Geriatric mm warriors (12/30/09)

[gettinhealthy]

Hi everyone. Just trying my posts out. I restored my computer to factory settings, and wanted to make sure I could still post on here. I'm using Firefox and running Vista. I have sound!! It when I downgraded to XP home quite a few months ago. Seems weird to hear it logging on and stuff.. LOL
I'll catch up with you all in a bit. I am downloading things that got deleted and I saved on a flash drive.
See you all in a bit.

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

well Lisa, when you put it like that I guess I dont feel quite so bad...I guess I was hoping to lose around 60 pounds in a year, so maybe will still make it after all...I just have to have a goal, and not look quite so far ahead...hmmmm will have to think of something shorter term I guess!

Kathy - glad to see your computer is better...mine is still ill....

 

[Wisteria1956]

well Lisa, when you put it like that I guess I dont feel quite so bad...I guess I was hoping to lose around 60 pounds in a year, so maybe will still make it after all...I just have to have a goal, and not look quite so far ahead...hmmmm will have to think of something shorter term I guess!

Kathy - glad to see your computer is better...mine is still ill....

I was thinking about you while I was out driving to a showing today and you have been building a lot of muscle, too, so you out of all of us are going to have a scale reading that isn't indicative of all of your changes. I think you are doing awesome! Wait til Ken sees the new you!This is Ken when he sees you.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Bev's pasta lady emailed me the label and it sounds really good! I want to try it. It would be nice to use this and some sauce with carbs and still not go over. Cool!

 

[Daniele]

I've got an ugly rash and leg swelling. I went to the emergency room and the dismissive physicians assistant there said it was some kind of allergy. I'm taking prednisone and benadryl for five days. And keeping my legs up. It really stinks because the benadryl makes me tired and I've got schoolwork to do.

I am spotting and I so want chocolate. No cocoa in the house though. I should have picked it up while I was out.

I agree with Lisa, Robin is going to be gorgeous by the time Ken gets home. Lisa, I hope your feeling better.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Nell: I hope you feel better! Can you take an oatmeal bath or something soothing? You poor baby!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Good morning guys!! Sorry I didn't get back to you all last night. I was busy putting stuff back into my computer from the flash drive. I have a few more things to add, but for the most part it's done.

Nell, try putting some calamine lotion on your leg for the rash or even cornstarch will help. When I get a bout of hives (I usually end up at the ER for Atarax sp?) I use those. Also, put a cool wet rag/cloth on it. That will also help with the itching and swelling.

Robin, I think your weight loss is pretty good! A pound a week is nothing to laugh about. Have you heard when Ken may be getting home? I know you said he was stuck on the main land. I think I may have to boycott China. I try to buy things made in the good ole' USA, but it's hard to especially at Wally World. Hey, maybe we can special order Ken from Walmart and they will have to ship him home!!

Lisa, still waiting for that picture of your cute new face!! I bet you are looking good!! How is Tom doing? You need to post a picture of both of you!! I hope your knee and are feeling better. I have noticed if I over do it, my knee will really hurt. Yesterday was one of those days. I didn't even go to work last night. So tonight I will. Another snow storm headed here Sunday night. Surprise, surprise LOL.
Michael called home yesterday. Home said they split him and is girl up. That doesn't surprise me at all. Michael has been known to tell people he meets all the great benefits of DXM and what not. He had done it at the guidance center and went as far as to girl some to a girl there. Anyway, he told Mike they want to take him off his medications for 2 weeks to try an MAOI.
Michael had researched it in the hospital and told the doctor he wants to try it. Why these doctors let him do this is beyond me. Anyhow, he wants to come home to dry out for those 2 weeks. Mike told him no. He needs to stay put. We aren't able to help him with withdrawls and such. Michael is going to see if that 72 hour release form he signed can be voided. But Mike made it very clear to him that he isn't coming here until he is on medications and no Robitussin or any type of abused drugs.

Bev, thanks for the heads up on the noodles. Sounds really good!! I love spinach fettachinni. I don' even require a tomato sauce. I love alfredo sauce, and think that would be soo good with chunked up chicken in it too!!

Have to go get ready now. I'll catch up with all you later!!

 

[kater]

Okay. I have to vent. At the beginning of Dec, Brad went to Kaiser because he has been having chest pain (a feeling of pressure in his chest). The doctor told him he had heartburn and sent him home with a prescription for heartburn medicine. Brad threw the medicine in the cupboard and said that he knows what heartburn is and that isn't it. A few days later, the doctor calls and says based his lab work, he needs to be on cholesterol medication. After two months of my nagging, he finally got picked up the prescription about 10 days ago. He took the meds and stopped because they made him feel sick.

I did something I probably shouldn't have - I took the sheet with his lab work to my naturopathic doctor (my Graves Disease is acting up and I am back on medication) and she just about fell out of her chair. She said that she had never seen a triglyceride number as high as his and that he is pre-diabetic (he isn't overweight so that surprised me). It is possible that the chest pain is angina.

She suggested some significant changes in his diet (we eat pretty healthy at home but he eats fast food when he is working). I asked her for suggestions for cook books and she said Dean Ornish. I looked at Ornish's book on Amazon and John McDougall (and a few others). They all advocate NO meat, dairy or oil (including nuts). My doctor's suggestions weren't that extreme but I put a call into this morning and asked if he should give it a try (no meat, dairy or oil) for four weeks and see what happens to his numbers.

I am mad because I don't they took him seriously about the chest pain when he came in and I am mad because they didn't talk to him about being pre-diabetic after they got his labwork. My doctor says that they really should have asked for another test but they probably won't so she wrote out a lab slip and I will just have to pay for it out-of-pocket.

Anyway, I will keep you posted and thanks for listening!

 

[kater]

Michael called home yesterday. Home said they split him and is girl up. That doesn't surprise me at all. Michael has been known to tell people he meets all the great benefits of DXM and what not. He had done it at the guidance center and went as far as to girl some to a girl there. Anyway, he told Mike they want to take him off his medications for 2 weeks to try an MAOI.
Michael had researched it in the hospital and told the doctor he wants to try it. Why these doctors let him do this is beyond me. Anyhow, he wants to come home to dry out for those 2 weeks. Mike told him no. He needs to stay put. We aren't able to help him with withdrawls and such. Michael is going to see if that 72 hour release form he signed can be voided. But Mike made it very clear to him that he isn't coming here until he is on medications and no Robitussin or any type of abused drugs.

Hang in there Kathy. I agree, I don't think Michael's idea of drying-out outside of the hospital setting isn't a good one. I'm glad that Mike put his foot down. I hope your knee feels better.

 

[kater]

Lisa - I was so tired last night that I fell asleep before the Olympics really even got started. I know it is from staying up too late for the last several days. I have everything recorded but not sure I will find the time to go back and watch?

 

[kater]

Robin - YOU GO GIRL! A pound a week is awesome! We have all heard over the years that slow weight loss is the loss that stays off! We are very proud of you.

My weight has held steady (which is about 8 pounds since Sept). My fault I am sure. Actually, I am pretty happy that I haven't gained it back. Maybe with Brad's health issues, I will get more motivated!

 

[Diane W.]

Geez Kate, that's scary that they sent home a man complaining of chest pains with a medicine for heartburn! What is Kaiser? Is that the hospital?

Nell - I hope your leg gets better soon.

Robin - I think 30 lbs. is fantastic! Pick up 30 lbs. at the gym and walk around with it for a couple of hours. That should make you proud of yourself. You can put it down and know that you took that weight off of your body. How is Dennis? Is he home?

Kathy - I hope Michael stays in the treatment center. If he was home it would be too difficult for him and everyone else too.

Beverly - Ritter dark chocolate with hazelnuts! My absolute favorite! I tried to have 'some' when I attempted step 2. I started out thinking that I would break off one of the little squares as a treat after dinner. But soon I was breaking off one of the little squares everytime I opened the fridge! I can't have 'some' - I want to eat the whole darn thing.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Kate: That's awful about Brad and his Kaiser experience! Dean Ornish's diet has reversed heart disease in many people, but it is strict. Dr. Oz is a cardiologist himself and I'm sure there are wonderful guidelines in his books and on his website. Salmon, greens, whole grains, etc. Brad needs to give up the fast food and pack a lunch. Tom drove me nuts before he got sick because I was eating and cooking really healthy at home and he got lazy about chosing foods from our fridge. He'd lie to me and tell me he got a salad at work, but I knew he didn't. Now, he makes his lunch right after dinner and has extra snacks packed in case of an emergency. It only takes about 5 minutes to pack it all up. I don't think it was such a bad thing that you took Brad's labs. Men are horrible about health issues and taking care of themselves.

You have to be proactive at Kaiser because those doctors have huge case loads and they don't have time to think about their patients when they go home at night. We wasted 4 years there trying to have a baby until we changed insurance and got our own specialist. The technology at Kaiser was in the dark ages compared to our new doctor. The first time we met with him I burst into tears when he told us what he could do. I haven't wanted to tell Kathy, but the doctor at Kaiser had me drinking Robitussin every few hours. I felt like an alcoholic with my brown bag. Not to give TMI, but the purpose was to thin, ahhh things. My new doctor said we can bypass that with intrauterine insemination. Turns out I had to have surgery for scar tissue first, but I got pregant 6 weeks later. We were lucky we could change insurance, but if you can't all I'm saying is do your own research and bug the doctors until you get what you need.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: I loved what you said about Robin carrying around weights at the gym! So true! Your comments are so uplifting.

Do you think it helps us to regulate our chocolate that we keep it in a china cupboard where I've stashed holiday candy for as long as I can remember? It's a cupboard we don't open unless we decide to, if you know what I mean. It's not ''in our faces". I wonder if that helps. I also think it's just that MM is working on the cravings because I used to be "haunted" if there were things in the house with sugar in them. I never baked unless I was taking it somewhere immediately. Our brains feel like they have been rewired. I am so grateful to MM for allowing us to relax around food at parties, etc.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Before I dash off to work...I had the most beautiful dream about Nell this am. I was visiting a man that had been in the hospital and he had what looked like a plant with a light strand in it. He held it up to the wall and two dimensional images of the world were projected from the contents of the basket. There were maps and plants and all kinds of wonders. He said the basket had been made by Nell!

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

Kate - OMG thats terrible about Brad...but I do have to tell you that my ex had a similar thing happen about 10 years ago...woke me up in the middle of the night and said he was having chest pain and thought he was having a heart attack, so we rushed to the ER and he was told the same thing...it was acute heartburn...they sent us home with an antibiotic, Biaxin, and RX Pepcid, (lots of changes in hearburn meds since then though) and he was fine...he stayed on the meds for about 2 months and made some fairly major dietary changes, and never had any trouble again....the dietary changes also helped with his cholesterol numbers too, so all was well the next check up. I have had stomach issues since I had a bleeding ulcer at age 16, and I can tell you from personal experience that heartburn most certainly CAN give you chest pain...and sometimes make you wonder if you are having a heart attack...I would definitely be worried about the pre-diabetic numbers though...dont have to be overweight to have diabetes, and I can tell you, the insulin resistance thing can be a real problem! He needs to get a handle on that pretty quick and of course the worst things in the world are all the same things that are bad for us MM's...white flours, white sugars, sweets, cookies, candy, chips...fast food is DEFINITELY a no no for diabetics. Pre-diabetes can be handled if caught early and really taken seriously, but can also become full blown type 2 in as little as a few months...sounds like MM wouldnt hurt him either! At least get him off of white bread and sugar ASAP!

Kathy - so glad Mike is putting his foot down with Michael...your family doesnt need to have to live through his withdrawal...he needs to be where someone can babysit him, since he wont do it himself...the rest of you need to be able to get on with your lives and not worry about how his addictions are affecting the rest of the household! Still praying for some resolution to all this for you!

Lisa and Diane - ok, so I guess I shouldn't complain about the 30 pounds...it just seems like if you look at all we have given up, the weight would come off a little faster...I mean seriously!! If I look at all the garbage I was eating, then to go cold turkey to step 1...you would think just eliminating all that white flour, white sugar, chips, sweets, etc would make a bigger difference?

 

[kater]

FINALLY - good news about my neice!

Kristi just keeps getting better on all levels. We were talking to her Doctor today and she has exceeded every goal that was set for her when she came in. Joy, thankful, blessed and relief are just a few of the words that come to mind as we get ready to bring Kristi home next week. I dared ask a "Crystal Ball" question - something I work really hard at not doing - and I actually enjoyed the answer. Yes her doctor believes that Kristi will be ready to go back to school in September - she feels like stamina may be an issue so a light load is advisable, but given how quickly she is getting better "the sky is the limit". Lots of work to do but nothing is insurmountable.

Now that all of her tubes are out she has been able to start swimming and really enjoys that. She is also walking with a walker and tonight we broke the rules as I suggested that she walk (no walker)from the bathroom to her beds. I was there to catch her if she stumbled but other than that it was all her. (and they told her she wouldn't be walking - thank god for her stubbornness it has clearly served her well) She will be coming home on Sunday, just for the day, to make sure that we don't have any issues with her getting around. And, she has gained a full 10 pounds.

 

[Diane W.]

Wow! What great news!! I'm so happy for her and your family. What a tough road they have all been down.

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

so nice to hear some great news Kate!!

 

[Daniele]

Before I dash off to work...I had the most beautiful dream about Nell this am. I was visiting a man that had been in the hospital and he had what looked like a plant with a light strand in it. He held it up to the wall and two dimensional images of the world were projected from the contents of the basket. There were maps and plants and all kinds of wonders. He said the basket had been made by Nell!

Wow, that is soooo cool! Thank you for sharing that dream Lisa!