I use LifeGreens, which is from Lifetime gym. I love the mocha one, sort of mixed on the berry one. The mocha is good blended with cold brew coffee.

I am sucking on sour candies, in case it is a stone. Extreme warheads really are extreme sour!

I saw my ENT today. It is a parotid gland. As it is hard and not moveable, he is concerned it could be a tumor. My rheumatologist had already set up a ct scan for tomorrow, so the ENT said to keep that appointment and have the scans sent to his office to review. The pain has gone down considerably but the swelling has not improved at all. I can’t move my neck, eating is painful because it pulls on the area. I haven’t gone out of the house, except to the doctor’s office because - You know it’s bad when you unwrap the scarf and the doctor says OMG! ENT said to keep massaging the area, warm compresses, drink a lot of fluids, etc, on the chance it is a stone. (He said a stone would cause a soft area to form, not hard like this.) Thanks for the suggestions and esp information re: Sjogren’s. ENT and I talked again today about possibility of that.

I just had Sjogren’s test in Nov and it was negative. My rheumatologist said this doesn’t look like Sjogren’s or AI, so didn’t order new labs. I do love her, but the last time this happened my ENT said we needed “to strike when the fish are biting,” ie: test for everything when I am having a huge flare-up. That ENT has since moved out of state and I have a new one, but he was out on vacation when this came up last week. The whole area is swollen, so the rheumatologist said it is hard to say exactly where it originates. I was thinking lymph nodes because that was decision the last time this happened, but I guess it could be a gland. She ordered a ct scan and told me to get it done even if swelling goes down between now and appt.

Please don’t quote. Updated 3/27 at end updated 3/31 at end

I gave my friend going through cancer some really nice, cozy lounge wear-type pajamas. She said she loved them and that she wore them to chemo. I like the idea of one practical and one emotional gift, as Scarlett said. If that is within budget.

I love old trucks and vans. Seriously love them.

Jane Esselstyn is one Whole Foods, plant based person to follow on IG. If you go to their feed, you can probably find some others. Oh. Babette Davis (ChefBabette on IG) is amazing! It is so inspirational to see older people who are super active, especially females as they grew up in an era when women couldn’t compete in many sports. I started lifting weights in the rural Midwest in the 1980s, after there was an unfortunate incident during dodgeball in PE and the outcome was that the females could opt out of dodgeball and lift weights with the football players. I gladly took that option!

I love that juice combo. I need to make some this week. I have a lot of tangerines right now. I made a green smoothie today using tangerine and grapefruit juice, with frozen mango and banana, along with a hefty amount of fresh spinach. It was so good. Actually reminded me of the Orange Julius, popular in the 1970s or 1980s, but healthier and not so sweet.

I am new to buckwheat groats and absolutely love them in salads. They add a heartiness that I sometimes miss when eating salad.

Same. I lost quite a bit of weight my first trimester due to horrible morning sickness. My son was then born premature. I left the hospital weighing less than I did at the start of my pregnancy. Alas. My DS was in the hospital for quite a while and I was unable to drive bc of my C-section. My DH had started a new job just weeks before our son was born and didn’t have sick leave yet. He would drive me to the hospital each morning and I was there all day, dependent on hospital food. I gained so much weight! I weighed more at my six week postpartum appointment than I did when my son was born. That weight was impossible to lose!

Your grand baby is so adorable. I do disagree with my thyroid Dr about the Rice Krispies as I think they are delish. I don’t eat them anymore, as things like that are my gateway drug. I can eat super healthy forever and not have cravings, but one “treat” like that and it just spirals downhill so fast for me. My neurology appt went well and I didn’t poke his belly. He didn’t mention my weight, but he did tell me I need to workout more. I am already working out 1-3 hours a day, six days a week. That is my life right now. I do enjoy working out but I move so slow that most days it feels like all I do is workout, wash workout clothes, wash my hair and cook healthy foods. Emotionally… Hm. That is a tough one. I have young onset Parkinson’s and haven’t been able to find any local support groups. Everyone is so much older than I am! And mostly male. I struggle to put on makeup and earrings and no one can relate. LOL I know this likely isn’t a good comparison but I feel that with cancer, you have a visual of what you are up against. You vs the cancer cells/tumors. With Parkinson’s it is just you vs your declining brain. I don’t know if I am doing enough to battle this disease or if I am doing too much. I’m not afraid to die but I am afraid of a long drawn out decline. I am in therapy and have a decent support system, but this disease is just weird. I can deadlift more than I weigh, but can barely write my name because my hand won’t cooperate. re: standard American diet. I have never eaten it and have no desire to. Even a short vacation and eating fairly healthy restaurant foods for multiple meals in a row leaves me feeling terrible. I can’t imagine eating that way as a way of life. Enjoy your grandbabies!

I attended a memorial service recently for a gentleman that was an avid birdwatcher and watercolor artist. I really wanted to go around and take a photo of each table, as they were so beautiful. Just little snapshots in to his life, his binoculars, he birding books, art supplies, some of his smaller paintings and sketchbooks, etc. The venue was at the local lake where he often led birdwatching hikes. I came home and told DH that was exactly what I wanted. The location and all.

Mmm. Now I want Rice Krispie bars. They are (or used to be) one of my big indulgences. Alas. My thyroid doctor told me several years ago that no one over age 6 should be eating them. Sigh. So now I think of that whenever I want one. There is just something so good and comforting about them. I am super glad you made them for your daughter. My son is 21 now and I still remember some of the foods I ate right after his premature birth, when I was trying to nurse and pumping around the clock. Homemade banana bread slathered with peanut butter was my fav. I know your daughter will associate certain foods to this time of her life, as we all have fond food memories. I have a neurology appointment for my Parkinson’s this afternoon and my doctor is forever on me about my weight. I have lost over 50 pounds since my diagnosis, but I know it still won’t be good enough for him. I may poke him in his belly and ask him how he recommends I eat. My step brother and his wife both had gastric bypass surgery. I think, for them, it was incredibly life changing. But I always think about family gatherings and how much they ate. My step brothers plate would be close to a foot high with food, I kid you not. I spent some time last fall weighing my food and measuring out my food, logged my food using an app. I think it was good to do for a few weeks, just to reinforce to me how much a serving was. I didn’t plan to continue to measure my food and I am not logging or measuring my food, but I did benefit from that little refresher. When I was doing that, both DH and I recalled how much my stepbrother used to eat. Bad foods are so addictive and our society is filled with easy, cheap, fast foods. I really do feel for anyone that needs to lose weight. DH and I say often, “Pick your hard.” Yes, eating well and exercising is hard. But so I being extremely overweight. Which is harder? Working out or not being able to tie your shoes?

My trainer knows that my goals are 1.) getting nutrient dense food in my body 2.) reducing inflammation via diet 3.) lastly, weight loss. I struggle to eat due to my Parkinson’s - apathy, loss of smell, nausea, tremors. We discuss food choices, recipes, changing bad habits, etc. One of the things I really like about my trainer is that he isn’t pushy or restrictive. He knows my goals and that weight loss is down on my list. I was talking with another trainer at one point and she said, “Well, if you were my client, I would have you do xyz and you would be losing weight faster.” I wanted to say, “And that is why you aren’t my trainer!” I don’t want a cookie cutter “diet plan.” I am working on stalling the progression of Parkinson’s via diet and exercise. I think this is one of those areas where people need to listen to their gut. If it feels right, it likely is. If something feels off, find another trainer.

I have young onset Parkinson’s. Prior to my diagnosis, I was very physically fit, ran half marathons, did 2 cross state bike rides, etc. About six years ago, I started having neurological issues, balance issues, extreme fatigue, progressed to point where I couldn’t roll over or sit up in bed, etc. After several years of medical testing, second opinions, worsening of symptoms, I was diagnosed with YOPD. My neurologist sent me to physical therapy and was adamant that I needed to use a stationary bike daily. PT was dreadful, as they only wanted to show me how to use a cane and walker. After insurance wouldn’t cover any more PT sessions, I decided to drag my butt back to the gym. I was more than 50 pounds heavier than I had ever been and was so weak. I ran in to a trainer that I knew from years ago. This was right after Covid lockdown lifted and I think there were maybe ten people in the entire gym. I sat down and chatted with this trainer and hired him on the spot. I still work out with him once a week for an hour. I went from needing to use a railing to do stationary lunges to doing walking lunges with 75 pound barbell and running a half marathon. We are banking on the $ of personal training paying off longterm by keeping me up and mobile. My personal trainer is also certified in nutrition and has been very helpful with my diet. He keeps me motivated and accountable. I tell my trainer weekly that I hate him, because he pushes me so hard. But we all know that he has been such a blessing. I hate to think where I would be today without him. The gym I go to offers one on one personal training and small group team training. Years ago, I did the small group training and loved it. If I didn’t have the health issues, I would probably go back to that to save some money. I don’t have good spatial awareness anymore, so benefit from being one on one.

I have adhd and ocd. Odd mix. But when we travel, I constantly count bags. We generally travel with carry on luggage, two for each of us. So I am forever counting 2-4-6, okay, we are good. Once at a hotel and just out for the day, we have maybe 1 or 2 bags. (My purse and one backpack.) I still count. People probably think I am weird. I am also the overplanner, but that has saved us many times when DS has randomly needed to puke. I always know exactly where a few small trash bags are in the backpack.

We were in Paris twice and impacted by similar situations. First time, the entire metro system was shut down for an abandoned suitcase. It ended up being harmless, tourist had accidentally left it behind. But they take abandoned bags quite seriously over there. Another trip, there was an abandoned bag near one of their museums we were at and same protocol. Total shutdown and evacuation of the area. I would think the Smithsonian would react similarly.

Are you on Pinterest? I have a fitness board with different types of workouts. I keep a small notebook and write out a few workouts at a time.

I always find it fascinating how people ate in their youth, as it varies so much by family dynamics and location. I grew up in the rural Midwest, before fast food places were common. I was raised on meat, potatoes and over cooked vegetables. In the summer, my mom grew lettuce, but it was always served with a warm bacon dressing. We often got field corn from farmers, which was probably the freshest -though cringeworthy - food we ate. My mom had coffee with her friends every afternoon, generally at a local doughnut shop. My sister and I often walked there after school so we could get a doughnut. My DH grew up in the same town and was raised on similar foods. My mother, aunts and grandma were really good cooks, they just over cooked everything and it was meat centered. My mother in law, though, was/is a horrible cook! I think my DH grew up living on Little Debbie snack cakes, as that was the only decent food he had access to. LOL He still loves that sort of food. In fact, his breakfast of choice is a Mountain Dew and a brownie from the local convenience store. Yes. He is watching the Dr Fuhrman videos with me. He is finding them interesting and he loves the meals I make. He just, on his own, doesn’t eat that way. Sigh. He is active and not overweight, so he justifies his meal choices with that. I started making Dr Fuhrman’s no oil walnut salad dressing last week and Wow. DH and I have both said we will never go back to store bought. I always bought organic, mostly healthy salad dressings, but still - store bought. Now there is no going back. LOL My winter garden has taken off and I have been able to harvest 1-2 nice portions of salad greens a day for the past few weeks. Spring is in the air here and my fruit trees/shrubs and berries are starting to leaf out. I know it will be another year or two before I get much to harvest, but it is so nice to see the garden coming together. Last summer was brutal for keeping anything alive, let alone a dozen newly planted fruit trees.

I am sorry to pull up the February thread, but wanted to come back to this. No, I had never had my DHA tested, or even known that it could be tested. After researching it, we decided to order the kit through Dr Fuhrman. I just got it in the mail today, which reminded me I hadn’t gotten back to this. I am anxious to see how mine is. I have had chronically low vitamin D, even with high supplementation and sun exposure. Thank you for mentioning the test, as I didn’t realize I could just order a kit.

Same. I am trying to move my compost bins and was thinking ahead to spring planting and thinking about the OP. I have young onset Parkinson’s and cannot be around any chemicals. Even walking past the aisles at major home improvement stores is enough to trigger some of my symptoms. This past summer, I fought with our city over spraying for mosquitoes. I had genetic testing a few years ago and don’t have the known Parkinson’s gene, doctors at this time think my case is previous chemical exposure. (Grew up in a rural farming community with crop dusters.) I asked the city about their liability to exposing homeowners and the employees mixing and applying the mosquito spray. Our town had just lost a young firefighter to cancer deemed occupational exposure. The city said they contract out the spraying so it is on that company, not the city. I have been thinking about that ever since, esp now with this post… We (society) pay low wage workers to do (in my opinion) crap jobs that we don’t want to do ourselves (apply chemicals). Then when they get cancer (or Parkinson’s), we (society) dont want to offer compensation. (Healthcare, better wages, etc.) The horticulture field and our food supply chain is filled with low wage workers, often undocumented workers, yet we are so dependent on them for everything from bedding plants bought at the box store to the apples we feed our kids. My other issue with the city spraying for mosquitoes - I know that 1% of people infected by West Nile will have severe neurological symptoms, but we don’t know how many people (like me) may have long term health problems related to the chemicals. I don’t know where the balance is. The residents I spoke with didn’t want the city to spray. Yet there is always a vocal group that insist on spraying. I was successful in getting my area of town on a no-spray list, as I am trying to grow as much of my food (organically) as possible. I was thankful that, at a minimum, the city was responsive to my request/demand that they avoid spraying in my area. Several people have commented about having signs posted regarding no-spray zone. I would love to do that, but I also wonder if the workers would even notice? This thread really has me paranoid now. I have been in a local garden club for many years and know of a fellow member who had a neighbor “accidentally” under-dilute and over-spray plants on his side of a wrought iron fence. This was just two years ago.. It destroyed half of her garden. I don’t recall what chemical he sprayed with, but it was one that needs a commercial license to buy and apply. He got the chemical from “a buddy in the horticulture field” and didn’t know what he was dealing with. The major problem with chemicals is that the Average Joe doesn’t know what he is doing and too many people think is x amount is good, then xx amount is better.

Oh hell no. I would be burning them in the local media. I have a 20+ year old organic garden and would be absolutely devastated and livid if someone sprayed it with chemicals. I am so sorry for you. You need more than a hug! Do you know any other gardeners in your area that you can reach out to for help in replacing some of the plants?

LOL Same! I also have a shelf with dried fruits in glass canning jars. I love them stored that way. So beautiful to look at.

Selkie, Did you see the recent YouTube video on Rancho Gordo? Loved it! I made an awesome soup last week with their yellow eye beans, vegetable broth and carrots and collard greens from local regenerative ag farm. I also added two cans of organic tomatoes - one a roasted green tomatoes, the other a diced tomato with cilantro and jalapeño. I didn’t add any spices as the diced tomato had enough to carry the soup. The black garbanzo beans from Rancho Gordo have also been a hit with us. So far, I have just cooked them to have on hand to use in salads. One of the Dr Fuhrman episodes we watched recently was on cooking - salads, soups and smoothies. He mentioned batch cooking and meal prep, esp soups to have on hand. It was funny timing because I had just made this soup and remembering that I used to make a large soup to have on hand for the week. Then he said that in the dvd. So adding that to my weekly meal plan.