Lazy Tacos

I have been taking my lunch to work almost every day since I joined Weight Watchers.  I am determined to become healthier and one of the things I know I need to change is my diet.  I am adding more lean meats and green vegetables to my diet.  Unfortunately, I am not a morning person so when I forget to prepare something the night before I have to get creative the next day.  I developed this quick and easy meal one day and I liked it well enough that I make it fairly often.

This recipe can be modified to your taste and cooking style.

1. Take 3 soft corn tortillas and toss them in a plastic container with a lid.
2. Place mixed salad greens, lettuce, onions, or any other kind of raw vegetable in a separate container.
3. Place frozen grilled chicken strips into a 1 cup sized container.  Sprinkle cumin, chili powder, and dried cilantro on top of the frozen chicken.
4. When it's time to eat, microwave the soft corn tortillas for 20 to 30 seconds.  Microwave the chicken for about 1 minute or until completely heated.  Stir the chicken and seasonings when it is hot.  Assemble your lazy tacos and eat.

I'm sure you can use flour tortillas but I prefer corn and the corn tortillas are less points.  Of course you can use thawed chicken if you are better at me than remembering to thaw it first.

Some of the best recipes are those created at the spur of the moment. Enjoy!

Triple Negative

When you are diagnosed with cancer, you learn a lot of new terminology.  One that I have learned to hate is "Triple Negative Breast Cancer."  It basically means there is no targeted treatment for my type of cancer so you hope that the surgery and general chemotherapy eradicate it.  This article explains triple negative breast cancer better than I can. Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Why me?

After moving into a domestic violence shelter and after being diagnosed with cancer, I often asked "Why me?"  I kept thinking there must be some reason why God allowed these things to happen to me.  I would sometimes think that in the future maybe I was to help someone else going through the same situation.  Maybe there was something I would learn that would help me in the future.  Maybe I would meet someone who would become a lifelong friend.  I had no clue but I kept thinking that there must be some reason these bad things were happening to me. Why me?  I should learn to stop thinking of myself because maybe it wasn't all about me.

My daughter befriended another teenager while at a recent retreat for cancer patients and their families.  While the idea of my teen talking a boy I didn't know very well made me a little nervous, I found I liked the idea because she said it helped her to have someone to talk to who understood what she went through.  She told me her new friend also said he felt the same way.  Unfortunately his mother has a cancer that is not as easily treated as mine.  My daughter said she was up until almost midnight the other night talking with him.  His mother is in the hospital and according to my daughter "isn't doing very well."  I am glad she can be a comfort to another teen. It makes me feel like I'm going something right as a mother.

So, maybe my bad experiences were not necessarily about me.  Maybe my experiences have also placed other people in a position to be of service to others.

Thrive

Self Esteem

Phil's Friends

Phil's Friends is a Christian cancer support program.  You can request care packages to be sent to individuals with cancer.  Some churches will also personally distribute care packages.  You can find more information at http://philsfriends.org/

Care for Caregivers

When someone in a family has cancer, the whole family has cancer.  You may hear someone say "we" have cancer or "we" are fighting cancer.  While the individual with the cancer is usually the emphasis of prayers and gifts, it is very important to remember the caregivers.

My daughter said the one thing that really bothered her was that people would ask her "How is your mom?" but she said "Mom, they never ask how I am doing."

Caregivers come in all forms--spouses, children, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends--whoever is caring for the patient is a caregiver.  Please make sure you ask how the caregiver is doing.  Don't just ask and accept an answer like "Fine."  Show an interest in the caregiver.  If you know they have certain hobbies, ask about them.  Ask about school, work, or even the weather before you ask about the patient.  Caregivers would like the opportunity to be themselves because they are still individuals even though they are caring for someone with cancer.  Once you have addressed the caregiver, he or she may volunteer information about the patient.

Be willing to listen.  Caregivers may have feelings they do not wish to express to the patient.  Maybe the caregiver is tired or frustrated but does not want to worry the patient.  The caregiver may have their own issues such as stress at their job or school and is hiding it from the patient.  He or she may want someone to listen because they are not currently comfortable bringing up the topic to the patient. Give the caregiver the opportunity to talk but do not press for a topic the caregiver may not want to discuss.

Sometimes the caregiver doesn't want to talk.  Sometimes caregivers just want temporarily forget about the cancer, the chemo, the radiation, the surgeries.  Offer to take the caregiver out to lunch, to walk in the park, to play with other children, or whatever fun activities that will give the caregiver a break.  If the patient needs constant care, pair up with someone and have one person stay with the patient while the another person goes out with the caregiver.

Caregivers are VERY important in the fighting and recovering process.  Above everything else, please keep them in your prayers.

Happy Flag Day

Go ahead and celebrate.  Celebrate Flag Day.  Celebrate our country. Celebrate freedom.  Celebrate life.

I am more likely to celebrate anything now.  I never celebrated my birthday but this past year I celebrated with a decorated ice cream cake and family and friends singing "Happy Birthday".  I even had candles on the cake.  At Christmas I took selfies with each niece and nephew in front of the Christmas tree. At Easter I hunted eggs with my nephew and nieces. 

You never know when your world might be turned upside down. Cancer, domestic abuse, accidents, and other surprises happen all too often.  Take the time to celebrate milestones, accomplishments, holidays, each other, anything.  Life is short.  Celebrate!

Weight Watchers

I joined Weight Watchers in May.  I tried it years ago with the online only plan and was successful until I got lazy and quit following the program.  I have more incentive to stick with it now.  I'm determined to be healthier so I have the best chance possible to keep my cancer from returning.  This time I am attending the local meetings which I have found to be very motivational and informative.

I love the Weight Watchers iPhone app. It is easy to track the points wherever I am because my phone is almost always with me.  It also syncs with my Fitbit to keep track of my activity.  So far I have lost a little over 6 pounds.  I have a long way to go to get to a healthy weight but I am moving in the right direction.

So, if you see me at the grocery store scanning items with my phone, I'm not crazy, I'm just planning my meals for the week.

Rejoice in Hope

This is the Bible verse that became my theme during my cancer journey.  I used it along with a breathing exercise to help calm myself.  I would breathe in and think "Rejoice in hope" followed by holding my breath while I thought "be patient in tribulation."  I slowly released my breath while thinking "be constant in prayer" and then held my breath again while thinking "Romans 12:12."  The exercise will work with slowly counting or any other phrases that help to bring you calm and peace.

If you have a breathing exercise, Bible verse, or special phrase you use when you experience anxiety, please feel free to share it in the comments.

Thriving after cancer treatment

I know I have not been the healthiest individual in the past.  I've been overweight most of my life.  I never liked exercise but I love cooking and eating.  One way I am thriving after treatment is to eat healthier and exercise.  The American Cancer Society has a lot of information about how to Be Healthy After Treatment.

I am definitely eating healthier than before my diagnosis.  I eat a lot more fruits and vegetables.  I have greatly reduced the amount of processed foods I consume. I know I need to stop drinking diet sodas but that will come later.  I know if I change too much too soon I will not stick with a healthier diet.

I have also started exercising regularly.  I received a Fitbit Charge HR as a gift at Christmas.  It has been helpful to increase my daily steps.  I also received a 3-month free membership to a local fitness facility after completing a 6-week workshop for breast cancer patients.  I was able to pay a little extra to add my daughter to the fitness club membership. My daughter and I had a fitness assessment and will work with a trainer to set up a fitness program to meet both of our needs.  My first fitness goal is to be able to walk a 5K.  At this point I only have the endurance to walk about 1.5 miles but this will change, I'm sure.

I hope that my sharing my ups and down during my thriving journey will help anyone else who wishes to make changes in their life.

Sh'bam

I tried a new exercise today.  My fitness center offers virtual (video) classes as well as classes with a live person leading them.  Today I tried the virtual Sh'bam class.  It is a 45 minute dance workout.  My fatigue was worse today than normal so I only made it through 30 minutes of the class.  I was the only one in the room so it was not as fun as it would have been with company but at least I didn't have to worry about this clumsy body looking foolish.

This is one of many types of exercising I plan to try while I work to get healthier.  If you have tried Sh'bam, please leave a comment about how you liked it.

For more information about the class I attended you can visit http://www.lesmills.com/us/workouts/fitness-classes/shbam/

One Year Cancer Diagnosis Anniversary

One year ago today I went for my yearly mammogram.  It had been 1 year and 2 days since my last one. After the mammogram I was sent to a small waiting room instead of being told I could change back into my clothes.  I had a biopsy 3 years earlier for a spot that turned out to be a calcium deposit.  I was so afraid they had found another one and that I would need another biopsy. It turns out I didn't need a biopsy right away.  Instead they sent me to have an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech showed me the mass on the screen.  She measured the mass at 1.6 centimeters. She said the lymph nodes under my arm looked clear, though.

After I was dressed the radiologist came into the room and said, "It looks like you have cancer."

I cried a lot that day.  My main concern was that I live long enough to raise my daughter and see her graduate from high school.

One year later I am doing great and looking forward to seeing my daughter begin high school in a couple months.

I chose today to begin this blog.  I used to enjoy writing.  During the past year I posted updates about my cancer journey on Facebook. Family and friends suggested I post more about my recovery and how I am working to thrive after a very difficult journey.  I hope this blog is informative and helpful to all of my visitors.