After Christmas Catch Up

It's been close to a year since I posted last and I'm still retired and sometimes working on a book; occasionally working on learning a different programming language (C++).

I like to re-install operating systems on my computers.  Both Windows and Linux.  It's an addiction.

I lost a lot of weight from the GERD although it's more or less under control.  I went to a Gastroenterologist at UNC and he prescribed 20 mg of Prilosec twice a day which I took half an hour before each meal.

I've been taking the Prilosec and trying to eat a quasi ketogenic diet over the last eight to ten months.

I had wonderful test scores when I saw my regular doctor in October - my cholesterol was 169 my triglycerides were down.  That was when I was trying so hard to be on a ketogenic diet in the hopes that it would help with the GERD.

My doctor said that I had lost 27 pounds over the last year.  My HbA1c was 5.5 (normal) and I had cut the amount of Metformin I took daily in half.

The Prilosec worked until it made me ill.  It was also becoming less effective.

So I stopped the Prilosec and changed my diet from a quasi ketogenic one to a diet based on low glycemic index grains with a few things added.  I add a dollop of peanut butter and a bit of butter to my oatmeal in the morning and have about half short grain brown rice and half pearled barley (Red Mill) which I get from Whole Foods for dinner with a very small amount of meat left over from whatever I cook for Mary.

Too much meat or protein mixed in will make my throat burn.

I'm eating more salads for lunch and more fruit. Some people would consider this healthy.

I'm still working out the kinks -  but it works better than drugs and my blood sugars have stayed pretty low.

My lipids will be tested again next October and we'll have to see if this is as good for my cholesterol as quasi ketogenic.

I've been losing weight for about a year and a half since GERD has caused me to eat much less and to eat less fatty food.
 
When I saw my oncologist in October my weight on their scale was 208.  He recommended I take a CT scan because I lost so much weight it concerned him. 

Initially I declined, but I had been having some odd pains in my side and Mary wanted me to be safe so I went ahead and had the CT scan.

Nothing to report but an age-related swollen prostate.

My weight normally would be about 245.  Some time over a year ago I dropped down low enough to go from a 42 waist to a 40 waist.  Then it was 38 waist.  

Between the headache and abdominal issues, it's difficult to understand if any of how I feel could be related to the cancer or its treatment.  I keep trying new things to feel better or relieve symptoms; and the new diet seems OK for now.

This coming Tuesday will be the five year anniversary of my first treatment which took place New Year's Eve of 2009.

Mid April 2015 will be the five year anniversary of being cancer clear.

It's nice to know that suspense never ends with cancer, although it's unlikely that it will come back in my case.

Drats my Gerd Catches in my Throat and Chokes Me!

LPR/GERD

The ENT (UNC Hospitals) strongly suggested LPR about a year ago; but I posted a note about it on my “my secret lymphoma” blog in January 2013.   I commented to a neurologist (UNC Hospitals) about my difficulty breathing in the evening after a full meal and she said that it was probably GERD (Whereupon I tried that most ineffective of solutions: OTC Prilosec X2 – which didn’t relieve the problem). 

ENT tried Zantac 150mg/day which also didn’t work.

Sore throat especially when I eat eggs/meat/nuts/cheese.  It doesn’t have to be much.

Clearing throat (a lot) and difficult to breathe after full meal; sometimes very difficult to breathe; Also light headed, Throat dry evenutally after full meal. 

Full can be a good sized banana or a not good sized bowl of macaroni.

Chest muscles get tired.  Also may be related:  Sinus issue – stuffed up.

My coughing is driving my wife nuts.

If I keep my meal small with only a small protein and fat content the symptoms go away.  But I can get hungry which is something of a problem.

Feeling better in the AM and then either sore throat or throat clearing and breathing problems only happen after a meal with a bit too much food (which is not that much).

I lost weight & it got much better; but only gradually.

Diarrhea/Sensitive Stomach:

I’ve had a sensitive stomach and diarrhea since January 7^th for sure; much earlier (by months) sensitivity to fatty meats as deli hamburger.  Gets better when I don't eat; just eat pasta, banana, some nuts and some white sauce with pasta; barley, oatmeal.  I eat frozen blackberries, sometimes with yogurt.

If I stick to the non-fried non-fatty meat I don’t have the nausea in the AM and sense that I should not eat in the AM like I used to.

Meat doesn’t seem to bother me as long as it’s not fried.  But I’ve only tried some meats like chicken and fish.  I am using my frying pan as a poaching pan.

I have more gas than usual; especially when I eat vegetables. Fried food in particular gives me diarrhea even after the diarrhea seems to have gone away.