My skin seems to be holding up so Monday will be my very last radiation treatment. It also will be the very end of the treatment trilogy. (Chemo, surgery, radiation). Monday I start on my 10-year stint of meds. whoo hoo. I’m excited. But the radiation nurse gave me this information hand-out of how to take care of the radiation site and what to expect for the next month. In the section for “Skin”, it says that “you should protect the treated area from the sun for at least a year.” I’m glad they told me because I could totally see me walking around without a shirt on everywhere over the next year. Then I just thought about the men with prostate cancer….no junk in the sun….
I also met with the nutritionist. That was good. I’m glad I did that. Of course, the oncology department has their own nutritional team…why wouldn’t they. So we figured out how many calories I should eat in a day. In the 1500 range. She explained the plate method to me. Which is: Divide your plate in half. One-half is non-starchy vegetables. Then divide the other half in half and you have your starchy foods and then protein. And off to the side, you have your fruit. 
Now I won’t be eating anything out of a can because well…anything canned is bad in my mind so I can’t change that. She said to stay away from any “Diet” or eating plan that tells you to cut out a food group. Unless you have a food allergy or some sort of intolerance to a food or food group….it’s not off limits. Focus your plate on vegetables and then having starches (whole grain) and protein as the sides. Eat whole foods. Eat small meals throughout the day….at least 4. Breakfast, lunch, Dinner, Snack. And you can add a second snack if it keeps you from eating too much. But always have a fruit/vegetable and a protein with each meal. (And never listen to Dr. Oz.) There is no evidence that anything you ingest will change the pH of your body. If you are drinking enough water and eating properly, your body will regulate your pH level. So baking soda, AC Vinegar….all that….unless it just makes you feel better taking it or keeps you from eating more (which is most likely just the water you are drinking fills you up). So YES to potatoes! Yes to whole wheat pasta! Yes to brown rice! And I don’t have to give up chocolate.
So that solves that issue in my life. Add exercise 3-4 times a week and I should be good to go. OH…and do not weigh myself every day. In fact…weigh yourself once a month if you must….but keep track of your progress by doing measurements. I do measurements every week too…but I have to stop worrying about that number. So I’m going to find a dress I want to be able to fit into and put that out and hide the scale!
I feel like I’m starting to get a good base for my new normal. It all goes down on Monday! Did I mention the medication I’m on says it highly recommends that you do not consume alcohol? Well, I don’t think every now and then is going to kill me. But my days of hitting the bottle of wine days are over. Which really isn’t a huge deal, I suppose. I haven’t had much to drink the last 10 months anyway….haven’t been able to. But I had a shot of amaretto in some black coffee the other day that was just fabulous. Normally, I have it in a cup of cappuccino. They didn’t have cappuccino, so I made do. OMG. It was just enough sweet. THAT will end up being my treat when I drink!
