Quick Update

Hey there friends! It's been over a week since my last post and, if you follow along on FB, you know I have much to write about! I'll get a quick post up tonight and then hopefully have some more beginning later this weekend.
So, where should we begin? I guess health (not fitness) news should come first. Here we go!

• I saw my oncologist this week. He's pleased with how I'm doing. We talked about my crazy fatigue from last week and mutually agreed that I just overdid it. Yes, I am once again having to acknowledge that I still have some limitations. He told me to give it time and his nurse suggested B12 and D3. I added some B6 to my pill box already. I just have to take my time and give myself a bit of a break. My poor body took a hell of a beating over the past year and normal doesn't just show up all at once. 
• I am in the homestretch on the Herceptin. I have to get infusions every three weeks for a year and I only have 3 more treatments to go! I am expecting to wrap up with my last dose on July 1st! Of course, I had to let him know I was getting a little nervous each time we drop a treatment. It's so weird, you just want to keep doing something! He put me at ease and said the most important treatment after chemo is the Tamoxifen I take daily. I'll be on that for 5-10 years, and I'll continue to see him that entire time. I shall take a deep breath and take every day as it comes. 
• If all goes as planned, the end of Herceptin means I can say goodbye to my "bump", as Mattie calls it. Yes, I could be going under the knife again by August. 

I think that's it for the health updates.  We have a busy weekend planned but I will be posting quick updates to FB and Instagram, for sure so, if you like that sort of thing, stop on by. 

Love to all!

Andee

This lifestyle change thing is NOT easy

Hey everyone, Doolin is about to post more crap about her daily diet and workout...thing.

I know, I know BUT you need to remember why this blog was created. If you don't care, feel free to go visit a blog that's WAY more interesting and entertaining than mine. I won't be offended...really.  Well, I'll get over it...eventually.  Back to the point...remember, the point of this site is to (hopefully) share my business in hopes of helping someone else. 

Yes, I'm coming up on the 3 month mark. Yes, I've lost 20 lbs and some change. Yes, I have worked out every day but 2 since this little adventure began. NO, I am not insane. I eased up on my level of exercise for a couple of weeks and I eased up on my calorie restriction during that time as well. I don't want to burn out or overdo it. I also wanted to see if it was sustainable. So far so good! I've held steady during this experimental period and even lost some additional inches. (Doing abs daily makes all the difference.  Really)  Tomorrow though, it's game on again.

I shall NOT listen to my sweat pants...but my bathing suit and I are not yet on speaking terms. This is not easy. It takes time, effort and sometimes discomfort, but I can tell you that IT'S WORTH IT. 

Sweet story before I go...

One or both of our children are usually in the room with me when I exercise. They are so awesome! Anyway, Mattie was in the room during my morning session. I had been on the treadmill and then got on the floor for ab work. I was doing 21 Day Fix 10 Minute Abs (I prefer this version to the 21 Day Fix Extreme 10 Minute Hardcore). This is a Beachbody product, as you probably know. The following was my conversation with my daughter:

MATTIE: Mommy, What's a beach body?

ME: Well, I guess it is a body you would be proud to show at the beach. 

MATTIE: Do you have a beach body?

ME: No, not quite yet. I'm working on it but Mommy's body is a little...broken at the moment.

MATTIE: I think you're perfect, Mommy.

Then she hugged me.

Then I teared up.

Who would have thought that 5 words from a 5 year old could be so well timed and perfect.

Love to all!

Andee

Quick update

This post was started on Tuesday night. My laptop battery died in the middle of it and my personal battery drained shortly after.  :-) Yes, today marks the first anniversary of my surgery but the related post will not be going up tonight. I can add one more missed workout day (today) to the list. Today has been the toughest day since treatment ended. I was running on empty by early evening and even fell asleep just sitting on the couch. WOW. Tired is not even the word and it came on hard. That said, feel free to read yesterday's post and stay tuned for an anniversary post soon.  Thanks for hanging with me for the past year. What a ride!
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Good evening dear friends,
I'm struggling to keep my eyes open but I'm determined to post. I so love the blog but my days are so full and my energy is beyond depleted at the end of the day so it makes it hard to sit down and write. Here I am with some quick updates and a plan to compose a more in depth post in honor of tomorrow's milestone.
So here are the quick fire updates. Yes, it's time for me to share all my business!

• I have not missed any additional workout days since my last post. In total I've still only missed one day so that's a record of 81 of 82 days. 
• I loosened my grip on my strict calorie counts this past but, I'm happy to say, that my weight has stayed level. I have a meal at work tomorrow I'm not going to count but Thursday I'll be back at it.
• I don't think I posted my latest inches lost number. I don't have the sheet in front of me but, I believe, at last count I was close to 25 inches lost. Remind me to tell you about the bolus. It's interesting to have a wax mold of part of your torso and to put that mold on and see the actual difference when you've lost some weight. Kind of cool!
• I'm really pushing for more days in the office. My patience is being tested with my tolerance - I feel like a wimp but I am gradually doing better. At some point in the afternoon I just hit a wall but hopefully that wall will continue to move later and later in the day. 

On a side note, it's March for Babies time again. As you might recall, I'm pretty passionate about this cause and we are typically one of the top fundraising teams. I had to miss out last year because the walk was a few days after my first chemo treatment. I was heartbroken to miss it but we were well represented. We would love to have you as a Groupie! If you can make a donation, any amount is appreciated. If you want to join the team, I'll post a link to our team page below. This year I'm also combining fundraising and our t-shirts so if you'd like a groovy shirt and help us raise some money, check out the other link. 

Thanks again for your support throughout the past year. 

Love to all!

Andee

To join our team, Gabriel's Groupies, or make a donation:  http://www.marchforbabies.org/adoolin

Get a shirt! https://represent.com/gabriels-groupies

Well hello, April!

My first blog post of the month. Where have I been? How is it already the 7th of April? We are in the 4th month of 2015. Can that be right?
I don't even know where to begin. I feel horribly behind. I miss my nightly blog therapy. I guess I'm going to have to carve out some time to write each night. At least a couple of times per week.  So, what would you like to know?
I guess the first report should be on my rebuilding project. I finally broke the 20 lb weight loss barrier. I missed my deadline by a few days but the point is that I got there, right? I finally missed one workout day (out of 75). I only missed it because I was spending time with my family and got home too late to get my workout in. I won't miss another one!  My next goal date is May 14 and the goal is 30 lbs - that means 10 more pounds to lose. I'm going to bust my behind to get there but it's just a goal.
Let's talk about goals. I am a firm believer now. I don't set goals like I used to. I used to say "I would like to do X". That was it. I thought that was goal setting. IT'S NOT! These days, this is how goal setting works: "I'm going to do X, this is how I'm going to do it, and this is the date I will achieve it." Everyday I do something to reach that goal. Everyday I'm in the details. I'm not perfect everyday but I make adjustments when I fall short. If you want something badly enough, you'll work to get it. I know from experience that it doesn't happen until you are ready. No one can motivate you to do it, you just have to wake up one morning and say "I'm ready and I'm going to do this." Trust me friends, if I can do it ANYONE can. It doesn't have to be perfect, you just have to do it. I had to have a really crappy year that was really hard on my body. I gained weight and was miserable. I was already heavier than I wanted to be so the additional weight was like adding insult to injury. I was less traumatized by losing my hair. But I'm headed in the right direction and I'm already prepping my 2016 goals. They are a bit crazy if you consider where I was a year ago but a girl can (and should) dream big!
Today was a treatment day. I went for my regular Herceptin treatment. I'll continue to do that every three weeks through July. There was a bit of a delay today between the time that they had me prepped and ready and the time that the infusion actually started. No big deal except, if you follow along here, you know that I have some issues with adhesive. This is what happens when the tape they put over my port stays on a wee bit too long...

It's painless, it's just quite ugly. Hopefully it will calm down a little bit by morning.

Speaking of pictures. I was feeling a little nostalgic this morning so I updated a classic shot for my sister! I sent it to her to remind her of our time together during treatment. Guess what she said...

She said my fingers didn't look so dirty anymore. I just love her!

I have much more to share but I must go to bed. Long, but good, days ahead this week. Come back and visit, won't you?!

Love to all,

Andee