April 11, 2006 - Day 7 –
Weight Loss It is not
the preferred weight loss program, perhaps a little
less controversial than the Atkins diet, certainly
faster than my usual grilled vegetables and skinless
organic range fed chicken thigh diet, but it works.
I thought I was losing weight
because I was not very hungry and consequently not
eating as much. I was wrong. Once again we make
assumptions that are not always born out in reality.
Today was my first blood test
following the beginning of the chemo therapy. The
report indicated my white and red cells are
stabilizing, but my weight is falling off rather
rapidly. I have lost 10 pounds in two weeks which
is good news to a point. I tipped the scales this
morning at 175 and am prepared to keep this as the
baseline. My stomach has always been an indicator
of a rather fluid or shifting baseline, but I was
told something today that made both Katy’s and my
jaws drop.
I was kidding Dr. Larry Piro
about his weight loss programs effectiveness and he
calmly related that I was carrying around between 5
and 10 pounds of tumors. With the shrinking of the
tumors my weight will go down at least by that
much. I asked him to repeat what he said because I
could not believe what I was hearing.
10 pounds of cancer, heck that
is the size of Rosie the organic chicken we roast
occasionally. Ten pounds is easily measured and I
went home and grabbed two dumbbells we have that
weigh five pounds each and walked around the house
for five minutes. Extra weight in the form of
tumors pressing against my neck, throat, chest,
abdomen, groin and kidneys was part of the equation
that I had not computed. I now suspect that I have
been carrying a few extra pounds in the form of
tumors for quite some time.
Last night was a night of short
bursts of sleep. Maybe my brother Jay’s remedy for
almost anything, that is two fingers of bourbon,
will work. Not supposed to have any alcohol with
chemo therapy so only one finger or maybe medical
marijuana; or is that just for nausea.
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