madeleine-hi there hun...well actually the shermans disease was diagnosed by a specialist after a major car accident...i had no back pain before the accident 5 years ago...it was the trauma of the accident that brought the pain on and i have never been the same since...yeah i did not know i had osteo arthritis either..but it is plain in the x-rays..every veterbrae is effected and the curve now is i would say moderate..but there is a lot of degeneration going on and i have not been scanned or x-rayed since the accident..all i know is that i am in pain everyday!! yeah i know it is a disease
mainly effecting people in their teens and i must have had it all along..i just did not realise it until after the accident...everybody thought i was suffering whiplash (which i did) but it did not go away thus prompting investigation...no one sent me for an xray after the accident they just sent me home and told me i would be sore and to take some panadol...thats hospitals for you!!..then after a few months i presented
o my gp with severe back pain and could not work a whole shift without being in excruciating pain..i was an in-home carer for the elderly and it was very physical..some days i would clean 3 houses all in a row!! does this help a bit hun??..just ask away if you do not understand anything!!
oh i am sorry to hear you are not well mad!!...get better soon and look after yourself!!

trish-hey hun i am doing the low carb thing..i read a book about a lady whose hubby was diagnosed with diabetes and she wrote a recipe book about it..she had some good advice and i follow some of it..she said
to write down all the foods you like that suited your intended meal plan..and then work out a menu or meal plan based around that..so think of what you like to eat that is low carb low fat then work out a plan based on that..i personally do this but i also kinda follow the cabbage soup diet minus the cabbage soup but i have changed it to suit me and my situation...like i eat a mixture of veges and fruit everyday..i eat a potatoe if i want it on tuesdays evening meal..then on friday i have one piece of meat lean for the evening meal...then on saturday i have meat at 2 meals if i want then i have some brown rice if i want it on sunday..now this is by no means written in stone and i change things if i want but mainly sticking to fruit and vege!! oh i don't eat corn, peas, dried fruit, and some other stuff i can't remember!!..lol..lol

hey mad glad your feeling better sweetheart....it is good to hear!..hope you feel even better tomorrow!!

"fasting" blood sugar of 5.4 today, but with taking cold pills before bed, not sure how accurate this is. Slept well when I got to sleep, which can only help. Not feeling too out of it so far. have a few errands to do today, hope to go out into the world for a bit. I couldn't have driven at all yesterday, the shape I was in.
Liz, that sounds odd, not having the shermans diagnosed before the accident. I had a car accident in 95 and had pain for months afterward. I hope you get some kind of disability pension for this, and would certainly wonder about the car accident, as a trigger.
we haven't heard from Ruth for a couple of days, hope our moderator is doing well. Yesterday was a record high temperature here and at her place near Ottawa, to day is more seasonal, we have snow on the ground again.
Have a good Wednesday everyone

I've been reading but not posting this week - very busy and not too much to say. FBGL and weight are holding steady - glad of the first but not so glad over the stuck scale. Have also been going full steam ahead with Christmas prep. Sorry! I'll try to pop in more often.

well yeah hun...the specialist did not see anything unusual about it...he said the trauma caused the onset of the disease later on in life...well i mean triggered the pain caused by the curvature...he is supposedly the best in this state...i have been told by other people...so i suppose he knows what he is talking about..i have done some research on the internet about sherman's disease in adults and it does happen...also the physio bloke i am seeing did not blink an eye about the diagnosis either...and the xrays show a pronounced curve and also the degeneration of the spine too...and like i said they are 5 years old...i have tried to retrain and done a few certificate 4's connected to aged care which is the only field of employment i know...did a bit of on the job stuff but only suffered because of it...hubby complained i was grumpy..i did not realise i was until i thought about it...tis the pain!!..huh about the pension...well i just don't know surprisingly i have not gone there yet..but my friend thinks i should give it a try....depends on if it is means tested or not and what other criteria i need...hubby earns about 10 dollars too much to get unemployment...i might make some enquiries it cannot hurt?!!...thanks for the concern sweet!!

here is something interesting that shows 2 conflicting arguements about shermans??

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/interacti...-t9133-f8.html

here is another interesting read (sorry if anyone finds this boring)-
http://forum.badbacks.com.au/viewtop...t=906&start=10

hope you are feeling better hun and ruth nice to meet you!!..yes this is the busy season for sure!!

Thanks for the links Liz: What I can understand is that you can have Shermans without pain, but it is there, and the accident triggers changes that leave you with pain. However, the lack of diagnosis beforehand is too bad. I have a friend whose scoliosis wasn't diagnosed and treated as an adolescent, and she is getting more crippled as she gets older.
I don't know much about the Australian health and social services system, but if you have had significant income disruption because of this, there should be something to help you! I guess I was worried that someone might say that you aren't owed anything for pain and suffering after the accident if you had a pre-existing condition.
I have bad memories of trying to have a normal life with the pain I had after my accident. It was not the worst pain I ever had, but never left me. I was more than grumpy, and couldn't deal with much of any problems. Nearly caused divorce and I was worried I could hurt my kids at times. I was overdoing the pain meds, and became allergic to ibuprofen from this. My doc helped with giving me zoloft, an SSRI antidepressant, and that helped disrupt the pain pathways. I still remember that first pain free hour that I had, such bliss.
I sincerely hope you can find treatments that help you, no one deserves to live in pain.
I have had difficulty with weight loss and proper eating relating to my irregular hours, I imagine pain affects it as well.
Was up to a few errands today, but very tired after this.
Will be resting for the evening now.

Madeleine Glad you are feeling better and hope you keep improving. I hadn't thought of checking bs before and after using TENS unit. I might try that. My neck still hurt after using it last night... used it on base of my neck and on my middle back... 30 minutes each. I've been taking my melatonine each night since I'm not getting up to take care of the baby. I have been sleeping better but after using the machine, I slept really great last night. So good in fact that I didn't even want to get up this morning.

Still waiting for the doctor's call for an appt for DH. They sure don't get in a hurry. DH is in pain. I hope the TENS machine eventually helps him. It makes me feel so much better. Used it 30 minutes tonight on my neck. While it did hurt a little after I used it, it feels really good now. I hope it keeps improving like the reviews I read said theirs did. It is my hopes that DH will eventually begin to do the same.

Weight is holding steady. FBS isn't coming down like it should but I guess that takes time.

Catch y'all tomorrow.

up early again, can't seem to sleep too long with this cold. Wake up dry and stuffy. I have a day in the office today. My father sold his house, so tomorrow will drive down to help him pack and organize the new apartment. He is closing the house quickly, (next week!) so there is a LOT to do. Glad we got so much done last month.
Today is my birthing day, my oldest daughter's birthday. Its the anniversary of my becoming a mother. No matter what else I have accomplished, I can always know I have done good things for the world in my kids. Mothering is a great accomplishment for anyone. I can't imagine my life without these girls.
Hope everyone else has a great Thursday as well.

Mad your post gave me a nice warm feeling!

Weight is back to 190 and I know why. There seems to be some "shrinkage" of the goodies bought for Christmas giving and entertaining. I think Turtles and Ferrero Rocher should be sold with a timelock! With me, one is never enough. Cute little Scottie shaped shortbreads aren't safe either. Strangely enough these sins do not seem to affect my FBGL. Time to clean up my act.

I'm very lucky to not have any major health issues so hate to even mention this. My second toe has been giving me grief - it has ambitions of becoming a hammer toe. Yesterday, I had an appointment with a chiropodist who told me I have arthritis in my foot which is causing it. She gave me big toe exercises and made a splint thing for the toe. I must admit it sure feels better. So far I've been very lucky with my feet - no loss of sensation.

Drat! My fruit cakes just got delivered. I'd better wrap them fast and get them into the mail or I'll really be in trouble.

Hang in there, Chickies.

gosh i am sick and tired of back pain!!..i began to feel off yesterday afternoon...i think it was hormonal but not sure...not due for TOM till the end of the month or there abouts..felt very depressed.....even not sure if it was that??...felt off...teary and just not right..did not go for a walk...did not do
pilates..hubby was very reassuring and absolutely lovely..tis not like me to feel this way...ate on plan for dinner and all day until before bed when al brought me an ice cream...chocolate covered with vanilla middle....so i had half of it and gave the rest to him...you know i did enjoy it but was not esctatic about it..a bit disappointing oh well perhaps my body is going in the right direction...back on plan this morning despite everything..still in pain but it is subsiding...went for a walk this morning...going to try and do pilates this morning and evening today....time to step it up a bit...will be doing hydro on monday.. i guess i just had a bit of a bad end to the day...determined not to repeat it today...going to go out later and get some chia seeds and make a pudding for a snack...i am going to add low fat milk..some vanilla protein powder and a no sugar strawberry drink mix...i figure this way i am getting a boost to my fibre intake seeing as though i am eating very little in the way of whole grains...grrrr back uncomfortable now...sitting here tooo long bummer!!..better get up and do some house work..then i will come and sit down again..lol..lol..lol..i am a bit of a jack rabbit up and down up and down!!...oh i am going to ring centrelink soon and see about the disability pension...we are struggling financially at the moment because hubbys work is very inconsistent in hours at the moment..i am hoping this is only
temporary though!! fingers crossed!! wishing everyone a wonderful day of healthy eating and good exercise!!


fatmad-yes hun..i have been on the anti-inflammatories meds but i don't like them much because they are not good for your tummy...about the pain meds...i want to try and keep off them as much as i can..cause i know that perhaps i will need them more later on in life so i take measures in a different way to combat the back pain..i rest when i need to..i use heat...take panadol as well..but not all the time!!..i am hoping that exercise and being healthier will help in the long term!!..oh i am not in pain all the time just some of it and it is limiting and you are right i need to get some help from the government..oh about the pre existing thing..i won a pay out with the ladys insurance that rear ended me...so i don't think it will be a problem with the government assistance!!..i also got paid out with work cover!!..yes the
lack of pre-diagnosis is a regret but something that can't be helped because i did not present with any symptoms till after the accident!! hope you have a good rest hun and many thanks for the concern i appreciate it!!

ruth-urggghhhhhhh toe problems!..hope yours feels better soon hun!!...stay out of the goodies!!..lol..lol you are what you eat you know!!..you will turn into a turtle and everybody will know why??..lol..lol.. huh i can't talk had a break in op with the chocolate covered vanilla ice cream!!..back on track today though!!

wishing everybody a happy healthy and active day..cheers liz

I'm sorry Ruth, but the mental image of a toe in a splint is striking me funny. Which is good, because I got into a bad mood at the office, with the same co-worker giving me grief. Its hard for a group of women to work together without getting catty I guess, and I am probably just as bad, just not seeing it.
I do not mean to dismiss the pain, but rather picturing a toe on crutches or something.
And do wrap the fruitcakes

feeling much worse today, very tired again, feverish, scratchy throat, earaches, not helped much with pain relievers. SO
did not go to help Dad with the move, will send DH for the weekend to help my sister. Feel really bad about that, and also not being able to help with work, but spreading this would be a really bad thing to do, especially in December, because it will just go around to all of our friends. So back to being a couch potato. Appetite is poor too. which is a good thing.

Stay healthy friends

oh sweetheart..i soooo feel for you...please look after yourself and get better soon!!...try and have a good day!...cheers liz

Hi all: DH has gone to help my sister pack up and move my Dad, today earaches, fever, comfort foods. Thanks for the well wishes.
have a good weekend friends

thinking of you hun!!..look after!!...i will not be on much till the weekend is over..dh is home for one day a week and i try and spend that time with him...have a good one guys...cheers liz

Ruthie Sorry about the toe. Hope it is better soon.

Liz Sure hope your back is better. I suffer with back problems and I sympathize with you. Losing weight would help me a lot.

Madeleine I am so sorry you are worse. Do you have flu or just some other bug? Sure can't spread it to your clients that is for sure. I know you would have wanted to be there with your Dad to help but it is sweet that your DH will do it for you. He sounds like a sweet man. Sure hope you get well soon.

Well, DD graduated from nursing school yesterday and was top in her class and the one chosen to speak for the class and she did an excellent job. We are proud of her. DGS told me today that his DM and family are moving back to FL in January. Strange that we have to learn things through Facebook or one of the kids. So hopefully sometime in January things will be back to normal around here. Interesting turn of events. DGS always told his Mom that he was going to go to college in FL in 2 yrs. He told me tonight that he is glad they are moving back there and that he thinks that is a good idea. (?) Not sure why. Then he told me that he will be here for 4 yrs going to college here and he will be coming here on weekends. I think he just wanted to be free from everything.