The new habanero chilli plant has finally sprouted after several failed attempts by hubby. He will of course be monitoring its growth until they are ready to be harvested.
For now, they are still green like mini capsicums. I look forward to the moment when they all turn red and look like cute little Christmas ornaments. It will be a lovely picture to capture! Stay tuned…
I have never in my wildest dreams thought I would be in a coffee- and alcohol-free situation. I used to live on Coke and Oreos for the caffeine and sugar kick in college and later, thrived on coffee in my professional working life. Then there’s alcohol, a totally different story but not now.
It’s been three months since my laparoscopic surgery and five months since the colonoscopy. Life has resumed with normal activities and recently, I have even gone back to an occasional alcoholic drink or two but not as much as before. Moderation is the key.
Somehow for coffee, I just can’t get back to drinking it on a regular basis. I am not complaining though, I am happy with my decaf Earl Grey.
Health wise, I have maintained my weight which is good but I find I have lost some core strength. Lack of gym sessions to build this back? This is especially very obvious when I play golf because all my distances are off by 10 meters! To compensate this, I have to use a club stronger. Oh well, as long as I can still play golf, I should be thankful.
Initially, within a month from the laparoscopy, I felt fine and pain free. But now, three months later, my pain problems have returned.
One is never cured from Endometriosis unfortunately. I suspect it could be a new round of build up because I have been careful with what I eat. I guess I need to be even more careful all over again if I don’t want to suffer.
The immediate thing to do is to manage the diet by eliminating food that will imbalance the oestrogen. And when the chemical reactions are reduced with a controlled diet, it curtails the Endometriosis the chance to grow and reduces the many symptoms linked to it.
Also I checked again on the list of food to avoid and found out I got my info incorrect on soy products the last time. It’s unfermented soy based foods (like soy milk and soy cheese) that are not good for me, so actually tofu, miso and soy sauce are okay. Thank goodness.
Don’t be surprised if I lose another kilo or two the next few months because it looks like I shouldn’t be on an in-moderation diet but a restrictive one all over again to manage the pain levels. Sigh…
So we harvested the habanero chillies. I must say they are kinda cute and do look like Christmas ornaments. I gave some to Mom and a couple of friends to try, and saved the rest for ourselves.
Hubby said the green one which he had tried previously had a nice oomph and gave me the impression that these red ones would taste the same.
Dang, they don’t! These red ones don’t just give a nice oomph but a fiery burn when we ate them last night. Phew…. hot, hot, hot!
Or could it be my tastebuds have mellowed because of the restrictive diet I was on given my health condition the last few months? I used to be able to eat spicy but sadly, this ability has deserted me. Sigh…
Hubby saved the seeds from the harvested batch to prep them to be planted again. It will be several months from now before we have another batch of hot fiery habanero chillies.
It’s a known fact that hubby is the green fingers person at home. The little herbs and vegetable patch in the garden is thriving. The habanero seeds that he threw into the soil several months ago have finally yielded some beautiful plump chillies.
Within a day when he showed me the green chillies, they ripened to become a beautiful red, hanging on the branches like little Christmas ornaments. This species is pretty spicy and although they look like miniature capsicums, they don’t taste like capsicum at all but gives a nice oomph to the tastebud.
Looking like little Christmas ornaments!
When they were still green…
I think enough of elections and politics after the five-day euphoria, life resumes.
Last night we were back at the gym again now that I have almost recovered from the laparoscopy. Why I say almost and not totally because I find my strength lacking. Yes I lost weight but I seem to have lost my strength too; so I need to build it back.
The gym session was not too gruelling and I even managed to use the ten-pound weights instead of my usual four-pounder. I need to be more disciplined if I hope to gain my strength as soon as possible.
After almost three weeks of R&R, I actually went off to play my first golf game last Friday. Taking time off from work because it’s slow anyway, I decided to go swing my clubs despite having a cough and nasal congestion. In honesty, when the nasal congestion struck, I didn’t want to cancel because I wanted to see my golf buddies more than to actually play golf.
This aside, I saw my O&G doctor twice already, two weeks ago to remove the bandages and last week, a follow-up to ensure the wounds are healing well which they are by the way. The doctor said if I don’t feel any pain in the abdomen while turning my body, I should be okay to play golf.
Having said that, she did advised to be careful to avoid gym routines that focuses on the abdomen area. So my trainer needs to tweak the exercise program when we resume our gym session.
So how did I fare on the fairways? Well with a cough and a cold putter, let’s just say I need to recover from the cough first and then, try to play more to get back into the groove.
Recently, I had to replace my activity wearable, the Xiaomi Mi Band2 with a new unit of the same model. The OLED of the old one has been very dim and I can hardly see what is showing on the screen especially under bright conditions, whether indoors or outdoors. Plus there was a couple of occasions the reading went haywire.
I guess it’s time to change. After all, I have had the old unit since Aug 2016 and the lifespan is almost up. The new unit came last Friday, courtesy of online shopping. I love online shopping!
When I put both side by side to compare, the difference is pretty obvious in its brightness. Well, goodbye old Mi Band2, you have served me well but now you need to be retired; and hello new Mi Band2, you are the way to go to continue tracking my activities, strides taken, calories burnt and all.
The old and the new
Now that my health problems have been resolved, I don’t see a need to avoid a whole list of food as I had been doing earlier. Although I have lost 4kgs/8.8lbs up until today, I like the way I feel and weigh now. So when readjusting the diet, I hope I won’t be putting back the pounds again.
Last week, while recuperating at home, I reintroduced hot chocolate and wheat cereal and it was okay but I somehow stayed away from coffee, I don’t know why. Maybe because I have gotten used to drinking the decaf Earl Grey which is nice.
Although the Endometriosis diagnose was mild, I shouldn’t totally avoid but just consume in moderation in case there could still be some reaction to certain food. I am still a little paranoid and should learn to get rid of this; life should be meaningful and goes on smoothly.
Hmm… Maybe I can go back to eating onions again? Or have a nice cold beer? That will be so nice!
For the first time in a very long time, I didn’t go into the office the whole of last week and just stayed home to recuperate. The laparoscopy was successful in diagnosing and resolving the Cyst, Endometriosis and Adhesions issues.
I must admit it was nice for a change to be home the first two days, doing nothing and enjoying the peace (official pet number one was very quiet), napping, resting and focusing on gaining my strength.
By the third day, I contemplated reading the Genghis Khan novel that’s been collecting dust but just can’t seem to push myself to do it. So I ended up painting some Citizens of Gigglesville and a new baby whale that were waiting to be completed. It was good quality me time.
I am back at work today.
Yesterday I felt much better but still a slow poke. Some energy returned and I could feel some strength in me when I answered the phone, unlike the day before. The pain in the right shoulder was less evident but the waistline area still hurts. Breathing also improved which is good compared to the day before.
But I waddle instead of walk. It’s kinda funny and okay if that’s the way to go to deal with the pain. Here’s towards a speedy recovery!
Angieneering 
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