Cherry takes the reins

badmemory

Are you absolutely sure they are not the result of a form of hayfever/allergy?

Cherryfudge

badmemory said:

Are you absolutely sure they are not the result of a form of hayfever/allergy?

It's possible the sore throat is, particularly as I get snuffly too. However I'm quite a classic case of symptoms increasing as weight increases, and the form of reflux that I have is 'silent', no heart burn but a feeling like thirst and sometimes a hoarse voice. The doctor gave me omeprazole which has stopped me from waking up choking, which was the scary part of it, but in recent weeks I can see the omeprazole is letting symptoms through.

There are also the dizzy spells that started suddenly in the summer. The doctor thought it was long Covid but the dizziness didn't start till three months or so after that. I'm hoping for a decent set of blood tests on Wednesday because there are lots of possibilities. One is that I'm short of B12 due to taking omeprazole, which reduces the stomach acid needed to metabolise it.

It seems to me that a bit of weight loss can only be beneficial, whether or not it solves the problem. It will reduce the stress on my joints and my husband won't get woken as much by my snoring! Moreover, it takes pressure off the muscles that should keep stomach acid where it belongs, so there should be less leakage, even if I still have an underlying problem.

I'm also of the opinion that, with the pressures on the health service, the more I can do to help myself, the better. After all, no one is going to lose weight for me, and I know I don't feel as healthy as I did a year ago when I weighed less.

Sorry - stream of consciousness there!

badmemory

Look at the side affects from omeprazole.  They can be the same as what they are supposed to cure.  I can take it for about 3 weeks & then start to get worse because of this.  Bring back cimetidine, that used to work!  Well for me at any rate, maybe not for a long term thing.

Sun_Addict

Mr SA has been on omeprazole for a couple of years now. When he tries to come off it the symptoms come back with a vengeance. That said, if you feel unhappy with your weight it can only do you good to lose a bit, easier said than done though. 

Cherryfudge

badmemory said:

Look at the side affects from omeprazole.  They can be the same as what they are supposed to cure.  I can take it for about 3 weeks & then start to get worse because of this.  Bring back cimetidine, that used to work!  Well for me at any rate, maybe not for a long term thing.

Thanks!

Reading the patient information leaflet, I've probably been on it for years and it should have been reviewed regularly, which hasn't happened. It can lead to increased likelihood of certain fractures, and I already have osteopenia so that's not good. When I broke an arm, the bone took a lot longer to begin to regrow than normal and I have bone scans every five years to keep an eye on things. It also looks as though the dizziness could be down to the omeprazole if it's given me a magnesium deficiency. I'll try to have a chat with the pharmacist tomorrow in the hope that they will either give me more advice or pass the information on to the doctor and ensure I get all the relevant blood tests on Wednesday.

Sun_Addict said:

Mr SA has been on omeprazole for a couple of years now. When he tries to come off it the symptoms come back with a vengeance. That said, if you feel unhappy with your weight it can only do you good to lose a bit, easier said than done though. 

He has my sympathies! And I know what you mean about 'easier said than done' I miss running but I've not had the energy since Covid. It was the best boost for weight loss. Other than that, I have to be really careful with calories.

So, today... most of it was spent watching Her Majesty's funeral, which I felt was magnificently done. DH and I went for a walk between Westminster and Windsor, so I've done my 10,000 steps and got some sunshine. Of course, we've not spent anything as nearly all the shops are closed. And it's cold! For the second day running we've had the heating on in the evening. However, our heating bill for August/September wasn't too bad at all. DH is hopeful they will reduce the bill, but I doubt it as colder weather is coming.

Things I'm thankful for today: @badmemory's good advice (I'll be taking the marked up patient information leaflet to the pharmacy), watching the Queen's funeral - which sounds a wrong thing to be thankful for, but it was good to remember her, wise words were spoken and the services and processions were beautifully done.

Cherryfudge

I've two days of holiday left before work.

Most of my summer clothes are now folded up ready to pack away, and a second load of laundry is in progress. I discovered an alarming amount of necessary sewing and it's at the point where I'm a bit overwhelmed. The tiny hole on the shoulder of the new-to-me angora cardigan looked like an easy win so I've fixed that. I found some 4ply yarn that matches and is only a fraction thicker than the original. You can see it if you know where to look, but I've kept it as simple as possible so I can take out the stitches if I have inspiration of how to do it better. There's the usual collection of sad socks - not in a hurry to do these but they can go in the rag bag if they look too daunting. When second hand September is over, I'm planning to get myself more knee-high socks as I wore some out last year and they are a great form of insulation under jeans.

There's a pair of cropped trousers that's puzzling me - they have a bleach mark on a back pocket and it shows even though they are cream. The bleach has gone right through so it's no good removing the pocket, even if it wouldn't leave stitch marks. I'm not convinced that bleaching the whole thing would work so options are to patch it in some way or get a bleach pen and turn it into a design. Thoughts? They are essentially work trousers but not uniform.

DH went to lunch today with a former colleague but has plans to tackle the overgrowth on the greengage tree this afternoon. I want to get some grocery shopping and some of those things that stop the inside of the wardrobe getting damp. There's a dehumidifier but it doesn't tackle the cramped conditions in the hanging space.

Well, I need to get moving, try to speak to a pharmacist and generally make something of the rest of the day.

Sun_Addict

Could you dye the trousers a different colour?

badmemory

If the mark is only on the pocket then you could sew something on it in the same way they used to sew school badges on blazers.  I'm sure I've seen that sort of thing on ebay & probably on etsy (sp) but I don't know that site, just read it mentioned on here.

Cherryfudge

The trousers are cotton so dye could work... I have a few garments that have sprouted embroidery so the patch on the pocket is also a good option, but at the moment I'm not inspired with a design. I need to investigate further.

DH got a lot done in the garden, so the tall bits of the greengages are trimmed and the grass is cut and if you don't look any further you might think we looked after the place. Alas, though, the borders are a mess. They're my territory.

I spoke to the pharmacist who thinks I'm most likely to be anaemic and that omeprazole is probably not causing the problems. He did explain to be, however, that I would be best taking it first thing in the morning and taking my thyroid medication second. I have a calcium which I've been taking at lunch and bedtimes and that's as it should be, but I may benefit from changing the timings of the others, which I'll try.

The shops today seemed to have a lot of short-dated fruit, possibly due to the closure yesterday. DH bought his usual selection this morning but I got apples, oranges and blueberries later as we will get through them, and they were a lot cheaper than usual. (By the way, we've had most of the 28 items of fruit we took on holiday! An apple and a banana went off and there are still a banana and a couple of kiwi fruit, but all in all I think we did well).

I bought some equipment for clearing plug holes, and bicarb and an oversized bottle of white vinegar, which along with grocery shopping meant I had to ring DH for a lift home. Needless to say, I have been poking about in plug holes as the kitchen one smelled a bit off when we got back and bathroom ones always collect hair. Turns out none really needed cleaning so the smell in the kitchen and the weird shriek when the bath is emptied remain a mystery.

My usual Tuesday meeting wasn't on tonight but there was something else at church, so they sort of balance each other out. I went looking for late evening bargains afterwards but there was very little: the hordes must have descended! I did spend more on dinner as DH suggested salmon. He quite rightly says we don't have it every day, but that doesn't actually make it a cheaper option. Never mind, it was nice and we've found we can cook it in the sauce on the stove top and don't need to bake it at all, which is a win.

Spending:
Household £10.78
Housekeeping £23.99

And to be thankful for: a good meeting this evening, jobs out of the way and the availability of pharmacy advice.

badmemory

Interesting what your pharmacist said about the order of taking your medication.  Mine always says to take my thyroid meds first thing.