Flavor Bonanza

Just when I thought the vanilla would get the best of me, i decided it was time....well, more my stomach demanded it was time, to add at least one of the other two Ensure flavors to my daily regimen. Get to Walmart, search for that aisle where I never imagined I'd be wheeling my cart for another, oh, say 25 years, and choose either the chocolate or the strawberry, and double my culinary joy. You may think this is a bit overstated, but I actually think a goose bump formed when, low and behold, the most amazing discovery........ Ensure comes in not only the three basic flavors, but my goodness, Dark Chocolate, mixed berry, butter pecan (rejected because it must taste a lot like vanilla), strawberry cream. AND, there is a version called Ensure PLUS which adds another 100 calories to each bottle. Again, while the significance surely would have been lost on me before, so I'm sure you may be wondering why such a thrilling realization, but you have to realize, now in order to hit my magic 1500 daily caloric milestone, I need one less bottle!!!!! Trust me, it matters.

I actually gained a pound overnight. Yeah, I know, porker. I also gained precious energy. Go figure, eat more, get more energy. I also realize that its been two weeks since Chemo. Most of it has run its course, and any residual effects are probably not noticeable. And, the radiation has only had two weeks to accumulate, and although it has restricted my diet significantly, it is certainly bearable. So, my fellow Americans, what this all boils down to is that I am probably feeling better now than I will at any other time during this process. According to my Docs, week three radiation's cumulative effect will start to make itself well known, and in a week, me and chemo session #2 are set to have a throw down. Not really excited about that since his younger brother, chemo #1, was a bit more of a stud than I anticipated. But, the good news is that I will be about half way at that point, so its rounding the corner and heading back home.... there is only "time" between me and hearing those words I long for...... "ok, Mr Kearns (they are so polite) that's the last radiation treatment for you"......

My food list is formulating. Since its basically either soup or Ensure now, I have started thinking about the foods I want first when I can eat again. Authentic Texas BBQ is sure up there. Pizza. Bacon cheeseburger. Chinese fast food. For some reason, not soup. Looking forward to Thanksgiving, for a lot of reasons, but definitely the flavors. If thinking about food could cause weight gain, I think I wouldn't need so many of those dang Ensure bottles.... :)

Hope y'all are enjoying your weekend. Go eat your favorite food, and really take the time to enjoy it. We are all so blessed. We really are. And thanks so much for your wonderful blog sentiments.