Margyt's Desires

I just created a new Private registry, with Target.

It's starting out small but I'll be adding more items, that I need or really want. Some of these will be similar to those in my Walmart registry. Both lists tend to have a "multiple choice" approach. In other words, if you see several of the same item, it's generally an invitation to the purchaser to make a more personal choice.

Only using the link below will it be possible to view or order from it. Orders are not expected but they surely would be appreciated!

 

Even though I've FINALLY managed to secure my Disability payments, I'm far from financially secure. I was hoping for close to $800. Sadly I'm getting closer to $500. And that only covers my shelter expenses with a TINY bit left over. So between that and Food Stamps (which are getting less and less valuable with every passing month), I'll be lucky to maintain.

So I'll be very grateful to anyone who is willing to help me out. In fact, if there is a prepared promotional post that I could share for you, I'd be happy to post it here, in my blog.

Good News!

Recently (for at least the last month or two) I've been dealing with some really serious stuff. Not least of which being that I managed to injure my left knee. It should be noted that I had roughly the same injury, to my right knee, around a year ago. It was soon after that first injury that I started doing yoga, in an attempt to increase the strength of my knees.

And while still dealing with the pain from the most recent injury, I was also anticipating my upcoming (now past) Disability hearing, with a serious amount of dread. Not my first hearing of this nature, though the first video hearing.

The good news is that, for the first time in weeks, I was finally able to feel comfortable trying to do yoga again. And in doing so I was greatly rewarded! 

To start with, I felt no extra pain in either of my knees. I appear to have lost much less condition and flexibility than I had feared. I'm even feeling a decrease in back pain and predilection towards intercostal muscle cramps, already! And now I feel more confident, both mentally and physically. That is to say I have more confidence in my own body and my mental outlook is quite improved.

It also doesn't hurt any that I am optimistic (albeit consciously so) regarding the outcome of my recently completed disability hearing.  This judge was the most compassionate, by far, of the ones that I've dealt with thus far.

It would be so totally amazing to finally be able to have a little money to spend on the things I need. I haven't had any income to speak of in quite a few years now. Therefore, so many things are wearing out or have already worn out. So I'm greatly looking forward to the possibility of replacing them, without having to beg for the money!

STOP Taking That Calcium Supplement (Need to Know) 2022

I sincerely hope everyone will give both of these videos a complete viewing at a time when they can have your full and undivided attention.

 

I have actually experienced some of what he says. I've found that if I regularly take the "recommended dose" of Calcium, in supplement form, after a while I start to feel a small pain indicating that a kidney stone is forming (location confirmed with my primary care doctor). Furthermore, that pain begins to subside soon after I stop or reduce my calcium supplement intake.

 

Some of the information provided here sounds kind of scary, at first "glance". But I'm of the opinion that is because it goes firmly against the False Information we've all been fed since birth. But don't blame your parents or even the media. They were misled as well. If you must assign blame, place it on whoever decided that a consensus of doctors' opinions should be considered fact. I'm choosing not to place blame though.

The one thing that is not mentioned, that I strongly believe is important to note here, is that Protein will be needed if you begin to do more Weight Bearing exercise. The simple consequence of weight bearing exercise is muscle development. If you fail to include enough protein in your diet, you just can not support building new muscle. And it is my experience that building muscle is the very best most sustainable way to lose weight and reshape your body.

Over all, I believe the information provided in these videos to be valid. And besides that, I believe that following this advise would make us all healthier and less prone to other common ailments as well. Cancer included! I personally have been trying to work towards a more natural diet for years now. More or less since my own cancer diagnosis.

Help LilMischif

So, my doctors keep asking if I've fallen recently

This post is at least as much for the record, as it is to share and commiserate.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to pull the trash and recycling rolling "dumpsters" back up to the top of the driveway from, the curb. While doing so, my right ankle went out from under me.I fell, as gracefully as possible. Which mostly means not. I did at least manage to land without breaking anything. However I scraped my knee a bit ...

 

Not to mention ...

I'm not sure how, but I also seem to have sprained two of my smaller toes. Second and third, for the record. 

In the secons pic, it's difficult to see the bruising on the second toe. But the swelling shows in this shot, And there isn't any, of either, evident on the middle toe.

 

 

In the third pic. the bruising shows more, right on the second joint of the toe. Sorry but lighting in my house, for pics and video, is always a challenge. 

Due to Covid, I'm choosing to stay home and do my own diagnosis and treatment. I have has a sprain before. And I know the difference between that and a break.

So anyway, this is what I came up with to protect my injured foot. It consists of a regular stretchy joint wrap, a medium size padded shipping envelope and an old ankle sock.

 

I'm also using a crutch, that I already had. Walking is fairly painful just now. But this set up helps ... a little. It's more about how I walk.

Wish me luck, that it will heal quickly!

Revolutionary lnformation Regarding Weight Loss

I stumbled across this, as an ad on YouTube. So be advised it is trying to sell something. But it also offers some revolutionary advice, for FREE. You don't need to spend the money to make use of much of the information.

Please be aware that you will have to do a brief, simple quiz to get to the video. But don't let that hold you back. The available information is worth the effort. And they don't record any of your personal information. Of course, the downside of that is that you will have to do the quiz each time you want to look at the video.

V Shred Diet / Exercise Guru

Currently, my plan is to use the free information, provided in the ad, to my best advantage. I personally just don't have money to afford such a program. And that, even though it sounds like it really could be worth it.

I don't even mind sharing my results from the quiz. The quiz determined that I am an "endomorph". And based on things I've heard, from one source or another over the years, I have to assume I'm not remotely alone.

So all you other endomorphs out there, take heart! Don't be afraid to check this out. Even if you can't, like myself, afford to buy the program, certainly you can get some useful information out of the video. Good luck and I hope it helps! 

And even if you're not an endomorph, you should still check this out. Watching the video is free. And although I have not seen the videos for the other types, if they are as insightful as the one I did get to see, it should still be worth checking out.

Very best of luck, to all of you, in your struggles.  And as always, please do Stay Safe.

Should you be feeling generous, there is a link to PayPal for donations, in many of my posts.

These days my world has gotten extremely small.  Some might say claustrophobic.  My cat is frequently bored out of her mind.  And frankly, if it weren't for my art and gaming, I'd be the same.  But at least she and I manage, mostly, to keep eachother company.  I sincerely hope you are doing well, in these extremely trying times.

Comments, regarding this blog, my experiences, your experiences (as related to mine), etc. and words of encouragement, are welcome. And if you'd like to help, or you just found something useful, comforting or entertaining, in the provided information, please use the following link:

Help LilMischif

Post-recovery Catching Up

As I may have mentioned, the last two weeks of my radiation treatment were extremely painful. I was, for the most part, unable to do anything other than feed myself and do some stuff on my computer. I mostly just "focused" on keeping distracted from my pain. Even wound care, though necessary, was very difficult and painful.
 
Now that I'm making progress in my recovery, I can finally think about organizing my thoughts, regarding those last two weeks.
 
I don't know if my doctors were trying to shield me, or if they were just too squeamish themselves. In any case, there were some things they didn't warn me about.
What I was told is that there would be burning. It was likened to a sunburn across my chest (possibly even a bad sunburn). To be fair, by the end of my treatment, there was what appeared to be a serious first-degree sunburn across my chest, which was accompanied by a LOT of heat.
They did not, however, mention that there could be wounds opening up, especially in the damp areas under my arms and breasts. And it would have been nice if I could have been braced for the serum leakage in those open areas. As those symptoms occurred, my treatment team and my doctor all said that it doesn't happen to everyone. "Radiation affects everyone differently." Although I did warn them that I have extremely delicate skin.

The actual "burn" symptoms started with my incision sights opening up (first the right, then the left under arm incisions). Contrary to what I was warned about, I got wounds opening up pretty much exclusively in the contact point under my arms and beasts. Not actually bleeding but certainly leaking serum. At least I can say that, although the serum dried to look like puss, it did not smell bad, so there was never any infection.
Towards the end of my radiation treatment, large areas of affected skin begin to turn a sickly shade of gray and eventually peeled. Also, some of those peeled areas turned into further wounds. For that matter, I am actually still peeling in places.
Unlike normal skin, after a sunburn, the skin that was peeling was kind of gooey. At first, this took me by surprise but I did eventually get used to that being status quo.
As new areas opened up, each began to leak serum. And toward the end of treatment, at least one large area was leaking serum with some blood cells, making it a kind of watery red.
There have also been areas, particularly around the edges of where the skin has peeled, that are even still painful to the touch. Everything is now improving though.

The Healing Process;
On the last day of radiation treatment, when I was in too much pain to even wear clothes that make contact with my under-arm areas, my treatment team assured me that it would get better soon.
By that time, I was generously slathering my wounds with the prescribed Silvadene cream and covering them with a single layer of gauze, to keep the cream in place. The gauze was very difficult to keep in place, especially if I had to commit any movement. And never mind the trouble I had dealing with wound care under both arms.
Eventually, having projected my bed with a towel, I eventually gave up the need for the gauze. This did seem to speed my recovery, at least a little bit.
 
I would like to offer a simple product recommendation, that helped in my recovery. I'd add a link, if I could.
Parent's Choice unscented wipes worked the best, for me, for wound care cleaning.
 
UPDATE
The previously mentioned post-surgical neuropathy, while still present, seems to be reducing.
I had previously been under the impression that my recent complete lack of sex drive was just a side effect of being post menopausal. To my surprise though, I've recently been having some return. The doctors tell me that I'm not really ready for "aggressive activities" yet. And I'm thinking that Tamoxifen may also affect my sex drive. But at least now, there is some hope I might, some day, enjoy some semblance of a sex life again. [For the record, I'm not taking new applications.]
 

 
In the event that anyone would like to show their appreciation, or assist me, please go to one of my previous post, that has the link at the bottom.

Some of What I've Learned About Keto and Healthy Dieting

It has come to my attention that I need to provide some concise information about the Ketogenic Diet, aka. Keto, as I'm following it. If you have differing information, please feel free to share (with links, where possible) in comments.

The Fallacy of Low-Fat Diets
In order to avoid duplicating whole or partial articles, within my post, I'm adding links here. Any text, with a given link, is my notes and commentary.

• How the Ideology of Low Fat Conquered America. This is the longest, most comprehensive, article I found. It is a bit repetitive though. And it only covers information available as of 2008. So it is a bit "behind the times". But if you balance it with the following articles, I think the aggregate will make sense.
• 2: The Origin of the Low-Fat, High-Carbohydrate Diet. I thought about skipping the first article, and just adding this one, but this is missing a few points that I consider critical. If it turns out that Keto is not a fit for you, try reading the list of articles, on the side-bar, on this page.
• The History of the Low-Fat Diet. Short and concise, with good conclusions. And she's a dietitian to boot.
• Low-Fat Diet. Hopefully everyone can translate the occasional typo's and other errors, and get the useful information from this article.
• I was unable to find a reference to the galvanizing point, that I have referenced IRL, previous to now. So I'm going to try to stop using it. Though if I find a reputable reference to it, I may link it in later.

Overall, I'm of the opinion that (at least for me) the standard low-fat diet would do more harm than good. At the very least, I believe the data above shows the futility of following the much-lauded original low-fat diet. And I am prepared to believe that there may be different low-fat, or reduced calorie diets, that work better for some people. 
As always, don't just take my word for it....

KETO IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!
PLEASE check with your doctor first, BEFORE beginning such a serious diet plan! At the very least, be sure you are properly monitored, by a licensed physician.
Potential complications of Keto seem to stem primarily from "ketoacidosis". Symptoms and causes are explained here;  Ketoacidosis. So keep watch on your health, while on this or any other intensive diet or exercise routine.

Keto Food Pyramid 
The keto food pyramid is almost the opposite of the "standard" American food pyramid, that most Americans are familiar with. I'm going to give the percentages that I use below. What you wind up with may be a bit different. This is just a sort of "Rule of Thumb".

• On top are the Carbohydrates. This makes up only about 5% of my calories.
• In the middle, we have Protein. I keep it under about 20% each day.
• And at the base is Fat. And, yes, that means I get 75% of my calories here!

It actually takes some creativity to pack that much fat in. But I'll get more into that elsewhere. Check out my "Keto Friendly" recipes and "Tips", posted on this blog.

Ketogenesis Explained
Burning FAT, instead of sugar, for the vast majority of daily energy, provides much more stable and sustainable energy without causing spikes in blood sugar. Thereby, the lack of blood sugar drop allows for a greater overall sense of satisfaction, even with significantly smaller meals.
The calories taken in, in the form of fat, enter the bloodstream much more slowly than simple carbohydrates. So there is never a spike. And the produced energy lasts for hours, and diminishes slowly, rather than crashing sharply.
In case you want the more complex scientific explanation, check out this link;
Ketogenesis. 

My Own Experience - My Rules for Myself
I will not try to tell you that starting Keto isn't a challenge. Even though I was already on the Atkins Diet, taking that big step up was a serious adjustment. At the beginning, it took a LOT of getting used to. How to prepare food. How to avoid having to eat chunks of solid fat (I did some of that early on) just to keep my percentages in balance.
And of course there is going to be a struggle with hunger, in the beginning.

Based on everything I learned, from blogs, YouTube, and articles, it takes about 3 months of doing it correctly, before you are able to consider yourself to be all the way on Keto. So, unlike many other diets, there are No cheat days. It is Super Critical that you find treats and tricks to keep yourself going, without eating anything that costs more than 4 carbs. That's all it takes to spike your blood sugar and kick you out of ketosis. If you do miss the mark, Do Not Panic. Looking back doesn't help. Just focus on doing better, going forward.

You've  already seen my version of the food pyramid. I'm currently working with about 1600 calories a day (per doctor's orders). And even though that doesn't sound like a lot, I'm rarely actually hungry.
I've been on Keto for about 2 years now. I eat what most people would consider fairly small meals. But they are rich, flavorful (to my bland pallet) and calorie dense. I enjoy my food! Food, with plenty of fat in it, is moist and delicious. And I'm constantly looking for and creating new recipes to replace the things I'm missing.

I'm not losing a ton of weight fast. I'm not trying to. It's just not healthy. I know a lot of folks look in the mirror, especially at the end of the winter, and say something to the effect of; "OMG! How am I ever going to fit into my swimsuit this summer?"
Sadly, that is just NOT the time to be worrying about it.
If you get on (AND STAY ON) a sustainable weight loss/maintenance plan, you need never worry about that swimsuit again. Yo-yo dieting is for fools, because it's extremely hard on you body.
I've found it helpful to follow one or more gurus, on YouTube (some have their own sites as well. Check out;  Ruled.Me at their home, and RuledMe on YouTube, for example.

I'm the first to acknowledge that it's difficult to get up; from my desk, off the couch, or sometimes out of bed, to exercise. Most of the time, the exercise I get is forced on me (walking the halls of the hospital to get to my cancer treatments and doctor's appointments, for instance). I have found that, when I do get some exercise, I feel better. My body hurts less when my muscles are strong enough to give better support. 
So I've started doing little things, to make myself exercise more:

• Take a longer way. At the hospital, or out and about, I'll only take the shortest way to where I'm going if I'm rushed. And then I'm moving faster, so I'm still doing better. You don't have to take the longest way. Just do a little more than you have to. Eventually it becomes a habit.
• I get a few more "steps" in by adding extra trips. If I need 4 things our of the 'fridge, I make at least 2 trips, even if I could carry all of them at once.
• When my migraines permit, I turn on some bouncy music, while I'm cooking, and dance like no one's watching. It may not register on my FitBit, but it gets the blood going, helps me wake up, and usually improves my mood.
• Sometimes, especially if my back is hurting, I'll do some "Rockette Kicks" (description to be included in a future post). It works well with the music, for tempo.
• Occasionally after I fill the kettle, I use it as a weight bell. A few rep's with each arm, to strengthen my shoulders (I've recently learned to avoid it if my bursitis is acting up). And then I put it on the fire, to heat for my coffee.
• Cooking my own food can also be energy intensive. For example, I usually cook at least 3-4 recipes of my beets (see Roasted Beets with Turmeric and Ginger) at a time, and that takes quite a bit of energy. And whisking the bacon fat and coconut oil into my egg, for breakfast is a little as well.
• The simple truth is;  Any Exercise you do is better than nothing. Just get moving, no matter what you do.

In my opinion, the biggest problem regarding the way people eat, is combining fat and carbohydrates together (especially saturated fats combined with sugar or other simple carbohydrates). Personally, I have cut out just about all use of natural or processed sugar. That also includes any "sugar" substance, that contains "calories from sugar", and especially High Fructose Corn Syrup [HFCS] (just one of hundreds of "toxic waste" substances that are regularly added to American processed foods). I do still include some foods with extremely low calories from sugar (mostly Russel Stover's and Reece's chocolates). If you try to completely give up treats, I can almost guarantee that you will wind up failing with any diet. Thus far, I do not subscribe to the theory that people should eliminate all sweeteners. I think that is just going too far and not maintainable. Just try to keep it as natural as possible and everything in moderation.

I will say that I try to also stay away from (what I refer to as) toxic waste in my food. In general, if you can't pronounce it, Don't Eat It. Read the labels on your food. Know what you are eating. And thereby take responsibility for what you put in your body.
If you don't know what you are eating, how can you possibly make better choices?

Please Do Your Own Research 
This is just to get you started. No One is ever going to be able to do all the work for you. Among other things, you should tailor your diet to your own, very specific needs and physiology. 
Diet is an enormous topic, with a wide variety of options and opinions. My choice may not work to fill your needs. Try to keep from allowing anyone to make your health maintenance choices for you.
If you discover evidence, while doing your research, that any of my assertions are in error, PLEASE comment with one or more links. I will be happy to fact check it for myself, and reply.

Comments are welcome. And if you'd like to offer support, or if you appreciate the provided information, please use the following link:

Help LilMischif

First 2 Days of Radiation

I'm extremely relieved to be able to say that I finally have my Medicaid! It's "Basic Medicaid" but it's better than what I have had before. And it couldn't have been more timely either. I just had a couple of prescriptions run out and had them transferred to the pharmacy at the hospital, for ease of access. I was on pins and needles, waiting to pick them up, because I was afraid they were going to charge me money. But my good fortune seems to be holding, for the moment. Those prescriptions at least are free.

I have decided, considering I have daily appointments for the duration of my radiation treatment, that I'm going to hold off on rescheduling my unrelated Diagnostics. I'm already tired with all the traveling, and it would be a nightmare to schedule anyway, especially since they would be at a different hospital.

Speaking of scheduling, more good news. My transportation has been picked up by the American Cancer Society. Unbeknownst to me, they have volunteer drivers that can take me to my cancer-related medical appointments. And I've already scheduled with them for the entire duration of my radiation treatment.

That "next appointment", that I mentioned in my last post, turned out to be the final set up for treatment. Apparently, again due to my delicate skin, they are declining to use the standard metal beads backed with adhesive. Instead they are marking me up with permanent marker, to be able to tell where the guidelines for the radiation device are supposed to go. My chest and the upper part of my belly look like a doodle, And they add more marks every time I'm there. I've no idea how they tell which ones to go by. 

I'm pretty sure it will come out of any clothing it rubs off on, since the ink is dry. Unfortunately, in the meantime, my bra is getting gray every time I put it on. I'm planning to hand wash with baking soda and dawn, after treatment is done, so I only have to do it once. I'll try to remember to post the results.

My  radiation treatments began  yesterday. And compared with the last day of set up (which included over an hour of trying to "hold very still", on a hard plastic table, with minimal padding), the first two days of my radiation treatments have been a breeze.

On the first day I spoke with another cancer patient, in the waiting room, who is further along in her treatment than I am. And she told me that it's unlikely that I will feel the "sunburn" (only on my chest), which I was already warned about, until about the third week of treatment. Although with my very delicate skin, I suspect there's a good chance it may actually be towards the end of second week. I actually hope I'm wrong there.

I've already got the full treatment schedule. I have to go to the hospital for around 30 to 45 minutes of treatment, every weekday, for a total of 5 weeks. In case anyone wants to count down, my last radiation treatment is on April 24th.

By the way, I found out a while ago what they're using for the "hormone therapy", but I just remembered to mention it now. Apparently it's tamoxifen. 
I'm a little concerned about that. I seem to recall there being some scuttlebutt many years ago (possibly as far back as the 70s), about tamoxifen and some serious side effects or something. Unfortunately I don't remember any of the details. 
If anyone can remind me, I would appreciate it. At least that way I could speak with my doctors about it.

Anyway, at least so far, things seem to be progressing again. And, for the most part, the more I learn, the better I feel about it.

If you appreciate the information I'm providing, and/or want to help out, please use the following link:

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Post-Surgical Test Results

This morning I got a voicemail from my surgeon. She says that all the test results came back as she had hoped. So hopefully that gives me a leg up on my treatment. I don't believe that includes the cancer gene test (that I don't know how to spell). Again hopefully I'll get those results when I see my her next. Anyway, I have a follow-up with her 1/30/2018 at way too early, in the morning.
*fingers crossed*

Other progress notes below ...

Disconnection Warning

Unfortunately it looks like all money, for non-life-sustaining service, has run out. The help that I've been receiving, with getting internet access, is not currently available.

Diagnosis and Treatment

So there I was, trying to improve my life in some small way. Doing my art. Creating new recipes for healthy food. And so on.

Then one day I realized that it had been quite a while since I had a mammogram. So I called The People's Clinic (my regular source of medical attention) and made an appointment.

A week or two after I went to my appointment, I got a letter saying that I had been referred to St Mary's Hospital for a follow-up mammogram because the technicians at the People's Clinic "saw something they didn't like".

So I went to Saint Mary's and got mammogramed again. 
Just days later, I was notified that I needed a biopsy. That didn't actually scare me so much. I remembered that, years ago, my mother had to have a breast biopsy. So I went in expecting it to be just a cyst or something even less scary.

Turns out I had a lump in both breasts. So I actually needed two biopsies and ultrasounds... and... and... and.

I'm not sure I've ever been poked and prodded so much, over so many doctor visits, in my whole life.

The final diagnosis was CANCER.

And not just one. I had one in each breast.

I say "had" because I've just come back from surgery. 

The good news, so far, is that they were both small, and apparently pretty soft. So even if I had been remembering to do my regular breast exams, I would not have been able to find them myself. So it's a good thing that I thought to get that mammogram when I did.

I still haven't decided if I want to blog about the details. There was a lot. And most of it was extremely painful. For now, I think I will just say that I am swollen, sore, exhausted and ready to move on with my life. 

Unfortunately, there is still much more to go. And I'm not even sure what that's going to look like.

I will say that the folks at St. Mary's have been really great. Even so, now that I'm home, I'm feeling so weak and helpless. I so desperately want to be done with this now.

Comments and words of encouragement are welcome. And if you'd like to help, please use the following link:

Help LilMischif

 .

FLAME Inbound!

I don't know how I came by it, but I now have a Google news feed. It pokes at me several times a day, with news, gossip and so forth. I generally avoid the things that look like gossip. I just don't have the stomach for the stuff.

Today I decided to look at something, that could have been gossip, but wound up to be news. And not just news, but something I actually am rather passionate about!

Here's the link, so everyone can be on the same page with me;
Mila Kunis Expresses Her Objection to Pence's Policies in a Unique Way

[FLAME]
All I can think to say, at this time, is;  The Religious Right needs to get its collective Cranium out of its Rectum and stop trying to squash Women's Rights, as it relates to our own bodies and biological choices.
Just wait and see how they feel, when it's one of their daughters that needs the abortion!!!
Especially when *feigning shock* it's by some mixed-race "mongrel", that they wouldn't "let" her date in the first place.
[/FLAME]

My apologies to anyone who might have taken offense at the terms mixed-race or mongrel. That was not intended to offend anyone who might theoretically fit in those categories, per the religious right definition.
It makes me so very angry when these people presume that they can dictate to others. The flame was intended to illustrate my intense objections. The last thing I wish to do is offend anyone that might actually agree with me.
And for the record, I am a Liberal Democrat through and through!
Also, in case there's any clarification required, I fully support Mila Kunis, at least on this subject. I think it was a stroke of Brilliance, too send donations to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name.

If you appreciate the information I'm providing, please feel free to use the following link:

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OMG! How is there any such thing as a non-person...

To my knowledge, the young woman in question here has committed no crime.

Everyone should see this story:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/11/03/justice_department_declares_war_on_aclu_attorneys_who_oppose_trump.html

Please read it for yourself. I only wish I knew how to make a difference here. My outrage knows no bounds, as it regards this sort of thing. Just another case of the "Religious Right" sticking its nose in someone else's personal business.