Happy New Year 2016!

Greetings! For those of you that may not have heard from us in the past year, can you tell from this picture that life is good? Hope that puts your heart and mind at ease right away. We realize that in the world of unpredictable Multiple Myeloma, not hearing from fellow survivors for a bit can be scary. 

In November of 2015, EZ and I were able to celebrate our 40th anniversary (a month early) in beautiful Samana, Dominican Republic! It was an amazing time away for the two of us, to reflect on all of God's goodness in our marriage, and in Ernie's battle with MM. We took long walks on the beach, snorkled, dined in fine fashion, watched beautiful sunsets, and just enjoyed celebrating love and life.

With EZ's diagnosis six years ago, we were shocked, saddened, devastated, fearful, confused and overwhelmed. But today, we are grateful and full of hope for our future. Our prayer is that others would be encouraged by our journey, and see that there is One bigger than ourselves and our circumstances. Thank you to our family, friends, and church for your prayers and support over the years. 

EZ's M-spike remains at 0, "undetectable". The results of his bloodwork remain stable, as they have all year. He continues to take 10 mg Revlimid daily, with no days off, and has been on this regimen for 5 years now, tolerating it exceptionally well. Yes, he lives with neuropathy, daily sweating, a suppressed immune system, and insomnia, but overall, he can still enjoy life every day!

I can't wait to share more highlights (EZ's deep sea fishing trip to the Bahamas), and lowlights (the passing of his sweet Mom), from 2015. My goal is to blog much more often. We love and appreciate those we have met online, traveling a similar, or dissimilar, journey with MM, and never want to lose touch. There were many times in the past that we never imagined traveling again, or seeing our 40th anniversary, but here we are. If you are facing difficult circumstances, try to keep the faith and hold on to hope for the future. We are proof you might be surprised by all the blessings that await you!

 

Eat More Fruit and Veggies

Seems like I am always on a quest to make better food choices, but "will power" gets in the way. As the holiday season approaches, what better time to TRY to commit to eating more fruit and veggies. We all know processed food, way too many grains, and tons of sugar are the staples of the American diet, and I am the first to admit I love to bake and sweets are my greatest weakness! But I am reading, learning from others, and trying to change the way we eat, slowly but surely. The Paleo lifestyle makes alot of sense to me, but actually making the change is difficult, so we are taking baby steps. My mother is insulin diabetic, and with EZ's compromised immune system, we need to give ourselves every advantage by making better food choices. There, I said it, now I have to be held accountable. I'm not saying there will never be another Monkey Bread in our future, but we will try to do better on a day to day basis. 

My niece, Sarah, is an excellent cook, or should I say chef, and she has started a blog that can really encourage anyone who wants to make a change in what they buy and how they eat. She is especially vigilant about what she feeds her children, in order to establish better lifestyle choices from an early age. Her blog is called My Paleotastic Kitchen. I encourage you to go take a look at what she has to say.  In the meantime, here are a few things we have enjoyed lately. Have a great weekend everyone, and eat more fruit and veggies!

 P.S. Contrast these foods with many of the new offerings at the NC state fair here in Raleigh this week:  Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joes, and deep fried Red Velvet Oreos.We will NOT be sampling these...heart attack waiting to happen!

 

New Year's Resolution - Healthier Eating

No doubt about it, I love to cook, take pictures of food, and try new recipes. I am especially attracted to desserts! Pioneer Woman recipes are some of my favorites, and it's no secret she loves to use sugar, heavy cream and butter. As 2013 approached, I decided it was time to tame the sugar monster a bit and attempt to prepare healthier dishes. How better to do that than Whole30, "an original program designed to change your life in 30 days...a short term nutritional reset". Thirty days to eat real food; nothing overly processed with ingredients you can't pronounce. Not only would this be good for me, but I knew EZ and my mother would benefit from it as well. I liked the structure and thought, "Thirty days...I can do this!" So I began it on January 2nd, and much to my surprise, I did it and I liked it! (I am not a nutritional expert by any means, and I understand this may not be for everyone, but feel free to read about it and decide for yourself.)

My grocery items looked way different than they used to:

Here is a fitting description from Whole30 of what I needed to do for the next 30 days:

Your only job for the next 30 days is to focus on making good food choices. You don’t need to weigh or measure, you don’t need to count calories, you don’t need to stress about organic, grass-fed, pastured or free range. Just figure out how to stick to the Whole30 in any setting, around every special circumstance, under any amount of stress… for the next 30 days. Your only job? Eat. Good. Food.

It's pretty simple...no sugar, dairy, grains, MSG, alcohol, sodas, white potatoes, or legumes. That means your grocery cart will be filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, quality meats and seafood, eggs, good fats, nuts, and sweet potatoes. And no weighing for 30 days...it isn't about the weight as much as it's about how you feel when certain things are eliminated from your diet. One thing I know for certain...I felt better and was so proud of myself for being able to say no to certain foods, regardless of what people around me were eating. I never thought I could have that kind of self-control.

Below are some of the meals we made on the plan:

After the first 5 days or so, the hardest thing to do without for me was creamer in my morning coffee. Just couldn't handle it black, so drank mostly apple cinnamon tea. For the most part we didn't feel deprived, fruit never tasted so sweet (my favorite dessert became grilled pineapple), we loved the beautiful color of fresh fruits and vegetables, our stomachs and appetites shrank, we didn't crave sweets, no more acid reflux, bowels became very regular, and we all had more energy. After the 30 days I had lost 9 pounds and EZ and my mom lost pounds as well (they weren't as hard core as me). I have kept the weight off and lost an additional pound or two, even having some dairy, sweets and grains occasionally. It has definitely helped me think about what I buy and what I put into my body, and I am still making much better choices for the most part. I am probably going to do another strict 30 days soon, just to keep from opening the floodgates of sweets, dairy and breads again. Anyone else have healthier eating and/or weight loss as a New Year's Resolution? Would love to hear how you are doing with it!

 

EZ Knows How to Have a Good Time

Warning...if you're under 50, just skip this post! Yup, it was that time again...January meant time for EZ's colonoscopy. His mother had a cancerous polyp requiring surgery to remove a portion of her colon, so he must now have the procedure every 5 years (due to family history). Drinking that prep solution is never fun, but as always he kept his sense of humor and carried on. Broth and popsicles became his best friends for about 19 hours. Round the clock narcotic pain medication definitely delayed the time it took for the prep solution to begin working, but once things got moving it was full steam ahead!

Due to the fact that EZ is on a daily chemo pill (Revlimid), his gastroenterologist wanted the procedure to be done in the hospital rather than in his outpatient office facility. He was treated royally and kept the nursing staff laughing. The gastro doc reported that everything looked fine, though things weren't as clear as he would have liked. Apparently there is something he will give EZ at the beginning of the prep next time, to move things along a little more quickly. Repeat in three years, but good to go for now.  Whew, glad that's over with!

Flashback Friday - The Good and Bad Days

This week my mind has often wandered back to the very difficult days prior to EZ's transplant, and the weeks, months, and now years, afterward. I do believe it's important to remember where you were in the past, so that you can celebrate where you are in the present, and be grateful! How quickly we forget...

Proud of my husband! Have a great weekend.