I came bouncing in to meet my new doctor at the VA. They change them as each of them are residents but are supervised by the same doctors. I also came back from my cat scan and said to him that everything is fine with me and I assumed that everything is well in the cat scan. He looked up and just said," no". I was stunned. Not again. Cancer can't be back. It's back.
All of the doctors started to come into the room and talk with me. It was a small spot in the top lobe of my right lung, easily removed but only by doing the same operation I had done on my lungs a year ago. It is small enough so I won't lose another lobe. I would have the same team which is good because I do trust them. I got the date I would have the surgery, November 16. When the slow moving VA system suddenly speeds up and I find myself on a fast track I know it is because I have a serious health issue. I am on that fast track now.
Last night I watched the documentary, "Forks Over Knives" and I was very impressed. My main purpose in changing what I eat is my health. I have had cancer more than several times and the surgeries to go with it. I have been lucky in that I have defeated it, but I wanted to know how I could improve my chances of not getting cancer in the future. Doctors, although they saved my life through surgery, did not come up with any solutions. This documentary does and it has plenty of science to back up the claim that a plant based diet will provide a healthy lifestyle.
I have already given up meat and this film tells me how right this decision is. But what I didn't know is that dairy products are equally unhealthy. There are massive studies that show this that I never heard of that is in the film. The other day, I thought if I added yogurt(Greek style and unsweetened) I would end up with a healthier diet. I had already been buying organic cheese from Grocery Outlet for a nice price. The next day, I could hardly move as my arthritis was in full bloom as well as muscle and joint pain. I thought it was because the yogurt was not organic. I now know it is because it was a diary product and I had eaten cheese that day as well. I still eat cheese every so often which is alright for now and does not give me the pain I had before, but when I run out of organic cheese I am no longer eating it. I purposely keep the amount of dairy foods very low. Soon, I am becoming a vegan for good.
The film does not mention organic foods. I have chosen to include them because of health reasons and because organic produce taste better. I now enjoy eating and even cooking far more in my kitchen than before as I am still eating one meal a day. I am creating soups and other simple recipes that are vegan and taste good.
When I ate the yogurt, I became hungry a short time later. When drinking smoothies and eating one vegan meal a day I was not. The film explains why we become addicted and hunger for prepared foods and how it affects the body. I can say for a certainty that it is true. I made some gluten free onion rings and was surprised how hungry I was a sort time later. I don't get hungry as a rule and that is important for me in order to stay on my food plan. I also got mad at the corporations that make prepared food knowing full well that people do not feel satisfied after eating their food products. They over eat and gain weight.
I mentioned my food plan at the senior center the other day as someone had asked if I lost weight which I have. There was a woman in her early 40's who said she could never give up the foods she loved. I looked at her, grossly overweight so much that she had to be in a wheel chair. I know that she does not love that food all that much because she is addicted, but I was hopelessly addicted too although not in a wheel chair. I had to find my own way home. Hopefully, she will too.
