Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!

It was another year of change, challenges and new opportunities that has given us new eyes and a new look on life.  I’m so glad that you have been right at my side through all of it and am excited to continue it with you.

Eastside move and Interferon

Oh no, it’s true we’re almost Eastsiders.  After both working on the Eastside for some time we decided to save on the commute across the bridges and look for a new place.  The new house has hardwoods a nice deck and is walking distance from my office and closer to Melissa’s work too.  Moving has been a challenge since we’re both still not back up to full strength after the surgeries, but luckily we’ve been taking our time. 

Things with the Interferon have finally started to stabilize after lowering the dose in early Sept.  We might move the Oncology checkups to every other month since I’ve been doing better.  Though it’s still difficult on some days overall it’s been tolerable.  Two things that have helped my energy are switching the shots to be in the morning and taking more Melatonin.  Because I was having so many problems staying asleep I started taking the shots earlier and have actually been able to sleep at night.  For a while I was up at 2 or 3 a couple times a week.   Feeling like I have a mild flu during the day is fine trade for sleeping at night.  Also Dr Gignac recommended taking 20 mg of Melatonin before bed, mostly to help with the side effects but as a sleeping aide it’s helped a lot.

Peaceful Sunday on Vashon Island

It’s official..we are moving to the Eastside and this was our last weekend before we have to get to work and serious about packing. We decided to spend a lazy Sunday exploring Vashon Island. On our way to the Fauntleroy Ferry we stopped at one of our favorite coffee shops, the Java Bean, for some yummy coffee and eggels. Once on Vashon we visited Point Robinson Park for a short hike down to the beach and up to the Pt Robinson Lighthouse. We found a cute swing at the far end of the beach where we took a moment to swing in peaceful silence. The day got increasingly more chilly and dreary and so in town we found the Vashon Tea Shop where we relaxed and read the newspaper with a pot of delicious Rooibos Tea. It was a good day.

Natural Factors Whey Protein

If you’ve read our earlier blogs or talked to Brandon you know that he loves his smoothies! They are the one thing, along with fresh fruits and veggies that he can tolerate to eat on his bad days. Because he is loosing a lot of weight, and because his body is under a lot of stress processing the interferon, it is important he eats good quality protein.  At least 3-5 times a week I make smoothies with whey protein for Brandon and I in the morning and sometimes to go along with dinner (I’ll post some recipes later). Good quality whey protein can get pricey though so I was happy when I recently found a website with really good prices: iHerb.com or if you go to Natural Factors website they’ll tell you where to find locally.

Whey Factors is the highest quality natural whey protein I could find (and I did a lot of research). This product is a pure source of high quality whey protein, with no added sugar that provides support for muscle development and repair as well as the immune system. It has been recommended for cancer patients. Here are some things that make it better than the other whey protein out there:
* No sugar added, No artificial sweeteners, GMO free * BSE & rBGH free! (From cows that have not been treated with growth hormones) * Non-denatured, which means it’s processed at much lower temperatures & put through a filtering process to maintain purity. *microfiltered pure whey * Low in lactose – only 1 g per serving  * High in protein-15 grams per serving * Rich in glutamic acid and branched chain-amino acids (BCAA) * Provides beneficial whey protein microfractions including; immunoglobulin and lactoferrin