As I See It | Tracy Krulik

Save the D.C. Food Trucks!

April 2, 2013 1:15 pm \ Tracy Krulik

DCFTA It’s been way too long since I’ve blogged, but as I am a HUGE fan of the D.C. food trucks I felt I needed to share a letter I received this morning.

Please take a moment to click on the link and support this petition, and please help spread the word.

Tracy -I am a proud fifth-generation Washingtonian. In the early 1960’s my grandfather was appointed by President Kennedy to be President of the Board of Commissioners of Washington, DC, which governed the city before we had mayors. My grandfather’s vision for the city was based on opportunities for all people to succeed and for innovation to thrive.Two years ago, I started the Red Hook Lobster Pound because I wanted to be a part of the new food truck scene here and to bring a taste of Maine to DC. I was intrigued by a business model that allowed a relatively low cost entry into the food services industry and was excited to see the smiles on the faces of our loyal customers.

Today, my food truck is being pushed towards extinction. Mayor Gray’s proposed regulations would base my business’ success and failure on the luck of winning a lottery rather than on the quality of our food.

The Food Truck Association needs your help to defeat these regulations. Will you join the Save DC Food Truckscampaign and stand up to these unfair regulations?

Mayor Gray’s proposed regulations will reduce your lunch choices and make it difficult for your favorite food trucks to stay in business. The lottery system could even push your favorite food trucks out of the most popular downtown areas for months on end.

Mayor Gray’s ill-conceived regulations will squash opportunities for small business owners like myself, a far cry from the vision that my grandfather had for this city.

We need a city that supports food trucks. We need your help to save the food trucks in DC, because without our collective voice, the Mayor’s regulations will pass and many of the trucks you know and love will be pushed out of DC.

Join our campaign to today:

http://savedcfoodtrucks.org

Thanks,

Doug Povich

Chairman, Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington
Co-Owner, Red Hook Lobster Pound

Posted in: As I See It \ Tagged: food trucks, Washington D.C.

Philly Livestrong Challenge: The Results

August 22, 2012 5:35 pm \ Tracy Krulik

So, it’s the Wednesday after the Philadelphia Livestrong Challenge, and I’m spending some quality time at home with a tissue box — not for tears of joy or otherwise, but for the cold that I came down with the day before the ride.

Tommie and I packed up our Mini Countryman on Saturday and headed out with our bikes to go ride 100 miles for Livestrong the next morning. I was a little concerned about my head cold, but figured that if I could ride the 70-miler last year on only one hour of sleep, I’d be fine to complete the full century with a cold — as long as I got some rest.

Like last year we booked a room at the Normandy Farm Hotel across from the starting line, but this time I was smart. I got us a room in one of the outer guest houses so that if there were another wedding in the building we wouldn’t hear the noise and could get some sleep.

At 10 p.m. we turned on some Law and Order and crawled into bed. At 11 the party started. There are four units in our guest house, and what sounded like a college dorm party was happening in the unit next to ours. Around midnight the party ended (after I walked around and saw beer cans everywhere and smelled cigarette smoke from the non-smoking room), and so I went to sleep.

Maybe 40 minutes later the party started back up again, but this time it sounded like it was just getting started. I won’t bore you with the details of the numerous calls to the front desk, the various visits by security, the promises to call the police, the discussions about moving us into a new room at 2 a.m., or the wedding party best man who apologized to me profusely.

Next morning: Tommie and I only got a couple of hours of sleep, I still had a head cold, and we headed out at 6:15 a.m. ready to ride in the FREEZING COLD summer morning.

In regards to the ride, the thing that Tommie and I prepared most for was the climb to Landis Store — a mile-long uphill climb. I got a bit nervous when I started up the climb (the signs that read “It’s one mile, and it’s ALL uphill” didn’t help) but about a third of the way up I found my rhythm and I was breathing easy. My legs burned a bit, but other than that it was really not so bad.

That was around mile 56. I lasted another 14 miles, and then I bonked. I actually bonked 13 miles later but Tommie pushed me to get to 70. Two hours of sleep + head cold = me not being able to ride 100 hilly miles.

Feeling so proud of myself for making Landis Store my bitch, I was not upset that I had to call it quits at 70 miles. Tom continued on by bike, and I hitched a ride with a SAG van.

While driving back to the finish line I asked the guys in the van if they knew whether Lance Armstrong rode. He had welcomed everyone at the start and said something about planning to ride the 100 miles, but he was really hungover after a crazy night. I hadn’t seen him on the course and wondered if he rode at all.

One guy responded, “Yeah. He only rode 45 miles though. Apparently he hooked up with some bridal party and drank with them all night.”

I laughed out loud. “Lance was partying with a bridal party all night?”

“Yeah, he said he saw there was a wedding at the hotel and asked to meet the bride and groom.”

So, there you have it. We’re pretty confident (given that Lance was staying at our hotel and there was only one bridal party) that Lance was at the party that kept us up all night. He may even be the reason the party started back up after it broke up the first time.

Let me tell you, if the security guards would have just said that Lance was in there, Tommie and I would have joined the party instead of begging them to let us sleep.

In the end, I did not ride the full century, but I did climb up to Landis Store like it was nothing, and I did get to cheer Tommie in through the finish line — which was amazing. And, I got a great story out of the deal.

Thanks once again to everyone for helping us raise more than $6,000 to pick a fight with cancer.

Live strong!

And, eff you, Cancer!

Posted in: As I See It \ Tagged: cancer, cycling, exercise, LiveSTRONG

Philly Livestrong Challenge 2012

August 16, 2012 9:30 am \ Tracy Krulik

Here’s the conversation I had with my gastroenterologist five years ago:

Doc: “Tracy, the mass that was on your pancreas two and a half years ago is still there.”

Me: “What mass?”

Yep. Five years ago almost to the day I learned that my doctors royally screwed up and left a tumor to grow on my pancreas. A few weeks later the mass was biopsied, and a couple weeks after that I learned that the tumor had metastasized to my liver and chest and that modern science had no way to put my brand of cancer into remission.

Back then I was a music student finishing up my last year of an undergraduate degree so that I could go on to earn a doctorate and teach music theory. I was overweight and weak with nausea and pain on most days.

Today, I’m 103 lbs. of pure muscle gearing up to ride a 100-mile bike ride over thousands of feet of elevation on Sunday, and I’m a professional writer.

Back then I cried when I heard a piece of music I loved because I thought in five years I wouldn’t be alive to teach that same piece to students of my own. Well, I was partially right. I’ve switched careers, so I will not be teaching that piece to students, but not only am I still alive, I am in the best shape of my life — a true athlete — with cancer.

On Sunday Tommie and I officially celebrate five years of health when we ride the Philadelphia Livestrong Challenge century. With the help of our friends and family, we’ve raised more than $6,000 to help pick a fight with cancer, and we’re ready to ride.

Thank you to everyone for your tremendous support, your love, and your friendship.

I cannot wait to cross the finish line on Sunday.

Eff you, cancer.

Posted in: As I See It, My Story \ Tagged: cancer, cycling, LiveSTRONG

All Drugs Are Toxic

July 20, 2012 8:57 am \ Tracy Krulik

Dr. Joel Fuhrman recalls his first pharmacology lecture in med school: “The physician impressed upon us that all drugs are toxic and we should never forget this.”

I learned this lesson the hard way by taking any drug my docs threw my way and inevitably suffering through a myriad of side effects that ranged from rashes to vomiting to hypoglycemia to weakness to disorientation (the last two put me in the emergency room, BTW). When I listen to my friends and read their Facebook posts, I realize that I’m among a small minority of people who heed Dr. Fuhrman’s warning. As I work to build my body into a fortress of health and diminish my dependence on medications, I see those around me rushing to refill their statins rather than grab a carrot.

Today the Washington Post has published an article that reveals the disconnect between medications’ safety and benefit claims and reality. The FDA is not doing its job in protecting us in its oversight of these drugs, and doctors are prescribing higher doses than are necessary — their profits grow with the size of the dose.

This should terrify you.

Next month Whole Life Times magazine is publishing an article I wrote on the lack of oversight from the FDA on cosmetic treatments like wrinkle fillers and Botox. I’m currently working on an article for them on the FDA’s lack of oversight on tattoo ink. See a pattern?

Let me sum all of this up: Just because a doctor says that a drug or a treatment will improve you and will be safe does not make it so. Just because the FDA says a drug or a treatment will improve you and will be safe does not make it so.

Pay attention to what you put into your body. Eat as many plant-based foods as possible to fuel your body with nutrients. Limit processed foods and chemicals. Strengthen your body with exercise rather than take pain killers. And take stock of your medications. Do you really need all the drugs you take? Could you lower your cholesterol with your diet rather than by popping a pill?

The man in the WaPo article lost his life because a nurse in the hospital gave him an unnecessary shot of an anemia medication before he left for home. Hours later he was dead.

All drugs are toxic. Does anyone care?

Posted in: As I See It \ Tagged: diet, drugs, exercise, health care, Joel Fuhrman

Where Have I Been?

June 25, 2012 8:44 am \ Tracy Krulik

Almost five years ago I sat in a classroom at George Mason University fighting back tears while listening to Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata, figuring that I would not be alive to complete my doctorate and teach the piece to students of my own one day.

Well, I was partly right: I will not be teaching the sonata to anyone, but not because I’m too sick.

As many of you know, my interests shifted when I learned that I had cancer. My passion for music fizzled out, and I eventually left my graduate program in music theory. While my body grew healthier and stronger — despite tumors lingering on some vital organs — my work life stalled. I was too focused on my health to think about work.

Instead, I started writing.

At first I wrote because I had a crazy story to tell and finished a first draft of I Have Cancer. And I’ve Never Felt Better! Then little by little I started writing pieces about my healthcare journey for publications like Balanced Body Pilates COREterly e-newsletter, Physicians News Digest, and KevinMD.com.

I quickly realized that it wasn’t writing about my story that made me happy; it was simply the act of writing anything that did. And so I set out to become a professional freelance writer while also finishing and marketing my book.

The reason I haven’t been blogging very often here, is because I have been extremely busy writing for Washington Post Express and Whole Life Times magazine, in addition to wrapping up edits on the book so that we can launch it as an e-book this summer.

It was five years ago that my doctor wanted to send me back to the hospital for some new pancreas scans to see if he could figure out why I was in so much pain. I was certain the tests would reveal nothing and I’d be sent home with stronger pain killers, and then I’d crack open my musicology book or practice an aria for a voice lesson. Instead I walked into a new world that was at first terrifying but has ironically given me a richer, happier, and healthier new life.

It feels wonderful to be on a career path once again. It also feels wonderful knowing that freelancing allows me the flexibility to continue riding my bike and exercising every day if I want, maintaining my vegetable garden, managing my home, and cooking gobs of healthy plant-based meals.

I was a workaholic before my cancer diagnosis, and then I was stuck in a cancer funk not sure of what I wanted to be if and when I grew up. Now I’m just enjoying a boring, normal, quiet life with Tommie, our cats Briscoe and Curtiss, and our bikes.

So, while we’ve had a bit of a lull on the blog, there’s been a whole lot of work happening behind the scenes. You’ll be the first to know when the book is ready to launch, and I’ll continue to post articles I write, along with interesting articles I read, to Facebook and Twitter.

Posted in: As I See It, My Story \ Tagged: cancer, writing

Bad Scans? New Wheels!

May 18, 2012 8:14 am \ Tracy Krulik

When I was an undergrad at the University of Miami in the early 1990s the Hurricane football team won 58 home games in a row — a winning-streak record they still hold. On September 24, 1994 the Washington Huskies beat the Canes at the Orange Bowl and ended the run. My friends and I sat in the stands heartbroken that day, and yet I have to admit that a part of me was actually relieved. The pressure to always be perfect felt like a mountain weighing on our shoulders, and finally we didn’t have to hold our breath anymore with each snap. If the Canes lost another home game — so what. We could still win national championships with losses, and we did.

For the past four and a half years I have felt the pressure of perfection with each cancer scan. At first we expected that they’d show some growth, but when it never happened I felt like I would be seen as a failure if my cancer did grow. Well, Wednesday, for the first time since my diagnosis in 2007, we saw a little growth on the scans. A little growth. Very little. The way I see it, if we see this little growth every four to five years, I’m still way ahead in this chess-game-style battle against cancer.

I’ll admit though that I was shocked. Part of me thought that I had to start seeing cancer progression pretty soon — it’s been a long winning streak — but part of me held on to the hope that I could go indefinitely with no action. And yet when I heard the not-so-great news from my doctor, once again, crazy as it sounds, I felt a bit relieved. As with the Canes, I no longer had to strive for perfection anymore.

We were, as you’d expect, a bit bummed on our drive home from Hopkins, but then Tommie came up with a great idea: “Let’s go get those bike wheels today.” Brilliant! We had bounced around the idea of upgrading the wheels on our road bikes to Zipp 303s and what better time than right after bad news from the cancer center to do it.

These wheels are expensive — they cost more than most bikes– so we took them for a test drive before committing to buying them. If we couldn’t feel any major difference, it would not be worth the price.

Did we like the wheels, you ask? Holy. Crap. Riding on Zipp wheels was maybe the best thing to happen to me all year. OK. Tommie’s tumor shrinking gets top billing, but the wheels come in a close second. We went on a training ride yesterday, and I broke all my personal records on both flats and hills. I felt incredibly athletic and invincible. At midnight I was still beaming from such an athletic and fun ride. One of the perks of the wheels? Flying even faster downhill. Who needs roller coasters or zip lines when you have hills and a bike?

Lance Armstrong says “It’s not about the bike,” but I’ve got to say that to me, it IS about the bike. Scans can show tumors all they want, but if I continue to get faster and stronger on two wheels, I’ll know I’m healthy. I cannot WAIT to climb the dreaded hills of the Philly Livestrong Challenge in August to celebrate five years of health since my cancer diagnosis. 100 miles over 8,000 feet of climb. Peace of cake.

Live strong, Friends! I know I will.

Oh, and eff you, Cancer.

Posted in: As I See It, Exercise and Fitness \ Tagged: cancer, cycling, exercise, LiveSTRONG

No Scanxiety!

May 11, 2012 8:25 am \ Tracy Krulik

I don’t know exactly why, but it’s that time of the year again, and I have no anxiety about going back to the cancer center for scans.

Tis the season to be scanning! Last month Tommie and I drove down to UVA for follow-up brain scans to see how his tumor, Malfoy, was doing. It was the first time we’d take a look since he was diagnosed in the fall. And, as hoped, Malfoy was the half the size. The doctor also figured a way to titrate Tommie’s medication so that he could continue to fight the tumor without feeling side effects, and my hubby is now starting to experience that superhuman strength I discovered when we took the bastard primary tumor off of my pancreas. Huzzah!

I have a couple theories on why I’m not worried about my scans next week. First, I feel amazing. You wouldn’t believe the crazy sh-t my trainer James has me do in the gym. I can do everything he throws at me, and I leave feeling energized. How sick can I be if I can do thirty-six pushups with my feet on a large ball and climb hills on a spinner bike between sets?

My other thought is that by fully making the switch from musician to writer I’ve taken away the last link to the time I was diagnosed with cancer. Tommie and I went to see the musical Hairspray in January, and I literally bawled the entire time. Music is like a gateway drug to that horrible Cancer World, because I was immersed in music when I was immersed in cancer. So, at least for now, Music is dead to me. Pfft. I spit on it!

Normally about a week or so ago I would have started fretting. I would have not been able to do anything productive other than play Sudoku. But the scanxiety hasn’t come. I sent off an article and a side bar to the editor of Whole Life Times on Wednesday, and I’m working on two articles with side bars for the Washington Post Express. I’m mentally sharp, and I’m motivated to research and write despite looming scans next week.

One doctor said that he treats patients, not scans. No matter what the scans show next week, how sick can I be? I’ve said it before, but it remains true: I’ve never felt better! I’ll deal with whatever the doc tells me when I get the results on Wednesday. Then I’ll go back to the gym Thursday morning and tackle whatever insane challenge James throws my way with a maniacal smile on my face. Creepy, but true.

Posted in: As I See It, My Story \ Tagged: cancer, exercise, Johns Hopkins

On Posting Cancer Survival Rates

April 30, 2012 9:38 am \ Tracy Krulik

Has anyone else seen the TV commercials for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)? I was watching Cheers on some random satellite station the other day, when one of their commercials popped up. A patient gives his testimonial and talks about the wonderful services provided on the CTCA’s website. He says something like, “You can even look up survival rates for your type of cancer.”

What?

Why would anyone ever want to find out from a website how long they might have left to live? Frankly, I find it irresponsible for CTCA to post this information.

Same Organ Different Cancer

We’ve learned that different types of tumors can form on the same organ. For instance, I have a slow-growing type of cancer that originated on my pancreas. In a general sense, I have pancreatic cancer. But, when the medical community talks about “pancreatic cancer,” they are referring to adenocarcinoma, which is far more aggressive than my neuroendocrine cancer. If I didn’t know that there was a difference, and I visited the CTCA’s survival rates page, I would be devastated, and I’d probably press for an unnecessarily toxic treatment. Four and a half years since my diagnosis, I have not undergone chemotherapy or radiation and my tumors have not grown at all. How much damage might I have done to my body had I gone nuclear on the tumors rather than watching and waiting?

Survival Rates Are Generic

Published survival rates don’t generally take into account demographics. Twenty-five-year-old patients are included in the same data set as octogenarians. But would a young, strong, otherwise healthy person with cancer really have the same survival rate as a frail elderly person? Maybe, maybe not. The point is that the survival rates can give a generic snapshot of someone’s chances, but each person and each tumor is different. Even within the same brand of cancer there are more and less aggressive varieties.

Obtain Information With Caution

I believe that as patients we need to arm ourselves with as much information as possible, and so research on the internet is incredibly useful. Sometimes though, we’re better off talking through the research with a doctor. When you read something like survival rates on the web, make sure you understand the context in which the stats are written.

CTCA states that they are one of the first cancer centers to provide survival rates to their patients on their website. Perhaps the other cancer centers believe that numbers with as much gray area as these stats are better off presented in context to patients in person — if at all.

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: cancer, health care

In Search of Healthy Food

April 25, 2012 10:23 am \ Tracy Krulik

As I sip my decaf coffee with a splash of soy milk outside my favorite portable office, the Buzz Bakery and coffee shop, I reflect on how difficult it is to find healthy and tasty vegan foods away from my own kitchen. I think about this a lot actually.

Vegetarians and vegans can find a surprisingly vast amount of foods in restaurants and shops, but most of it is ladened with fats, sweeteners, and chemicals. I used to think that the unhealthy food issue was limited to us non-animal eaters, but I now believe it to be a systemic problem.

In the April 2012 Washingtonian Magazine, food-critic Todd Kliman answers this reader question: “Our country is facing a health crisis. Why aren’t many chefs changing their menus to reflect that?” Great question Reader! I want to know the answer too.

Here’s what Todd replied:

“Restaurant food isn’t constructed to be eaten four times a week — it’s constructed to be an indulgence. The problem is that people eat out more than ever. I suppose chefs could make a symbolic stand by lightening their dishes and making them less decadent. But would that really have an influence?

“Chefs are generally wary of making their food lighter. Even Italian chefs, such proponents of using olive oil, slather on butter to give dishes a finishing richness. They’re not much concerned with people’s diets. They’re concerned with getting people in the door and keeping them coming back.”

Because of my generally incredibly healthy diet as well as the fact that I no longer have a gallbladder and only have half a pancreas, when I eat something with too much fat in it, I immediately feel uncomfortable and sometimes even quite nauseous. And nine out of ten times when I eat food prepared outside of my own kitchen, I feel pretty lousy. My social life suffers because of it. I’d love to join friends for dinner at a restaurant, but I can only do so if I’m prepared to feel crummy afterwards.

There are two places in the DC metro area where I’m guaranteed a tasty meal that won’t make me feel sick: the healthy Indian food truck Rolls on Rolls and the chain Le Pain Quotidien. If I can find others I plan to start a running list on this site — part healthy food honor roll/part information for people who want to eat well.

I wonder if we’re approaching a tipping point in America. Will we as a nation become so unhealthy that even the most gluttonous will discover the need to eat healthier foods and choose home-cooked produce over butter-ladened foie gras? The cynic in me says Never! But as Rolls on Rolls and Le Pain Quotidien seem to have loyal followings, perhaps the market for healthy eating is brightening. A girl can dream.

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: diet, health care, nutrition, plant-based, vegan, vegetarian

On Electronic Health Records

April 19, 2012 6:39 pm \ Tracy Krulik

Anyone know how the transition to electronic health records is going?

I was wondering about that yesterday and remembered an experience I had at a hospital a few years back. Shortly after I checked in to see a new doctor the receptionist said that instead of me filling out patient forms, the nurse would type in my information with me. The nurse led me to a partially enclosed area that had a small desk along a short wall and a guest chair on the adjoining wall. I sat in the guest chair while she asked questions and typed in my info.

Two moments stick out. Number One:

Nurse: “Any history of cancer?”

Me: “Yes. I have neuroendocrine cancer.”

Nurse: “Oh. Okay.” She clicked on the cancer tab. “Oh. That’s not listed in this menu, right?”

Me: “Nope. Doesn’t look like it.”

Nurse: “Okay. I’ll just say you have colon cancer then.”

And, Number Two:

Nurse: “Are you allergic to any medications?”

Me: “Yes. Penicillin.”

Nurse: “Oh. P-A-N. Wait. It’s not coming up when I type it in. P-A-N-N. Oh. Wait. How do you spell that?”

What’s better for our health? Incomplete records with illegible-chicken-scratch doctors’ writing, or lovely electronic records that are typed up incorrectly? Computers are wonderful, but some human still has to enter the information.

I’ll look into the status of the shift to electronic records and will get back to you. Here’s hoping the system has improved!

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: cancer, health care, medical records

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