Take that!

So I got the call and the results from the I-131 scan done on 12/12/11 and guess what....I AM CANCER FREE! Yes, I kicked that cancer out of my body. This is a TRUE reason to be joyous and to truly celebrate life! I am unbelievably relieved and happy. The heavy feeling on my shoulders is gone. My family is completely HAPPY. My body was confused when it decided to welcome the bad cells but just as easily we kicked them the heck out. :)

One thing I cannot help but think of is all the people that don't get the good news. I truly do continue to pray for the ones that have lost the battle and the ones that fight for their lives everyday. I am thankful for my fortune and have decided to do more for those that cannot live a normal life because of cancer - especially the children. I know that one little thing may seems senseless or silly but for a cancer patient it can mean the world.

I am blessed beyond words. I have the best Doctors, family, friends and coworkers. Life is good and I am glad it chose me. I now know the value of MY life.

XO

Elda

Yes, I am rocking a super short do. :) Merry Christmas!

Spidey Senses?

From December 7, 2011
I got my dose today. 100 picocuries of radioiodine - picocuries is a measurement used in the field. The dose was administered via a capsule, which was a blue capsule a bit bigger than a regular tylenol.

I have been going to the Radiation center (ARA) since Monday 12/05/2011 preparing for the dose. I received on shot of Thyrogen on Monday and a second dose on Tuesday. Today the pill was ordered as soon as I checked in. When it got there, the delivery guy showed up with a weird box with RADIOACTIVE stickers and warning signs all over it. :-/ He was escorted by some other guy and took it to the room where the radioactive materials are delivered.... the Nuclear Medicine guy (Dave) had to sign for it. I sat and signed papers before it was delivered and even had to check out before I was given the dose; this would lessen the chances of contaminating anyone there. The pill itself was in two other containers inside that big gray box, the Radiologist handed it to me in a cylinder (like a prescription bottle) wearing gloves and holding it with tongs. I had to put it in my mouth and put the cylinder in the red bin. He said it was radioactive and he could not touch the container. HA.
So I did that and had to wait 20 minutes to allow for any crazy symptoms or allergic reactions to show - if they were going to.... So can I say that I went to the restroom and turned the lights out... I needed to see if I was glowing, I know - don't judge me! Just so you know, I was NOT glowing (bummer). AND to answer all the questions from my smartie pants friends: I am not growing and extra set of arms, can't fly, not turning green and I can't climb walls - yet. I will keep you posted if that changes.... I am going to enjoy my 5 days of isolation and have me a no chocolate-one-person party. Woot.


One thing that I did notice today, is that today, I chose to drive slow. I took in EVERY image in front of me on my drive home. I drove down a back road from Round Rock to Cedar Park down Brushy Creek Road. I took time to watch the leaves falling from the trees (the ones that do change with the seasons in Austin). I saw a few deer at the end of the woods. I saw a couple of birds taking off from the creek. I also saw an old couple walking and the two of them enjoying the sun shining on them.

Things changed for me and I refuse to take anything for granted. I am lucky to have what I do and I am thankful for all good, bad and indiffererent in my life. I am who I am because of the obstacles, lessons, blessings, and all things that have been in my path. My friends are amazing and are in my life for good reasons. Friends new and old have a place in my heart and I am so thankful for each and everyone of you. My family is the greatest. Morgan, Carla, Sean, Alan, Meche and my parents are my pilars. I don't think I would have the strength to face THIS without their encouragement and support.

Ah, I am going to be alright. I think that this is just a little bump in the road, a reminder that we are all so fragile.

See y'all later!

XO - Elda

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 10:36 AM, I wrote:

Rocking it. It is healing well and shrinking. I hope the end result is fabulous!

Here is an update as promised:

I have the pathology report back. It is three pages of stuff that we already knew and more information. On the 6th of September, 2011, Dr. Fyfe did a thyroidectomy and central neck dissection to remove all the cancer. This means he removed my whole thyroid and the lymph nodes in the center of my neck that were attached to the thyroid. The pathology report does confirm that I did have a nodule with papillary cancer. It also states that I had two more areas with cancer in the deep tissue of my central lymph nodes that were also removed. The cancer found there is metastatic cancer – this means that the tumor was able to arise and has spread from surrounding tissue. Yes, it was removed, but this means it was already spreading. It also means I do have to go through the radiation treatment. I knew there was a big chance of this anyway, just confirmed for sure with the results. I will see Dr. Shaw on the 28th to start talking about the next steps.
Let’s do this! I think what gets me the most is to see all this on paper.

It was not a nightmare.
It is real.
I have to keep going.
I have to deal with it.
I will be ok.
What is next?
I will be strong.
I am allowed to be scared.
It’s ok to cry.
I have amazing support.
I am blessed regardless of the cancer.
This too shall pass.

I appreciate all the prayers and good vibes. :)


Elda

Email to my girls

Hi ladies,

So here is something that I have to share.

OK, so before my FL trip in July, I went to a regular Dr. check up with all the fun stuff included (pap. blood work, etc.) My new Dr. (old one sucked and you'll see why a couple of lines down) I had my pressure checked - good. I had a breast exam - good too. Then she put her fingers on my throat and asked me to swallow (I had forgotten about this test, my most recent Doctor had not done it in 3-4 years) and she made a face and said "huh, do that again", so I did and she said: " that seems tight, you'll need an ultrasound to check your thyroid for nodules" my heart skipped a few beats and I started my confusion on what was going on in my neck. I was sent to the place where they do that kind of testing and sure enough I have two nodules. I immediately asked the tech doing the ultrasound to tell me what she saw. The one in the center part of the thyroid (remember that the thyroid looks like a bow tie) is 1.7 cm and the one on the right (left is your are looking at me) is 1.1 cm. :-( I go back to my Dr a few days later and she tells me that I need to go to an Endocrinologist. This is where I find Dr. Shaw http://www.texasdiabetes.com/staff/ss.html. She is amazing, she explained all the possibilities and consoled me with my minor breakdown in her office. She told me that the odds where in my favor - 5% of all nodules in the thyroid are cancerous. So we set a date to do my biopsy because my nodule was hypoechoic (means that it is less dense than the tissue around it) and this is one of the things that can be a tell-tell of malignancy. My biopsy was scheduled on the 15th of August - cancelled with option to go to another Dr, but I refused; got rescheduled for the 19th. She told me that there was nothing to worry about - just ruling out any possibilities. I get a call on the 26th and she leaves a message to call her as soon as possible. **this is where I know I need to panic** I call her back and get her VM; I realize I have her cell phone number **more panic** She calls me back around 6pm on Friday the 26th (Alan has a big game a 7:30 and I just helped feed all the HS kids and am almost home) she tells me that I have thyroid cancer. I know we talked for about 20 minutes and honestly I do not remember most of it. I managed to write down some information about the ENT Cancer specialists and the website that is going to educate me on my condition http://www.thyca.org/ . I don't know any details on what stage it is or if is is anywhere else in my body. I am in the beginning stages of moving towards a solution. I am getting the nodule removed as soon as I get my appointment set. I just wanted to share this with you all. I know that if I called I would totally break down.

FYI: They do say that this is the "best kind of cancer" to have because it is very treatable. I will give updates when I have them. You are all welcome to comment, text or call or whatever your heart desires. I am not posting on FB anything about it and only my immediate family and coworkers and now you ladies know. Thanks for being amazing friends. I love you all: Wanda, Cyn, Sarah, Laura, Marissa and June. <3

XO

Getting Old

I notice as days go by that things have definitely changed. I cannot drink all night and pop up like a freshly watered perky daisy. I cannot workout and NOT feel my knees and shoulders screaming at me for the extra torture. I cannot give a care for silly nonsense that used to mean a lot more a few years ago. I let people vent and not roll my eyes. I stop and take a good look at things I used to fly by. I know that things are always changing, but I never imagined that I could change as well. I still feel like I am the same person I was 20 years ago..... how is it that now I am in my mid 30's? Where does time go? I know that the older generations are slowly leaving us and that, to me, is the biggest loss we can experience. I know that I wish I would have asked more questions and learned more from my great grandparents. They have been gone for a while now, 20 years almost. I still have one set of grandparents and every time I see them I enjoy just letting them tell me about their past...it just never is enough. A whole lifetime of different experiences gone with the person. I wish we all kept journals or some kind of diary that logged eventful days, experiences or anything that is significant. I guess I am a little nostalgic when I hear of a family loss. I know we are not going to be around forever....

Dead Terrorist

I know that it is wrong to be happy after the news of a death, but I believe that this is absolutely justifiable. I am not a violent person or applaud anything of this nature. I truly agree with the comments that this world will be a better place without this monster. I have no personal friend or family loss in the twin towers tragedies; but to ME, it should be taken as a personal attack to every single citizen of this country. Any attack to us is an attack to our children and loved ones. I know that peace on earth would be ideal - but come on....that is never going to happen with people that have no limits and no conscience about anyone. Terrorist suck. Glad that the most wanted man in the world is gone. Bin Laden totally created sadness and chaos in and to our country. Now to make sure that nobody else can get to us like he did....

I thank each and every person serving our country for keeping us safe. Eric my cousin is on the top of my list. I have the utmost respect for him. :-)

Eldahg

Gardening Bliss

I am sure I have said that I love to garden. Since I have lived in the apartment - I have been feeling left our because I don't the huge back yard to dig and play in. I decided to get over myself and buy pots and dig in. Hee hee...so now I have the greenest balcony in the complex! I have started to grow peppers, tomatoes, peas, and onions. I also attempted cilantro - but that one never grows right; I will figure it out one day....All my plants look amazing and I will share pictures with you when I get home. :-)

Eldahg

Weights....

I have 44 days left for the wedding day and this means I have a flight to LA the day before. YIKES!!

I have been following a crazy low carb diet and stayed on track for the most part.... I just need to up the workouts. I know that working out "too" much is bad - but I mean use different techniques or just stop doing what I can and push my limits to make it to the next level.

At bootcamp on Tuesday, I met a girl (Kristy) and she made me want her body. I mean she has a slamming body and now that is my goal - to look like her. I had to ask her what she does and of course she said: " All I really do is lift weights". SERIOUSLY? I run myself half to death and do cardio like there is no tomorrow and the answer is in lifting weights?! Of course I already knew this, I just had not SEEN the actual results of a real person doing such. Sigh. Guess I need to learn something new and get into lifting. Wish me luck! I will start to post pictures to show progress. This will definitely make me stay on track. :)

Oh, I did start kettle bell workouts....I will post more on this later!

Eldahg

New Do!

As you can see - I am not afraid of having short hair! :-)

Week 2

68 days left til the wedding. I am not sure if it is good news or bad news.

I spent all day Sunday in the kitchen. I made Salmon, Chicken and my sides. I had steamed broccoli and stove top squash. I am really enjoying the ready-made meals for the week.

I do need to tell you about my Saturday, aka Binge Day.

Quoting this from what the book says:

Sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner or butter cookies at Christmas?

Sounds like a binge. That, in and of itself, doesn’t need to mean horrible guilt and extra fat
rolls afterward. If you plan ahead of time and understand a little science, it’s possible to
minimize the damage. I eat whatever I want every Saturday, and I follow specific steps to
minimize fat gain during this overfeeding.
In basic terms our goal is simple: to have as much of the crap ingested either go into muscle
tissue or out of the body unabsorbed.
I do this by focusing on three principles:

PRINCIPLE #1: MINIMIZE THE RELEASE OF INSULIN, A STORAGE HORMONE.
Insulin release is minimized by blunting sharp jumps in blood sugar:
1. Ensure that your first meal of the day is not a binge meal. Make it high in protein (at least 30
grams) and insoluble fiber (legumes will handle this). The protein will decrease your appetite
for the remainder of the binge and prevent total self-destruction. The fiber will be important
later to prevent diarrhea. In total, this can be a smallish meal of 300–500 calories.
2. Consume a small quantity of fructose, fruit sugar, in grapefruit juice before the second meal,
which is the first crap meal. Even small fructose dosing has an impressive near-flat-lining effect
on blood glucose.7 I could consume this at the first meal, but I prefer to combine the naringin in
grapefruit juice with coffee, as it extends the effects of caffeine.
3. Use supplements that increase insulin sensitivity: AGG (part of PAGG) and PAGG (covered in
the next chapter). The example intake in this chapter is quite mild, so I dosed only twice. If I’m
going whole hog, I will have another PAGG dose upon waking. This reduces the amount of
insulin the pancreas releases in spite of mild or severe glucose surges. Think of it as insurance.
4. Consume citric juices, whether lime juice squeezed into water, lemon juice on food, or a
beverage like the citrus kombucha I had.

PRINCIPLE #2: INCREASE THE SPEED OF GASTRIC EMPTYING, OR HOW QUICKLY FOOD EXITS THE STOMACH.

Bingeing is a rare circumstance where I want the food (or some of it) to pass through my
gastrointestinal tract so quickly that its constituent parts aren’t absorbed well.
I accomplish this primarily through caffeine and yerba mate tea, which includes the
additional stimulants theobromine (found in dark chocolate) and theophylline (found in green
tea). I consume 100–200 milligrams of caffeine, or 16 ounces of cooled yerba mate, at the most
crap-laden meals. My favorite greens supplement, “Athletic Greens” (mentioned in the schedule)
doesn’t contain caffeine but will also help.
Does this really work? Taking the goodies from taste buds to toilet without much storage in
between?8
More than a few people have told me it’s pure science fiction.
Too much information (TMI) warning: I disagree, and for good reason. Rather than debate
meta-studies, I simply weighed my poo. Identical volumes of food on and off the protocol. On
protocol = much more poo mass (same consistency, hence the importance of fiber) = less
absorption = fewer chocolate croissants that take up residence on my abs. Simple but effective?
Perhaps. Good to leave out of first-date conversation? Definitely.
On to one of the cooler aspects of this whole craziness: GLUT-4.

PRINCIPLE #3: ENGAGE IN BRIEF MUSCULAR CONTRACTION THROUGHOUT THE BINGE.

For muscular contractions, my default options are air squats, wall presses (tricep extensions
against a wall), and chest pulls with an elastic band, as all three are portable and can be done
without causing muscle trauma that screws up training. The latter two can be performed by
anyone, even those who have difficulty walking.
But why the hell would you want to do 60–90 seconds of funny exercises a few minutes
before you eat and, ideally, again about 90 minutes afterward?

So anyway..........I did do the AGG and the grapefruit juice and the squats. But I sure did enjoy my carbs on my binge day! :-)

Morning: 27 grams protein drink....coffee with milk AND sugar.
Breakfast: Migas, potatoes, beans, waffles and iced tea. HEAVEN!
Lunch: Rosa's cheese enchiladas, rice and beans PLUS a Dr. Pepper. AAAAAAAAHHHHHH
Dinner was just some tuna with veggies and popcorn during the movie.

I felt like crap at night - but it is totally worth it. Hahahahaha!

Sunday was back to the grind. Feeling great today!

More later,

Eldahg

The Diet

So my fabulous friend, Wanda, is getting married in May. Exactly 72 days from today - not that I am counting or anything... Why is this important? Because it is in L.A., as in California. My friend has a show on TV, she knows Hollywood people. These people I speak of are going to be at her wedding. YIKES!

I also have a coworker that has been on a super strict diet for a couple of months now, and he swears by it. I must admit that he looks fantastic. His wife also looks amazing. I had to get the information on how to make this work for me.

Step one: get the book.
I went to Amazon.com and got the 4 Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss. Said book is 594 pages long. I am dead serious. I just about fell over when I got mine. I was so relieved when i read this:

quoting from the book:

RULE #1. THINK OF THIS BOOK AS A BUFFET.
Do not read this book from start to finish.
Most people won’t need more than 150 pages to reinvent themselves. Browse the table of
contents, pick the chapters that are most relevant, and discard the rest … for now. Pick one
appearance goal and one performance goal to start.
The only mandatory sections are “Fundamentals” and “Ground Zero.”

Whew. I don't have to go hunting for my reading glasses.

Step two: find supplements.
They call them PAGG, here they are:

Policosanol: 20–25 mg
Alpha-lipoic acid: 100–300 mg (I take 300 mg with each meal, but some people experience
acid reflux symptoms with more than 100 mg)
Green tea flavanols (decaffeinated with at least 325 mg EGCG): 325 mg
Garlic extract: 200 mg

This is way harder to find than it should be...BUT, if you ask the experts at Sun Harvest - they do it for you! YAY!

Step three: shop for diet food.
DIET FOOD? Don't panic. This is the easy part. Take a look at your options:

Proteins
*Egg whites with 1–2 whole eggs for flavor (or, if organic, 2–5 whole eggs, including yolks)
*Chicken breast or thigh
*Beef (preferably grass-fed)
*Fish
*Pork

Legumes
*Lentils (also called “dal” or “daal”)
*Black beans
*Pinto beans
*Red beans
*Soybeans

Vegetables
*Spinach
*Mixed vegetables (including broccoli, cauliflower, or any other cruciferous vegetables)
*Sauerkraut, kimchee
*Asparagus
*Peas
*Broccoli
*Green beans

You get to eat as much as you like of the above food items, but you have to keep it simple.

I went to Sam's Club and got canned goods for these: green beans, asparagus, peas, black beans, and salmon. I decided to eat fish and try chicken to make it easier on me for the demand in protein. I got boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 lbs) package, frozen salmon patties, frozen edamame, 18 count eggs (organic), fresh spinach, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes. I had uncooked beans and lentils at home, so I was set!

Step four: preparing the food.
I would say this is the hard part, but I love cooking! I spent all day in the kitchen preparing the meat and legumes.

My way: Being raised vegetarian, I am no expert in preparing meat - so thank you google! I ended up making my own marinade but I did learn that chicken will cook for 40 mins at 400º.

Eldahg Chicken Marinade: Soy Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar, crushed pepper flakes, garlic salt, onion flakes, and pepper (fresh ground). Amounts are based on preference of flavor, so this will never be exactly the same for me... next time I am going to add some thyme and whatever other spices I come across in my spice cabinet. :)

I put the chicken (after I cleaned it and took all the fatty pieces off - yuck) in a big bowl and added the marinade, let it sit for a few minutes (about 20) lined my glass baking dish with foil, drizzled oil on bottom of it and put the chicken in there. The amount of chicken I bought was enough for two batches of these, luckliy I do own two dishes. They fit side my side in the oven - so I saved time.

The beans I put in the crock pot in the morning so they would be done in the late afternoon. i don't have measurements for these....sorry! The lentils were stove top - I put carrots, tomatoes, chopped onion, celery, salt and pepper and cooked for a few hours.

Having everything done, I divided in portions that are suitable for me. Piece of cake!

Step five: getting it done.
I actually started this diet on the 13th of March - Sunday. It is Thursday the 17th - my 5th day in. This is the schedule I have been on:

Meals are approximately four hours apart.

6:30 A.M.—AGG - Breakfast
10:30 A.M.— AGG - Lunch
2:30 P.M.—Smaller second lunch
5:00–7:00 P.M.—Something active - I do bootcamp or walking
7:00 P.M.—AGG - Dinner
8:30 A.M.—Glass of red wine every other day
9:30 P.M.—PAGG and Bedtime

I have noticed I am NEVER hungry and have unlimited amounts of energy and I am motivated to do more and am overall happier.

Wish me luck! I will blog more later!

Eldahg

This is me, Eldahg

Hello I am Eldahg , you can say it like: L-dog. My name is Elda. Oh and yes, I always have to spell it out. Every introduction is always something like this: "Hi, I'm Elda," pause - confused look from other party, then: "E-L-D-A". It's quite alright, I am used to it! So, aside from having a unique name (not in a weird way, thankfully), I was raised vegetarian. Interestingly, I am Mexican. So the combination of my heritage with the lifestyle of being vegetarian is rather confusing, for some. I love it. I am Ovo-lacto Vegetarian, not a vegan. Elda minus cheese, is not a happy one.

I was born in Mexico in a small town in the southern part of the state of Guanajuato. Acámbaro is just a darling little town that I love to be in. My parents are still there, so I visit a couple of times a year. Yes, we drive. That will be a whole different blog as I get into details of our 15-17 hour drives - one way.

I was raised in West Texas, Midland to be exact. I honestly don't miss the place, just the people. I moved to Mexico the summer after my freshman year. Talk about culture shock! I am grateful today for the opportunity, but the 15 year old Elda is still pretty upset!

I am a mother to a wonderful son. David Alan is 14 and has started to become an adult. This scares me more than I wish to share. I love him and am proud of the man he is turning into (my constant battling and pushing and threats help) He is a musician and is quite talented. He is going to be a freshman in the fall, boy he is looking forward to high school! Me, not so much....

I have been in a relationship with Sean for almost ten years now. Off and on we make it work. He is amazingly funny and loves me just as much as I love him. We have so much fun together and learn things together. Some of these things could be considered silly or boring, but who doesn't love the History Channel??? He is my best friend, and that is all that really matters.

My hobbies are pretty basic: Gardening, sewing, salsa dancing, scuba diving, and wasting endless hours on FaceBook. I am trying to learn how to knit - but I am not succeeding at this!

I love shoes, coffee and working out...yes, in that order.

I think I covered most of the basics of who I am. Just a vegetarian Mexican in Austin, Texas. :)