Monday, February 1, 2010

Some movie reviews because I need a break from food

The food situation is still pretty dire around here. My choices at this point are

1) Make my tummy very unhappy by eating only protein and veggies, but keep my glucose lower
2) Drive my glucose through the roof by eating a very small amount of carbs (like two pieces of whole grain, low carb bread) throughout the day
3) Starve

It's not a secret that I like food - who doesn't, right? And don't I deserve to be able to eat whatever the hell I want when I'm going through all the rest of this crap? It's the only vice left open to me since drinking and men aren't really happening right now. Why, steroids, why do you mess with my glucose processing?! *shakes fist at the evil lord of steroids* From the minute I get up until the minute I go to bed I'm consumed with trying to figure out what I can eat, when I can eat it, how many carbs are in it, will that fill me up, will it upset my stomach, how much more weight have I lost etc etc etc.... It's very frustrating. I think that for simple self preservation I'm going to have to allow the docs to put me on insulin tomorrow because I am going insane. So I just need a break from thinking and talking about food all the time. When I can eat again we can discuss more of my favorite things to eat.

In other health news, I had an infusion of a drug called mylotarg on Friday. Mylotarg is a very targeted type of therapy that we're using to "mop up" the cancer cells that didn't get killed by the heavy duty chemo I had before my transplant. Chemotherapy doesn't always kill every little cancer cell, which is why cancer can come back, hence my need for more treatments. It was fine. I was a little extra tired this weekend but that was all.

I saw two very cute movies this week. The first one was My Life in Ruins starring Nia Vardalos. Remember her from My Big Fat Greek Wedding? She looked amazing in this film, btw. She's a tour guide in Greece but actually wants to be a big classics professor at a university. The movie is about the crazy time she has with this one particular tour group who chase help her find her inner spirit (they use some Greek word that I forgot). Anyone who has traveled will find a lot to laugh at because we've all seen these types and know how easily things can go wrong when you travel. There's some romance too, of course, but that takes a backseat to the story of this group of people who were randomly thrown together. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's just a fun movie.

On Friday I saw All About Steve, and honestly I didn't think I was going to like it at all from the previews I had seen on TV, but it was actually a really nice movie. Sandra Bullock does a great job playing Mary, a super smart but socially inept crossword puzzle creator who ends up chasing a blind date across the country because she thinks he's her soul mate. This is not a typical romantic comedy, however, because there isn't a romance. The message of the movie is about fitting in vs being yourself, "normality," and finding people who allow you to be your crazy self. Mary is a really great character and Sandra Bullock is of course wonderful. I definitely recommend this one. It's unfortunate that they didn't market it correctly.

6 comments:

islandgirl4ever2 said...

OMG Mir!!

You TOTALLY didn't mention how HUNKY the Greek poopy was in the film!! What a hubba hubba hunk a Greek love!! hehehe!! LOVED the film and she did look FANTASTIQUE, I must say!!

I will see the other one, since I'm a Sandra Bullock fan, too!

islandgirl4ever2 said...

P.S.

I'm interested to learn more about the drug they gave you to "mop up" any left-over cancer cells.. Wow.. Things are really progressing...
And you know what... I thought that chemo killed all the cancer! Guess I don't know that much about it.. I thought it killed all living cells, good and bad...

Anonymous said...

Starving is definitely NOT the best option. Who knew that eating could be so complicated? Ah, that sucks!

I want to see My Life in Ruins, I loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding!

au soleil levant said...

Leesa, you're so right, I forgot the most important part of the film! He was pretty hunky. Chemo targets cells that are growing quickly, so it does kill both healthy and cancerous cells, but it doesn't kill all the cancer cells. You get really sick because a bunch of good, healthy cells die as well as a lot of the cancer, but you aren't necessarily getting all the payoff even so. As researchers learn more and more about the genetic markers on cancer cells they are trying to develop more targeted therapies that are much less toxic to the body and more effective against the cancer cells. There's still a really, really long way to go but that's the way research is going these days. Even the targeted therapies aren't without side effects, but in general they have fewer downsides than traditional chemo.

Zhu - My Big Fat Greek Wedding is in my top 5 of all time favorite, feel good movies. I think it's so funny and I could watch it over and over. And I love the fact that Tula's makeover is actually realistic!

islandgirl4ever2 said...

Hey Mir...


Okay-- at least we're at the same place with HUNKY POOPY!! hehehe or is it Pupi? Pupi Cakas.. hahaha! That made me laugh sooo hard.. and it was a real romantic comedy-- just the way I like 'em.. I liked it MUCH better than "MY BFG Wedding." That girl's got talent!!!
Hope she does more films... It was a hilarious film... I laughed aloud so many times!!

Thanks for the info about the cancer cells... I know what you mean, that they have along way to go.. but I hope then find something soon...

Have a nice weekend...
Leese

Animesh said...

Hi,
This is Sternous, the evil dark lord of the steroids.

Your fist-shaking was noted by our all-seeing eye, and since we are in a good mood today, guess what? You are off the hook! The steroids won't bother your digestive system again.

best regards,
-S