In the garden, and RAIN!!!!

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 25, 2025 04:27
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BRENDA

Tuesday, March 6, 2018 9:30 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
That's cool. I'm not saying that people shouldn't gamble and you're totally being smart about it and only gambling with money you can afford to lose. We all have to have our fun.

I've got a little history with addiction though, and my reaction to "winning" was very similar to my one experience on a prescription opioid that somebody had given me after I was injured pretty badly once, which was "This feels WAY too good and I'm never doing it again".

Congrats on your win. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Exactly. I know what I can do and that is all I do. I took a friend with me once and all she did was complain. Never did that again. So I go by myself and it is just a couple of hours of harmless fun.

You are also very smart. If you don't feel like you can handle it then it is best you stay away.

Thanks. As I said,I have never won that much in a casino before.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 6, 2018 6:25 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:

Exactly. I know what I can do and that is all I do. I took a friend with me once and all she did was complain. Never did that again. So I go by myself and it is just a couple of hours of harmless fun.

You are also very smart. If you don't feel like you can handle it then it is best you stay away.

Thanks. As I said,I have never won that much in a casino before.

I've known some drug addicts and alcoholics in my life, but strangely I've never experienced knowing somebody with a crippling gambling addiction. I've only heard stories or seen it happen in movies or TV shows.

The funny thing is that the feeling I got from gambling and being up the entire time for a few hours was just like the few times I had done cocaine in my life. My pleasure centers must have been soaked. I was "in the zone" where all of my senses were heightened.

Who knows what would have happened if there was a quick turn around and I lost all the winnings? I may have just dug a deep hole for myself back when I probably had no business being there in the first place. I actually really made good use out of those winnings because money was really tight back then. I think that's why I was able to snap out of it and quit when I did. I was up over $250 at one point, but once I hit that losing streak I was able to break away and cash out while I was still up.

Some people laugh when they hear stories like when Charles Barkley lost 30 million on gambling and call him an idiot. I just feel sorry for him because I completely understand how something like that could happen.

Gambling is a strange thing indeed. I think a majority of people can just go and have some fun with money they don't need and have a real healthy attitude about it from the start. Then there's people like me who could very easily let it consume them like a drug or alcohol addiction.

I wonder if it's genetic?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 7, 2018 3:22 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:

Exactly. I know what I can do and that is all I do. I took a friend with me once and all she did was complain. Never did that again. So I go by myself and it is just a couple of hours of harmless fun.

You are also very smart. If you don't feel like you can handle it then it is best you stay away.

Thanks. As I said,I have never won that much in a casino before.

I've known some drug addicts and alcoholics in my life, but strangely I've never experienced knowing somebody with a crippling gambling addiction. I've only heard stories or seen it happen in movies or TV shows.

The funny thing is that the feeling I got from gambling and being up the entire time for a few hours was just like the few times I had done cocaine in my life. My pleasure centers must have been soaked. I was "in the zone" where all of my senses were heightened.

Who knows what would have happened if there was a quick turn around and I lost all the winnings? I may have just dug a deep hole for myself back when I probably had no business being there in the first place. I actually really made good use out of those winnings because money was really tight back then. I think that's why I was able to snap out of it and quit when I did. I was up over $250 at one point, but once I hit that losing streak I was able to break away and cash out while I was still up.

Some people laugh when they hear stories like when Charles Barkley lost 30 million on gambling and call him an idiot. I just feel sorry for him because I completely understand how something like that could happen.

Gambling is a strange thing indeed. I think a majority of people can just go and have some fun with money they don't need and have a real healthy attitude about it from the start. Then there's people like me who could very easily let it consume them like a drug or alcohol addiction.

I wonder if it's genetic?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

I've seen over the years doctors talk about "addictive personalities" and have wondered that myself.

I've too have never seen a gambling addition but to alcohol, I have.

As I've said in a past thread my family has had a running battle with the bottle off and on for years. My mother's family being mostly Irish has lost members to alcoholism. My father's and we all know how well Native Americans react to alcohol. My dad lost a brother to it. My own brother almost fell into the trap.

Friends, I have watched battle with addictions and win which is good.

My parents could have a drink and then leave it. Same thing with gambling.

Me, I've tried wine once. Just a sip numbed my upper palette and I took that as a bad sign and never tried alcohol again.

Well, my feeling is if someone rich gambles a few thousand or millions and expects to win. With that kind of money on the line the odds are usually in the House's favour and you are going to loose. But that is there choice just like winning and not leaving the game. That is as the old saying goes, "Throwing good money after bad".

That is why after I won that $200 on that one slot, I walked away from it. Didn't want to risk loosing my winnings.

BRENDA

Friday, March 9, 2018 7:54 AM (P)

It's raining.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Friday, March 9, 2018 5:46 PM (P)

Well congrats again on the win, and I hope you take your time giving it back to the house. :)

I got really lucky in the stock market. Some of that (I tell myself) was good decision making, but really... how much if any at all? Had you asked me before I made any of the purchases that I did, I would have told you that it was a great idea and told you why.

I doubled the money I had put into Google at one point, and I tripled the money I put into a company that mined Gold that I don't even recall the name anymore. Around the same time, I watched the money I put into GE get cut to about 25% of its initial value.

The only reason I sold any of it was to buy the house. I would have made a lot more on Google had I stayed in longer, but I wouldn't have the house. I haven't followed any other stocks that I used to own, so I couldn't tell you where they'd be.

The biggest win for me though was my 401k that was in the most aggressive fund available and was pulling in yearly returns of 24-29% right before the bottom fell out. Had I stayed in just a little while longer I would have lost about half of what was in there in the following 6 months and I would not be living in my home now. The only reason I was spared from that was because my company had been bought out and all of our 401k funds were moved to a different provider and put in a no-risk fund and frozen for 90 days.

Had that one thing that was completely out of my control not happened, my entire life would be completely different.

I don't gamble anymore. Even in the stock market. I don't worry when people call me foolish for not "investing". Opinions being like assholes and all of that.

Do what makes you happy as long as you're not hurting anybody else. That includes hurting yourself if it becomes something that gets out of your control because somebody else you care about will be hurt by either having to try to help clean up the mess or standing back and watching you destroy yourself.

That's my biggest regret from my past behavior. Just because I pushed everybody away and didn't let anyone help me I was still hurting them by making them watch me do it all to myself.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, March 10, 2018 4:31 AM (P)

6Six, Sounds like you did okay for a while there. And as long as you are happy now that is what matters.

I will take my time giving my money back to the House. Don't know when I will go again.

BRENDA

Saturday, March 10, 2018 4:34 AM (P)

Nice sunny day here and I was off to BC Housing. I swear if one more person asks if there is just me about anything I am liable to smack them one.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, March 10, 2018 12:39 PM (P)

Yeah... there were some "good times" financially in my past. I'm really only doing alright because I learned my lessons from the first time I had a great job.

I was only 19 when I got a job through a temp agency for 11 bucks/hr and in 2 years I was pulling in around $55k before the place was shuttered. I'd stopped going to college while I was working there. I didn't see the point of it.

Unfortunately, with no references worth anything and no college education, I had to move in my Grandma's basement. I had paid off my car while working that job, but other than that I only had a few thousand bucks to my name. I spent it all partying. I'd get more calls on a Friday night back then that I do in almost an entire year these days.

5 years of working menial jobs for little pay and living in a basement with the 2 of 7 cats my Grandma had that peed everywhere will really make you learn to appreciate money a lot more. I swore that if I ever got into a position like that again I'd be saving it.

I ended up getting a job in customer service over the phone for a financial company and got top raises every year with a large promotion when I went into IBM Mainframe management. I doubled my salary in 5 years. Between saving and getting really lucky in the market (like I posted about last time), I had about $100k in savings when they laid me off. I managed to save about another $15k between my severance and unemployment checks in the next year.

After that, I knew I needed to get into a house. With my track record for finding real work, I knew it would only be a matter of time before most of that disappeared if I was paying apartment rent. Fortunately for me, timing and luck were on my side yet again because this was still when the housing market was at the bottom. There were a lot of great deals to be had out there if you were willing to put in the time and research. I eventually hooked up with an amazing Real Estate agent who didn't bullshit me at all and went above and beyond for her 5% of what ended up to be not much more than about $1,200 in her pocket at signing.

I told her that low Property Taxes were my absolute #1 priority, and she told me we had to stop looking in Illinois and instead look in Indiana. I won't go into the details of it because it's extremely complex (intentionally), but when she was finally able to explain to me how the homeowners exemption worked in Illinois and that every online listing (including by her own company) told you what your estimated tax payments would be based off the previous owners was a lie, it literally blew my mind.

I thought that I had it pretty much figured out, but long story short you could take any assumed property tax number in Illinois and add anywhere between $2000 and $3000 per year to that number once the house was in your name!

Most of my money is gone now, but TBH, I've only worked about half the time since I bought the house and all of that was part time, near minimum wage work. The house has now basically paid for itself because if I had been renting for as long as I'd been living here then I would have paid that value in rent checks every month and had nothing. Since the market has stabalized somewhat and I have done some work to the house, I could easily get back what I bought it for plus around $15-20k if I wanted to sell.

It turns out there are some really nice little houses very close to my brother in downstate Illinois near the section 8 housing that my old man set him up in for his disabilities. I REALLY like the area down there. Property taxes would be about double what I'm paying even though they're smaller homes, but I am considering it. Some of my step-mom's family lives fairly close to there and my Dad is always talking about how he'd like to move down there someday too.

Once I get some of my more pressing financial concerns taken care of, I'm going to start working on the house again bit by bit and get it to a point where I could make a decent b

BRENDA

Sunday, March 11, 2018 5:39 AM (P)

Yeah, if you decide to move fixing the house up for a good price is an idea. Being closer to your brother could be good for you.

I don't think we can truly know what the Universe has in mind for us.

BRENDA

Monday, March 12, 2018 8:40 AM (P)

Suppose to be over 60F tomorrow then rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hope the sun decides to stay.

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 10:17 AM (P)

Rain today and rain tomorrow.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 3:27 PM (P)

Been snowing around here the last few days and it's absolutely frigid in my house since I refuse to put it up over 58 degrees this late in the year. Warmer weather supposedly on its way though.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 10:35 PM (P)

Mix of rain and sun here over the next bit.

BRENDA

Thursday, March 15, 2018 7:06 AM (P)

Rain stopped this afternoon and I had to throw out another trashed umbrella. Suppose to be dry here tomorrow. I hope so.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, March 15, 2018 7:21 AM (P)

Good luck Brenda. :)

Going to have a warm one tomorrow. Time to see if my ant traps killed the pests. They have been dormant for months, but I noticed them coming back about 10 days ago. Right after I laid the traps it got cold for 3 days. I can't tell if the zero ant activity is because it got cold again or if they already wiped out their queen.

I was a little concerned when I saw about 20 of them dead in the trap, but maybe enough made it back to the hive. Fingers crossed.

I've also read some great reviews on Amazon for some outdoor bait traps that I'm going to buy to get rid of anything around the perimeter of the house. I think I was going about it all wrong last year with the spray. I was spending an hour and a half every week or two with a super saturated dose of poison in a pump sprayer and they just kept coming back.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Thursday, March 15, 2018 11:25 AM (P)

I hope so Jack.

Traps I think are better for pests and better for the environment as well as you and other critters that maybe around.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Thursday, March 15, 2018 5:43 PM (P)

You're telling me. I don't think anything would have survived crossing that stone patio that the ants basically ruined last year with their anthills for about a week after I sprayed the poison. I wouldn't even let my brother bring my niece over when I was doing that. But damned if they didn't come right back a few weeks later, tearing up the patio even more with those damned ant hills.

This review is very exciting to me. Sadly, these aren't the bait traps that I bought. I bought the indoor ones that were a few bucks more expensive by another company, so I hope they work just as well. I will be buying the Terro outdoor traps next weekend though.

Quote:
Not in the habit of leaving reviews of any kind so my posting one is testimony to how good this product is. We live on a brownstone block in Brooklyn which has had ant infestation problems for years. Walk down the block on a hot summer day and there are little mounds in the cracks between sidewalk sections with ants pouring in and out of them. This summers infestation has been particularly bad and after trying several nationally advertised products we were going to call an exterminator. Fortunately for us we're having our facade restored and the exterminator wouldn't show until the work was done. In a last ditch, I'll try anything short of radiation moment, I ordered the Terro Baits from Amazon.

Saying these work and ending the review would be neither helpful to prospective purchasers nor giving enough credit to the product. It was quite simply the strangest process I've ever witnessed. I placed a couple of the Baits in areas of our basement that act as ant superhighways with a dozen or so ants transiting at any given moment. Being curious as to how attracted the ants would be to the Baits I waited to see a couple enter the opening I had made in the side of the Bait. A few ants walked in and didn't come back out so I left not expecting much efficacy out of the Terro products.

Two hours later my wife calls me down to the basement where I witnessed what must of been several thousand ants transiting to and swarming over the Baits. The next morning we awoke to nothing except a few dead ants on the basement floor. It's been two days now and we've not seen a single ant. Freakiest thing I've ever seen. Nothing in life is this effective! We also installed a couple of outdoor Baits in the front and rear of the house and both yards are completely devoid of ants.

Now if they could make a product for mosquito that was just as effective....

I mean... how often do you hear somebody rave about something like this, especially when it's something that costs less than a buck a piece?

My poor patio...

I could have saved it if I'd only done a bit of research. Glad I got my head clear now. Can't cry over spilled milk.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, March 17, 2018 8:40 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
You're telling me. I don't think anything would have survived crossing that stone patio that the ants basically ruined last year with their anthills for about a week after I sprayed the poison. I wouldn't even let my brother bring my niece over when I was doing that. But damned if they didn't come right back a few weeks later, tearing up the patio even more with those damned ant hills.

This review is very exciting to me. Sadly, these aren't the bait traps that I bought. I bought the indoor ones that were a few bucks more expensive by another company, so I hope they work just as well. I will be buying the Terro outdoor traps next weekend though.

Quote:
Not in the habit of leaving reviews of any kind so my posting one is testimony to how good this product is. We live on a brownstone block in Brooklyn which has had ant infestation problems for years. Walk down the block on a hot summer day and there are little mounds in the cracks between sidewalk sections with ants pouring in and out of them. This summers infestation has been particularly bad and after trying several nationally advertised products we were going to call an exterminator. Fortunately for us we're having our facade restored and the exterminator wouldn't show until the work was done. In a last ditch, I'll try anything short of radiation moment, I ordered the Terro Baits from Amazon.

Saying these work and ending the review would be neither helpful to prospective purchasers nor giving enough credit to the product. It was quite simply the strangest process I've ever witnessed. I placed a couple of the Baits in areas of our basement that act as ant superhighways with a dozen or so ants transiting at any given moment. Being curious as to how attracted the ants would be to the Baits I waited to see a couple enter the opening I had made in the side of the Bait. A few ants walked in and didn't come back out so I left not expecting much efficacy out of the Terro products.

Two hours later my wife calls me down to the basement where I witnessed what must of been several thousand ants transiting to and swarming over the Baits. The next morning we awoke to nothing except a few dead ants on the basement floor. It's been two days now and we've not seen a single ant. Freakiest thing I've ever seen. Nothing in life is this effective! We also installed a couple of outdoor Baits in the front and rear of the house and both yards are completely devoid of ants.

Now if they could make a product for mosquito that was just as effective....

I mean... how often do you hear somebody rave about something like this, especially when it's something that costs less than a buck a piece?

My poor patio...

I could have saved it if I'd only done a bit of research. Glad I got my head clear now. Can't cry over spilled milk.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

When you bug spray they usually that is the makers say keep kids and animals away.
I know that even the non-toxic bug spray I use around this place gets too me if I use to much of it.

Never seen anyone rave about bait traps like that. Glad they worked for him.

Well hindsight is 20/20. Maybe you can see about repairing your patio that won't cost you too much?

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, March 17, 2018 6:26 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:

When you bug spray they usually that is the makers say keep kids and animals away.
I know that even the non-toxic bug spray I use around this place gets too me if I use to much of it.

Never seen anyone rave about bait traps like that. Glad they worked for him.

Well hindsight is 20/20. Maybe you can see about repairing your patio that won't cost you too much?

Well... Today is going to break 40, and tomorrow is going to be in the 50's. I should know by then if it worked or not. I've purposefully left a plate that has some ketchup on it about 3 feet past where the bait trap is, and I haven't seen an ant come to it in a few days. Even when it's in the 30's I would usually see about a dozen or so on it. They seem to LOVE ketchup. Fingers crossed.

The patio is pretty low on my priority list, but it probably wouldn't cost too much to fix it. It's just about 300-400 cheap stone pavers that were probably put on a flattened bed of dirt that had sand put over it before they were put down. The problem is that the ants pulled up what might quite literally be a ton of sand last year to make their hills, and instead of a relatively flat surface it is jagged all over and at least 30 of the pavers are busted.

It will be a pretty big job to fix on my own, but I'm up to it. Have to see how funds are after I get a few other much more important things done this spring like finally getting gutters on my house.

Sadly, I waited until Aluminum prices were no longer in their low point. The last quote I got on them was 3 years ago. It's been on the rise since then, and I'm sure the tarrifs aren't going to help things either. I probably will have to pay about $200-$250 more than I would have if I had done them earlier. Oh well...

Do Right, Be Right. :)

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, March 18, 2018 6:00 PM (P)

Nope... still got ants. Not a ton of them, but today is going to be pretty warm so we'll see how it goes. I don't get the feeling I'll really be able to test the potency of these traps until we really get back into the warmer weather and their feeding habits become regular.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, March 19, 2018 8:18 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:

When you bug spray they usually that is the makers say keep kids and animals away.
I know that even the non-toxic bug spray I use around this place gets too me if I use to much of it.

Never seen anyone rave about bait traps like that. Glad they worked for him.

Well hindsight is 20/20. Maybe you can see about repairing your patio that won't cost you too much?

Well... Today is going to break 40, and tomorrow is going to be in the 50's. I should know by then if it worked or not. I've purposefully left a plate that has some ketchup on it about 3 feet past where the bait trap is, and I haven't seen an ant come to it in a few days. Even when it's in the 30's I would usually see about a dozen or so on it. They seem to LOVE ketchup. Fingers crossed.

The patio is pretty low on my priority list, but it probably wouldn't cost too much to fix it. It's just about 300-400 cheap stone pavers that were probably put on a flattened bed of dirt that had sand put over it before they were put down. The problem is that the ants pulled up what might quite literally be a ton of sand last year to make their hills, and instead of a relatively flat surface it is jagged all over and at least 30 of the pavers are busted.

It will be a pretty big job to fix on my own, but I'm up to it. Have to see how funds are after I get a few other much more important things done this spring like finally getting gutters on my house.

Sadly, I waited until Aluminum prices were no longer in their low point. The last quote I got on them was 3 years ago. It's been on the rise since then, and I'm sure the tarrifs aren't going to help things either. I probably will have to pay about $200-$250 more than I would have if I had done them earlier. Oh well...

Do Right, Be Right. :)

The ants are probably attracted to the sugar in the ketchup.

Glad you haven't seen any ants around your place and hopefully the traps will keep working.

That's what they did. Still sounds like an easy enough job to do.

Sometimes you have to fix things when prices are good for the item needed. Hope the tariffs don't add too much to the cost of the gutters for you.

BRENDA

Monday, March 19, 2018 8:18 AM (P)

Dry for today and tomorrow and Tuesday by the look of the things. Yay!

BRENDA

Tuesday, March 27, 2018 7:43 AM (P)

Rain, rain and more rain today. And probably tomorrow. Have to toss another umbrella out.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, March 27, 2018 8:08 PM (P)

Stupid fog....

Had a pretty decent scare today. I've been so focused on this newish problem with my car that I forgot about how bad the old one could be when the day starts out with hours of rainy fog and my car has been outside all night.

My car wouldn't start. The battery and starter are fine, but it just wouldn't turn over. The car was kind of rocking back and forth when it finally got to the point of trying.

Being the car novice that I am, I really thought that this was it and the pistons were welded to the block. Stuck at work with 100 bucks of groceries in the car that is dead. Shit.

Called the insurance tow company and it was going to cost me 20 bucks for excessive miles to get it home. 1 to 3 hour wait. Finished my smoke and tried again. This time, I was pumping the gas quite a bit, not really caring if I flooded the engine since the tow was on its way.

Son of a bitch started.

Called up and cancelled the tow, went back out to my car, drove 3 feet and it died again. Shit.

Managed to start it pretty quickly a second time by giving it a lot of gas. Then it occurred to me that this was the old problem. I had to constantly keep my foot on the gas pedal when breaking until it "fixed" itself. Once I got it on the expressway I didn't have any more problems on the way home.

I'm so freakin done with this car. I need to find a cheap shit box that runs.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, March 28, 2018 4:20 AM (P)

I like fog Jack. But then I don't drive and walking you have to be careful. We get some pretty heavy fogs on the Lower Mainland since we have a river and the Pacific ocean on our doorstep.

I will admit that I know pretty well nothing about cars and what little I do know you could probably fit on the head of a pin.

Was pouring with rain this morning but dry right now at 3:20 in the afternoon.

BRENDA

Friday, March 30, 2018 8:22 AM (P)

More rain.

BRENDA

Monday, April 2, 2018 12:24 PM (P)

I hate my seizure meds. Specially when one tries to get stuck in my throat. Takes some coughing, hitting my chest and lots of water to get it to move properly.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, April 2, 2018 1:23 PM (P)

That sucks. :(

I've started taking vitamins again for the first time in years. I forgot to take it with what I was eating and drinking, so I tried to dry swallow it last night. By the time I finally got it down I had that bitter taste because the thin coating had already melted away and I had to get a drink regardless.

I can't believe that back in my power lifting days I used to take these Amino Acid horse pills. They were about 6 times the size of a standard multi vitamin. I'm so not used to swallowing pills now that I can barely get a vitamin down.

I tried to find a picture so you could see what I'm talking about, but all I could find online was pictures of the bottles. I don't even know if they're that big anymore. They probably corrected that issue after 15 years.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 3, 2018 4:05 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
That sucks. :(

I've started taking vitamins again for the first time in years. I forgot to take it with what I was eating and drinking, so I tried to dry swallow it last night. By the time I finally got it down I had that bitter taste because the thin coating had already melted away and I had to get a drink regardless.

I can't believe that back in my power lifting days I used to take these Amino Acid horse pills. They were about 6 times the size of a standard multi vitamin. I'm so not used to swallowing pills now that I can barely get a vitamin down.

I tried to find a picture so you could see what I'm talking about, but all I could find online was pictures of the bottles. I don't even know if they're that big anymore. They probably corrected that issue after 15 years.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

It does suck as I have never been able to swallow pills. I take them with instant oatmeal as I have to take them with food. I must have had too much on the spoon and went to swallow with some water and stuck it got.

I've had some of coating come off my seizure meds and they taste gawdawful. So I try to be careful not to let them get wet.

These things I take are around the size of a multi-vitamin and 500mg. I take 3 in the morning and 3 at night.

I can't post any pictures of my seizure meds either for you. It's generic name is Keppra and if you look that up it will lead you to pictures of what I am taking.

BRENDA

Friday, April 6, 2018 9:50 AM (P)

more rain

BRENDA

Monday, April 9, 2018 9:52 AM (P)

Gotta check something out at my doctor's office this week.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, April 9, 2018 5:55 PM (P)

Good luck Brenda. Hope it's nothing serious.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 6:08 AM (P)

It isn't. I just got a notice in the mail to make an appointment for a mammogram when I have an appointment from my local hospital for a mammogram in September. I just need to know if I have to book one for this month or not. Just a mite confused is all.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 6:35 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
It isn't. I just got a notice in the mail to make an appointment for a mammogram when I have an appointment from my local hospital for a mammogram in September. I just need to know if I have to book one for this month or not. Just a mite confused is all.

Just a routine thing then?

That's good.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

SIGNYM

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 10:05 PM (P)

Can you believe that we were at 94 deg F yesterday??? Meanwhile my poor sis in WNY sent me a picture of about 2" of wet-looking heavy snow.

Crazy weather.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 10:22 PM (P)

We had a think blanket of snow near Chicago until about 10AM yesterday.

It's 60 degrees today and it will hit 70 on Friday.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

SIGNYM

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 1:12 AM (P)

Well, since weather generally travels from west southwest to east northeast, there's hope for western NY yet! It sounds like they'll get their spring in about three... two ... one ...

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

6IXSTRINGJACK

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 4:50 AM (P)

My bad... I thought it was Wednesday when I wrote that. Nights can play tricks on the mind sometimes.

It only hit 50 today. Two days of 60 after this and 70 on Friday.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 6:18 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
It isn't. I just got a notice in the mail to make an appointment for a mammogram when I have an appointment from my local hospital for a mammogram in September. I just need to know if I have to book one for this month or not. Just a mite confused is all.

Just a routine thing then?

That's good.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

More or less. Since the docs were okay about my last biopsy, they told my doctor that I needed to get another mammogram done in September. This notice I got in the mail the other day came from the BC Cancer Society as they handle mammograms. Which is why I need to check it out.

BRENDA

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 6:20 AM (P)

We had a massive downpour of rain here this morning at around 11:30am and lasted about 10minutes. Talk about yuck!

BRENDA

Friday, April 13, 2018 10:05 AM (P)

rain and hail this morning at around 10am. Oh what fun.

BRENDA

Saturday, April 14, 2018 11:20 PM (P)

Dry right now and laundry day.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, April 15, 2018 4:47 AM (P)

The ants are gone!!!!

Well... at least inside the house on the 1st floor they are. Once the weather turns and their activity picks up again, the perimeter around the basement and the porch are going to be the bigger battle, but at least I've driven them back from my living space.

I left out an open and almost empty jar of peanut butter last night to test it and there wasn't a single ant on it. It would have been swarming with ants a few months ago.

I only used half the bait traps too, so it only cost me about $2.50. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Sunday, April 15, 2018 9:38 AM (P)

Yay! on getting the ants out of your living areas Jack.

Cool. I hope you can keep them from bothering you for the hot months that are hopefully coming.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, April 15, 2018 10:06 AM (P)

Thanks. :)

I have some house perimeter powder that is supposed to take care of any more ants getting in the basement. I'm glad I read the instructions before putting it out and wasting 7 bucks though. I don't know why I had it in my mind that it worked for a couple of months with one application, but that's not how it works at all.

You're not supposed to put it down when either A) it's going to rain in the next 24 hours, or B) it's not going to be at least 50 degrees for the next 24 hours. Had I put it down on Thursday I would have wasted it twice over.

This is basically "food" poison like the traps were, but it's quite a bit stronger since it's meant for the outdoors. Plenty of warnings about keeping pets and children away from it. You're not supposed to put it down until they're visibly active, and then they'll basically be swimming in it and taking it back into the nests to destroy the queens. Fingers crossed.

I'm also going to have to do some research on some outdoor bait traps too for the stone patio. There's no way it can survive another summer like last year.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, April 16, 2018 12:21 AM (P)

Good you read the instructions on that powder. Always, always do that. Last thing you want is a lost cat or dog wandering onto your property and eating and dying. The owners could sue you. Or you little niece. Toddlers love putting rocks, dirt and other such stuff in their mouths.

Traps seem like the best way for you to go.

It is actually dry here right now but of course it is Sunday. My 1 day to stay in a really not do a whole lot.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, April 16, 2018 5:53 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Good you read the instructions on that powder. Always, always do that. Last thing you want is a lost cat or dog wandering onto your property and eating and dying. The owners could sue you. Or you little niece. Toddlers love putting rocks, dirt and other such stuff in their mouths.

Traps seem like the best way for you to go.

It is actually dry here right now but of course it is Sunday. My 1 day to stay in a really not do a whole lot.

I knew it was pretty powerful stuff. It didn't have any skull and crossbones on it or anything, but I'd have been careful with it. I was just glad I read it to find out that I would have completely wasted it if I had put it down right before it rained and then got real cold again. Instead of the bait traps that are to be put out for 3 months, this is like a one-and-done solution that's meant to be used during high ant traffic.

No way would my niece ever be in harm's way here. Whenever I get together with my bro's family, she's attached at the hip with me. lol... I've got to go find her mom or dad to keep her busy for a few minutes when I have to go to the bathroom because she wants to follow me in there too.

Man, there's nothing in life that makes me happier than the excitement on her face and the way she runs up to give me a hug when I first see her. Maybe one day when she's old enough to understand I'll tell her that she's the main reason I turned myself around.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, April 16, 2018 10:37 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Good you read the instructions on that powder. Always, always do that. Last thing you want is a lost cat or dog wandering onto your property and eating and dying. The owners could sue you. Or you little niece. Toddlers love putting rocks, dirt and other such stuff in their mouths.

Traps seem like the best way for you to go.

It is actually dry here right now but of course it is Sunday. My 1 day to stay in a really not do a whole lot.

I knew it was pretty powerful stuff. It didn't have any skull and crossbones on it or anything, but I'd have been careful with it. I was just glad I read it to find out that I would have completely wasted it if I had put it down right before it rained and then got real cold again. Instead of the bait traps that are to be put out for 3 months, this is like a one-and-done solution that's meant to be used during high ant traffic.

No way would my niece ever be in harm's way here. Whenever I get together with my bro's family, she's attached at the hip with me. lol... I've got to go find her mom or dad to keep her busy for a few minutes when I have to go to the bathroom because she wants to follow me in there too.

Man, there's nothing in life that makes me happier than the excitement on her face and the way she runs up to give me a hug when I first see her. Maybe one day when she's old enough to understand I'll tell her that she's the main reason I turned myself around.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

You are a good Uncle Jack. And that is the important thing. You never know what questions she may have for you when she is older and then you can explain things to her. Kids are pretty smart.

BRENDA

Monday, April 16, 2018 10:38 PM (P)

More rain and I hate this ruttin' place.

BRENDA

Saturday, April 21, 2018 2:08 AM (P)

Yippeee!!!! NOT! Next 3 or 4 weeks I will be getting hearing aids.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, April 21, 2018 5:22 AM (P)

Are they covered?

If they are, or most of it is, that probably isn't so bad Brenda. The ones my grandma had to wear when I was a kid were very obvious, but the last 10 years of her life you couldn't even tell that she wore them. They've come very far with that technology in the last 30 years.

If you need them now, you've probably been on your way to needing them for quite a while too. I'll bet once you get used to them you're going to wonder how you lived without them.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, April 21, 2018 7:29 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Are they covered?

If they are, or most of it is, that probably isn't so bad Brenda. The ones my grandma had to wear when I was a kid were very obvious, but the last 10 years of her life you couldn't even tell that she wore them. They've come very far with that technology in the last 30 years.

If you need them now, you've probably been on your way to needing them for quite a while too. I'll bet once you get used to them you're going to wonder how you lived without them.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

That's the good thing Jack. They are completely covered and the batteries too.

They will be very different from the ones my mom wore and that was about 10years ago now.

The last time I had my hearing tested was almost 2years ago and they said then that my left ear was bad. This time I had to guess at some of the spoken test words for the left. The hearing in it is down to 75%, the right is still 100%. Having both aids will save the hearing in my right one and shore up the hearing in my left.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, April 21, 2018 8:05 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Are they covered?

If they are, or most of it is, that probably isn't so bad Brenda. The ones my grandma had to wear when I was a kid were very obvious, but the last 10 years of her life you couldn't even tell that she wore them. They've come very far with that technology in the last 30 years.

If you need them now, you've probably been on your way to needing them for quite a while too. I'll bet once you get used to them you're going to wonder how you lived without them.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

That's the good thing Jack. They are completely covered and the batteries too.

They will be very different from the ones my mom wore and that was about 10years ago now.

The last time I had my hearing tested was almost 2years ago and they said then that my left ear was bad. This time I had to guess at some of the spoken test words for the left. The hearing in it is down to 75%, the right is still 100%. Having both aids will save the hearing in my right one and shore up the hearing in my left.

Wow! 100%. That's amazing.

I don't know how "self aware" you've become about things, but in the last year I have become more in tune with my body than I probably ever was back in the days that I took it for granted, and certainly during the time I was destroying it. What I've noticed is that it's amazing what you just learn to deal with as your new normal. I guess it makes sense... Afterall, when you're a kid and nothing is wrong with you, you tend to think that being old one day would just be agony for so many reasons. It's really not, but I think that has a lot to do with how your mind (thankfully) plays tricks on you and allows you to cope with the changes.

I'm going to bet that you've become quite accustomed to the hearing loss up to this point, and it's only after you get your new aids and it's so much better that you realize just how bad it has actually gotten.

I may have mentioned before that my Step Sister works with her husband who is an oral surgeon. She makes the molds for dentures. My step-dad called me last week and said he talked to her the other day and she said that "I'm family" and they're going to do right by me. I haven't called her yet, but with the price my step-dad said this would cost I'm guessing that they'd do it for me at pretty much cost.

Since I don't have any insurance and the problem has gotten so bad that there really is no way of even staving it off at this point, even though I'm not drinking and I'm eating healthy and taking vitamins, I think it might be time to say goodbye to my teeth and just get full dentures. The teeth still look good and I still have a great smile, but besides vanity there's really no reason to hold on to them anymore. I'm pretty sure at this point that every day I keep them in my mouth I'm shortening my lifespan by two days.

On the plus side... It will be nice to be able to eat steak and corn on the cob again. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, April 21, 2018 10:09 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Are they covered?

If they are, or most of it is, that probably isn't so bad Brenda. The ones my grandma had to wear when I was a kid were very obvious, but the last 10 years of her life you couldn't even tell that she wore them. They've come very far with that technology in the last 30 years.

If you need them now, you've probably been on your way to needing them for quite a while too. I'll bet once you get used to them you're going to wonder how you lived without them.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

That's the good thing Jack. They are completely covered and the batteries too.

They will be very different from the ones my mom wore and that was about 10years ago now.

The last time I had my hearing tested was almost 2years ago and they said then that my left ear was bad. This time I had to guess at some of the spoken test words for the left. The hearing in it is down to 75%, the right is still 100%. Having both aids will save the hearing in my right one and shore up the hearing in my left.

Wow! 100%. That's amazing.

I don't know how "self aware" you've become about things, but in the last year I have become more in tune with my body than I probably ever was back in the days that I took it for granted, and certainly during the time I was destroying it. What I've noticed is that it's amazing what you just learn to deal with as your new normal. I guess it makes sense... Afterall, when you're a kid and nothing is wrong with you, you tend to think that being old one day would just be agony for so many reasons. It's really not, but I think that has a lot to do with how your mind (thankfully) plays tricks on you and allows you to cope with the changes.

I'm going to bet that you've become quite accustomed to the hearing loss up to this point, and it's only after you get your new aids and it's so much better that you realize just how bad it has actually gotten.

I may have mentioned before that my Step Sister works with her husband who is an oral surgeon. She makes the molds for dentures. My step-dad called me last week and said he talked to her the other day and she said that "I'm family" and they're going to do right by me. I haven't called her yet, but with the price my step-dad said this would cost I'm guessing that they'd do it for me at pretty much cost.

Since I don't have any insurance and the problem has gotten so bad that there really is no way of even staving it off at this point, even though I'm not drinking and I'm eating healthy and taking vitamins, I think it might be time to say goodbye to my teeth and just get full dentures. The teeth still look good and I still have a great smile, but besides vanity there's really no reason to hold on to them anymore. I'm pretty sure at this point that every day I keep them in my mouth I'm shortening my lifespan by two days.

On the plus side... It will be nice to be able to eat steak and corn on the cob again. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

The Audiologist showed me my test results after she did them.

I'm pretty self-aware. Became that way after the brain tumor. I have noticed in the last few months a dip in my hearing in my left ear and have had to ask people to repeat themselves as I am not catching words or not hearing them properly.

I'll adjust better than my mom did. She wouldn't use them and I tried to explain to her why she kept picking up all the background noise that she was and the Audiologist started to explain it to me and was surprised that I knew it.

My parents were older than all my friends so I knew what growing old looked like from an young age.

Not sure if you did tell me that your step-sister works with her husband who is a dental surgeon. But if they can help yo

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, April 21, 2018 10:48 AM (P)

Yeah.... I actually pulled one of my molars out with a pair of alcohol cleaned vice grips back in late November. "Pulled" might be overstating it since by that time the gums had receeded so much and there was no bone it was attached to that it literally came out with a small pop and I immediately felt like a million bucks when it was out. I think by that time my body was treating it as an infection itself.

Shortly thereafter the first one to go wobbly on me quite a few years back (I'm sure I mentioned the story here somewhere) finally just fell out on me when I was eating a pizza one day. Damn thing came out without any pain as if I was losing a baby tooth.

These are two of the 7 I was told a few years back there was no saving. I've lost 80% of the jaw bone that holds the teeth in and I was told the only reason I really have any teeth left is because of my gums and cartilidge. Maybe I've lost more in the last few years... I dunno. A few more have become wobbly and I'm unable to tear into any food or eat anything that's likely to get stuck in between my teeth (steak, chicken, popcorn, etc.) The funny thing is that there is almost no pain at all now that the two extremely bad ones are out. I don't know how much that has to do with my own tolerance for pain and living with my new normal.

Aside from the fact that the gums are receding now, it's hardly noticeable to anybody else, but it's only a matter of time, and because of the damage done already it's only going to get worse the longer I don't do anything about it. Since I'm not going to shell out what would end up costing more than my house cost me to get implants, dentures are really my only option. I'm not looking forward to having my teeth knocked out since I never had any cavities and the remaining teeth themselves still look very nice, but I think at this point they're doing great harm to my body, particularly my heart.

I'm grateful that I know somebody. I'm not in any position to afford this if I had to pay the going rate. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, April 21, 2018 11:52 AM (P)

True you do have to think of your future health.

It's good that you know people who can help you out.

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 24, 2018 10:42 AM (P)

Nice dry day here today.

BRENDA

Tuesday, April 24, 2018 10:44 AM (P)

Right now had a nasty surprise found an additive in the brand of soy milk that I buy that I usually only find in cow's milk and in some apple turnovers that I like. So now I have to look for a new brand to buy.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, April 24, 2018 4:42 PM (P)

I've cut nearly all gluten and soy out of my diet. I'm going to try eating like this for a while and see what happens.

It's essentially the Keto diet with some alterations. I'm not doing it to lose weight since I've already gotten as low as I wanted, but I'm trying to lower my blood pressure and I also want to lower natural inflammation that causes arthritis and other pain that occurs with a high carb diet. (The one I had when my primary intake was beer and pastas).

It's amazing that with my other health issues that I didn't get type 2 diabetes along with it.

I don't do the fasting part everyday. It's a lot easier to do it on days that I work than it is when I'm not working. I usually make it at least 5 hours after waking up without eating. On days that I work, I usually go about 10 to 12 hours after waking up without eating. There's rarely a day that I don't at least go half of the day without any caloric intake when you include sleeping.

Like I say, I'm not trying to lose weight, so when I do eat, I eat a ton. I'm also eating more protein than the standard Keto diet because I'm heavily active at work and I'm just now beginning to work out on my off days in between as well. (excess protein gets turned into sugar, so if you're not using it by being active then it defeats the point of the diet).

I've gotten down to about 150-155 lbs, but I'm hoping by the end of summer to be a strong and lean 165lbs, which wouldn't be too bad considering I'm only 5'7".

Back in the worst of my drinking days, I could barely fit in 36" jeans and I had to notch 2 extra holes in my belt. I'm now fitting comfortably in 32" jeans and put the belt at the 5th hole in (including the 2 extra ones I notched).

One almost instant benefit I've noticed after a few weeks of this is that my intestinal issues seemed to have disappeared. You don't notice your own farts at home when you live alone and when you work in a huge store over nights, but when I went down with my old man to visit my brother in his small apartment he said I smelled like death, and I quickly became very aware and self conscious of the issue.

Another thing I've been noticing is that I don't need as much sleep and I have more energy. I don't know if I can attribute that much if at all to the new diet yet though since I've been making so many other lifestyle changes gradually over the last year and a half since I stopped drinking. I also started taking "old man" multi-vitimans right around the time I changed up my diet as well, so there's that too.

It's an easy diet to stick to since I'm not reducing calories. It's a little boring, sure, but even when I ate crap it was a pretty boring and repetitive selection of easy to make crap. If the lack of variety starts to bother me there are plenty of recipes out there to broaden my horizons.

I've heard a lot of good things about this diet from people that I respect. I'll let you know a month or two down the road how I'm feeling and if my blood pressure goes down.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, May 5, 2018 5:11 AM (P)

With my low blood sugar Jack. I have to watch my carbs and sugar intake. I have discovered that I have to have gluten in my diet or I can feel sick.
So even with that discovery I still have to watch my carbs and sugar intake for my low blood sugar.

It's annoying but I've been doing it for so long that most of the time I don't notice it.

Since there is no soy milk I can use or alternate milks, I am back to cow's milk as long as it is organic which means no additives.

BRENDA

Saturday, May 5, 2018 5:12 AM (P)

Also found out today that my hearing aids will be in next week either Wednesday or Thursday. Government paperwork all cleared.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Saturday, May 5, 2018 9:27 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
With my low blood sugar Jack. I have to watch my carbs and sugar intake. I have discovered that I have to have gluten in my diet or I can feel sick.
So even with that discovery I still have to watch my carbs and sugar intake for my low blood sugar.

It's annoying but I've been doing it for so long that most of the time I don't notice it.

Since there is no soy milk I can use or alternate milks, I am back to cow's milk as long as it is organic which means no additives.

How long have you gone without gluten in your diet before feeling sick, Brenda?

I've actually heard that your gut microbiome can effect your cravings and your mood when you change your diet up. Especially when removing gluten from your diet. I don't know how true any of that is, but new studies are starting to say that changing your diet might actually be more than just changing a habit long enough that you stick with it. Gluten especially can throw your system out of wack if you're eating too much of it and it can lead to inflammation and even auto-immune problems. It sounds like you don't eat much of it, but maybe because of your other problems whatever you are taking in is still too much.

I still haven't seen a huge reduction in pain yet myself, but there is another noticeable benefit from my overall change of diet and my more active lifestyle. For a while there some of my fingernails were growing in "wavy" and I would get white spots underneath them. The waves most noticible in the thumbnails. Though a few smaller white spots have still developed that are relatively new, they're nowhere near as large as some of the ones that I was getting. The nails have completely stopped growing in wavy now and in a week or two the parts of the nails that were wavy will have grown out and been clipped off.

Congrats on the free hearing aids. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Saturday, May 5, 2018 10:09 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
With my low blood sugar Jack. I have to watch my carbs and sugar intake. I have discovered that I have to have gluten in my diet or I can feel sick.
So even with that discovery I still have to watch my carbs and sugar intake for my low blood sugar.

It's annoying but I've been doing it for so long that most of the time I don't notice it.

Since there is no soy milk I can use or alternate milks, I am back to cow's milk as long as it is organic which means no additives.

How long have you gone without gluten in your diet before feeling sick, Brenda?

I've actually heard that your gut microbiome can effect your cravings and your mood when you change your diet up. Especially when removing gluten from your diet. I don't know how true any of that is, but new studies are starting to say that changing your diet might actually be more than just changing a habit long enough that you stick with it. Gluten especially can throw your system out of wack if you're eating too much of it and it can lead to inflammation and even auto-immune problems. It sounds like you don't eat much of it, but maybe because of your other problems whatever you are taking in is still too much.

I still haven't seen a huge reduction in pain yet myself, but there is another noticeable benefit from my overall change of diet and my more active lifestyle. For a while there some of my fingernails were growing in "wavy" and I would get white spots underneath them. The waves most noticible in the thumbnails. Though a few smaller white spots have still developed that are relatively new, they're nowhere near as large as some of the ones that I was getting. The nails have completely stopped growing in wavy now and in a week or two the parts of the nails that were wavy will have grown out and been clipped off.

Congrats on the free hearing aids. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

It was about 3 days and it was mostly because the product that I was using to replace the soy milk that I can no longer use had no gluten in it. Once I started eating like I normally do I the upset stomach went away.

Because of my low blood sugar my body uses gluten to work off of. So while I limit what bread and such I eat, I do have to have some.

I get aches and pains but then I am a good few years older than you. Arthritis runs in my family and I will be very lucky if I escape that. But we shall see.

My hay fever is a big enough pain and I use eye drops mostly to treat them because of my seizure meds and thyroid don't mix with allergy medication. I do keep Reactine on hand for emergencies like if I am having trouble breathing. But I can only use it for a short time.

I'm glad that some of your problems seem to be clearing up. Good work on that and keep it up.

Thanks but I am already twitchy about them. I don't like the idea but I have to do it.

SIGNYM

Sunday, May 6, 2018 10:39 AM (P)

huh, this is interesting because I'm dealing with a lot of the same issues: hearing, arthritis, gluten etc.

No advice from this end, you both sound like you're working thru your health issues in a very practical way, just want to share what's going on with me ....

I think I mentioned that I retired a less than a year ago. Those last few years at work were just agony ... I felt like shit all of the time, it was a major struggle just to (mentally) keep putting one foot in front of the other. I'd wake up after a couple of hours of sleep dead tired but feeling so crappy in some undefinable way that I had a hard time getting back to sleep. That's why I posted here at stupid-o'clock in the AM.

After I retired, altho I had the oppty to sleep more, I was still dog-tired all of the time. Eventually I reached a crisis of pain and fatigue that had me feeling like I had the worst flu in the world for weeks and weeks and weeks. My joints hurt, I had "pinching pains" running thru my body all of the time, and I was so tired I could barely drag myself out of bed. So FINALLY was motivated to try to nail down what the problems were, and since I was losing my hearing I went in for an MRI (to check for neuroma) and then an allergy test. So in quick succession I made it a point to get more sleep, started taking a Rolaids (magnesium and calcium) before bed to tamp down possible acid reflux, quit taking statins, started taking aspirin (the only NSAID not associated with "cardiac events"), got my chronic sinusitis treated, purchased a mouth appliance to position my jaw forward to pull my tongue out of the back of my throat (THAT made a huge difference!!!) got a hearing test followed by an MRI followed by a thorough allergy test and ...

I found out that I'm allergic to everything that that can be breathed, and about a third of the foods that they tested me for! (beef, rice, potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, coffee, lettuce, chocolate, orange, pork ... some other stuff I can't remember!) I can't imagine how I developed such a roster of food allergies, since I've been implementing a rotation diet since whenever!

I have SOME indication that I'm gluten intolerant (low iron) and have been off and on gluten for years. But I suspect, and I asked the doctor and she said that it was a possibility, that eating gluten has inflamed my gut sufficiently, weakened the barrier and allowed food components into my blood and setting off allergies.

So I got off gluten entirely, quit eating beef, and my muscle pains went away when I quit the statins and the joint pains really throttled back by going off gluten (again). I think that with all of those allergies my sinuses went nuts and my tongue swelled up, leading to sleep apnea and all of the other issues I was having. So by quitting wheat and treating my nasal congestion and tongue swelling, I can finally sleep. What a relief.

And finally! I had a lump on my wrist biopsied. With all of the weird eczema, purpura, granulomas, blisters, dry skin, and scars ... the doctor kept saying .... you have REALLY sensitive skin! and I'm thinking ... No shit, tell me something I don't know already

But apparently my immune system is on a rampage, and it's showing up in my skin and everywhere else.

****

At this point we are renovating part of our house (phase I) in which we are turning one hallway into a closet and incorporating another hallway into a room. It's dusty, and since my poor hubby is still working, I'm honchoing the work - definitely out of my comfort zone! But at least I scattered the usual cosmos and CA poppy seeds and they popped up and blossomed prolifically. The goldfinches are eating the cosmos seeds and the bees are busy with the poppy flowers and the mourning doves are having a good time with the poppy seeds, so all is well with the garden.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mth

BRENDA

Sunday, May 6, 2018 11:28 AM (P)

Sounds like you are working great guns on your health issues as well Sig.

I sleep with 3 pillows because of my allergies. Makes breathing easier though I have a habit of pulling at least one flat.

I've also dealt with acid reflux over the years. Started with stress from my mom and looking after her when she was alive. Now, I get it when I am really upset or stressed out before I go to bed. So I try not to get too upset before bed or I am in for a rough night.

I limit the amount of beef I eat because of my low blood sugar. It's hard for my system to digest. Not to say that I don't eat hamburger and such once in a while because I do.

Lady, I work for just redid the kitchen and the bathroom sink and counter in their house. The kitchen now has white cupboards with blue tiles. I don't like it at all.

SIGNYM

Sunday, May 6, 2018 3:19 PM (P)

Quote:
Lady, I work for just redid the kitchen and the bathroom sink and counter in their house. The kitchen now has white cupboards with blue tiles. I don't like it at all.

What don't you like, the color scheme? Blue and white ... even tho it can look great on a Greek island, it can seem kind of cold, especially in a cold climate. Is that it?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, May 6, 2018 6:14 PM (P)

Damn sigs. Hope it all works out for you. ;)

I'm a little bummed my pain hasn't gone away yet. I probably just have to give my change in diet more time. I've heard stories where arthritic and joint pain almost disappeared overnight, but those are just stories and they probably took longer than the people said they did.

I do have a LOT more energy now. I'm sure it's not at the levels that your average 38 year old should have, especially considering I've lost enough weight that my 6 pack is starting to show and I can actually see my upper ribcage when I'm stretching again, but considering how terrible I was to my body for so many years I didn't expect that the damage could be undone immediately. I'm sure the teeth issues I'm having aren't helping out with this at all either.

Also, it's not as if I've given up smoking and I do drink a LOT of coffee.

I need to start being more active on my days off of work. I've noticed that my pains are less when I work more days in a week, and not the opposite like you would think in a job as physically demanding as mine is. My project that I'm working on in my free time is on the computer, so I've got to make an effort to get up and do some things in between. Sometimes I don't move anything besides my hands for hours on end. I think I'm going to get a stopwatch that will beep every hour or so and then get up and just do some stretches and throw around my dumbells for a few minutes before going back to it.

One thing I recommend to anybody is daily fasting. I haven't bought any kits to test for ketosis, so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, but I have to imagine that for a large part of every day my body is in a state of ketosis. I just got back from work today and I haven't eaten since around 3PM yesterday. I'm actually going to wait about an hour and mow my lawn, so I probably won't even be eating until around 10AM at that point.

Don't get me wrong... when I eat I eat like a King. I'll probably eat about 2,500 - 3,000 calories between 10 and Noon.

I'm going to keep at this a while longer and see what I can do. I really don't want to go see a doctor, and I'd rather be able to get my blood pressure and my pain under control without taking any meds for them. There's been great changes in other physical problems I was having. Just need to get those two things under control and then continue to eat right and stay physical.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

SIGNYM

Sunday, May 6, 2018 9:01 PM (P)

Quote:
I'm a little bummed my pain hasn't gone away yet. I probably just have to give my change in diet more time. I've heard stories where arthritic and joint pain almost disappeared overnight, but those are just stories and they probably took longer than the people said they did.

It could be that you have a reaction to something other than wheat. See if you can correlate it to a specific food.

ALSO, are you taking vitamins? You really could be vitamin D deficient, and joint pain is a real consequence of that. Unless you're eating really good sources of vitamin D (fatty fish, milk with vit D added, fortified cereals and breads, eggs) and getting at least 15 minutes of bright noontime sun, that could be the source of your problem. Vitamin D is CHEAP. Get a small bottle of 4000 IU. Also, to encourage your gums to stay strong, make sure you get enough vitamin C ... another cheap vitamin.

And finally ,,, my joint pain isn't really gone, just a lot more tolerable. I still have to knock it down with 650 mg aspirin @ bedtime every few days; it will probably require me to eliminate a lot more of those allergenic foods.

Quote:
I do have a LOT more energy now. I'm sure it's not at the levels that your average 38 year old should have

a) The average 38 year-old prolly has less energy than you think and
b) how much energy you have is an excellent indication of health, so good for you on restoring it!

Quote:
One thing I recommend to anybody is daily fasting. I haven't bought any kits to test for ketosis, so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, but I have to imagine that for a large part of every day my body is in a state of ketosis. I just got back from work today and I haven't eaten since around 3PM yesterday. I'm actually going to wait about an hour and mow my lawn, so I probably won't even be eating until around 10AM at that point.

Don't get me wrong... when I eat I eat like a King. I'll probably eat about 2,500 - 3,000 calories between 10 and Noon.

The thinking on eating frequency has really turned around in the past ten years or so. It used to be that they encouraged frequent eating ... three meals and two snacks ... on the idea that humans evolved as "grazers" ... eat-as-you-gather. But constant eating puts a strain on your liver, which then is always in "food storage mode" instead of "food disbursement mode"; frequent meals seems to encourage fatty liver. Yanno, kind of like they enlarge goose liver (constant force feeding) to make fois gras.

However, people prone to low blood sugar have to be careful, so there is never any advice that's good 100% across the board.

Quote:
I'm going to keep at this a while longer and see what I can do. I really don't want to go see a doctor, and I'd rather be able to get my blood pressure and my pain under control without taking any meds for them. There's been great changes in other physical problems I was having. Just need to get those two things under control and then continue to eat right and stay physical.

If you're not eating fruits or veggies then you need a source of potassium (and vitamin C) from somewhere else. We are biologically programmed to need BOTH meat (for B12) AND fruits/veggies (for vitamin C), both of which are ESSENTIAL and neither of which we can synthesize. That puts us in the realm of OBLIGATE OMNIVORES.

People need about 3 grams of potassium a day, and the best natural sources are also the starchiest: bananas, potatoes, yams/sweet potatoes, oranges and orange juice, beans.

Quote:
Potassium is an essential nutrient used to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. A deficiency in potassium causes fatigue, irritability, and hypertension (high blood pressure) https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php.

The doctors who were the farthest ahead on this were Drs Michael and Mary Dan Eades, they wrote Protein Power and Protein Power Lif

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, May 6, 2018 9:32 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
It could be that you have a reaction to something other than wheat. See if you can correlate it to a specific food.

Well... my diet is about 100% different than it used to be before, and I had a lot of joint pain and probably undiagnosed arthritis and a lot of inflammation. It is possible that I'm just eating different foods now that are also causing problems, but it's hard to say because it really was terrible before. It's better now, but I've changed so many habits that it would be hard to say that my diet was the cause of a reduction in pain at all at this point.

Quote:
ALSO, are you taking vitamins? You really could be vitamin D deficient, and joint pain is a real consequence of that. Unless you're eating really good sources of vitamin D (fatty fish, milk with vit D added, fortified cereals and breads, eggs) and getting at least 15 minutes of bright noontime sun, that could be the source of your problem. Vitamin D is CHEAP. Get a small bottle of 4000 IU. Also, to encourage your gums to stay strong, make sure you get enough vitamin C ... another cheap vitamin.

Without having seen a doctor about it, I'm fairly confident that my teeth problem was in large part due to my getting almost zero vitamin D during my drinking phase where I rarely went outside, I had a terrible diet and (I believe) that drinking heavily depletes whatever Vitamin D you did have.

I can't afford fish unfortunately, but I love milk. I drank skim for hte longest time, but now that I'm not worried about weight I think I might start drinking whole milk. Good idea. Thanks. ;)

Quote:
And finally ,,, my joint pain isn't really gone, just a lot more tolerable. I still have to knock it down with 650 mg aspirin @ bedtime every few days; it will probably require me to eliminate a lot more of those allergenic foods.

Yeah... I really don't want to take anything yet. God knows what damage I've caused my liver with the drinking. I'm trying to give it a break. I was worried that my coffee might also be bad for the liver, but good news... looks like a Google search says that it might actually be good for your liver. Score.

I hope you don't miss a lot of food that you used to eat because of allergies. I know that it's been pretty tough for some people I know that developed allergies. Fortunately for me, food has never really been one of my vices. I do miss pizza and pasta everyday, but giving them up was a lot easier than giving up smoking ever would be.

Quote:
a) The average 38 year-old prolly has less energy than you think and
b) how much energy you have is an excellent indication of health, so good for you on restoring it!

Well I feel about 10 years younger just over the last half year or so. Losing that weight had to be the biggest contributor to that. Now I've got to get my 36 year old brother on board. I worry about him because he's well over 200 lbs overweight. I'm trying to lead by example and get him and my sis in law to start managing their weight. At least my niece is always running around and burning off all of that food that I'm sure they're letting her eat.

Quote:
The thinking on eating frequency has really turned around in the past ten years or so. It used to be that they encouraged frequent eating ... three meals and two snacks ... on the idea that humans evolved as "grazers" ... eat-as-you-gather. But constant eating puts a strain on your liver, which then is always in "food storage mode" instead of "food disbursement mode"; frequent meals seems to encourage fatty liver. Yanno, kind of like they enlarge goose liver (constant force feeding) to make fois gras.

However, people prone to low blood sugar have to be careful, so there is never any advice that's good 100% across the board.

I didn't know all of that. :)

I'm just starting to learn all of this now. The only time in my live I ever r

BRENDA

Monday, May 7, 2018 12:14 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Lady, I work for just redid the kitchen and the bathroom sink and counter in their house. The kitchen now has white cupboards with blue tiles. I don't like it at all.
What don't you like, the color scheme? Blue and white ... even tho it can look great on a Greek island, it can seem kind of cold, especially in a cold climate. Is that it?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

It would look better on a Greek island and if the rest of the house was white inside. The house is meant to look like a log cabin. The man who originally had it built, built it from a kit for his wife. So, this scheme clashes.

1KIKI

Monday, May 7, 2018 1:27 AM (P)

"I've heard stories where arthritic and joint pain almost disappeared overnight"

My story isn't overnight, but within 3 days.

Long story - there's a young guy at work who was in a serious car accident - rear-ended by a cement truck sitting at a stoplight.

Anyway, we were talking about the two kinds of pain. There's the pain 'out there' somewhere, in your knee or your hand. It hurts, and sometimes even a lot, but it's out there and you can deal with it ok.

And then there's the other pain that just grinds into your brain. It doesn't even need to be intense, but there's something about it that affects your entire being.

I had the second type since at least the age of 35. Then about 2 years ago I stopped using olive oil and changed to sunflower oil. And just like that - like a switch - the grinding pain was 95% gone in 3 days. And while I still have arthritis and bursitis and their pains, it's out there in my joints.

My point is that people can be reacting to something VERY specific - completely idiosyncratic - and something that general advice doesn't address.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, May 7, 2018 6:30 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
"I've heard stories where arthritic and joint pain almost disappeared overnight"

My story isn't overnight, but within 3 days.

Long story - there's a young guy at work who was in a serious car accident - rear-ended by a cement truck sitting at a stoplight.

Anyway, we were talking about the two kinds of pain. There's the pain 'out there' somewhere, in your knee or your hand. It hurts, and sometimes even a lot, but it's out there and you can deal with it ok.

And then there's the other pain that just grinds into your brain. It doesn't even need to be intense, but there's something about it that affects your entire being.

I had the second type since at least the age of 35. Then about 2 years ago I stopped using olive oil and changed to sunflower oil. And just like that - like a switch - the grinding pain was 95% gone in 3 days. And while I still have arthritis and bursitis and their pains, it's out there in my joints.

My point is that people can be reacting to something VERY specific - completely idiosyncratic - and something that general advice doesn't address.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

I know type two pain. I felt that when I landed flat on my back and nearly cracked it in half when I slipped on my stairs while I was drinking. Not being able to sleep for 3 days straight and in absolute agony no matter what position you were in with no relief. Pain two, for me, is wanting to die.

I'd say the pains I'm talking about are type one. They can be pretty brutal after a long day of work, and I've noticed they can be even worse in my left leg if I've been on the forklift for any extended period of time because of the pressure plates under your feet that were probably designed for 200lbs people and I have to "work" at getting them to do what they're supposed to do. But these are the pains that become your new normal over time. They're not pleasant, but you can compartmentalize them to the point that they're not much more than background noise. They're only really noticeable to me when I think about how I'd like to play guitar again, but it's too painful to be enjoyable.

I've still got hope that it's the gluten. Here I was thinking that I was gluten free now, and I'm eating a half a box of Life cereal everyday.

I'm too cheap to throw out good food, so my gluten free diet starts next week.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, May 7, 2018 6:33 AM (P)

Hearing aids are in. Will make an appointment tomorrow to see about fitting them.

1KIKI

Monday, May 7, 2018 6:51 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I've still got hope that it's the gluten. Here I was thinking that I was gluten free now, and I'm eating a half a box of Life cereal everyday.

I'm too cheap to throw out good food, so my gluten free diet starts next week.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

Give it a good try! Even if you only notice *some* improvement, it's still an improvement! Having only *some* improvement means you probably need to pursue another thing to fix in addition. But, from serious experience, I can say that if after 5 weeks you're still equivocating - I think it's a little better ... - it's not working. Don't be afraid to move on and try something new.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

1KIKI

Monday, May 7, 2018 6:53 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Hearing aids are in. Will make an appointment tomorrow to see about fitting them.

YAY !!

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

BRENDA

Monday, May 7, 2018 8:57 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Hearing aids are in. Will make an appointment tomorrow to see about fitting them.
YAY !!

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

Kiki, 1 sentence: I don't wanna!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1KIKI

Monday, May 7, 2018 10:55 AM (P)

I have them. I got tired of not being able to hear what people were saying.

My hearing used to be not just good - it was phenomenal. My eyes were good. But, age happened.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

BRENDA

Monday, May 7, 2018 11:24 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
I have them. I got tired of not being able to hear what people were saying.

My hearing used to be not just good - it was phenomenal. My eyes were good. But, age happened.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

I've had ear problems since I was a child. It was just not something I thought about.

Given that I survived a brain tumour and where it was, it shouldn't surprise me that my hearing on the left side is almost gone. Had glasses since I was in high school and I hate them as well.

It's just arrrrgghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1KIKI

Monday, May 7, 2018 1:50 PM (P)

I know about the glasses thing, at least somewhat. Whatever grade it was where you go from block print to cursive, my eyes went suddenly, terribly bad. And the ophthalmologist couldn't get a bead on the scrip, since every 6 months my left eye was different from the 6 month exam before. It would make wild swings, nearsighted to farsighted, and back again.

Then when I was 18 I got a scrip I just couldn't get used to. Maybe it was mis-filled. Anyway, I stopped wearing glasses. But age-related nearsightedness hit me early, before 40.

And I've always had floaters, but now they're so bad I can hardly see. No correction seems to make up for that.

But all in all, the bad hearing and vision, arthritis and bursitis, are acceptable so far. And thank god I found an answer for the pain. The asthma and terrible fatigue though ... now those are things I could do without.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, May 7, 2018 5:45 PM (P)

Yeah... Floaters aren't fun. I started getting them in my mid 20's. I asked my eye doctor if there was anything that could be done about it and they told me in short the answer was no. I could elect for some pretty risky eye surgery to take care of it, but I probably couldn't even find an eye doctor that would do it unless it got way worse than it is now.

Most of the time I dont' even notice them. It's just that when you do, you can't stop noticing them. You know how it is.

About the diet. Once I'm sure I've gone without gluten for about 5 weeks if things haven't improved, I'll let you know. My diet is super boring right now and only consists of a handful of things. I'm not calorie counting or anything, so I just kind of eat until I'm satiated. I probably eat more than I used to, but because I've been so active and I'm not putting on any weight, I'm not really worried about overeating or anything.

Maybe at that point you'd have some suggestions for me to change things up. It shouldn't be too hard since I really only eat about less than 10 things right now.

What can I say... I'm a creature of habit. At least the habit is infinitely healthier than the 10 or so things I used to eat. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, May 7, 2018 7:27 PM (P)

It pays to do your research....

https://www.eatthis.com/worst-healthy-cereals/

My go-to healthy cereals were Life and Honey Bunches of Oats.

Guess not.

I usually eat my cereal with peanut butter now, and that drowns out the taste of the cereal anyhow and it's really more for the consistency than anything else. Cheerio's it is, until I make more money and can buy the more expensive stuff.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

BRENDA

Monday, May 7, 2018 10:35 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
It pays to do your research....

https://www.eatthis.com/worst-healthy-cereals/

My go-to healthy cereals were Life and Honey Bunches of Oats.

Guess not.

I usually eat my cereal with peanut butter now, and that drowns out the taste of the cereal anyhow and it's really more for the consistency than anything else. Cheerio's it is, until I make more money and can buy the more expensive stuff.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

I eat none of those cereals on that list. My go to ones are Shreddies the original ones, Just Right which is made of 4 grains and Spoon size Shredded Wheat. I also eat Quaker Instant Regular Oatmeal to take my seizure meds with. Those are the only cereals I eat. All low in sugar and no added fruit to them.

BRENDA

Monday, May 7, 2018 10:37 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
I know about the glasses thing, at least somewhat. Whatever grade it was where you go from block print to cursive, my eyes went suddenly, terribly bad. And the ophthalmologist couldn't get a bead on the scrip, since every 6 months my left eye was different from the 6 month exam before. It would make wild swings, nearsighted to farsighted, and back again.

Then when I was 18 I got a scrip I just couldn't get used to. Maybe it was mis-filled. Anyway, I stopped wearing glasses. But age-related nearsightedness hit me early, before 40.

And I've always had floaters, but now they're so bad I can hardly see. No correction seems to make up for that.

But all in all, the bad hearing and vision, arthritis and bursitis, are acceptable so far. And thank god I found an answer for the pain. The asthma and terrible fatigue though ... now those are things I could do without.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

My glasses were for distance but before my mom died I got my first set of bifocals.

I know about asthma. My brother has suffered from it since he was a baby. I know that I am a borderline asthmatic but there is nothing I can do about that cause it is mostly caused by my allergies.

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 7:02 AM (P)

Got hearing aids today. Wore them all afternoon now ears are tired. Going to take some getting used to.

1KIKI

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 7:14 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Got hearing aids today. Wore them all afternoon now ears are tired. Going to take some getting used to.

That was my experience. A large number of people give up on the hearing aids they get and become hearing aid 'quitters'.

I've read that the way to avoid that is that you get used to them very slowly. Hearing aids don't restore your hearing to what it used to be. They seem to increase the background noise and kill spatial resolution ie, it's hard to hear where the sound is coming from.

I think you mentioned your right ear is worse? Try starting with just one ear, like your right ear, a couple hours a day. Then gradually increase the time over 3 or 4 months. Then do the same adding in your left ear.

Your brain had a long, long time to adapt to the hearing loss, assuming you're like most people and it was gradual. It'll take time for your systems to rewire for the hearing aids. Going too quickly could lead to too much frustration and discomfort.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 9:50 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Quote:
Originally posted by Brenda:
Got hearing aids today. Wore them all afternoon now ears are tired. Going to take some getting used to.
That was my experience. A large number of people give up on the hearing aids they get and become hearing aid 'quitters'.

I've read that the way to avoid that is that you get used to them very slowly. Hearing aids don't restore your hearing to what it used to be. They seem to increase the background noise and kill spatial resolution ie, it's hard to hear where the sound is coming from.

I think you mentioned your right ear is worse? Try starting with just one ear, like your right ear, a couple hours a day. Then gradually increase the time over 3 or 4 months. Then do the same adding in your left ear.

Your brain had a long, long time to adapt to the hearing loss, assuming you're like most people and it was gradual. It'll take time for your systems to rewire for the hearing aids. Going too quickly could lead to too much frustration and discomfort.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

That was my mom and she was only dealing with one aid.

It's my left that is worse Kiki.

I'm not expecting an over night fix. I know my ears and my brain are going to have to get used to them.

Not frustrated just didn't think my ears would get so tired. I will wear them again tomorrow for a period then remove them again to let my ears rest.

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 9:51 AM (P)

Now if only my allergies would stop making me cough.

1KIKI

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 10:11 AM (P)

Hey! it just occurred to me. When do you get to move into government housing? By the description of your place, it sounds like there could be mold there. Not necessarily the black toxic kind, but at least mildew behind the walls. That could really be triggering your allergies.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 10:59 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Hey! it just occurred to me. When do you get to move into government housing? By the description of your place, it sounds like there could be mold there. Not necessarily the black toxic kind, but at least mildew behind the walls. That could really be triggering your allergies.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

That is an "I don't know" Kiki. Whenever the places on the list decide I fit into their box. These places have specific criteria and if you don't fit then they won't consider you. This hearing aid situation may shake something out of the woodwork. At least I hope so.

There is mold around and dust and I am sure some mildew. That is most likely what is triggering this coughing bout. It's almost over now but very annoying.

1KIKI

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 12:09 PM (P)

it's useless voodoo, but I have my fingers crossed for you.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 12:24 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
it's useless voodoo, but I have my fingers crossed for you.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

Thanks Kiki. I'll take all the help I can get. Going to make some phone calls on Wednesday. BC Housing gave me some lists and I will take another whack at them.

BRENDA

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 12:25 PM (P)

Think I just heard something that sounded like a coyote howling. Haven't heard that in years.

1KIKI

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 6:11 PM (P)

There's a pack that sometimes howls on the hill across the street from me.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 6:32 PM (P)

So I just did some more shopping to stock up on my healthy on a budget reserves.

Here's what's in my cupboard, so to speak.

Organic bananas.
Organic creamy peanut butter (I can't seem to find organic chunky :( )
Peanuts, lightly salted with sea salt.
7.5 dozen eggs (for Hard boiled eggs only).
Some form of vegetable medley (I know it's got broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and at least one type of pepper in it).
Vitamin D milk (to replace the skim milk).
Long grain rice.
Cheerios. (To replace the not-as-healthy-as-you'd-think Life cereal that does have plenty of gluten in it).
1/4 lb pre-formed, uncooked Angus beef patties.
And I use Ceyenne Pepper for spice when I cook up rice and the vegetables together.

And that's it. Figured I might as well just list off what i'm eating now since the list is so short.

Anybody have any thoughts about anything potentially negative about what's in there, or any cheap suggestions to augment this short list?

I'd love to be eating real nuts instead of peanuts, but they're too expensive. I know that peanuts and peanut butter could be a potential problem, but I've eaten it all of my life and as far as I know nobody in my family including myself has ever had an allergy to them.

I'm also taking an "old man" multivitamin every day. I also alternate between taking a D vitamin, a garlic vitamin and a fish oil vitamin along with it, so each one of them I get once every 3 days.

This list is surprisingly cheap when you buy it in bulk. I was amazed that you could get a 10 lb bag of long grain rice for under 5 bucks, for instance.

By far, pound for pound, the most expensive item is the angus beef, of course. But I got 40 patties for around 27 bucks and I only eat 2 of them a day, so that lasts almost 3 weeks. (Oh, and I eat the patties alone without bread, but I do use a few table spoons of Heinz ketchup or A1 steak sause for a little kick).

Do Right, Be Right. :)

6IXSTRINGJACK

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 6:48 PM (P)

lol...

My brother sent me this link.

I promise, I won't become this obnoxious about it. Although I probably will be raving about the results if it works out.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

SIGNYM

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 8:27 PM (P)

Quote:
Hey! it just occurred to me. When do you get to move into government housing? By the description of your place, it sounds like there could be mold there. Not necessarily the black toxic kind, but at least mildew behind the walls. That could really be triggering your allergies.- KIKI

That is an "I don't know" Kiki. Whenever the places on the list decide I fit into their box. These places have specific criteria and if you don't fit then they won't consider you. This hearing aid situation may shake something out of the woodwork. At least I hope so. There is mold around and dust and I am sure some mildew. That is most likely what is triggering this coughing bout. It's almost over now but very annoying. BRENDA

A comment and a suggestion:

We've been watching Love it or List it Too which is a home renovation show set in Vancouver (there is a similar show set in N Carolina) and I have to wonder ... are ALL Vancouver homes built like crap? It seems like every home that they attempt to renovate has a serious flaw .... or two or three .... and one of them almost always involves rot, to the point of structural unsoundness. Yeah. I know it rains a lot there ... but it rains a lot on N Carolina too, and I don't see the same number of deficiencies in N Carolina as I do in Vancouver. Was there a housing boom 40 years ago that tolerated substandard construction?

SUGGESTION: I don't know what form your allergies symptoms take, but if it involves difficulty breathing (stuffed nose, swollen palate, uvula and back of throat, swollen tongue) to the point where it interferes with your sleep, there are LOCAL ways of treating symptoms which shouldn't interfere with your other medications. What works for me: nasal decongestant spray, nasal steroid spray, and a ZQuiet mouth insert.
I used to go sleep on the sofa when I was suffocating in my sleep, so I could prop myself up on the arms of the sofa. I even bought a wedge pillow, but I have to say that NOTHING worked as well as the combination of localized treatments (including the ZQuiet). I have terrible allergies, but rarely take antihistamines in pill form.

Also, I DO have a prescription for montelukast (advair), which is a very targeted immune modifier which has worked tremendously well for wheezing/ coughing; I can't imagine any mechanism by which montelukast interferes with any thyroid or anticonvulsant medication so you might want to look into that.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

SIGNYM

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 8:53 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
So I just did some more shopping to stock up on my healthy on a budget reserves.

Here's what's in my cupboard, so to speak.

Organic bananas.
Organic creamy peanut butter (I can't seem to find organic chunky :( )
Peanuts, lightly salted with sea salt.
7.5 dozen eggs (for Hard boiled eggs only).
Some form of vegetable medley (I know it's got broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and at least one type of pepper in it).
Vitamin D milk (to replace the skim milk).
Long grain rice.
Cheerios. (To replace the not-as-healthy-as-you'd-think Life cereal that does have plenty of gluten in it).
1/4 lb pre-formed, uncooked Angus beef patties.
And I use Ceyenne Pepper for spice when I cook up rice and the vegetables together.

And that's it. Figured I might as well just list off what i'm eating now since the list is so short.

Anybody have any thoughts about anything potentially negative about what's in there, or any cheap suggestions to augment this short list?

I'd love to be eating real nuts instead of peanuts, but they're too expensive. I know that peanuts and peanut butter could be a potential problem, but I've eaten it all of my life and as far as I know nobody in my family including myself has ever had an allergy to them.

I'm also taking an "old man" multivitamin every day. I also alternate between taking a D vitamin, a garlic vitamin and a fish oil vitamin along with it, so each one of them I get once every 3 days.

This list is surprisingly cheap when you buy it in bulk. I was amazed that you could get a 10 lb bag of long grain rice for under 5 bucks, for instance.

By far, pound for pound, the most expensive item is the angus beef, of course. But I got 40 patties for around 27 bucks and I only eat 2 of them a day, so that lasts almost 3 weeks. (Oh, and I eat the patties alone without bread, but I do use a few table spoons of Heinz ketchup or A1 steak sause for a little kick).

Well, it's a limited list, and an allergist will tell you that constant exposure to the same things over and over will promote allergic reactions. OTOH, I've been following a "rotation" diet for over 15 years, since hubby was tested for allergies, and all it seems to have done for me was promote a whole roster of allergies!

Chicken is a lot cheaper than beef, but of course takes more effort to cook. Still, I'd recommend chicken as an addition. Fish is more expensive than than either, but canned tuna on sale is convenient, I'd suggest adding fish. And beans are the cheapest of all; they take a long time to cook if you buy them dried but retain the most nutrients if you cook them yourself.

Cooking oil? You should get another form of oil to cook with, peanut oil is very short of alpha linolenic acid, try getting soy oil in addition.

You're probably short on fiber especially if you have white rice; once you work your way thru the bag of (white?) rice I'd suggest getting brown rice. Also... beans. Again.

Most likely short on potassium. You should be getting about 3 grams a day, a banana has about 0.4 grams, an 8 oz glass of milk has 0.3 grams, a cup of mixed vegetables has about 0.3 grams. Once again, beans to the rescue! One cup of lima beans (the highest in potassium) has about 0.7 grams. Other high potassium foods are potatoes and sweet potatoes.

If you're working a physically demanding job and sweat a lot, don't forget to keep up with your salt; use iodized salt. I know "they" recommend low salt diets but that can paradoxically raise your blood pressure if you go TOO low, so try to monitor your salt intake especially in the summer and keep it around 2 grams.

If you're short of "D" you won't make that up with 1/3 doses of standard IUs plus milk; that could leave you in a state of deficiency for a long time.

*****

Not an

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 3:34 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
There's a pack that sometimes howls on the hill across the street from me.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

It was one and a quick howl. Too high pitched for a dog and not a bark.

There have been packs all over my city at times and the city has issued warnings about keeping kitties and little dogs inside in the evenings.

But as I said it has been a long time since I have heard one.

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 3:39 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Hey! it just occurred to me. When do you get to move into government housing? By the description of your place, it sounds like there could be mold there. Not necessarily the black toxic kind, but at least mildew behind the walls. That could really be triggering your allergies.- KIKI

That is an "I don't know" Kiki. Whenever the places on the list decide I fit into their box. These places have specific criteria and if you don't fit then they won't consider you. This hearing aid situation may shake something out of the woodwork. At least I hope so. There is mold around and dust and I am sure some mildew. That is most likely what is triggering this coughing bout. It's almost over now but very annoying. BRENDA

A comment and a suggestion:

We've been watching Love it or List it Too which is a home renovation show set in Vancouver (there is a similar show set in N Carolina) and I have to wonder ... are ALL Vancouver homes built like crap? It seems like every home that they attempt to renovate has a serious flaw .... or two or three .... and one of them almost always involves rot, to the point of structural unsoundness. Yeah. I know it rains a lot there ... but it rains a lot on N Carolina too, and I don't see the same number of deficiencies in N Carolina as I do in Vancouver. Was there a housing boom 40 years ago that tolerated substandard construction?

SUGGESTION: I don't know what form your allergies symptoms take, but if it involves difficulty breathing (stuffed nose, swollen palate, uvula and back of throat, swollen tongue) to the point where it interferes with your sleep, there are LOCAL ways of treating symptoms which shouldn't interfere with your other medications. What works for me: nasal decongestant spray, nasal steroid spray, and a ZQuiet mouth insert.
I used to go sleep on the sofa when I was suffocating in my sleep, so I could prop myself up on the arms of the sofa. I even bought a wedge pillow, but I have to say that NOTHING worked as well as the combination of localized treatments (including the ZQuiet). I have terrible allergies, but rarely take antihistamines in pill form.

Also, I DO have a prescription for montelukast (advair), which is a very targeted immune modifier which has worked tremendously well for wheezing/ coughing; I can't imagine any mechanism by which montelukast interferes with any thyroid or anticonvulsant medication so you might want to look into that.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

America is an oligarchy
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876

There was a housing boom after WWII and also a lot of houses in Vancouver are around 100years old. So, that could account for the rot seen as well as climate. Vancouver is one of the oldest cities in British Columbia.

My allergy symptoms consist of itchy, watery eyes, running nose, sneezing, now as I get older coughing and itchy ears. I have a nasal spray that I am considering using and I keep Halls cough drops on hand and I may have to use one of those.

Thanks for the info Sig. I will take a look into that.

BRENDA

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 3:45 AM (P)

Jack, try pork as well. Ground is cheap and Sig mentioned chicken which is also good.

Canned tuna is okay but you can try canned salmon.

Also extra virgin olive oil or just no oil for frying hamburger or pork. Chicken needs a little oil. A small bottle of extra virgin doesn't cost too much and will last you a while.

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