Cherry takes the reins

LadyWithAPlan

Cherryfudge said:

Just spotted one of my typos in my previous post: meals with suave?! I meant sauce.

I know what you mean about the choices, @LadyWithAPlan. It was quite hard adapting to not eating bread, but I've got used to it, while giving myself permission to have bread if I want to. Generally, though, it's not worth it because of the symptoms.

I've made a bit of progress with the list today: all items are defrosting ready for lunch and dinner and, while it's perishing out so I didn't stay long, I've had a few minutes of sunshine and collected some foliage.

I also wandered onto Futurelearn to see if they had any reflux courses but they haven't. I did one five minute stage of the elementary French one, though, which was entirely rehashing stuff I ought to know by now, so it was a tick-box exercise. I know I'm only doing this particular course to give me confidence: it's as if I haven't achieved something unless there's a certificate attached. Still trying to make up for the negativities of school, I think. Perhaps I need to make myself a certificate that affirms the off-curriculum things I've achieved!

This is to certify that Cherryfudge can make soup, laugh at her typos and has used her first aid training in real life.  

There are lots of great (but not cheap) gf bread alternatives.. Went to a friends dinner last night - Brazilian and everything was GF DF and sugar free (apart from the alcohol) we are talking 3 desserts - one made with rice flour and the other almond  and these gorgeous cassava flour cheese roll type things made with  - so amazing I will find the recipe.

Leons also have a brilliant GF fried KFC type chicken recipe thats  amazing...

I think having and using 1st aid training and being a fabulous soup maker are great skills.
I do lots of evening classes as well - love meeting new people and new skill development   (inc diy) and have self taught myself so much from new software to  playing instruments etc and I havent felt the loss of an accreditation - however I can see why they would be useful in life and on a cv. However then I would have to take an exam.... I dont mind but then I do last minute rush study, somehow pass but dont actually think i learnt anything - so not sure how useful that is.

Cherryfudge

I'm flattered you admired my certificates, thank you @LadyWithAPlan. Perhaps it's time you awarded yourself some too?

I'm not sure gluten is my problem, as white rice has a similar effect and so does g/f flour, though I only did a brief trial of it. I'm not averse to trying wheat alternatives at all: oats are a staple and I'm eating more rice than I used to. Potatoes I can eat but some forms of them seems to suit me better than others.

Cherryfudge

Rather an exhausting evening! Helping with the children's evening was fun and not too demanding, and I popped into the shops on the way home for late evening discounts and a few Christmas treats.

DS2 had arrived about 8.30 in a big van that says 'Highway Maintenance'. I asked him who he stole it off, but he said it was a hire van that just came with that logo. We spent about an hour packing it up with a lot of his stuff, even things that had been here since he actually lived here. He's left a few though which is nice: it's still his room in a way (though I have plans to move my sewing stuff in once I've tidied up and gone through more of the things from Mum's old house which are still boxed up in there.

I'm going to have a nice hot shower (though for some reason it's really mild outside, 10 degrees) because otherwise I may ache this weekend.

WelshmansDaughter

I'm catching up on diaries and just wanted to add my two pennies to the reflux discussion.
First you need to get Gaviscon as well as Omeprazole. This is to add a protective layer to the area that is damaged (sore throat) and is now inflamed. 
ASD and reflux can be linked because of the near constant activation of your nervous system, the extremes of eating and the interoception. So for example, if you experience bad symptoms after eating poppadoms, it is likely a cumulative effect. If you were to eat poppadoms every day it would likely be a different effect but chances are you are eating them after a combination of events e.g. something called ratcheting where you have gone a long period of time with no food and try to catch up with a larger meal.
The problem with stomach acid is that you need it in balance to digest food so long term use of Omeprazole can reduce your nutrient intake. It does not re balance your stomach acid it just reduces it dependent on dosage. It can also encourage continuation of the existing food intake behaviours as it feels like there are times when you have no symptoms.
Phew, will stop there even though there is more in my head. Didn't know that was all there, apologies for the lecture

Cherryfudge

That's really interesting @WelshmansDaughter, thanks. I'm certainly guilty of indulging in more foods that don't suit me, when my symptoms are low!

The only bit that doesn't ring true for me is about going a long time between meals - I'm very much a grazer, but even then, I do overcompensate if I've not had enough the previous meal of had to delay eating.

I'm glad you reminded me about the Gaviscon - the doctor told me to start it and I forgot. That's a job for today, then.

WelshmansDaughter

You might benefit from switching to a low acid coffee as it is quite acidic 

LadyWithAPlan

I have found i get swollen stomach  and pain from potatoes but not the home grown ones so I think pesticides may be part the issue for me so i  buy organic where i can. ...

Cherryfudge

We tried for a relaxing day today. The boiler chap was supposed to be coming but he wasn't here by five so DH texted him and got a phone call back. They've arranged Tuesday or Wednesday so I hope it's Tuesday, giving me Wednesday free for bits of shopping I haven't managed, including stocking fillers for three people who are proving hard to buy for this year.

I promised DS2 I'd have his old room looking nicer by the time they visit at Christmas - he's upset there's so much stuff there from my Mum's house. Guilty as charged: it's hard to know where to start and what to do with things. Sometimes people ask me what my plan is for some situation I've been dumped in, and I really have no idea. It's not as if I decided consciously to be in whatever position, including having inherited too much stuff, so why do people assume the situation came with an instruction book? Anyway, I know I can make the situation better by cleaning and using some of the freed-up space for storage so I made a start today.

First off: DS2 has left half the clothes rail in the wardrobe full of his things, and three quarters of the drawers in the chest of drawers too! I know he's taken a lot of stuff with him, and the back of the door is clear apart from a jacket that he says isn't his. I shoved the items in the drawers up, and will use the resulting space for some of the items that were on hangers. What won't fit in there will be bagged up. I know he's keeping them for sentimental reasons as he won't fit into some and other are things like tee shirts from concerts, or old uniforms (work not school).

Now this was funny. When I took out some white uniform tops, sandwiched in between them were some feathery angel wings from some ancient fancy dress. The feathers had stuck to the back of a top so it looked as though they were sprouting, and must have attracted damp because there were grey marks where they'd been. It's a good job he's unlikely ever to need that uniform again! I ended up soaking all the whites in stain remover which wasn't 100% successful. I also washed a load of shirts as I couldn't be sure what had been washed before it was put away. There's now a lot of his laundry getting dry and the angel wings are wrapped in a bag in one of the drawers.

I've moved DH's things out of the wardrobe we share (with his permission!) and he's chosen a couple to go in the donations. The rest are in the cleared wardrobe, and ours is no longer overcrowded so hopefully there will be less of a battle against damp, as air can flow round.

I've also cleaned some windows and thrown out a dying houseplant.

Other than that, J and L called in with the dog, and handed in their Christmas stockings as per request. Lovely to see them, particularly when we are feeling rather desolate about DS2 having 'finally moved out' (okay, this has happened before, and he's been away since the beginning of lockdown, but now he's bought a house and taken more stuff with him). J and L have taken the Christmas present for L's parents, so that's one safely off our hands. DH got the Christmas tree out of the loft - quite MS of us as he likes a real tree but this year we are trying not to spend too much while I'm not really earning, and he didn't want J to worry that we weren't being Christmassy.

 I've had a look at the scary homework for my course but can't find the documents we're supposed to be working on. Perhaps they've not uploaded? I'll leave it till Monday to email and ask. There are another two tasks to complete, one of which is done.

This evening we went to a concert at church: Celtic-style Christmas music. Tickets bought last week, £7 each. It was really good: a very high standard and a well-balanced programme with plenty of variety. I wished DGD1 could have gone as she'd probably have danced! She and her Dad are coming to the carol service tomorrow. DH will be in the choir so I will sit with them in the balcony, where we can go out easily if DGD doesn't cope with all the people or something.

I've not spent anything today but DH bought fish and chips and got his bike mended. I don't know what that came to. Yesterday's expenditure: housekeeping £11.57.

I've decided to award myself certificates for attempting the Cha cha slide in a room fill of primary school children (yesterday) and a horticultural one for recognising that a plant has just about had it and could have vine weevil (today). Oh, and a special techy one for working out I can add a temperature degrees sign from Wingdings. I don't know if that's what the teacher is hoping for, but it's a possible solution.

I daren't court accusations of bias by selecting anyone's reflux advice for special notice, you are all very helpful and it's genuinely useful to hear of other people's experiences. I'll hold my hand up to eating more of the wrong things three days into the double omeprazole prescription, and I will try to behave better tomorrow.

Sun_Addict

I think DS should take all his things now he’s got his own house or accept that you will throw out what he doesn’t take. He shouldn’t expect you to store it and the room isn’t his anymore. 

Glad you enjoyed the concert. 

WelshmansDaughter

Generally when I get overloaded I do nothing, then look on the Internet for a plan. 
It is your house and you can can decide what to keep. As long as you are deciding and not avoiding deciding by keeping everything.
I have had some decision making assistance by putting everything into categories in boxes first