July, 2020 update
Not much to report. Forgot to mention in my last update that June 22 was my third re-birthday!!! (3 years since my Stem Cell Transplant) I’m feeling great.
I saw the doc in June. No changes to my treatment, so we continue with 10mg Revlimid maintenance 21 days on, and 7 days off. The only side effects are GI issues, which I’ve been managing. (I have to take Senokot for constipation and Psyllium Husk for the other stuff. I’m still experimenting with the optimal dose as I’ve accidentally constipated myself for 3+ days with the Psyllium Husk)
July numbers were immaculate. Liver back under control, Kidney number just a touch outside of normal, but nothing to worry about.
I’ve been getting back into shape, and some of the components to that have been:
- intermittent fasting. I’ve settled on 11am — 7pm as my eating window, and usually wrap up eating by 6pm or earlier
- hitting the elliptical 3–4 times per week. (lucky for us we bought a really good machine before the lockdown) 45 minutes is my standard session length, but I have gone up to an hour and as short as 20 minutes with varying intensity. I try to hit 140bpm heart rate for at least 20 min on the long workouts. A lot of people laugh at the elliptical, but it’s just so convenient and dependable for a challenging low-impact workout anytime.
- Weightlifting.. lots of stuff, but medium-heavy squats are a core component. (I’m setting 225lbs as an upper limit for any lift that I do. I just don’t need to pick up anything heavier than that no matter how badly I want to try)
- Bodyweight exercises. I’m regularly opening with a set of 10 strict pull-ups. Getting around 150 push-ups per week, and some various other stuff.
- clean(er) eating. I’ll still eat something carb-heavy for breakfast like a burrito, but have been working in more salads and vegetables. I’m going to the fish market and cooking fish 2x per week. I’ve also been making some nutrient dense smoothies. While I got good results under Keto a few years back, I now know that I just need carbs. I recently shared my 23andme data with GenoPalate.. My report came back as I expected, that I should eat a high carb diet, up to 56% of my calories. 56% * 2000 calories = 1120 calories of carbs = 280g of carbs. YAY CARBS, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!! Of course this is a bit of science and a bit of magic, but I’m happy to fall into the trap of confirmation bias on this one. :)
- Apple cider vinegar. I’ve heard people rave about it, and now I’m on the train, taking about 2tbsp per day.
Mostly keeping it pretty simple and building a routine. It’s working as I’m down to 180lbs (I was 179 earlier this week), which was the goal I set. I now think I’m going to stretch it down to 175 in the next few weeks.
It’s funny how it’s so hard to get back on the wagon, and so easy to fall off. That said, when you’re on the wagon, you really want to work to stay there, and the work gets easier each day.
My abs have been making a regular appearance again, I’m pretty happy about how things are going. I definitely don’t look like a 45 year-old cancer patient. :)
Our youngest bulldog Pickle has had some behavior issues, and he attacked Hoagie a few weeks back. Hoagie had to go to the vet, but he’s ok. Pickle has been away at a behavior school for 2 1/2 weeks now. Reports are that he’s doing really well, and he’ll be coming home soon. Tofu and Hoagie have been living their best life since Pickle left which is pretty sad. We have also noticed the stress levels in the house go WAY down while Pickle has been gone. We’re hopeful that with Pickle’s new training (and some human training they’re going to give us when he comes home) that we can settle back into safe and normal. I miss our little guy so much. :(
