Thursday, May 23, 2013

I have added V8 Juice to my diet.
It is not something that I drank a lot of in the past.  I like the original V8 Juice.  I will try some of the other choices to see if I like them as well.

Now, that it is becoming increasingly difficult to consume a proper diet....
I am trying to come up with simpler ways to eat what I need.   
I should note that my appetite has been decreasing.

NOTE:  I read an article about juices....

Best Choice: Vegetable Juice


"Drinking your veggies is a convenient way to add powerful plant-based nutrients to your diet. The lycopene in tomato juice appears to lower the risk of prostate cancer. Beet juice may reduce blood pressure. Pulpy vegetable juice is also packed with fiber that can help control hunger. And all of these benefits come without a catch. Vegetable juice has far less sugar and fewer calories than the typical fruit juice, but it is high in sodium unless you choose the low salt version."

INGREDIENTS

RECONSTITUTED VEGETABLE JUICE BLEND (WATER AND CONCENTRATED JUICES OF TOMATOES, CARROTS, CELERY, BEETS, PARSLEY, LETTUCE, WATERCRESS, SPINACH), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID), NATURAL FLAVORING, CITRIC ACID.


OTHER INFO

*8 fl oz of V8 100% Vegetable Juice provides 1 cup of vegetables. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 2 ½ cups of a variety of vegetables per day for a 2,000 calorie diet.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS

Serving Size8 FL OZ (240 ML)
 

Amount/Serving
Calories  50
Calories From Fat 0
% daily value

Total Fat   0 g0 %

Saturated Fat  0 g0 %

Trans Fat  0 g

Cholesterol  0 mg0 %

Sodium  650 mg27 %

Potassium  520 mg15 %

Total Carbohydrate  10 g3 %

Dietary Fiber  2 g8 %

Sugars  7 g

Protein  2 g


Vitamin A2000 %Vitamin C72 %

Calcium4 %Iron4 %

   

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Facts are based on our current data. However, because the data may change from time to time, this information may not always be identical to the Nutrition Facts table found on the labels of products.

Information true and accurate as of 10/09/2012


SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS

100 calories or less per serving
15 grams total carbohydrates or less per serving
250 calories or less per serving
50 beverage calories or less per serving
Good source of Vitamin A
Good source of Vitamin C
Kosher Certified
Low Fat
Lycopene
Serving of Vegetables
Sodium 481 - 800 mgs.
Zero Trans Fats
Gluten Free



Monday, May 20, 2013

I posted photos of what is mostly 'my world' as of this week.

This follows two visits one week apart to the Emergency Room for respiratory issues. They get me 'stabilized' and then send me home...
There is really not much that can be done for me at the ER.  They check my 'vital signs', but nothing that really solves the issues at hand.  Lack of oxygen is NOT something they can do much to treat as my level is still usually above 90....it is the muscles that I breath with that is the problem.

I will admit, that when I get this problem ...I panic and that IS BAD FOR ME!!!  I try not to panic..but it is pretty hard not to...when I cannot get in the air...and, I feel like I am suffocating or drowning.
I am working on trying to control the situation....
My doctor gave me a nebulizer (electric) to administer albuterol like the hookah pipe deal  at the ER...hoping  that will help.  I already use a 'puff' inhaler when needed...
The first trip to the ER this year (I was there in 2012 Nov for pneumonia too)...was during a period of time when I was having tremendous coughing issues...
The coughing is gone,,,,,,for the time being.....but, it certainly took its toll.

WE DID TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONER yesterday.
We thought it a good idea to make SURE it is working.
So far, it works well and is helping :)
 ALSO,  with the progression, this week,  my husband and son rearranged the bedroom so that the reclining rocker from the great room is now in the bedroom...so that I can be where my dear husband is more frequently during the night time.  I move back and forth between the bed (raised 6.5 inches at the head) and the chair so I can use the BiPap that is easier for me to use from the more upright chair position.

And YES,  we do let two of our Labs sleep in our bedroom.
THEY are a BIG part of helping me to control my panic and they are the greatest companion therapy that anyone could EVER ask for!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love them SO much :)



Sunday, May 19, 2013

Things moving right along with the ALS...
My family physician (who happens to be an older sister to a girl that my daughter graduated with), had mentioned to me, when I told her of my ALS diagnoses from OSU and Cleveland Clinic....that IF I have a 'bucket list' of things to do, I had better get busy with it....
Having been into the Emergency Room twice in the last 2 weeks for respiratory issues, and now being on my BiPap OFTEN during both day and night....
as I said, things are moving right along. The coming heat of the seasons is not helping.
So, trying to get things 'taken care of' concerning personal things....

Today I have spent a lot of time going through old emails etc and archives of things on the computer and deleting them......

Some things, HAVE TO BE done.

I am most worried at the moment, as to whether I will be able to attend our son Andrew's high school graduation on June 2nd.
Seems just like yesterday, that he was toddling up and down our lane,,,,,picking up stones to look at...as we built our family home.
Now, he is turning 18 this coming week and becoming an adult.

I gotta stop here for now.............................................................................

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

an ALS joke, sort of........................

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
The Philadelphia Eagles new coach, Chip Kelly, recently got rid of the team's long-running tradition of having fast-food Fridays. He says that he wants his players to live healthier lives. Then he sends them out to hit other people with their heads.
****************************************************************************************
I am told by some of the doctors I talk to, that, there is some thought  that one cause of ALS is related to head trauma...such as that received by football players and persons who serve in the military.

...any thoughts or comments????

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Years ago, I purchased an electric hot water kettle.  At the time, I did not think of it as a piece of kitchen equipment that Americans used very much.  I was aware that it was something that many households in the United Kingdom used routinely....for their tea making etc. as, I am a tea drinker and took an interest in the art of tea. In Europe itself where I lived for a number of years it was normal to have a small hot water heater device at the kitchen sink where the people directly retrieved hot/boiling water for a number of uses.
Then, here in the United States  I realized convenience of the electric kettle and, most of all the speed of which it provided boiling water...FASTER than the microwave!!!  I was a convert.  The 'point of use' hot water tanks are now becoming more popular for their convenience and economical green aspects.
The kettle is filled only with filtered water from our  Reverse Osmosis system that we had installed when we  our house was built in 1997.
I use the kettle everyday several times a day!

A BIG issue with my ALS, is my constant  throat irritations/tickles with throat clearing and coughing...causing choking 
A lot of this annoying problem is probably caused by the GERD (silent version - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngopharyngeal_reflux  ) for which I take Dexilent  (a protein pump inhibitor) medication .

I should point out, that due to the health issues I have, and the resulting medications I already take to treat them, I have to be VERY CAREFUL  as to what if any cough suppressant medications I consume...and the amount...
...for instance, meds that contain codeine (IC Hydrocodone-Homatropine Syrup) work amazingly well in 'silencing' a cough...and, make me feel 'euphoric' and put me to sleep, if you know what I mean...but CAN BE dangerous for me especially with the sleep apnea I have!   I may never wake back up after  falling asleep.

I have found that it is a good thing that I LOVE drinking hot beverages....coffee and tea....and also hot cider,  hot wine, cocoa etc.
 and now
due to wanting to get away from so much caffeine, I have more recently resorted to making a hot lemon with honey beverage and have found this combo to be quite helpful in relieving the constant throat irritation (temporarily), tastes good and healthier, plus very easy  to make.

Last night, I was up again until after 1 a.m. before I was able to go to bed and stay in bed with the coughing under control.
One change I made, as I had become tired even of the tasty lemon 'toddy'...
was leaving out the lemon and honey..
and resorting to just sipping on hot, hot water until the throat irritation subsided, which it did eventually.

So, I would note that with hot weather coming, I will be in sort of a dither. 
 Like most people, I prefer to drink hot beverages in cold weather to help in staying warm and cold beverages in hot weather to help in staying cool.
COLD, ICED beverages often, cause further irritation to my throat or at least do not relieve it....that instantaneous "TICKLE" that appears so often and makes for so many problems....even to the point of being panicked when I know it is coming on..... 

It is 5:30 a.m. now, I am up again.  NOT due to cough but because I have to 'be the mom' and get my son up and out the door for school......

Hot Lemon Honey Beverage recipe>

The ingredients are approximate to be adjusted to personal taste....
(Please note: children under the age of 1 year are NOT supposed to have honey!)

Ingredients:

Serves: 1

8 ounces water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I  have been  using  the bottled kind as that is what I have on hand)
2 tablespoons +/- honey

Directions:

1.   Boil water and pour into mug.
2.   Stir in lemon and honey. 

ginger or other spices/herbs  may be added to taste and is known to assist in digestion.
This is great with tea of your choice if you are in the mood for more flavor.

Friday, May 3, 2013

It is SUCH a BEAUTIFUL day out of doors :)

I wish I could say that I was out and about enjoying the day....


Darn!   I started the day yesterday with a runny nose and some sneezing.
I think, today, it is a cold rather than allergies.
This makes things worse for me than they already are with my respiration issues/ALS.
I took cold meds last night but had a miserable night anyway....and this morning is not any better.  Glad I bought the additional tissues recently.
The vitamin C etc. were not the armor for this sort of thing that I thought they would be ;(

I am very careful about taking any meds that are apt to put me into a deep sleep...with the Obstructive Sleep Apnea I have, that CAN be an issue.
I have a slight fear, of  NOT waking back up.......probably a silly thought, but none the less...

Anytime I have breathing issues at night, I tend to end up in the more vertical position.
I cannot use my BiPap machine, when I have congestion...
that has been a continuing problem going back to the years I was using the CPAP....esp. in the more recent years....which prompted me to give up its use in about year 8.  Prior to that, I tried to use it EVERY night....and usually did...religiously as one would say.
I have found that it is difficult to cough effectively and my sneezes are not the same as they used to be.
After having (aspiration) pneumonia lat November, I have tried to be very careful to avoid respiratory infections....
I have read that that sort of thing, is probably going to be the scenario that ends my life when that time arrives.

Soon, I will compile my info about the BiPap that I have switched over to using this year.  It needs an entire post of its own.

The good news.....
I was able to get outside yesterday to take photos of  some landscape that is in full bloom this week :)
I enjoy capturing to see later after they are finished blooming, the flowers, shrubs and trees was have planted in the yard in the nearly 17 years we have been at this location.  Everything that is here in the landscape that was not here prior to our building the house, was planted by ourselves.  It has been a journey to see the changes as things grow...
The pink blossomed tree is a flowering crab and the white blossomed trees are a couple of our pair trees.
In the rear of the pear tree photos, you see a part of our vegetable garden.
It saddens me that this year, there will not be much of a garden...
I just simply will not be able to maintain my share of  it :(
Last year, we did a lot of canning and drying of tomatoes, green beans and peppers etc.
We had a great crop of apples and made canned applesauce with most of them.
It is a very satisfying feeling to be able to eat our produce all year long this way.