Lovely stuff

As a long time member of the Fibromyalgia Club, I usually wake feeling unrefreshed and aching all over. I have never been hit by a bus or train, but I would imagine that early morning stiff feeling would be akin to it.

Almost in a trance, I find my way to my kettle and turn it on. I grab the milk out of the fridge and proceed to take my blood to determine how much sugar I have in my diabetic old body. Like my weight, there is always too much of it.

Whilst the bread is toasting, I check my diary to see if there's anything we have to attend to or go to. With fibro fog my second nature now, I write everything down so that I don't forget it. In spite of aches and no spoons, if I don't have to leave the house today, I may do a little soft shoe shuffle. No wait- not a shoe shuffle- a slipper shuffle.

Really, it's sad when you come to think of it. A day with no appointments or shopping makes my day. I don't even care that the bins go out more than I do. 

Pyjama days are splendid days and I look forward to any excuse during a fibro flare to allow me to lounge around in my nightie and dressing gown. On days like that, it is enough that I brush my teeth and wash my hands. Forget the trauma of taking a shower. That's a good day job!

With high blood readings lately, I have had to be strict with limiting sugars, but because I hate my tea with none or worse still, with artificial sweeteners, I only allow myself one treat: a cup of white tea, one teaspoon of sugar. Stirred not shaken.

My first cup of tea in the morning is the one I enjoy the most, and I find I can limit tea sweetening during the day. Give me the joy of a refreshing, uplifting *sweetened* cuppa in the morning and I will be a reasonably happy little diabetic warrior the rest of the day.

Most people need a coffee in the morning, but for me, it's tea all the way. I can't live a happy life without my morning cup of tea with milk and one: it truly is lovely stuff.

 

So what's on your plate?

I am trying to balance a plant based diet with red meat. I have a diet full of salmon and other fish, chicken and red meat, with about 50% per meal of plant based food. 

As I am a chronic kidney stone maker and have too much uric acid in my blood, I can't eat too much calcium oxalate. So I can't go on a totally plant based diet. 

When I had the Nutri Bullet/Ninja I drank vegetable based smoothies daily and I had 5 stones in 6 months. The uric acid mixes with the oxalate forming uric acid crystals. So I have to take allopurinol daily. 

It's a delicate blend- the vegetables and the red meats. It's a fine line I walk daily, trying to eat right. I have 120lbs to lose, by the way. Not easy. 

Today I am going to the doctors and I am going to ask him if he can allow me to start my Prednisolone again for my fibromyalgia pain. Also for my arthritis in both knees.

There's only so much you can bear and I need some respite from the pain. Coupled with dietary and weight issues, it's not fun.

Today I am asking how you are doing with your chronic illness and weight. So what's on your plate? 

Painted in to a corner

So we visited our doctor last week and he asked us if we wanted the Covid 19 vaccine. With both of us with weak hearts, diabetic and obese, plus being older he told us we should consider it.

Well, we have considered it. With ordinary flu vaccines, both of us had a really bad reaction to it, and we both swore we wouldn't have another one. So we declined.

We pointed this out to him, plus the added problem with my blood being sticky and my propensity to make clots, it seems too risky. Even with Clopidogrel and aspirin blood thinners which I am on for life.

The doctor said if I wanted it that he would consult with my specialist who deals with my antiphospholipid syndrome. When I told him I didn't have one, he said that he would have to refer me to one and take it from there.

I asked if he was planning to have the vaccine and he said he and all in his clinic had already had it. I asked him which one. He replied AstraZeneca. 

Now AstraZeneca has been ceased in some European countries because it seems to be linked to many cases of blood clots.

As an older person, I would be given AstraZeneca here in Australia to leave the other vaccines for those under 50 who may be at greater risk of blood clots. 

With severe muscle pain already from fibromyalgia, I can do without feeling even worse. Especially for a disease that has a 98% survival rate if you are unlucky enough to catch it in the first place.

So we declined and the doctor was OK with that. For the moment. Because I can foresee in the near future that there will be more pressure on people to be vaccinated, especially as more vaccines become available.

I will never agree to being vaccinated and it's OK now, but with a muted message on Twitter from our Prime Minister that "certain things will have to be done to ensure all are vaccinated" and revealing that even Australian citizens may not be able to return to Australia if unvaccinated, the die is cast for some coersion in complying.

We will be standing our ground on this experimental vaccine, but we feel that it's only a matter of time before we are ordered to comply and are painted in to a corner.

It's enough to drive me to drink!

So Friday I was talking to my new doctor about my back problems and asthma problems, my blood results and consequent treatment. My cholesterol and sugars were good as was my thyroid thanks to Thyroxin tablets. 

My uric acid levels were good, which they should be with me on medications to stop making kidney stones. And the conversation went like this: "Your uric acid level- have you always had high uric acid in your blood? No? well it probably is due to alcohol intake!" "Excuse me? I don't drink alcohol at all!" "Oh really? well- good: good! So it's just in your blood... OK!"

He was running through the blood tests which showed my liver GGT was unusually high. "Why do you think that is, Doctor?" I asked. "Probably too much fat or excessive alcohol intake!" "Ahem- I don't drink alcohol at all!" "Oh, yes. Of course!" 

I do not drink alcohol, but his reaction to my liver problem and high uric acid level annoyed me somewhat. I mean, if it was a problem, I would tell him so instead of worrying myself as to what it is caused by.

My blood pressure was slightly up which isn't surprising when I am meeting a new doctor. Especially one who suspects that his new patient is a drinker of the new wine! or casks thereof! 

So next we had a discussion on which diet program to follow as the fat lady with the drinker's pot belly needs to lose weight.

And right in the middle of a discussion of Keto and diabetes, I stopped mid sentence and lost my train of thought. Embarrassed beyond belief, I told him I was having a bad fibromyalgia day and it was just brain fog!

He just looked at me over his glasses and I could tell what he was thinking... it's too much imbibing of alcohol that does that!... 

Leaving the clinic with a handful of diet pamphlets and scripts, I asked Chris to drive me straight home. 

I headed for the kettle to make myself my favourite beverage- tea. But I swear I was so upset by the insinuations that I cried out to Chris's surprise, "It's enough to drive me to drink!" and it almost is! 

Old, fat but wiser

So I got on the scales today and now I wish I hadn't. It flashed "One at a time, please!" just prior to giving me a heart attack.

I am at my heaviest ever this morning. It's like everything is conspiring to make and keep me fat. Every single medication has a warning on it about effecting concentration but none say they will make you fat- but they do.

So with so much going on with Rona, my physical limitations and all the medicines I need to take daily, I haven't got much hope of losing any weight.

I am making wiser food choices and upped my water intake, but that's about it for me. No way am I ever going to take appetite suppressants. 

About 30 years ago I lost 84lbs. I was on Duromine tablets and they made me extremely tense and testy. I remember slamming the fridge door so hard the bottles inside clinked together violently.

I thought who needs this? So I stopped them and gradually gained back the weight. Topped off with my reading this morning, it was a shock to my system.

Anyway, I am nearly seventy now, so that makes me old as well as fat. But I do believe as well as that, that I am wiser. 

I am finally going to accept that I am probably too old and sick to safely lose the 100+ pounds that I need to lose in order to look great on a BMI Chart.  

Apart from a few steps like upping my water and reducing my plates of food, I have a brilliant plan...

I understand Miller's and Best and Less are selling clothes up to size 26... it will be nice to feel a loose waisted skirt again and I have Afterpay to help.

See, I am old and fat, but definitely wiser. 

My list of to do's are:

1. Fold and put away today's load of laundry
2. Cook potatoes, pumpkin, onion and peas to serve with the left over lamb from last night.
3. Check out the plus size clothes online
4. Finally chuck out those lying, treacherous scales.... :)