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May 22, 2005

Annual Cancer Scare... Or: How I Will Explain To My Doctor Why I Am Twenty Pounds Lighter

It's that time again. Time to go back to the doctor and be scared to death again that I will have cervical cancer.

Like almost any woman you ask, I've had a couple of irregular pap smears. Every time, I've freaked out and gotten scared and undergone a painful and invasive test (I'll spare the details, out of concern for our more squemish brothers) and waited on pins and needles for two weeks to find out whether or not I have cancer. I never did, and my doctor always said we'd just keep watching it.

Now I'm on I-3-C, a supplement that MR made to combat the thing that causes cervical cancer. You can read about it here. So I'm hoping that this year I will discover that my annual cancer scare is no longer so scary.

Here's the other thing that's frightening about going to the doctor this year: I've lost twenty pounds since my last visit.

My last visit was on June 7 of last year, and I weighed 123 when I stepped on the scale. That was already a few months into CR and I had dropped from 137, but I hadn't been to the doctor during the year when my weight really sky-rocketed, so my previous recorded weight had been 126. That's dead center of normal for my height, and the nurse even said something to me about being jealous that I was so thin. I think she was being nice.

This time, unless I take steps to prevent it, I'll weigh 103. That's clear underweight for my height. Now if I want to add water weight and show up to 108 on the scale I know how... eat a lot of salty carbs and exercise a lot the day before my appointment and then eat a big meal right beforehand. I can show at least five pounds in water weight that way, probably more if I really pull out all the stops. But who wants to eat a giant meal before her gyn appt? Ugh, not I.

So I may just forget about it and take the flak from the doctor about my weight loss. Cause you know the doctor is going to be a total idiot about it. "Are you anorexic?" Even though I am obviously the healthiest person in the world.

I don't feel like arguing with the doctor. And yet I feel like I must defend the integrity of our lifestyle. Maybe I'll print out some good articles to shove in his face.

Once again, I must point you to an excellent blog entry by Liz on at http://www.seespotcron.blogspot.com about her recent visit to the doctor. She's so great... I wish she would move here and kick my butt so I'd lift more weights. She's awesome. She got the same stupid reaction at the doctor's office: we don't know what to do with a woman who is so healthy that she's actually slowed down her own aging process!

Ya know, it's a little weird to go chatting about these women's issues on a public blog that's read by a bunch of the brothers. But I think it's important that we girls talk about this stuff... if we don't, how the hell are we going to know if we're normal or if we should freak out? And the men out there might find it easier to be more supportive of their wives/girlfriends/sisters/moms/friends if they weren't totally in the dark about things like the hell a girl goes through when she has an irregular pap smear and thinks she must be dying of cervical cancer.

You'll be wanting some nutrition info right about now. Please don't die of boredom. Note that I ate some whole grain bread! That should entertain you. It was 6 g of protein per slice and lots of fiber. See, even I eat bread every once in awhile. It was good too, though I don't think I'd ever go back to eating it every day.

Food List : 5-22-05.FLS
DATE : 05/22/05
Num. Foods : 14
Food #1 : Bread, mixed-grain, toasted (includes whole-grain, 7-grain) 2 slices
Food #2 : Egg, white, raw, fresh 1 cup
Food #3 : Oil 1 teaspoon flax
Food #4 : Coffee, brewed, prepared with distilled water lots
Food #5 : Hot dog relish (pickle relish, on bread)
2 tablespoons
Food #6 : Yogurt, plain, skim milk, 13 grams protein per 8 ounce 1 cup
Food #7 : Oil 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon flax
Food #8 : Lewis Labs 2 tablespoons
Food #9 : 1 Cosmo -- met a friend for a drink -- approx 1 shot vodka
Food #10 : Broccoli, frozen, spears, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 25 cals
Food #11 : Cauliflower, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 25 cals
Food #12 : Carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 25 cals
Food #13 : Nuts, filberts or hazelnuts, dried, unblanched 10 g
Food #14 : Salsa, med. chunky 2 tablespoons

NUTRIENT TOTALS:

Abs. Values %RDA/SA

Calories 1057.40__cal 53%
Protein 76.78__gm 140% RDA
Total Fat 29.21__gm 45%
Sat. Fat 5.55__gm 28%
Mono. Fat 15.36__gm 53%
Poly. Fat 6.17__gm 93%
Carbohydrate 95.20__gm 32%
Fiber 20.15__gm 67%
Cholesterol 126.81__mg 42%
Vit. A 14157.47__IU 283% RDA
Vit. B6 0.74__mg 46% RDA
Vit. B12 1.23__mcg 61% RDA
Vit. C 97.10__mg 162% RDA
Vit. E 6.21__mg 78% RDA
Thiamine 1.63__mg 148% RDA
Folacin 228.27__mcg 127% RDA
Riboflavin 3.12__mg 240% RDA
Niacin 14.79__mg 99% RDA
Panto. Acid 2.49__mg 50% SA
Calcium 721.58__mg 60% RDA
Copper 0.52__mg 26% SA
Iron 7.67__mg 51% RDA
Magnesium 214.80__mg 77% RDA
Manganese 2.84__mg 95% SA
Phosphorus 496.16__mg 41% RDA
Potassium 2397.49__mg 120% RDA
Selenium 145.39__mcg 264% RDA
Sodium 1628.82__mg 68% SA
Zinc 4.22__mg 35% RDA
Tyrosine 3.48__gm 363% RDA
Lysine 7.10__gm 986% RDA
Phenylalanine 4.81__gm 501% RDA
Leucine 8.39__gm 874% RDA
Valine 5.77__gm 687% RDA
Methionine 2.78__gm 927% RDA
Cystine 1.71__gm 570% RDA
Tryptophan 1.28__gm 710% RDA
Threonine 4.33__gm 903% RDA
Isoleucine 5.08__gm 705% RDA

P:C:F = 29:46:25

Posted by april at May 22, 2005 9:26 PM

Comments

pickle relish?

Hot dog?

Are you feeling well?
:-)

Posted by: Jacob at May 22, 2005 11:35 PM

Hi Jacob!

It's hot dog relish, not a hot dog! My mother picked up some Southern (Mt. Olive brand) hot dog relish in Maryland last time she was there, and I ate it on my 7 grain bread. Don't worry, I'm not eating a hot dog! That's just how DWIDP lists it.

a

Posted by: april at May 23, 2005 4:05 AM

Okay, Sunshine! This is a foolproof plan for your Dr. visit.

1. Take data printouts for the last few days from DWIP.
2. When confronted, present evidence. Remind the provider this is the only "diet" which doesn't recognize rice cakes as valuable.
3. If the Dr. or nurse doesn't back down, offer "the challenge".
4. Explain "the challenge". If anyone can prove to you, via any medical test, you are unhealthy, you will stand before them and eat 10 Snicker's bars.
5. Enjoy the moment! Your tension with the provider will be gone, and you will enjoy a great laugh together. At this point, you've reinforced your CRON conviction and maybe even peaked their interest. The opportunity to expose someone to the CRON concept is priceless.

Good luck, and may the force be with you!

Posted by: Danielle at May 23, 2005 6:02 AM

In all fairness to your doc, I'll bet dollars to donuts that the vast majority of women she sees who weigh what you weigh _are_ anorexic. It's not an unreasonable assumption for her to make, without additional info. After all, women doing CR aren't uncommon; women doing CRON are.

Posted by: James at May 23, 2005 9:17 AM

what is cron.? i am a female who is 30 lbs overweight and just had an irregular pap.Is there somewhere that I can get more info? what is cron?

Posted by: adriane at November 2, 2005 1:17 PM

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