Thread: Rant and Rave, Cry and Complain

Originally Posted by Yorkshire Rose

Is that a horrible avatar?

I like it... very dreamy....

Originally Posted by Yorkshire Rose

Rave: Butch Hartman now has an Online Art Academy, For only $97 until 11/27. I know this would be cool for those who are interested.

Rant: I feel like it's one of those days where things just go wrong. Is that a horrible avatar?

Is the picture you?

The woman in the avatar is very beautiful and the pic is both tasteful and, yes, dreamy

Rant? Starting tomorrow, I am attempting to change a great deal about myself. The hardest thing will be my attempt to go on an all liquid diet. It's recommended for people with gastroparesis (sp) though I'm not entirely convinced I have it. Yes, I am constipated 90% of the time, but feed me certain things and off I run to the nearest toilet
BUT... I should NOT look like I'm friggin 7 months pregnant. This is getting to be too much.

I'm worried because, even though I hate eating, I really do love food. There's just so little I can actually eat that's it's more a chore. I go where my cravings lead- sweat, salty, meaty, beans. I never really crave veggies lol. Probably because the stuff I love kills me so I now associate it with everything from discomfort, disgust, and pain (corn, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes).
There's also the point that, well, I'm not dying. I'm not actively in PAIN. It's more a vanity thing and I'm only the tiniest bit vane Can I truly give up food just for a belly?
We shall see.

I just raided my cabinet and travel bag (still haven't unpacked ) and gave my kids all my stores- oatmeal, grits, slim jims, random junk.
Tomorrow I'm going to see about getting myself the cheapest possible microwave. Then I'll be stocking up on broths and acceptable soups (nothing creamy or with the aforementioned veggies) Gah!
I'll try it for a couple weeks. If it hasn't helped then I have to do the UNTHINKABLE and try to also eliminate my sodas. PLEASE do not let it come to that. Actually, a step before that will be getting rid of dairy again. I have a feeling milkshakes will be my comfort food during this transition

But, what if the first phase does work? What then? Will I have to forever drink my meals? I guess I'll just have to wait and see and also find out further recommendations from my gastro Dr. next month.

Rave: I did find 2 interesting drinks recently. The first is a Cucumber/Lime Gatorade. The other is Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar with Honey. Seeing other peoples reaction to them has been humorous. Either they could *tolerate* the drink or they want to run to the restroom and vomit. I've not found anyone yet who loves them. I couldn't drink them all the time but I like them. The vinegar drink costs $3.99 for a 16 ounce bottle so I couldn't drink it all the time any how

Goodnight, DV.

Hmmm... I should probably test my BP.... *scampers off* Hmmm... there goes that theory. BP is 124/85 my pulse is 126.
I just got back from a .93 mile walk (if I had realized just how close I was to 1 mile, I probably would have pushed more ). I've been sitting down for almost 5 minutes but my vision seems ... not quite blurry but not quite right. I thought a spike in BP might be the reason. (which occurred to me just as I sat to post here, which is why I scampered )

It feels almost like being in a dream- my eyes aren't quite as "sharp". I feel very sleepy too. I slept fairly well last night though (7hrs 54min)
It still humors me that I yawn so much when working out. I guess it's my body's way of getting more oxygen.

Rant-ish: I have to buy 2 more leashes. I can't find the things anywhere. I had to use paracord as a dog leash for the mom. The pup, I had to leave behind (he'll need an actual leash until he gets better at walking on one and listening in general).
BUT, the leashes are only $1. at the Dollar Tree and they work well enough and are long enough. That requires making an extra stop tonight though. And if Billy is working, he'll talk my ears off

Rant: I am out of my good baby wipes. Now I'm using scented monstrosities that I can't add alcohol to. 4 hours is going to seem like forever. I hope hubby sends me out early tonight.

Rave: I didn't take out an advance last week, so I get my entire allowance which I'm going to need for the microwave.

Maybe I'll just take a nap until then

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

attempt to go on an all liquid diet... But, what if the first phase does work? What then? Will I have to forever drink my meals?

Hey Zhay, I did a liquid diet for a while a couple years back. I thought it was going to be terrible, and in the very beginning it seemed like it, but honestly I adjusted really quick and it went pretty well. I only had to do it for like 3 weeks (for a cleanse) and that was enough to fix whatever was wrong in my gut. What you have is something different, but I just wanted to hopefully reassure you a little. Possibly once you undo the damage from all the bad food (which is what I had to do) you can go back to eating solid food again. Lol - it feels like I'm talking to a baby or something!

Thanks, Dark. Sometimes I FEEL like a baby (or, perhaps, a supercentenarian)

I just realized another thing that will be very hard for me, but I should try to do: Caffeine can lead to constipation. I've gotten MUCH better than I used to be- I now regularly take only 1 caffeine pill instead of 4 every day. People underestimate the levels of my fatigue. HOPEFULLY, the CPAP machine will take care of the fatigue then I wont need the pills anymore. I guess I'll just keep taking them and not utterly overwhelm myself with too many things at once. I may be working against myself and the whole point of the diet though I don't know. Hibernating doesn't really appeal to me.
I guess I just take one if I REALLY need it but otherwise I'll push through it. I often take one with Tylenol and Ibuprofen to boost the pain killing effects (only once a day if needed for various aches and pains) so I'll take a caffeine pill even if I don't need the energy. That's what I'll change. For now. Until I know more and get started.

Which brings me to another problem. How do I.... not really. I'm creating problems where there isn't any. I was worried about taking meds without solid food (otherwise I get sick), but I take them with milk with no problems so soups and broths shouldn't be any different.

I'll shut up now and get on a game
I am happy to hear you were success, Dark, and that it wasn't a miserable experience

Hope it works out for you too!

I have this app. My friends tell me I have apps for everything... But I have a really nice one for tracking food, poop, farts, and all sorts of different symptoms and then seeing correlations...

You don't get any payback for a few months... But if you eat varied and stick with it, writing up everything into the app it eventually has enough data to give you a statistic that should show you which foods, medicines, drinks you should avoid.

It's called mysymptoms. Made by skygazer labs.

Had come home to figure out both of my puppies have parvo. Thankfully we caught on early, but I'm scared they may not make it through either the treatment or the virus. They're small, terribly small, so I'm concerned. They're in the hands of some very capable veterinarians, but a small chance of death is still present and THAT'S what's stressing me out.

I'm ranting that i don't know what to type here. Even when there is much going on. I guess i'll say that much.

JDoggad I hope the pups pull through.

TropicalBreeze, haven't seen you here in ages. Hope life has been kind.

Vader, thank you! I love my apps too lol. I will definitely give it a try.

Thanks again, Dark

Rant: I hurt all over. My back, bad knee, toes (which I don't understand, because I use cushions for the two that hurt from "pinch calluses"). My hips hurt too which I think is weird.
I went for a second walk (1.6m) at 1AM. I also went to the store earlier and walked all over. So, I put in 8-9k steps by the time I went to sleep. For reference, I'm usually lucky to put in 1k. Should I dial it back to 1m a day or every other day or push through it?
I was hoping to do the 2m a day, every day, for a week to build up my tolerance and then double it the second week, then double that the third.

I'm not overweight. I'm at around 150 lbs and 5' 5". I would *like* to be back to 125 because my knee does better at that weight. I have no devastating health problems (heart/lungs sort of thing). So I *could* push through it and double down safely. What I do have, though, is chronic pain. I have a joint/cartilage disorder (so jogging and running is out of the question ) I guess I should google "exercising with Ehlers-Danlos"

Rave-ish: I discovered I cannot eat Milkshakes from Sheetz. I was extra bloated after treating myself. I was logging the calories and checked out their app after the fact and saw they use all a Frappe mix in addition to the milk mix. Perhaps the size of it also came into play. I got a large (but it did take me an hour to finish it). Tonight, I'll get one of the F'Real milkshakes and see if I tolerate that better.

Rave: I took in about 1,020 calories yesterday and I burned off 951 which meant (according to Fitbit) that I had 1,163 calories left for the day. I have NEVER been that far "under target" before

Rave: I "died' last night. I fell asleep at around 4:40AM and woke up at 12:30. I don't recall waking up once

Zhaylin, I see you're still the undisputed queen (or is it den mother?) of R&R,C&C!

I think this thread is your home.

It shall always be my home, Dark

Rant: I am running to the restroom regularly, on just day 2 of liquids But I still have my bloat belly
Also... I am much too sore to walk I'll probably take some pain meds then push through it for my 1AM walk.
Also... undiluted Beef Stock tastes sort of like melted down animal fat. I gave it to my kids to cook with

Rave: Condensed (and properly diluted) Cream of Chicken, however, is great... with season salt. It's much too bland with nothing.

Rant: I have THREE numbers for the sleep study people in THREE different locations. No one ever answers at any of them I have no idea when my appointment is for tomorrow (IF I even have tomorrows date right). I left a message and hope to hear from them. They called the first day of my trip before I crashed after driving 14+ hours. I KNOW I wrote it down, but I can't find the slip of paper anywhere. I even got some unpacking done in order to be more thorough I also checked all my devices but it's not in Notes or the Calendars. I checked my FB messages, private messages AND emails. Blah. Maybe I forgot the paper there.

Rave: I found another great show on Netflix called Person of Interest. I'm almost through the first season.

**EDIT**
Bah! I scoured my comments, sure I wrote down SOMEWHERE that my CPAP had arrived. Sure enough, I wrote about it here But I only wrote the date, not the time of the appointment. At least I know I have the correct day lol

Yes, life is great thus far.

I see Darkmatters is still here. He's still dark i see.

Originally Posted by Yorkshire Rose

So, I' wondering if I should just make a thread of my own for my pictures of stuff like food, everyday pictures, and artwork? That way I won't be double posting and hogging the thread.

Its good to know i'm not the only photographer here.

Originally Posted by anderj101

That reminds me, I really really really really really need to post some pics.

Yes.

We're just missing Tommo and Link

I got in 1.13 miles after all tonight. And I realized why my shoulders are sore... it's from fighting the dogs lol. We came across someone pushing a bike tonight and they went bonkers.
We made it to our usual stop, where I sit on a curb before turning for home, and I tried to give them some "Smart Water" in a small Betty Crocker bowl. They both looked at it like it would bite them I only bought the water for the bottle, so I didn't mind the waste that much.

I was under my caloric goal again yesterday by 613 (830 in, 1,693 out) I'm amazed at the carbs I'm still taking in (70% carbs, 19% fat, 11%protein) It must be coming from the milk or something.
I never did get out, this evening, to try that other milkshake. I'll probably pick one up while going after the CPAP (if they ever call me back).
I'm not missing food nearly as much as I thought I would. I occasionally get the urge to "snack" (I've been a snacker all my life), but it's not a strong urge and it passes quickly.

I did need a nap tonight though (8-10PM). I was hit with strong fatigue at 3PM and just couldn't fight it anymore and didn't want to take a caffeine pill. I've also not taken any pain meds at all.

Rant: The toilet is clogged and the puppy ate our latest plunger (the third one ). The kids are idiots and would STILL use it, so I taped an "Out of Order, use bucket or bag" paper to the seat They need the practice for when our plumbing freezes any how

Rave: I have a new crochet project. It's getting pretty cold. Tonight it was 43 ("feels like 34") and my nose ran during the entire walk. I'm going to make myself a ski mask of sorts.

For now, though, I guess it's bed time. No idea when (if) the sleep place will call in the AM.

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

We're just missing Tommo and Link

Yes and Aly. Yall be written essays here.

Originally Posted by tropicalbreeze

Yes, life is great thus far.

I see Darkmatters is still here. He's still dark i see.

And I see you're still tropical and breezy - and living the good life!! Your photography is on point!

And I don't write essays - I write novels!!

Whenever I'm at home for the holidays I always end up eating lots of wholesome home-cooked meals. The thing is that when I happen to eat fast food after eating proper dishes, it always makes me feel sick. It's like once my body becomes acclimated to proper food, junk food throws everything out of whack.

Anyway, one more day until I fly off to Canada

My step-daughter was somewhat like that, Yuppie. She went on a mostly green diet and eating meat after that messed up her stomach.

Rave: I got my CPAP I had to call a bunch of numbers before I finally reached a live person who gave me a number I didn't have. I *almost* didn't call it but it was that number which was able to confirm my appointment

Rave: I treated myself to a large vanilla sundae on the way home (with chocolate and strawberry sauce). I wanted just a smidge of the sauces and they added a wee bit too much but it was still great.
Rant: Now I'm completely broke
Rave: I did buy a plunger though so at least the toilet is functional again... also bought some more e-juice because there was no way I could make my supply stretch until Monday night. Those are the things I bought instead of gas So, if hubby wants to send me out on food runs, he's going to gave to put a bit into my tank.

Rant: I'm very sleepy again. I'm going to try to play a game and push through it.. if I can't, I'll have to take another nap

*woot/woot*
The dogs and I walked 2.42 miles this morning. It took us 54 minutes, but it's still progress I guess. And I'm a speed walker. We only stopped twice for under 2 minutes each time. If I walk any faster I'd be jogging
I burned 228 calories.
Something interesting is that...
Monday: 27 minute walk, average BPM 115; Tuesday: 27 minute walk avg BPM 114; tonight: 54 minute walk avg BPM 113
My BP was a smidge higher than usual when I got back at 130/89 but still great.

I did, indeed, have to take that nap earlier

Rant: There's no easy way (that I know of) to change my active hours on Fitbit. I searched and searched and finally found that Bangladesh is 6 hours ahead of me. When I typed it into the database, though, Fitbit placed them as being an hour behind So I just played with different places until I came to Nairobi. I don't know if that's going to work either though. I'm dumb when it comes to all things math and geography.
I simply want my day to begin and end at 6AM instead of midnight.
Doing this, however, I'm going to always be looking at the wrong time Right now it says it's 11:31AM (instead of 3:31AM). Maybe I'll start wearing 2 watches

Time for a shower and sleep. Sweet dreams, DV.

Rave: I just realized I have forgotten about a huge box of home made cookies in my pantry!

Cry: I am eating cookies on my couch, the clock is 13.35 and I'm watching the sun set

Edit: 13.44. Sunset is over. Hello darkness my old friend...

I dislike you now, Vader I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day now lol

No walk for me today. I picked hubby up some food and felt my ankle is twisted. I walked on uneven surfaces this AM and my ankle rolled a few times. It's not swollen or anything but I don't dare push it. I'll be taking it easy for a couple days.
I guess I should break down and buy another pair of tennis shoes. I gave my daughter my last pair so I've been walking in my sandals (they have a wide elastic strap behind the ankle to keep the shoe in place).

Eating with hubby was very hard tonight. I picked him up a stuffed chicken meal with mashed potatoes, broccoli and a roll. The smell was torturous. I think soup hasn't been bothering me because I've been so isolated
I told him I don't know how often I'll be able to eat with him until I get more stable in this diet

I don't know how much the CPAP machine helped last night. I used it for 7 hours, woke up, took it off then slept for 2 more hours lol. I'm highly fatigued right now. I might need my usual nap. I thought I was okay for a while, but nope.

Blah.
Extra blah: I think I've run out of both Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I took 2 Tylenol last night for a headache and noticed I was empty. I might have a bottle stashed somewhere though.

Blah. My ankle felt fine yesterday, so I went on my walk after all.
Except it was 28 degrees, so I doubled up on my clothes: leggings/jeans, ankle socks/long socks, 2 long sleeved shirts. I wore my back brace over my shirts. That might have been some of the problem. I then put on my 3 pound fanny pack ( too much change) and my backpack with a sweater in it *just in case*.
Very shortly into the walk, I got a huge stitch in my side. At the Vet's office (where I ended my walk the first 2 days), I took off the back brace and pressed on toward the train tracks (my best distance).

The stitch subsided but came back with a vengeance. We didn't make it to the tracks; turned around to head home.
Then my gums started aching I still haven't solved that mystery, but I figured it was because I hadn't stopped for any breaks. So I rested (under 2 minutes- standing, not sitting). That did help, and we made it home with no problems.

1.6 miles, 45 minutes, avg bpm 116

When I got home, I saw I "spotted" a little. It's too early for that noise. I also don't think I consume enough calories for menses. Hopefully it will stay away until I stabilize my health probs, diet and exercise habits.

Rave: I'm still liking the new Animal Crossing game; still enjoying Person of Interest; AND my CPAP machine does, indeed, seem to be helping. I don't toss and turn nearly as much as I used to.

I hope everyone has a great day.