Arose early [for me, now working the late shift, 6:30 is early] and picked up my daughter, who I was bringing to my appointment in Seattle as my "designated driver." She also helped with companionship and support, not to mention that it is always a treat to spend a day with her. I drove to Madison Street in Seattle, next to Swedish Hospital, to a group of Neurologists who are also qualified as Ophthamologists, to try to find out why vision in my left eye in the last few days has gone from "sort of funny" to "looking through a brownish haze or smog."
First I went upstairs to Radiology and signed in for the MRI scan of my brain. My daughter signed in as my designated driver. I have heard so many stories of people who freak out at the last minute when confronted with the MRI tube, and discovered at a young age I am somewhat claustrophobic [when we took turns being locked in the outhouse] that I decided to accept a mild sedative. They won't give that without the patient bringing a driver.
It turned out that I probably wouldn't have needed the Xanax but I didn't mind having it. [The moderate dose I took turned out to be sort of a blessing on the drive home, which was a little harrowing with the rain and heavy traffic.] Anyway, I sort of enjoyed the MRI. The only disconcerting parts were the loud sounds made by the imaging process, and the inability to move.
Downstairs we shared a snack, as breakfast was at 9 AM and the MRI was finished at 1 PM. The neurologist put in yet another set of eye drops, tested my eye pressure and the field of vision in both eyes, and did a color test. He suggested getting an MRI and I explained that I had just had one, so he found it on his computer and took a look.
The upshot was that he believes I have optic neuritis. If I was a little younger, it would be suggestive of MS, but I'm a little past the usual age range for developing MS. Possible causes include diabetes, which causes poor blood flow to the optic nerve, causing it to swell, or it sometimes can be triggered by a vaccination. I have diabetes, and also had a flu vaccination at work about 2 weeks ago.
The good news was that this condition usually resolves in 6 to 8 weeks, according to my neurologist [imagine, having my own neurologist, kind of like having a pet] without any treatment. Alternatively, if I wasn't willing to put up with the symptoms or they became worse, he could administer a steroid. I'm not crazy about steroids because of the awful side effects. So I should recover more normal vision in a few weeks.
Hurrah!
We ate a decent lunch at a nearby cafe, parking cost me $12, even though parking for patients was not supposed to exceed $8 [neither office validates parking], and it took 3 hours to drive home in bumper-to-bumper traffic in the rain.
At home I made a fantastic soup with dahl [red lentils], cauliflower, garlic, soy milk and spinach.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Planet Eyeball
I received a referral from my optometrist to an outfit that treats macular and retina problems, on Alder off of Center Street. I had an earlier appointment in the North end of Tacoma to which I arrived with a flat tire, and learned to put air in the tire from a paid air compressor at a gas station [Adventure # 1] which I did prior to the appointment.
After my initial appointment, there was still air in the tire, but I needed to know what had gone wrong with it and get a repair, so I went to Les Schwab. [Adventure # 2.] No, the tire cannot be repaired, because it was driven on while flat. Why can't I just go bring a tire from home and have that put on? [I had kept my tires after having these put on last year, as they were nearly new.] Because once they removed the tire, they won't replace it. But I hate to pay for a whole new tire. Guess what? The original tire was under warranty. Yay!! They put on my full-size spare and promise to phone when my new tire has arrived to the shop.
Off I go to the Macular Retina place, [Adventure # 3] which wasn't that easy to find, but I found it. There are photos of planets everywhere. Orange planets with interesting features and canals on them. Anyway, I am admitted and have three sets of eye drops put in; one to numb my eyes, then two to fix open my pupils. I had the latter done at the optometrist and have grown to hate the effects. It takes hours to wear off, and I am stuck driving around with these cheesy dark lenses and all the lights are fractured and look like stars. This on top of the blurry vision in my left eye, which I am attempting to assess and resolve.
I describe as clearly as possible the changes in my vision in the left eye over the last week or so. The doctor seems mystified and is beginning to talk as though this may just be in my head. I am not encouraged.
The doctor also checked my blood pressure, inflating the cuff a total of four times to double-check my high blood pressure, and [oh, Sweet Jesus, as my arm is about to explode] instructing me to see my PCP and treat the hypertension, i.e. go back on medication. So I agreed, being under pressure.
Anyway, they looked at my eyes in various ways, don't see much. Then they decide to photograph my retinas with dye, to check the perfusion to my eyes. The MD injects a yellow dye into the vein in my hand, while the very pleasant practitioner takes photographs of both eyes as the dye takes effect. It was fun and fascinating. Kind of the high point of this adventure.
Now we return to the original exam room, and the doctor performs a very high-tech test: he holds up a red folder [my chart] and asks what color it is with my right eye [red] and what color it is with my left eye [dark red.]
The upshot of this was that he referred me to a Neuro-Ophthamologist office in Seattle off of Madison Avenue, because, as I have been wondering, he was thinking this may be a neurological problem. And these are the very people to see for that.
When I connect with the Neuro-Ophthamologists it turns out I obtain an appointment for tomorrow, [Adventure # 4] and I get to have a brain MRI prior to this. Oh, my. Yes, I am somewhat claustrophobic. So after I stop by Les Schwab and have my new free tire put on the car, I drop in on my daughter and ask her to be my designated driver. This way I am free to receive medication if needed to make the MRI bearable--otherwise it's not allowed. But I have every intention of driving the car back myself. By the time I spend hours in the other office, whatever I take, if anything, will have worn off. But it will be great to have my daughter with me for all this, anyway.
When I was still in the car at the Macular place after winding up my phone call to Seattle, the MD tapped on the window. He was off to surgery, and mentioned he had been thinking he might have to do surgery on me today if my retina was torn, but it wasn't necessary.
And I still have to report to Jury Duty on the 31st, phoning in the evening before to see if my group needs to come in . . .
After my initial appointment, there was still air in the tire, but I needed to know what had gone wrong with it and get a repair, so I went to Les Schwab. [Adventure # 2.] No, the tire cannot be repaired, because it was driven on while flat. Why can't I just go bring a tire from home and have that put on? [I had kept my tires after having these put on last year, as they were nearly new.] Because once they removed the tire, they won't replace it. But I hate to pay for a whole new tire. Guess what? The original tire was under warranty. Yay!! They put on my full-size spare and promise to phone when my new tire has arrived to the shop.
Off I go to the Macular Retina place, [Adventure # 3] which wasn't that easy to find, but I found it. There are photos of planets everywhere. Orange planets with interesting features and canals on them. Anyway, I am admitted and have three sets of eye drops put in; one to numb my eyes, then two to fix open my pupils. I had the latter done at the optometrist and have grown to hate the effects. It takes hours to wear off, and I am stuck driving around with these cheesy dark lenses and all the lights are fractured and look like stars. This on top of the blurry vision in my left eye, which I am attempting to assess and resolve.
I describe as clearly as possible the changes in my vision in the left eye over the last week or so. The doctor seems mystified and is beginning to talk as though this may just be in my head. I am not encouraged.
The doctor also checked my blood pressure, inflating the cuff a total of four times to double-check my high blood pressure, and [oh, Sweet Jesus, as my arm is about to explode] instructing me to see my PCP and treat the hypertension, i.e. go back on medication. So I agreed, being under pressure.
Anyway, they looked at my eyes in various ways, don't see much. Then they decide to photograph my retinas with dye, to check the perfusion to my eyes. The MD injects a yellow dye into the vein in my hand, while the very pleasant practitioner takes photographs of both eyes as the dye takes effect. It was fun and fascinating. Kind of the high point of this adventure.
Now we return to the original exam room, and the doctor performs a very high-tech test: he holds up a red folder [my chart] and asks what color it is with my right eye [red] and what color it is with my left eye [dark red.]
The upshot of this was that he referred me to a Neuro-Ophthamologist office in Seattle off of Madison Avenue, because, as I have been wondering, he was thinking this may be a neurological problem. And these are the very people to see for that.
When I connect with the Neuro-Ophthamologists it turns out I obtain an appointment for tomorrow, [Adventure # 4] and I get to have a brain MRI prior to this. Oh, my. Yes, I am somewhat claustrophobic. So after I stop by Les Schwab and have my new free tire put on the car, I drop in on my daughter and ask her to be my designated driver. This way I am free to receive medication if needed to make the MRI bearable--otherwise it's not allowed. But I have every intention of driving the car back myself. By the time I spend hours in the other office, whatever I take, if anything, will have worn off. But it will be great to have my daughter with me for all this, anyway.
When I was still in the car at the Macular place after winding up my phone call to Seattle, the MD tapped on the window. He was off to surgery, and mentioned he had been thinking he might have to do surgery on me today if my retina was torn, but it wasn't necessary.
And I still have to report to Jury Duty on the 31st, phoning in the evening before to see if my group needs to come in . . .
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Health Issues
I'm up early. Wrenching myself out of sleep early, I feel like a beet pulled up out of the ground. I made an appointment with the last optometrist I saw, for first thing this morning. They wanted to see me yesterday, but I have to work. The vision has become blurry in my left eye. There is no outward, visible change in my eye; it's either internal to the mechanics of the eye, or neurological. Guess I'll find out.
I'm getting more serious lately about turning away from animal-based foods; reading Dr. Neal Barnard's Breaking the Food Seduction, Geneen Roth's Women, Food and God, and realizing ways this might be possible. The "muscle" it takes to turn away from spontaneously provided foods [from other people, e.g. at work] is not really there, but I'm not pursuing my cravings so much. Also, the more I eat plant-based foods, the better I feel, so that helps.
I have this great idea for forming a group or club based on exploring alternatives for healthy nutrition: meeting, cooking and eating plant-based foods, watching movies, reading books, and discussing them. Stay tuned.
I'm getting more serious lately about turning away from animal-based foods; reading Dr. Neal Barnard's Breaking the Food Seduction, Geneen Roth's Women, Food and God, and realizing ways this might be possible. The "muscle" it takes to turn away from spontaneously provided foods [from other people, e.g. at work] is not really there, but I'm not pursuing my cravings so much. Also, the more I eat plant-based foods, the better I feel, so that helps.
I have this great idea for forming a group or club based on exploring alternatives for healthy nutrition: meeting, cooking and eating plant-based foods, watching movies, reading books, and discussing them. Stay tuned.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Baha'i Institute for Higher Education
Last weekend of the Intensive Program of Growth here in W. Washington/Cluster 19. Tired. Met for prayers in the AM at Lisa's with George, Lisa, Joe, then Gwen and so on so forth. Sorry, So On So Forth, didn't learn your names.
Said some prayers, G. went to be with the Tacoma Tigers football "little league", Gwen and Joe and So Forth were doing a Book One, so I slid on out, came home to get ready to bring healthy snacks to a Fireside at Dawn's with a young lady who is a graduate of the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education. This is a grassroots organization of Baha'is making sure a college degree is available to people in Iran where the Baha'is are excluded from the official universities. My understanding is that Shiva is the first such graduate to be accepted at an American university, PLU. What an honor it is to have her here.
Said some prayers, G. went to be with the Tacoma Tigers football "little league", Gwen and Joe and So Forth were doing a Book One, so I slid on out, came home to get ready to bring healthy snacks to a Fireside at Dawn's with a young lady who is a graduate of the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education. This is a grassroots organization of Baha'is making sure a college degree is available to people in Iran where the Baha'is are excluded from the official universities. My understanding is that Shiva is the first such graduate to be accepted at an American university, PLU. What an honor it is to have her here.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Black Bean Soup with Squash
For lunch with the Intensive Program of Growth today I made Black Bean Soup with Squash. I wanted to serve something hearty, hot and delicious, as well as having many valuable nutrients and virtually no not-so-valuable nutrients. People seemed to enjoy this.
Black Bean Soup with Squash
2 cups dried black beans, rinsed, soaked overnight, and rinsed again
1/2 cup red lentils
1 onion
2 delicata squashes, seeded and diced
1 red garnet yam, diced
2 fat organic carrots
1 package of spinach
a few leaves of fresh basil and cilantro
Seasonings to taste: sea salt, smoke flavoring, ground rosemary, cumin, coriander, dill, basil, oregano; 2 cloves garlic, sliced.
Would have been good if I had it on hand: frozen corn, and fresh turmeric root, grated.
Dice onion and place in pressure cooker with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to carmelize while you prepare other ingredients. Dice everything, put it all into the cooker, add beans and red lentils and seasonings, cover with water, put on lid, and cook on high for 10 minutes, allow natural pressure release. Stir in spinach and more fresh cilantro and basil. Serve. Now that you've enjoyed this, it's a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet selection. AKA vegan.
We had this with crusty french bread, sliced sharp white cheddar, and macaroni salad, small mandarin oranges, chips, tea or 100% grape juice. You could also try toasted rye bread with this. [For vegan meal, omit the macaroni salad and cheddar, and make the bread whole grain.]
Black Bean Soup with Squash
2 cups dried black beans, rinsed, soaked overnight, and rinsed again
1/2 cup red lentils
1 onion
2 delicata squashes, seeded and diced
1 red garnet yam, diced
2 fat organic carrots
1 package of spinach
a few leaves of fresh basil and cilantro
Seasonings to taste: sea salt, smoke flavoring, ground rosemary, cumin, coriander, dill, basil, oregano; 2 cloves garlic, sliced.
Would have been good if I had it on hand: frozen corn, and fresh turmeric root, grated.
Dice onion and place in pressure cooker with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to carmelize while you prepare other ingredients. Dice everything, put it all into the cooker, add beans and red lentils and seasonings, cover with water, put on lid, and cook on high for 10 minutes, allow natural pressure release. Stir in spinach and more fresh cilantro and basil. Serve. Now that you've enjoyed this, it's a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet selection. AKA vegan.
We had this with crusty french bread, sliced sharp white cheddar, and macaroni salad, small mandarin oranges, chips, tea or 100% grape juice. You could also try toasted rye bread with this. [For vegan meal, omit the macaroni salad and cheddar, and make the bread whole grain.]
Open Thou the Door
I memorized a prayer over night:
O Lord,
Open Thou the door, provide the means, prepare the way, make safe the path, that we may be guided to those souls whose hearts are prepared for Thy Cause, and that they may be guided to us. Verily, Thou art the Merciful, the Most Bountiful, the All-Powerful.
~'Abdu'l-Baha
Friday at work was challenging, with someone who needed IV fluids, so an IV start, and IM and oral antibiotics, which took an extra hour and a half. It's a good thing I have a simple medication pass, so I could hurry up to finish in my last 45 minutes. So when I came home I was revved up. Then I was anticipating people coming to my house Saturday and Sunday for a Baha'i Intensive Program of Growth, so I was revved up about that, and went to sleep about 2:30 AM and woke 7:30 AM. Did the final dusting and sweeping, set out dishes for lunch, etc, and instructed myself not to take it too hard if no one showed up.
My goal is to find receptive souls in Puyallup, beginning with the neighborhoods near me, and expand the number of people participating in devotional meetings, study circles, children's classes and youth groups; it is hoped that they will become attracted to the Baha'i teachings, investigate, and eventually expand the number of Baha'is in Puyallup. Building more spiritual communities is our focus.
So the schedule was to pray and spend time consulting in the morning, in preparation for direct teaching work after lunch. I had Marian, George, Chris, Rick, William, and Joe in the morning, and Dawn came in the afternoon. We prayed, talked about our goals, sang and consulted, then ate potato soup with green peas, yellow split peas and tomatoes, and had sandwiches and so forth. Most went to the Salishan neighborhood for teaching. Dawn, Marian and I went teaching in the Stillwater Apartments which I pass on the way to work.
A lot of people at work live near by, but I'm not sure exactly where. I'm extremely shy about sharing the aspect of my life closest to my heart--my faith--at work. So I was very concerned about meeting people I knew, as I crossed the fence between my work persona and my Baha'i character. Sure enough, many of the people we met were connected with "Mountain View." So I was exposed as a Baha'i several times. I'm waiting for doom to fall.
In the evening I washed clothes, cleaned up and went out to Feast in Tacoma, shopped on the way home, soaked black beans, memorized a prayer, and listened to Beethoven's Appassionata before bed. Woke at 8:30 this morning, went, Omigosh, and made a Black Bean and Squash soup. Today George, Dawn, and Joe came over, and Marian promised to pray. Nearly comatose with exhaustion by this time, I went back to the Stillwater apartments again after lunch with George and Dawn.*
I phoned Marian later to ask what time she was saying her prayers for us, because lightning struck twice. We visited a couple and spoke with the husband who goes to the Sikh temple in Renton. He was very friendly, and I would have liked to talk with him for a long time, but he wasn't interested in any devotional meetings, children's classes or youth groups, or study circles. What enticing smells of curry emanated from their home, even though we had just eaten.
Upstairs we met a young woman with two children interested in devotional meetings at her house, with a possibility she may become interested in children's classes. And across the way, still floating on air, we met a young woman with children who had just escaped from a domestic violence situation, who is interested in an introductory conversation about the Faith, and may come to the Women's Empowerment Devotional on Friday.
We called it good and went out for coffee.
*There is a story about 'Abdu'l-Baha who returned to the place he was staying during his visit to America, very exhausted. He went upstairs to His room and emerged a few minutes later completely reenergized by prayer. I do feel better after the teaching event.
O Lord,
Open Thou the door, provide the means, prepare the way, make safe the path, that we may be guided to those souls whose hearts are prepared for Thy Cause, and that they may be guided to us. Verily, Thou art the Merciful, the Most Bountiful, the All-Powerful.
~'Abdu'l-Baha
Friday at work was challenging, with someone who needed IV fluids, so an IV start, and IM and oral antibiotics, which took an extra hour and a half. It's a good thing I have a simple medication pass, so I could hurry up to finish in my last 45 minutes. So when I came home I was revved up. Then I was anticipating people coming to my house Saturday and Sunday for a Baha'i Intensive Program of Growth, so I was revved up about that, and went to sleep about 2:30 AM and woke 7:30 AM. Did the final dusting and sweeping, set out dishes for lunch, etc, and instructed myself not to take it too hard if no one showed up.
My goal is to find receptive souls in Puyallup, beginning with the neighborhoods near me, and expand the number of people participating in devotional meetings, study circles, children's classes and youth groups; it is hoped that they will become attracted to the Baha'i teachings, investigate, and eventually expand the number of Baha'is in Puyallup. Building more spiritual communities is our focus.
So the schedule was to pray and spend time consulting in the morning, in preparation for direct teaching work after lunch. I had Marian, George, Chris, Rick, William, and Joe in the morning, and Dawn came in the afternoon. We prayed, talked about our goals, sang and consulted, then ate potato soup with green peas, yellow split peas and tomatoes, and had sandwiches and so forth. Most went to the Salishan neighborhood for teaching. Dawn, Marian and I went teaching in the Stillwater Apartments which I pass on the way to work.
A lot of people at work live near by, but I'm not sure exactly where. I'm extremely shy about sharing the aspect of my life closest to my heart--my faith--at work. So I was very concerned about meeting people I knew, as I crossed the fence between my work persona and my Baha'i character. Sure enough, many of the people we met were connected with "Mountain View." So I was exposed as a Baha'i several times. I'm waiting for doom to fall.
In the evening I washed clothes, cleaned up and went out to Feast in Tacoma, shopped on the way home, soaked black beans, memorized a prayer, and listened to Beethoven's Appassionata before bed. Woke at 8:30 this morning, went, Omigosh, and made a Black Bean and Squash soup. Today George, Dawn, and Joe came over, and Marian promised to pray. Nearly comatose with exhaustion by this time, I went back to the Stillwater apartments again after lunch with George and Dawn.*
I phoned Marian later to ask what time she was saying her prayers for us, because lightning struck twice. We visited a couple and spoke with the husband who goes to the Sikh temple in Renton. He was very friendly, and I would have liked to talk with him for a long time, but he wasn't interested in any devotional meetings, children's classes or youth groups, or study circles. What enticing smells of curry emanated from their home, even though we had just eaten.
Upstairs we met a young woman with two children interested in devotional meetings at her house, with a possibility she may become interested in children's classes. And across the way, still floating on air, we met a young woman with children who had just escaped from a domestic violence situation, who is interested in an introductory conversation about the Faith, and may come to the Women's Empowerment Devotional on Friday.
We called it good and went out for coffee.
*There is a story about 'Abdu'l-Baha who returned to the place he was staying during his visit to America, very exhausted. He went upstairs to His room and emerged a few minutes later completely reenergized by prayer. I do feel better after the teaching event.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Mentally Alert Salad
That would be something else, a mentally alert salad. Make you think twice before sticking a fork into your greens. Funny it doesn't work that way with a hamburger . . . except for some folks who are more mentally alert to their food origins than the rest of us.
For the last, I'd say, two months, since watching Forks Over Knives, I've been following my cravings, mainly [for those with a morbid interest in those things] fried fish. I discovered Halibut is flavorful; generic fish is not. I can now safely predict that the more deeply I am moved by the arguments for a whole food plant based diet, the more I envy those whose lives have been transformed by adhering to its strict limits, the more severe my food cravings for other types of food become and the more abrupt their onset. It is completely predictable. I was just beginning to settle down after F. O. K. when I watched 40 minutes of Dr. Neal Barnard describing which substances in dairy products tend to keep one eating them . . .
The also predictable result of relentlessly pursuing these cravings, instead of occasional aberrations from a moderately healthy diet, has been a lack of mental acuity. Some foods make me dopey. Just not as alert. Slow and lazy brain cells. I start worrying about early onset Alzheimers.
Amazingly I started to realize, after this latest binge, that I was craving fruits and vegetables and whole grains and even legumes. So I made this salad, ate it with a beautiful red, ripe pear [don't ask me about the variety--I'm not that alert] and a slice of whole wheat toast. A wonderful meal and a rousing experience. I could feel my mind and body transforming with just one lunch.
Mentally Alert Salad
1/4 of a cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped [optionally you could grate it. That would be great.]
1/2 onion, diced
2 fat organic carrots, grated
one can pickled beets, sliced [the beets, not the can]
one can of beans [in this case, red beans]
Salad dressing*
That's it. Simple and delicious. I don't even know why I'm charging for this recipe. Oh, yeah, I'm not.
Walking to work there was definitely more of a spring in my step and a smile on my face.
* I have this idea for a salad dressing based on pickled beets, but I haven't worked it out yet.
For the last, I'd say, two months, since watching Forks Over Knives, I've been following my cravings, mainly [for those with a morbid interest in those things] fried fish. I discovered Halibut is flavorful; generic fish is not. I can now safely predict that the more deeply I am moved by the arguments for a whole food plant based diet, the more I envy those whose lives have been transformed by adhering to its strict limits, the more severe my food cravings for other types of food become and the more abrupt their onset. It is completely predictable. I was just beginning to settle down after F. O. K. when I watched 40 minutes of Dr. Neal Barnard describing which substances in dairy products tend to keep one eating them . . .
The also predictable result of relentlessly pursuing these cravings, instead of occasional aberrations from a moderately healthy diet, has been a lack of mental acuity. Some foods make me dopey. Just not as alert. Slow and lazy brain cells. I start worrying about early onset Alzheimers.
Amazingly I started to realize, after this latest binge, that I was craving fruits and vegetables and whole grains and even legumes. So I made this salad, ate it with a beautiful red, ripe pear [don't ask me about the variety--I'm not that alert] and a slice of whole wheat toast. A wonderful meal and a rousing experience. I could feel my mind and body transforming with just one lunch.
Mentally Alert Salad
1/4 of a cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped [optionally you could grate it. That would be great.]
1/2 onion, diced
2 fat organic carrots, grated
one can pickled beets, sliced [the beets, not the can]
one can of beans [in this case, red beans]
Salad dressing*
That's it. Simple and delicious. I don't even know why I'm charging for this recipe. Oh, yeah, I'm not.
Walking to work there was definitely more of a spring in my step and a smile on my face.
* I have this idea for a salad dressing based on pickled beets, but I haven't worked it out yet.
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