Author Archives: Tim Hughes Living with CML

2/28/2020 Weekly Update

28 Friday Feb 2020

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As promised here is the latest on my new weight loss adventure.  I’ve been to the gym every day this week since Sunday with the exception of yesterday.  I had so many errands to do that I just didn’t have time to get to the gym. One of my errands was to go look at another treadmill.  The one I own will not work while I’m on it.  I had to make sure I find one that would carry my weight.  The one I found is rated up to 360 pounds. I checked it out and decided to get it but as luck would have it, it will not fit through the door to get into my workout room.  I’ve got to figure out how to disassemble it to get it in there.  Right now it’s in my garage and my wife isn’t too happy about it because she has to park outside in the cold.  I will be spending tomorrow removing my old treadmill and trying to get the other moved.

Last night after I ate supper, I tried out my new-to-me treadmill. It has speakers that I can plug my mp3 player into and of course, it has a multitude of workout options.  I spent thirty minutes on the treadmill and worked up quite a sweat.  Over 400 calories burned.  That may not be a lot for some but to me, that’s a lot.  The best thing is that when I woke up this morning I had lost 1.8 lbs.  I know that maybe water weight but that’s the first loss since I’ve been working out. I’m excited about it.

I met with a trainer two times this week.  I meet with him for thirty minutes then I hit the cycle for thirty and then the treadmill for thirty.  On the days that I don’t meet with the trainer, I just do an hour’s worth of either the cycle or the treadmill or a combination of both. Today after my hour and a half workout, I got on my treadmill and did thirty minutes after supper.  I know this may be a bit much but I’ve got a lot to lose.

There’s a young lady that is standing behind the desk as you come into the gym.  She’s the one that I spoke with when I signed up.  She looks to be about 24 years of age.  She showed me a picture of herself before she started working out and I couldn’t believe the transformation.  She asked me how old I thought she was, I told her about 24 to 25 years old.  She said that she was 42 years old.  You could have knocked me down with a feather.  Today I asked her just how long it took her to lose that much weight.  She said it only took her six months to lose it.  She said that I could be fit and trim in six months if I stuck with it.  We’ll see in six months.

Perseverance

25 Tuesday Feb 2020

Posted by in Gym, Weight Loss

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I have been to the gym every day since Sunday.  I had not planned on it but why not, I’m not doing anything else.  I spend thirty minutes on the treadmill and thirty minutes on the spin cycle.  I walk away out of breath and with noodle legs.  Today, while on the spin cycle,  I must have hit the wrong program because just about the whole thirty minutes I was going uphill.  According to my Fitbit, sixteen minutes my heart rate was above 140 beats per minute.  About midway into the workout, I thought about quitting.  My breathing was hard, I could tell my heart rate was up and my legs started burning.  It was then I said to myself, I am not a wimp. I can do this.  What I’m doing has got to be better than quitting.  After I finished my workout on the cycle, what I felt next was amazing and I haven’t felt like that in quite some time.  The fact that I didn’t quit made me feel great.  I couldn’t breathe nor could I walk but I felt good inside because I didn’t quit.  Tomorrow I work with the trainer for thirty minutes then I’ll get back on the treadmill and cycle again but this time a little less of a workout.  My legs feel like they need to heal some.

Decisions?

22 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by in diet, Gym, Weight Loss

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I did not go to the gym today.  I could have and if the truth is known I guess I should have. Since I’ve joined the gym on the 14th of February, I have been four days out of the last eight. I’ve been told not to overdo it.  But what is overdoing it?  I only work with the trainer for thirty minutes and then I hop on either the cycle or the treadmill for another thirty. Friday, I had gotten there thirty minutes early so I hopped on the cycle before my thirty-minute session with the trainer, then another thirty minutes on the treadmill afterward. Tomorrow I plan on doing thirty minutes on both the treadmill and the cycle and maybe some weights in between.

What is your opinion? How long should a workout last?  As much money as I’m paying out I want to get my money’s worth.  Also, and I know this is a loaded question, what sort of diet, if any, should I be on to maximize not only my weight loss but to help with getting my body in shape.

No Pain, No Gain

21 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by in Cycling, diet, Gym, Weight Loss

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imageAt least that’s what I’ve always heard.  My first appointment with the trainer was on Wednesday of this week.  Like I said in my last post, he is one of my Eagle Scouts.  My main concern was that he would use this as a way to get me back for all the hiking that I made him do.  I’m not sure if he tried to get me back or not but I’m telling you one thing; I’m sore.  He worked my chest, my legs, and arms. He said he was going to take it easy on my first day then give me a good workout on the second day, that’s today.

Two things that I’ve noticed so far.  I want to go to the gym even on the days that I’m not scheduled to work with the trainer. I definitely want to get my money worth. The second thing I’ve noticed, and I’m not too impressed with, is the fact that I’ve gained two pounds since I’ve started.  We can’t have this.  I want to lose weight not gain it.  I’m supposed to talk with someone at the gym today about a Mico diet.  I’ve never heard of it plus I don’t do well with diet plans.

There is another thing I’ve noticed since I’ve been going to the gym.  There’s a lot more people there that are in shape than those that are not.  There are a few there that their shape is round like me but for the most part most are fit and trim.  It’s like those fitness commercials.  You never see a fat guy on a Peloton.  You always see a fit man or woman giving it their all on those machines.  I know it’s marketing but I think it would give us fat guys more incentive if we could see one of our own on those machines working out.  And why is it that they usually have a gorgeous blond, who is all fit and trim, curves in the right places and always smiling behind the sign-in desk?  They’re usually married, got two kids and 42 but yet look 21. 

UPDATE:  I got to the gym about thirty minutes early.  My trainer was busy with another client so I hopped on a spin cycle and for thirty minutes my legs had a decent workout. When it was time for my turn with the trainer we mainly worked on my upper body. It was already sore from Wednesday but I made it through. After my workout with the trainer, I spent thirty minutes on the treadmill.  When I left there, everyone knew I had a decent workout because there wasn’t a dry stitch on my body.  Maybe I can see a difference on my scales tomorrow.  At least I hope so.

I Joined a Gym Today!

19 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in Cancer, Cycling, Gym, Weight Loss

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Well, actually I joined last Friday but I hired a trainer today.  I had no idea a trainer was so expensive.  Between the cost of joining a gym and signing up for a trainer, I’m spending over $300 a month.  Wow, that’s a lot of money.  But, if I can get in shape and lose this weight it will be worth it.  The gym membership is right at $40 a month for a year.  The trainer is $289 a month for six months.  I figured I could do without a few things for six months.  I will be seeing a trainer twice a week for an hour.  I had my free assessment today and the trainer walked me through the paces trying out all the equipment and letting me get familiar with them.  We didn’t really work out per se but I can tell we worked out. My main issue and I made sure I told the trainer this, is my breathing. 

I have three main causes of my breathing issues. One is I’m really over overweight.  286 to be exact.  My body fat is close to 40% and that’s really bad. Two is I have congestive heart failure.  My heart doesn’t pump enough blood through my body to carry enough oxygen needed when I exercise.  And three, the medication that I take for my CML causes fluid to accumulate around my heart and lungs.  When I have an issue with this it causes bad breathing problems.  Luckily, I haven’t had any issues with this since last August.

My plan is to work out three days a week, two of which will be with a trainer.  Funny thing is that my trainer will be a young man that was in my scout troop.  His mother also works there.  I just hope he doesn’t try and get me back for all those times I made him work.

I”m really looking forward to working out and getting back in shape.  Maybe doing it this way I will be held more accountable being that I’m forking out all this cash. My goal is to reach 225lbs before September of this year.  My short term goal is to get down to 275 so that I can get back on my bicycle.  It has a weight limit so I don’t want to get on there and break it.

I’ll try and post something every Friday to keep everyone updated on my progress.

See you then.

Life Has its Ups and Downs.

09 Sunday Feb 2020

Posted by in diet, Disability, Family, Retirement, Weight Loss

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A shelf I built for the kitchen but ended up in the garage

Life has been so stressful lately and I guess I eat more when I’m stressed.  I thought when I retired my life would be less stressful but lately, it hasn’t been the case. I’ve tried to stay on my diet but that hasn’t worked out so well.  The good news is that I’m back on it and I’ve already lost six pounds.  I’ve set mini goals and I’m about four pounds before I reach my first ten-pound mini-goal.  My twin daughters will be graduating from college in May.  They want to go on a cruise in June so this has given me an incentive to lose about twenty pounds before the trip.  I really hope I can do it.

As I’ve stated last time I wrote, I had applied for Social Security disability.  I had my hearing and I got a favorable decision.  I’m still waiting on my backpay as well as my first check.  This whole process has me concerned somewhat.  I’m not surer If I can explain it or not but it makes me feel inferior or worthless.  I’ve worked all my life and over thirty-two years at my last job, not they’re telling me that I can’t work.  I feel like I can do something but I’ve got to be honest with myself, I do have trouble breathing when I do anything.  No one will hire me at my age with all the issues that I have.  So I guess I’ll just have to get over it.

The last two days have been dry and I’m glad it has because the few days before that it rained at least four inches in less than two days.  The next four days we’re supposed to get at between six and seven more inches.  There will be a lot of flooding and trees down.  Let’s hope that the severe weather that is projected for Wednesday is not too bad.

Tomorrow will be a hard day for me.  One of my friends worked for Kimberly Police department and was shot and killed the other day while on duty.  He will be buried tomorrow.  If you’re a praying person please pray for Nick O’Rear’s family.

It Was A Tough Decision

17 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in Cancer, Diabetic, Disability, Retirement

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February 14th, 2014 was a date that I will never forget.  One reason is that it’s the date that I asked my wife of 28 years to marry me.  She said yes, obviously.  The 14th was also the date that I was diagnosed with CML, Cronic Myeloid Leukemia. My life has not been the same since.

Prior to being diagnosed, my weight had increased over the years and my diabetes had gotten out of control. My doctor sat me down and told me that I had better start doing something about it or I wouldn’t live to see my kids graduate high school.  That woke me up a bit.  I started watching what I ate, I started walking some and a friend of mine got me riding my bicycle.  In 2012 I started riding my bike religiously; up to 20 miles a day and up to 30 miles on the weekend.  Even after my diagnosis of CML I kept riding.  In 2015 I rode over 7,000 that year.  But that would soon change.

In 2016, I spent a total of four weeks in the hospital.  Not all at one time but through the year.  My cancer meds were causing fluid to be collected around my heart and lungs.  This was also the time I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and diastolic heart failure.  This was also the time that my vision got blurry and I was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. I had to take injections in each eye to remove the blood that was pooling up behind my retina.  Because of all my health issues, I had to take off from work a lot because of doctor’s appointments and hospital stays.  Some of the meds I was on also caused memory loss and I started making mistakes at work.  One was a bad mistake and I was given a choice to either get fired or take a lower position.  I took the lower position which I also got lower pay.  Since 2016, I have been in the hospital at least 2 times a year spending at least 4 days each time.  I missed my daughter’s high school graduation because I was in the hospital with the flu and pneumonia.  I also missed my wife’s birthday twice because of hospital stays.

Some years back the company I worked for raised the age at which you could retire.  Because I had been there so long, I was grandfathered in and I could retire at the age of 55 because I had over 30 years of service. When I got grandfathered in, I had 42 months until I could retire.  I counted each day.  I couldn’t wait.  On August 15th, 2018 I retired.  I retired because I couldn’t do the work they were asking me to do.  My memory had gotten bad, I couldn’t walk without having to stop and take a breath and it was taking me too long to complete my jobs.  I knew if I didn’t retire I would eventually lose my job.

Since I was diagnosed in 2014 with cancer, I was asked several times why I didn’t try to file for disability. For me, disability is for someone who can’t work.  Even now I still think I can do something.  In reality, I know I can’t.  At my age, now 56, I doubt anyone will hire me with all my health issues.  It took some convincing from my wife and some of my other family members, I filed for disability in Septemeber of 2018.  Of course, with any filing, the first attempt is always denied, at least that’s what I was told.  And with that, my first filing, I was denied.

The simple fact that I can’t do anything but short term because I get so out of breath.  Walking, climbing stairs, going up an incline, carrying anything of any distance; things such as these I get so tired with fatigue and afterward I have to go and lay down for a while to get my energy back.  I can’t see any employer letting me go lay down after I do a job.

So, I got denied.  I immediately called a lawyer that had been highly recommended to me. When I filed for disability myself, I had to send in a lot of documents from all the doctors, the hospitals and such that I had.  It took me about two months to gather all of the information.  After about a month after I filed, they wanted more information.  Another month goes by gathering more information.  So, I had saved all of the documentation that was requested by the Social Security office and I sent all the documents I had saved to my lawyer.  After one year and six months, I had my hearing with the Social Security judge.

I met with my lawyer right before the hearing and he basically told me what not to say and what to say to the judge.  He told me to tell the truth and to tell him exactly what was going on, and I did.  They had a doctor on the phone that was representing the Social Security office.  To say that I was concerned would be an understatement.  My lawyer tried to calm me down because he could tell I was nervous.  The judge asked me a series of questions all of which I answered the best way I could.  The judge then turned to the doctor on the phone.  My anxiety levels hit the roof.  The judge asked him a series of questions regarding my work record, my work skill level and then he started asking him questions like, can he lift 50 pounds, can he crawl on his hands and knees, can I stand over thirty minutes without difficulty, can I sit for thirty minutes without difficulty.  The list went on and on.  To my surprise, the doctor said NO I can not do these things.  The Judge thanked him for his service and said I’m done.  That’s all I need to hear.  And with that he said we’re done.  I was in his chambers for less than 10 minutes.  The guy before me was in there for nearly an hour.

After I left the judge’s cambers my lawyer came and spoke to me.  He said that he felt really good about my case.  I am to call him in three months.  The decision could take up to six months.  But here is the kicker.  If I receive disability, I am supposed to get back pay from the date I filed or somewhere near that date.  He mentioned a figure of $2,100 a month for the backpay as well as my monthly payment.  I know he’s supposed to either get 25% of the back pay or $6,000, whichever is less.  I have a lot of need for this money so I hope I get it.

After all this, I still think that I don’t deserve disability.  I know a lot of people who are in worse shape than I am and they can’t get it.  The system is totally screwed up.  I know I have issues but I feel like I can still do something.  I’m not sure what but I think there is something out there that I can do.  The trouble is getting someone to hire me.

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Life Goes On!

17 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in Cancer, Diabetic, diet, Leukemia, Weight Loss

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_1TH9138Happy belated holidays! Wow!  It’s been a rollercoaster ride for me and my family.  There is no way I can put all that’s been going on in one post.  If I did, it would be a very long post and most would not read to the end.  So, that being said I’ll probably post several topics in the next few days.  I’ll go ahead and briefly tell you what’s been going on though.

Diet  Nonexistent.  I really tired but these holidays were just too much for my weak will power.  I am back on it but and I have lost a few pounds.  I got on my treadmill the other day and I think the thing has a weak motor.  I know I weigh quite a bit but I don’t think the thing should stop suddenly like that. Maybe I’ll rejoin the gym at the local Baptist church up the street.

Dad’s Kidney Stones Dad called me up before Christmas wanting to know if I could take him to the hospital to have a kidney stone removed.  It seems that my mom, which is in her 80’s, had to take her to a clinic in the early morning hours that morning.  The doctor there said that he had a stone which was too big to pass on his own.  1.2mm x .08mm.  The clinic did not have the resources there to break up the stone.  I took him to the hospital and the doctor there said that they normally do not call in the urologist for anything that small.  My dad and I looked at each other. I looked it up and 1.2mm is nearly half an inch.  I called the doctor out on it and he reassured me that my dad could pass the stone.   The day after Christmas, which was about a week later, my sister made an appointment with a urologist and had the stone removed.  I won’t go into how they did it but from the sound of it, I wouldn’t want to have it done.  I spoke to him yesterday and all is well.

Oncologist Report  I haven’t been or heard from my oncologist since last August.  A lot of things have been going on with different meds that had me concerned about my numbers.  You see, I’m on drugs for some ulcers in my lower stomach.  One of the drugs that I’ve been on is Zantac.  This drug has been known to lower the effectiveness of my cancer drug as well as cause cancer too.  In order for the ulcer med to have minimal effect on my cancer drug, there had to be a six-hour delay before I could take my cancer drug after taking the ulcer drug.  Now, the new drug they have me on after taking me off the Zantac, they want me to take it four times a day but still keep the six-hour delay.  Can’t be done.  So far I have only figured out that I can take it in the morning and once at night before going to bed.  This is crazy. Oh, by the way, all my numbers are good.  

Ok, that’s it for tonight.  There are several more interesting items that I want to talk about so stay tuned.

 

 

Thought for Today

12 Thursday Dec 2019

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Cat’s do the strangest things sometimes.

Happy Holiday’s everyone!!  Or, as I like to say, Merry Christmas!!

The past few days have been pretty busy and according to my calendar, it’s only going to get worse.  When I worked, I always disliked the holidays because I never had enough time to do what I wanted to do. With my job being what it was, I always had to be there.  If there was a threat of snow, I had to make sure I brought clothes with me to stay however long I was needed.  I always felt that I couldn’t spend enough time with my family.  Now that I’m retired, it seems that it still holds true.  For now anyway.  Both my girls have come home for Christmas but one is leaving tomorrow to go to Texas with her boyfriend to spend some time with them over the holidays.  When she returns home she’ll spend a couple of days here then back off to college.

This year it’s going to be different for my wife’s side of the family.  She lost her mother a few months back and her good for nothing brother and his family are trying to steal the family’s inheritance.  We’ve had one court date but that got put on hold until further notice.  I never really liked that family anyway.

A quick note about my diet.  I’m back on it.  I’ve been on it for a couple of days now.  So far, so good.  If I can just get my wife on board.  I keep telling her not to fix me stuff that I can’t eat but she continues to do it.  She fixed french-fries tonight and I just left them there.  Of course, she got offended that I wouldn’t eat the food that she had prepared.  It’s a constant battle.

I went to Wal-Mart today and I saw what most everyone sees this time of the year.  A Salvation Army Bell Ringer.  This one was different. He played the trumpet and played Christmas music. What a wonderful experience.  He was drawing in the dough.  I could listen to him all day long.  I wished that all Bell Ringers had some sort of talent.  I’m sure their donations would double.

 

Do Over Again

03 Tuesday Dec 2019

Posted by in Weight Loss

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I was doing so well and then just like a car hitting a stone wall, it stopped.  It’s really laughable.  This has happened so many times in my life that it really didn’t come as a surprise.  I’m upset and then again I’m not because I knew this was going to happen.  In the past several months I have forked out about $100 on diet plans and a gym membership.  I was following both when I got sick and had to be put in the hospital.  Of course, when I got out I was so weak that I didn’t feel like doing anything, including eating right.  I saw myself sliding down but I just didn’t feel like doing anything about it.  I thought about Thanksgiving coming up and that didn’t help any with all that food around so I decided to wait until the first of December.  Starting on the first of the month always seems easier for me for some reason.  Well here it is the 3rd of December and I’m already sliding a bit. It’s been too cold to get out and do any walking or hiking.  I’ve got a membership at a local church gym but I have always had an excuse as to why not to go.  It’s will power, or should I say, the lack of it, is the main reason I’m not doing well.

Since I know what the problem is you would think I would know how to fix it.  Well, I don’t.  I eat the wrong things, I snack too much, I don’t exercise enough.  I come up with a plan to exercise and I always find an excuse why not to exercise.  I’m doomed.  I’m by myself during the day and I have no one to push me out of this recliner.  I have no one to hold me accountable but me and I’m not doing a very good job.  This cold weather is killing me because it’s too cold for me to get out and do any type of walking.  I don’t want to even get out to get to my truck to drive to the church where I’m sure the gym is heated.

I’ve lost 50 pounds before and I know I can do it again but I was working then.  I had to get up and get out of the house by a certain time.  I walked at least 15,000 steps a day then, now, I’m good to get around 4,000 steps.  I had my meals at the same time every day because everything was structured.  Now, not so much.  I have my wife get me up at 6:30 every morning so that I can take some of my daily meds.  I have to wait an hour before I can finish my meds and eat breakfast.  Then it’s a six-hour wait until lunch. I do this because of my cancer med can’t be taken within six hours of one of my morning meds.

Tomorrow is a new day.  Let’s hope I do better than the past two.