Home / All Post

Monday, 14 March 2016

Princess Health and March 14th, 2016 Who Makes The Nap Rules?. Princessiccia

Princess Health and March 14th, 2016 Who Makes The Nap Rules?. Princessiccia

Add Comment
March 14th, 2016 Who Makes The Nap Rules?

Today didn't go as planned in a lot of ways. I slept well, but too long. It was great for my body, horrible for my Monday day-off plans.

I didn't pick up my grandson today like I wanted. I waited until too late--and it didn't work. I'm lucky he's not at the age where he would recognize the difference. Yet...uh, yeah, another six months or so and it'll be, "Is grandpa canceling? He's mismanaging his time again, isn't he?" Okay, maybe he won't use those exact words at three years old, but still--he'll know when plans like this, change.

I had a great support group conference call this evening. I prepared a nice dinner. And as I enjoyed the dinner, I enjoyed a few episodes of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedian's In Cars Getting Coffee.  Then, it was workout time. But wait...

I'm tired and so was my phone. My phone was at 10% and I was at 23%. Now what? Okay--charge the phone and take a power nap for 35 minutes. Is that a power nap? Probably a little too long for that title. Power naps are like 10-15 minutes, right? Who makes the nap rules, anyway?

I set an alarm and Kristin agreed to call me, too--phone on charger and so was I. I closed my eyes and no exaggeration, I was asleep within seconds. And I slept...for 35 minutes...Then...give me another 10, please...That felt so good--why stop now? If a little is good, a whole bunch would be great! That's one of the defining beliefs of my life.

I got up after an hour. I've got to get a blog done. Cut some fruit, added a little calorie dense peanut butter--some water and settled into the blog. The workout? 

Yeah. I've successfully rationalized putting it off another day.

Okay--you know what? I'm going to be kind about it. Not enabling--kind, but firm.

I seriously must make changes in these two areas. Workout and sleep schedules. My food? Great. My willingness to participate and participation level in support communications? Wonderful.

I'll be instituting some changes starting in the morning, first thing--before coffee. I'll save it as a surprise in tomorrow night's edition. Or, you can follow along in real time with the Twitter feed.

It's time to step up my game in certain areas before it starts affecting my game in others. Know what I mean?

My Tweets Today:
























Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean

Princess Health and Did you know that smoking can lead to Type 2 diabetes?. Princessiccia

Add Comment
Smoking can lead to diabetes, and then cause more complications from the disease. So writes Dr. Laura B. Hieronymus, associate director of education and quality services at the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky, in a column in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Laura Hieronymus
Smoking can cause resistance to insulin, which helps control levels of sugar in the blood. "Insulin resistance can occur if you have a family history of it, are overweight and/or have a sedentary lifestyle," Hieronymus writes. "Experts report smokers are insulin resistant and the more you smoke, the greater your chances of Type 2 diabetes. Data suggest if you smoke 16 to 25 cigarettes a day, your risk for Type 2 diabetes is three times higher than if you don�t smoke. In contrast, if you quit smoking and stay quit, your risk for Type 2 diabetes actually decreases."

If you have diabetes, smoking can make complications from it more likely, Hieronymus writes: "Damage to the blood vessels and nerves in your body is more common and often to a greater degree than if you have diabetes and don�t smoke. The heavier and the longer you smoke the greater your risk for complications. The bottom line is that smoking and diabetes are a dangerous combination. The good news is that by quitting smoking and keeping your blood glucose optimally controlled, you can greatly lower your chances for diabetes complications."

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Princess Health and March 13th, 2016 My Spring Break. Princessiccia

Princess Health and March 13th, 2016 My Spring Break. Princessiccia

Add Comment
March 13th, 2016 My Spring Break

This has been a wonderful weekend and it isn't finished! I made my plans to see mom this evening and since I'm off tomorrow, I plan on spending some time with my grandson!

I've really taken it easy the last couple of days. I suppose I can call this my spring break. It's been relaxed. I think I needed it, truly.

Taking it easy doesn't mean sacrificing my plan. I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar and I hit my water goal today. I also participated in a few really good support interactions.

I finally watched a few things I've been wanting to watch on Netflix. A few episodes of Better Call Saul and the Comedians of Comedy docu-film, plus Maria Bamford's "Special, Special, Special." I've simply enjoyed the time off!

Letting the Tweets take it the rest of the way...

My Tweets Today:


























Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean

Princess Health and Stivers calls for House bills on Kynect and Medicaid expansion, says Senate would vote on them to show where legislators stand. Princessiccia

Add Comment
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Republican Senate President Robert Stivers challenged Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo Friday to send the Senate two House bills that would preserve the state's embrace of "Obamacare," in order to "have a full, fair debate on the issue" and see where legislators stand on it.

Robert Stivers
Stivers was referring to House Bill 5, which would require Kentucky to keep operating the Kynect health-insurance exchange, and House Bill 6, which would keep the state's current expansion of the federal-state Medicaid program.

Both would block Republican Gov. Matt Bevin's plans to change the programs, and with the Senate firmly in Republican control, their main sponsor, Rep. Darryl Owens, D-Louisville, has said he doesn't expect them to become law. Stivers noted that the bills aren't moving, despite being sponsored by several leaders of the House's Democratic majority.

�I would surmise that what they�re doing is just pandering and playing to a political base even though they don�t believe it�s good,� he said. �If they truly believe it's good, then vote them on the House floor.� Referring to House Speaker Greg Stumbo, he added, �If he votes it on the House floor, we'll vote 'em on the Senate floor.�

Stumbo said it was interesting that Stivers is attacking Obamacare when Bevin's plan for Kynect will use the federal health-insurance exchange, Don Weber reports for cn|2's "Pure Politics."

�He�s dismantling our Beshearcare here in Kentucky that Kentuckians were so happy to have. So, I'd be happy to have that discussion."

Former Gov. Steve Beshear, founder of non-profit Save Kentucky Healthcare, said in a press release that Stivers and Republican leaders are �once again touting misinformation about Kynect and the state of health care in Kentucky.�

Stivers claimed that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the state had lost 3,500 health-care jobs while Beshear had promised that the expansion of Medicaid would add 5,400 such jobs in the state by bringing more people into the health care system, creating jobs and tax revenue.

Actually, BLS data show that while hospitals lost employment, overall employment in the health-care and social-assistance sector has gone up 4.6 percent since Obamacare was fully implemented in January 2014, compared to 3.1 percent job growth in all other Kentucky sectors, says Jason Bailey of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. (KCEP chart)
Beshear cited that data, adding, �Just last week Governor Bevin�s own administration released data showing that the educational and health services sector in Kentucky gained 4,200 jobs in 2015 alone.�

Saturday, 12 March 2016

Princess Health and March 12th, 2016 Pure And Simple. Princessiccia

Princess Health and March 12th, 2016 Pure And Simple. Princessiccia

Add Comment
March 12th, 2016 Pure And Simple

I sincerely appreciate the tremendous feedback and response to yesterday's edition. I've been thinking about those things for quite some time. I'm glad I made the time to get it out and onto the page. One thing I didn't write in that post was how I have a healthy amount of fear when it comes to my continued recovery, maintenance of my food sobriety and abstinence from refined sugar. I don't take it for granted. I know, if I don't give it the daily attention and reverence it deserves, I will lose it, pure and simple. 

I lounged around today and took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I decided it was needed. Taking a nap without an alarm is risky business for me, but I did it--and slept well, and not too long, but enough.

I had another date tonight with Kristin. I really like that she totally gets what I do. The photos, the logging, the tweets-she understands exactly why I do it and that it's very important to me. She has a deep understanding of how these things are major accountability and support measures. And I really appreciate that from her. We enjoyed a coffee, dinner and a movie. It was a good night!

I rarely go to movies anymore. I simply don't make the time. This was a nice change.

Speaking of time--and changes... Daylight savings time starts in an hour. Oh my! We lose an hour of sleep tonight.

I better hit the pillow! 

Letting the Tweets take it the rest of the way...

My Tweets Today:
























Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean

Princess Health and Co-workers with CPR and AED training save Lexington man from 'widow maker' heart attack; now he's fine and cheering Wildcats. Princessiccia

Add Comment
Tim Hayden (UK photo)
This time last year, co-workers' quick actions saved a Kentucky man who suffered from a usually fatal type of heart attack because they knew how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED). They were able to keep him alive until he could get medical help, according to a University of Kentucky news release.

Tim Hayden, a big UK basketball fan who works at Lexington's Southern Wine and Spirits, was at a work meeting last March, hoping it would end before the Southeastern Conference Tournament games started that day, when he had the heart attack.

His doctor, Adrian Messerli, director of the heart catheterization laboratory at the UK Gill Heart Institute, said it was the type of heart attack that is often called the "widow-maker" because fewer than half of its victims survive.

"Dr. Messerli told us if Tim had been at home, or if the meeting had been scheduled later, or if he'd been in his car, this type of heart attack isn't something that people typically survive," said Harold Nikirk, Southern Wine and Spirits' field sales manager and Tim's boss.

Upon realizing that Hayden wasn't just goofing off and pretending to be snoring so they would wrap up the meeting, two of the co-workers trained in CPR immediately began it. One who was trained on the AED, a portable device that checks heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm, used it.

Everyone in the office pitched in, Nikirk said, calling 911, waving down the ambulance and moving cars and furniture out of the way to make room for the paramedics.

"I think Tim was fortunate for many reasons," Messerli said. "He was surrounded by co-workers who knew how to perform CPR and knew how to use an AED. Those critical first steps sustained Tim until we could get him the treatment he needed."

Paramedics took him to UK, where his wife Catherine works and where Dr. Messerli was waiting for him in the catheterization lab.

"With a heart attack, especially one like Tim's, every minute literally counts," Messerli said. "We were the first hospital in Lexington to allow paramedics to bypass the emergency room and go directly to the cath lab, which buys us precious time and hugely increases the patient's chances for survival."

Hayden's co-workers created
a Heart Walk team. (UK photo)
Messerli restored blood flow by inserting two stents with a catheter and placing him in a type of medically induced coma to cool his body temperature, which is "thought to protect the vital organs from damage and improves healing," Messerli said. Tim spent three weeks in the hospital.

"What's so gratifying about Tim's case is that the healing has really been complete and absolute," he said. "When I see him in the office, he's in wonderful spirits, minimal complaints, and he's doing really well."

Since then, about a dozen of SWS's 40 staffers have received CPR certification and AED training, says the release.

They have also been honored by the Lexington Fire Department for their bravery, quick thinking and knowledge of CPR and have participated in the American Heart Association's 2015 Heart Walk on #TimsTeam and raised $3,500 on his behalf.

Friday, 11 March 2016

Princess Health and March 11th, 2016 The Fear. Princessiccia

Princess Health and March 11th, 2016 The Fear. Princessiccia

Add Comment
March 11th, 2016 The Fear

Fear is a good thing. If you've ever been described as a "survivor," (I have my entire life) you likely have a healthy amount of fear. Fear keeps us alive. Without this measure of fear, we would quickly put ourselves in harms way. A healthy amount of fear is a good thing. Too much fear, or, an unhealthy amount--and it not only keeps us alive, it keeps us from evolving.

What we choose to fear is dependent on our imaginations. It is, because fear encourages the development of stories, our stories of what might happen if we bravely proceed, despite the fear. And those stories in our mind are powerful. We pick the stories we believe the most--and those create the boundaries in which we live.

Living as a five hundred pound man for nearly twenty years, I had plenty of reasons to fear an early death caused by crushing high blood pressure, an over-worked heart or a number of other believable stories capable of becoming my tragic reality.

The fear of a change far removed from the habits and behaviors keeping me over five hundred pounds was very strong--stronger than my fear of an early death. A more believable story developed in my brain, centered around the fears of change and seemingly oblivious to the very real dangers of morbid obesity. And so, there I was.  

Too little fear can kill. Too much fear keeps us from evolving.

I placed too little fear on the deadly possibilities and too much fear on my perception of the changes needed for dramatic results.

The fearful stories of a possible early death were mostly discounted in my mental creative. Dying young happens to other people. Sure it does, until it doesn't. Then it's too late.

The stories I chose to believe the most, were the ones centered around the changes. How will these changes affect me socially? How will people treat me differently if I lost the weight once and for all? How will I handle the differences? How will I treat myself differently? How will I cope without the binge? And in that line of thinking--how in the world can I make it through this sometimes extremely stressful life I'm leading--and still focus on what I need to do--what I must do to lose weight? And speaking of that--what's required? I'm not eating salad, ever, so let's just establish that right now. But what will I eat? What will people think of me when they see me out exercising? Will they make fun of me when they see a five hundred pound mess of a man or will they see an image of inspiration, against the odds--out there, moving--trying his best for something better? My brain told me they'll probably laugh at me and focus on the five hundred pound-mess of a man, part.

These stories, given the most development and exploration, exploit our vulnerabilities and multiply insecurities times ten. They become big. And the bigger the stories--the bigger the fear--the bigger the challenge--and suddenly, it feels much safer if we don't proceed in that harrowing direction.

But what about that other fear, you know--the early death thing? 

Would you stop, already??? 

I feel fine! Sure, I'm out of breath and my resting heart rate is anything but--- and my right leg is swollen to unnatural proportions and breaking out in multiple sores--any one of which could easily get infected and result in an amputation. Another blood clot--another ER trip, another ultrasound revealing a superficial clot--not the deadly kind. See! I'm fine! Sure, I can't walk from my car to the Walmart entrance without feeling like I need to take a rest stop--and all of these things without even a mere mention of how this depressed state feeds my low self-esteem, self worth and identity. I probably didn't deserve anything good coming my way--and anything negative coming my way, I probably deserved it--I mean really, look at me!

But these changes--oh my, all of what's required is too overwhelming--it's too much. I was fearful of what I perceived these changes might require--and the consequences of the changes, never mind the consequences of avoiding the changes. 

I thought I needed to figure it all out prior to starting. I felt the need to explore every possible lead fear so conveniently provided. I needed to know how it would all turn out.

But that's not how life works. And even if we did have a crystal ball, maybe we wouldn't like some of the things revealed. Removed from the idea of developing and adapting--the changes revealed just might be too much to handle without the perspective time adds to the equation.

So now what?

What if we decided to have faith? What if we added action to that faith? What if the results of our faith in action, generated hope for something better?

But how???

What if we decided we didn't have to figure it all out at once? What if we could keep it as simple as possible, accepting the progress and changes in doses along the way? What if we could overcome our fear of the unknown with the trust of its reveal in manageable pieces instead of all at once? What if we could embrace progress instead of perfection? What if we could focus on consistency instead of intensity? What if we developed close support connections to those who've walked the path before us and continue down this road?

Oh wow...what would happen? 

I've been answering that question, in manageable pieces, for almost seven and a half years.

One of the biggest things I've discovered from my own fear is this: The self-produced stories we fear the most, in reality, are almost never as threatening as our perception. And the fearful stories we often choose to discount or dismiss, in the end, are the ones most likely to get us.
photo Before-Now_zps8qvk1qhh.jpg
Fear Facing The Possibilities-Profile-Before & After dramatic change
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today was a fantastic day. I ate well, I worked out. I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar, I exceeded my daily 64oz water goal and I maintained good support connections.

I discovered something at the grocery store I wasn't too thrilled about! I discuss it in the Tweets below. You see, I planned on preparing a mushroom pizza mid to late afternoon. First, I needed some 90 calorie Fit & Active sugar free wraps, some Simply Organic sugar free marinara and a package of mozzarella slices. I buy all of these things from Aldi, just a couple of blocks from my apartment.

The jar for the marinara was different. And for some reason, it prompted me to glance at the ingredients--and I was shocked to find, although still considered organic--the recipe had changed. It was incredibly simple before. Now it contained refined sugar. Luckily, I found the Priano brand right next to it and it was sugar free, however the ingredients are different. The Simply Organic old recipe didn't contain olive oil. This Priano stuff lists extra virgin olive oil as its second ingredient. This isn't a bad thing, really--it is a much richer sauce as a result, but the calories are slightly more than double. Eighty calories per serving instead of thirty-five. I only use half a serving on a flatbread pizza, so it still works well--but anyway... That was my frustration this afternoon.

How blessed am I? If that's the only source of frustration today, I'd say I better be immensely grateful. And I am, very blessed and immensely grateful.

I get to sleep in as late as I desire in the morning. I'm going to do my best to reclaim the sleeping in talents of my youth, when sleeping until almost noon seemed so easy. These days, even when I have the opportunity to sleep as long as I want, I'll wake up at a fairly reasonable time--and then, that's it...I'm up. If it's way too early, I'll scan my mental schedule for the possibility of a nap time later in the day. Rarely can I just turn over and go back to sleep a little longer.

My Tweets Today:










































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)