Day 24 - 11/2/18
Count down to chemo—four days.
Today I had a “Pre-hab” appointment. Pre-hab is preparation for physical therapy, and the purpose of it is to measure the base-line strength in my arms. This is part of my physical therapy because I will have lymph nodes removed during my mastectomy. So I am told, and it seems logical--it’s best to have a “base-line” to gauge my progress, and this appointment is to establish my base-line.
After getting past the cute title of “Pre-hab,” this appointment was very informative. In addition to learning a few exercises, I’ve also learned the importance of diet and exercise, as it pertains to my healing. So all of the things that doctors have told me all along… I’m hearing it again… I admit that I’ve known diet and exercise is important... And deep in my heart, I’ve wanted to improve both. I just found every excuse in the book to not submit to a routine for either one of them. As both of these things will tremendously help my fight, I’m really going to try this time. :)
The most impactful thing that I learned at this appointment is that I need to carefully evaluate my sugar intake. Based on my physical therapist’s opinion, there is belief that cancer cells thrive on sugars. So this means I need to make sure I stop having cookies as my daily snack. Hmmmm… I must substitute them for the less enticing banana, apples and grapes. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy eating fruit. There’s pleasure in knowing I’m eating something that is good for my body. But there are moments in life, that you need to celebrate milestones by eating foods that minister to your soul. Like double fudge brownies served with ice cream when you’ve had a bad day at work. Or peach cobbler for successfully completing a difficult task. There’s therapy in chocolate… Whew!... I must digress… I’ve got to eat better and exercise.
All of that simply means I have to prep healthy snacks… And plan better meals that will allow me to have the occasion food breakdown—that’s like a nervous breakdown, with food. The lesson for me here is to enjoy life and food, but do so in moderation. Since this diagnosis, I've really understood how important it is to take care of my body. I'm not convinced that my eating habits have contributed to me having cancer, but I do understand that it is key in proper healing.
“When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God.” 1 Corinthians 10: 31 CEVDC
“If you are cheerful, you feel good; if you are sad, you hurt all over.” Proverbs 17: 22 CEVDC
Day 27: