"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

[maglil55]

It really is ‘long’ isn’t it? It’s been many months now and to still be wiped out by it is quite a worry.
I wonder if it’s exacerbated by stress/ anxiety like so many other things are? You certainly have an awful lot to deal with at the moment so it must be even harder when this bug resurfaces and lays you low.

It's very, very long. @Annb is the same. I fell ill at the beginning of March weeks before lockdown. At first I didn't suspect Covid as we'd been told there was only 1 case in Tayside who was someone who had returned from Italy. Of course we later found out that was not true when Disclosure revealed that 25 people were tested positive in Edinburgh in February and no one was told about them. I think I said before that GP suspected Hubby got it first as he was going to football, on public transport etc in Edinburgh. He just had a persistent cough and felt off for a few days. Mine ran for 23/24 weeks with odd days of reprieve inbetween. I can honestly say though that I have never felt 100% since March.
I agree about stress. I do use relaxation techniques (old habit from work days. Presenting to 100's of people sometime needs it!) but as you say I'm feeling a bit battered with everything life is throwing my way. I was stressing about frequent palpitations but I thought "stress" was making them worse (which it was). However, I later discovered from that long covid group that it was very common and again no reason could be traced. My long lasting one is the nasal cavity. It drives me nuts. It ends up freezing cold and causes earache in my right ear. Oddest thing though is that you smell things that are not there. For example, I smell pipe tobacco. Specifically, Condor (I know the smell as my Dad smoked it). You can't get rid of it because it isn't there. They have at least discovered there is a reason for this as covid damages the receptors in the nose. It's not constant but it is weird when it happens. Again there are loads of long term cases with this problem. Sometimes it's a nice floral scent which is better! I am feeling a bit better again today though and I'm hungry which is good

 

[maglil55]

Haha you’re as bad for my purse as @DCUKMod !
Did you ever have a shop called Tchibo?
It was a coffee shop which also sold an ever changing variety of kitchen and homeware. The stock changed weekly so you never knew what would be there. I don’t know if they still exist I think it was a German or Swedish group. I loved it. Coffee was great and the quality of the other stuff was really good and inexpensive. I bought our wine glasses there, they must be 25 yrs old but I still haven’t seen any I prefer. Very simple design and good shape ( I also bought a ton of other stuff there and had to stop myself going in every week!)

I remember them. Our massive Sainsburys used to have a whole double aisle of their stuff and you never quite knew what would be there. I think they were German. @ziggy_w might know. There were some very interesting items appeared and I probably bought a few over the years. A sort of middle of lidl place.

 

[Annb]

I had a phone call from the GP surgery today to make an appointment for a blood test - next Monday, so that's a step forward. I don't think a blood test is going to find anything, but who knows? I think they are looking specifically for some indication that my heart isn't working properly. The chest Xray, when I get that, might show something on my lungs, but whether that will be just fluid retention or some covid hangover, again, who knows? If they can sort it out from that, I'd be very glad because I'm a bit fed up with the constant lack of breath.

Breakfast today was porridge with cream.
I was going to have an avocado with crispbread for lunch but, despite having been stored for about 3 weeks, it was still hard but beginning to go an odd colour. I cut it open and the flesh was crisp and grey/green. It's in the compost bin now. So I had some of the ham that was for dinner with the crispbread.

I still have some of the chicken soup - without much broth - left, so will put some onions with that to make a stew and have that for my evening meal. Onions fried in butter until golden brown make everything taste better!

 

[ianpspurs]

@Annb I hope the GP appointment leads to a solution or easing of your problems. @maglil55 hugs for the prolonged effects of Long Covid. So as not to clog the main thread: My Food Fairy magically made a cheese sauce with some off this and all kinds of Christmas cheese, including Stilton. So far this week she has magically produced a Yorkshire pudding, loaf of bread and now this using that flour. @shelley262 brought these folks to my attention so thank you. Bread recipe is on their website but Yorkshire needs some tweaks - already know that for us ½ the amount of normal flour will be best. I'm always aware that LC tweaks/swaps don't taste "right" for me but the Yorkshire worked enough to continue tweaking.

 

[shelley262]

@Annb I hope the GP appointment leads to a solution or easing of your problems. @maglil55 hugs for the prolonged effects of Long Covid. So as not to clog the main thread: My Food Fairy magically made a cheese sauce with some off this and all kinds of Christmas cheese, including Stilton. So far this week she has magically produced up a Yorkshire pudding, loaf of bread and now this using that flour. @shelley262 brought these folks to my attention so thank you. Bread recipe is on their website but Yorkshire needs some tweaks - already know that for us ½ the amount of normal flour will be best.

Really pleased that the flour works. I mix my own using very similar ingredients to make my weekly loaf of lc bread but it is good to know its there - may compare price to the ingredients once my stocks are a bit lower I've go a few very big bags of wheat gluten and oat fibre etc!! Tend to be cheaper in bigger bags.

 

[shelley262]

I had a phone call from the GP surgery today to make an appointment for a blood test - next Monday, so that's a step forward. I don't think a blood test is going to find anything, but who knows? I think they are looking specifically for some indication that my heart isn't working properly. The chest Xray, when I get that, might show something on my lungs, but whether that will be just fluid retention or some covid hangover, again, who knows? If they can sort it out from that, I'd be very glad because I'm a bit fed up with the constant lack of breath.

Breakfast today was porridge with cream.
I was going to have an avocado with crispbread for lunch but, despite having been stored for about 3 weeks, it was still hard but beginning to go an odd colour. I cut it open and the flesh was crisp and grey/green. It's in the compost bin now. So I had some of the ham that was for dinner with the crispbread.

I still have some of the chicken soup - without much broth - left, so will put some onions with that to make a stew and have that for my evening meal. Onions fried in butter until golden brown make everything taste better!

good luck with your blood tests however these days it feels that blood tests are the only things drs do with online consults etc you wonder what has happened to the good old physical examination..... Take care you are clearly having a very difficult time of it.

 

[shelley262]

It's very, very long. @Annb is the same. I fell ill at the beginning of March weeks before lockdown. At first I didn't suspect Covid as we'd been told there was only 1 case in Tayside who was someone who had returned from Italy. Of course we later found out that was not true when Disclosure revealed that 25 people were tested positive in Edinburgh in February and no one was told about them. I think I said before that GP suspected Hubby got it first as he was going to football, on public transport etc in Edinburgh. He just had a persistent cough and felt off for a few days. Mine ran for 23/24 weeks with odd days of reprieve inbetween. I can honestly say though that I have never felt 100% since March.
I agree about stress. I do use relaxation techniques (old habit from work days. Presenting to 100's of people sometime needs it!) but as you say I'm feeling a bit battered with everything life is throwing my way. I was stressing about frequent palpitations but I thought "stress" was making them worse (which it was). However, I later discovered from that long covid group that it was very common and again no reason could be traced. My long lasting one is the nasal cavity. It drives me nuts. It ends up freezing cold and causes earache in my right ear. Oddest thing though is that you smell things that are not there. For example, I smell pipe tobacco. Specifically, Condor (I know the smell as my Dad smoked it). You can't get rid of it because it isn't there. They have at least discovered there is a reason for this as covid damages the receptors in the nose. It's not constant but it is weird when it happens. Again there are loads of long term cases with this problem. Sometimes it's a nice floral scent which is better! I am feeling a bit better again today though and I'm hungry which is good

Gosh thinking of you it sounds dreadful and the nose/smells thing sounds very peculiar but know that a COVID sympton is loss of smell so it clearly affects the nose - but smelling things that are not there sound very unusual.
Stress and anxiety without doubt are my main bg risers and also affect my physical health. Im certain that they played a big part in my initial development of type 2. They are very hard to manage though I need to addres my stress daily otherwise it spirals quickly. Things with eldest autistic son have been very very complex and difficult for months now and feel that
my anxiety is just sat there waiting to be triggered by yet another difficult situation or problem to sort out. At least when you know why something is happening it is easier but sounds like you are still trying to get to the bottom of your health issues. TAke care of yourself.

 

[maglil55]

Gosh thinking of you it sounds dreadful and the nose/smells thing sounds very peculiar but know that a COVID sympton is loss of smell so it clearly affects the nose - but smelling things that are not there sound very unusual.
Stress and anxiety without doubt are my main bg risers and also affect my physical health. Im certain that they played a big part in my initial development of type 2. They are very hard to manage though I need to addres my stress daily otherwise it spirals quickly. Things with eldest autistic son have been very very complex and difficult for months now and feel that
my anxiety is just sat there waiting to be triggered by yet another difficult situation or problem to sort out. At least when you know why something is happening it is easier but sounds like you are still trying to get to the bottom of your health issues. TAke care of yourself.

Thanks @shelley262. I'm still not great with this bug - it's now affecting lower back on top of legs but heat pads are helping (and stretches). The smelling things that are not there is very common. There are some really weird ones on the long covid site. As I said, my common one is the pipe tobacco but today it was orange! I was trying to find if there was a reason but no, not an orange in sight!

 

[maglil55]

I had a phone call from the GP surgery today to make an appointment for a blood test - next Monday, so that's a step forward. I don't think a blood test is going to find anything, but who knows? I think they are looking specifically for some indication that my heart isn't working properly. The chest Xray, when I get that, might show something on my lungs, but whether that will be just fluid retention or some covid hangover, again, who knows? If they can sort it out from that, I'd be very glad because I'm a bit fed up with the constant lack of breath.

Breakfast today was porridge with cream.
I was going to have an avocado with crispbread for lunch but, despite having been stored for about 3 weeks, it was still hard but beginning to go an odd colour. I cut it open and the flesh was crisp and grey/green. It's in the compost bin now. So I had some of the ham that was for dinner with the crispbread.

I still have some of the chicken soup - without much broth - left, so will put some onions with that to make a stew and have that for my evening meal. Onions fried in butter until golden brown make everything taste better!

I do hope your appointment goes off OK. I assume it won't be a face to face afterwards? Have you had any word on your vaccine? They are being very reticent about dates. There's a few over 80's who were shielded in my street and not one has had any word yet.

 

[Annb]

It's very, very long. @Annb is the same. I fell ill at the beginning of March weeks before lockdown. At first I didn't suspect Covid as we'd been told there was only 1 case in Tayside who was someone who had returned from Italy. Of course we later found out that was not true when Disclosure revealed that 25 people were tested positive in Edinburgh in February and no one was told about them. I think I said before that GP suspected Hubby got it first as he was going to football, on public transport etc in Edinburgh. He just had a persistent cough and felt off for a few days. Mine ran for 23/24 weeks with odd days of reprieve inbetween. I can honestly say though that I have never felt 100% since March.
I agree about stress. I do use relaxation techniques (old habit from work days. Presenting to 100's of people sometime needs it!) but as you say I'm feeling a bit battered with everything life is throwing my way. I was stressing about frequent palpitations but I thought "stress" was making them worse (which it was). However, I later discovered from that long covid group that it was very common and again no reason could be traced. My long lasting one is the nasal cavity. It drives me nuts. It ends up freezing cold and causes earache in my right ear. Oddest thing though is that you smell things that are not there. For example, I smell pipe tobacco. Specifically, Condor (I know the smell as my Dad smoked it). You can't get rid of it because it isn't there. They have at least discovered there is a reason for this as covid damages the receptors in the nose. It's not constant but it is weird when it happens. Again there are loads of long term cases with this problem. Sometimes it's a nice floral scent which is better! I am feeling a bit better again today though and I'm hungry which is good

I seem to share many symptoms with you @maglil55. The nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea thing was also what I had over Christmas and New Year. That's why I had so little food over those days. I think it was made worse by the extra Furosemide prescribed by a new doctor (to me) and it was extremely painful. But it has passed as well and I am eating again with no problems worth mentioning. In fact, despite just having had my chicken stew with one sliced medium potato on top, I'm still feeling pretty empty. Must try not to hunt around for anything laying around winking at me!

I do hope that you get back to something like normality soon and recover from this new bug. I suspect that after covid, we are more susceptible to bugs. Just seems that way to me.

 

[Annb]

I do hope your appointment goes off OK. I assume it won't be a face to face afterwards? Have you had any word on your vaccine? They are being very reticent about dates. There's a few over 80's who were shielded in my street and not one has had any word yet.

Oh no! Actually see a doctor? Perish the thought. A nurse will be left to struggle with my reluctant veins and, with any luck, I might get some feedback in about a week. On the other hand, if they don't find anything, I might not be given any feedback at all. That's the way it works here.

Perhaps I'm being a bit unfair - I did see a doctor a few weeks ago. He listened to my chest and told me that there was some fluid in my lungs and told me to take more Furosemide (up from 40 mg to 80 mg per day). Time was when a doctor would follow up advice or treatment to check that it had worked, but that was in the dim and distant past. This is one of the reasons I had to call again - it didn't work. Not even the extra Furosemide I was told, later on, to take for my legs (up from 80 mg to 160 mg per day).

The thing is that, old fashioned doctors used to be able to look at a patient (having known them for months/years) and could tell, just by looking, that all was not well. Now, they have to diagnose a never seen or spoken to patient without even looking. Don't know how they do it, or are supposed to do it.

There is a high proportion of very elderly people on the islands. It will take a while to work through the over 80's and get down to the 70's (me) although, with luck, Neil, having been shielded and 54 (tomorrow), might be higher on the list. No word yet though.

 

[zauberflote]

Hello all and been thinking of all of you, Brexit, covid, and all. I am fine but the nation sure is not. I am sorry that we are looking like such fools and even idiots before the world. Sadly, each of us over here is an American.
My niece who normally works near Capitol Hill (where the current action is) has been working from home, nowhere near there, since first lockdowns. Nobody else I know works in DC.
The good news is, my daughter-in-law the teacher and my (other) son the grocery store worker are in the next group to get the vaccine. Not that "group 1a" is near finished yet.
Today Bfast avocado, pecans, boiled egg, cottage cheese, some nibbles of Lindt 90%, flax crisps/dilute soy
Lunch has been must-be-stress eating of way too many peanuts and cherry tomatoes.
Supper should be a baked chicken thigh with amazing roasted garlic mush under the skin, spinach, flax crisps/soy, probably some bell pepper and cucumber.
I have been eating too much. Ugh.

 

[ianpspurs]

Hello all and been thinking of all of you, Brexit, covid, and all. I am fine but the nation sure is not. I am sorry that we are looking like such fools and even idiots before the world. Sadly, each of us over here is an American.
My niece who normally works near Capitol Hill (where the current action is) has been working from home, nowhere near there, since first lockdowns. Nobody else I know works in DC.
The good news is, my daughter-in-law the teacher and my (other) son the grocery store worker are in the next group to get the vaccine. Not that "group 1a" is near finished yet.
Today Bfast avocado, pecans, boiled egg, cottage cheese, some nibbles of Lindt 90%, flax crisps/dilute soy
Lunch has been must-be-stress eating of way too many peanuts and cherry tomatoes.
Supper should be a baked chicken thigh with amazing roasted garlic mush under the skin, spinach, flax crisps/soy, probably some bell pepper and cucumber.
I have been eating too much. Ugh.

Good to hear you are safe and well and wonderful news that your niece is safe. Delighted to hear your son and daughter-in-law are next in line for the vaccination.

 

[shelley262]

Hello all and been thinking of all of you, Brexit, covid, and all. I am fine but the nation sure is not. I am sorry that we are looking like such fools and even idiots before the world. Sadly, each of us over here is an American.
My niece who normally works near Capitol Hill (where the current action is) has been working from home, nowhere near there, since first lockdowns. Nobody else I know works in DC.
The good news is, my daughter-in-law the teacher and my (other) son the grocery store worker are in the next group to get the vaccine. Not that "group 1a" is near finished yet.
Today Bfast avocado, pecans, boiled egg, cottage cheese, some nibbles of Lindt 90%, flax crisps/dilute soy
Lunch has been must-be-stress eating of way too many peanuts and cherry tomatoes.
Supper should be a baked chicken thigh with amazing roasted garlic mush under the skin, spinach, flax crisps/soy, probably some bell pepper and cucumber.
I have been eating too much. Ugh.

Delighted to hear from you but absolutely shocked by what’s happening at Capitol Hill hugs on the way. Very stressful times all round. Lovely to see you x

 

[MrsA2]

Dr Almond and and other EU suppliers are currently refusing orders from the Uk
Apparently its to do with Brexit. They have to register with HMRc and pay VAT. Some are saying they will so we can order in due time, but others don't want the admin hassle

 

[DJC3]

@shelley262 I thought I’d better reply to your lovely message on here rather than derail the foodie thread. The job is just 2 days a week and it’s only til the end of March. I’m project managing a new distribution hub for all the food banks and community larders in the area. Never done anything like this before - it’s way out of my comfort zone and I’ve no idea why they asked me to do it!
@zauberflote it’s good to see you on here again, hugs from afar for all the horrible stresses you are under. Im glad the family are ok
@maglil55 phantom smells! That must be so weird, especially the smell of your dad’s tobacco. I’d no idea it was a common thing with long Covid sufferers. Hope you are over this episode soon.
@Annb fingers crossed for a useful result from the blood test. I completely agree with you about the old fashioned doctors. In fact they are taught differently at medical school now. One of the consultants I worked with ( I worked in a hospital path lab) said she was trained to examine the patient and take a full history and make her diagnosis. Then she would order specific lab tests to CONFIRM the diagnosis. These days they do the opposite - using lab tests immediately to make the diagnosis - they just request a whole battery of tests in the hope of picking up a clue as to what’s wrong, then they medicate to fix the anomaly. There is no desire to find the underlying cause. I don’t know if I’ve explained it very well but today’s way is coming at the issue from the opposite and often wrong way.

 

[Annb]

@shelley262 I thought I’d better reply to your lovely message on here rather than derail the foodie thread. The job is just 2 days a week and it’s only til the end of March. I’m project managing a new distribution hub for all the food banks and community larders in the area. Never done anything like this before - it’s way out of my comfort zone and I’ve no idea why they asked me to do it!
@zauberflote it’s good to see you on here again, hugs from afar for all the horrible stresses you are under. Im glad the family are ok
@maglil55 phantom smells! That must be so weird, especially the smell of your dad’s tobacco. I’d no idea it was a common thing with long Covid sufferers. Hope you are over this episode soon.
@Annb fingers crossed for a useful result from the blood test. I completely agree with you about the old fashioned doctors. In fact they are taught differently at medical school now. One of the consultants I worked with ( I worked in a hospital path lab) said she was trained to examine the patient and take a full history and make her diagnosis. Then she would order specific lab tests to CONFIRM the diagnosis. These days they do the opposite - using lab tests immediately to make the diagnosis - they just request a whole battery of tests in the hope of picking up a clue as to what’s wrong, then they medicate to fix the anomaly. There is no desire to find the underlying cause. I don’t know if I’ve explained it very well but today’s way is coming at the issue from the opposite and often wrong way.

Yes - that was the impression I had. It doesn't work well for folk like me. Must say though, that the old fashioned way didn't always work for me. Even when I was a teenager, when my family doctor diagnosed a problem with my appendix (best doctor I ever came across), he had to battle with a consultant at the hospital to get any action. That doctor looked superficially at me and diagnosed "nerves due to upcoming O levels". Months later, when the consultant was on holiday, his registrar accepted my GP's diagnosis. My appendix was so damaged with multiple abscesses that they couldn't do the keyhole surgery they hoped for and I was left with a huge scar on my abdomen. That was my early experience with the health service. There's something about me (possibly one of the most laid-back persons you will come across - apart from Neil) that makes people, particularly doctors, think I am a bag of nerves and that is my main health issue.

 

[Annb]

Hello all and been thinking of all of you, Brexit, covid, and all. I am fine but the nation sure is not. I am sorry that we are looking like such fools and even idiots before the world. Sadly, each of us over here is an American.
My niece who normally works near Capitol Hill (where the current action is) has been working from home, nowhere near there, since first lockdowns. Nobody else I know works in DC.
The good news is, my daughter-in-law the teacher and my (other) son the grocery store worker are in the next group to get the vaccine. Not that "group 1a" is near finished yet.
Today Bfast avocado, pecans, boiled egg, cottage cheese, some nibbles of Lindt 90%, flax crisps/dilute soy
Lunch has been must-be-stress eating of way too many peanuts and cherry tomatoes.
Supper should be a baked chicken thigh with amazing roasted garlic mush under the skin, spinach, flax crisps/soy, probably some bell pepper and cucumber.
I have been eating too much. Ugh.

Having spent the day doing nothing very much in the real world (doing some family history searching for my brother), I didn't see any news until the BBC2 Newsnight programme. I could hardly believe what I was seeing at first, then I thought about That Man and his behaviour in power and realised how it had happened. The pundits seem to be warning of a split in the Republican party and ructions in the American political system. I do hope not. What you all need now is some calm to build something substantial once covid 19 is out of the way. Even to reach that stage is going to take some doing.

 

[Annb]

11.30 am - nothing but tea and pills so far. Stomach is playing up a bit but I will try to put something into it and see if that helps. Scrambled egg is the answer, I think.

Later will be some of the baked ham and maybe some peas or roasted tomatoes with it.

If I get on well enough with that, I might cook the liver I got out of the freezer last night and make liver and onions. Hadn't made it for years (not since getting married in 1964) because Tom hated offal but in the last 3 years I've had it quite a few times and really like it. I can also put kidneys with my steak now. I know, my tastes are odd! Or maybe just old-fashioned. Still haven't figured out how my mother used to make stuffed sheep's heart so appetising though. Anybody ever done anything with pig's trotters? That's something else my mother used to cook but I have no idea how.

 

[DJC3]

Yes - that was the impression I had. It doesn't work well for folk like me. Must say though, that the old fashioned way didn't always work for me. Even when I was a teenager, when my family doctor diagnosed a problem with my appendix (best doctor I ever came across), he had to battle with a consultant at the hospital to get any action. That doctor looked superficially at me and diagnosed "nerves due to upcoming O levels". Months later, when the consultant was on holiday, his registrar accepted my GP's diagnosis. My appendix was so damaged with multiple abscesses that they couldn't do the keyhole surgery they hoped for and I was left with a huge scar on my abdomen. That was my early experience with the health service. There's something about me (possibly one of the most laid-back persons you will come across - apart from Neil) that makes people, particularly doctors, think I am a bag of nerves and that is my main health issue.

It’s so easy for a doctor to diagnose ‘nerves’ especially with women. Men don’t seem to get that diagnosis, and it is usually older male doctors who dismiss young women’s issues in this way. I knew a girl with MS, she’s dead now, her initial few appointments with her GP ( because she kept falling over) were terrible. He told her to buy a relaxation tape!