OK, so it has been a MONTH since I last blogged, sheesh ... But if you REALLY want to know what's going on with me, Facebook is the place to be! That's where I post brief "status" info, photos, etc., almost on a daily basis, so the old blog is getting pushed to the side ...
Anyway, I guess I'm not ready to give it up entirely yet, since I'm still seeing doctors pretty regularly, so I'll give it a few more shots.
I'm doing fine, really well, actually, and I've got an appointment with my oncologist next Thursday -- just a check-up -- but I haven't seen her for about six months so I'm looking forward to it! You know, you see these doctors every couple of weeks for a year, they become like friends, so it's always nice to catch up with them!
But I'll post after that appointment, and we'll see after that.
Hannah's doing fine, too, and everyone else in the family, so we're truly blessed in 2010! Hope you are, too!
Until next time ...
P
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Check-up
Today I had an appointment with my "maintenance" guy, Dr. K, who checked me over and said all is well. They took some blood for a CEA (cancer blood test) but I won't find out the results for a day or two. And, he wants to see me again in three months, sheesh. Apparently these doctors are not ready to set me free, which is a blessing, I'm sure.
Anyway, you know how they say five years is sort of the yardstick for knowing that you've beat the cancer? Well, I asked Dr. K "from what point do you start counting?" He said, "your surgery date." So, friends, since my surgery was Jan. 5, 2009, I've got a little more than a year behind me already! Time sure flies when you're having fun!
Until next time ...
P
Anyway, you know how they say five years is sort of the yardstick for knowing that you've beat the cancer? Well, I asked Dr. K "from what point do you start counting?" He said, "your surgery date." So, friends, since my surgery was Jan. 5, 2009, I've got a little more than a year behind me already! Time sure flies when you're having fun!
Until next time ...
P
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Keeping cancer away
Today's lesson, boys and girls, is all about eating healthy. More specifically, eating in such a way that you are less likely to get cancer. Really important for some of us who've been down that road and don't want to repeat the experience.
(Oh, and I also posted a couple more pictures from my "spring break"!)
So, I feel compelled to share these tips from Dr. Karen Collins, nutrition adviser for the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. They're not complicated and make a lot of sense, and I've been follo
wing most of them without too much trouble. Eating like this -- combined with physical activity and weight control -- could prevent a third of all cancers, Collins says.
Here are some components of the so-called "protective diet":
* Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, because they provide thousands of phytochemicals, which include antioxidants that seem to protect and repair our DNA. Some antioxidants even affect cancer cells, controlling how they grow or spread. And, the fruits and vegies don't have to be organic -- almost all (99 percent) of conventionally grown produce that even have pesticide residue (many don't have any) are considered safe to eat.
* There is a link between red meat and cancer, and even if you buy lean red meat, the risk is still there. The good news is, you don't have to give it up completely -- eating up to 18 oz. of red meat a week seems to be safe. There's an even stronger link, though, between processed meat (salted, cured, smoked, or treated with preservatives), so limit the bacon, sausage, pepperoni, bratwurst, bologna, salami, etc., as much as possible.
* Lots of salt also is risky, so keep it under 2,400 mg. a day (eating fewer processed or "boxed" foods is a big help). And, alcohol can increase the risk of several cancers, so the rule is no more than one drink a day for women, and no more than two for men.
* Fewer sweets. With the protective diet, you'll get most of your "dessert" from fruit, but an occasional cookie or piece of cake or chocolate or bowl of icecream is OK. (I'm trying, I'm trying ...)
* As far as drinks, water is the absolute best thing. And s
ome tea and coffee are OK. But definitely nix the soda and other sugary drinks, and limit the fruit juice.
* Here's an easy way to picture a healthy, protective diet: Every time you eat, make sure two-thirds of your plate is made up of plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. The remaining one-third (or less) can be animal foods -- lean poultry, seafood, limited red meat.
Dr. Collins says it's now apparent that physical activity is vital in lowering cancer risk, as is maintaining a healthy weight. That means 30 to 60 minutes a day of moderate activity (brisk walking works!), and if you eat just 200 fewer calories a day, you'll lose weight!
Gee, typing all this has made me sort of hungry! Think I'll have an apple ...
Until next time ...
P
(Oh, and I also posted a couple more pictures from my "spring break"!)
So, I feel compelled to share these tips from Dr. Karen Collins, nutrition adviser for the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. They're not complicated and make a lot of sense, and I've been follo
wing most of them without too much trouble. Eating like this -- combined with physical activity and weight control -- could prevent a third of all cancers, Collins says.Here are some components of the so-called "protective diet":
* Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, because they provide thousands of phytochemicals, which include antioxidants that seem to protect and repair our DNA. Some antioxidants even affect cancer cells, controlling how they grow or spread. And, the fruits and vegies don't have to be organic -- almost all (99 percent) of conventionally grown produce that even have pesticide residue (many don't have any) are considered safe to eat.
* There is a link between red meat and cancer, and even if you buy lean red meat, the risk is still there. The good news is, you don't have to give it up completely -- eating up to 18 oz. of red meat a week seems to be safe. There's an even stronger link, though, between processed meat (salted, cured, smoked, or treated with preservatives), so limit the bacon, sausage, pepperoni, bratwurst, bologna, salami, etc., as much as possible.
* Lots of salt also is risky, so keep it under 2,400 mg. a day (eating fewer processed or "boxed" foods is a big help). And, alcohol can increase the risk of several cancers, so the rule is no more than one drink a day for women, and no more than two for men.
* Fewer sweets. With the protective diet, you'll get most of your "dessert" from fruit, but an occasional cookie or piece of cake or chocolate or bowl of icecream is OK. (I'm trying, I'm trying ...)
* As far as drinks, water is the absolute best thing. And s
ome tea and coffee are OK. But definitely nix the soda and other sugary drinks, and limit the fruit juice.* Here's an easy way to picture a healthy, protective diet: Every time you eat, make sure two-thirds of your plate is made up of plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. The remaining one-third (or less) can be animal foods -- lean poultry, seafood, limited red meat.
Dr. Collins says it's now apparent that physical activity is vital in lowering cancer risk, as is maintaining a healthy weight. That means 30 to 60 minutes a day of moderate activity (brisk walking works!), and if you eat just 200 fewer calories a day, you'll lose weight!
Gee, typing all this has made me sort of hungry! Think I'll have an apple ...
Until next time ...
P
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The kids are jealous
And they should be, for their mother -- a real techno-loser -- now has an iPhone! AND. THEY. DON'T. (As they like to remind me from time to time.)
Anyway, picked it up last night at the mall, and of course my 19-year-old son, home for the weekend from college, insisted on going along because just the thought of playi
ng with an iPhone makes him all glassy-eyed and drooly.
So, yes, we strolled into the hip, cool, sleek, hardwood-floored Apple store -- me clutching my iPhone gift card (thanks, Jim!) and Dylan almost skipping, he was so happy to be there -- and were met by a very nice (and young, of course) sales guy, who showed me how to do a few things on the iPhone-but-so-much-more and answered my lame questions ("Oh, wow, this is an iPod, too?").
Dylan -- probably the funniest person I know -- said me getting an iPhone was like a crippled person getting a treadmill, and he is so right! It took me way longer than it should have just to link it to my Facebook page (another thing that freaks Dylan out, that his mother has FB!) ... But I should be all "good to go" now, and since Hannah and I will be in Florida this week -- Monday through Saturday -- there will be plenty of "down" time for me to play with this little "hand-held computer," which is really what it is. I'm planning to take some photos with it and post them to FB. Ah, technology -- it's a beautiful thing ...
Anyway, re: my health, the toes are still a little numb, but the fingers are pretty much back to normal. It's now been SEVEN MONTHS since I finished my chemo and life is just plain wonderful!
Until next time ...
P
Anyway, picked it up last night at the mall, and of course my 19-year-old son, home for the weekend from college, insisted on going along because just the thought of playi
ng with an iPhone makes him all glassy-eyed and drooly.So, yes, we strolled into the hip, cool, sleek, hardwood-floored Apple store -- me clutching my iPhone gift card (thanks, Jim!) and Dylan almost skipping, he was so happy to be there -- and were met by a very nice (and young, of course) sales guy, who showed me how to do a few things on the iPhone-but-so-much-more and answered my lame questions ("Oh, wow, this is an iPod, too?").
Dylan -- probably the funniest person I know -- said me getting an iPhone was like a crippled person getting a treadmill, and he is so right! It took me way longer than it should have just to link it to my Facebook page (another thing that freaks Dylan out, that his mother has FB!) ... But I should be all "good to go" now, and since Hannah and I will be in Florida this week -- Monday through Saturday -- there will be plenty of "down" time for me to play with this little "hand-held computer," which is really what it is. I'm planning to take some photos with it and post them to FB. Ah, technology -- it's a beautiful thing ...
Anyway, re: my health, the toes are still a little numb, but the fingers are pretty much back to normal. It's now been SEVEN MONTHS since I finished my chemo and life is just plain wonderful!
Until next time ...
P
Sunday, February 21, 2010
'Senior' spring break
Yeah, so I'm going on "spring break" this year, thanks to Hannah! Nursing school is getting progressively more stressful, and her spring break is the first week of March, so she really wants to "go somewhere."
Last month, she and four girlfriends went to Las Vegas for six days (yes, I was a nervous wreck!), but they came back alive, thank God! As an added bonus, each of them got a $320 voucher from Southwest because the airline was overbooked so the girls had to take a later flight home.
Anyway, that beautiful $320 voucher went a long way toward paying for two roundtrip tickets to -- where else? -- Venice, Fla., my "home away from home." So, Hannah and lucky me are going down to visit my Psycho Sis and her hubby for six glorious days! Woo-hooooooooo!
We're just planning to go to the beach, hang out at the pool, and take it easy (although Hannah's bringing her books to get in some study time). Hopefully, she won't mind hanging out with the "older folks" (hey, we're young at heart!) and Hannah and I will still be talking to each other on the flight home ...
But it's always nice to have a "vacay" on the horizon, sort of like a life raft that's within reach for those hectic days when you need something to look forward to ...
So, thanks, Hannah -- and Linda and Bob (again!). I owe all of you big time!
Until next time ...
P
Last month, she and four girlfriends went to Las Vegas for six days (yes, I was a nervous wreck!), but they came back alive, thank God! As an added bonus, each of them got a $320 voucher from Southwest because the airline was overbooked so the girls had to take a later flight home.
Anyway, that beautiful $320 voucher went a long way toward paying for two roundtrip tickets to -- where else? -- Venice, Fla., my "home away from home." So, Hannah and lucky me are going down to visit my Psycho Sis and her hubby for six glorious days! Woo-hooooooooo!
We're just planning to go to the beach, hang out at the pool, and take it easy (although Hannah's bringing her books to get in some study time). Hopefully, she won't mind hanging out with the "older folks" (hey, we're young at heart!) and Hannah and I will still be talking to each other on the flight home ...
But it's always nice to have a "vacay" on the horizon, sort of like a life raft that's within reach for those hectic days when you need something to look forward to ...
So, thanks, Hannah -- and Linda and Bob (again!). I owe all of you big time!
Until next time ...
P
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Hannah update
So, Hannah, who had a brain tumor removed last May, had a follow-up MRI last Thursday and she is A-OK! Thanks so much for your prayers and concern, and thanks to God for watching over her!
She'll get another MRI in a year, just to make sure all is well.
But the Rosses are "livin' the dream" in 2010 -- with good health all around -- so we feel very fortunate.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone, and be sure to share the love!
Until next time ...
P
She'll get another MRI in a year, just to make sure all is well.
But the Rosses are "livin' the dream" in 2010 -- with good health all around -- so we feel very fortunate.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone, and be sure to share the love!
Until next time ...
P
Saturday, February 6, 2010
I'm still here ...
Sorry I haven't blogged lately, mom and dad, but with work and kids and laundry an
d (fill in the blank), life is darn busy! But you know how I've been anyway, since the whole family got together for your 63rd wedding anniversary just last weekend. Yep, 18 of us, sitting around a long table at a steak restaurant, toasting the two of you, joking, laughing -- it was great! (In the photo at right are my mother and dad with yours truly at the anniversary dinner. The other photo shows our whole group!)
You know that all of your kids -- Joe, Connie, Pat (OK -- Roger!), John, and me -- feel so blessed to still have you in our lives. It didn't really hit me how special it is to have the whole family together until the two women sitting at the table behind me starting asking questions: "How many years have they been married?" ("63." "Wow, that's amazing!") "How many kids?" ("Five. And we're all here, with the grandkids." "How wonderful!") I don't know too many people my age who still have both of their parents -- and all of their siblings -- so the Schlueter clan is blessed indeed!
The two of you are a perfect team: A dad who's not afraid to tackle a problem and find a solution, who's always there for his kids -- no matter how old they are, whose sense of humor rivals that of any stand-up comedian, and who always sees the best in his children and grandchildren. And a no-nonsense Mother who "calls it like she sees it," can figure out just about anything, always has a freshly baked (and delicious!) dessert ready when you visit, and is always smiling! Who could ask for more in a set of parents?
So, congratulations on your milestone anniversary, Walt and Pauline! We love you more than you know!
Until next time ...
P
d (fill in the blank), life is darn busy! But you know how I've been anyway, since the whole family got together for your 63rd wedding anniversary just last weekend. Yep, 18 of us, sitting around a long table at a steak restaurant, toasting the two of you, joking, laughing -- it was great! (In the photo at right are my mother and dad with yours truly at the anniversary dinner. The other photo shows our whole group!)You know that all of your kids -- Joe, Connie, Pat (OK -- Roger!), John, and me -- feel so blessed to still have you in our lives. It didn't really hit me how special it is to have the whole family together until the two women sitting at the table behind me starting asking questions: "How many years have they been married?" ("63." "Wow, that's amazing!") "How many kids?" ("Five. And we're all here, with the grandkids." "How wonderful!") I don't know too many people my age who still have both of their parents -- and all of their siblings -- so the Schlueter clan is blessed indeed!
The two of you are a perfect team: A dad who's not afraid to tackle a problem and find a solution, who's always there for his kids -- no matter how old they are, whose sense of humor rivals that of any stand-up comedian, and who always sees the best in his children and grandchildren. And a no-nonsense Mother who "calls it like she sees it," can figure out just about anything, always has a freshly baked (and delicious!) dessert ready when you visit, and is always smiling! Who could ask for more in a set of parents?
So, congratulations on your milestone anniversary, Walt and Pauline! We love you more than you know!
Until next time ...
P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
