by Judy Handley | May 8, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 199, Year 11: Happy Mother’s Day
Date: Sunday, May 8, 2016
Weather: Partly Cloudy with Some Rain, High mid-60’s F
Location: At Home in Evergreen Preserve, Lowell, MA
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers that we know, but most especially to the mothers of our grandchildren–our daughter Heather and our daughter-in-law Jo. We saw both today, one in person and the other via Skype video, and in the same way, we saw our five grandchildren. It is such a wonder to see the children of your children growing up and we cherish every moment we are with them. Heather and gang arrived at about 8:30 last night and Ollie was fast asleep. But we did get to spend time some time to talk with Heather, Jed, Sam, and Jonah.
Sam recently came in second place in a Cape Cod poetry contest and they brought the newspaper article about that with a photo of the contestant winners. He is a very proud poet and we are very proud of him.
This morning we had more time together. The three boys got up and immediately went in the living room to snuggle with Heather and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. Then we went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Once we sat down at the table, I made a toast asking the boys to guess who I was describing—the most beautiful, intelligent, talented, clever, caring and loving mother in the whole wide world. The boys all responded in unison, “That’s momma.” And I could have made the same toast with Ziggy and Coco and they would have responded, “That’s mummy.” So here’s to a very special Happy Mother’s Day to Heather and Jo.
When we talked to Justin via Skype video this afternoon he gave us a tour of their new, but temporary, home. They had to move out of the home they have been renting since the fall of 2014. They are in the process of buying a home, but that is a long process in Puerto Rico, so thus the need for the interim home. It is in the town adjacent to their old home, so not too far away, and they seem to be settling in just fine. While we were talking, Ziggy drew a picture with chalk on the drive-way. At first it was just Oma. Then he added Ziggy and Coco, and after we hung up he added Windbird. I made Justin promise to take photos of the drawings and send them to me and he did, as you can see here.
While all of this was happening, we were also Skyping back and forth with Lee and Lynda Kaufman. Today other friends, Jane and Roger Bonner, joined them and they were making an all-out assault to get our belongings packed up and off of Windbird. After packing yesterday, they had to go buy more plastic boxes, and then today around lunchtime, they had to go buy even more. It is amazing how little fits in a box. While they were packing up Windbird, we were packing the books off my niece’s bookshelf in the living room. I really didn’t think it was all that much, but in the end, it took six big boxes to pack up those few books. So I certainly understand why Lee and Lynda keep running out of boxes. We had to make some decisions today to leave lots of things on the boat. And we will be donating a lot of our food stuffs to Helping Hands. Since I had just stocked the boat for a couple of months in the Bahamas, we had more canned and boxed food than we would normally eat. Hopefully the folks at Helping Hands can take advantage of that. Lee emailed this evening that they now have 30 big plastic boxes in storage, plus lots of other smaller boxed items and miscellaneous things like fishing rods. We didn’t get a photo of today’s results, but yesterday this is way the storage unit looked.
What they are seeing is that all of our things are not going to fit into a 5 x 8 trailer. They have already rented a storage unit to put the packed boxes in until time to load the trailer and we might need to keep that unit to hold the things that won’t fit in on this first trip. It looks like we might need to find a way to get more things here in another trip. There is so much stuff even with that we are giving away and leaving on the boat. But we have so many wonderful friends. We have already received an email from Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg offering to fly to Myrtle Beach and drive a one-way rental truck back with the additional gear if needed. Add that to the gargantuan efforts by Lee and Lynda and you can understand why we feel blessed with such wonderful friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Today wrapped up the Food Revolution Summit I have been listening to each day for the past week. The Summit presented 3 one hour-long interviews each day and each interview was jam-packed with information on what we should be eating and doing to keep ourselves healthy. Every one of the people interviewed is regarded as the best in their field. All of those people and all of the scientific research findings that were presented came up with the same recommendation that author Michael Pollan came up with back in 2008. I don’t want to sound like a broken record as I have quoted him over and over, but those famous words are worth repeating. “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” These seven words are withstanding the scrutiny of time and research. I’m working on a little summary of what I gained from the Summit and will share that with you in tomorrow night’s log.
by Judy Handley | May 7, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 198, Year 11: The Goldstones are Coming
Date: Saturday, May 7, 2016
Weather: Partly Cloudy, High mid-60’s F
Location: At Home in Evergreen Preserve, Lowell, MA
It is Saturday evening and we are just sitting here waiting for the arrival the Goldstones. Heather was a judge at some sort of science fair at MIT today, so Jed brought the kids to Boston for the day as well. Then they went to visit with friends. It will be time for bed for the Pebbles when they get here, so we will visit in the morning.
Lee and Lynda called this morning and had a change in their plans for when they would be packing things up on Windbird. Someone is flying in to look at the boat on Monday, so they did some packing today and will do more tomorrow and Tuesday. Lee doesn’t think everything is going to fit in a 5 foot by 8 foot trailer, but they have rented a storage unit to hold the things until time to pack the trailer. If everything doesn’t fit, it can stay in the storage unit until we can get it. They are doing an amazing job and it wears me out just to know what they are doing! I don’t know how we are ever going to repay them. We are just so grateful for their help.
Mark was nauseous early this morning, but otherwise has had a good day. He thinks the swelling in his legs and feet is a little better today. If that continues to be the case, we will assume it was the new anti-nausea med that was the culprit. If not, we’ll just have to learn how to deal with the edema. More science experiments!
by Judy Handley | May 6, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 197, Year 11: Moving, Moving
Date: Friday, May 6, 2016
Weather: Partly Cloudy, High mid-60’s F
Location: At Home in Evergreen Preserve, Lowell, MA
This afternoon we left the condo so a home inspection could take place. Hopefully that went well, and if so, this condo is sold and we will be moving out two weeks from tomorrow. Today we also reserved a U-Haul pick-up truck for next Sunday so we can take the trailer coming up from South Carolina to the Cape to put our belongings from Windbird in storage. So everything here is centered around moving. During the next two weeks we will be moving some of my niece’s belongings to her apartment, and then on Saturday, May 21, everything will be moved out. My niece is giving us the furniture she cannot fit into her apartment, so we will take that furniture to the Cape to join our belongings from Windbird in a new storage unit. It will not be until the middle of June that we make the final move into our new apartment, and I know both Mark and I both will be very glad when that final move is made. In the meantime . . .
Tomorrow night the Goldstones will spend the night here so we can celebrate Mother’s Day together on Sunday morning. Mark is planning a special Sunday breakfast that he and Jed will prepare. On Monday and Tuesday we will be ‘on call’ with our friends Lee and Lynda Kaufman in Little River, South Carolina. They will be packing up everything on Windbird and putting it in a rented U-Haul trailer that will be picked up by other friends, Heather and Jon Turgeon, on Thursday. We will spend Wednesday at Mass General as we do every week. Then on Thursday we will drive to Concord, NH, for the May meeting of the Concord Yacht Club. After the yacht club meeting we will spend the night with our good friends Alan and Helaine Kanegsberg and catch up on what has been happening in their lives. Then on Sunday we will meet Jon and Heather Turgeon for lunch and make the transfer of the U-Haul trailer with all of our boat belongings. Whew! Busy times. But even busier times for our friends who are doing so much for us in packing up our personal belongings and hauling them north for us. We truly feel like we have guardian angels and we are so thankful.
by Judy Handley | May 5, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 196, Year 11: Striking a Balance
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2016
Weather: Overcast with Drizzle, High 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in Evergreen Preserve, Lowell, MA
Striking a balance in life is not always easy. Right now Mark and I are working to find the balance for him between chemotherapy, prescription drugs to help him deal with side effects, and alternative or more natural ways that might be just as effective, and sometimes even more effective, than the prescription drugs. Every day is like a science experiment. I think we are making progress, so we will continue our quest. Four years ago when Mark started his first round of chemotherapy he got mouth sores as a side effect. We used the Listerine without alcohol recommended by the doctors, but that did no good. We used the very expensive prescription mouthwash and that did no good. I then remembered that my mother always used a water and salt solution if anyone in the family had a sore throat or mouth sore. I called my sister to verify my memory and she agreed that my memory was correct with one exception. She said my mom always added apple cider vinegar to that solution. We came up with a ‘recipe’ and Mark started using it morning and night. Two days later, the mouth sores were gone and we have been able to keep them at bay through the years of chemo. He is once again having the threat of mouth sores, so he once again is using my mom’s mouthwash recipe every morning. But this round he is trying Bicarbonate of Soda and water at night and that seems to be effective as well. I have written all along that Mark has nausea for the first time in his chemotherapy history. We faithfully keep the diffuser with peppermint essential oil going all day long and that definitely seems to help. But he still tends to get nauseous once during a 24 hour period—never at the same time and never in response to the same stimuli—and we just can’t quite get this one under control. At first we tried the prescription drugs for nausea, but often they make him sicker than taking nothing. So he stopped taking any anti-nausea drugs and then added back one pill per day, but only when he felt nauseous. Yesterday a new drug was prescribed, to be taken at night. It is a powerful drug and lasts 24 hours. Mark was definitely knocked out by it as it was hard to get him up this morning. He was also weak and had some balance issues during the day, but he wasn’t nauseous. We’ll try this for another day or so, but if the weakness and balance issues continue, we’ll stop this experiment and go to the next. Always a challenge.
Striking a balance in our diet is another challenge. Even if you take cancer out of the equation, what is the best diet? There is so much controversy over this right now and so many Americans are so confused that they really don’t know what is healthy and what is not. I mentioned in an earlier log that I have been listening to daily interviews on the internet as part of the Food Revolution Summit. In my opinion, the interviews have been excellent. Some of the foremost experts in the field have been interviewed and the really positive thing is that they are all saying basically the same thing. In a book published in 2008, Michael Pollan said that there are seven words you need to remember to guide your diet, “Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants.” And this week I have heard that same thing over and over. But the one thing that is now emphasized is that ‘mostly plants’ means eliminating dairy. I’ve listened and read the evidence and have decided that I am going to try to do that. No milk, no butter, no yogurt. The scientific evidence is so convincing, so we’ll give it a go. Coffee with almond milk is just not the same as coffee with whole milk or half ‘n half, but I’ll be healthier for it. Today we tried a breakfast smoothie recommended by Dr. Mark Hyman. He is an American physician and a New York Times best-selling author. He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinical Center for Functional Medicine. In one of his books, “Eat Fat, Get Thin” he recommends a high-protein smoothie as a complete breakfast. We tried it this morning and both of us really liked it. He says he alternates mornings having eggs one morning and the high-protein smoothie on the other. Here’s the recipe.
Mark Hyman’s High Protein Shake (makes enough for 2 people)
In a blender, combine the following:
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds (from the bag or soak overnight to let them become gelatinous)
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (raw, unsalted)
4 walnuts
3 Brazil nuts
1 heaping tablespoon coconut fat
2 tablespoons organic almond butter
1 banana
1 cup wild blueberries
1 cup water
½ cup unsweetened, organic almond milk
Enjoy!
Notes: Organic chia seeds can be purchased at Costco at half the price of other places. You can also buy raw pumpkin seeds at some Costco stores, but not all. I purchase Nutiva organic hemp seeds on Amazon or at Whole Foods. Same for coconut fat. Frozen Wyman wild blueberries work great. You can get them at any supermarket. And make sure the almond milk you buy is unsweetened.
by Judy Handley | May 4, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 195, Year 11: Treatment Number Six
Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Weather: Overcast with Scattered Showers, High 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in Evergreen Preserve, Lowell, MA
Today we traveled to Boston to Mass General Hospital for Mark’s sixth drug trial treatment. Many of you have asked how long he will be in this weekly treatment and the answer is that he will continue the trial as long as it is effective. The first CT scan that will help make that determination happens along with treatment number eight, but indications are that the current treatment is making a positive impact. Mark and Dr. Kwak both feel that the size of the solid tumors in the abdominal area that can be felt have reduced in size. So we are hopeful.
by Judy Handley | May 3, 2016 | Sailing Logs Year 11 |
Day 194, Year 11: All About Food
Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Weather: Overcast with Drizzle, High 50 degrees F
Location: At Home in Evergreen Preserve, Lowell, MA
No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get away from buying, preparing, and serving food. It is a full-time job these days trying to come up with the most nutritious and healthy things for Mark to eat. In addition to that, I have been trying to listen to almost three hours of interviews on the web-based Food Revolution Summit. Starting on Saturday, there have been three interviews each day and each interview lasts about an hour. I have found each and every interview to be really informative, sometimes riveting. The people being interviewed are the foremost experts in the field today and they have so much up-to-date research and information to share. As each of them seems to say, trying to figure out exactly what you should eat these days is not easy. If you are interested, you can listen in at 10 am, 11 am, and 12 noon at foodrevolution.com. But I am actually looking forward to a change of pace tomorrow, even if it does mean spending the day at a hospital (Mark’s infusion day). At least I won’t be spending the entire day in the kitchen!
