The Struggle is Real

I've been battling Stage 4 (metastatic) Breast Cancer for almost seven years; my cancerversary is in July. When I began this battle, I started calling it a journey; I’m in it for the long haul, come walk with me. Except I haven’t been walking the walk I was meant to walk. My journey has turned into the life of a sick woman who still believes she has forever to live. At the rate I’m going, I don’t have much time left...I’ve given myself high cholesterol and high triglycerides, on top of everything else.

As it stands these are the things that are going wrong inside my body...

• breast cancer (terminal)
• arthritis
• osteoporosis
• cataracts
• high cholesterol/high triglycerides

I had to explain my newest medical issue to my two very young grandchildren. It was pretty easy, after I told them that cholesterol is a goopy substance that your body is supposed to have, but I have too much; having too much goop inside of you, is very dangerous. This link will explain things to you, if you don’t already know how dangerous it can be.

The cataracts are the only thing going wrong inside me, that I did not cause; all the others were brought on by not taking care of myself, the way I should’ve. Even in the years I’ve battled cancer, I still haven’t done all that I should’ve done; which is why I now have high cholesterol. I also weigh over 100 lbs more than I should.

Sedentary Sally is what I should be calling myself; I allowed medical advice to keep me from establishing a proper exercise routine...he told me, “If it hurts, don’t do it; if it starts hurting, stop”. I listened, and through the years more and more activities began to hurt me, so I stopped doing them. Now, I can barely walk to the bathroom, without getting winded. Getting out of my recliner hurts, a lot! Can’t avoid going to the potty (or taking a shower) though, can I?

When I look in the mirror, I want to cry; the woman staring back at me, looks like she weighs 800 lbs! My daughter took some measurements of me, yesterday; I am, literally, almost as fat (circumference of my hips) as I am tall. This is not what I had in mind, when I decided to outlive my cancer prognosis! I’m not living….I just exist.

This weekend, I researched (what else would I be doing?) about which foods help lower cholesterol; I came up with two pages of info! There are a lot of veggies, fruits and nuts that help lower the body’s cholesterol levels. Exercise does, too! I’m going to be joining my daughter, at Planet Fitness, a couple times a week, now. And I can take laps around the house (we moved into an actual house), a few times a day.

The only whole food I’m going to have to incorporate is fatty fish, like salmon and sardines; and, of course, fast/junk food is off limits, completely now. I was eating vegan/vegetarian junk, but I was still eating junk. The Veggie Burger, from Burger King, for example; there are 17 grams of FAT in that “healthy” sandwich; and 2.5 grams of saturated fat. A medium fry also has 17 grams of fat, and 3 grams of saturated fat. And the sugar content….oh, boy! The veggie burger (9 g), fries (0 g), and a medium Coke (39 g); and I’m still blessed to not have diabetes, but I don’t want to risk it, anymore. Consuming too much sugar can also raise your triglycerides!

So, as of Monday (it’s Easter weekend), I’m abstaining from any and all forms of fast food and junk food. But I’m going to need your help, please! I haven’t been doing so great at keeping myself accountable, so I’m going to need you to help me do that. Can I count on you for support? I really don’t want to cause my body anymore diseases, or conditions, that threaten my life!

My Abstinence List

• cookies
• candy
• chips
• pretzels
• ice cream
• processed foods
• soda
• pizza
• Burger King
• McDonald's
• Chipotle
• Taco Bell
• Chick-Fil-A
• Asian cuisine

On my plate, from Monday on, will be an abundance of veggies, fruits, nuts, beans/legumes, whole grains, and fatty fish. I am now a plant-based pescatarian. Water and Essiac tea will be my only fluids. Here’s a small list of things I can eat….

• High fiber foods (apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, raspberries, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, potatoes (russet, red, and sweet), broccoli, collard greens, artichokes)
• Tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, walnuts)
• Whole grains (barley, oats)
• Soluble fiber (Black beans, lima beans, Brussels sprouts, avocados, sweet potatoes, broccoli, turnips, pears, kidney beans, figs, nectarines, apricots, carrots, apples, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds)

So, you see….I’m not going to starve. Did you notice fiber is listed twice? Soluble fiber is what helps flush out excess cholesterol; insoluble fiber has a ton of health benefits, too.

I’ll be updating you on my progress, and weight loss, as this phase of my journey unfolds. Walk with me...