Home / Dieting with Obstacles

PHYSICAL CHALLENGES ~ May's Thread

First

Last

Page 2 of 6

Go to Page

You're on Page 2 of 6

#16

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-07-2009 09:27 PM

HI LADIES ~ well, the held off til this afternoon for us. We did get to do a bit of shopping; didn't have much to get really, but I did get my tall garden hook for my bird feeder. Don't know if I explained that to you in this thread: but we have an overly-friendly cat around here that wants to chase my birdies. He is so big that he can touch the feeder with his paws so we ordered a much taller (84") hook.

While I was picking that up, I found a lovely cast-aluminum bench for our front deck. I was constantly having to bug DH to carry my heavy metal chair out there for me; but now I won't have to worry about that anymore as this stays out there all the time. They are supposed to be delivering it here sometime tomorrow.

So, the morning was warm and a bit , but by noon the clouds started to roll in; and we had that for the rest of the day, but as far as my eyes can see (including any fields near by), all the ***** is gone now! Yeah! So, we should take a jaunt out to our lot and see how it is out there; I'm pretty sure it must be all gone out there as well, as we had record deep snow in town this winter.

Everyone is saying how hard this long winter was on them -- in one way, I'm glad to know that it wasn't just me. Others were also getting ancy about spring arriving here too. Now the nicer weather is here, we can enjoy ourselves a bit more too. DH was being a party pooper tonight, by saying that the skitters will be coming out soon. I reminded him that they don't usually come out until June; and now that we are in town, there aren't near as many as where we used to live (oh yah, and I don't ever recall having midgies in town before either)!

Well, I see that everyone is busy; and I hope that you are all feeling better today, and getting nice spring weather as well. The grass is starting to turn green here already. I wanted to try and rake the front a bit (if I can, that is); but it started to rain on me. Our front lawn is very, very small -- I would say about the size of a large rug, so I thought I might be able to handle it!

I wanted to also share the GOOD NEWS with you all that my legs and feet felt much better today too; I took only one milder pain pill before we left, and I managed 2 stores today (one small and one medium). And -- my feet are NOT hurting right now; and I have been resting them more too, which seems to be helping as well.

WELL, it's time for me to go put on my tea and then put up my legs for this evening, while doing a puzzle and some reading too. This will now become my daily routine as it is helping me so much; and I have been going to bed a bit earlier each night, so the combination of all these measures is probably helping too.

So ... take good care, my friends; and do have a FANTABULOUS FRIDAY!!! ROSEBUD
#17

purpleorc , 05-09-2009 09:45 AM

Hi Ladies

The past few days have been really busy schedule. Firstly DH surprised me and took me to Meadowhall in Sheffield a huge shopping centre. Then we took my mum to have a nerve scan in a Lincoln county hospital. Mum had been experiencing numbness and pain in her hand. The doctor suspects she has trapped the ulna nerve in here arm this was a test to confirm this was the case. Now just awaiting the results of the scans. The next thing that has kept me away was my dad went in yesterday for his second cataract operation on the other eye. Operation went well and it was done as a day case. He has experienced more pain this time and is more blood shot. Dark glasses do help with the issue of pain. Now for the healing process to take place and then for a eye examination to see what prescription he needs. At the minute he does no longer wear them all the time only for close reading work. I must admit after all my life time of him wearing glasses it sure does look strange to see him without any glasses on. Slowly getting use to the new look.

Really feeling drowsy today as yesterday proved to be a bad day with my trigeminial neuralgia so needed two extra doses of medication. Sure did not want to get up this morning and now definitely flagging. The weather has been nice the past few days but very windy. The wind did have a tendency to be rather chilly. So this is possibly the culprit of my face pain but will never know for sure.

Back to the trip to Meadowhall in Sheffield we both had an enjoyable time. I bought 3 tops to go with my new skirts. My DH bought 3 shirts, he does wear tee shirts occasionally but prefers shirts. He is the Imelda Marcos of shirts I reckon can not resist buying or looking at shirts Though I must admit the last few days have not exactly been very healthy regarding food. So making a conscious effort this weekend to be as clean as possible and stay on plan to counteract my bad eating.

ROSEY to the thread nice to have you on board. Thank you for sharing your story regarding your own health issues.

I can not blame you for wanting to remain independent as possible and do this within your own home. I have the same desires as yourself in this department. I am forgetting myself I better introduce myself. I am a 44 year old lady who lives in Nottingham UK. I was diagnosed with MS in 1999 aged 33 but looking back I had it for much longer. I am not on any medication for MS at this present time but on treatment for trigeminial neuralgia (pain in the face that effects the trigeminial nerve).

At the moment I am able to walk with the aid of a stick but I am now for the first time seriously thinking about using an electric scooter on shopping trips. This is because I am finding that I can not walk around far before the need to sit down and rest. I am willing but my body is not

I am very fortunate that I have a wonderful DH who looks after me and blessed with a lovely family who have rallied round to help me. There has been no history of MS in the family so came as a bit of a blow for me. Prior to the MS I was a registered psychiatric nurse in a medium secure unit looking after clients who where mentally ill and found to have committed a crime whilst ill. The crimes I am talking about were not for minor offenses but more serious ones like rape, murder or GBH (grievous bodily harm). So I think that is me in a nutshell all be it a huge coconut one as I tend to waffle on a bit

Looking forward to getting to know you better over the coming weeks and having your input on disability issues.

RONNI Life sometimes goes at 90mph not to mention our MS wiping us out now and again for good measure.

I know that food can get lodged in your throat with MS but I have not experienced such symptoms or know anyone with those. If it persists I would speak to the neurologist or your doctor treating you for your MS. They maybe able to shed some light on the matter and how best to manage this horrible issue. I hope the matter resolves quickly for you.

My hair is very long as it reaches just about at my base of my spine. So hence I have to do something with it at night like plait (braid) it otherwise I would never get a hairbrush through it in the morning. Though short hair also has it draw backs and can look like a hedgehog who has met with the electric socket. No amount of brushing or combing will get it lying in some order it just wants to stick up on end.

My DH went through the same stage as your DH the ostrich syndrome of burying your head in the sand and hoping the problems will go away. In the beginning he did not want to talk about it and would not face up to the fact it may deteriorate. Though slowly but surely he came to accept the fact and will face facts. I think it is a stage that all carers go through and it is part and parcel of getting to the stage of acceptance. In a way it is kind of grieving for the person you was and will no longer be. All the plans you may have had now have to be adjusted which all takes time.

Hope your DH back is on the mend with the aid of rest and the chiropractor. It is so easy to hurt your back but a slow process for them to heal again. You do not realise how much you use your backs in your day to day life.

Glad some of the recipes you have liked for reduced sugar or fat for that matter. I enjoy cooking and like you I have a DH who loves a dessert. Though he is trying to lose weight so I really do have to be inventive and play crafty. If it looks like a dessert then it must be a dessert. But in actual fact it is one of my concoctions which have fruit in

ROSEBUD Sorry to hear that you have been in pain. I do not blame you for using a small amount of beer to help. Years ago when I first started in nursing I did a drug round with a difference. No tablets but beer and spirits. I would give a small tot or glass of beer to those patient who liked a little drop. A friend of mind her brother is in hospital at the minute aged 95. He is as bright as a button but he sure does love his whisky tot at night. So he has now been prescribed it. So it has gone full circle from stopping it to allowing it again. They realise that if someone finds it useful it aids their recovery. Providing other medications do not prevent it. Last night my face was murder so I delved into last resort mode and had a small tot of apricot brandy It did the trick just a few sips worth because I am normally tee total a very small amount effects me very quickly.

I hope your dream comes true about getting your set of drums. Like you say we all have little wishes mine is to learn the british sign language. I love languages and to me this is an extension to this. Unfortunately course are expensive and funds are limited so off bounds at the minute but maybe one day.

Thanks for keeping the thread going whilst I have been MIA with one thing or another in my life. On Monday it has come time to have the car MOT and serviced. Every year a car has to have an MOT to prove that it is roadworthy. The only ones exempt are brand new cars (3 years exemption). This will be our first MOT since we had the car. We are due to change our car shortly as you know but this is always done before we hand it back to the dealership. We have a courtesy car for the day whilst this is being done also.

Now further news for now so time to go and put my feet up and rest. So take care ladies till next time

purpleorc
#18

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-09-2009 08:12 PM

HI LADIES ~ Sorry, I didn't get in last night; by the time I remembered that I hadn't posted, it was well after midnight and I was on my way to bed and so tired that I just decided to wait until today to come in.

We had a BUSY day yesterday as we were sorting out some more boxes and were able to give away one large box and two bags today to Goodwill; plus throw away a box and a bag as well. That can make a huge dent in one room, so we are really starting to see the end of this plight. I even found some new socks and other things that we couldn't find.

I lost my new Baby Jane running shoes that I bought last year, in the move somehow; so I was blessed and found some while shopping on Thursday. They had two different styles and both were on sale, so I bought one of each kind. I may be lucky yet and still find that other pair when we're not looking for them, as that's usually what happens.

We also emptied two boxes from one of the sheds as well and DH has been doing some sorting out there too. We are trying to get as much done as we can before they start doing the floors in here so there will be less to move around; but it's hard when you are sick or sore, or end up hurting yourself at the same time. Today, I went through 4 small boxes of my books; 2 are cook books and 2 are books I bought to read for fun and interest.

I think I will look for a nice small bookcase with glass doors: they call them lawyers bookcases; and they are affordable and come on sale fairly often too. I think that would look nice in the livingroom too, as I really need a nice place to put my most favorite books.

HI PURPLE ~ My grammie was Irish and she used to have what she called a hot toddy or just a 'toddy' before bed at night. She always said that it 'could always heal what ails ya!'

BBL ~ DH needs my help for a few minutes, I'll come back and finish this post then ...
#19

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-09-2009 10:46 PM

Yah, I'm finally back ~ Well, that few minutes turned into a couple of hours, and not exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday night either. DH decided that he wanted to move some stuff around and something that should have taken only minutes ended up taking 1-2 hours; and then DH had an accident -- dropping a case of tapes on his head and cut his forehead: oh, he's alright, but he does have a little mark to show for his efforts. I don't think it's wise to start these kinds of projects so late at night when everyone is tired; and you know where that leads (to irritability which inevitably leads to tiffs & spats), so we will finish this job another day ...

HI AGAIN, PURPLE ~ I'm glad that a wee nip of brandy was able to help your TRIG PAINS; and did you know that even in the Bible, there is a mention that liquor can be used as a form of pain medicine? Now, I'm a traditional Tea Totaller like yourself, but a very small amount can have amazing effects. When I was working in some nursing homes, they also would use this same method to help those patients who were suffering a bit, to help them sleep and/or just give them some much-needed relief from chronic pain. I think it's amazing that is actually works so well! My Grammie said that it not only helped her sleep better, but it also helped her get through menopause too!

My -- you have had a few busy days. Prayers that your Dad's eye heals very quickly; I'm so glad that it is working so well for him. I had a friend who had that done and found it extremely successful also; wishing that she could have had it done years earlier, but it was a fairly new procedure when she had it done. You mentioned your MOTHER has a 'trapped' nerve in her arm -- what causes that to happen? I haven't heard of anything like that before.

Glad you and your DH had a fun time shopping at the mall. Did you find that you had much trouble getting around? I know that the last time I went, I was in terrible agony; I had to keep looking for places to sit down or lean against. I only made it around one large department store, and barely that one. That was when I realized that I was having big troubles; so I just went and sat on the nearest bench and told DH to go look where he wanted whilst I waited for him with a friend.

DH and I have discussed that I must have a scooter if I ever want to be able to go to a mall again. We have heard that we may be able to get one from a community service provider, but we'll have to investigate that much further to see how that works out before I get my hopes up too high. First, I have to get some type of form filled out by my new doctor, so there's some process to go through first.

Anyways, we had a treat tonight ~ we had CHINESE FOOD for dinner; and there's even enuff left over for tomorrow as well. We haven't had any for almost a year, so we decided to give ourselves a night off from the regular fare. You won't believe it, but we had a wee bit of ***** fall during the night, but thankfully, not too much of it. The sun came out this afternoon and melted it all away ...

Well, it's getting late, and it's time to get my feet up for the night, and I'm already late as it is, so take good care ladies; have a good night, and I hope you have a LOVELY SUNDAY!!! ROSEBUD
#20

purpleorc , 05-10-2009 09:41 AM

Hi Ladies

Not such a nice day today but the wind seems to have dropped so seems much warmer outside than in previous days. Managed to do a few chores yesterday but left the ironing to do though there is not a huge amount to do. Did a load of washing last night whilst in bed as the electricity is cheaper at that time of night. It was the bed linen after stripping and remaking the bed. I like to do that at least once a week to strip the bed. Only one tiny load of washing to do now so caught up with that. So housework is about squared up.

I have been spending time playing a computer game called dream chronicles 3 . It is a game with a story in which you have to find items and solve puzzles. I love the challenges of solving the puzzles it stretches the mind. I admit once or twice I have had to cheat and look at a walkthrough for that section to get me moving again in the game. I must admit I have been hooked on it and the graphics are really pretty.

ROSEBUD Not envying you sorting through boxes and getting squared up. You inevitably lose something whilst moving only to find it again months later. I expect that will happen with your baby Jane shoes. I tend to find them when I least expect them and not looking for them of course. Sorry to hear that your DH had a mishap during all of this.

Not sure what causes a trapped nerve. Not that Mum does anything energetic so whether she just moved wrong and it caused it I am not sure. Mum started with symptoms when we were on holiday in September. At that point mum was in a lot of pain the only blessing the pain has subsided somewhat since then and some of the feeling has returned.

Yes I did struggle going round the shopping centre finding the need to sit down like you did. I did try to order a scooter prior to going but you have to book a week in advance as they are so popular. So it looks like I will have to be more organised when going on trips such as shopping until I get a scooter of my own. So shopping had to be confined to a small area and taking long rests in between walking. At least DH is understanding and does not get upset that I can't do what I use to do or keep up with him. We have an easy scheme to hire scooter through shop mobility. Showing some form of identity and a current bill with your home address. Some have a small deposit to lay down whilst others don't just depends which area you are. So no big rigmarole to go through no medical background need or doctors notes. It is a charity organization run to ensure disabled people have excess to shopping areas like others. They even have staff who will walk round with you if you are visually impaired. Like my friend who worked for them used to say a guide dog can't tell you if your bum looks big in this skirt or that colour suits you He loved work there but not the hours which were not as they had stated at the interview Our friend now works at the ms centre I attend as deputy manager) He is good with people with various challenges as he has a daughter whom is disabled after a serious motorcycle accident. So he understands what it is like having challenges as he has had this has part of his life since his daughter became disabled aged 17.

DH at the moment is watching the grand prix which is from Spain which is good time wise as the time difference is only one hour. The grand prix from places like Australia, Hong Kong etc are not very good time wise for us but the same goes for them when it is in our part of the world so it is swings and roundabouts.

Made another fresh fruit salad yesterday with a mixture of fresh and tinned fruit. I used tinned pineapple then everything else fresh which was apples, bananas, raspberries, strawberries and grapes. It was really nice I must admit. Earlier in the day I did some stewed apples with some sultanas and spiced up with a bit of cinnamon. I must admit I love apples with cinnamon they go together so well. So plenty of fruit eaten yesterday as we also had banana as a snack another part of the day. This is because no so much vegetables eaten yesterday only a few in the sweet and sour. We had chicken sweet and sour I thought it was lacking in the vegetables department so added some butter beans. They went beautiful in the dish I must admit and I cooked a double portion so one went into the freezer for another occasion.

Time for another cuppa I think as my throat is getting dry as per usual ( the joys of the side effect of my tablets constant dry mouth). Good job I drink tea and coffee black with no sugar otherwise my calorie intake would be much higher per day I hope your all having a lovely weekend so take care ladies and see you soon.

purpleorc
#21

akrosey49 , 05-10-2009 05:01 PM

Hi everyone from sunny alaska at least today its nice,im going to sit out on our deck in alittle while..my dh will help get me there..its always a production to get me out..i can walk in the house using my walker and out i use a wheel chair..u all metioned scooters when u are shopping..most of our bigger stores have riding scooters with baskets for the handicapped right as u come in the stores..they sure are helpful and a"hoot" to drive..i can really zip around on them and its fun..today is agood day,at times im depressed over what has happened but most days are A+..my 11 yr old grdd spent the night fri and we watched movies,baked cookies,made mothers day cards..sure was fun..shes afiesty red head and gives me great joy..Hope u are all having a good day and HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.. rosey
#22

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-10-2009 10:14 PM

HI LADIES ~ WELL, we had a gorgeous day today ... all day! We spent some time out on our deck on our new cast-aluminum BRITISH-STYLE PARK BENCH; it's even comfy and very sturdy and DH loves it, as it's just cozy for two persons!

Then later this afternoon, we took a nice ride out to our lot and took a short walk around, and everything looks sound and secure. We discussed our immediate plans and then had a nice leisurely drive home; we were gone 3 hours but it seemed to pass by so fast. Then I reheated those CHINESE FOOD leftovers for dinner -- yum, yum. We only ordered a dinner for two, but they are so generous here that you can get two meals out of one.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!!

HI ROSEY ~ that sounds like you and your DGD had a lovely time on Friday night; I remember doing the same kind of thing with my Grammies, esp the Irish one quite often. We had a blast together; and we got along so well, as we both just loved to have fun and giggled a lot! My grandfather would get annoyed after awhile and would ask, "Are you two ever gonna quiet down and go to sleep?" and that would just make us laugh even more ...

Yes, I have heard that some places have scooters for rent, but I just have never seen them anywhere yet. I had some numbers here for a mobility place in our nearest city, so I will have to check that out (if I can find them as I misplaced them somewhere). I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated here, and I'm not really sure why that is. I'm glad that you were able to get out on your deck and enjoy the good weather; I do that every day there is decent weather too.

HI PURPLE ~ hmmm, I am puzzled about your mom's pain in her arm; I'll send up some prayers about that too, that not only will she find some relief from her pain, but that the doctors will find the source so that they can help her soon. A pinched nerve comes to mind, and I sincerely hope it's nothing more serious than that, which is bad enuff really.

We've had some problem with water leaking in our spare room again; and that's why we HAD TO sort some more boxes. We are having a time really. So I got DH to pull out my Rubbermaid plastic bins (boxes) to put my stuff in; and we are going to pick up a couple more to put the rest of my good stuff in that I can't find room for but would like to keep for our cottage, as no water can get in them. OUr landlord sent over some wooden slats to put on the bottom of our shed so we can use it again. Then we are looking to find a way to use waterproof tarps or something to protect things from rain and snow.

This is why we have had to move the boxes around so much; out in the shed; back in the house; out in the porch; having to change wet boxes three times now; and so forth. DH was fit-to-be-tied (very annoyed/angry), so I called the landlord myself and explained to him what was happening as DH doesn't want to do that himself for some reason. Well, they are coming over tomorrow to see if they can find the cause and fix it for good, becuz if they don't, any new flooring they put down will just get ruined.

That computer game you've been playing sounds like a lot of fun. I don't play too many myself as lately I have only been doing my crosswords and such. I think I have just had too many other things to get done instead. I'll be so glad when we get all this stuff done around here so I have more time for things like that.

I made a fruit salad of pineapple chunks, clementine oranges, and banana slices: I really like that combination. I also just love apple chunks in raspberry yogurt too; and I love baked apples too (always do them with cinnamon as well). Think I might make a roast beef tomorrow as we had so much chicken this week.

Well, that's all the news from here for now; do take good care ladies and I hope you all have a MARVELLOUS MONDAY!!! ROSEBUD
#23

purpleorc , 05-11-2009 03:24 PM

Hi Ladies

Happy belated Mothers Day for yesterday sorry that I missed that as here in the UK this is celebrated earlier in the year than for you. Though Father's day to my knowledge is on the same day. I hope all you Mum's (aka Mom's) had a lovely day. Here in the UK it is a day we throughly spoil our Mum often cooking her dinner or taking her out for lunch. Also gifts and cards are given as well on this day. I suppose it is celebrated somewhat similarly in the US and Canada.

I had intended to come on here earlier today but DH decided to take me to Macro wholesale supplier after lunch. I of course was in what I deem my scruffs so I had to dash round and get a little more dressed up. When I am cooking I do so in my work clothes but when I go out I have another set of clothes. Bought a few bits and pieces from the store but off course it kind of set back my planned schedule for the day. I notice that tomorrow it is having a planned outage to change servers but I do not know how that will effect me time wise and whether I will be able to get on all. I have only a small window to come on tomorrow with it being my treatment day for oxygen therapy. (Just to let Rosey know I have hyperbaric oxygen therapy or in English the treatment prescribed to divers who have the bends .Although it is useful in a whole host of ailments including MS autism and healing wounds to name a few)

Today we had bolognese sauce with penne pasta weighted out of course due to my heavy hand in this department. Then I served it with my special chocolate dessert. (all this is is one banana per person with 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence though I have made without if I have run out of this. Then all you do is blend this until a smooth paste then place into small pots, like yoghurt pots. The riper bananas are ideal for this recipe as it makes the dessert nice and sweet. You can eat immediately or pop into the freezer to freeze. If you would like it frozen it is best to take it out about 10 to 15 minutes prior to wanting it. This way it has thawed just slightly. This is a great sugar free dessert, the only sugars are natural sugars which are much healthier. ) Trying to say on plan for a few days after having several bad days last week in the food department not picking the best choices. The scales have reflexed my bad choices so hopefully days on plan will see the couple of pounds drop off. I must admit I feel better after eating healthy for 3 days in a row. As much as the junk food is nice to eat it sure does leave me feeling sluggish and saps me of energy.

ROSEY Glad you had a good day and were able to go onto to the deck with assistance to enjoy the Alaskan sun shine . Here in the UK most of the big supermarkets have scooters but I have yet to try them. I have poor hand to eye coordination so me and scooter driving might not mix I have vision of me driving right into a display which comes crashing down around me I know very shortly that even supermarket visits will require some assistance of a scooter but whilst I can still manage to walk around them all be it slow I will do so. The trouble for me is the big shopping centres (malls) with shops all under one roof. Great idea but oh boy I can't enjoy them. Time I have been in 2 shops I am needing a break as I am totally wiped out. It saps all my energy, especially if it warm in a shop it wipes me out so fast.

I think we are all like you we all have our moments where we get down about our disabilities. I know for me those moments tend to be linked with my menstrual cycle and I can get a bit tearful. Though thankfully they are very few and am happy with my lot in life I know it could be worse and I see others whom are in a much worse predicament than myself. I have so much to be grateful and thankful for in my life.

Sounded like great fun was had with your granddaughter they sure do keep you on your toes. I think grand children can be such a joy to you and help keep you youthful. I do not have any children myself, partially my choice as I was a career lady as a nurse but planned maybe I would have them later. Then I became rather infertile after getting PCOS ( polycystic ovarian syndrome) shortly after that diagnosis I was diagnosed with MS. So I decided that it maybe was not in my interests to have a child with my health and having to have fertility treatment. I am lucky enough though to have many nieces and nephew to bring me pleasure and joy. I hope you had a lovely Mothers Day yesterday.

ROSEBUD Thanks so much for the prays for my Mum regarding the nerve in here arm. If they think it is the ulna nerve that is causing this trouble then surgery is the only option. Not sure what the operation entails or how big it is. Will keep you posted as soon as I know anything. Though things do not move fast here with our health care system. It is a blessing that it is free for all but there are small down sides to this. Though considering it is free it does a remarkable job.

Sorry to hear that you have continuing woes with leaks in your home and shed. I hope that the landlord is able to repair it once and for all. You certainly do not want to have to move things into other boxes etc again. Not only that things can get ruined that you own. Not to mention that floor covering tend not to like it either. Many places here have carpet throughout their homes. Though much of the younger generation have wood flooring throughout. Wood flooring is easy to keep clean etc though for me I find it a more slippery surface to walk on. Due to the slippery nature of the this flooring I have erred away from it from fear of falling. My sister has this type of flooring throughout her home. Mind you here husbands job is laying tiling and wood flooring. My sister and her husband home is beautifully tiled with pretty intricate patterns and a lovely colour wood flooring. My home is carpeted throughout with the one colour carpet. I decided that with it being a bungalow that it would look more coordinated if it was one colour throughout. The carpet layers did a wonderful job and we were very pleased with their workmanship.

Glad you enjoyed your treat of a chinese meal, I know like here the portions tend to be very generous so I could make more than one meal out of a portion. Especially now that I eat smaller portions. I think I will be having chinese on Saturday when we go to friends as she mentioned this is what we would be having. Not sure if she would cook it or buy it. So good job I am on plan this week if we are being a little naughty next Saturday

your fruit salad sounds delicious a great combination together. I am a big eater of fruit I have to be careful I do not eat too much otherwise I will give myself tummy ache. I will be having a banana and apple later on tonight with my evening medication to stop me feeling nauseous from the tablets.

You know we were talking about the plight of people being hungry due to the cost of food and the food banks set up. It seems that I was more ignorant to the state of affairs in the UK of people starving and to the degree this was occurring. I was watching secret millionaire and the millionaire in question helped at an organisation whom gave out food parcels to those who were on low incomes and could not afford to feed themselves properly. One family in particular upset me as it was an immigrant couple from Poland. Now they have joined the EEC (European Economic Community) you are allowed to work in other countries within that. The husband and wife had 2 small children living in a one bedroom apartment. She had a small command of English and all the gentleman could say when he first came to the UK was I want a job. He quickly found work but that was only on minimum pay �5.73 per hour. This might seem OK but when you have paid the bills there is not much left for food. Here in the UK it is very expensive and maybe this came as a shock to the couple how much the cost of living was here in the UK. They now where in between a rock and a hard place. The organisation who gave out a food parcel to this couple was a god send to them.

It made me so sad to see hard working people still not having enough money to feed themselves. They also would not get help off the state like other UK citizens would probably due like child benefit which all UK citizens get who have children. The millionaire lady has taken them under her wing and gave them a helping hand. She gave them a big sum of money �13,000 I could see that the husband was very reluctant to take it as he was a proud man. So it looks as though I need to open my eyes that there is more people living below the bread line than I care to think about. This makes me so sad to think in a first world country this should be happening.

No further news today, maybe MIA tomorrow due to outage as I mentioned earlier. so catch up with you soon ladies. Take care and look after yourselves.

purpleorc
#24

ronni62 , 05-11-2009 04:09 PM

Hello! Hope you all had a nice weekend and Mother's Day! Unfortunately, I spent most of the night Saturday and all of Sunday sick. Came down with the boys' cold, but then also started Saturday night. The doc & I think my colon has started to be affected by the MS, as I've been very irregular for the last couple months (which is definitely not normal for me), but things seemed to come to a complete halt over the weekend, which is causing the nausea and etc. Have any of you other MS'ers had issues like this? The doc's advice is to start drinking some of that Metamucil (the fiber powder you mix in water) every day, so I got some today and will see what happens. Sorry if that's too much info, but this is one symptom that my sis and I don't share, so not sure what a good solution is.

Rosey- Glad to have you here! It is very nice to have support from people with similar issues. I'm married, 2 DS's at home (and we homeschool 90% of their schooling) and 1 step-ds, who's married with 2 step-kids and 2 dd's. As far as what plan I use, it's simple counting calories, of course with eating whole grains, lots of veggies and fruit, no artificial sweeteners or pop. I log everything in a notebook to keep track. When I started I was at about 245 pounds (my highest was 260) and I was eating around 2000 cal per day. Now I cycle between 1300 and 1700 each day to average around 1500/day for the week. It's really the only plan that has worked for me and I've tried almost every plan know to man
Hope to get to know you better!

Rosebud-sounds like you're very busy sorting and sorting and sorting. But, it does feel good to get through it and weed out stuff, doesn't it? Have to tell you that our house finches are in the family way! There's at least one egg in their little nest and she sits on it all the time. He brings food to her and feeds her like a baby bird-I didn't know the males would do that! Glad you're enjoying your new bench-that sounds wonderful!

Purple-your banana dessert sounds delicious! Putting that on my list of things to try (after I get over the tummy trouble). Will be praying for your mom's arm and your dad's vision after his surgery. DH's dad and uncle both did well after cataract surgeries, even after a couple complications with the uncle, so I imagine the pain and redness will resolve in time. glad you were getting out and about earlier! Sometimes those spur-of-the-moment trips are the most fun, simply because they're unexpected and out of the norm!

Hi to Val, Numpster, and Beverlyjoy, too! Hope you all have a great day!
#25

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-11-2009 08:16 PM

HI LADIES ~ we had another lovely day with temps in the 60's F. NIKO and I sat out on the porch for a little bit to catch some rays this morning while the guys did some work in the house.

Well, we finally found out what was causing the mysterious water leaks; it was our washer, and there it was leaking from more than one place. The hose had two cracks in it which you couldn't see with the naked eye, so we bought a new rubber one, but then we turned her on and found another leak where the water taps attach to the machine. The last place we lived at had so much rust and dirt that the water pump mechanism was seized up with it. Our landlord took it home and cleaned it out and after putting it back in, it was working just like new and no more leaks.

HI RONNIE ~ the blackbirds in our yard have become real pests by knocking all the food on the ground and eating it all before the smaller birds can get some, but we do love all the different kinds of finches that are here and there singing is very pretty. We have a lot of the sorting done; one issue is that we don't have as much room for furniture so we've had to downsize drastically. As soon as we get the base floor down in the shed, we can put our extra stuff back in there and out of the house and back porch, then we should be OK after that ... I hope!

HEY PURPLE ~ yes, this site is changing servers, so they will be down from noon tomorrow until the evening. I may try to come by in the morning for a short visit if I can; not sure what DH has planned for tomorrow yet. Our landlord is putting in what they call 'click flooring' here; it's a kind of plastic fake wood flooring. I like the color he has chosen, but like you I prefer carpet; so we are just gonna put done some long carpet runners along side our bed to make sure we have a firm grip where we need it.

I bought a nice area rug for our livingroom as I would slip a bit when I tried to get up from our couch which is a bit low for me, but will have to do until we buy a new one someday. This one is quite nice still and will do for now. I find the CHINESE FOOD can easily be kept in our daily plan by having smaller portions too; we just divided the meal in half.

HIYA TO VAL ~ hope you are feeling better this week; and NUMPSTER & DH ~ hope you are all doing well down there; HI to ROSEY ~ hope the weather is nice up there in Alaska; and HI to BEVERLYJOY ~ sorry we haven't seen you for awhile; hope all is well with you and yours!

Not much else going on here; just did a little housecleaning today like the bathroom and such. Had a good OP day foodwise. So take good care and have a TERRIFIC TUESDAY!!!ROSEBUD
#26

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-12-2009 10:49 AM

HI LADIES ~ we have another lovely day today, perfect for sitting on our porch to read and had my morning coffee out there too. Just doing some laundry today now that my washer is all fixed up good with no leaks again. DH is running some errands for me so I could do things at home.

We hope that I can find my tulips so we can plant them for next year. My landlady just came by to tell me that there are some kind of perennial flowers by the front deck but she's not sure what they are anymore. To me, they kind of look like they might be tiger lilies or something like that; I'm gonna try and find some more types of bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and tiger lilies for here and our lot too!

Well, it looks like we will have a nice day to just do fun stuff around here today, and DH is back with my pick-ups. We may not see ya until tonight or tomorrow morning, so we hope you all have a good day, and A WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!!! Take good care ... ROSEBUD
#27

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-12-2009 10:19 PM

Just wanted to pop in and say that the site was back up and running much earlier than expected. We had a gorgeous day -- all day long, so spent some time outside reading for a while. Had a good OP (on plan) day again today (wow, 2 days in a row -- shall we go for three?); am happy about that!

Gotta go get my legs up as they are very tired and sore from too much walking that last couple of days. Overall, we still had a good day though. Hope you all had a good day too. ROSEBUD
#28

purpleorc , 05-13-2009 08:37 AM

Hi Ladies

Well today weather wise it is horrid blowing a gale and throwing it down with rain. Not a great combination I must admit, been to do my grocery shopping and just this minute popped it all away in cupboards etc. Starting to get things in ready for DH when he has his surgery on his mouth and enforced soft diet. So I have been forward planning and trying to think what things to give him that still stay within our food plan as much as possible. Making a big pan of homemade soup will cover some of the lighter meals. Plus doing meals that have minced (ground) meat in should fit the bill. I was thinking of doing cottage pie for one day, bolognese, a mild chilli con carne and maybe a mince casserole. To be honest your mind goes blank to the soft diet meals to do so ideas would be welcome in this department. As I do not know how many days he will be eating soft diet. I am thinking quite a few days due to having sutures (stitches) in his gum. If it turns out to be less than I envisaged then it is a bonus but I am preparing for worse case scenario.

RONNI I hope you start to feel better soon. The trouble with having MS if you pick up any bugs or germs they takes some shaking off.

I can fully sympathize with you on the colon front. Like you I am having difficultly in this area. Especially since having a relapse last year. I try to eat a diet high in fibre and drink plenty of fluids but I seem to have lost the sensation if that makes sense. I do eat flaxseed which helped for sometime but now things are not good in that department. I am glad that you have broached the subject which many MSer's are prone to for one reason or another. I am going to see my doctor shortly for a review of my medication so I will be talking over the issue of constipation. It does not help either that all my medications have the same side effect you guessed it constipation So I will let you know when I have the review as to what they do suggest. So therefore I am unable to offer much help in this department I am afraid.

Thanks for the well wishes regarding my Mum and Dad. My Dad now seems to have recovered from the cataract operation which he had on Friday. In his opinion the second one was more painful than the first. Though he is glad that it is all over and done with providing everything goes OK. I think in a months time he has got to the opticians to have his eyes tested to see what strength of prescription he needs in his glasses. His eye sight seems to have improved dramatically so it has been worth while.

Glad you liked the sound of my banana dessert which is sugar free and will be trying it when your feeling better. It is a good one for children as well as they feel they are not missing out on the sweet stuff that kids enviably like.

ROSEBUD I see you have the same predicament as me with low seating. It is not so bad the sitting down but oh boy the getting up is another matter. I do not have the strength to get myself upright without assistance. I know here in the UK the social services will raise your 3 piece suite. This is simply achieved by someone with a bit of woodwork skill. All that is made is for a chair 4 equal high boxes that have an open end. I have include a picture to show you what I mean as I am not to good at describing things. Or it can be a solid wood block. For something like a settee you would need 6 or more of these. So how many legs/wheels there are you put a block or box beneath it. The same can be done with the bed if this is an issue for you. The social services do it for free once they have assessed your needs then come and fit it for you.

These are issues that I never really thought about too much until this came knocking on my door. Now I am all to aware of the difficulties that disabilities can present. Whether it be mobility , the way other people perceive you and the difficulties it can present in day to day living. I have had so many stares, dirty looks, muttering under their breath as you are a "young person" ( well I was when this all kicked off when the dinosaurs roamed the earth ) parking in disabled parking. I think people think that disabilities and being young does not go hand in hand. Like we know you maybe born with a condition or acquire it later in life no one person is exempt.

Glad you have managed to string a few days on plan together I am sure they will pay dividends. Keep up the good work. I am afraid in more resent weeks I have been less than good more times than I care to remember. So this week I have made a really conscious effort to stay on plan. Today will be my 6th day if I manage it. I can not remember how long it is since I have stayed this much on plan. It is so easy to let naughty bits creep in here and there and before you know it you can be back to your old ways. I have always kept a eye on my weight and have the figure 182lbs as my warning bells figure. Everybody has fluctuations in their weight and so this takes this into account. After creeping very close to that figure the scales are now looking favourably this am at 176lb so my days on plan are playing dividends. so looking forward to your next weigh in whenever that maybe as I know you do not do this as regularly as me. I am sure you effort of being on plan will show especially now the warmer weather is upon you and you can get out and about a little more. I know last weight in was excellent news about your weight loss of which I was so pleased for you.

No further news or gossip to tell you so I will go and make a cuppa and relax before going out this evening. So here to staying on plan and take care

purpleorc
#29

ronni62 , 05-13-2009 04:11 PM

Hello! Starting to feel much better and not nearly as much nausea. Now, it's just those irritating cold symptoms-stuffy nose and scratchy throat, so able to get some things done now! Yesterday, I managed to plant some green beans and potatoes, as well as pull weeds from the flower beds (with some help from the boys, thank goodness). We have purple allium, yellow iris, and white cosmos in bloom right now and it sure is nice to have some color other than snowy white . I'm going to put some begonias, coleus, African daisies, and gerbera daisies in pots and in with the perennials in the beds as soon as it dries out from the rains yesterday, but it's still too early to try putting in tomatoes or peppers yet, as it's too cold at night, but soon, very soon.

Purple-glad to learn I'm not the only one with digestive "issues". It just makes me mad that I have to have symptoms that are embarrassing to have to talk to the doc about. Oh, well, I know it could be much worse, so I'll try to look on the positive side of things.

I'm trying to think of softer meals-one that comes to mind is chicken noodle soup with really, really small chunks of the chicken. Also, scrambled eggs or pancakes go well for suppers as well as breakfast. Baked potatoes or sweet potatoes are good and soft and can be topped with cheeses and sour cream or cooked broccoli florets. I'll think about that some more. Hope your weather improves!

Rosebud- Glad you've been enjoying some warmer weather, too! Feels so nice that spring has at long last arrived, doesn't it? Our little finches have at least 3 eggs in the nest, but we don't know how long the gestation is, so we just keep waiting. We've found that a couple of the local rabbits like to "police" the area under the bird feeder and clean up all the seed that falls. They're fun to watch too, but they'd better stay out of my garden or I'll make hausendphfeffer or however you spell it

Well, everyone have a great day!
#30

Justwant2Bhealthy , 05-13-2009 04:14 PM

HI LADIES ~ Gee, it seems that it is windy in many places today; we have had a mostly cloudy day with fierce winds (thankfully no rain though) swirling dust and dirt around, so not nice to be outside today. The sun has been trying to peak out now & then, but with so many clouds comes for a few minutes only.

DH decided to go get some of our wood ready for his small shed and drop off some other stuff in storage, so that he can use his trailer if we need to. I made him a picnic lunch and he'll be gone for the afternoon, I think. They are working on the floors next door, so there was a bit of noise for awhile; not sure if they are done yet, but I don't hear any more noise coming from there right now. I guess our place will be next, but we have no idea where we are gonna put everything.

PURPLE ~ I was thinking about your soft meals, and yes, it is more difficult when you are watching your weight. Homemade MAC & CHEESE CASSEROLE came to my mind right away, as did a cream of vegetable soup, poached or scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes in a gratin or scallop (plain or with cheese), any pasta dishes really (like creole pasta which is crushed soft canned tomatoes in hot, cooked pasta); plus bread pudding or rice pudding or custards or pureed peaches for dessert. [I also kept thinking of the pureed meals they served people in the nursing homes I worked in, but I don't think your DH would like that just yet. LOL. ]
If I think of any more, I let you know ...

Those blocks look like a terrific idea; I put a copy of the picture of them in a file to show my DH when he gets home. He is pretty handy with wood and I'm sure he could make those himself. We did put new legs on this couch, as the ones on it were not that sturdy, but they were higher, so we lost some height (and the ones we put on, DH had made himself on a lathe some time ago). I see the little blocks can be put in to adjust the height as well. Thanks for finding that picture for us as that will be a great help for me. Our new bed is higher (it's a platform bed and very heavy, but sturdy), so I have little difficulty getting up off of it right now, except for stiffness in my muscles on some days.

Wow, you have all kinds of helpful things for your disabled persons over there; I have never seen things like this before, but there is a "mobility" shop in the nearest city, but I have never been in there, so who knows -- maybe they have stuff like that there too and we just have never seen them. DH says that the next time we go to the city, we could try to drop in and see what they have there that might be helpful to me. I do think they rent most things though, from the sounds of it; I'm just a bit concerned about that cost, but if it's nominal, it would be worth it. I'm pretty sure DH could make those blocks, as he even made my end tables for my couch.

I should take some pictures of some of the things he has made and put them on here. I think he has a natural talent with wood, but there are just so many things you need in your house. Here's what he made me so far: under the cupboard paper towel holder, set of end tables for livingroom, one small round cocktail table, a rocking chair, spice racks, candle stick holders, oak recipe box (he made some as gifts too), calabashes (look like cookie jars), mortar & pestle (for crushing whole spices), board games, a foot stool/bench (he made several of these and gave some to friends as gifts), a cassette tape display case, a video cabinet, a linen cupboard, and a portable closet.

He also put a new seat and brace on my piano stool (which is very old), repaired my big rocking chair, turned a stereo cabinet into a credenza (which is in our shed right now becuz we have nowhere else to put it), and repaired other chairs and things like that. We used to make handmade wooden toys and plaques as well -- many, many moons ago; but there's not much call for that anymore, as it seems they can be made for almost nothing in other parts of the world now (although, I think DH's stuff was unique and much nicer).

He also made some book shelves and totally restored our 100 year old grand, upright piano. He restored it; he did not refinished it, as there is a big difference. Refinishing it would have removed all its value, but restoration allows the age value to stay in tact; although today people don't seem to be interested in these things as much as they use to becuz they are big and bulky in size; but this one, rolls very nicely on its original wheels. The guys who moved it here said it was easy as pie; it was the freezer that they had the biggest problem with (as it weighs a ton).

Well, I think I have rambled on for long enuff. I think I should take a picture of all the things DH has made for a record of them. Many board games and such, we gave away as gifts and never took a picture of, but I could do what we have here still.

Anyways, hope you all are having a lovely day; take good care ... ROSEBUD

Closed