Well I hope everyone had a good Easter Sunday...I know that I have had my fill of hard boiled eggs to last me awhile. Most businesses are closed here today in Croatia, so we will be calling my doctor first thing tomorrow to see if I should go for my appointment on Thursday or get a prescription for Dabroston (hormone pills) again. Hopefully it will be the latter. Nothing irritates me more than waiting at a doctors office just for them to say that they cannot examine you while you are bleeding. That is usually about the time that my evil personality emerges and I have to refrain from murder. Though with a jury full of women, I may get away with it. You would think that they would grasp the concept as to not upset a women who has had PMS for 6 months straight...lol
The past week has been filled with gourmet cheeses and sausage platters for dinner, and was a nice change of pace. But now that Easter is over, I can get back to my "somewhat" cancer-fighting diet of green tea, yogurt, broccoli, rice, fish, etc... Which is not so bad and I should eat like that more often, rather I have complications or not. I also have several blogs and 1 in the making, so that will help keep my mind occupied with other thoughts and this one helps keep my thoughts in order. Kind of like a Quentin Tarantino movie...nothing makes sense until the end when it all comes full circle.

Hospital Menu

so i won't have to describe the nutritional value (or lack thereof) of every meal, i will list the food that was offered. this list includes everything: meal, condiments, and drinks....bread is always white

Monday
lunch: broth

Tuesday
nothing

Wednesday
breakfast: 2 slices of bread, bowl of milk (what am i, a cat?)
lunch: broth, hot dog, 2 slices of bread
dinner: rice with some kind of meat (i think it was meat), 2 slices of bread

Thursday
breakfast: 2 slices of bread, a packet of butter (breakfast is now known as "whats for bread?")
lunch: pickled beets, 2 slices of bread, noodles
dinner: cream of wheat, 2 slices of bread (by now, i was wondering if they just keep giving us the same 2 slices of bread we didn't eat from previous meals)

Friday
breakfast: 2 slices of bread, cream cheese
lunch: 2 slices of bread, fish, spinach-potato-cabbage mix, broth (actually, this meal was pretty good)
dinner: macaroni and cheese (i think this was diet mac and cheese because it had half the milk and cheese of others), 2 slices of bread

Saturday
breakfast: 3 slices of bread (must have had an extra slice laying around), butter, jam, bowl of warm milk
lunch: corn grits, beef stew, seasoned salad, 2 slices of bread, broth (again, not bad)
dinner: chicken and dumplings, banana, 2 slices of bread (not as good as mine, but still ok)

Sunday
breakfast: 2 slices of bread, cream cheese, bowl of warm milk
lunch: 2 slices of bread, broth, macaroni and cheese (wasn't too bad after i mixed it with my broth)
dinner: boiled potatoes, seasoned salad, and of course...2 slices of bread

Monday
breakfast: 2 slices of bread, bowl of white coffee (must have been my "farewell" present)

for those keeping track..that was 33 slices of bread:)

M.S.A.T.H...Part 7

Wednesday morning i was woken up as usual at 6:00 am sharp by a nurse. good news was, i was allowed to finally eat, so i anticipated the arrival of breakfast, which was due at 7:30 am, cracked open my book and began to read. btw..nothing else to do there without a television or radio.
like clock work, my first meal arrived and to my dismay, it was less than typical hospital food. it consisted of 2 pieces of white bread (not toasted) and a bowl of warm milk. ok, i will repeat just in case you think i mistyped or you misread....a BOWL of warm milk, as in, not a cup. now, rather the milk was for me or the vermin, i am not sure. though someone should inform these people that it is a woman's hospital and not a veterinary clinic. the only time i drink milk from a bowl is after i am done eating cereal, which apparently, they forgot to add. they also forgot butter, jam, jelly, or anything else that may go with bread.
at 8:00 am, the doctor came in with about 6 interns to check on us and remove the gauze from my vagina. of course, without curtains, my entire womanhood was there for all to see, including my roommates.
the rest of the day was long, but i did manage to finish my book, and since one of my roommates was sent home, it was just 2 of us, which made it a little more quiet and peaceful.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff?

i know that there are a lot of bigger concerns when dealing with cancer. there is the pain, the twinges, the not knowing, the nausea, the worrying about death, and the expense, just to name a few. but i would like to discuss the little things. they are the ones that are important to me but are dismissed by others who are not experiencing them.

1. hair loss- i am not and have not gone through chemotherapy. though my hair is in fact falling out and by the clumps. this is due to hormone imbalance (or so i read on the internet in a medical journal). i realize that great hair is just vanity, but it depresses me when i see enough hair in my hair brush to make a wig for a small child.
2. discharge- i am not referring to normal, everyday vaginal discharge. i am talking about the black, foul smelling that reminds you of a squid in a fish market. no matter how much i cleanse, i cannot get rid of this. i feel like the unsexiest person in the world with this even though it is normal. see my post The Squid Complex
   
3. fatigue- i do not work or have children running around the house, so this should not bother me. but then again, if i don't work or have children running around, then why am i so damn tired all of the time? we are eating a healthier diet, much more healthier than before the cancer. again, considered normal, but i just don't feel normal when i walk around like a zombie half of the time.
4. hot flashes- nothing like turning the heat off in 30 degree temperatures and then stripping down because its "hot?". i was a cook in many restaurants and am use to high heat. there is no reason why i am sweating at below freezing temps.

like i said, these are just the small things, but according to number 4, i am sweating the small stuff.

Cancer Fighting Recipes

since my "Recipe of the Day" doesn't seem to be working out, i figured i would add a few in one post to try to catch up.

Penne and Tuna
1 small eggplant (1-1 1/4 lbs.)
8 oz. penne pasta
Spray olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 can (6 oz.) water-packed solid tuna, drained well
2 Tbsp. chopped green olives
2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut eggplant vertically into 3/4-inch slices. Trim away peel and cut flesh into 3/4-inch cubes. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet. Coat pieces well with olive oil spray. Bake 15 minutes or until eggplant is soft but holds its shape, stirring once to turn cubes. Cook pasta in a large pot of water, simmering until just tender. heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant, onion and tomatoes. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, cook until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes. Add tuna, mixing pieces into the sauce. Add olives, capers, basil and parsley. Cook just until evenly heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain cooked pasta, but leave some water still clinging to it. Immediately add it to the sauce. Stir to combine well. Serve immediately, if desired with a bowl of breadcrumbs to sprinkle over the pasta in place of cheese.

Apple Crisp
Canola oil cooking spray
4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into thin slices or bite-size pieces
1/2 cup raisins
3 Tbsp. apple juice
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Combine apples, raisins and apple juice in bowl, toss well and set aside. In another bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. With pastry blender or knife and fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer apple mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over surface. Lightly coat top with cooking spray. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more or until apples are tender. Remove from oven and let stand on wire rack at least 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature

for more recipes, visit my other site at "Recipes for Life"

Cancer and Nutrition Go Hand in Hand

so i have been reading a lot about nutrition and diet when it comes to dealing with cancer. i have had some good luck as well. there are so many helpful foods out there to help prevent and combat cancer. it's amazing how the foods we eat everyday can either help us or hurt us.
sugar for example..it actually feeds cancer. not all sugars (natural that is found in fruits are OK), but chocolates, sweet desserts, etc...i never knew they were that bad for us.
i knew green tea was good for me and quite frankly, i like the taste, but this is also useful to combat cancer. interesting, huh? here's a link i found particularly resourceful from BBC News.
carrots, tomatoes, soy, olive oil, mango, and many more also help to fight cancerous cells.
i will be discussing all of these food in depth when i have fully read and understand all the benefits from them. as for now.. a recipe for the day will be added to each post. i hope you enjoy them.

Spinach Salad
this salad is very high in beta carotene which is essential in fighting cancer

1 cup raw spinach
1 medium carrot shredded or julienned (your preference)
1 medium tomato
2 teaspoons soy nuts
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 small orange

wash all vegetables. place spinach in a bowl and top with carrots. chop tomato and add to salad mixture. peel orange and separate segments. add orange and soy nuts to bowl. drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss all ingredients until equally combined.
serving size: 2