My Journey Towards Better Health

NY cat man said:

different bowl shapes- round or elongated.

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What bowl shape did you get? My dad got round, but he wishes he got the elongated instead because it feels small to him. I don't mind the round, I'm just happy it's tall.

foxxycat said:

you know I would jump in the ring to defend you...it's kind of my signature

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I know you wouldn't be afraid to tell my mom off or grab me out of here if she ever went too far.

neely said:

I was going to suggest some form of exercise or physical activity when the doctor gives you the okay.

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I don't know about exercising in front of other people though.

neely said:

Or better yet fill them out on the computer so she is not in the room at your doctor appointment.

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I need her in the room for this because she knows all our family medical history. Plus I have to wait for a day she can take me. I'm kind of dependent on her right now since I'm not driving yet.

maggiedemi said:

What bowl shape did you get? My dad got round, but he wishes he got the elongated instead because it feels small to him. I don't mind the round, I'm just happy it's tall.



I know you wouldn't be afraid to tell my mom off or grab me out of here if she ever went too far.



I don't know about exercising in front of other people though.



I need her in the room for this because she knows all our family medical history. Plus I have to wait for a day she can take me. I'm kind of dependent on her right now since I'm not driving yet.

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We got the elongated.

neely said:

10 drug-free ways to control high blood pressure

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That's a great article, thank you. It says:
Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure.

What are some examples of low-fat dairy products? I thought they were all high in fat. What are whole grains?

Like foxxycat mentioned, I would also suggest getting into an exercise group of some sort. Yoga or some form of martial arts would be good since both of those also teach mental discipline along with the physical exercise. Maybe even take a dance class, if you're into that.

maggiedemi said:

That's a great article, thank you. It says:
Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure.

What are some examples of low-fat dairy products? I thought they were all high in fat. What are whole grains?

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Basically anything made with skim milk instead of whole milk. You have to watch the ingredients for low fat foods in general though, typically there are extra sweeteners added in place of the fat.

Whole grain foods will say that they are whole grain on the label, so those are easy to identify.

Talien said:

Whole grain foods will say that they are whole grain on the label, so those are easy to identify.

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Like sandwich bread?

maggiedemi said:

Like sandwich bread?

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Some of them yes, just make sure it says whole grain on the label. Some will say "multigrain" but that doesn't necessarily mean it is whole grain.

maggiedemi said:

I found some spicy kimchi at Price Chopper. I've always wanted to try it. I don't know how to actually cook with it though. I didn't buy it of course.

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There are some cooked things with kimchi added, but AFAIK you don't cook it. It's meant to be eaten like a salad. Anyway that's how I eat it, lol. Also stirred into various foods (like fried rice). I do love kimchi. Fermented foods are good for your stomach, so once it's healed you could try a mild kimchi.

foxxycat said:

I took a stroll in Trader Joe's yesterday after work..I was on teh look for a cooked chicken and 1 pound of spinach. I found neither. The prices were EXPENSIVE

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Huh, the closest TJ's is in Omaha, so I only get there once or twice a year. But I always thought it's pretty reasonably priced. I wonder if prices vary by region. And selection is slim, that's true. It's a specialty market, not a supermarket. Whole Foods is expensive, though!

Willowy said:

so once it's healed you could try a mild kimchi.

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I think I'll wait until I can have the spicy.

Some examples of whole grains would be barley, brown rice, wild rice, oats (oatmeal), quinoa, buckwheat, cracked wheat, millet.
When choosing bread, it will say whole grain on the package, but whole wheat is still a better option than white bread in a pinch.

Did the doctor give you any restrictions on if some fibers would be too difficult for you to digest as your intestines heal? I'm not sure how extensive the damage to your insides were, and if they included the stomach, intestines or colon...
Sometimes it could take a while for things to properly digest and breakdown fiber.
For example, the skins of an apple can be difficult for the body to break down, but the flesh would be fine. So perhaps peel any fruit and vegetables with thicker skins for now. Whole corn is something that even people without digestive issues can't break down so it may make your tummy hurt. Seeds and the hull of some grains can also be difficult so I would caution on eating too much whole grain breads until you know how they make you feel.
I would also limit crusiferous vegetables, again, until you now how they make you feel. Just start in small amounts at first. Examples would be cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, turnip.
Cooked vegetables are easier to digest than raw as well, so maybe start with cooked and work your way to raw. And you don't have to cook them until they are mush, but it just helps to start the process of breaking down the fiber before it hits your stomach.

Jem said:

Did the doctor give you any restrictions on if some fibers would be too difficult for you to digest as your intestines heal?

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Basically everything in your post is what he said. To add these things back in gradually to my diet.

My brother sent a box. It has a hearing aid for my dad. 6 hot sauces that were supposed to be for me, but now go to my dad since I can't have them.
He also gave me an ipad and charger. Then some kind of Smart-TV attachment that seems to be for movies or TV shows? A brand new gray large print Bible still wrapped up in plastic wrap.

My dad is really excited about the red jalapeno sriracha sauce. That sounds amazing. I wish I could just lick it. Or have a small dot on an egg? God I'm obsessed with hot sauce.

Jem said:

I'm not sure how extensive the damage to your insides were, and if they included the stomach, intestines or colon...

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I didn't eat for 3 weeks and I think the correct term is that my bowels busted into my stomach, so my surgeon had to plug up the hole. I actually felt it snap.
I hope I'm describing this right.

Medical terms are:
Perforated Abdominal Viscus
Perforated Gastric Ulcer

maggiedemi said:

Basically everything in your post is what he said. To add these things back in gradually to my diet.

My brother sent a box. It has a hearing aid for my dad. 6 hot sauces that were supposed to be for me, but now go to my dad since I can't have them.
He also gave me an ipad and charger. Then some kind of Smart-TV attachment that seems to be for movies or TV shows? A brand new gray large print Bible still wrapped up in plastic wrap.

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Great gifts and brother! You will LOVE the IPad and the TV attachment will let you stream Netflicks or Hulu, although you have to buy a monthly subscription to do that. Hulu is $5.99 a month, Netflicks something like $13.

I think you guys are right. I'm going to have to get some frozen fruits & veggies. My fresh nectarines and peaches were terrible. They had brown spots all inside and not juicy at all. I guess in Upstate NY I have to learn the months where fresh stuff tastes good. So disappointed, but it's a learning experience. Apples are good here all year long though I think.

maggiedemi said:

My fresh nectarines and peaches were terrible. They had brown spots all inside and not juicy at all.

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~ They often pick fruit green and I always manage to get unripe fresh fruit. Really sad. It's great if you can pick it from a tree.

I might have been using the wrong term here. My friend said that "Anorexia" is when you starve yourself and look like a skeleton. I don't look like a skeleton. Well whatever I have it is some type of eating disorder where I would binge on all my favorite foods and then not eat from anywhere from 3 days to 3 or 4 weeks. So whatever that eating disorder is called, that's what I have, and it almost killed me.

JamesCalifornia said:

They often pick fruit green and I always manage to get unripe fresh fruit.

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Whoops! Was I supposed to look for green fruit? I don't know what I'm doing.

Not eating for an extended amount of time is medically called anorexia. I'm not sure if there's a special name for when someone goes in cycles like that, but it's not inaccurate to call it anorexia. But if you don't want the arguments, you could just say "eating disorder". Hard to argue with that!

I find fresh peaches and nectarines to be pretty inconsistent. Those might be better canned or frozen. If you get canned look for the ones packed in fruit juice and not sugar syrup.

maggiedemi said:

I might have been using the wrong term here. My friend said that "Anorexia" is when you starve yourself and look like a skeleton. I don't look like a skeleton. Well whatever I have it is some type of eating disorder where I would binge on all my favorite foods and then not eat from anywhere from 3 days to 3 or 4 weeks. So whatever that eating disorder is called, that's what I have, and it almost killed me.

Whoops! Was I supposed to look for green fruit? I don't know what I'm doing.

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What you have is similar to bulimia. With bulimia, people throw up whatever they've binged on.

No, you don't want green fruit. What James meant was that fruit is often picked while it is green so that it ripens on the way to the grocery store. But some fruits don't ripen well like that. Peaches and nectarines (fuzzless peaches) are a good example of that. And the weather where they are grown can affect their texture. I rarely buy peaches for that reason. Apples are famous for their ability to store, so you can get them all year round. Apple season is upon us, and my favorites are Fuji and Honeycrisp. In spite of the Aldi ad about smelling fruit, it's a good way to judge the ripeness of fruit. If it doesn't smell like what it is, it's probably still green. Some fruits, like tomatoes, can ripen just sitting on the kitchen counter. Cantaloupes, too. Bananas ripen so fast that you do want to buy them green.

Willowy said:

But if you don't want the arguments, you could just say "eating disorder". Hard to argue with that!

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Yeah, I'll just call it "Eating Disorder" then. My doc didn't really label it I think he said "No More Crash Diets." He was mostly focused on the surgery to separate my bowels from my stomach or whatever Perforated Abdominal Viscus is. I told you guys I'm bad with medical terms.

Willowy said:

If you get canned

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I want to try frozen I think.

DreamerRose said:

What you have is similar to bulimia. With bulimia, people throw up

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I never threw up food though, I just didn't eat it.