I Am Back

Hello, there.  I’m back.  How are you?

Things have been busy here in the land of Sweet Tea.  As I said in my last post, there were some things going on that were simply taking every bit of my energy and focus.  Things have settled down some now.  Actually, they’ve been somewhat settled for a while now. 

I’ve just been struggling with how to come back to blogging; what to tell you, how much to share, etc.  You see, to tell you the whole story will involve getting really personal for me, more than I have before.  I wasn’t sure about doing that.  I really thought about posting something along the lines of “had a health scare, it’s mostly okay now, so glad to be back”.  And that is the truth, of sorts.  It’s just not the complete truth.

You see, the complete truth has been building for over a decade.  I just didn’t know it.  So, after a very long internal struggle, I have decided to tell you the whole, complete story.  I wish someone else had some time over the past twelve years or so, because I might not be writing this if I knew then what I know now.

I apologize in advance if some of what I’m sharing crosses the line for any of you.  Like I said, I really struggled with this post (I’ve been drafting it in my head for weeks now), but I feel that the need to know outweighs the need to keep it clean and pretty. 

I was diagnosed with hepatic adenomas last month.  For those of you who are as blissfully ignorant as I was two months ago, they are benign liver tumors.  I have nine of them.  You can read more about them here or here if you’re so inclined.  A Google search will also yield some interesting reading.   I’m sure at this point, you’re saying, “Oh, they’re benign, what’s the big deal?” 

There are a lot of things that make them a big deal, so here goes:

First and foremost (and the part that makes me really angry, and feel like I need to share my experience) is the fact that they were almost certainly caused by years of taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills) and I was NEVER informed that this was a risk. 

I began taking birth control pills right around my 18^th birthday.  I wasn’t using them for birth control at that time.  During the ten plus years I took them, they were for birth control for roughly two and a half years.  I initially went on them to control very heavy menstrual bleeding, and they worked reasonably well.  I would be given a prescription that would work for a while, and then the bleeding would get really bad again and they’d change my prescription, usually to a higher dose of estrogen. 

I saw four different gynecologists during this time, and they all took a similar approach.  None of them looked into the cause of the bleeding much, or suggested any alternative remedies.  I read all of the inserts that came with the pills and mentioned the risks: increased risk of breast cancer, blood clots, stroke, etc, and talked about these risks being increased for women who smoked, had high blood pressure, or were over 35.  I didn’t have any of those risk factors:  I’m a non-smoker, I don’t have a family history of breast cancer, and my blood pressure tends to run a little low.  Even an imminent needle stick doesn’t get me more than a point or two over what they tell me is ideal.  I thought things were good.  I kept up with my yearly appointments, I read all of the inserts that came with the medications, and the doctors kept prescribing them. 

Then things changed; the bleeding became worse than it had ever been earlier this year, to the point that I had to leave work a few times because of it.  I got an appointment with the gynecologist who finally decided to do an ultrasound.  At that time it was determined that the high estrogen content in the pills (they had continually upped the dosage over the years) was actually contributing to the problem, and I was put on a totally different group of hormones.  Once again, I thought everything was good.

I had been to my regular doctor in the midst of all of this for a lingering cough, and I mentioned to him about the bleeding, and that I had an appointment set up with the gynecologist.  He said that if the gynecologist didn’t do blood work he wanted me to come back to his office to have some done to check for anemia, thyroid issues, etc. 

The gynecologist never mentioned blood work, just sent me on my way with a new prescription, so I went back to the family doctor for a blood draw.  I didn’t think much about it after they drew the blood.  My numbers have always been good.  I once had mildly elevated liver enzymes, but the doctor I was seeing at the time attributed that to my being heavy and having had my gallbladder removed. 

So I was a little surprised when my doctor’s office called and said that I had elevated enzymes, and that they wanted to send me for an abdominal ultrasound. 

I went for the ultrasound and was told there was something there that they needed a clearer picture of, so was then sent for a CT Scan.  The CT Scan revealed that there was definitely something there, but they still couldn’t tell what.  The next step was an MRI.  The MRI revealed nine masses of some sort, but they still couldn’t tell what.

I was then scheduled for a liver biopsy.  I had to wait a little over a week for the biopsy, and then another week for the results, and I can tell you that was not a fun time at all.  There are so many possibilities and what-ifs that start to swirl around in your head. 

I have been seeing an acupuncturist for two years now for allergy problems.  It has helped a lot.  I used to have about five or six sinus infections a year and now am down to maybe one or two per year.  I told her about everything that was going on during all of the testing.  She was actually the first medical professional to make the connection between the liver issues and the hormonal issues.

After talking with her I stopped taking the hormones three days after the biopsy.  Five days later the doctor’s office called with the results and told me to stop taking the hormones. 

My husband and I met with the doctor and we’re currently taking a wait and see approach.  Hepatic adenomas are relatively rare, and from what the doctor says and from what I’ve read there isn’t a specific, agreed upon course of treatment.  They typically recommend surgical removal if they’re causing pain or if they’re bigger than 5 centimeters.  The biggest risk is that they rupture and cause internal bleeding. 

Mine aren’t causing me pain, but the largest one is 5.6 centimeters, the second one is 5 centimeters.  And I really, really don’t want to have surgery.  The surgery is major, the recovery is long, and at this point I have very little faith and confidence in the medical profession.  I can’t help wondering what issues the surgery may create ten years down the road. 

There are mixed results as to what discontinuing the hormones does for them, but there’s at least a chance they will shrink.  So that is what we’re hoping for.  I will go back for another MRI in October to see what is going on with them. 

In the meantime I have stopped taking the hormones, have stopped eating tofu, and am trying to cut out all soy products.  (I had no idea how many food products have soy!  But that’s another post for another time.)  I am also trying to lose weight.  I need to lose weight anyway, and if I do end up having abdominal surgery I am sure I will be better off not carrying a lot of excess weight in that area. 

My doctor has told me to mostly use common sense: no contact sports or anything like that, which is a non-issue for me.  I also have to go get checked out if there’s any trauma to my right side (car accident, etc).  I can’t take any blood thinners, and need to eliminate, or limit as much as possible anything that puts a strain on my liver.  I finally kicked my soda habit (which took off twenty pounds), and no longer have the occasional drink. 

I hate having this hanging over me, but it’s a lot better than what was going through my head while waiting for the biopsy and results.  It has also made me a lot more concerned with getting myself as healthy as possible and making better choices, which has to be a good thing regardless of what happens with the adenomas.  So in the meantime, I will continue to educate myself as much as possible and hope for some shrinkage in October.

So how are all of you?  I hope things have been well.  I’m really looking forward to catching back up on everyone’s blogs. 

Taking A Break

I will not be participating in the A to Z Challenge this year after
all.  There are some things going on in my life right now that are
taking all of my energy and focus, and may continue to do so for a
while.

I just don't have anything extra to give to writing right now.  Every
time lately that I have tried nothing comes, and I just feel
overwhelmed.

I hope to be back to writing and reading your blogs sooner rather than
later, and I wish you all the best until then.

Saving With Store Brands

I came across this article today about saving money on groceries by purchasing store brands.  According to the article, switching from name brands to store brands can save you about 25 percent.  The article does go on to state that not all store brands taste the same as name brands, and that the nutrition content may be different.

Personally, I believe that buying store brands only saves money if the store brand is something you will actually use.  Here are some tips I’ve picked up along my quest to reduce our grocery budget:

- Store brand ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, spices, etc) seem to be more similar to name brands.  We’ve never noticed a difference in using these store brand ingredients instead of name brands in cooking and baking.

- Store brand prepared foods seem to taste very different than their name brand counterparts.  We notice the biggest difference in things like pasta sauce and canned soup.  It doesn’t save money to buy “cheaper” jars of pasta sauce we’re never going to eat.  We are better off to wait for sales on the brands we like. 

- Vegetables seem to be equally as good when purchased as a store brand instead of a name brand.  We buy a lot of frozen spinach and canned beans, usually store brands, and have never noticed a difference.  This is especially true if they’re going in a casserole, soup, or chili. 

- If you have skin allergies or sensitive skin laundry detergent is not something to try to save money on by experimenting with different brands!  I have very sensitive skin and most laundry detergents turn me into a miserably itchy walking rash, sometimes leading to a doctor’s visit for a steroid shot.  In addition to making me miserable, that costs a lot more money in the long run.  I have learned to just stick with the three brands of laundry detergent that I know won’t trigger a bad reaction.  I try to save money by stocking up on them when they’re on sale, not by buying “cheaper” alternatives. 

- Once in a while some grocery stores will run a “buy theirs try ours free” special where you receive the store brand version of certain items free when you buy the name brand.  This is an excellent, risk free, opportunity to try the store brand and determine what you like and don’t like.  You can find out about promotions like this by signing up for the store’s emails. 

- Don’t underestimate the value of shopping sales and using coupons.  We’re fortunate enough to live close to several different grocery stores, so I always check the sale ads to see who has what on sale before we go shopping and only get what is the best deal at each store.  Many times the sale price on a name brand is cheaper than the store brand.  Name brands also have coupons sometimes, which just add to the savings.  Watch for in-store promotions where buying a certain number of items from the same brand will take money off of your total bill.  I love to use this when I can match coupons to the items that are on sale.  They usually work out to be anywhere from about 75 percent off to free. 

I also try to stock up on things we use a lot when they’re on a really good sale.  Most grocery stores seem to have about a six week sale cycle, so I try to buy about six week’s worth of items we use a lot of while they’re on sale instead of paying full price for them later on. 

Shopping this way has resulted in a few amazingly cheap shopping trips.  My best to date has been $125.00 worth of groceries for $25.00.  I wish I could tell you this happens every week, but it doesn’t.  Shopping this way on an average grocery trip usually saves us between 40 and 60 percent, which is still good enough to make me really happy. 

We’re In!

I heard about CSAs a few years ago from a co-worker.  You can read more about them here, but basically CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) are a way for farmers and people local to them to work together.  The benefits for the farmer include receiving money up front and sharing some of the risk.  The benefits for the consumer include weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) fresh, local, seasonal produce, and knowing exactly where the food is coming from.  It seems like a largely win-win arrangement.

We have wanted to join a CSA since I first heard about it from my co-worker.  We liked the idea of buying local food and knowing where it comes from.  We also think (hope) that having already paid for and receiving a weekly box of fresh produce will encourage us to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.  We also found this wonderful cookbook, The New Southern Garden Cookbook, by Sheri Castle, which got me even more interested in joining a CSA.  The cookbook is organized by ingredient and focuses on using what you have an abundance of, usually what’s in season.  The recipes are amazing; they seem to be an excellent mix of somewhat traditional preparations and different ways of using the same old produce.  All of the sections begin with some information on traditional use, growing methods, etc for that particular food, which makes for interesting reading.  Having this cookbook removed that last little bit of doubt about what we would end up doing with produce that we weren’t as familiar with. 

But it just didn’t work out for us to join a CSA for a few years.  It seemed that we couldn’t find a place with a convenient pick-up location, that offered half shares (a full share just seems like way too much for only two people), that was within our budget, that wasn’t already full.

This year, though, I put joining a CSA on the calendar for January because we didn’t want to be too late and miss out.  We finally found one that offers half-shares and a pick-up location about 15 minutes from both of our office buildings with hours that will easily allow one of us to pick up our box every week.  This CSA offers a payment plan of one third down and the rest paid over the next two months, which definitely makes it easier on the budget.  It also seems like this farm will be a good fit for us as their shares focus more on fruits and vegetables and less on herbs (which we plan to grow ourselves again this year) and fresh flowers (which are lovely, but not safe with our quirky quartet of cats).

We sent our application and down payment in at the beginning of the month and yesterday we received our confirmation email.  We’re officially in!  The pick-ups should start sometime in late May and they will be in touch with us closer to that time.  Now we just have to pay the remaining balance and wait, and of course decide which recipes we want to try.

Here’s Hoping

My sister, Gabrielle, recently won an award at work.  Apparently this particular award is a big deal; the company is fairly large (located in multiple states) and only three to four people receive this award per year.  This year Gabrielle is one of them. 

It's creative recycling, right?

Based on the number of Friday nights and Saturday afternoons I’ve called her only to learn that she’s at work, I think she really deserves it.  Needless to say, I’m very proud of my little sister.  So I was all set to send her flowers at work to congratulate her on her award, but then I found pajamas I know she really wants. 

I gave her a pair of these pajamas a couple of years ago and she loves them, so much so that they’re looking a little rough from having been worn so much.  She’s a hard to find size, and the store that carries them isn’t local to her.  I’ve been instructed to keep a lookout for them and buy them when I find them. 

I found two pairs, in her size, in patterns I think she will like, the day she received the award, so I decided on congratulatory pajamas instead of flowers.  (Pajamas sort of make sense; she’s worked hard, now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the award, right?)

I called and told Gabrielle about the pajamas.  We live three hours away from each other, so I was planning to just give them to her whenever we see each other next. Because we’re such patient people in my family, she couldn’t stand the idea of waiting.  So she decided I could send them Fed-Ex because apparently she gets a discount through work. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a Fed-Ex store near me.  This didn’t deter my sister; she sent me a shipping label to print out, and arranged a pickup from my office.  She assures me that it won’t matter that I don’t have a Fed-Ex box, and that all that matters is that no writing or other company names are visible on the package. 

The pitiful looking box in the picture is what I managed to finagle out of an Amazon box, some paper grocery bags, and a whole lot of tape (she just thought I used a lot of tape on Christmas presents!).  It’s definitely not going to win any awards for being an ascetically pleasing package.  Here’s hoping the Fed-Ex driver will take it tomorrow!