Hi again everybody!
Looks like I haven't posted since April, let me do a quick catch-up.
In mid May the wife had a boil like thing in her groin area. It persisted for a few days and she finally allowed me to take her to the ER. They diagnosed cellulitis, and admitted her. Since she doesn't take anything for her diabetes, her BS was 400+. They cut open the infected area and left a 6 inch wound in her groin that was as deep as 2 inches in places. They originally put her on a wound pump, but discontinued that when we told them we couldn't afford the $125 a day x 3 weeks for the pump. At some point they gave her vancomycin, which caused her kidneys to shut down. She went through a few dialysis treatments and 2 kidney doctors, but in the end her kidneys started working again. In all she spent 22 days in the hospital.
Once she got home I changed and packed the wound for her. She kept having abdominal pain. So I took her to a different hospital and they discovered a pocket of infected fluid behind her liver. They installed a tube with a drain pump and sent her home after two days. We went back a week later to have the tube removed.
All in all she's doing fairly well. She managing her diabetes better. She uses insulin and I wish she would use other medication. She was never diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but she was having lots of pain and most of her post hospital symptoms seem to be spot on for a fibromyalgia diagnoses. She's been to a doctor for it, but the doctor just gave her the pills she asked for, and I'm not sure those are the best ones for her. She's using gabapentin.
We went to New York for our anniversary in August. We ate once at the vegan restaurant Candle 79, and it was her favorite meal of the entire trip. That being said she's not aware that she is slowly (glacial) moving towards a more plant based diet. Matter of fact we were having a Thanksgiving day discussion and she asked if the Tofurkey she normally makes me is made out of the same stuff she had at Candle 79. I explained that seitan is the base, but it's pretty heavily processed. Then she started looking up seitan recipes. She had made herself ham last night and commented to me that she had spent most of the night in the bathroom. I'm making seitan now as I type this. I hope it works out ok.
I've used wheat gluten to firm up bean burgers or make faux Italian sausage, but I don't normally eat those things because I don't miss meat. But it's kinda fun to do every now and then when we have company over. Although, I never have gotten tired of that look on people's faces when they ask what you eat and you respond, "Plants!". So if Seitan will help her move away from meat I'm all in favor.
Two other big developments, I decided I wanted to get a motorcycle. The wife and I have had several heated discussions on this subject, and she has decided that she is going to get one also. We are taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course next weekend. Probably won't actually buy motorcycles until next spring but this is a big step.
The other thing is the wife is going to the gym, which allows me to go to the gym without fighting and arguments. I pretty much haven't gone since this time last year.
So the wife is feeling better, has agreed to us getting motorcycles and is going with me to the gym, and yet I still can't seem to control my eating. The walmart on the way to work (I don't normally go in until close to lunchtime) started having hot french bread for $1. I would buy and eat a whole loaf. Which is not by itself a horrible thing. The bread is vegan and low fat, at least that's what I kept telling myself. But then I would sometimes grab one on the way home too, and then still eat dinner. If they didn't have hot bread available, I could grab anything, donuts, cupcakes, cookies, etc.
I've just never recovered from this past Christmas and the wife's massive baking project. My cravings for sweets just can't seem to be appeased. I would eat fruit, sometimes several pieces and then still eat pop tarts or other things I shouldn't be eating. My planned meals are perfect, I eat a very strict McDougall/Esselstyn program.
Things came to head a couple of weeks ago, on the way back from the gym, the wife mentioned some goodie she was planning on making for Christmas. I said nothing, but must have made a face. She kept asking me what was wrong and I finally told her that the Christmas baking was hell/torture for me. This upset her very much, and I felt bad. She said she wouldn't bake this year and I told her it was ok, and that she should, but she refuses.
A couple of months ago I looked up Over Eaters Anonymous. I kept telling myself that if I didn't get my eating under control I would make myself go to a meeting. I kept delaying and finally informed my wife after our fight that I was going to go to OA.
I've been to 3 meetings and read the Blue book (The AA book). It follows the same 12-step program, and makes no dietary recommendations. What I have done so far is to define my abstinence from compulsive eating.
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These are my rules for abstinence:
All food McDougall/Esselstyn compliant.
3 moderate meals a day.
No eating in the car.
No eating bread by itself.
When home I ONLY eat at the dining room table.
Once I sit down to eat, that's it. No more food allowed for that meal. So no going back for seconds or making another wrap, or an extra piece of fruit.
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This is a modification of the OA 301 plan.
3 Meals a day
0 nothing in between
1 day at a time
This past year has been tough. I know what I'm supposed to be eating, I've done the hard part giving up the meat and cheese and fast food. I just haven't been able to control the beast, and he likes baked goods.
Anyways I'm back. My 3 year veganniversary was on 9/28. I'm sure my not posting was part of my problem. I had come to understand the science and nutrition of this way of eating, so I felt I didn't need the discussion board anymore. I felt like I was doing too much bitching about the wife. I felt sorry for myself. She would bake brownies for the boys, while I wouldn't eat any at home, I might buy a box of doughnuts the next time I was out. That's another side of OA. It's up to me to change and fix what is wrong with me.
For those interested, the lowest my weight ever got was 199. A couple of weeks ago I was at 248. I was sitting at 237 this morning.
That's probably enough for now. Time to go check the seitan.
Dis
