They Call Me Galvez

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Fatigue is the one of the biggest impairments I’ve had to deal with since my surgery.  I still don’t quite understand post treatment fatigue, but I have my theories.  I had surgery to remove a golfball sized brain tumor four years ago.  I had radiation therapy after surgery, but afterward I was left with severe coordination and balance impairments.  I did not have chemo or any drugs for treatment of the tumor.  My post surgical impairments are ALL PHYSICAL: ataxia, tremor, and balance impairments.  It requires a lot of energy for mobility, which might explain why I have fatigue.  I have been trying to eat healthier and get plenty of rest (which is hard to do with all the activities/events I have planned).  Since I do not completely understand the chemistry associated with post-treatment fatigue, I think I may be using more energy than the average person with mobility: sitting up, walking, standing, etc.  Sadly, I still require a mid-afternoon nap to function in the evening.  This got me thinking…What is the best source to supply energy?  A proper diet.  What you eat is your fuel.   Instead of fueling myself on cheeseburgers and pizza, I am trying to fuel myself with “good” food.  I’m eating more fruits/veggies and trying to cook more frequently, but I haven’t completely given up junk food.  I’m not dieting, “I’m eating healthier.” I’m thinking I’ll focus on what I eat, not what I shouldn’t eat!  I’M NOT GOING ON A DIET!

Well, I’ve spent nearly two weeks by myself.  I can cook meals, clean up, and manage to “work” from home.  Still the biggest issue for me is transportation.  I have some friends that I can rely on to take me places if I really need to go somewhere.  Of course, I would prefer to go somewhere myself!  Independence with activities of daily living is not as big of an issue for me for me anymore.  I think efficiency is the real issue now.  Walking, cooking, and cleaning take twice as long as it used to.  Fatigue is an issue that I am still trying to figure out.   At least I know that I can function on my own at home, but I still need to figure somethings out.

The past two weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen.  I recently discovered the crock pot.  I have affectionately dubbed the act of crock pot cooking, “crock pottery.”  I really wish I knew about this in college.  It would have saved me from frequent trips to McDonald’s or Wendy’s.  I have one recipe that I like… jambalaya. It is so simple.   You just throw stuff in, turn it on, and at the end of the day you have a meal!  Last week I thought I’d be creative and try combining stuff I like… brats and beer.  Made total sense at the time because beer brats taste great!  Three cans of beer +brats should be fine.  Then I was thinking… fries taste good with beer brats…  OK, throw some chopped up potatoes in there.  Then I was thinking… fries need ketchup… OK, throw a chopped up tomato in there.  Garlic Fries taste good, so maybe I should add some garlic salt.   I giggled like mad scientist in a monster lab when I poured in the garlic.  My mouth was watering as I was proudly dreaming of the scrumptious meal I had just created.  In five “short” hours I would be able to enjoy my delightful culinary master piece!  For hours, I sat in front of my computer thinking of how great of a “crock pot-head” I am!  When my alarm went off! I rushed into the kitchen to behold my creation.  I was shocked and repulsed by the smell emanating from my magical crock pot.  It kinda smelled like a popular college bar after dollar pitcher night.  No matter, my masterpiece was going to taste incredible! The brats and potatoes were cooked perfectly!  I made a cup of rice to compliment my creation.  The tomato slices were extremely fragile and dissolved on contact in the bubbling warm beer.  Not sure I added enough garlic salt… oh well. The beer kinda grossed me out so I drained the brats and potatoes from the crock pot.  I put the brats and potatoes on a bed of rice.  My first bite of the brats was just what I imagined it would be.  Plump and hearty with a tinge of bitterness from the beer. Then I tried the potatoes.  Very warm, pungent, and bitter from soaking in beer.  Kinda gross.  Oh well at least the brats turned out well.  Then I realized, wait… I’m all by myself and I have all this food.  I know what I’ll be eating tomorrow…  I’ll just put it in the fridge when it cools off.  Well, I forgot to up it in the fridge and it gave my place the pleasant aroma of a dried-beer-college-bar floor.  The next day when I warmed up my creation, I completely avoided the potatoes.  I felt obliged to at least finish the brats.  Again bad idea… the beer brats don’t hold up well when reheated.  They get very bitter. For two more meals, I forced myself to finish eating those horrible brats.  I won’t be doing that again.

LESSONS LEARNED:

• THERE IS A REASON BEER IS NOT USED AS A BASE IN COOKING.
• STICK TO ESTABLISHED RECIPES/PRACTICES, DON’T TRY DOING SOMETHING NEW UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE WORKING WITH.
• IF YOU GOING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, BE PREPARED FOR THE CONSEQUENCES AND IF IT WORKS… THE GLORY (UNFORTUNATELY KITCHEN GLORY WILL NOT COME EASILY.)