The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

GreyQueen

I've had ME since I was at uni, I am now a woman of a certain age. Three weeks after the British Medical Association announced all over the media that they accepted CFS/ME as a bona fide illness, I was in my GP's consulting room being told unequivocally that there was no such thing as ME and that it was all in my mind. The amount of times I've refused prescriptions for anti-depressants and told the medic involved, somewhat testily, that I am not now nor have I ever been depressed, I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time! In one ear and out the blinkin' other, without connecting with a brain cell in between, in most cases. I soldier on, am shortly to have major surgery and the surgeon has told me that the ME will mean a longer recovery period than otherwise. Not may, or could, but that it absolutely will take longer. He's clearly got enough experience of operating on ME sufferers to know our bodies don't heal as well as they ought.

greenbee

I don't know how you do it @GreyQueen (and others) although I guess over time you adapt. I have slipped discs, and the first 15 years were the worst - after that I finally got the hang of living with them! So I expect it'll be similar timescales (I'm not a fast learner obviously ) unless I'm lucky and it resolves. I'm fairly picky about which GP I see - and lucky with her as she treats me like an intelligent human being. I expect I'll be talking to her next week about my blood test results - and the good thing is I know she'll email them to me so that I can see them for myself and do my own research. I suggest you tell your GP it's about time he kept himself up-to-date. I was once given what my brother considered to be out of date treatment and he told me to go back at tell them that it didn't fit with current guidelines and that they needed to explain why they thought this was the best option. I asked how he'd feel, and he pointed out that everyone makes mistakes, and that GPs have a broad range of stuff to keep up to date on - so as long as the approach is done the right way, it works. Although it sounds like your GP needs a less subtle approach. 

GreyQueen

That was an ex-GP, 20+ years ago and half a county away. He's retired long since.

MingVase

In 20 years with ME my doc has never once given or offered me anything at all to help. I find a small home voodoo kit really wonderful in situations like this. 

victoriajj

Elaine, my sister has made white current gin, it was very nice,  quite citrusy 

Zentimes

I have also noticed the large amount of flowers on the local blackberries - we have loads around here, so should be a bumper crop. Raspberries cropped well, too, the last stragglers have been affected by the rain over the past few days so probably am not going to get many more, till the second crop in late October.

I have hypothyroidism, histamine intolerance and oxalate issues, and treatment for hypo is pretty dire if Levothyroxine doesn't do the job. GPs pretty clueless and not helpful, they are keen to whip out antidepressants but no thank you! I've had to do a lot of research and self help, even so am not particularly well, am more of a 'work in progress'.

Si_Clist

missychrissy said:

... she used to do them in buckets with a cloth over the top.

Ah, but if you did that nowadays, anybody drinking it would be stricken by either zinc or polychlorinated biphenyl poisoning depending on the bucket, they'd die a horrible death, and you'd have your picture in the Daily Mail.

RAS

missychrissy. 

I read your carton wine recipe and it had me thinking. The events that use up loads of redcurrants aren't happening this year so I'll have an excess. I make redcurrant spirit (gin or vodka) which is great as long as it's strained off before the seeds start to flavour it. 

I've been told that redcurrant wine tastes thin, which I can understand as redcurrant syrup does as well. I used some raspberries as well to add a bottom note. 

With respect to wine, I wonder if adding red grape juice would enhance the flavour? Your thoughts?

missychrissy

RAS the jennyjelly recipe on which I base my carton wine does include half a litre of grape to one litre of juice to make a gall of wine. I have tried making wine with all grape juice.It is good but no better than using all apple. My favourite carton wine is cherry. I use 5 L of M n S cherry juice, 3 L red grape and 5 kg of sugar to make 5 galls.Haven’t got a M n S nearby but once I start babysitting in Harrogate again I’ll get some. 

Si.   My grandmother’s wine never made either me or my cousin ill.  I never saw her do it I just remember the buckets in the pantry. My dad said there used to be lots of explosions when he was a kid. I’ve had my explosions. Elderberry champagne goes bang if you don’t keep releasing the cap. One of my sons was standing in my dining room, about to go on his stag do, when there was a bang and a cork hit him on the leg.

basketcase

Showing my ignorance here, but what's jennyjelly?