Because I haven't posted lately, I'm posting for 2 weeks. Last week I gained 3 pounds, this week I lost 2. I'm 190 now, and that means I'm well in the "overweight" category. BMI of 28.9 is overweight, 19.9 is obese. I'm no longer obese!!!
I'm not at all upset about the gain. I've been seriously messed up with the UTIs and diverticulitis. All those antibiotics have ruined my appetite and I've not been eating enough veggies. I'm getting better, but even tonight I could only eat 1/2 my meat. I did eat all my veggies - local cucumbers and tomatoes. I've still got a lot of fluid that I'm retaining. That's gotta be 3-5 pounds easy!
Not sure what's up with the fluid retention, but I think it might be related to the UTI I had. Yep, another UTI, which is upsetting. Called my doc to ask for a follow-up culture, but was told unless I'm still having symptoms I don't need one!! Mind you, this is the second infection I've had in just about a month....AND I was on 2 antibiotics for the diverticulitis flare in between!! I'm a bit concerned, but if it doesn't come back when I stop the antibiotic I'll relax. So far no symptoms of the UTI returning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Things are getting interesting around here!! The realtor came by last Tuesday night and we talked about what needs to be done to get the house on the market. Number 1? De clutter!! Number 2? replace the deck. Now the de clutter part isn't too bad....once I get my son to clean up his stuff, and pack away some "personal" things, that's not too much. But the deck? Well, that might be a problem. I need to have someone replace it with a smaller, less expensive deck....kinda like a small porch. Oh well....I guess I have some work to do!!
So far I've been able to pack up a few things. My son and I need to go up into the attic and make room for storage. That's tough too, since I live in NC and the roof gets pretty much full sunlight. I have to be careful of that goes up there, heat damage is a real possibility. No candles, that's for sure!
Haven't looked at any more houses yet, but have sound some really good sounding possibilities. I'm really torn in where I want to go. I'd like to stay here in Durham, or go west into Hillsborough, Mebane, etc....but being closer to work in Cary is a big consideration. So I'm also looking in Wake county...Garner, Fuquay Varina, Holly Springs. Who knows....I'll find something, I don't know where, but I know I'll find it.
I probably won't be posting much over the next few weeks or even months. I have to get this house sold so I can buy another one. I'm looking for smaller and less expensive. I also want a yard that can be fenced for the dogs and an area where I can put a veggie garden. I'd also like to be able to put flowers in, but veggies are the most important right now. I'd also like to have a few chickens, but that will depend on where I end up.
Let's see....what's out there in blog land??
Regina Wilshire has been doing an interesting challenge. She's been trying (successfully) to feed her family on $3 a day. Healthy, nutrient dense, lower carb food for less than $3 a day. Look for the tags $3.00 a day diet, food stamp challenge to read her posts.
Suzique over at No-no NOLA has been updating us on what's going on (or not going on) in New Orleans. I can't believe that city hasn't been put back to normal yet!!
From Dr Vernon, 2 excellent posts: ATKINS FOR DIABETES: IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE BAD HABITS and PHISHMAN ASKS FOR THE WORLD AND GETS IT. I want to remind everyone, that Dr Vernon will answer personal questions and even give a telephone consult (free) with your doctor if you need it. Of course she can't treat you without examining you, but she will answer your questions by email, and sometimes in her column. Here's one I sent her that she decided to answer in the column.
One other article I'd also like to cite, although it's not from a blog. Over at About.com they have a new moderator in the low carb group. She actually gets low carb and promotes it. She wrote an excellent post about Dr Atkins' death. Laura Dolson is her name, and she took over a group that had been run by a woman who had no idea what low carb was, and constantly promoted low fat and lower protein. I don't follow the forum very often, but have seen a dramatic improvement since Laura took over. I've also been directed to several well written articles that Ms Dolton has published.
Oh yea! I almost forgot! I got my blood work results back. See link in side panel if you're interested. Of course the doc says my cholesterol is too high, especially the LDL, but the total is much lower than it was last time I had it checked. (350+ vs 240) HDL is lower, and I;m sure that's due to my continued smoking (yea I know, I'm trying!).
Other things of interest: CRP well within the normal range, in fat low normal, even tho I had a raging UTI when the test was done. Ferritin was low, very low at 14, and there were changes in my blood count that indicate iron deficiency. Urine showed an infection, which didn't start showing symptoms until the next day. Vitamin E level was "within normal limits", but lower than most recommend. My level was 33, with the normal levels listed as 22-67, but I've read that it should be closer to 50-60.
I also found that the rheumatoid factor was elevated at 22 (should be below 20), my Antinuclear antibody (autoimmune marker) was positive (should be negative) and my sedimentation rate was 31, more than double the recommended 0-15. None of these by themselves indicate any one diagnosis, but the combination, in addition to the problems I'm having with my joints may indicate that I have rheumatoid arthritis.
OK...I think that's about it for now. I'm tired and have a lot to do still. Thanks for reading my blog. I love seeing the comments!
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