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"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

Thank you. I was very close to that brother as he lived next door and, being the closest in age, was always there for me growing up. Once he knew the Myloma had ramped up, he set about organising everything with me in tow. I get exactly where you are coming from.
 

Good advice. We'll see how it goes. Might just sort itself out in a few days.
 
@Annb - I must remember to ask my Physio where the fluid goes when he massages it out. I can relate to what you're going through as I've been there. I know, at least, what causes it. Post surgery (to relieve the flattened spinal cord) my legs and ankles were like tree trunks with fluid. I spent 4 days in flowtron boots, followed by compression socks while learning to walk again. I progressed to a zimmer, then 2 crutches. 2 years later, I was down to one crutch and was told that's as good as it gets.
They explained to me that the damage to the nervous system, caused by the accident & flattened spinal cord, had damaged the lymphatic drain. It was this damage that was causing the fluid build up in my legs/ankles. I've done everything. I had the compression bandages then the made to measure socks. I was taught by the physio I got for 1 year on home visits how to use body brushes to massage the legs to encourage the lymphatic drain. I forced myself into the gym/swimming pool but under strict rules from GP and supervision. I've got a home version of flowtron boots, a Revitive, and deep tissue massage guns. My legs have improved gradually over time but the ankles still swell, although nowhere near as bad as my tree trunk days. The legs are mostly OK apart from the tightening muscles which I can deal with.
I couldn't survive without my 4 weekly physio visit though. Once he knocks the fluid out of my ankles I get sometimes a couple of weeks relief plus he teaches me ways to deal with things to keep mobile. He also lectures me for overdoing things!
What's puzzling us at the moment it that something is definitely going on with my seriously screwed-up nervous system lately. There is no logic to these severe pins and needles attacks that are coming and going but, then leaving me with a bit more sensation each time. Logically, I should get referred back to neurology but when I asked myself did I want to subject myself to tests/MRIs etc at the moment the answer was No. I'd rather deal with it.

I appreciate your situation is different but it's worth trying everything and anything. At least now I don't touch my side and feel it in my foot!
 

I don't know why I'm complaining when I see what you've had to go through Maglil. The banadages are making my legs sore and causing my eczema to overheat, but the support has helped my ankle pain quite a lot. I suspect that the fluid no longer in my legs, has just joined my blood volume and may be causing bp to rise. Haven't checked that and I don't really want to just now.

The nurses are very good and I was pleasantly surprised when they got warm water and washed my legs and put ointment of some sort on them before re-applying the bandages. And, on the whole, it does seem to be having an effect. The only problem is that the bandages have a tendency to unravel from the toe end and I have a flap of the inner bandage around my toes. And my toes feel very cold. These things I can deal with.

Had an awful night last night and day today. A new pain in my side that wouldn't ease off, so no sleep for me. I think it is just something to do with my inner workings and should be able to cope with it. However, my waterworks seem to have been turned off, which is a slight concern, especially now that there is extra fluid to deal with. It might sort itself out, or if not, another call to the GP, I guess. It's not something that I'd like to carry on over the weekend without some sort of solution.

Shan't be posting on the main thread today - haven't had any food to talk about, just a couple of wafer biscuits to stop my stomach hurting (light and not sufficient to make my stomach rebel).
 
Ouchie! Just received the bill for the less than half tank of fuel oil I ordered a few days ago - £594.67! Since it's summer, we won't need to use it very quickly, but even if it turns cold, the heating will stay off. Even so, I'll probably need to order more come October. Heaven knows what it will cost by then. When I ordered it, I was quoted £540 so within a day or so it rose by £54+. Just realised, that's a 10% rise within a couple of days. It's getting ridiculous. Bank statement is going to be awfully red looking this month and next. Cut back even further on fish, meat and costly veg to help keep it as black as possible. Don't want to have to go down the heavier carb route so it might mean eating less than I do now. Well - I've been trying to just have the one meal a day if I can stand it so this will give me added impetus.
 
I've had a pain in my side for several days now - not excruciating, but it has kept me awake and feeling a bit low. I was just wondering whether to contact the GP about it tomorrow but this morning I've found a small red area of skin with several spots in it. I can just glimpse the red area in the mirror but can't actually see the spots because of their position but I can feel them. Now I'm wondering - could this be shingles? Neil is sleeping right now, so I can't ask him to look and see if the spots are blisters, which they would be if it is shingles. I will ask him to check when he wakes up. It would explain the soreness. Chickenpox is one of the childhood diseases I never had. I don't believe it would have given me any immunity anyway even though it is the same virus.
 
Allegedly if you haven't had chicken pox you can't get shingles. I've had both. I hope you haven't got either, but it certainly sounds like a possibility. If you can see a GP it would be worth while to get a diagnosis, given your other problems.
 
Outlier said:
Allegedly if you haven't had chicken pox you can't get shingles. I've had both. I hope you haven't got either, but it certainly sounds like a possibility. If you can see a GP it would be worth while to get a diagnosis, given your other problems.
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I got Neil to check and he says they are not blisters, so probably not shingles. Don't know what else it might be but it has now started to itch!
 
Annb said:
I got Neil to check and he says they are not blisters, so probably not shingles. Don't know what else it might be but it has now started to itch!
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I'd get it checked. Shingles is painful. Probably not but worth a check.
 
maglil55 said:
I'd get it checked. Shingles is painful. Probably not but worth a check.
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By the time I get to actually see a doctor, it will have gone, I expect. I have to see a nurse tomorrow afternoon to get my legs rebandaged. I might ask her what she thinks. However, the pain has gone and it is itchy but there is a further area which is kind of prickly now. Very odd!

Edit: The prickly bit has now become painful enough to need painkillers again. Still very odd.
 
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I'm tearing my hair out! I am very much into family history research online - no other way to do it here - and I have an ancestor who was born in a small village in Kent. This gentleman was thoughtless enough to be born within 2 years of another little boy in a nearby village (in the same parish), with exactly the same name (probably a cousin). Moreover, he then reached the age of approximately 25 (in 1846) and married a 20 year old from his village. But so did the other one. They both married girls of the same age, of the same first name and from the same village in the same year. What were they thinking? Had they no consideration for their descendants trying to trace them? They had different jobs - one a farm labourer and the other a brewer, but I don't know which is which or which is mine!

My "rash" is still very small and itchy and there is another area which was very sore and has now produced a small area of spots, but it isn't red. Both areas are now itching like mad. I'll ask the nurse this afternoon. I'm sure it's not shingles - this is not the way shingles behaves as far as I'm aware. It could be a reaction to something I've eaten. The only new thing I've had is smoked ham which Neil bought because he couldn't get any other type and for me that's new because I try not to have smoked meat products (too heavily processed for my liking). It could be that.
 
The nurse doesn't think it's shingles either. She is more inclined to think it's a reaction to something (as I suspected) so no more of that ham - I'm sure Ginnie and Banksie will love to have it.

I'm amazed - my legs are so thin. They haven't been that shape for 50+ years. Knees and above are still massive as are my ankles and feet, but my lower legs are similar to those of my 20+ year old self - apart from the deep indentations left by the bandages and the dark greyish red colour. Another 2 weeks of bandaging and tghen I should be able to get compression stockings on.
 

And guess what. They both had lots of children with the same names (one family of 6, the other of 9) - including one of whom was my ancestor.
 
When I came through to the kitchen this morning I saw that Neil had cleaned my "equipment cupboard" (it's where the food processors and food mixers etc live). I use the processors and mixer in situ and had managed to get some flour and some sugar spilled. It was time for a clean anyway, but I had not got around to it. So, this morning at 3.50 all the equipment was out on the work surface and the cupboard was sparkling clean. He'd even cleaned some of the equipment. So the work had to continue. There was a pasta machine which I'd used once to try it out and never bothered again. It had become really dusty and needed cleaning but I've decided to send it to the charity shop anyway. But I couldn't find the handle, which would mean consigning it to the recycling. To try to find the handle meant a hunt through kitchen drawers. I found it. But I also found that something had been spilled into the draw so everything in it had to come out and be washed, drawer washed out and dried and then things replaced. There were things in there that I don't think I want either, so the charity shop should do quite well out of it. There were also some other things that I thought I'd lost so haven't used them in ages. That makes me think - do I need them? There's also a sandwich toaster that appears to have been put away without a thorough clean - I'll have to get the steamer going on that. But do I need a sandwich maker? I'll decide once I've cleaned it. That won't be today now because I have an appointment at noon and will have to get myself organised for that.
 
I just broke another tooth! Phone the dentist but was told just to wait for my appointment next Tuesday. Just the same as the last time I broke a tooth - the eye tooth on the other side of my jaw and it broke on a slice of cheddar cheese!
 
The fridge we have in the kitchen is a reasonably large Bosch with a small freezer under it. We've had it for years and it is still going strong (fingers crossed). Neil just noticed this morning that there is an on/off switch which we've never noticed or wondered about before. He discovered that what it does is dim the fridge light when the door is shut. What for? What is in the fridge that needs a dim light when the door is shut? It had obviously been knocked by something and been turned on - goodness knows since when. It's off now. But we can't figure out why it's there at all.

Also had a problem with my backup discs for my laptop. To be honest I've only ever used one backup and backup 2 has lain idle for months since Neil bought them for me. A day or so ago I tried to use backup 2 but my laptop wouldn't recognise it. So Neil took it to see what was wrong and he investigated the actual programming. What he found was that, somewhere in the code, there was a sequence which translated from the binary as "Got U". He thought at first that it was a virus, although we are very careful about that kind of thing and, anyway, I'd never used it. But it isn't a virus, it is actually in the code which sets the disc up. So it was put there by the manufacturer. He checked backup 1 and it had the same thing but when it was formatted it seems to have bypassed that. Whoever had put it together had clearly intended to do it because of quite specific use of the code. All above my head, of course but how very odd!
 
Backup 2 now reformatted and able to be used. Backup 1 fixed as well and Neil asked me to let him know when I want to backup anything, because I was doing it wrong anyway! Trust me.
 
I was told that the phrase in the photo that hangs on my refrigerator is too good to just hang on the refrigerator and I need to share it here, so here it is



pictured is Frederick Bunting (in case you didn't recognize him)
 
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