What are you up to today if you have a chronic illness Thread 8.. plodding on gently...

[MewithME]

Linky to last thread 🧵 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5506529-what-are-you-up-to-today-if-you-have-a-chronic-illness-thread-7

Let's be good and use those last posts up first. Nice to be tidy here if not in my house! 😉

Perfect!

Thanks again, all, for the food advice for someone (me) who seemingly can't eat anything without ensuing carnage and pain. Even OTC medications were a no-no. From esophagus to large bowel, everything appears to have gone pear-shaped. (I'm early 60s, auto-immune everything, on biologics. Had scans, FIT, other faecal & blood tests and sigmoidoscopy to rule out obvious tumour. [I hope])

@TeaAndStrumpets Potatoes seem ok in small quantities - the advice is specfically no tomatoes because they are 'acidic'. Re meat: I used to be vegetarian but now I have to find protein where I can iykwim. However my guts don't seem able to digest meat very well. I can manage one egg or a small bit of poached fish a day.

DP has made me some some chicken broth though and I had some yesterday. (We'd buy it, but it's all got onion and garlic in. Sigh.)

He's also bought about 15 litres of Plenish oat 'milk' drink which doesn't have any oil or fat in it - just water, oats and sea salt; perfect for this weather. It's on offer at Tesco fortunately

@MewithME I've got tinned fish and some tinned spinach in the cupboard. I've seen the nurse diet specialist at the GP, but she says she only really deals with diabetic dietary advice ('give up cheese') so couldn't really help. I need another Gastro referral for an endoscopy but my lovely named GP passed away unexpectedly at Xmas and I'm still with the 'locum team' still who are a bit hit and miss. I'll keep trying, but it'll be another series of waits, so meanwhile I just need a plan to stay alive and kicking as well I can.

@CoffeeBeansGalore Yes, I've got plenty of cold Activia yogurts, Kefir yogurt, Yakult and lactase tablets!

I also discovered advice online to sip bicarbonate of soda in a large glass of water throughout the day to counter the acid in my stomach that seems to be permamently overflowing. And I've got the electrolyle sachets! I used to work and live in the Near East so I'm ok in the heat.

I can't manage apple at all and loads of gluten-free products seem to have apple in them! Good shout on the rice noodles upthread, thanks.

It's soooooo boring for other people. I just need a 'set menu' for my day that I can stick to and my family know about.

Thank you all, you've helped me a lot.

Oh just a thought...is quinoa a possibility? @MyAutumnCrow isn't that protein masquerading as a carb? 🤔

Also @MyAutumnCrow have you tried apps to help?

https://foodisgood.com/

Millet? Very nutritious.

Millet and quinoa are gluten-free, aren't they - they're seeds? Thanks for the ideas, @MewithME and @TeaAndStrumpets. They could break up the monotony!

I seem to be able to digest a few pickles (with the liquid drained off) like beetroot and baby cornichons, and also olives from jars, so I will invent a salad that's hardcore low FODMAP, fat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, pulse-free, acid-free and tomato-free.

I had to give up wine, you know 😱

I have retired racing greyhounds, they sleep 22.5 hours a day, only waking to move to a different sleeping area, for food, and a 20 minute walk. Even the walk is slow, 5 paces, stop to sniff, 6 paces, stop to sniff…. They are perfect chronic fatigue dogs, they make sure I leave the house and get fresh air, but don’t make me walk far or fast.

I’m low FODMAP too, my gastroparesis doesn’t like anything carby, even rice can be problematic. I can tolerate very small amounts of brown rice or potato every few days, but if I eat stodgy food every day my guts just grind to a halt. Eating in restaurants is difficult, and most ‘easy’ food or ready meals contain gluten or are bulked up with carbs. Currently eating a lot of salads, well, lettuce & cucumber, tomato & peppers are only ok in small amounts. It’s so frustrating and honestly, dull.

Ahh love a greyhound. They sound perfect! Our neighbours had one and she literally walked him onto our field, let him off lead where he’d do a lap on his own and he was done! He was the most gentle soul too.

DD2 had a retired greyhound, adopted age 7 after the previous owner went into a home. She and her DH went to the sanctuary looking for a younger dog but just fell in love with her. Absolutely the perfect dog for them, she had a lovely life.

Edited to add: there is certainly very little fresh air inside the house with a greyhound 😷

Oh I miss wine and also chocolate! My allergies have snowballed over the years, although your problems sound quite extreme. I hope the medics can sort you out.
Sorry you lost your favourite GP. A tragedy for their family and also for their patients. Over the years I have lost two of my osteopaths (same practice) two of my acupuncturists (they were also colleagues) All younger than me, and much more valuable to a lot of people. My current osteopath is pretty robust thankfully!

@MyAutumnCrow don't suppose you can tolerate sushi ginger? My fave work lunch is rice (though you could sub to quinoa? Yes it's gluten free and a protein... just checked) with smoked salmon, some pickled sushi ginger and a bit of pickled red cabbage but I also swap bits out so have sweet potato, mango, pineapple, cucumber...all sorts really. Sometimes prawns not salmon.

It's a bit like an improvised sushi bowl.

@MyAutumnCrow would non alcoholic wine be ok if it’s the alcohol you react with? There are some nice non alcoholic beverages around now, I’ve just had a mocktail

The Kylie rose one is nice.

It's the acidic nature of wine really, @JewelleryCat. The acid reflux is horrific. But there may be a cocktail out there somewhere for me ...

Very first world problems, I appreciate that.

And yes, @TeaAndStrumpets, it's so very sad to lose younger people from one's GP practice or hospital. I know they've been trying hard to recruit but are reliant on locums currently and that does tend to have an impact all round.

I'm loving hearing about all the dogs and cats.

@MyAutumnCrow I had belvoir farms raspberry margarita mocktail today if you could cope with any of the ingredients and their peach bellini mocktail is really nice too

@CoffeeBeansGalore Kylie does? I’ve never been a wine drinker but maybe I should look it up. I’m guessing it’s non alcoholic?

@JewelleryCat yes. Non alcoholic rose. Very nice & light.

Morning all!

Lovely today before 6am but I think it's going to be awful later. I spent ages yesterday looking for my flimsiest summer nightie. Usually I go to bed looking like an Eskimo but it's nice to shed the layers once in a while. The extra warmth has been wonderful for my circulation, I now have pink toes!

While I was searching for the hidden nightie I unearthed more summer things I'd forgotten about, so I'll make sure they get an airing this week!

DH is off to town first thing for a visual fields screening (early glaucoma) His consultant is perfectly happy with his results but DVLA insist he has it done again at Specsavers before they issue his new driving licence. They have the local contract, so no choice. ££££ for them!

Various people coming today, so I suppose I'll get dressed. I don't want to scare anybody with my elderly exposed flesh 😎

Morning! Not a great nights sleep in this heat - Dentist appointment today

Hopefully they have aircon!

@TeaAndStrumpets Hate it, even getting on the bed is an ordeal

Oh that's a shame. Hope it's over quickly x

I am using my fancy fan ( from my opera days). Do I look pretentious? Probably. Do I care? No. It works.

Brilliant!

@FuzzyPuffling that’s a lovely fan!

@TeaAndStrumpets that’s weird that DVLA won’t consider the consultants opinion but will be happy to consider Specsavers opinion about your DH