Hotel Chelsea

Our favorite place is up for sale again........may put it on my Christmas list this year.




Hotel Chelsea up For Sale

I happened to find these old pictures from the very 1st time we stayed at the Chelsea

View from our baclony

Our Room

Then bug room...we always asked for this room.

Am I exciting or what?

 What the heck was I reading?

The most fun was one night after being out just hanging out in the lobby checking out all the residents and guests hanging out. 

Here's where Rob proposed  

I love that horse picture!

The last time we were there was on my 40th Birthday when our whole family went with us!

Becky was so kind to take some great pictures for us

During my whole treatment and stuff we never once went over to Chelsea.

We talked about it but felt like we didn't really want to make Chelsea a part of the whole illness thing.

It was hard going to the city for medical stuff and almost ruined my love of the city.

I'm now ready to start heading over to Chelsea

And I now have NYC in my heart for sure for all she has done for me

If you watched the above news video clip of the Chelsea and this guy was interviewed...he is a resident there and Becky caught a picture of him.

I hope the Chelsea Hotel is around for a long long time.

Had my Doctor appointment and they took a good look at my uterus because Tamoxifen can cause Uterine cancer in a few...well they found something the size of a raisin and they said it looks like a polyp.  No chance to slight chance it's something else.  So I will have a D&C and hysteroscopy- to get that out and get a closer look at my uterus.  I'm definately a bit nervous, but honestly what is there that I can do?  It will be what it will be and I'll be O.K......crazy but O.K.  Oh an my family will lose it if I have anything else wrong with me.  

Dr. F. would just leave the polyp and watch it, but then we would have to discuss every time we met and it would just be too much stress for me.   

My internal ultrasound showed my ovaries working full steam!  Especially my left one.  The tech informed me that I could possibly drop 2 eggs and have a set of twins.  Gee and being Rob's dad is a twin- you never know.   Bittersweet news.  Maybe I'll be super healthy at 45 when I can go off my Tamoxifen and then have a baby?  lol       

And it's confirmed - no menopause for me yet!!!!!  So because of my Tamoxifen, I will have menopause symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness PLUS my Period (because I'm healthy and young-yeah right)!

Really my ovaries working (in a good manner) is a healthy thing for me.  But if for some reason it is decided that I still have too much estrogen........they may have to go. 

Tonight we have company....trick or treating tonight!  I'm so excited to see the little ones!

It's a family affair

Tamoxifen, Exercise, Hair, Eating, and Pink Eye!

Well I don't know but I'm starting to think I need to be more careful about taking care of myself as far germs.  I now have pink eye in both eyes!  YUK

So I did talk with a nurse about my period and it's normal to get my period back especially because I'm SO young!!!!  Yeah I'm young!  Boo it only makes me think I probably could have gotten pregnant if it wasn't for cancer.  Oh well.  I am really sort of glad to get my period after thinking about it.  My body is going ahead with normal stuff and I'm glad to maybe not be going through menopause.  I've been reading up on hormones and it's very interesting!  If you don't have cancer I suggest you do some reading yourself about estrogen- because there are a couple different kinds of estrogen.  There's good and bad- and I learned pomegranate juice has almost the same effect as my Tamoxifen.  Remember my cancer like a lot of women is driven my estrogen.

Well I lost 2lbs - Yeah.  It was really hard only having 1000 calories!  I don't know if I actually only ate that many, but I tried really hard.  I'm having a hard time getting in 420cal burning cardio activities as, but I'm trying more and more.  I did my leg routine at the gym all by myself- so proud of myself.  I ended up going to the gym at 9:30 after making sure Lucas was in bed.  I didn't want to go when there was a lot of people there because I have a fear of the machines.  Well I was there with about 4 other women and a dozen men- and guess what nobody bothers you- because I think they were all there for the same reason to get it done and not be bothered.  I went on the treadmill and while watching Jersey Shore burned only 120 cal.  I didn't watch the whole show.  So I think I'll be ok with the gym I'm at and I love my trainer there.

Pilates- SOOOOOO hard for me.  Last session- I had a hard time with some stuff and at some point I wanted to cry.  It was so frustrating to be asked to put your foot here and not be able to do it with out using my hands!  My legs are so weak- arms too.  I was getting really upset and my instructor was so kind to ask if I was ok.  She then switched it up for me- because I'm so short I need negative gear.  The good news is I'm ready to go into a class- mentally I'm not ready but, if she thinks I can do it I'm gonna try.

My hair is so curly and I really get sick of it sometimes.  I did finally get a cut because growing in a buzz cut I did myself wasn't that easy to work with- besides the hair that is coming out still has chemicals from treatment- SO I finally have what they call "Chemo Curls"!  I'm very happy I don't have any grey.  A lot of people ask me if I dyed my hair- it's super DARK.  I always had DARK hair- just always colored.         
I went to a real great girl for my haircut- she was great with my curls.

5/14/2010

last chemo 4/19/2010

7/9/2010

ok here is my hair before my haircut

9/25/2010

Here is my hair after the cut

9/25/2010 - BABY'S 1ST Haircut 

See it had more of a shape and looked like an actual style 

    

So eating is hard for me because I often tell myself- If anyone deserves a Reese Cup - I DO!  Bad huh?  Boo hoo for me - I know!

So one of my last conversations Betty talked with me about my weight and eating and she said what she did was buy her favorite bar- Milky Way in the miniature size and at night she would treat herself to 1!  So I'm thinking maybe a miniature Reese every now and then at night will be good.

But I also read this lo-cal snack

forget what they called it (it's from the BiggestLoser)

Let's call it

Chubby Girl Ice Cream Sandwich!

Low Fat Chocolate Gram cracker

Low Fat/No Fat  Coolwhip    

So you take a Gracker :)

Break it in half

Spread one half with Coolwhip

SandwichIt
by putting the other (1/2) Gracker on top

Put it in the freezer

Eat at night for a sweet treat 

A lot going on....

Everyday lately reminds me of what went on last year.  I thought about writing about all the important days, but then after hearing of Betty passing.....I felt it wasn't right.  I do need to move on - Betty made it clear that it was time to move on to more interesting things in my life.  I will continue to write about some important days- but only in a positive way.  I tend to get angry about some things that went on.

What I really need to work on is getting in shape....and not a round one!  

What's been going on?  I have 2 trainers I'm attempting to work with-


Heather to help me with weights/cardio and weight loss

I've joined a gym (that Heather operates out of) that is open from 5am Monday till 8pm Friday- Yahooo....if only I had the energy to take advantage of these awesome hours.  I've been going to bed early!  I used to be able to stay up late and get up early!

So far I have some of my upper body exercises and have decided that I will do 420cal burning cardio/day- 5xWeek!  Oooo that's a lot.
I will be consuming 1000 calories a day - unless I don't feel well doing that- then I will increase them.
I'm at 40% body fat- this is real bad!  Muscle pretty much no where.
I have a goal weight of 110 or a dress size of 2-4
My weight is 140 right now- YIKES
My 1st weigh-in is next Wednesday Oct 6th....I'm a little nervous- my trainer is a little on the tough side!
My appointments with Heather are 2x week for 30min- then I have to get there the rest of the time and do my routines.

Kathy to train me on the Pilates apparatus so I will be ready to attend a class on a weekly basis
Kathy gives me homework to do every day!  This is hard at times
I meet with Kathy 1xWeek for 1 hour

These 2 things should benefit each other- the weight lifting bulks up muscles and the Pilates stretches them out.

This will take a lot of work on top of everything else- but I have to take care of my health so I have the energy to all the things I wasn't doing before all this stuff.  I really hope I can do it.

  …BELIEVE that you CAN


know that YOU WILL…

…and PURSUE with EVERYTHING you are!

Health news-
I have my period-yuk! After all that crap you would think I could be done with it.  I guess when you go through menopause you can still get a period, but this in now the 2nd one.  I really shouldn't be getting them because my Tamoxifen is suppose to be preventing estrogen (which made my tumor grow). So I hope this isn't a sign that the Tamoxifen isn't working.  Not that if it wasn't working I would get cancer again, but it does cross my mind.  The Tamoxifen is an extra preventative measure- I must remember that.   I will definately be calling my doctor about it tomorrow- because maybe there is something else I can do to get rid of this estrogen crap...lol.  and my periods

Finally..........Tamoxifen does make it hard to lose weight?

Well finally a nurse let me in on a secret- although the oncologists tell you that Tamoxifen does not cause weight gain or make it hard to lose weight - A LOT of women say it does!  So who do we believe- the doctors or the WOMEN WHO ARE ACTUALLY TAKING THE DRUG?

Just having the nurse tell me that I'm not alone and if all these women claim it- there is probably some truth to it makes me feel a lot better.  I have been trying to lose weight and it's just not budging.  When I get back home I will have to start a intense diet and exercise program.

I'm excited a friend has moved back to town and she seems to be up to the challenge of working out together- YEAH KRISTA!