Dances with DS

Just back from my GP.  My swallowing has improved but last night I had a little difficulty plus a tight chest feeling again. It’s weirdly erratic. I’m just grateful that I’m not struggling as  I did during the first week. I still hope that we can find out the core cause of all of this - if it is my Nissen failing I might have to use PPI’s longerterm. This thought concerns me a little as I don’t know what the impact of this will be on my iron & calcium uptake.  Still - let me not jump the gun - I’ll just take things step by step and see what transpires.

The blood labs have returned.  It’s not a very comprehensive panel but it shows my iron & B12 are in normal range and my thyroid is normal. My alkaline phosphatase is elevated.  I’m not sure what this means and not sure I want to research it and start to scare myself witless just yet!  I’ll discuss it with Mr Patel when I see him later this month.

Meantime I’m still struggling with this perimenopause malarky.  The night sweats leave me exhausted and this week I had an all time record of five nights worth plus a few hot flashes during the day. I’m sick of me. I’m sick of feeling so moany too!

My GP has put me on oestrogen and joy of all joys - tomorrow I will have a fresh mirena coil fitted.  Next lifetime I am coming back a bloke no if’s and but’s about it!

Being a big coward the thought is not worth thinking about - I shall take paracetamol and grin and bear it - alas there is little choice.   Hopefully though this will see the end of the sweats and flashes. Fingers crossed.

At last the antibiotic regime has ended. Thank heavens - it’s incredible how 8 extra pills can make the difference between difficult and easier.

The net result is that whatever this throat thing is - it is better. However it is also erratic. I seem better in the mornings but hit the evenings and I am aware that my swallowing mechanisms are somewhat sluggish and swallowing remains somewhat uncomfy. Still - it could be worse.

I’m able to eat solids but it has made me acutely aware of quantities I eat. I’ve cut back on my portions in a bid to try to prevent any possible splashback type of reflux.  Also to allow my tum to work as optimally as possible.  It won’t harm me.  In fact I think it’s a smart move to shave some off portion sizes from time to time with WLS. It certainly reminds me  I don’t miss not having the extra..so why I eat it in the first place…???

Meantime I’m keeping up all the extra vits right now.

A little development is that this morning I had bottom burning acidic watery runs.  Dayum!  I thought I might have avoided that by eating masses of daily yogurt, but it seems not. So today I will take 4 acidophilus and see how it goes. That’s still 4 less pills than yesterday!

I’m no longer quite as beset by fear - mainly because I have connected  with Beth and will be seeing Mr Patel this month. The relief I feel is huge!  There is nothing in the world as vital for WLS patients as having a surgeon and team that are there for one. I’m really not as alone as I sometimes feel.  I’m only as alone as I allow myself to be. This is a lesson for me. A reminder that sometimes I must reach out and ask for help and support.

As I said my GP is a kind person.  As a general practitioner it is probably unrealistic of me to expect that she’d take any interest in WLS and the DS at all. Still - I am a little die hard as those of you who have watched me blog all these years are aware!  I think once all this is sorted I will try to find a way to get our practice more interested in WLS patients. This may take some doing.

But enough of all that now!   With the recession biting into us along with most people in the UK I’m going to need to cut back on food bills. They run away with me as I love good food and am foodie at heart.  Plus protein is not the cheapest food which makes me feel a little angry. It should be…how else can we begin to beat the obesity and health  problem’s that prevail in the UK?

Anyway, I decided to run an experiment with a chicken.   My plan is to buy one chick a week over this month.  I want to know how many meals could I eke out of one chicken (for 3 adults)?  Also how creative can I get on the recipe front!

It cost me £6.00.  I had a choice. One for a fiver which looked fine but I decided the extra pound was worth it to get one that was at least free range, if not organic.

I know this is terribly unimaginative, but what is more delicious than a simple fat bird smeared with olive oil, rubbed with seasalt, garlic, fresh rosemary & lemon thyme, onions shoved into it’s cavity, browned to crispy skin perfection?

So the first night we had it slow roasted with mash, gravy and veggies.  I had my fav part - the leg and thigh.  It was gorgeous!  I ate plenty of crispy skin - the guys like theirs lean. Suits me! I’m going to fess up in advance and say we will probably roast the chicken first every week, before devouring it’s leftovers in various experimental dishes. I’m not sure of all the many ways one can actually roast a chicken…I’m sure there is more than one way though I tend to stay with the way I usually do it - above.

Last night we ate a quick but tasty pan made ‘ chicken a la king ‘type’ of dish.   I fried a little onion, pepper and mushrooms in a pan, added leftover chicken and a good slug of cream. Let it boil down. Added some milk and kuzu thickener. I love kuzu - it is great stuff as it never makes me feel windy and thickens sauces as well as any flour can. Arrowroot is also good - but just use whatever you have.

Next I added fresh thyme, a stock cube and ground black pepper. Plus some hefty splashes of worcestershire sauce goodness. Then I dropped some broccolli into the pan and as soon as that was cooked dinner was ready. I made rice with it and had a couple of tablespoons.   It took less than 15 minutes from start to finish. The boys gave it a big thumbs up. Easy, fast and so tasty.

There was still a little meat on the carcass, but not enough for a main meal. Still I have got two and a half good meals out of one chicken so that’s not too bad going.  Couple of pounds per person for two quality protein meals plus a little extra, is pretty good.  We are big eaters though I try to temper the lads - it never works!  Better the devil they fill up on a healthy chicken meal than on crisps and crappola though.

There’s enough left for a good stock soup though I will have to add more chicken  to make it truly  ‘mealworthy’.

I’m not sure about this - 3 nights of chicken in a row!  Next time I will be smarter & freeze the carcass for later in the week…but tonite it is alas - chicken again!

I thought I could do a pigden take on a korean type of brothy chicken dish.  It’s somewhere between a soup and a stew.   I bought 2 breast fillets for £2.00 and  chopped them up. I put the carcass and chopped chicken  into some boiling water. Added ginger,  herbs, pepper, chopped carrots, 2 tbspoon soy, 2 stock cubes, 2  small chopped onions, packet of chopped shiitake mushrooms, punnet of babycorn and a big leek.  Added 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. This might sound yuckky but it is infact lovely…adds a salty tang and an umami note to the broth. I let it simmer very gently for around 40mins or so. It’s a bit of a mission ensuring one does not serve up any bones but worth it!  At the last minute I gave it a scattering of fresh parsley.

Now I have had enough of chicken for this week, but I’m pleased to have made a little saving on my weekly protein bill.

I am planning a bowl of nutritious liver cooked with baby tomatoes and bacon, with a sweet potato on the side for my dinner tomorrow evening. 

Thinking today how much I miss my mum. The house feels really empty. I find myself wanting to call her as if she was still around. I got so used to having her with us, it will take me a while to adjust.

I’m holding onto the plan we have for me to fly to CT in April - godswilling. My  brother will be there from Australia and my cousin is getting married- it will be fantastic to see them and all my family  again.

Physically I’m steadily improving thank heavens.  What exactly is helping I cannot say as I still don’t know what the cause is  - but I was very frightened there for a while. Feeling throttled is not a good space to be in.

Aside from the antibiotics I immediately  increased my iron intake plus added a B complex and several other vitamin/minerals plus nutrition measures.  Low iron/zinc or thiamine can cause difficulty swallowing.

Big effort.  I never realised the GP would prescribe me 8 - yes 8 antibiotics a day!!!!  This after I showed her my stonking big bottle of vits I take daily!  Anyway - I realised too late so I just have to go with it.

I don’t know if I should have just waited for the labs but tbh I felt if my dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) was due to a deficiency I was not going to hang about twiddling my thumbs until I had a mega emergency on my head. Also - these decisions seem to be up to me. As kind as the GP was - she seemed disinterested in my DS.  Feels to me like the GP’s I have seen since my DS don’t really care much to discuss how it factors into every moment of my life and subsequently cannot understand it’s potential impact on any issues I might be having.

Mostly I take a base of pills daily  that is habitual for me and I don’t mind doing it. I always say for me it is a small price to pay for my DS.  However at times like this the posts move. It can be difficult factoring in the extra’s never even mind an extra 8 pills that need an hour on an empty stomach.  While I am having a wee pity party,  I’ll add that this morning I had terrible constipation - probably due to the increase in iron. To cope  I have had to keep notes of all my intakes the past few days.

I just keep telling myself it will pass and the more I stay on top of things the quicker it will pass!

A long time ago I remember a member of my surgeons team telling me there would be times I had to take more than a fistful of meds. To be prepared for this.   I shook my head as if I totally got what he was saying. HA! How little did I know.

So - I will pass on that wee gem of wisdom to other pre-DSers…it is true. It may not be all the time, most of the time one gets on with it with no ado. However, there are going to be these times when one is just a giant pill factory.  Maybe you can be smarter than me and ask your GP to prescribe an antibiotic  that does not require taking 8!

Here is today’s little list plus my attempt at boosting my nutrition:

(I had to rewrite taking 2 V4L every few hours - was struggling with that so moved to a different plan. )

8am  - 2 antibiotics

9am -  2 yogurts, mashed banana, 3 Vita4Life, 1 iron, 1Vit C, 1 Biomend (a food supplement with berries it might be dubious but it can’t hurt… )

11am - Huge glass of fortified milk, 1 Multi-B vit, 1 Copper (Just realised I need to get a copper lab sometime soon too!)

12 am- 2 Antibiotics

1pm -chicken salad with almonds & dressing, yogurt (yogurt is my friend *thumbs up!*), 3 Vita4life

2.30pm - Fortified Milk, CalmagD,  Vit K2 x2

4pm -2 antibiotics

6pm - half an apple, 1 solvazinc

7.30pm - 1 large pork chop with dukkah topping, stir fried corn, beans, carrots, spinach, 1 large tablespoon of marshmallow fluff      which kind of boogered up my healthy meal ideal,  but I’m going to be kind to myself right now! 3Vita4life.

10.30pm -  2 antibiotics

1.am  - another yogurt.  Prune. Desperately hoping in the am my bowels will move freely. I have to chuckle - the thoughts we have eh! I have just taken a lansoprazole and will finish off with an ibuprofen and after toothbrushing will use 1 acidophilus for the mouth/throat area.

TOTAL =  29 various pills and capsules.  Happy days!

Saw the GP this morning.

I felt marginally better this morning which is good (thumbs up!), I hope things continue to improve.  I mentioned my concerns about low iron - lab arranged for next week. Not too bad though I wish I could get it today, I am so impatient! She wants to rule out an infection so I am on a course of antibiotics for the rest of the week…plus back on lansoprazole for a while longer.  Will go back next Tuesday.

Some things I am doing to help myself…I’m eating sloppy food only as it’s easier to swallow but also because it won’t hurt to rest the area. My focus is on high density nutrition, soft scrambled eggs, meat soups, meat pate,  nut butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, banana,  etc

I’m taking some extra protien via a protein drink.

I am taking full quotient of V4Life multivits - 12 - divided into 6 doses to try to maximise absorption. In addition solvazinc and Vit C.  Will add in a little extra iron but not go overboard until the results are in.

Hopefully whatever this is will pass soon. I’m feeling somewhat better about it all today because at least things are not getting worse at this point. Fingers crossed it is just a small setback  and things resolve soon.

 Zinc. Ever a topic close to my heart or should I say my guts.

This week a return of reflux -  possibly. I say possibly as I am not sure - I have not had that kind of acrid reflux that washes up one’s throat - more a burning, swollen chest/throat sensation.

I was saying to Pete  this is when having a WLS gets very difficult. It’s the fine balancing act. The way a lab can seemingly suddenly dip. The possibility that my dear old nissen fundoplication is giving up the ghostie on me - god forbid! I’m thinking maybe it is iron deficiency…but I can off my cuff list several other valid possibilitiesincluding perhaps just a bout of oesophagitis or even a throat/chest infection. The ubiquitous guesswork malarky.  The blooming anxiety and trying to stay calm. It’s something I so often see on the forums - and it’s no stranger to me in my personal capacity either.

I have a poster on my kitchen wall that reads ‘Stay calm and pop the kettle on’…it about sums it up for me at the moment.

I will see my GP tomorrow to try to get a lab asap, plus a check up to put aside any possible infection/virus.  I suspect getting a fast iron lab might prove difficult via normal routes, but I am going to try at least.

The lab is vital before I go into big time mode and start upping iron plus perhaps ask for tests other than ferritin.   I am also taking a PP inhibitor temporarily just incase it is the dratted reflux burn.

Anyhoo - enough of my speculation & woes,  I’ll only know once things are properly looked at.

Meantime I thought I would relook  potential PP interactions with zinc seeing as I currently take solvazinc.  This is when I stumbled across this and thought it might be of some interest to other WLS patients too:

http://drrrutledge.amplify.com/2011/03/30/zinc-an-antacid-who-knew/

http://drrrutledge.amplify.com/2011/03/30/zinc-an-antacid-who-knew/

Today was my mums birthday.  We celebrated by going to London to see the Pitman Painters play - a brilliant piece of theatre which we all greatly enjoyed.  I’m still chuckling over some of the funnier moments in the play of which there were many.  I enjoyed the scene where the men are exposed to a highly appraised extremely costly piece of art. Essentially the work is merely a white circle on a white square .  The men cannot quite believe how such a thing can be termed art, and they go through a process of trying to understand it all that was brilliantly portrayed.  I recall a similar feeling once when I was gazing upon a formaldhyde preserved sheep once some years ago. It can be a bit of a stretch to wrap ones head around such so called ‘conceptual art’ - no doubt some can do it easier than others!

Afterwards we all ( my children & partners) met up for dinner at Sophies in Covent Garden. Thinking on sheep - I had a delicious ‘pink’ lamb roast with veg, buttersoft and full of robust lamby/herby tastes. Delicious. Thank you DS for always being such a masterful surgery at allowing me to enjoy  a truly great meal out!  

I was struck at how my family has expanded - there were 8 of us !  This is the joy of children who are in relationships. Lucky for me I think all my children have chosen lovely partners.  It was special to see how my mum so enjoys being in the middle of her brood and wonderful to see how distance has not lessened her bonds to her grandkids - or vice versa.

Aside from a wonderful day - over the last few weeks I have had pain in my knees and back. Nothing too bad - but there is decidedly a weird stiffness that annoys me as since I got slimmer I like to move fast!   It slows me down. I can’t bend my one knee easily - suddenly it is giving me gip.   This week I noticed my thumb has quite a strange knobby growth to the side of the joint and my fingers look pretty skewed. Perhaps arthritis - early stage? I don’t know. I’m hoping not.

I’ve a very busy full life at the moment - and I would like to just ignore this.   However as much as I wish I could there’s nothing like a tweaking stiff knee to push one towards finding out what the heck it is.  I think I will need to make time to see my GP about these odd developments soon. I’m not too happy - I’m not in the mood for another bodily challenge at the moment, but better the devil I face whatever this is instead of doing an ostrich.

I don’t remember most of my dreams.  Sometimes they are hazy fragments only - small leftover pieces that I try to bring together later in the day aware that there are missing gaps.

But this mornings one was brilliant. Jewel-like and three dimensional. Sometimes one dreams a dream that is full of symbolism. Perhaps it even has elements of what Jung would call sychronicity.

I dreamed I had a large aviary full of wonderful birds, of all shapes and sizes. Some were mythical birds with incredibly showy plummage. I went to feed the birds only to find some had escaped the cage.  They had not flown away but none of them wanted to return to the cage so I thought I’d leave them to freedom.

One of the large birds had the cages clasp in his beak & I felt a little afraid to reach in and take it from him.  When I did, it was not a problem and I was able to close the aviary properly.

I have to write down my dreams or I forget them.   I think this dream may play out in my life somehow.   Exactly how I don’t yet understand - perhaps I will yet.

My dream aside,  it’s fabulous to have my mum here.  We  have had a quiet week in all - just a trip to the cinema to see The girl with the dragon tatoo which we all very much enjoyed.    Next week we plan some day trips to London& a few local villages.

I love taking her around as she is so filled with wonderment all the time. ‘ Ooooh look at that!’  is a frequent saying. ‘That’  can be anything.  A colourful door, a quaint little building, a field of bare trees.

She is fascinated by the architecture and people around here. One would think she’d never been to the UK ever before! lol. Still - I enjoy it because this time of year I get a tad jaded.  The greyness sinks in on us and I just want to sit somewhere warm.  Now I am forced to get up & get out and about - which is a very good thing as I discover that the world outside is still actually happening! 

On the DS front - I’ve lost no weight but have also gained none.  I’m almost liking my curves - they are not half bad (on good days!). On bad days I start to misread them as fat rolls and I unreasonably long for semi anorexia.  This is the problem with being a little ****&%$ up.

 Thought I should post this here just in case you are a South African thinking about bringing your beloved pet to the UK.

It’s a subject close to my heart. I have lived through it and any ideas I have about  my movement between the UK and South Africa are always shadowed by the worry of what I would do about my pets. More and more  trying to straddle the continents  seems almost an eventuality, as I may well need to take care of my mum (at least part time) in her older age.

All I can say is thank the gods the nightmare quarantine of 6 months is over. Defra itself mentions it is archaic - no kidding.

When we came to the UK in 1994  we were forced to put our lovely dog Tao and our little elderly cat, Foton,  into quarantine for 6mths.  We love our dogs as do most Saffers we know - they were up to date with every innoculation, had frequent de-worming and were regularly seen by vets - so it puzzled us that we were treated as though we still treated our pets as they might have in the dark ages!

The first trip to visit them both ripped my heart out and I wondered if I was not being hugely selfish and if giving them away might not have been kinder than 6 months in the equivalent of prison.  We visited them once a week - it was devastating.

Tao’s  paws bled from being on the concrete run day in and out. Nothing was done to help her with this concrete burn.  I tried to put socks on her feet but she pulled them off.  She appeared depressed. We had little income and visiting the kennels meant we spent money we did not have on travelling expenses….let us not mention the exhorbitant cost of the kennels either. Many times we left the kennels in tears. It was traumatic for my young children to see their very loved pets confined. Cruel does not begin to describe it from both a human & animal perspective.

During her time in the kennels we noticed our lovely chunky bullterrier getting very thin. I took in home cooked meals to try to keep her condition up.   I gave the kennel the cooked food and asked them to supplement her diet. Seemed I was fighting a losing battle as she continued to lose weight. I complained to the kennels and was told she was fat and they had her on a diet. I was extremely angry but my hands were tied. I had no power. When the 6mnths months were over I had a whippet for a bully.   It was appalling.

Pity I could not sue them.  I think back - both Tao and Foton are long gone now.  But I will never forget those horrific 6 months in a new country with no recourse to addressing the situation.  Cruel, cruel, cruel.

Was it worth it?

Yes, despite the dreadful quarantine, it was worth having our animals with us.  It was worth every penny & worth every trauma, but I will never thank the people who put the quarantine rules in place and would not alter them.

We had around seven years with Tao & our little Foton lived to the grand age of 23!  We had 13 years of joy from her - though I would think very carefully if this still applied today.  Mercifully it does not…as of now it seems  the rules have changed.

So….be happy my fellow Saffers.  Read this below & be very happy!

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2011/06/30/new-rules-pet-passports/

PS. I am opening this to comments as you may have more info about travelling with Pets from SA to the UK and vice versa. All info is welcome!

Last night we celebrated Christmas eve as if it was Christmas day.

Now that I read that it does not make much sense but I am sure you’ll know what I mean! 

We ate a huge meal of Roast lamb stuffed with pinenuts and apricot stuffing and topped with delicious dukkah (hazelnuts, sumac, sesame seeds, herbs) with parsnips, roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts,  asparagus & peas on the side.  I ate enough for two Dsers!   About an hour later  I followed that up with caramel banoffi dessert, but so stuffed was I that a few mouthfuls was as good as I could manage.

Usually we would share gifts on Xmas day in the morning but we decided to exchange gifts and do the whole Christmas thing in one evening and it was fun.  I think I would do it this way again.

We wore party hats, read cheesy jokes and laughed much.  I was spoiled beyond rotten.  My hubby bought me some stunning moonstone earrings, mum made me a very special & beautiful embroidery and gave me some superb ancient trade beads from  Africa, I got lovely bath gifts from my sons and stunning clothes from friends. I am so LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY!   It was a lovely evening and all the more so because we had my mum with us ( and I have to say this was my VERY bestest gift of everything!).

I think my gifts went down well and I was really pleased that the indoor skydiving experience put a huge smile on Pete’s face when he opened the envelope.

The loveliest thing is how chilled out and relaxed today is!  A real no fuss Xmas. We ate leftovers for lunch then put on our coats and took the dogs for a walk in our local field/woods. I have been lolling about this afternoon, reading books and just being lazy in a great way!

I have had a fair intake of carbs today - but what the heck it is Christmas!  So far - a mince pie, ginger biscuits x2,  an iced cupcake.

Tomorrow I will try to get back on the straight path - already I feel as though my poor old guts needs a break!

I hope all of you, my dear friends and readers are having a wonderful warm and lovely Christmas. xxx

Three birthdays down and Christmas plus one to go (my mum’s!)

I never realise how much having Pete’s birthday on the 2nd, my sons on the 5th and daughters on the 11th - knackers me. One a week preceeding Christmas. I think I get an adrenalin rush and go-go-go in Dec and then there are  moments of sheer knackeredness.

I’m not complaining - while it is hard work in a way, what with prezzi hunting and birthday meals, I enjoy celebrating the actual day with each of them.

On the 10th December, Pete and I also remember his parents who died on the exact same day - 2 years apart.  We still find that immensely touching, because his folks really loved each other.  It was something very dear to us to see how as they aged they’d always be on the look out for each other.  If we went anywhere they’d always hold hands - every time.  None of us doubt that his dad came to fetch his mum just before midnight on the anniversary of his death.  We miss them both so very much and can only hope that somewhere in some dimension, they feel the love  and the thanks we send them.xxx

Yesterday we had a great day at my daughters apartment in London.  She was  really pleased with her pressies which made me feel happy too, bless her!

We had  delicious roast beef at a pub for her birthday lunch and later on I ate a huge mince pie (after all my pledging to stay mince pie free!) and a piece of choc cake.  Best of all I had all my children with me which was lovely!

I’m still trying to correct my frequent Dec food transgressions. I think I am doing much better than I did last year overall - but I still have days that are not brilliant, alas.   If I eat too many carbs I try to stay aligned with protein the next day.

I’ve not weighed myself. My guess is I am holding firm right now - not gaining at the moment which I am okay with. However I think if I feel another gain sometime this month I am going to do the unthinkable (in my book!) and weigh myself and get a lot more in line.

Other than that,  I’ve not got much to write about at the moment.  I’m just solidly plodding on  doing a spot of last minute house sorting and organising  before my mum arrives this week.