Losing Grandpa

This post is not so much about weight loss. However, it is about a difficult part of life's journey. If you want to skip to my exercise and eating it's at the last paragraph. My grandpa has been in Hospice House for the past five weeks. Until seven weeks ago when he fell and broke his foot, he was completely independent and still driving. Most would have never guessed he was a 90 year old man with bone cancer. Last spring he had undergone chemo for the bone cancer and after one treatment which nearly killed him, he made the choice to forgo anymore treatment. Hospice started coming to his apartment to check his vitals and make sure everything was going okay. This past November, Hospice said there was no reason for them to continue coming. Week after week he was fine. He was sleeping more and experiencing more pain, but not declining at the rate the doctors had originally anticipated. Until seven weeks ago, Grandpa was doing what he loved. He was visiting with people in his senior apartment complex, visiting with other friends around the area, and making new friends on a regular basis. To say it is difficult to go and see him at Hospice House, is the understatement of the century. Three weeks ago today when we were visiting it seemed he knew who we were. This was the first time since his stay that I felt he recognized me. Most of the time, he has a vacant look in his eyes. After the first week, I was overwhelmed with wanting to know what he was thinking. Now it is my prayer that he is oblivious to what is going on. It is obvious he is in pain because of the look on his face, the moaning, or the restlessness. However, he often refuses pain medication. Many of us are wondering if he experienced a stroke or if the cancer has spread to his brain. At this stage of the process, further testing would not be beneficial. It might answer questions, but the treatment would still be the same. Keeping Grandpa as comfortable as possible is the goal now. A couple of weeks ago I went to see him and I asked him if he was hungry. It takes him a long time to answer any questions. I waited and he said he was. The nurse went and got pudding. She told me he couldn't feed himself because he didn't have the coordination down. So there I was feeding Grandpa with a spoon. The irony of this was not lost on me, especially when my parents walked in, and my eyes filled with tears. This man of strength beyond what is typically found in others, this man who fed and nurtured me, now I was feeding him. My eyes still fill with tears when I think about that moment even though I have fed Grandpa several times since then. A man of strength. The first time Grandpa left home as a young man was to serve in the Army. He served in Germany in World War II. For a period of about six months, I spent a couple of Sundays each month interviewing Grandpa and Grandma about this period of their lives. I have the experiences written down. There were somethings that were too painful to speak of, somethings that were funny, but scary sums up a lot of what he went through. While Grandpa was in Germany, Grandma gave birth to their first son, Gary. He wasn't well and died before Grandpa was able to see him. At the end of 2008 (December 29th) we lost Grandma after a long battle of illnesses. She had spent ten years as an invalid with her beloved taking care of her night and day. Grandpa never complained. Not one time. So Grandpa could go to his sister's funeral, I went and spent a day taking care of Grandma. Grandpa was reluctant at first, but then decided he would really like to go to the funeral. Among all of her many illnesses, the dementia was the most overpowering for caretakers. She might know you one minute and then ask who you were the next. She would repeat herself numerous times. I'm not going to lie. It wasn't easy to take care of her. It was emotionally draining. Toward the end, she tried to escape the house a couple of times as she was trying to get back "home". The best we can figure is that she wanted to go back to her childhood home. During those times, Grandpa had to call Dad for help to get her calmed down. On Christmas Eve of 2008 all of her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids were with her except my sister and I. She wasn't eating and barely drinking. I often feel pain at missing that Christmas Eve, but Sandy and I went on the 28th. Still she wasn't eating or drinking. As we were talking with Grandpa, Grandma sat straight up in her chair and said, "Did you hear that beautiful music?" Grandpa said, "It's almost time for her suffering to be done here." Later that night he prayed that God would end her suffering here. The next morning she died in his arms. He said, "She was as beautiful to me this morning as she was the first day I met her." The thing that you have to understand is that Grandpa NEVER and I mean NEVER complained about taking care of Grandma. His gentle and compassionate nature were true to her just like they were to every other aspect of his life. Grandpa couldn't leave the house for the last few years Grandma was alive unless someone came to sit with her. Then he would run to the store or doctor do what he needed to do and come right back so as not to burden the other person. Grandma died at the end of 2008. In 2009, my uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer which then spread this his bones and eventually his brain. We lost Uncle Homer in July of 2010. Again, Grandpa set an example for all of us with his strength. I'm not saying it was easy for him. This was the second child he had buried. The mental strength shown by Grandpa during this time is not commonly found among others. At least, I haven't found it. A Man of Faith. My Grandpa wasn't saved until he was a young adult. Once he was, he walked the walk AND he talked the talk. Grandpa often said, "You never know if that one conversation you are having with someone might be the spark that leads them to Christ." Grandpa wasn't in your face about it. It was just who he was. If the opportunity came up for him to share part of his testimony, he would share it. After Grandma passed, and Grandpa could get out more, my dad and my aunts had to put rules in place. He would be out visiting for hours and no one knew where he was. They had to put safety rules in place so they could keep tabs on him. Grandpa started going back to church immediately after Grandma passed. He visited a couple of places, but ended up back at his home church The Gardner Friends Church. It was in this church, that my religious foundation was nurtured as we were young children. Sunday dinners with my extended family were always started with my Grandpa saying "Dear Heavenly Father..." Those prayers weren't limited to the big dining room table. They also weren't limited to thanks for a meal. They occurred anywhere and at anytime. My Grandpa's Bible is never far from his side. Even now, it is on the table next to his bed. He has written some of his favorite Bible verses on note cards and had them duct taped to the walls in his apartment. He was always studying God's word. ALWAYS. I will never forget a conversation we had a few years ago. He had went to get a tire fixed. His normal tire guy wasn't available so he went to a new location. The people overcharged him in an outlandish way. He said to me, "I felt so angry when I realized what had happened." He then went on to quote scripture as to how wrong it was for him to be so angry about this. He talked to me about how he had prayed for God to forgive him for being that mad. I was thinking..."Oh dear. Grandpa is upset with himself about being angry over a legitimate reason...I've got a lot of work to do because I can get angry over much less than that." Grandpa doesn't complain. When I mentioned earlier that there has been moaning which lets us know he is in pain, that moaning is when he is asleep. He wouldn't do it if he were aware. That's not Grandpa. I have never heard him speak a negative word about anyone. He has gone through life in a way that most would find unsatisfactory. Until two years ago, Grandpa didn't live in a place that had central air or heat. There was no hot water heater. I still remember being a teenager when the water line was actually attached to the house so he didn't have to go get water. He has never owned a new car. The car we has most recently been driving has holes in the floorboards. I once told Grandpa if I won the powerball I was going to buy him a new car. He very politely told me it wasn't necessary. Grandpa wasn't impressed by material things. As a matter of fact, it's safe to say material things meant very little to him. Grandpa was driven by his Faith and Love. He loved God, his family, and friends. He never met a stranger...just a friend he hadn't met yet. I've met some Christians who become angry at God when life gets stressful or even say things like "God must not be listening." That is so far outside of my reality and my fundamental beliefs. And my reality and my fundamental beliefs were shaped by Grandpa who never ever ever doubted God. He spent every moment serving God and thanking him. When he reached a challenging part of life, he read more in the Bible and prayed. Today, Father's Day...I thought it would be difficult and I was right. My sister and I certainly wanted to do something special for our dad, but our thoughts are consumed with wanting to spend time with Grandpa and honoring that Dad wants to be there. Grandpa was unresponsive today. He had a very restless night last night. He received pain meds at about 11:30 this morning. When we arrived and I walked over to his bed Dad said, "See if you can get that smile." Even though he can't say much, I can usually get a smile. There wasn't a smile today. At 4:00 when we left he still hadn't fallen asleep. It was obvious he was fighting the sleep. The room was full of family today. We shared some laughs. A family friend prayed over Grandpa and asked God to bless him with continued peace and comfort. That has been my prayer as well. Just praying that the pain isn't too bad and that Grandpa doesn't know what's going on. Praying that the rest of us will continue to have strength. My sister and brother in law, mom and dad, and my husband and I did go down the road to a nice restaurant where we could do something for Father's Day to let our Dad know how much he means to us and try to give him a smile or two. I cry easily now. I know that Grandpa is going to Heaven and will get to be with the God he has spent his life serving. I know he will be so happy. I know there will be no more pain. We have had conversations about what it will like to be there. I also know he will be with those that have gone before him. But the two things that have me now are 1) I want one more conversation with him...just one more... and 2) For his sake, this suffering must end soon. If you've read this far, and you do pray...our family would appreciate those prayers. I am working out. I'm able to alleviate a lot of emotion that way. The eating...most of the time I don't have an appetite. Last night and tonight I overate because I hadn't eaten the entire day until that evening meal. Yep. I know this isn't healthy. I know my body doesn't appreciate it. I'm doing what I can right now. If you have any tips, please message me. I would love to hear them.

There's a Doctor In The House

Yesterday I successfully defended my dissertation. I have earned my doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. A few minor revisions to make and I will be completely finished. This journey has been one of the best of my life so far. I have grown so much as a person and a professional. I've met some incredible people and developed life long friendships. I've also improved my self confidence. Our cat woke me up early yesterday morning. She's developed this habit of lying on top of me, nudging me with her head, head butting my head with her head, and then crawling under the covers and using her head to pull them off of me. Once I'm up she curls up with her head on my pillow and gives me a look that says, "Thanks...you've slept long enough. My turn." Anyway, I knew I couldn't sit around and wait until my 10:00 meeting with my committee so I went to the gym. Another HIIT workout which included 145 squats and crunches with bicep curls and jump roping. I will admit I saw headlines about the Boston Marathon, I talked with some friends about this horrible tragedy, but I didn't watch any coverage. I refused to. No evening news, I didn't click on any links, I avoided it. This morning much of my FB feed was devoted to the topic. One of the runners I follow suggested we all run for Boston today. That is what I did. I ran for the victims of Boston. I knocked three minutes off of my PR. When I felt I needed to slow down I thought of the victims. I thought of the anger I felt that someone would do something so horrible. Today's workout was dedicated to all of those whose lives have been forever changed.

Lesson Learned About Emotional Health

I hope you will forgive me for not writing in so long. Lots of writing involved in finishing a dissertation. I defend on Monday at 10:00. I'm so full of emotion I can hardly stand myself! At the end of the day today two little girls came up to me and said, "See you Monday, Dr. Bunch!" I started dancing and they were asking why I was crying. Tears of joy! Our advisors have spent time with us talking about life after a doctorate program. It is so intense that when finished, some people struggle with what to do. This thing has consumed my life for the past three years. The past year has been insane. It's about to be done. I do find myself wondering what is going to happen next. I'm hoping to land a job as a school administrator. I need something new to dive into. A new challenge. In case you haven't noticed, Bunchy doesn't do idle. Not at all. I've been working out without a trainer for a week. And...I have some news...I've been talking to my original trainer. Let's just say it's looking like there might be more Trainer Mike stories in my future. :) HAPPY! Let's talk about my workouts though. I joined this squat challenge on FB. Three days of squats and then a rest day. Each day the amount of squats increases. At first, I thought this isn't really hard. I'm not even sore. I kind of wanted to be sore so I would know things were working. Then I thought I should match my squats with crunches. Yesterday morning I was at the gym bright and early and created my own little HIIT workout. Two minutes of jumping rope, 25 squats with 50 pounds on my shoulders, 25 crunches, 25 reverse crunches, a minute of bicep curls. REPEAT! I went through the circuit 5 times. A little over 30 minutes. I feel muscles in my butt and stomach that I had forgotten were there. They are talking. Today was a rest day for squats. This morning was a running morning. I am really enjoying running. I am finding few things as rewarding as the sweat conjured while running. I really want to share with you a story from two weeks ago. Two weeks ago yesterday to be exact. Even though my blogging has been limited the past several months, you might have caught on that it has been a difficult school year in my building. We have had numerous students whose families have been impacted by the sudden loss of an immediate family member. We have had a couple of staff members who have experienced tragedy as well. There have also been some students with rather challenging behaviors. We have had to put two of our cats to sleep. My grandfather is not doing well. My cousin has some mysterious illness. I'm working on a dissertation and trying to find a new job. The first thing they teach in you in counselor school is to take care of yourself because if you don't you can't help others. I preach this to people all the time. I check on my colleagues when I know they are dealing with a challenging situations and I've had several that have been in touch with me. What has my response been? "I'm fine. It's all good. I'm working out. Oh yes, I'm taking time for myself." Two weeks ago I had a morning where several people came and shared really intense stuff with me. I walked into a friend's office, she looked at me and asked if I was okay and the tears came. I turned around and walked back to my office. My friend followed me. I'm not talking about a few tears. I'm talking about heaving, breath taking sobs. They were uncontrollable. I couldn't stop. With a little help from my friend, I decided it would be best if I went home for the day. I started out into the hallway to find my principal when another friend called my name. I turned and she said, "Are you okay?" The tears came, I turned on my heel and went back to my office. My friends decided they would find the principal and bring her to me. After some convincing to everyone that I would be okay to drive, I came home and slept for hours. This is not like me. I don't do this. I woke up long enough for a snack as dinner and was back to sleep for the night. I woke up and went to a meeting the next morning and prepared to start my day. In walked my intern who took one look at me and said, "Go home. You aren't okay." The tears came again. I went back home and crawled back into bed where I slept again. It was like I had not slept in days. Every part of me felt heavy. I woke sweating after terrifying nightmares. I was starting to get a bit scared. This isn't me. I have never experienced anything like this. A friend who called/texted to check on me several times over those two days was so helpful in analyzing my nightmares (always someone chasing me, or I was lost and couldn't find my way, or I was trapped) and what was going on. All the time I had spent trying to be strong for others, I had internalized everything and there was nothing more I could take. It was my body's way of saying I needed a break. What does this have to do with Bunchy Beating the Bulge? Friends, there is so much more to taking care of us than physical. We have to take care of the mental side too. I know I am not the only one who is burdened with stress. You must have an outlet. Take it from me, stuffing it is not the answer. Don't fall into my trap of trying to fix everything for everyone else. You must keep yourself emotionally healthy. I am even more grateful for my friends after this experience. One in particular who continually gave me permission to take care of me. (You know who you are!) I needed someone to give me permission during that time because for whatever reasons, I had decided I didn't have time and I wasn't important enough. Lesson Learned!

For Where There is FURY, WRATH is Likely

You know I haven't been blogging as much because I'm working every spare minute to finish my dissertation. However, a few things have occurred in the last 48 hours of which I must blog. First, I had taken two days off from the gym and last night decided to run a mile. I ran my best time and decided to go on for two miles. When I ran those two miles in under thirty minutes I slowed down to a brisk walk. I had taken a picture of the screen and sent it to my husband, my friend Sonya, and my first trainer. I said to my first trainer, "Did you ever even imagine this could happen?" He replied, "I did. I always did." AWWWWWW! The connection I had with Mike in this journey still exists. He believed in me before I ever had an inkling of what lied inside. He still does. Mike, I appreciate you more than words. In true Forest Gump mode, I thought I'm going to keep running. I ran three miles in under 43 minutes. I have NEVER done that before. My friend Belinda was on the stepper next to me. I had tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe what I had just done. It was a milestone. You might also note that it is a milestone that I am sharing with you what my actual times are. I have kept my times to myself because running has continually been a struggle for me. Remember the days when I wouldn't run a mile at all? When I couldn't run 5 minutes without feeling as though I was going to die? As such, I compete with myself. I don't compete with others on this journey. This is a me thing. I know there are many out there running way faster than Bunchy. I'm happy for you. I just don't want to set myself up for failure by getting caught up in trying to run faster than someone else. I don't know if this makes sense, but I have to get completely comfortable with myself as a runner. I've been working on this for two years. Not intensely, obviously. However, this month I've been using a 1 mile run as a warm up. This morning I had to go to the doctor for a follow up appointment. There was Brenda at the front desk. She said, "Your hair? What are you trying to be a model?" This resulted in a big smile from me. I told her about my friend Miah who had noticed my hair just the day before and said, "First it's the skinny walk and then it's the hair. Look at her. Look at her." Then the Dr comes in the room and says "You absolutely glow. I've never seen you healthier than in these last few months. He went over all of my numbers from my recent blood work and told me how impressed he was. He went on to say that he had been sharing my story with a couple of other patients who were struggling with their weight. He needs them to talk with me because he knows I can talk about how difficult the journey has been, but how rewarding at the same time. We agreed that I need to finish the dissertation first and then I will ABSOLUTELY help these people. For if I can help one person, just one find the happiness and health I have found then it's all worth it. Now to the fury... Tonight at the gym I decided to run a mile for a warm up. I wasn't trying to beat my time. I just wanted to run a mile. This really good song came on my playlist and I increased the speed on the treadmill. Before I knew it, I had done a 12:30 mile. Now Readers, I'm not sure what moves were coming out of my body at that point. There was jumping, dancing, tears streaming down my face. My friend Belinda was there. I immediately went to her and showed her my time. She said "You are such an inspiration." (She's as much an inspiration to me as she claims I am to her.) Then I ran out of the gym to call my mom. When I was back inside and talking to Belinda for a minute my trainer had finished with his client. I was still doing the happy dance and saying things like "I can't believe I just did that." Brandon gives me a look. I said "I just ran my fastest mile. I did it Brandon. I did it." He rolled his eyes. Belinda said,"Does he have an excitement button?" Brandon said, "She hasn't found it yet." Then he asked me what my heart rate was. It was in the 160's. So I thought I would tell him how proud my doctor is of me and how he wants me to speak with a few others who are struggling and Brandon rolled his eyes again. He never smiled, he never said Good Job. After he rolled his eyes the second time he left. I looked at Belinda and said, "Did that just happen?" She said it did. I said, "Am I overreacting?" She said "Oh no. I can't believe the way he just treated you." I'm fuming. I pay this man a lot of money. Not just to help me in my fitness journey, but to celebrate. Over the last few weeks, I've realized there has been little celebrating with Brandon. Even Jillian celebrates with her clients on Biggest Loser. And she's the meanie! I didn't make it to my session with Brandon on Saturday. We were supposed to measure so now we are doing that tomorrow. We then have two more workout sessions. After the measurements, I will be letting Brandon know that those next two sessions are not necessary. I want my results so far though which is the only reason I'm meeting him tomorrow. That is the wrath. I'm going to let him know that I was in tears with a friend on the phone after I finished my workout because not only did he do nothing to celebrate my accomplishment, he actually took away from it with his cynical look and attitude. Hopefully, he will accept responsibility for his actions and he won't have to see the wrath. In reality, he made me feel like I was a nobody and why would I get so excited about running? There are choice words that describe he and his attitude! As far as I am concerned, he can hit the road!!!

Fatigued and Fragile

I want to share something that I've learned from training and experience. I'm writing it as much for myself as you. I work as an elementary school counselor. When I was working on my degree, we had many instructors warn us about compassion fatigue. This is something that happens when you put a lot of time and energy into caring for the well being of others. Typically, we are quick to forget about our own mental health. It doesn't just happen to those of us who work in mental health. It can happen to anyone. Those who work in emergency services, first responders, parents, someone caring for someone who is sick, many many circumstances lend themselves to a caregiver experiencing compassion fatigue. It also happens when "life" deals you unexpected deaths, tragedies, sickness or other stressful situations. Any one even on their own might be difficult, but when they start to pile up, it is extremely hard to not let it get to you. You might know you're not handling things well when you can't sleep, lose motivation, have a change in appetite, feel down, or are irritable. Without doing something, compassion fatigue can quickly turn to depression. Often, it feels if one more thing happens you are going to break. My own situation is one where we have been working a series of tragic deaths at my school. While I have not lost a family member (we did lose a friend last week), assisting families and friends in times of these tragedies can be draining. When you add to that the every day challenges of being a counselor, it can often feel overwhelming. I am blessed with a strong support system. (I appreciate each and everyone one of you so much.) First, my husband and my mom are great supporters. They have both been checking in with me. Today I have received phone calls, emails, and texts from friends and family making sure I was okay. I have had friends email and offer to take some things off of my plate. I have had several colleagues call and ask me what I'm doing to take care of myself. When they do this, I am forced to remember that I must take care of myself. If we neglect to take care of our own needs, we are unable to care for others. With my new lifestyle, my "go to" release is the gym. Stress makes me want to get there even more than normal. There are other things that can be done to relieve stress too. Things that we often take for granted. One of the easiest things to do is to unplug. Turn the cell phone off, step away from the computer. I will be doing this in just a few minutes actually. I will take a hot bath and then lay in bed and either watch tv or read a book. I will not do anything related to work or my doctoral studies. You might think this is a no brainer. You might say "There's no way I could do that. I have too much to do." So do I. There is a to do list that keeps growing and growing to the point I want to cry because I have no idea how I'm going to get it done. At this point, I have to stop and make my own well being a priority. Tonight at the gym I was able to laugh with some friends. Laughter is ALWAYS good medicine. I am getting much better at identifying when I need to take care of me. I also understand it's not selfish. Some might see it that way. They might get their feelings hurt when I tell them no. It doesn't mean I don't care. It just means that right now I'm fragile and in order to keep from breaking, I have to pause and do some maintenance. "Bunchy? Have you lost your mind? What does this have to do with weight loss?" Everything, Friends. Everything. You are only able to take care of yourself physically, when you are taking care of yourself mentally too. They go hand in hand. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”~unknown A final thank you to my support system...Thank You for knowing me better than I know myself sometimes. Each of you has been a breath of fresh air to me during these challenges.

Underlying Issues

You might remember I had an issue this summer at the gym when my workout pants fell off. I've since replaced my pants both for working out and working. Evidently, I need to start replacing underwear too. As my underwear has become too big, I've thrown it out. Replacing it bit by bit. Evidently, I need to pay more attention to these articles. The first problem came in December at our staff Christmas party. I was playing a Dance game with the Wii. As I'm dancing and trying VERY hard to beat my friend Amber which is EXTREMELY difficult because of her experience and skill, my underwear started to slide down my butt. We were in a family room and a lot of people were behind us. I found myself in an awkward situation. I couldn't just dig around and pull it back up. I was at the center of the room. All eyes were on Amber and I or shall I say..our butts! As soon as our song was over, I casually sat down on the couch. Have you ever had your underwear fall below your butt cheeks? The one reassurance is that as long as you are wearing pants it can't go any further. A mistake was made when I told my friend Lisa about my circumstance. She found it humorous and even more so to try and grab them while saying, "Your panties have fallen! Your panties have fallen!" and laughing hysterically. Finally, I could stand it no longer. I went to the restroom and shoved them into the pocket of my pants. Waiting for an excuse to go to our truck, seemed like an eternity. I was sure someone was going to ask what was in my pocket. Maybe no one noticed, to me it felt like I had shoved a small animal in there. I finally made my exit and hid the underwear in the truck. The saying "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it" is all well and fine until your big girl panties are too big! Most would think I would look for any similar underwear and discard them before having a repeat performance. I was pretty sure I had, but I've lost another size since December. This week I was at the gym. Interval training on the stepper in a crowded gym when the uncomfortable panty slide started. I'm not sure if anyone was looking. If I had been recorded and we went back and watched the video, viewers would notice me slow down while trying to shift my hips. Not sure what I was thinking. Maybe the right move would catch them and bring them back to the correct position. No such luck. The viewer would then notice an increase in my speed. For goodness sake, if moving faster will help get them under the cheeks then let's just be done with it already! I was grateful the workout pants I had on didn't reveal the mishap. I hope you all find this as funny as I do and I also hope if you are on a weight loss journey, you will enjoy a similar experience. As uncomfortable as it was at the time, I NEVER imagined when this journey began that MY PANTIES WOULD FALL OFF!!!

HELLthy Screenings

Yes, there is more to say about these HELLthy screenings. It has gone from frustrating to absurd. I knew when I went my numbers would classify me as obese. After all, one only need be 25 pounds overweight to be considered obese. My frustration was not with the classification it was with the attitude of the person going over my results. So that was frustrating. It has become a point of laughter this week in our building. Below are some pics of friends of mine. They have given me permission to post their pics in my blog. After reading about my experience the other night, they have shared their experience with me. So... My friend who is a fitness trainer was warned her numbers are EXTREMELY dangerous...

Several other friends were told their numbers are not acceptable...

A couple were so upset by the news that they turned to chocolate to help with the stress...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? The irony is that some who went for their screenings and expected to be reprimanded because they know they have work to do were not lectured at all. Alas, the most frustrating part of these HELLthy Screenings have been the lack of consistency, compassion, and encouragement. Obviously, these screeners are NOT into motivation.