You may not know that I had a total right knee replacement in November. It was a difficult choice after having 8 knee surgeries. Everyone knows someone who has had joint replacement, some healed fast, some did not. I guess I am part of the latter.
Everything was going great. I did physical therapy just two hours after surgery, then went on to doing it three times a week without any setbacks. Until... Sinus tachycardia. I got weak, out of breath and my blood pressure topped out at stroke level, sometimes for hours, sometimes for a few minutes. But the weakness stayed. After being admitted to the hospital on Christmas night, I had a stress test that proved my heart was fine. The heart doctor looked at me and said he thought it was stress, both physical and mental. Then when I add Fibromyalgia to it, the pain and weakness was unbearable, and still is.
But it was also a blessing, as I was able to free myself of so many obligations, and focus on taking better care of myself. I am also blessed with the greatest caregiver I have ever had, thehubs. He has been there night and day, doing the laundry, cooking, making me do my exercises, driving me around and so much more. He is my best friend, my confidant and my biggest encourager. He is also my favorite person on this earth.
Ice, a sparkling water, with zero calories. The label says it has vitamins and antioxidants, 0 fat, 0 sodium, and 0 sugars. It has replaced my caffeine free Coke, which is delicious after setting in the freezer for 45 minutes. The Boost is not my favorite, however some days thehubs makes me drink it, good thing I love him, because I do not love Boost.
Hiland 2% Milk, it even goes with us when we travel. We go through about 3 gallons a week. so I guess we are not lactose intolerant. Thehubs has tried to fool me with other brands, but I always know it is not the real deal. It must be Hiland 2%. Thehubs must love me to make room in the trunk for a cooler full of milk.
Hiland Onion Dip, it goes with everything, chips, celery, carrots, and especially thehubs famous mashed potatoes.
His mashed potatoes are absolutely OUR
favorite side dish. They are also our friends, coworkers, neighbors and families favorite side dish.
Cheetos Cinnamon Puffs taste just like cinnamon toast or those pie crust cinnamon rolls we make with left-over pie dough. I buy them by the case and share them with family members who now expect them during the holidays.
White chocolate Oreos are so sweet, I can only eat 2 at a time (with the Hiland 2% milk). They make a great cookie to serve to guests at parties or a cookie exchange. They only come on the shelves at Christmas time, so not too many people know about them. But they are really sweet, I mean really sweet!
So after a long talk (lecture) from the nurse in charge of the heart portion of the hospital, I am enjoying these favorite foods in smaller quantities and fewer times a week. I am also learning to read the labels, pay closer attention to portion sizes and not reach for the salt shaker. I am not even going to mention butter...
Life changes, doesn't it?
Everything was going great. I did physical therapy just two hours after surgery, then went on to doing it three times a week without any setbacks. Until... Sinus tachycardia. I got weak, out of breath and my blood pressure topped out at stroke level, sometimes for hours, sometimes for a few minutes. But the weakness stayed. After being admitted to the hospital on Christmas night, I had a stress test that proved my heart was fine. The heart doctor looked at me and said he thought it was stress, both physical and mental. Then when I add Fibromyalgia to it, the pain and weakness was unbearable, and still is.
But it was also a blessing, as I was able to free myself of so many obligations, and focus on taking better care of myself. I am also blessed with the greatest caregiver I have ever had, thehubs. He has been there night and day, doing the laundry, cooking, making me do my exercises, driving me around and so much more. He is my best friend, my confidant and my biggest encourager. He is also my favorite person on this earth.
So today, I thought I would show you some of my favorite things...
starting with food.
Hiland 2% Milk, it even goes with us when we travel. We go through about 3 gallons a week. so I guess we are not lactose intolerant. Thehubs has tried to fool me with other brands, but I always know it is not the real deal. It must be Hiland 2%. Thehubs must love me to make room in the trunk for a cooler full of milk.
Hiland Onion Dip, it goes with everything, chips, celery, carrots, and especially thehubs famous mashed potatoes.
His mashed potatoes are absolutely OUR
favorite side dish. They are also our friends, coworkers, neighbors and families favorite side dish.
I now, these are not good for us,
but they only come out on the grocery shelves once a year (thank goodness).
Cheetos Cinnamon Puffs taste just like cinnamon toast or those pie crust cinnamon rolls we make with left-over pie dough. I buy them by the case and share them with family members who now expect them during the holidays.
White chocolate Oreos are so sweet, I can only eat 2 at a time (with the Hiland 2% milk). They make a great cookie to serve to guests at parties or a cookie exchange. They only come on the shelves at Christmas time, so not too many people know about them. But they are really sweet, I mean really sweet!
So after a long talk (lecture) from the nurse in charge of the heart portion of the hospital, I am enjoying these favorite foods in smaller quantities and fewer times a week. I am also learning to read the labels, pay closer attention to portion sizes and not reach for the salt shaker. I am not even going to mention butter...
Life changes, doesn't it?
Linking with
This is my first time, hope I get it right!
also linking up with
My husband had a heart attack last June and is suffering through diet changes. He loves all the wrong food and misses salt. I'm a huge fan of Ice Strawberry Kiwi.
ReplyDeleteBetty, thank you for coming by! Hope your husband is doing well!
DeleteI have never heard of Cheetos cinnamon puffs! My youngest son would probably love those. It is so hard to change eating habits. I know I would struggle and I also know I eat a lot of things I shouldn't as well. Hope you continue to recover and are 100% healthy again soon.
ReplyDeleteThank yo Jean, your support means a lot to me!
DeleteI've never heard of most of these foods (other than the milk). It's hard to realize one needs to cut back for the sake of health, but it's so worth it. Hope you continue to heal well. Happy Weekend!
ReplyDeleteLorrie, Happy Weekend to you, thank you for coming by!
DeleteAlways a joy to come across different brands and foods to what we are used to. Sorry to hear about how ill you have been, hopefully you are now on the mend. It was nice to visit, take care.
ReplyDeleteThank you for coming by, your visit is greatly appreciated!
DeleteI knew you were having extreme health issues, but not what type. that is a lot of knee surgeries for one person to go through. and add to that the sinus problems. you are truly blessed to have such a wonderful hubby.. prayers for your healing... I have battled food addiction since the day I was born
ReplyDeleteSandra, sorry to hear you face a daily battle with food. I was born with ulcerative colitis, so food has always been a test for my body. I always appreciate your support and blog friendship, you are a blessing in my life!
DeleteIt's so hard to cut down on the things you love to eat but if it helps your healthy then I guess it has to be done. Both of us had high blood pressure & cholesterol so we make a lot of our own food without salt like bread, cut down on sugary things although it is very hard to cut out biscuits with coffee at elevenses, we also have skimmed milk and cook with olive oil. How wonderful to have such a great carer to do all those chores whilst you recover from your operation, Do take care:)
ReplyDeleteRosie, thank you for coming by and sharing your thoughts. I had never had any blood pressure or heart problems until these past few weeks. It is very scary, thank goodness I had good doctors who got me in and identified the problem. I learned a lot about the heart, and how it works. Knowledge is power! Power to overcome and to heal!
Delete...life is constantly changing!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tom! You are so right! Thank you for coming by, I hope you will come back!
DeleteI hope your knees are feeling better! That's a lot to cope with. I really like the Ice drinks - they give you that fizzy touch with some fruit but not overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have a great carer! Enjoy indulging (albeit less) on those yummy things. We all need a little sweet in our lives.
Happy Five on Friday!
Sharon, thank you for coming by for a visit. I love the Five on Friday! Yes, those Ice drinks are tasty, my favorite is the strawberry kiwi. Yumm!
DeleteSorry to hear that you have had tough times, it isn't fun at all is it. I hope that 2017 will bring a new start and new beginnings with new and good things to come. I hope you will find your way through the stress, it is not easy, but it will come in time. I can recommend a little crafting, reading, those type of things to absorb your mind, which does help in time. Take care. Thank you for joining Five On Friday, I hope these little things help!
ReplyDeleteHello Amy, and thank you for coming by. I do love the Five on Friday! I am starting to do some crafting, however, my crafts aren't so pretty sometimes! But I am not giving up! I hope to share a post about it soon, just hope no one laughs... or maybe I do! Laughter heals!
DeleteSorry to hear about your health problems, life can be difficult sometimes, thank God for a great husband, I have one of those too.
ReplyDeleteHello Janet, yes we are blessed to have great companions in this life! Thehubs is a jewel! Thank you for coming by to visit, I do appreciate your time!
DeleteThere are so many hidden ingredients in our food these days, it really pays to look at the labels doesn't it. Hope you start to feel a lot better soon.
ReplyDeleteHello and thank you so much for coming by! Those darn ingredient labels can be tricky.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear you haven't been well. I do hope the new year brings you health. Oreos are one of my favorites, and don't get me started on Cheetos hahaha.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Sheri, thank you for coming by! 2017 is becoming a good year, thanks to so many friends for lifting me up and encouraging me along my way.
Deleteoh my goodness, hope your knee is much better and won't be giving you any more problems, that is a lot! this post made me hungry! cinnamon cheetohs, wow! and funny, i was just talking about those little ends of pie crust that my grandma used to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on :) thank you so much for linking with willy nilly and i do hope you will join in again! have a great week ahead!
ReplyDeleteHi Tanya, thank you for coming by! I love those pie crust cinnamon rolls, last time I made them I burnt them... that's a funny story for later! I will be back to link up, love your blog!
Deletei didn't know about your knee. surgery can be so difficult, i am happy to hear that you have a good care giver, it is so important. as for food, i go with, everything in moderation and i never diet. it works for me as i never want to feel deprived!!! i hope your continued recovery goes well!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie! Living with ulcerative colitis, dieting was not a problem, I was always trying to gain weight. Now that I have this ileostomy, and amd pushing 60 years old, my body is growing shorter and wider! Thank you for the positive comments, they are appreciated more than my words can say.
DeleteGoodness! You must be my neighbor. I live in Nixa, Missouri, and I have Hiland milk and cottage cheese in my refrigerator right now.
ReplyDeleteI saw in your archives that you went to the homes tour in Carthage. My brother and sister-in-law live in Webb City. I plan to grab my Lil' Sis' and do one of those tours next year.
So Howdy Neighbor!
Hi Patsy, I am so glad you came by! I love Nixa, our daughter is building a new home in Nixa. We lived in Springfield for about 20 years but moved back to my homeplace to be near family. I hopped over and took a quick look at your blog! I love it! Your recipes look delicious! I added it to my favorites bar so I can come back often!
Delete