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I was too weary and annoyed by then to do more than nod feebly in agreement. By that time, my husband and I had been there for 2.5 hours. Yes, 2.5 hours. Did I mention the store is huge? But, on the positive side, it did indeed have everything on my list: whole wheat flour, fresh halibut, sesame oil, frozen strawberries, wheat germ, green beans.... Much of this I could have gotten at a closer, much smaller, store, but that particular store always has a funny smell if you get within 25 feet of the fish counter. Off putting, to say the least. However, today will be the last time I go to Wegman's on a weekend. By the end of the expedition, my husband was talking about needing a stiff drink, and I felt like the walking dead. Hence the outburst at the beginning of this post.
Home at last, all the groceries put away, and my husband is out with a friend (I was, of course, too tired to join them). It's super-exciting to have a well-stocked pantry and fridge, so I can embark in earnest on this diet. With the exception of the Pizza Incident, I've been extremely conscientious, but I haven't yet made an official Swank recipe. The one I planned to make last night (Fish with the Fancy French Name) I realized much too late would require more time than I had; instead, my husband and I ate a low-fat stir fry of chicken and vegetables.
Tomorrow night is the Fancy Fish. For breakfast, I'll try either the whole-wheat waffles or pancakes. And, to remove every iota of temptation, I'm sending my husband to work with those damn Butterfingers.
Your list alone is making me hungry. Glad you survived Wegman's. Next time, try their brown-rice sushi. Fabulous, and you can eat it upstairs while you gaze down at all the cranky shoppers. Good luck with the Fancy Fish dinner!
ReplyDeleteFunny, Amy, we did eat at the store before boldly joining the swarms of people, and as I sat up there, looking down, I actually said, "It doesn't look THAT bad..." Fool!
DeleteThanks for the tip! I'll get it next time I go (on a weekday!).
Hi Ms. CrankyPants, Amy’s brother and a neb to the MS scene here; I just wanted to drop a note to let you know that I really appreciate your blog and the advise/experiences that you have passed on to me by way of my sister. It’s really nice to hear fist hand experiences from someone who has been through and is still going through the same things that I have been dealing with lately. From having some of the same symptoms that you have had to spending too much time in the stinky fish section of grocery stores this past week, I can very much relate. Reading food product labels, along with having MS really sucks. I guess someone could say that misery loves company but I have honestly been feeling very hopeful and confident that living a good life is fully doable. I was prescribed
ReplyDeleteAvanex by my neurologist on Dec. 18th. Do to delays caused by people who are very nice to the guy with MS on the telephone but who are still very ineffective in getting a job done, I am scheduled to finally begin treatment (weekly muscular injections) on Monday. I almost which I had more time to see if I would be able to fix myself up by just changing my diet alone. I’m becoming more and more convinced that people really are affected so much more than they know by the things that they eat. I will definitely continue checking in with your blog. Thanks
Hi MS newb!! So glad you wrote! It's great to know you find the blog useful. It can be a scary and overwhelming thing at first (and sometimes even after years), and I would have loved to have known someone who was going through the same things I was. If you ever have questions I don't address in my blog, please feel free to ask; I have experienced so many crazy-ass symptoms and been through drugs, steroids, and more, so I may be able to share with you things I've gone through. You're on a journey that might sometimes be challenging, but you're not alone!
DeleteBy the way, you can absolutely live a good life; it's wonderful that you are optimistic. It sounds corny, but having a positive attitude can make a big difference. I, too, wish there was a drug-free way to go, but I've seen two amazing neurologists who both said I should be on disease-modifying drugs ASAP. I think the combination of drugs and diet, which you are embarking on, is likely the best approach. Give it a shot (hahahaha, bad joke, sorry) and see how it goes. If the Avonex isn't working for you, I can tell you about my experiences with Rebif and Copaxone.
Best of luck!! I'm rooting for you.
Ms. CrankyPants
Grocery shopping does me in! I rarely go any more. I send Hubbers with a big list and his cell phone!
ReplyDeleteIt was horrendous! I am collapsed in a heap on the couch, Squeaky the Cat on my lap. (I am having to contort in the most unpleasant way to type.) Love the idea of sending the husband!! May try that myself...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your very welcome visit and comment. How I hear you on the fatigue front. At the moment in our stinking heat I seem to spend most of my day going back to bed again. Which peeves me. I will be interested to hear how you go on the Swank diet. I may have to go down that route. Soon. And the grocery shopping is almost always my partner's job these days. It is just too much. Which makes me feel wimpy...
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice to discover your blog - thank you!! And, my gosh, yes, the heat can really make things miserable. I'll keep posting updates on the diet; I'm hopeful (based largely on things I've read) that it will make a big difference!
Deletep.s. no reason to feel wimpy! (easy for me to say) It is just a fact of life for us.
Well if you go on a weekday and manage to avoid all the sr citizens who move at the pace of snails, it ought not to be too bad. By coincidence, I too, was at Wegman's yesterday, with the lovely company of your niece & nephew. Got out with only a few extra incidentals: mango/orange juice for him, pomegranate juice and mushrooms for her. But there were more than a FEW requests that I had to deflect with rising tones of impatience in my voice as well as a number of annoying shoppers who were IN MY WAY (including some of those aforementioned sr citizens...why don't THEY come on the weekdays?!). As for fatigue, I thought a lot of it was from not sleeping at night, did not realize so much of it was MS-related, that is too bad. Until I got on my double dose of thyroid meds about a year ago I was terribly weary too...almost every day by midday I felt like I was slogging thru molassas with lead boots on & HAD TO LIE DOWN or I felt like I would die. The meds help a lot, now I am generally just garden-variety tired by midday. Maybe you can get some of the meds mentioned in another comment....? MB|K
ReplyDeletehaha, funny that we were battling the same thing yesterday. Incidentally, for quite a while, I thought you said you got pomegranate & mushroom juice, which sounded quite revolting.
DeleteI think the fatigue is largely because of the MS/deadly disease du jour; the not-sleeping-well factor just adds to the fun. What do you take for fatigue, or are the meds specifically for thyroid?
I have never liked shopping for food. I was fat as a kid, thanks Aunt Vi, and swore at age 16 I was going to eat healthy when I turned 18. I did and never looked back. Cold turkey (oh, ha ha) and it is no diet, just a lifestyle change. I tweak it over the years, planning a BIG change or addition in a month---mostly liquid concoctions. I bet that is spelt wrong (tee hee) but I am too wasted to look it up, sorry, no disrespect meant. Oh, I added your blog to my BEST OF MS BLOGS list. Yea-You! I like to share the hits whenever I can, we are all on this path together.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding me to your list (I hope I can live up to the promise suggested by being part of any "Best Of" group!).
Deletep.s. you spelled concoctions correctly!
p.p.s. yes, all in it together, for sure.