Ladies -- sorry I've been gone so long -- I've been running errands every day at lunch, all week, except Monday, when I was at the doctor's...
First of all, to let everyone know, I had a breast ultrasound on Monday. The tech and doctor were concerned, because the mass is large and very definite, but it didn't show up on an ultrasound at all. So they did a mammogram, six -- whatever you call them -- pictures? The doctor examined them all and said that there is no evidence of any cancer, that it may just be a particularly dense section of tissue, and that the mass that we could all feel (me, plus the tech and the doctor) was a sort of ridge, where the tissue went from being dense to less dense. I brought up that I had lost a lot of weight, and it occurred to me that the mass could have been there longer, and I had never noticed it because there had been more fatty tissue in my breast before (they've shrunk as I've lost weight, which is fine with me -- I was a 42 D/DD to start with). The doctor thinks that may be why I never really felt them before. They said that based on my age and the ultrasound and the mammogram, it's very likely that there's nothing to worry about. They also said that the only other thing they could do is an MRI, and that seems unnecessary at this point. The doctor said that I should have the doctor check it every 3 months or so for a while, but that I won't even need another mammogram until I'm forty. So that was a big, BIG relief. I expected to feel relieved right away, but I was still nervous, after floating between denial and worry these last couple of weeks, and then the actual two hours in the doctor's office...I just barely resisted the urge to bury my face in a grilled cheese and french fries, my ultimate comfort food...but I got my mom on the line, talked to her for a while, until I was almost at work, then got here and ate the lunch I'd planned for. So, it was a big relief by the end of the day, when I'd calmed down, but very stressful.
As for the rest of the week, I'm exhausted, and I have been all week. I'm having trouble falling asleep, and I feel blech when I'm this tired, so I'm just going to relax this weekend...do house chores tonight (cleaning is done, I cooked one dish last night, I just need to cook one more dish and do food prep for the week -- cutting veggies and fruits) and then take tomorrow and Sunday off. I am going to a Greek festival down here Saturday evening, nothing too stressful or fancy.
Oh, I almost forgot -- I lost .6 this week. My goal is a pound per week, but it is TOM, so that might have something to do with it. I did lose a pound last week.
What's new, ladies? Any exciting plans?
Re your posts since I last posted...
Princess: I understand -- my mother went through a scare last year, and that was hard enough for me, so I couldn't imagine what it was like for her. It was a little easier knowing that my doctor said she thought it was nothing, since I'm so young, but it was still scary, since it was significantly large (the doctor's actual words were ("It's BIG.") I'm glad that the bike ride went so well! Re your knee -- maybe the incline is too high? Re heat -- in another month or so, Arizona will be lovely -- it is already quite nice up in the mountains. About six months of the year, the weather is good, from cool, to our idea of cold -- but it is quite hot the other six months, especially from mid June to mid September. Blech. But what can you do? I hate humidity, and I would rather be somewhere dry and hot than cooler and humid. Having grown up in AZ, I find humidity particularly uncomfortable, and intense heat much more manageable.
If you do visit Arizona, you should check out Tucson -- we have beautiful Sabino Canyon, and Mt. Lemmon, about an hour up, and ten degrees cooler...and Tombstone, about 1.5 hours from Tucson, is a great tourist spot, it's supposed to be a blast.
I am very happy the protein trick worked too.
Re Your birthday: Oh, that stinks. I agree with you, how vexing. I agree with Judy. It's your birthday, and if you want to have an intimate dinner at a mid-price restaurant, that's your prerogative (sp?)! And if he doesn't want to do that, the potluck is also an excellent suggestion. I'm glad it worked out. Re hitting half way point -- CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Judy: Thank you for your good wishes. Glad that my "insights" were well relieved. I was worried I might come off as overbearing...I just want to share everything I've learned (the hard way!) in case even a small part of it is helpful.
Thank you for the good wishes. Eating a salad, with the promise of more core food when you get home is a good idea.
Chrily: Thank you for your good wishes. Sorry things are so chaotic. Re eating BK for breakfast and lunch -- it's important to not beat yourself, but to instead evaluate what went wrong, why you "slipped" and then make strategies to compensate, and get back on the horse! Remember, if you keep working at it, success is INEVITABLE. Even if it takes many strategy changes and a great deal of effort, it is always worth it, and always doable. Re Back Pain: Remember, it is important to STRETCH! Stretching when you work out can help with a number of aches and pains -- it has helped a lot with my back pain, which I used to get almost every day. Now I get it mostly when I do things like sewing, where I end up slumped over for long periods of time.
Bandit -- thank you for your good wishes! Congrats on your WL, and good luck with the hotel days.
for me. Sooo, guess I need to vent too and protect my time a little better.
