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"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

Thanks @Antje77 for your thoughtful post about Goonergal on the main thread.

I wasn't sure about posting more on there, then I remembered Goonergal was key in this one too and it feels much easier to talk about her here. I think she was one of the first to set this up so we could chat about more than just food, and here we are using it for just that but in such sad circumstances.

It's ironic that her beautiful photos are some of the first posts on this thread.

She was such an inspiration to me when I first joined the forum 3 years ago. Her celebrations of carnivore, her mammoth walks and unstinting support of other forumites made her unique. I never met her in person but we had a few pms and were on a couple of other low carb things together.
I had realised she wasn't posting so much and somehow thought she had got long covid, and then just that her interests had taken her in a different direction for a while so I was very shocked when I read the news this evening.

It's been difficult to explain to my husband just how sad I feel for the loss of someone I've never met but I know you others on here might well understand and that I just needed to say more and share my sadness.

Rest in peace, dear walker, photographer and friend. Xxx
 
Well said, and I completely agree.

It's odd to lose a friend you don't really know in real life, and don't really share life with, and hard to explain to others how it hurts still.

This thread is a fine place to share, and so is the thread started by AndBreathe.
 
Antje77 said:
It's odd to lose a friend you don't really know in real life, and don't really share life with, and hard to explain to others how it hurts still.

This thread is a fine place to share, and so is the thread started by AndBreathe.
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For over 9 years our forum had been a major part of my diabetic life, and there have been members we've lost that I've considered part of my diabetic forum family even though I've not actually known them in person or necessarily had a "forum relationship" with them.
 
Just had a letter from the hospital telling me that the eye appointment I've been waiting months for has been cancelled. Consultants can't get here on that date due to striking air crews or ground staff - not sure which. That's Island life for you.

I was leaving a newish problem I am currently having with my eyes until my appointment but think I'll have to trouble a GP with it now.
 
I wish our 2 twins would cuddle up like this, but at nearly 19 I don't think they're going to change now!

Remind me @Antje77 are yours both boys?
 
MrsA2 said:
@Antje77 hope your first gym experience went well today.
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PenguinMum said:
@Antje77 how was the gym session?
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I survived! (barely)
Apparently in English the word is doms (delayed onset muscle soreness), but I prefer the German term Muskelkater, literally muscle hangover.
I didn't exactly try to keep up with the rest of the group, which would be foolish (them: well trained thin people in their 20s or 30s, me: 46 year old couch potato with a BMI of 36) but I did try to keep up with the lesson, which just happened to be a heavy duty gym circuit training session...

Still, while it had me gasping for air, it wasn't that bad, and the people were really nice and appreciative of my efforts.

MrsA2 said:
The joining is the easy part... its the going consistently after that is harder to maintain. Nice when you start to see results though
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I contemplated if it would be realistic to expect I'd be able to motivate myself to endure this torture every week, but then much wiser and more sensible friends told me I should build up my exercise more gradually and with a more personalised plan, especially considering my diabetes and back issues.

Which had the total opposite effect of me going all obstinate mode and fighting sensible advice, so now I'm the proud owner of a once a week gym membership!
While they may be right in that this is not the best choice for exercise, it beats no exercise by a long way and it doesn't matter where you find your motivation as long as you find it. So thanks a lot for giving me the unintentional extra push, my friends!

I even found out that our muncipality (if that's the right word) partially funds this kind of thing and I applied with my favourite person working there, one who's willing to look at what's best and not rigidly following the rules to the letter and got approval first thing this morning.
Which will be another very strong motivation: it's someone elses money so I'd better not let it go to waste. Like I said, motivation is motivation, no matter where it came from!
 
DJC3 said:
What’s caused the back pain?
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Not sure yet.
I went to the GP a couple weeks back to ask for a referral to a physio (it's cheaper with a referral, insurance covering physio is optional here and I opted out) but after some prodding, poking and bending over she gave me a referral to a rheumathologist instead, with a suspicion of Bechterews/Axial Spondyloarthritis.

And she advised trying ibuprofen or another NSAID to see if that would help getting enough sleep, as not being able to sleep more than 6 or 7 hours was my main reason for the appointment.

The waiting list for the rheumatologist is long, I have an appointment for 14 july, but the ibuprofen is amazing!
Which is great for sleeping but also adds to Google's tick list of having axSpA.
And there is a scary amount of boxes I can tick on that list, the only ones against seem to be that I'm 'old' (46) and that my symptoms are relatively mild.
On the other hand, I've done some looking into other varieties of rheuma (not sure of the word in English) like RA off and on since my early twenties but nothing ever ticked the boxes like this one.

We'll wait and see, and in the mean time it has motivated me to exercise more, which can only be a good thing!
 

It sounds horrid. 14th July is a long wait if you’re in pain though. Thank goodness the ibruprofen is helping.
Gentle exercise is recommended for lots of things so I hope it helps in your case, just don’t go mad!
 
DJC3 said:
It sounds horrid. 14th July is a long wait if you’re in pain though. Thank goodness the ibruprofen is helping.
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The ibuprofen is really doing a great job if I take one before bed and one some 6 hours later, before it starts to hurt. This does mean setting an alarm to take it but that is very much worth getting a couple more hours of sound sleep after months of not getting enough.
The only problem is me being stubborn, so I tend to take it for 2 or 3 days and then fall in the trap of believing I won't need it and getting my night cut short again.

I have no diagnosis yet, so it may well be something completely different.
And as to horrid, yes I did a lot of googling and read all the horror stories, but I also see my neighbour-in-the-garden, big strong man working as a builder despite having had Bechterews since his early twenties. He's in his sixties now.
As with most conditions, you usually get to see the worst with a google search, not the ones who are doing well with some small adjustments.
DJC3 said:
Gentle exercise is recommended for lots of things so I hope it helps in your case, just don’t go mad!
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Next round of mad exercise (circuit training with well trained people 20 years my junior) planned for tomorrow!
 
MrsA2 said:
@Annb Are your ferries in trouble again?
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There's a constant issue with the ferries. CalMac's fleet should have been replaced years ago. @Annb - glad to read you got your heating oil, though. Hubby was saying that yet another ferry that had just gone back into service has broken down again. Apparently, that's going to delay the MV Alfred?? going to its' "back up route."
 
That's right. Another one broke down again because the repair job that had been done wasn't up to scratch. Then another one ran aground. Not having much success with ferries .

Here's a doggy kind of story:

Em came in yesterday afternoon after school. "Gran," she said, "what kind of a dog do you think I would be?" She doesn't look like any kind of dog, to be honest. "Oh, I don't know - something friendly and energetic."

"I think I would be a husky. They're energetic and very friendly." Fine. I'm not so sure about the friendly, but still...

Head on one side, considering, she decides, "I think you would be a golden labrador." Not sure I get the reasoning on that. "Why?" "Because you are kind, and loving and sweet - just like Bella was. And you are stiff and sore, and Bella was too, and she wasn't even as old as you, so she would have got worse, like you."

* "Mum would be a pug - not very big, but friendly and has problems breathing sometimes. Pugs can be a bit yappy/snappy and so can Mum, if she thinks someone is being unkind or unfair."
* "Dad would be a St Bernard. Big and kind and helpful and clever."
* "Braidie (teenage brother) would be a mastiff." No reason given on that.
* "Jo (brother in his 20's) would be an alsatian." I can't see that at all. Jo is a charmer but still not really grown up yet. Maybe an alsatian pup.
* "Ellie (big sister, in her 20's) would be a spaniel. She's energetic and a bit crazy."

I couldn't resist asking, "What about Neil?" She gave that some thought. A dog-like personality for Neil doesn't easily come to mind. "A lone wolf!" she decides.

So that's us all summed up.
 
That's just the sweetest thing!
Sounds like she hit the nail on the head, golden labrador it is.

I love the other dogs she chose her family members to be as well.


I can't believe my luck today!
A friend, who just happens to be a very good electrical engineer, asked if I was interested in 10 solar panels for on my roof. He'd be happy to do the electrical installation as well but can't do the roof work because of his hip.
So I asked my neighbour-in-the-garden how he felt about doing that part and he's happy to do so, and it turns out he has experience with it as well in his work as a builder. It being him who has two large and old freezers it makes sense he likes to help cutting electricity costs too.

So I told my friend we'd be very happy to take his solar panels and asked how much he wanted for them, and he told me no need for pay, it's a present because he can't use them!

So not only will I get free solar panels and everything to go with it, I'll also get free installation and expertise!
 
Antje77 said:
So not only will I get free solar panels and everything to go with it, I'll also get free installation and expertise!
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Congratulations!

Is there enough sun in the Netherlands to install solar panels?
 
as a person whose winter weather can be described by the phrase "almost polar night", I sincerely envy!
 
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