Day 53: stayed up too late rewriting my talk last night! Which I enjoyed delivering at the Unitarian fellowship in Clemson.
Had lunch at western sizzler (salad bar... And 2 teaspoons of soft
serve "ice cream"- or whatever that stuff is). Mom, dad, me, joe. Place
hasn't changed one bit since they opened (1982?). Had to grab a paper
butter lid out of my dad's mouth. He was trying to eat it!
I haven't
been eating anything quite that bad for me but I did have a few corn
chips with dinner and done chocolate. I had a major craving today,
probably because i was tired.
tried to nap, but I guess I had too much caffeine in me.
So I bought this alkaline water to try to restore a bit of balance to
my system since I've been having dabs of junk here and there. Looks like
I can sleep without the help of Advil tonight.
When I get home
I am starting fresh! Back 100% sticking to the plan. Joe may even join
me for a week. I need some support since the travel has been a challenge
and I kind of feel like I'm in the "saggy" part of a long bike ride/
run. Just slogging along but not doing a great job with my plan. Not
awful, just not great. Need a cleanse day or 2!
Stayed up too late watching tv and facebooking. I will behave when I get back home!!
Peace out
Carla
The Singing Patient
http://thesingingpatient.com/
Day 52: hit the ground running today. Lots of zipping around in the car. Had my shakes n vitamins. Way too cold to walk today.
Another dinner out! Had salmon broccoli n rice, and water. 1 tiny bite
of Joe's dessert (yum!) and some fruit w chocolate syrup. Which may have
been too much sugar. Or I may have had too much caffeine tonight. Or it
may be stress.
My shoulders are bugging me a bit. I've been
completely pain- free for weeks but tonight they are unhappy. And I am
disappointed. When I get home to nj, gonna do a cleanse day or 2.
Carla
The Singing Patient
http://thesingingpatient.com/
Day 51: had my 2 shakes then decided to try some Splenda-sweetened chocolate. Big mistake.
Ew and p.u. (What does PU stand for anyway? I sure know what it means!)
I'm just glad I had those chocolates (only 2 of them btw) several hours
before the show. Yowza!
I've been eating such clean food I
can't get away with eating garbage anymore! It'll be easy to avoid
artificial sweeteners knowing the smallest amount means an afternoon of bathroom runs!
Speaking of garbage (haha), went to Waffle House after having a super
fun show tonight. One of my favorite parts of traveling and doing shows
is after-show meals with friends.
We made quite the spectacle
of ourselves, laughing, singing, etc. I'm eating low glycemic, so I had 2
eggs, 4 strips of bacon, and hashbrowns (hashbrowns are not that low
glycemic but they're also not pie- and not Splenda!!).
If I
did this every day it would be a major problem but I don't travel as
much as I used to (constantly, from 99-2001, 2003-2008). It can be a
challenge to eat well on the road.
The healthy plant-based
shakes and snacks keep me on track for 2 of 3 meals. It's that 3rd meal
where temptation can creep in. Generally I've done quite well with
eating on this trip. Just had to have 1 Waffle House meal while in the
land of Waffle House!
Tomorrow, back on track! No artificial sweeteners and no hashbrowns :)
Carla
The Singing Patient
http://thesingingpatient.com/
Day
50: woke up tired yesterday but had lots to do so I relied on caffeine.
Which really meant I was borrowing from Thursday to get through
Wednesday..
I walked around town posting concert flyers today- for an hour! Kinda knocked me out.
Passing out now ....
Carla
The Singing Patient
http://thesingingpatient.com/
Visited DOD today. Dear old dad.
Yesterday, I picked him up from his dialysis treatment, and he was very
weak and very quiet, occasionally making sounds that indicated to me
that he was uncomfortable and possibly in pain.
I tried to engage him in conversation but really didn't get anything back from him. I hadn't seen him in eight months, so I didn't know if this was the "new normal" or if this was a bad day.
I went over today with mom and their dog, Bu. Dad was having a little
nap with his head on the table in the sunroom but woke up when we got
there and was much more lucid today.
I was so relieved and
pleased to see that he was much more comfortable today and able to hold a
perfectly normal conversation. I said dad you seem like you're feeling
much better today. And he said yes I am.
I asked him about his
days in college and as I recently learned that he actually studied to be
an engineer, not a physicist. And that he went to Brown for one
semester. I never knew any of this. And that he taught himself
atmospheric physics after getting a PhD in solid state physics.
My dad 's been in a nursing home for two or three years now. He has
some form of dementia, which may or may not be Alzheimer's. He also has a
stoma in place of his bladder and has had more than one occurrence of
cancer, which has always been treated simply with surgery.
The
main thing I try to remember when I go to visit my dad is this: it's not
about me. If he doesn't remember me or doesn't feel like talking, I
don't take it personally. This is all about him right now. And I leave
myself, my needs my feelings my ego at the door. I try to be 100% there
for him. And that seems to make for the best visit.
Yesterday
after I realize he didn't feel like talking, I just drove him back to
the nursing home in silence. I could tell he just didn't have the energy
to force conversation.
Today he was in a good mood, so I
engaged in a conversation about stuff that would be in his long-term
memory, what college and studying physics – things like that. I also
showed him some funny pictures on my phone of my dog and some funny
things I had snapped off of the Internet. It was a nice visit, and
spending about 30 minutes with someone is all you really need to do.
If they are in a facility or hospital they don't have that much energy
and you don't want them to feel like they have to entertain you. In
fact, for a number of people, 30 minutes would be too much. Maybe just
10 minutes.
The point is this: leave yourself behind for a
brief time, Tune in to what their needs are, and do your best to be a
good friend/loved one.
If you have experience or advice that is
helpful in visiting a loved one who is chronically ill, terminally ill,
recovering from surgery or in the hospital for any amount of time,
please leave them in the comments below. I'm always looking to learn
more and share more about this topic: How to be a good visitor.
Carla
The Singing Patient
http://thesingingpatient.com/
