Quit..rest ..restart . Diary no.3

another_casualty

Saw mr trainer yesterday . Another excellent session . Tbh I couldn't believe where the time went .

So this morning , I had to go back to see mr consultant in London . I managed to get an off peak return tkt which was under£70. Having said that , the normal fare is over £120! Times are hard , but then again I have to put health first .
My 10.30 appointment was delayed , but having been assessed and finished by 11.50 I cannot really complain .

Before I saw mr consultant , I was called into one of the nurses room as per usual. However, it was not for a blood test but a height and weight measurement . I am 5' and just over 20 stone . I wasn't horrified as I am shall we say ,muscular now
The nurse said I look well and it's because of my frame etc so nothing to worry about . Fair enough, but in myself I think that if I can get down to 17 and a half stone and a few T-shirt sizes smaller , then I've made it .
When I saw mr specialist , the first thing he said was that I've lost weight and look really well. I explained my target and he more or less said good luck with that and you don't need to . He then did a quick eye test and my left eye was tired . Obviously because I'm out of my new comfort zone . I was up at 6.30 and was on the 7.45 train.
I know that's completely diffent from my usual 5 am start to the day but my new life says no more getting up at 5 am .
I discussed my situation about not being fit for work for at least another year . He agrees , but universal credit won't listen, by the sound of it . I can speak to him whenever I need to .
I expected to be discharged , but he wants to keep tabs on me for another 6 months , so I go back the week before Christmas .
He wants to get me off the azathiiprine . If that happens , it's the second major victory after the prednisolone which I no longer use.
So all in all, not too bad .

I had one cappuccino while waiting for train. I will have something fizzy and some chocolate on the train which is moving along fast and bumpy :rotfl:
Hsp appointments can make you go out of kilter , and odd..:rotfl:

Gigervamp

Train fares are so expensive now. Back in the 80s, when I lived in London, I had a Network Souteast rail card, which gave me a 25% discount and the kids went free. Once a year, during the summer months, they had a day where you could travel anywhere on the south east network, for a fiver. I always had a day trip to Poole, as that was the furthest on the south coast in the network, and I loved going down there. A fiver wouldn't get you very far nowadays!


Sounds like your consultant is pleased with your progress. Well done, the training is doing the trick. Nothing wrong with having a nice coffee, fizzy drink, and chocolate sometimes. It's when you're having that sort of thing all the time that it becomes a problem.

I had a friend who was type 1 diabetic, and she told me that she didn't ban any food/drink, like cake or chocolate, she just made sure to adjust her insulin, and only have it occasionally, because otherwise, she would crave it, and it would make things harder for her. I think that's a very sensible attitude to take. So enjoy your chocolate, with no guilt!

another_casualty

Thanks gigervamp I settled for a bottle of coke and a kit Kat
I have a friend who is now borderline diabetic . He eats far more healthier than me ( who doesn't :rotfl:) . Trouble is he likes beer too much , and red wine . He has sleep apnoea as well . He goes to this diabetic club, and the clientele are a lot older than us . Bizarre .

What else can I make of today's day out of my comfort zone ?:
1) I'm not there yet regarding fit for work . My one and a half eyes confirmed this . I do still wake up early , but today was a shock to the system . If I can get a part time job from say 10.30-1.30 pm I may be able to be back on track .

2) I was almost breathless coming out of parkstone station walking up the hill and home .

3) my backside must be like a square cardboard box . So much sitting down for long periods on the trains and waiting to be seen in the outpatients dept . This also meant getting up and walking over the steps at the station was like carrying 2 anvils on my legs and backside.

Other than that , all good ..

MrsPorridge

AC your remark about the anvils made me laugh out loud. I'm waiting for a hip replacement and my right leg feels much heavier than the left so I know how you feel

another_casualty

Hello Mrs p I hope that your hip replacement goes well . I'm sure it will . I now have a picture of what symptoms to expect if I have to have one .:)
I'm almost back to normality now . I have a feeling I'll sleep well tonight ..

triple_choc_chip

You’re not really 5ft are you? That’s not much height to spread the weight across. I’m channeling Russell Grant now! I think I’ll go look for a horoscope....
My mum always says she’s the perfect weight but just too short for it. :rotfl:

another_casualty

triple_choc_chip wrote: »

You’re not really 5ft are you? That’s not much height to spread the weight across. I’m channeling Russell Grant now! I think I’ll go look for a horoscope....
My mum always says she’s the perfect weight but just too short for it. :rotfl:

No , 5' 11 I was typing that on the train . I missed 11 inches out
I actually met Russell grant . Nice guy . I used to work for a publishing co and when he came into reception , I actually thought it was George Wendt ( norm from cheers ) . He looked a bit disheveled
(Spelling ?)
Maybe I should reach for the stars ..

lessonlearned

Hi AC......I have been awol for a while but every so often I drop by and catch up with you. Good to see you are still plugging away and that you managed to get off the prednisalone. Great job. I bet your consultant is very impressed.

Re the decorating......I'm a bit the same. Time was when I could decorate a room in a weekend. Not any more. I just pace myself and do a wall at a time. Takes forever but it gets done eventually. Just take your time and do a bit each day. It's not a race. In fact I'm off to the diy sheds today to get paint.

Cold and miserable here too, hopefully it will pick up at the weekend. It doesn't do my fibro much good. But on the plus side I have now lost 2 stones, feeling tons better. Getting there slow but sure. Another 1 stone should do it.

I'm sure that now you are coming off the meds you will find it easier to lose a bit of weight and you are doing well with your gym work. That's my next goal, need to start some resistance training.

My very first job was with British Rail as it was then. Free rail passes and when you'd used them you went 1/4 fare. Happy days. I now have a senior railcard which knocks a 1/3 off. Still not cheap though.

Are there no discounts available for you. Not sure if you are classed as disabled but could you get help with your travel expenses for hospital appts. Maybe have a word with PALS. (Patient Liason Services or some such). They might be able to point you in the right direction.

Re diets......for health reasons I have to try and avoid all grains, even rice. I tend to eat a paleo style diet with just a little dairy - again too much dairy and I have stomach problems.

Mass produced commercial gluten free products that you find in supermarkets aren't great because they still contain a lot of nasties. i think if you can manage a little bread then just go for good quality whole meal or maybe rye, preferably from a small local bakery where they bake on the premises.

I have found a nice bakery and I can digest a little bit of good quality bread now and again as long as I don't overdo it. I find rye bread is the best for me. It has a lovely taste and it freezes well too. I get the baker to slice it for me and then I divide it up and freeze it up in portions.

Anyway glad to see you making such good progress.

another_casualty

Hello LL Great to hear from you again . Great news about your weight loss . Once we get to our 50s it has always been said that everything is harder to get off so to speak . Like the painting you mentioned , it's not a race anymore . I've always said that if you have a routine that you can stick to and enjoy then that is an essential part of it . I've got that back ,hence the progress ..oh and getting off that prednisolone once and for all :rotfl:

My opinion is that although I've done a lot of right things , the prednisolone is not all out of my system . I only stopped around Easter time and it can take around a year for me to have my hormones back and the prednisolone to be completely gone. This should mean even more weight loss .
Mr specialist wants to wean me off azathioprine and that may be carrrying excess fluid in my system also . I would think that more weight should come off .

I think my condition is ( obviously rare and bizarre ) only counted as a disability if I couldn't do anything and have to have a Carer for example . Thankfully I get free prescriptions , but I only found that out 3rd hand and initially I was paying for it when I was broke .
I'm in for a tough time in a few months when I get assessed by non medical professionals at universal credit . We'll see..

The weather is patchy again this week . Friday and sat , set to be the best days .
Thanks for the kind words ..

doingitanyway

Glad you are getting free prescriptions but what a shame to have to be paying for them when you were broke.

Getting off meds is always a good thing. Keep going. Think how great it will be to be off all meds!
Friday and Sat should be the best days here too. I have a gardener booked for tomorrow. They keep cancelling due to rain, so fingers crossed.

Have a good day AC