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"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

@Annb I assume it's one of the wrist battery BP monitors? I have one and they are very accurate. The quilt roll thing does get easier the more you do it. I'm 5'4" and I find standing at the side of the bed is easier.
I'm feeling better today, especially getting my hair cut. Grandson wasn't as nervous as I expected going back to school and amazingly he hadn't forgotten anything despite 2 and a bit weeks off. I got some good joined up handwriting from him today and the lessons from the times tables are finally sticking. I think finally having the funeral all organised has helped too. Grandson is desperate to be part of it so, after much discussion, we decided it would be better to let him watch online with Mum & Dad (which lets some of my brother's good friends attend). Grandson was asking if they would still say "nice things" watching online and I assured him yes. So he asked if I wrote the "nice things" which I did. So he seems satisfied now that he's being allowed to say his goodbyes properly.
I'm relieved to find out as well that the other death in the same town, same name as brother and same funeral parlour is not having his funeral until next week.
I'll get there.
 
When my husband died, all the children from DIL's previous marriages (3 of them) were very squeamish about death and the body. Em, however, wanted to say goodbye her own way to her grandad (she was only 4, but very matter-of-fact, even then). So she drew a picture for him, which she put in the coffin with him. She was quite comfortable with seeing him there and was happy that she had been allowed to see him. But DIL felt that to let her actually go to the funeral might upset her, so she stayed with a neighbour for the duration. Only the eldest of the step family actually attended (almost 20 at the time), and she got very upset!

Later, Em chose a large rock and painted it with an almost recogniseable seascape, for putting on his grave. "He used to go to sea, Grannie, so he would like a picture of the sea and the beach. That's why he was buried looking at the sea," was what she told me.
 

Yes, I did it standing at the side and it was fairly easy, even the first time. Good for you, getting your hair cut - I have an appointment for Friday. That's a good idea, letting your grandson watch your brother's funeral online. It distances him from the actual interment (or is it a cremation?) which might be upsetting.
 
I went for the arm cuff BP monitor in the end - my brother said he had a wrist one which was unreliable, and since the site I was using only had one wrist version and plenty of arm ones, I thought I would go for the more popular one. It arrived in today's post so we both checked with it and both seemed reasonable. I'll keep checking and trying out different times of taking my diuretic pills to see if it does make a difference.

Veggie omelette for breakfast with a couple of RyVita.
Lamb leftover sauce with some chickpea pasta for lunch. Not very much of it.
I have a chicken leg ready cooked out of the freezer to have later on.
 
Cremation. I got more questions today. Is Bill actually inside the coffin? I was curious at this question so it turns out he thought the body was buried first and the coffin was empty. He then wanted to know what happened? will I see you? He seems very satisfied now with the answers although why he thought there would be an empty coffin I don't know.
 
Didn't enjoy the chicken leg at all. Too dry despite being a leg. Never mind - it filled a gap.

Bad night again, but I stayed in bed after 6.30 and then slept for a while but had to get up at 8 because my legs and back were too painful to stay there. That's because yesterday was a fine day and I went out into the garden to play with Em. But she wanted to show me how she could climb a tree (there's only one she feels confident about climbing) and it was on the far side of the garden (I didn't realise that when we started out on the expedition to get there) and it took me all my time to stay upright; stumbled a bit and was close to falling, but I managed it. That finished me for the rest of yesterday and today. Taking it easy today.

FBG 13.5! Avocado on GF toast this morning.

For later I'll have some flat iron steak and salad (might even add in a few chips/might not).

Tested BP before and after taking diuretics - not a lot of difference. In fact it was marginally higher after. But in any case, it seems to be pretty good anyway - not actually low, but not desperately high either.
 
After everything that has happened since my brother passed, I suppose it was inevitable today wouldn't go entirely smoothly.
Due to the Covid restrictions, we were limited to 20 people but it was being streamed online so a lot of people were online, signed in and waiting....waiting.....you see on the way to the crematorium some idiot had decided to plant this
at a recycling centre and it had been found by a contractor. The roads were closed, the area was swarming with police and Army Bomb Disposal. It did turn out to be a hoax but a rather realistic one! Meantime we were all on a tour trying to get to the crematorium in chaotic traffic. We were getting concerned until it dawned on us everyone else would be having the same issues. Fortunately, the next service wasn't until 4pm so we were able to go ahead (just a lot later).
Meantime, all the online people remained online, and I've had lots of concerned emails as they all saw me nearly going headfirst (Fortunately Hubby caught me). For social distancing they had what looked like black/yellow hazard tape on the ground; it wasn't! It was painted wooden strips about 2 ins high, nailed to the floor at 2m distances.
It was a very nice service and my 4 year old great niece entertained everyone by trying to dance to the music.
Grandson was on the phone quickly to check I hadn't hurt myself and to tell me he was happy to have taken part.
Journey back was less eventful as bomb disposal had blown the object up and cleared the area.
 
maglil55 said:
After everything that has happened since my brother passed, I suppose it was inevitable today wouldn't go entirely smoothly.
Click to expand...
Despite all the ridiculous road bumps, it sounds like you all did very well, especially considering the circumstances around covid. To my thinking, dancing 4 year olds make any funeral a lot better!

I hope you can now have a well deserved rest.
 

Oh my goodness, maglil, what a day you had! Just as well you all have a sense of humour. It will be a day you will all remember.

We all had to laugh at my mother's funeral. It was in March 1985 and heavy snow. My brother was very impressed at the Dickensian atmosphere but it was very slippery underfoot. First the minister went charging ahead, long cloak flowing behind him in the wind, looking quite biblical, and Neil had to call to him to slow down so that the followers (on foot, trudging through the snow and ice, and carrying the coffin) could keep up. Then, when they arrived at the cemetery, my brother nearly slipped into the grave on top of the coffin. It was all quite farcical and memorable. We needed something to laugh at on that day.
 
Only ate a small amount of the steak yesterday, so there's quite a lot left to have sliced up, cold.

FBG was 11.9 and had breakfast about 10.30. It was sardines on GF toast.

The steak will provide some sort of meal later along with some vegetables, which will also need to be used up and there will be enough left after that to make some kind of stir fry tomorrow.
 

Crikey @maglil55 you really couldn’t make it up! It will certainly never be forgotten and I completely agree with @Antje77 : a dancing 4 year old will make any situation a hundred times better.
I hope your life becomes a little more peaceful now. That does sound like a good day in spite of everything.
 
Made the stir fry after all and had it with a small amount of basmati rice - about 7.30 pm. FBG today 13.9!
Breakfast today (Saturday) was 2 rashers streaky bacon, 2 pork sausages and 2 "fried" eggs (fried without fat in one of Neil's non stick pans) and a tiny end slice from a GF loaf kind of toasted in what remained in the frying pan from the bacon and sausages.

I have to use up the last of the steak, so it will have to be with some kind of salad - that's what's left in the fridge. That will be this evening.

Was in a Zoom meeting yesterday afternoon where the subject of cakes came up and one of my friends was extolling the virtues of my cakes and calling me "the queen of cakes"! Nonsense, of course, but it was kind. So I ended up inviting everyone to come and have tea and cakes here when this lockdown business is all over. Don't think the lady from New Zealand will bother, or the one from Nevanda, or even many from the mainland, but others might, so I'd better be ready. I haven't baked for a year or more, so I hope it's like riding a bike (which I never did manage) and it will all come back pretty quickly. Probably practice on Em and family first.
 
How's your supplies situation @Annb? I see the Herald is reporting that is 4 ferries broken down in the last 3 weeks (of course there are also the rusting hulls sitting in Greenock costing us £millions).
 
This site doesn't seem to be working properly but, at least, the option to post is working, I think. We'll see when I try to click on the post button.

Our main ferry - the Loch Seaforth is a relatively large ship and can carry both passenger and freight vehicles. Its engines failed somehow a week or so ago so it was put into dry dock for repair. Should be done by the end of the month, or so they say.

The ferry which is usually used for freight is a bit smaller but only carries commercial traffic and a few passengers. It sails overnight. But it has broken down as well. No idea when it is due to be fixed. It is an old ship and liable to breakdowns.

Not sure which the other 2 broken down ferries are, but many of the ferries owned by CalMac are pretty old and worn out.

The ferry that used to serve here - the Isle of Lewis - is doing the runs of the Loch Seaforth meantime, but it is much smaller and is very limited in what it can carry. DIL has to go to the mainland to pick up a trailer and couldn't get a booking on the day she should have travelled but did manage to get one a day early outward and the last on the return journey she had actually wanted. Freight either comes on that ferry or on the one serving the Isle of Harris - a longer road journey down to Uig on Skye and then through Harris and the southern part of Lewis, but a shorter sea journey. Much of the freight traffic is coming that way, which means a drive along some difficult roads on the Islands. The Royal Mail is getting many of its parcels that way, which means mail is delayed by at least one day. Freight is getting through though and shelves are reasonably well stocked, despite some panic buying. Some items not there, but plenty of others available.

I'm getting some of the more difficult things from Amazon and it's mostly up to the post office to get them here. The mail comes by air usually, as long as the Inverness office doesn't miss the plane but parcels come by sea.

FBG 13.5 today. I guess I'm getting used to the level of insulin again. Or maybe being a bit too adventurous with food.

Breakfast today - same as yesterday; sausages, bacon and dry fried eggs.

Not sure what to have later - Neil did manage to get me some kippers but they are very brightly coloured and in a sealed plastic cover. Not appetising, but I shall probably do something with them.

Edit: It didn't work the first 3 times I tried it, but I think it's a problem with my laptop. After i shut it down and gave it a rest, it seems OK.
 
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FBG 11.8 - not very good. Feeling quite grotty today as well - lack of sleep, no doubt. Had to get up at 3.45 am due to stiff shoulders and hips. So I've done very little so far today apart from going for a short rest on my bed about 11 am.

Breakfast was some cheddar melted onto RyVita. It was after that that I began to feel grotty, so it might have had something to do with it. The cheddar is some cheap supermarket stuff that Neil bought when he couldn't get my usual one - it's rubbish and has quite a bitter taste without any of the nuttiness that I might have expected. Or maybe I've just gone off of cheese - other than Dairylea or Philadelphia.

I have some strips of bacon cooked until crisp and the last 2 sausages from the pack, already cooked to have some time later.

Is it just me, or is the website having problems? It has been difficult to log in recently and yesterday refused to recognise my password (although I know it was correct) and I've had to change it. These techie things are a pain to me because I don't really understand what is happening when things go wrong. I don't suppose the frustration made me feel any better either! Neil's not feeling very good right now either - refused to answer when I asked about the website/laptop issue. That's how he gets when he's under the weather - sullen and unhelpful. Luckily, it doesn't happen very often. Just had a phone call from No 2 son to say Em will be coming in on her way home from school, so I'd better get organised.

Edited to fix typo.
 
Just back from my quarterly diabetes check (actually, this time it was 15 months). HBa1c is up to 71. 15 months ago it was 53! Doing well, then.

Actual BG was 9.8 after FBG of 13.5 and breakfast of a small bowl of coconutty meusli and a BG reading of 15.1 in the interim. Diabetes nurse says it's not worth keeping increasing the insulin dose any more - I've probably reached some kind of plateau of effectiveness. She has one more thought - some kind of drug to take alongside the insulin, but she has to wait for advice from the consultant. She has asked, but he hasn't got back to her. Anyway, she gave me a Libre sensor, in case that might help see when things are getting out of hand and so I might identify problem foods. The last time my HBa1c was reasonable (53) I was eating as little carb as possible, and some days only meat. Trouble was, my stomach wasn't coping with that regime. She also tried to check my feet for pulses, but she couldn't find a pulse in either due to all the swelling. That's what the GP is supposed to be dealing with - without success.

I've been having a lot of trouble accessing this forum, or anything on diabetes uk. I keep getting told that my password isn't recognised and have had to change it 3 times so far - then it is recognised for one visit to the site and refuses again the next time. It's getting very annoying, especially since I don't get an answer from the online support either.

It's only the diabetes site that has the problem, so it can't be my laptop, after all.
 
This Libre thing is odd! It keeps turning itself on and sounding an alarm for low BG. And Neil says it was sounding an alarm because it had no signal at 6.30 this morning. I wasn't in the room. I suppose it must try to contact the sensor every so often and take a reading by itself. BG wasn't low, by the way. When I checked with the old Aviva system, it was above range - not too far admittedly and then in range the second time. Not sure how long it is going to take to settle down. Should have asked, as well, about taking blood pressure (nurse says she'd like me to keep track of that as well). The cuff sits directly over the place where she placed the sensor. But it will be a lot easier to keep track of my BG without all the palaver of a finger prick test.

Breakfast, to be had shortly, will be kippers and some GF bread. The slices are very small and each one has only 10 g carbs. Couldn't have too many, but say 20 g and then only a few more for the rest of the day (all meat or eggs) plus a few veg or salads. Stomach should be able to cope with that.

Edited for typos.
 
Change of plan. I realised I had some mushrooms and some cream left in the fridge so I've made cream of mushroom soup and a small portion of rice noodles - that will make it 67 g carbs for the day - not too bad. BG still above range, but not too bad, and falling at present.

I started to macerate some berries this afternoon with Em. They didn't last long enough to macerate though. Em scoffed them in very short order! She's going to the mainland with her mum tomorrow so that she can visit her great gran (the 106 year old). Chances are few and far between to get to Falkirk these days.
 
Fun and games with the new Libre Sensor. The battery ran low very rapidly so I had to put it on charge. Then it wouldn't work for a bit. Neil had a play around with it and then it worked - don't know why. He has always had a "magic" touch. First manifested when he was 7 and he "mended" a clock which had not worked for years just by taking the back off and playing around with it. It continued to work perfectly for the rest of the owner's life. Odd.

Awful night. Got to sleep about 1 am but had one of my suffocating dreams so I had to get up about 1.40 am and sit in the kitchen chair to get my breath back. Got back to bed and slept about 4 am and woke again at 8.30, so total of a bit more than 5 hours. Better than usual, but not really restful. BG at 1.45 am was 11.6 and FBG? 11.4. I have a bit of a cold, or I'm wondering if I'm beginning to get hayfever, so maybe that's why my breathing is bad.

Breakfast of dry fried bacon, eggs and tomatoes with 2 tiny slices of GF bread mopping up the bacon fat. Not sure how many carbs in the tomatoes but 20 g in the bread. BG after breakfast 10.7.

Later I will have some beef ragout with the 2nd portion of rice noodles. Total carbs for the day something over 70 g. I'm aiming at less than 100 g these days and think I'm keeping to it.

Edited to add: the problem with my internet connection seems to be that someone nearby has Sky connection and my router is being interfered with by it. I can get it to work by repeatedly selecting the right connection just before sending or receiving anything. Bit of a pain, but it seems to work.
 
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I've had some oddities with the forum telling me I need to sign in but it sorts itself out again.
 
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