Saturday, October 18, 2008

Road Trip to Oshkosh




Today I had the pleasure of meeting up with some other Wisconsin breast cancer survivors from the Susan Komen message boards. Sara and I drove up to Oshkosh to meet Barb and Laura and had lunch at Fratellos Waterfront Restaurant. Our stories are all different, our treatments are all different. Some of us are starting treatment,out of treatment,ending treatment, yet we all know exactly how each other feels. Thank you ladies for sharing your stories and experiences! I look forward to our next get together.

I was also the lucky recipient of a pink basket today. There is a woman on the Komen message boards who is a BC survivor who pays it forward and makes Baskets for Breast Cancer and sends them out to other women with breast cancer. Sara nominated Laura and I to receive one of her baskets filled with comfort items and goodies. It was quite a surprise! Thank you Sara for nominating me and thank you Chris for your thoughtful and touching gift! Barb also surprised us with cute pink bracelets with a pink ribbon charm on them. Thank you Barb!

After spending the day in Oshkosh we headed home as I needed to get back for the Homecoming pictures. Here is a photo of Natalie and Katie with their cute dresses on.

Friday, October 17, 2008

TGIF

I am always glad when the week ends and the weekend is here. That means sleeping in! (and I do love to sleep). John has the day off and is going deer hunting (his duck hunting trip had to be cancelled due to his brother's work obligations. I was disappointed as I like it when he leaves for a week). I am in the office all day. I am STILL working on the girl's dresses. I had to make some slight alterations (these girls are fussy :)) with the straps and hems. They will be done by tommorrow.

12 days until chemo. I am picking up my premeds today. I have three anti-nausea meds all taken at different times;Zofran, Ativan and Compazine. I hope they work. I also have to take a steroid (Dexamethasone) the day before and the day after chemo to prevent fluid retention (and we certainly don't want that).

Tommorrow..... a road trip to Oshkosh!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Healthy Eating

This was a post I pulled from the Susan Komen website boards. It has some great information regarding anti-cancer fighting foods and eating healthy in general. Some of it we already know and have heard before, but some of it for me was new information. I thought I would post it on my blog this morning.

I recently had a great nutrition consult at a big medical center/cancer center with a dietician who has a special interest in breast cancer. Thought I would pass along some of her recommendations. A lot of it is common sense, but it always means more to me when an expert reminds me it could help prevent a recurrence! AIM FOR 7+ FRUITS/VEGGIES EACH DAY. Include at least one from each of these groups daily.Cruciferous veggies: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sproutsLycopene-rich produce: tomatoes, watermelonBeta-carotene rich: sweet ptotatoes, carrots, pumpkin, winter squashCITRUS: whole orange rather than juiceBERRIES: especially blueberriesDARK GREEN LEAFY VEGGIES: spinach, kale, collards, romaineRefer to dirty dozen list and try to buy those organic 3-6 SERVINGS WHOLE GRAINS DAILY:brown rice, whole wheat pasta, 100% whole wheat bread and bagels, quinoa, oatmeal, whole grain crackers, cereals. INCREASE FIBER:whole grains as above, plus beans daily. Bread should have at least 2 grams fiber/slice and cereal at least 4 grams/fiber. Fiber might help lower estrogen levels and is good source of vitamins and minerals that lower overall cancer risk. MINIMIZE ANIMAL PRODUCTS:Aim for plant based protein sources like beans. All meat should be organic and chicken is better than beef. Avoid cured or smoked foods containing nitrates/nitrites. Fish is good- esp. salmon, trout, mackeral, albacore tuna, and sardines. Eggs should be from free range, unmedicated chickens. MINIMIZE ALCOHOL:3/4 - 1 drink daily increases risk by 9%. 2 or more drinks daily increases risk up to 41%. If you do drink, make sure you get at least 300 micrograms of folate daily which will decrease risk somewhat. Folate rich foods include spinach, orange juice, fortified cereals, beans. CHOOSE HEALTHIER FATS:Avoid trans fats - hard stick margarine, Crisco, fried chips, french fries, store bought baked goods. Reduce saturated fats: cheese, butter, ice cream, processed foods. Use monounsaturated oils: EVOO, canola oil, olive and canola based cooking sprays. Nuts, esp. walnuts and almonds are a good source of plant protein, fiber, and healthy fats- but watch portion size as they are caloric. Almond butter is great. MINIMIZE DAIRY:There is some evidence that the insulin growth factor present in dairy (not added, it comes straight from the cow) can contribute to hormonal cancers like breast and prostate. She likes rice, oat, and hemp milk (???). Cheese is the worst dairy as it is so high in fat and has a higher concentration of IGF. In moderation, organic low fat dairy is ok - esp. yogurt. Hard to get enough calcium though without dairy. Definitely splurge on organic for dairy though to avoid the hormones they give cows to increase milk production. DRINK 4 cups of green tea daily. High in EGCG which in the lab has been shown to inhibit breast cancer growth. EAT 1-2 cloves garlic daily if tolerated. Contains diallyl sulfide, a tumor suppressor. INCREASE WATER INTAKE: At least 48oz. daily. Invest in fliter that removes lead, flouride, chlorine. Other tips- whole fruit always better than juice. If need juice, best is pomegranate, tart cherry. Vitamin D is rally important- get about 15 minutes of early morning or late day sun with no sunscreen and gets levels checked regularly. Supplement if low. Super foods:beans, broccoli, cabbage, garlic, salmon, EVOO, almonds, walnuts, avocado, blueberries, oatmeal. I'll update as I remember more- I still have tons<

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Good morning!

Just to recap last night I went to book club for a short while. It was so great to see you guys!
I hope you picked a good book for next month.

Well, the junior girls lost to the senior girls ( pretty badly) but overall for only having 3 practices they actually played really well. It was really fun to see them playing. There were some laugh-out-loud moments watching girls play. LOL Natalie had a blast! She actually looked like she knew what she was doing out there and was able to pull a bunch of flags.

I am off to work today and then dinner with my friend Lynn to one of my favorite restaurants Bonefish Grill.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Plans for the Day

It is a tradition at the high school during Homecoming week to have the junior girls play the senior girls in a flag football game (Powderpuff game). Tonight is that game! The girls have had a few practices with their coaches (boys who volunteer basically) and have been having so much fun. As many of you know, Natalie's life over the past 9 years has been swimming. We have always encouraged her to try another sport. I never thought in a million years she would have fun playing flag football. LOL I hope she is not thinking of a scholarship in football for college. It should be a fun night. Let's hope the juniors beat those seniors!!

I also have book club tonight, so I will be making a short stop there tonight to visit with my girls before I head to the game. I basically will only be there for social hour, my favorite part. JK!
Looking forward to some good wine, food and conversation.

And.... for those of you who really want to know, I am hemming the dresses today. Woooohoooo.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Thought for the Day


You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Sunday, October 12, 2008














Just a typical Sunday afternoon!!!


I am in the home stretch for the Homecoming dresses (with only 6 days to go!). Yahooo! I just have some minor adjustments to make on both dresses which will only take a few hours and they are done!!!

Next on the list is finishing my book club book which needs to get done by Tuesday.

Another absolutely beautiful day in Wisconsin. I think it may have hit 80 degrees here! Hope everyone is enjoying the last day of the weekend.