A day late, a dollar short…

All told, this last week was a pretty good one. I’m now in the sixth day of my maintenance meds and I still haven’t experienced any adverse effects. Interestingly, the pain I was feeling in my right knee has all but disappeared and I’m beginning to suspect that the Prednisone (a steroid) is responsible for that. The same goes for my shoulder joints – both were starting to give me grief but now the discomfort is nearly gone except for an occasional unpleasant popping sensation in the right shoulder. I’ve begun using Lauren’s sets of free weights to try to tone and strengthen some badly under-used muscles in my upper body and arms. My triceps are beginning to flap in a most unattractive manner and they need some attention!

I actually completed my full walk route this morning for the first time since being home from the hospital. This is my third week in and at the beginning I could only manage maybe half the route before feeling winded. Now I’m coming in strong with energy to spare, even more so than before I was diagnosed. Again, this raises the specter of the Beast and how I believe that it began sinking its claws into me far earlier than I’d realized. I remember going on my walkies three years ago and being winded to the point of feeling faint by the time I reached the top of the little hill at the beginning of our cul de sac. Knowing what I know now of blood counts and how they affect my overall endurance, I’m guessing that my hemoglobin count was already plunging even then. Sheesh… why the hell didn’t I just go to the damn doctor?!?🙄

Last night’s dinner turned out excellently. I tried a new recipe that I’d found one day while I was in the hospital and bored out of my mind. It’s called Shakshuka, or eggs poached in tomato sauce, and it’s of Libyan origin and very popular as a breakfast entrée in Israel. Full disclosure: I had NEVER poached an egg before. I know, I know, it sounds crazy but it’s true. As a result, I really didn’t know the cooking times of the eggs once they had been carefully poured into their bath of simmering spiced sauce so some of them were a bit too runny. Even so, the overall meal was DELICIOUS and Leyna heartily approved. Lauren… well, she ate the rice at least! This dish will definitely be making regular appearances at our dinner table. I also dug up a recipe for celery salad to use up a bunch of celery I had in the fridge that was beginning to look a bit tired. It was light, bright with lemon, crunchy, savory and sweet all at once – a perfect counterpoint to the spicy richness of the shakshuka’s sauce. Yay! Mischief managed!😄