As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

LannyLee

Larumbelle wrote: »

Sooo... I was right, there was something on my test results.

I have bile acid malabsorption and they're 99% sure it's caused by Crohn's disease. It's incurable, which means I'll be on a cocktail of drugs for the rest of my life, (including all these sachets I have to drink. I've just had the first one and they taste vile). They think I'll also need further surgery. Ick. And they think this is why I recovered so badly from the last operation, before the diagnosis. BUT it's totally controllable, and as long as I take the drugs and be careful with my diet and all the rest of it, it needn't be too bad.

I'm glad to finally have the proper diagnosis but I'm a little bit numb TBH. Especially since I thought they'd eliminated Crohn's a year or so ago.

{{{HUGS}}} I have Crohns & it took 3 years them to diagnose me, and it too a 3 day hospital admission for them to do that. On the bright side that was 2 years ago & once the drugs kicked in (4-6 months ) I haven't had any serious symptoms since.

kidcat

Hugs larumbelle - but on the positive side at least you know now which is always better than not knowing.

scottishminnie

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If you are just a control-freak then there are an awful lot of us about. I need to pack my own bags for all of the reasons you gave. What idiot would choose to put tins on top of tomatoes? I also put my shopping on the conveyor-belt in the order I want to pack them and it drives me barmy when the assistants choose to scan them in any old order they feel like. If those self-scanning wotsits weren't so troublesome I'd use them all the time.

Nit-pickers and control-freaks unite!

anguk wrote: »

I'm another one who likes to pack my own shopping, I put the stuff on the belt in order and then pack them according to type, so veg all goes in one bag, fridge stuff in another, freezer stuff, cupboard stuff etc. My Oh thinks I'm a bit daft but I find it makes it easier to unpack when I get home.

Larumbelle wrote: »

Minnie Yes, I am a bag-packing control freak too I don't even like OH packing for me, truth told. He always over-packs the bags and just mixes things up any old how. Maybe we should start a support group :rotfl:

Thanks goodness it's not me. I'll be much more comfortable next time about saying here's the cash however I'd rather pack myself.

BitterandTwisted- I know exactly what you mean, I carefully pack the conveyor in the order I wish to pack the goods and it's not the first time I've had an SA lean across the goods and pick something out. If they are trying to be difficult it's just counter productive as I just slow down and end up with lots of things at the end of the conveyor. I also refuse point blank to hand my card over until I've packed all my goods.

Most of the time I'm pretty quick at packing but that's because I've put them through my way to make it quicker. I don't mind self scan although my Asda only have the basket ones. I do feel though that if we all used self scans the checkout assistants would end up jobless so I kind of feel obliged to use a manned one.

I would never have thought about asking for money back on damaged goods when someone else has packed them. I've had broken eggs, ruined cakes and grapes which were so squashed they were almost wine but I thought it was my bad luck for letting someone else pack. Good on those of you who have complained - I'm not for making a fuss but I'd rather the supermarkets let people rattle tins/buckets at the door to raise money than pack groceries.

I may drop my local Asda a line suggesting that they have a packing free checkout and make it more obvious in future so I don't feel bad about saying no thanks and can still give a donation.

VJsmum

Kleopatra wrote: »

Sorry for my previous negative post.

I do think it is a shame that students of today are not encouraged by their institutions to consider what they can do for their community. Young people have all the energy and zest and could manage to help out locals as well as study.

I appreciate the sentiment but which particular aspect of their institutions should be charged with this? I am a lecturer - is it my job? THeir course director? Vice Chancellor? Housing officers? Student Union. At the end of the day they are all adults and should be able to decide for themselves. In all honesty most are just trying to keep up with their studies and find a job so that they can keep themselves. Not many parents can afford the fees as they stand now, as well as accommodation (Which is £60 a week at least and most is more) without food bills, electricity etc, all the things that we on here are concerned about. Sure they let their hair down a bit and i'm sure there are some who will cause problems but that will happen with all elements of society.

These "students" are likely to become the doctors, architects, scientists, etc of tomorrow and will be paying more tax than many people earn. I came from a hard up family and went to university in the days of full grants. I would never have been able to go today but am convinced that my tax has paid back every penny of my grant.

Oh and i am a bit of an obsessive bag packer as well!! :-)

Larumbelle

LannyLee wrote: »

{{{HUGS}}} I have Crohns & it took 3 years them to diagnose me, and it too a 3 day hospital admission for them to do that. On the bright side that was 2 years ago & once the drugs kicked in (4-6 months ) I haven't had any serious symptoms since.

Thanks that's reassuring. I know a few people who have it - all took ages to get a diagnosis. One lady I worked with wasn't diagnosed until she collapsed and was rushed to hospital, she had such bad anaemia she had to have blood transfusions and almost all of her intestine removed and a stoma put in. But like you, most of them have been able pretty much to get on with life as normal.

Kidcat You're so right. Over the years I've been told it's a symptom of depression, psychosomatic illness, "women's problems that you'll just have to learn to live with", irritable bowel syndrome, and intolerance to just about any food you can name. The cumulative effect of the illness is a lot worse than it looks on paper and I had begun to think I was maybe going mad. I am relieved to finally know. And I guess I've looked into this so long and spoken to so many people that I'm really not scared or worried about it. I'm just glad that we can start to sort things out properly now. All I need is for this post-surgery to clear up and my job to let me start work again and I can actually get on with my life!

maryb

It annoys me when the assistant takes stuff from halfway down the belt so that it doesn't move forward, when I'm trying to get the rest of my trolley unloaded and there's no room left on the belt. I asked one young assistant to please take things from the front of the belt and explained why (because at her age it wasn't too surprising that she didn't have much clue about shopping) and she got very huffy. Then when I had finished packing and was moving away I saw her roll her eyes and say to the woman in the queue behind me 'honestly, some people!' I went thermonuclear!!

Waitrose self scan is great because you can pack the bags as you go round. All the other self scans drive me mad - 'unexpected item in the bagging area' etc, etc. And if you try and do your shopping with a wally trolley they just can't cope!

Going back to the Waitrose theme, I'm finding it is increasingly good value as long as you pick and choose. I printed my shopping list out in mySupermarket and used the option where you can compare two supermarkets side by side. Although Waitrose was more expensive than Tesco overall, on the majority of individual items it was cheaper. Fruit and veg was more and that is what took it over. And as I pay with my John Lewis card I get 2% back in John Lewis vouchers so that makes it comparable with Clubcard (where you don't use the Clubcard vouchers for days out etc)

ChocClare

Larumbelle - hugs to you but, as others have said, at least you know what it is now, and that there is treatment available to control it. Small consolation, I'm sure but there you are.

Maybe this is a good thing in that it's "ammunition" for your grievance hearing? Having a diagnosed condition is surely better (I do hope you know what I mean by "better" ) than having a collection of symptoms which could mean Crohn's Disease but which, without the diagnosis, could be argued by a defensive employer as being all in your imagination? (I'm not saying they would, just that they might if they were as unfeeling as they have appeared thus far.) I suppose look for the silver lining is what I'm trying to say, even if it does seem a bit dull and tarnished just at the moment. :grouphug:

Redlady, I live in a thatched cottage and it is pretty cosy apart from the oldest room which is like a morgue - walls are over a metre thick, so it was obviously designed to stay cool. The ceilings tend to be low - I can touch all of mine except in my son's room which was previously a garage and has been tacked onto the house - and that keeps it warmer. Plus at least the windows tend not to be too big! Have you kept those links to window quilts which Annie put up?!!

GreyQueen

Can I join? I feel like that, too.

I'm like this too because I have to make complicated calculations of bag volume versus products to fit in to the fore and aft bike baskets, which are different shapes and sizes, so I need to have things where I want them not where the helpful packing person thinks they should go.

I once had a grown adult in the employ of the supermarket put a packet of biscuits in beside a packet of soap powder; not a good look, so I politely took over from them.

People who will be walking with their shopping bags as opposed to transferring them from trolley to car boot also need to balance their loads. I very much like the idea of packing by the products' destination cupboard or fridge and will be adopting it immediately. So sensible!

Larumbelle ((())))) at least you know what you're dealing with, now, shame that you have been messed around for so long. Hope the correct treatment improves your symptoms, and soon.

Well, the sun is shining and the cold is still snuffly but I'm sure it'll be a lot better tomorrow and I'll visit with my folks and their two lovely cats, who seem to regard me as a semi-detached household member and don't bat an eyelid if they don't see me for an age. I miss having a cat in the home but my situation isn't very cat-friendly (concrete jungle with busy roads) so I have to think of thir needs more than my own wants. I enjoy fussing other people's cats and dogs; think they have a radar for a soft touch, don't you?

redlady fingers crossed for your dream cottage, hope it works out for you. Bad news about the blight, hope you can rescue your plants.

catznine congratulations on your DD's wedding. Sounds like a great day and it's so lovely that money was collected for charity and people loved your hearts enough to want to take them home. Makes all the effort worthwhile, doesn't it?

LannyLee

ChocClare wrote: »

Maybe this is a good thing in that it's "ammunition" for your grievance hearing? Having a diagnosed condition is surely better (I do hope you know what I mean by "better" ) than having a collection of symptoms which could mean Crohn's Disease but which, without the diagnosis, could be argued by a defensive employer as being all in your imagination? (I'm not saying they would, just that they might if they were as unfeeling as they have appeared thus far.) I suppose look for the silver lining is what I'm trying to say, even if it does seem a bit dull and tarnished just at the moment. :grouphug:

I forgot to say that if you have Crohns you are covered under the Disability Discrimination Act, so work are required by law to make any changes that you need. I'd speak to your Occ Health rep/Dr as this diagnosis will change things, hopefully for the better.

juliettet

Larumbelle wrote: »

Sooo... I was right, there was something on my test results.

I have bile acid malabsorption and they're 99% sure it's caused by Crohn's disease. It's incurable, which means I'll be on a cocktail of drugs for the rest of my life, (including all these sachets I have to drink. I've just had the first one and they taste vile). They think I'll also need further surgery. Ick. And they think this is why I recovered so badly from the last operation, before the diagnosis. BUT it's totally controllable, and as long as I take the drugs and be careful with my diet and all the rest of it, it needn't be too bad.

I'm glad to finally have the proper diagnosis but I'm a little bit numb TBH. Especially since I thought they'd eliminated Crohn's a year or so ago.

Please don't be too worried about this, I have had Crohns for nearly 30 years and have just had an operation. Everyone is different and you will manage yours fine. I am now down to one pill per day. Take one day at a time. J