AccuGo

If you haven't yet read last week's post: The Great App Competition, I would recommend reading it first.  Otherwise this post won't make a lot of sense.

Read it now?  Good. :)

This week I test the iPhone app AccuGo.  Here are the scores:

Easy to Use: 8

• This app was pretty easy to use.  It took a little while for me to figure out what to do.  But once I had it, it was REALLY easy. 

Amount of Food in Database: 1

• Unfortunately this app does not have a single food item in its database.    

 Exact Calculating: 10 

• This app was very exact in its calculating.  

 Score altogether:  19


So my general thoughts about the app:

• It's a nice easy app... if you happen to have the handy, dandy diet book around to look up the values for everything.  Basically you input the food and the amount, then you look up the equivalents per serving and it calculates it for you.  Which just makes it an electronic diet record/calculator.  You can however, input the food and amount and look up the equivalents later. 

So that's AccuGo.  Next week... PKUCalc.

The Great App Competition

There are apps out there designed to help you keep track of your diet.  When I searched on my app store I found 3.

(I own an iPad- and to find these 3 I searched "PKU" as an iPhone App.  Watch out for the Peking University Apps, they have the same initials.)

1. Dietwell PKU- "Dietwell is designed to assist the dietary management of PKU... This app guides you through your meals, snacks, and formula intake by offering phe, dietary protein, formula protein equivalent, and caloric intake for over 7500 food items..."
2. PKU Calc- "...This application is designed as an easy to use mobile tool to help you count protein in your diet.  It follows green, orange, and red foods analogy that you learn about from your PKU clinic team."
3. AccuGo- "AccuGo was designed to ease the day to day management of the PKU diet by providing a quick and easy way to track foods eaten..."

I downloaded all three.  Because I want to see which one is the best one. 

In fact, I decided to make it a competition!!!

To see which App is the ULTIMATE PKU APP!!!  (Not including any Peking University Apps. ;)

The contest will go like this:  Each week I'll use an app to count and follow my diet.  The one that racks up the most points in each category wins. 

The grading system will be a 1-10 system with 10 being the "best thing since microwaves"  and 1 being "this stinks".  Okay? 

Good.

The categories are:  Easy to use, Amount of Food Already in Database, & Exact Calculating (I'll also be keeping track of my diet on paper so I can compare the exactness).

Ready... Get Set... and we're off with me trying AccuGo first!

Who do you think will win?

The Bright Pink Room

This week my sister and I had Clinic Appointments.  (For those who don't know that's where the doctors check up on us and make sure we're healthy and adjust our diet to fit our changing needs.) 
They recently opened up a 2nd location that we (people in our area) can go to, and it was much closer to us.
 So we went to this new place.  And the visit was actually pretty good.  For the first time they split my sister and me into different rooms (in the past we had been together.  For moral support).  But this time we were split.  At first I was really nervous.  I was all alone in this hospital room... sitting in a bright pink room.  And there were all these forms I had to fill out... by myself... for the first time. 

Like I said, I was nervous.

The doctor (who was the same doctor that had been at the old place) came in and examined me.  We did the usual tests: holding the cold stethoscope against your back and chest and making you breath in and out, hand-eye coordination tests, reflex tests.  Then she asked me some questions, we talked about things.  It all lasted about an hour... maybe a little less than that.

After the doctor was the dietician (still the same person as at the old place).  I handed her my week's diet record.  We talked about eating habits, and formula habits.  That only lasted 1/2 hour.

Then I was done.  I was surprised with how smooth things had gone.  My sister was done the same time I was and we went to get our blood tests done.

The lady who did our blood tests was AMAZING!!!  I've had a LOT of blood tests done over the years, and with her I could hardly feel a thing!

Within 2 hours, we were done.  It actually was the shortest doctor's visit I've had in a while.  We've had visits that last around 4 hours before!!!  So that was good, and short.  Just the way I like them. :)

Don't get me wrong I appreciate my doctors and all they do.  I like being healthy.  But you can only sit in a bright pink room for so long.  :)

Again thanks for reading!  I love looking at my stats and seeing how many people are actually reading what I'm writing.  It feels like I'm actually making a difference.  :)



            

It's the Holiday Season

Merry Christmas!  How has your holiday season been?

I came home for Christmas Break (on the 14th) and I am leaving for semster 2 of college later this week.  But I've had a great time!  And I love hanging out with my family!

We had a white Christmas.  :). Which always makes me happy.

Plus for Christmas I recieved a bread maker.  Since PKU'ers can't have regular bread we can't go run to the store for bread.  We have to make it.

It'll be handy to have around when I need to make break on an extra busy day.  Plus I get to play around with it and let you know how it goes.  That reminds me I need to find a couple of bread recipes for a bread maker.

We have a bread maker here at home, and it's been nice to have. Not having to take a couple hours out of my day to make bread.  Just being able to dump ingredients, push a couple buttons, and go.

As cool as getting the bread maker was though, I'd have to say watching everyone's presents is always the best part.  I love it when their faces light up and I know I picked the perfect present for them.  Not to brag or anything, but this year I was spot on with every present.  It just made my day. :).

Now New Years is coming up.  I need to come up with good, reasonable resolutions.  What are some of your resolutions?

Sorry this post is so casual.  It's like one of those episodes in a tv series that are just there.  It may be fun, but it has no game-changing plot development.  It's the holidays.  And I'm just happy that I got around to posting.

Smart Studying Snacks

Finals week was the 3rd-7th.  It went well.  :)  This past week I've been enjoying being back with my family. 

The Friday before Dead Week (26th-30th) I went grocery shopping for a bunch of easy things to make and snack on, because I knew I wouldn't have time/ want to cook.  It was a really smart idea, and made my life SO much easier.   

So here are a couple of the snacks that I enjoyed the most:

1. Raw Veggies w/ Ranch- Basically all you have to do is grab and wash the veggies and pour the dip.  I found this veggie bag that all sorts of veggies in it at my Smiths.  It was so nice just to eat that for lunch while studying.  Remember to get lots of color for lots of different nutrients!  Since I got mine in a bag it was already assorted.  Some raw veggies I enjoy are: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, and celery.
2. Smoothies- Grid up some fruit with coconut /or/ rice milk, then add your medicine.  While this did take some preparation it allowed me to have my medicine AND food at the same time.  Truthfully the longest part is cleaning the blender once your done.
3. Oranges-  Since its wintertime I'm talking specifically Cutie Clementines.  But oranges in general are tasty. :)  And the Vitamin C helps you to stay healthy.  I had a LOT of Vitamin C packed foods over Dead & Finals Week.  I WAS NOT ABOUT TO BE SICK FOR FINALS!  Plus the Citric Smell  is supposed to supposed to "freshen your mind".
4. Fruit Bars-  AKA Fruity Popsicles.  Popsicles are pretty low as a general rule.  (Excluding Creamies)  And when you want a snack that isn't high on PHE, Popsicles could be your answer.  Unless you decide to make some yourself there's no preparation needed.  
5. Frozen Fruit- This snack is my new BEST FRIEND!  I have discovered frozen fruit before but the past could weeks I re-discovered it.  ESPECIALLY frozen grapes.  I had this bag of frozen fruit with frozen grapes included... by the end I found that I was searching the bag for the grapes.  Frozen fruit is sweet, yet healthy.  It satisfies my huge sweet tooth while satisfying the part of me that panics about getting the freshman fifteen.  New favorite snack! :)  

Some foods that just weren't my go-to foods included: French Fries, PKU sandwiches, PKU quesadillas, roasted veggies... I really can't tell you why.  It just didn't happen.

One last thing... it's really important to be right on with your diet during big tests.  It's always important to be on your diet, but if your not on-diet during a test you aren't thinking your best.  You don't perform the best you could.

Okay enough soapbox.  What are your favorite Low-PHE snacks (Whether you have PKU or not)?  If you don't know what *qualifies* some of my other posts might be able to help, especially the first one.

Oh and happy December 22nd. :)  Merry Christmas!  Happy New Year!                

A PKU Story

Once upon a time...

I was born.  :)  And when I was born they gave me a heel prick to test for various medical conditions.  It came up negative.  I was healthy enough and they let me go.  But something was wrong.  I wasn't eating the way I should, so they re-stuck me and checked again.  I had Phenylketonuria.

At first my parents were worried.  They were first time parents and on top of learning to be parents they had to learn to be PKU Parents.  It was difficult, and expensive.  But they learned.  And they did an excellent job. :) 

As a PKU child I became an expert at measuring things, looking things up in the big green book, and recognizing "good foods" and "bad foods".  I ate lots of fruits, and lots of vegetables.  I also had my medical formula and medical foods.  They were pretty expensive but, we managed.

Time passed and I grew.  I got involved in all sorts of things at different times in my life.  In my childhood I was in plays, I played soccer, and took ballet for a while.  In high school I swam, sang in choir, and took AP classes.  I found many interests and I grew up happily.

Now I'm at a University studying to be a Deaf Teacher.  I'm doing well in my classes.  I have friends, and I'm happy.

PKU affects my life.  It affects many aspects of my life.  I still drink my formula, and weigh things, and look things up in that old green book.  I have to say no when someone offers me a Reeses or something like that. 

But it's who I am.  And I like who I am.  In last week's clip the man talked about PKU being a part of him.  That's what I've been trying to say all along.  :)  PKU isn't a horrible awful tragedy and you should pity those diagnosed.  It's a style of life.  And I'm used to it.

Thanks!  See you later!    

       

Happy PKU Awareness Day 2012

First off, HAPPY PKU AWARENESS DAY!!!  And may your PHE levels be ever in your favor!

You would not believe how many page views I've gotten today.  It's a new record.  And I haven't even posted yet!

Okay so how did you celebrate?  I wore ALL blue!  Even when I went swimming today I wore my blue suit with a blue cap and blue goggles.  I also whipped up a PKU Peach Cobbler (you can find the recipe in my post titled: A Recipe Worth Making) and shared with some of my non-PKU friends.  I'm also posting on my PKU blog.  :).

(By the way that 1st line is something my sister and I made up when texting each other Happy PKU Awareness texts.)

At the bottom I'm posting links to a couple of PKU videos that I want to share.  They are really good.  Next week I'll type up my own "PKU Story" so you have something to look forward to. :). Sorry this post is so short it's the week before finals (aka dead week, literally that's what the University calls it!). So I better get back to studying.

Enjoy the videos!  And Happy PKU Awareness Day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ipJAIiBc8&sns=em

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ggP2lnsF70&sns=em