REMEMBERING PAST COSTOCONDRITIS ATTACKS

Today I am feeling much better. I spent half the day sitting up watching TV and the other half dozing after taking 1/2 a pain pill.

I am not sure I can remember the first time I got costocondritis. I think I was in college. The doctor didn't call it costocondritis. I am not sure what he called it.  I remember getting Tylenol or Advil (when was Advil invented?) or something. I also remember getting the same pain in my shoulder collar bone area but I was told that was bursitis. I have a feeling it was all the same thing. This was way before I was diagnosed with RA, but as I have said in the past I feel I had RA long before I was diagnosed.

I remember one time I had costocondritis for so long I was sick and tired of wearing undershirts. I had to go out and buy more undershirts.  I think I wore them for a month because I could not wear my bra due to the pain around my rib cage. 

The good thing about getting this over the long Labor Day weekend is I have no where to be. Of course on the flip side, I am doing nothing but sleeping on a glorious long weekend. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY AFTER ER VISIT

After my ER visit yesterday, I had to go get my pain meds. During my drive and wait for the drugs, I felt horrible. I was in horrible pain and quite nauseous.  Once I took the meds I got into bed. That felt much better. 

I spent the day in bed hopped up on pain meds.  I took the one pill and after about one hour I could hardly keep my eyes open. I put on a movie and promptly fell asleep. Then I woke up and put on the Simpsons Marathon and fell asleep again. This pattern went on all day.  Folks kept asking if I was in pain. Well, no I am asleep. 

Now it has been a few hours since the pill has worn off and I am in less pain.  Let's hope this means I am healing.

Until tomorrow...

ER VISIT FOR COSTROCONDRITIS

Yesterday my chest began hurting. At first I ignored it. Right, don't we all do that?  Then this morning I woke up and my chest was still bothering me. It felt like my bra was too tight. As the day wore on I felt tired and a bit nauseous. No energy. I basically sat on the couch all day and read a book and watched TV.  No exercise.  I did surf the web to see what could be wrong. I thought it was costocondritis but it felt different. The pain was higher not in my ribs where I usually have it. Then I got pain on the left side of my back and up into my neck.  I got scared. I had all the symptoms of a heart attack. 

I told Brenda I needed to go to the hospital.  Normally I would procrastinate before going to the ER. Not this time. I packed up my bag and called a cab. I got there and told them I had chest pains. Boy is that the golden ticket. I was swept in the doors. No registering.  Put right on the EKG machine. 

Long story short, it was not a heart attack, it was costocondritis they think. I was sent home 3.5 hours later with some pain medicine.  I had my regular ER doc and she let me choose what type of meds I wanted: more steroids, pain meds, Advil.  I even got to choose my pain meds!   She said I knew my meds and diagnosis better than she did. I like that. 

I was so happy I was prepared. I had my kindle, iPad, and phone. I watched two TV shows and texted with my friend, A.  My cell reception sucked so I could not talk to anyone but I could text.  I tried to read my new book but the elderly woman next to me was hard of hearing and everyone had to shout at her which made it hard to concentrate.  

Until tomorrow...

WATCHING THE CLASSICS

Over the years I have recorded things on DVD from the TV. Some are movies from cable others are programs from other channels. A few years ago PBS had a Fall of Jane Austin.  I recorded almost all the programming.  Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.  There were also some Madterpiece Classics like Cranford. I am excited to watch them.  I have never seen or read any of these classics. I tried to read Pride and Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility years ago but didn't make it far. 

Today was not a good day. I am not feeling that well. I have this tightness in my chest. I am not sure what it is from. It could be from the Zumba I did this morning or from heartburn. I am not sure if it from either.  I was a bit out of breath and my chest feels tight.  I only did 7 miles on the stationary bike on level 3 today. I thought it would be smart to take it easy.  Then I took Carafate before I ate dinner in case it was heartburn.  I will see if I feel better tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

MOST AWESOME SERVICE

While cleaning out my office I found a bunch of stuff that needed to be shredded. At first I tried shredding with my personal shredder. But then I saw the mounds of paper and realized I needed professional help. I found a personal shredding company.  They would come to my house and shred it in front of me but I opted to go to their office because I needed to run some errands.

I pulled up and they came out to greet me. They carried my boxes in and had me choose the type of shredding. Did you know there were levels of shredding? Level six is the highest. Basically it is almost dust. Okay not quite but really tiny partials. I chose the largest particles they had which still seemed pretty small to me. I think he said level four.  There must be half sizes or something because there were a bunch of steps between the level four pieces and the level six pieces.

The feed the paper into the machine and out comes confetti. Huge amounts of it.  Then I had to sign some papers and pay and off I went. I don't think it took 15 minutes.  The most awesome service ever!  I can't wait to have more shredding.  It was so worth it. It would have taken me days and would have burnt out the shredder to even put a dent in this pile.

Rode the stationary bike for 60 minutes on level 3 for 10.75 miles.

Until tomorrow...

FINDING SOMETHING LOST

Last week I could not find something. What it is is not important.  It was very important. Without it something else was going to stop working so I needed to find it. I searched everywhere.  When I could not find it, I called the place that sold it to me.  They said they had a problem with this. Many of this product were shipped without it.  I thought, Wow, I hadn't lost it. It was never given to me.

Then today I was cleaning up some stuff and low and behold, I found what I was looking for. I had it all along.  I just misplaced it.

Here is a photo of my delicious dinner: zucchini log, tofu, green beans, baked beans, orzo salad.

Today I tried Wii Fit for 30 minutes.  Then I rode the stationary bike for 60 minutes for 10.75 miles on level 3.

Until tomorrow...

TASTY FOOD

Made some great food today.  I made these burritos that I freeze and then take out and nuke when I need a fast lunch or dinner. I wrap wild rice, grilled peppers, grilled squash, black beans, salsa in a tortilla.  They are really good.

Then I made a summer orzo salad.  It has fresh corn, green beans and cherry tomatoes.  I used the basil from the garden.

Then I made stuffed zucchini logs. I didn't take a photo but they were really tasty.  They had the zucchini insides, red pepper, carrot, cashews and wild rice. I was uncertain at first but it was really tasty.  I liked the crunch from the cashews.

I will have very tasty food for the next few days.

I rode the stationary bike for 60 minutes for 10.75 miles on level 3.

 Until tomorrow...

RODE A REAL BIKE TODAY

Today I decided to go to a local event where the streets are closed off so folks can walk, bike, skateboard, etc. without getting run over by a car.  I rode my bike to the event mostly because it was all downhill. Then I rode from one end of the event to the other.  It was about 3.75 miles.  I knew I would probably not be able to ride home so I put my bike on the bus. I was nervous at first about putting my bike on the bus but some folks helped me out and now I am a master.

I was real proud of myself for attending alone. Someone was supposed to go with me but it got complicated. He didn't really understand that I am a beginner and this was my first time on my bike after a long hiatus due to my foot injury.  He wanted to go on a long 2 hour bike ride at a place that was far away (we were going to have to bike to the place and then bike for 2 hours and then bike home).  I had a decent time on my own plus I could go at my own pace.

I am back on two wheels!!

Until tomorrow...

HAWK?

The other day we looked out of the window and we saw a bird. It was a big bird. It looked like it was eating an animal. We looked a little closer and the bird looked like some sort of hawk. 

If you are a frequent reader you have read about our menagerie of animals in our backyard: raccoons, egrets, rats, fish, skunks, hummingbirds, dogs, cats, etc.  Now we can add some sort of hawk.

Later in the morning we looked out and the hawk was back. It flew around and caught a small bird.  It landed with the bird in the fence. After a bit it flew off.  Brenda insisted I get the very dead bird and dispose of it.  A few hours later the hawk returned and seemed confused. It's prey was gone. I have not seen it since.  During this whole incident the dogs were going crazy. They went outside with their noses in the air, running around trying to find what smelled.  It added some excitement to their lives.

Went for a walk today.

Until tomorrow...

PACKAGE LOST

My brother and I have been upgrading my computer for a week now. We thought we were close to being done but then we decided to change backup systems.  Two days ago I ordered a better model.  Today the website said it was delivered. Huh? Delivered where. I called the delivery company (it was not one of the big three) and it took them a while to figure it out.  Here's the story:

The company that I ordered the back up system from made some sort of mistake in the shipping address.  I know it was right because it is also my billing address and my credit card would have never gone through.   The delivery company had a substitute on the route that day. He was only working 1/2 of the day. The sub delivered the package to who knows where.  I called to find out where the package was and the delivery company could not track it down because the sub had gone home and would not be back until Monday. No one knows where the package is and I doubt it will still be there on Monday.

If it is lost, the company I bought it from will have to send me another one.

I rode the stationary bike for one hour on level 3/4 for 11 miles.

Until tomorrow...

GREAT NEWS:MRI

I got great news today about my breast MRI. Everything is A-OK.  I am in the clear for one more year. The Power of the Tiara worked yet again.

I rode the stationary bike for 1hour on level 3 for 10 miles.

Until tomorrow...

FUN TIME AT BREAST MRI

Today was my breast MRI. I wore my tiara to keep the breast cancer cooties away.  If you have never had a breast cancer MRI, you are missing a fun time!  

First you get to put on a cute blue outfit that doesn't fit right and opens in the front. Why it opens in the front? It needs to for the test but it is way uncomfortable. (Note to self: create an outfit that fits women and opens in the front but doesn't show your breasts.).  Then make sure you pee because the test is long and you can't move. The worse thing is if you have to pee and that is all you can think of for 50 long minutes. 

Then they take you in the room. It is freezing. Not just cold but operating room cold. They put in an IV for the dye they inject later.  They put ear plugs in your ears. This is very important. Today one of my ear plugs popped out and, boy, that machine is really, really loud. Then you have to climb up on the machine. Without bending your arm with the IV.  Oh, and you have to get on your stomach into the contraption.  Your face is in a thing like a massage table. Your breasts are sticking through the table.  Your arms are over your head. Now don't move for 45 minutes.

Then the MRI machine starts. Click, click, click. Brrrrrrrrrrr. About 2/3 of the way through it stops and they shoot you up with the dye. This doesn't hurt. Then a few minutes later it is all over. Change your clothes and drive home.

Now I have to wait a day or two for the results. Keep your fingers crossed!

I rode the stationary bike for one hour on level 3 for 10 miles. Took it a little easier after the last tw o days doing the peaks and valleys!

 Until tomorrow...

LOSING A FEW POUNDS

Since finding out I had a high blood glucose level, I have changed my diet and began exercising in earnest.  I am eating a diabetic vegan diet and riding my stationary bike 10 miles a day.  At first I noticed a quick drop in a few pounds. Completely dropping sugar and most bread, chips, cookies, etc. out of a diet will do that.  I have been on this plan for three weeks now and I have dropped 8 pounds.  But more importantly I notice that the love handles are all but gone. The pooch on my hips are also almost gone. My belly is flatter. My pants are looser.  

I also have not had one migraine in three weeks. At the beginning I would get very tired in the middle of the day but not anymore unless I miss a snack or am late for a meal and my blood sugar drops. 

Today I needed to take something to the post office and I thought nothing of walking it down.  Two months ago I would have driven it and if I had to walk it it would have taken me forever. I think the little dog misses those days.  

Today I rode the stationary bike for one hour. 30 minutes on a program with hills and valleys and 30 minutes on level 3 for a total of 10 miles.

Until tomorrow...

NOT QUITE 100%

It has been a week since I graduated from physical therapy for my foot. My foot is better but not 100%. It is more like 85%-90% fixed. Our healthcare system seems fine that a person is 85-90% well. I feel like there is something wrong with that. 

If I were an athlete no one would put up with me being 85% well. I would have to be 100% well. I would stay in PT until I was 100%.  I think all patients should be 100% well. Not 85 or 90% well.

I rode my stationary bike for 30 minutes on a program with hills and valleys. Then I rode another 30 minutes on level 3 for a total of 10.5 miles.

Until tomorrow...

BIKE TIRE FIXED

Okay I would like to say I borrowed a neighbors bike tire pump, pumped up my tire myself and went for a bike ride today. I would really like to say that but I would be lying.  

I planned for the day to go like that. I did borrow a neighbors bike pump but I could not make it work. It had to places to put the stem of the tire but neither seemed to fit. I took it back to the neighbor and said he would help me. He couldn't make it work either. Then we tried my pump (the one I could not make work yesterday) and it worked! He pumped up the tire.  Instead of this taking 5 minutes, it took an hour with all the socializing. By that time it was too late to go biking. I had to settle for a walk instead. Now I am set for a future bike ride and I can pump my own tire.

My walk included some cardio with some hills and stairs. I also had to carry Happi part of the home from her walk since we went too far for her to walk home. At 27 pounds it is a workout carrying her home.

Until tomorrow...

ANYONE KNOW HOW TO PUT AIR IN A BICYCLE TIRE?

It is a sad state of affairs. Today I tried to put air in my bicycle tire on my own and it ended up in a nearly flat tire.  I am sure you are asking how?

First the tire pressure gauge would not work. It kept reading 5. I know the tire had more air in it than 5.  So I kept testing.  That was mistake number one. Each time air leaked out.

Then I got out my foot pump and hooked it on and tried pumping.  It didn't seem to be doing anything so I stopped. At that time my chatty neighbor came by and we, well, chatted. For awhile.  I never took the pump off the tire. So the whole time we chatted the air was leaking out.  That was mistake number two.

At that point I gave up.  Brenda offered to help me tomorrow.  Ergh!

We got our first tomato. It is small but it us a tomato. We also had a green one fall off.  I also picked some lemons. As you can see everything is tiny. On the West Coast we call it drought size.

Went for a walk with Brenda.

Until tomorrow...

STILL UPLOADING, INSTALLING AND UPGRADING THE COMPUTER

Today I spent the majority of the day installing software, uploading files and trying to figure out all those little annoyances that come with upgrading a computer. The icons are too big, the screen falls asleep too soon, it does have things in the "right place" .  I had some successes and some challenges. One success was that I found out with my new set up I can print from my iPad with out having to buy a special app. When I upgraded the app got wiped off the computer and I was going to have to purchase it again. I saved myself $6. 

Tonight I stayed up to move all music, picture and video files into folders in one place. Image a world where you don't have to look all over the place for that picture of Aunt Susie at Thanksgiving two years ago. Or was it three years ago? Now all the photos will be in one place neatly organized. 

I rode the stationary bike for 11.25 miles today on level 3.  Making up for the 7 miles a few days ago.

Until tomorrow...

COMPUTER UPGRADE CONTINUES

Today was a day spent installing software. Making the printer work. I had some papers I needed to fax. Step one: the scanner needed to work. Can't find the install disk for the printer/scanner. I can use the Windows 7 pre installed version. It isn't what I am used to but it will do. Got it scanned as 5 different documents instead of one doc with five pages. Will make do. Step two: put it into Adobe so the person can open it. Install Acrobat. There goes another hour of my life I won't get back. Acrobat had problems. Activation keys, blah, blah.  Could not install. Step three: install web browser. This should be easy! Install Mozilla. Oops I forgot to save my bookmarks so I will have to make them all over again. Ergh. 

By this time it was time for me to go to my appointment. I guess I will finish up and send my fax tomorrow. This is why I hate having to wipe my computer clean.  Big thanks to my brother for his time and patience.

Rode 11.25 miles on the stationary bike today on level 3.  Making up for the 7 miles yesterday.

Until tomorrow...

GOODBYE WINDOWS XP

Today my brother and I finally got rid of Windows XP.  Yes I know, how 2001.  Unfortunately I bought my desktop the year that Windows 7 came out but my computer was an XP.  I was supposed to get a copy of Windows 7 but I didn't for some reason.  Now years later I am upgrading to 7. It is a painful process but one I know I will be happy about in the end.

My brother is a saint to do this all over the phone. Considering the install disk didn't work at first.  Then it took forever. We also put in a disk station with two mirrored hard drives. This will allow us to back up all our photos, videos, music and play them on the TV or computer.  I am really happy we are getting this done. 

Tomorrow will be installing programs all day.

Had to have a quick dinner.  Lentil chili, brown rice, pineapple, four bean salad, baked tofu.

Rode the stationary bike for 7 miles today on level 3. Had to get on the phone with my bro.

Until tomorrow...

CARBS ARE EVERYWHERE

I have been on this pre-diabetic diet for a few weeks now and. Have learned a few things. The main thing I learned is about carbohydrates. I used to think that there were only carbohydrates in things like bread, crackers, rice, potatoes, etc. but then I learned that almost every type of food has at least some  amount of carb. Even celery has 5 grams of carbs. There are only a few foods that have so few carbs (and calories) that they are considered "free" foods. Ketchup and mustard are on the list.

Imagine, all those times we went on those carb free or carb reduced diets and we were eating all these carbs in all the other foods we were eating and didn't know it. At least I didn't know it. Maybe you knew it. Maybe I missed that day in nutrition class. Maybe this is common knowledge and I am the only one who doesn't know.  I prefer to think that the whole world doesn't know about this fascinating bit of carb knowledge and I am educating you all. 

If you are interested in seeing what foods have carbohydrates and how many, click here to see a list.

Today I rode the stationary bike for one hour for 10.5 miles on a combined level 3 and 4.

Until tomorrow...

GRADUATION DAY

Today was my last day of physical therapy!  Graduation Day!  I am not 100% but I am in a much better place than I was four months ago.  No more trips across town, no more co-pays, no more waking up before my dogs.  Yay!

Here is my dinner: portobello mushroom, tofu, spinach, sweet potato and pineapple.

Before dinner I rode the stationary bike for 10 miles in one hour on level 3.

Until tomorrow...

ALLUDING SLEEP

I have to get some sleep. I woke up at 2am this morning and could not get back to sleep until 5am. I read a good book but now I am tired.

Here is my lunch today.

Polenta with tomato sauce, baked tofu, black beans, and green beans. Yum!

Did some good cardio with the dogs today.

Until tomorrow...

BAD WORDS

Short post today. I did a lot of walking and meal planning. Then I watched the movie Bad Words. It was awful funny. Not recommended for children or folks that don't like to hear bad words.  I appreciated that they used the bad words in context and didn't over do them like in some movies.

This movie is about a forty year old guy who shows up at his local spelling bee for children and wants (insists) to participate.  I don't want to go into any of the details but you can image how the parents of the kids react.  He sort of befriends one of the kids.  

Until tomorrow...

FINALLY GOT DRAWERS FOR MY OFFICE

It only took three trips to the store and lots of time surfing the web to find some drawers that fit under my desk.  I have this pretty spectacular (and by that I mean huge) desk and because it has an under the counter sliding keyboard tray shelf, it makes it hard to put anything under it. Most drawer units measure 24 inches tall. The space under my desk is only 21 inches. I bought one unit that advertised that it was 15inches. When I got it home it was actually 25 inches.  Back it went. Today I found some drawers that are individual. I bought three and stacked them. They came to 20 inches. Just perfect. The cleaning and organizing of my office continues.

Tonight I made a stuffed pepper, black beans and steamed carrots. Such a pretty plate. The pepper was stuffed with brown rice, silken tofu, tomato juice, red wine vinegar, dried cranberries, almond slivers, ground ginger, and ground pepper.   It was tastier than I thought it would be. It was a recipe for 4peppers but I only made 1 to see how it tasted before I made a bunch.

Today I rode 11 miles in 1 hour on level 3 on the stationary bike.  That is 52 miles for the week.

Until tomorrow...

RESULTS

Today I got the results of my mammogram and it is all good.  I have a clear test.  I passed!  I do have dense breasts.  Isn't that funny?  Dense breasts.  Anyway, that means that I am more apt to get cancer.  What joy!

The next step is an MRI to look deeper into my dense breasts.  That happens in a few weeks.

So the Power of the Tiara worked its magic once again. 

I rode the stationary bike for 1 hour and 11 miles on level 3 today.

Until tomorrow...

MAKING RICE

My meal plan for tonight's dinner required me to make rice.  I only needed 1/3 cup rice for my dinner so I didn't need to make much.  I decided to make the rice on the stove and not in the rice cooker.  This is the first time I have made rice on the stove in my life.  I know that it sounds funny but here is the story explaining:

I used to live on the East Coast.  I had some very good friends who took my under their wing.  They were great guys.  I moved out to the West Coast by myself and I didn't know anyone out here.  I know courageous.  Some would say stupid.  One day I wanted to make rice.  I bought the rice because it was cheap and I was broke.  I had never made rice before and didn't know how.  Twenty years ago I was not able to cook anything.  If I could have burned water, I would have done that.  I called my friends on the East Coast and they tried to talk me through it.  I put the rice back in the cabinet.

A few weeks later my friends came to visit and they brought me a present (remember when you could bring presents on airplanes??).  It was a rice cooker!  (like they would be able to bring that on an airplane in 2014!)  They gave me a tutorial on how to make rice in the cooker.  I can now make rice!  For the last 20 years I have made rice in the same rice cooker.  It is the best invention ever invented.

So that is why I don't know how to make rice on the stove.  Tonight was my first time and luckily it was a success.  It is also so gosh darn time consuming!  With the rice cooker all I have to do is throw the rice and water in and push a button.  Voila!  Rice is made when the button pops.  No standing over the stove.  No stirring. No checking to make sure the rice is not sticking or burning on the bottom.  Explain to me why everyone doesn't have or want a rice cooker?  It makes life so easy.  I am going back to the rice cooker.

Rode the stationary bike for 1 hour and 10 miles on level 3 today.

Until tomorrow...

CLEANING OUT FILES

Today I pulled out old files. You know the files, the ones you have not looked at in years.  I must have pulled out 30 work files and 35 personal files. I went through the contents and decided I could find the information (probably more current information) on the internet. So why keep dusty old files I will not look at again?  I did find some useful files and some interesting files.

One file I found was a complaint I made to the ADA.  About 15 years ago, before I was diagnosed with RA, I was seeing a doctor we will call Dr. A.  I was really sick and I went to Dr. A and she didn't  seem to do enough for me so I transferred to Dr. R. Dr. R ran some tests, sent me to an allergist, etc. I still didn't get better. I was very tired, my wrists hurt, I was foggy.  He told me "you are getting older now, you need to get used to it."  I was not even 40 years old yet!  I switched doctors again to Dr. D.  Dr. D. sat down and listened to me and then he sent me for a blood test. That one blood test showed that I had pernicious anemia (the inability to absorb Vitamin B12).  My vitamin B12 level was zero.  The tech ran the test three times because he had never had anyone my age have a zero vitamin B12 level.  A vitamin B12 level of zero can lead to neurological issues and to death.  Neither of my previous doctors tested me for vitamin B12 (dispute me being very clear about being a vegetarian).  I wrote letters to the AMA complaining about both doctors. Of course nothing happened to them despite almost allowing me to die. Now I give myself vitamin B12 shots.

Cleaning out my office us allowing me to find some interesting stuff.

Rode the stationary bike for one hour 10 miles on level 3 today.

Until tomorrow...

CONTINUING PHYSICAL THERAPY?

I went to physical therapy today and found out I only have one more appointment. I am not sure how I feel about this. On one hand I am happy I don't have to schlep a cross town twice a week first thing in the morning. On the other hand I worry that I am stopping too soon like I did with my knee and I will end up having to go back a month from now.  I am reserving my decision about continuing therapy for my appointment next Monday.   I have one week to see if my foot feels better or worse. 

Today I rode the stationary bike for 1 hour for 10 miles on level 3.

Until tomorrow...

CARDIO DAY

Today was another cardio day. I took Lucky for a long walk. I decided to take my new camera with us and take some photos of the neighborhood.  I love taking photos of flowers and plants and the neighborhood has a lot of plants in bloom.  At first Lucky was not too cooperative but soon she caught on and learned to sit while I took a picture.

Then I came home and took Happi for a short walk.  After that I got online and bought a new orthopedic bed to replace the one that got ruined when Happi had two accidents.  I also got Happi a new dog tag. Her tag is so worn out I can't read her information.

Her is a photo of tonight's dinner: tofu hotdog, sautéed squash, steamed broccoli, boiled potatoes, and raw veggies. Oh, mustard is a free condiment.

So far my foot has been feeling good. Let's see after this weekend.

Until tomorrow...

WALKING LIKE A CHAMP

Today was my cardio day. My day to walk and not bike. First I walked about 16 blocks. I felt good. I used the cane because some of it was uphill. Then I took a break and had lunch. Then I took Happi for a short walk and then Lucky for a short walk. The best part was that I didn't use the cane and tried to walk normally. No limping. Amazingly my foot felt better not worse. Of course we will see how it feels tomorrow but for right now it is not swollen or throbbing or anything. It just feels normal.

Today was supposed to be my big cycling event. On New Years Eve I decided that I wanted to do a cycling event this year. We chose an event that was not too long and that was not too hilly. Today was supposed to be the event.  Of course with my foot I could not go.  It was a tough thing to think about today. I was really looking forward to doing it in this year.   Well next year will be here before I know it. 

Someone wrote in and asked if the bike riding is making a difference. I lost five pounds in the last week. I think it is the combination of the changed diet and the biking.  I had no idea that just tweeking my meal plans and biking would make me lose this much weight so fast.  The thing about the meal plans is that with the snacks between meals my blood sugar level doesn't drop so I don't get the migraines I have gotten in the past. I always thought it was from hunger that I got migraines but now I see that it is from a drop in blood sugar that I get migraines (as well as other reasons). 

Until tomorrow...

MAMMOGRAM

Today was mammogram day. My tech was a funny lady. She took her job seriously, I mean really seriously but she was also passionate about her dog. She has a standard poodle named Angela Davis.  She had to do one of my images twice because she could not get it clear enough. Boy did she squeeze my boobs in that machine. She kept telling me to relax. First of all if you know me, I don't relax very well to begin with. Second, who in the hell can relax while standing in front of a machine naked from the waist up while their boob is pinched in a machine and their arm is "resting" on the machine. Oh, and your chin is looking up in the air. Such a comfortable and relaxing position. 

I don't have any results yet. 

On the way back from the breast health center a light turned on on my dash board. I drove right to my friend at the dealer. He said it was the ABS, anti brake system. They could not fix it today but it is not an emergency. I won't be driving in the rain anytime soon. We are in a drought!  When I left the dealer the light went out. That may be good news. It might just be a short in the light and not the ABS pump. 

I rode 10 miles on level 3 in one hour today. That makes 50 miles this week.  Tomorrow is a walking day. 

I forgot to take a photo of my dinner. It was corn and potato chowder, tofu and tomato wedges.  The chowder was okay. 

Until tomorrow...