Virus!

I've been mostly in my bed for the last 6-7 days. I got exposed to a virus on April 24th, and it had me in bed by the following Tuesday, May 1. I thought I was better on the 3rd, got up and did some running around, and that was all she wrote.

Down until this morning. The first thing I did was drink a 20 ounce water, since I'm so dehydratated.

I still have a cough, but I feel much better. The sore throat is still here, too. Why? Doesn't make sense. But I feel like I'm on the mend, finally.

Med Tests Kill Metabolism, Oatmeal Cookies

I spent half the day at the hospital yesterday, having a test done. It involved not drinking or eating from midnight the night before, so I was suitably dehydrated by morning. Consequently, it took 4 tries to get a vein and I felt like a pincushion. At least one vein was blown, so I'm pretty bruised up.

But the real issue is eating regularly. I need to eat breakfast to keep the momentum going in my metabolism. Not eating breakfast until noon really doesn't help anything. I feel really sluggish today, and I ended up eating too much yesterday, making up for the missing meals.

I had two large meals with no snacks, while I normally eat three reasonable meals and two snacks every day. That eating of two large meals just set me off on a tailspin. I had sugar cravings that were nearly impossible to resist.

I ended up making some low-sugar cookies with ground oatmeal for most of the flour. That was a good substitute, and satisfied my craving, but added too many calories because I had little self-control. Luckily, I didn't eat them all, so I have some for "correct usage" in my diet.

Low Sugar Oatmeal Cookie Recipe:
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons dark molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 cup oatmeal, sent through the coffee grinder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins, optional

Cream butter, molasses and sugar. Add vanilla and egg and mix well. Add the rest in 3 parts, incorporating well after each addition. Fold in raisins if you want them. Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes. I used a teaspoon to make rounded mounds, and they didn't spread too much. Cool on racks and store covered. Makes about 2- to 2 1/2 dozen, depending on the size.

Real simple, real good, low sugar, and the oatmeal adds a nice dose of fiber.

I used self-rising flour because I got it by mistake and want to use it up. If you don't have that, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and increase the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.

A good thing that came out of the test yesterday, is that I have no blockages in my heart, so I can start exercising. I start with "Functional Fitness" for the rest of this week. I got the DVD some time ago, and used it. It adds basic flexibility for everyday movement. Not a lot of calorie burning, but it gets me off my butt. Several reps of each exercise will get me ready for the next step by Monday.

Been sick again...

A whopping 5 days in bed! High fevers, delerium, unable to eat or drink, got dehydrated of course, and even had thoughts of waking on the other side...

I've been drinking electrolyte drinks for the last several days, and eating PBJ, as that seems to be the only thing I can handle. Chicken soup was too much for me.

I was up for several hours yesterday after the fever broke, but I was so exhausted, that I slept another 13 hours. I'm finally up and about, and reasonably functional.

Did anyone get the number on that truck???

I closed the door on the phone so it would quit waking me up, and I didn't check e-mail during my illness. I had over 130 e-mails in one account, and several in each of the others...

Sorry, but I had to check out for a few days....