Whew!

The picture to the left was taken last summer on a trip to Puerta Vallarta. I could use a vacation like that right about now!

Mom and I got through this weeks round of pre-op appointments. Surgery is scheduled for next week. She belongs to an HMO which has a reputation of not being people friendly, but in this instance everyone has been great and so has Mom's attitude. The information has been overwhelming, but consistent. Conflicting information makes decision making more difficult.

My mother has always eaten lots of fruits and vegetables, and she hasn't eaten red meat since the late 70's; however, she is going to make further dietary changes. One of my decisions is to seize this as an opportunity to make changes in my own lifestyle. My quandary is in the area of animal products. This summer I have significantly reduced the amount of dairy products in my diet and noticed a significant reduction in sinus problems. Is now the time to completely remove animal products from my diet? Should I start small and remove red meat from my diet? Should I only consume kosher and organic meat (which is the majority of what I eat now)?

I go back to work in eleven days. I didn't take a vacation this summer but with the way things have gone, I definitely need to run away for a few days before Mom's surgery and going back to work. My how the time has flown by!