The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

Monna there's a science behind your strategy, much the same as the fasting diet but connected to early man's feast and famine scenario. So pleased something is working for you

I was watching a series not long back that showed how food offered to guests was a sign of wealth and status through history. I tend to think that if folks are wired to show off, then show off whatever way they can.

Personally, although not one jot of me us fashionable anymore, I am a sucker for health claims. At present I have aloe vera juice in the fridge and, to some, I could well be sign as a bit forward thinking because it's quite a fashionable anti-inflammatory blah blah but aloe vera is age old so...

As with everything, where's hype there's money, advertising and comsumerism. It's why my other anti inflammatory is eucalyptus honey because it's more thsn half the price of manuka and while manuka is fashionable and there's claims that there's more sold than is actually produced, i'll take a step down, not be fashionable and try to keep the pennies low.

Ah health. Blips. I have been doing so well. Medication issues meant I haven't been doing well with the Asthma and suffered a set back but also sad to report, as I am cross I need them, I'm on meds for as anxiety. Without going in to details I'm dealing a lot with mam, although not physically but it takes it's toll mentally, and the GP felt like I shoukd have help with the anxiety inorder to help with the Asthma and recovering from the damage done from me not knowing about the darned issue! Plus also my 'digestion' issues are being tested for a tummybacteria. I neded to provide a number 2 sample and typical bliddy awkward me decided that the first time in my life I need a number 2 at 3 o'clock in the morning is the time I need to collect a sample! Dreadful business! So the saga continues but I am signed up to the yearly pre pay prescriptions and I have to thank you all for alerting me to it. You're saving us a small fortune

Fuddle Aloe Vera has been scientifically tested and proved to be very beneficial in healing wounds. Well worth keeping for the kids.

Honey has also been thoroughly tested. As a sugar it is very little different from ordinary sugar. It has no value over sugar for sweetening. The body can't tell the difference.

Manuka honey has been tested and found to have no nutritional or healing over any other honey. Honey has been used in healing for thousands of years for different types of ulcers. We were using it for ulcers and bed sores when I was a student nurse. Science superceded it. Not for any scientific reason I suspect even the NHS has it's fashions.

They are now using honey dressings again. They work better and they have been tested with double blind tests etc. It is the added ingredients the bees put in honey. There are not enough of them for anything but what is called topical application. That's why honey can relieve a sore throat. Topical is directly applied to a would for example.

As far as hay fever is concerned local honey has no benefit but local raw honey taken with the pollen may help. It is probably easier to get desensitised by a doctor. You can't buy raw honey you need to get it direct from the bee keeper and it needs to be very local not 50 miles away.

I have been thinking about when to eat main meals and I think there is possibly something in it. Worth having a go anyway. I am still struggling with DS's late shifts. He has 3 this week though he is not supposed to have more than 2. He has to have two days off, Saturdays and Sundays they do not open until 9pm anyway, you have to work to 9.15pm for it to be a late until 8pm does not count. They are giving him two 8pm finishes and three 9.15pm finishes. I have put on nearly 4 kg since February.

I feel it is a bit mean to be giving DS warmed up meals every day as well as me not linking eating alone much. I tend to stop eating if I have too many main meals on my own. Yes I know I may have to do it eventually.

I think I may give it a try. DS has had to drop his hours to 20 because his new department will not let him work for another department. He feels 8 hours a day pushing very heavy trolleys around is too much he is in pain continually.

No one else in his department has tried 8 hour they none of them have done more than 4 and the supervisors have done no time whatsoever.

Sorry you are having medication problems fuddle it is quite common with a lot of long term conditions. I was years getting my blood pressure sorted. I think it's sods law. The next one may be perfect.

Did everything as a student. trained maternity nurse in 70s shorter course than midwife. Did everything but deliver babies. Did both maternity and elderly care after that. Gave up nursing die to bad back in late 40s and managed sheltered housing schemes until retirement.

Sorry to hear Himself has been ill canlelight glad to hear he is getting better.

Ivyleaf, sometimes the old remedies are best, it certainly worked for him. As I say his legs are not pretty, but he never used to wear shorts anyway. He was very naughty because I kept saying to him (having seen how swollen his legs were) you must be careful of ulcers, and all the time he had some.

I know Lyn said she keeps manuka honey in her first aid box.

I sent for the tubes and the dressings, and you could almost see the colour coming back into his legs after they were applied.

Nursemaggie, thank you, he lost 4 stone in fluid once treatment commenced (intravenous diuretic). He has to weigh himself each morning to be sure he isn't gaining fluid again. The heart failure nurses say he probably will have a relapse at some point, through no fault of his own, and we just have to phone them and go straight to the hospital. He is only allowed one and half litres of fluid a day, which is sometimes quite difficult to keep to.

Candlelightx

Oh Fuddle, he was in a dreadful state. I had begged him to go to the GP, in the end he agreed we should go to A&E and they admitted him almost straight away.

Yes he did have ascites, he looked about 9 months pregnant, his right lung was full of fluid, his left had some, and the fluid was half way up his back, he was in a dreadful state. His legs were like tree trunks, and to be honest he wouldn't have lasted much longer if we hadn't gone to hospital.

The hospital were wonderful, after the initial admission we then went to the ward every morning for 2 weeks for the diuretic to be administered and the usual observations recorded, and he also had "water" tablets to take every afternoon. It was amazing how quickly he lost the fluid, poor man could barely reach the toilet in time !!

He had a heart attack 8 years ago, and they say they are finding that heart failure can happen some years after that event. Obviously not in all cases, but I know this had been coming on for some while.

He has now set a goal of going to Norfolk for a few days towards the end of summer. He is fine to drive, but has to take it steady walking in case he becomes breathless, but hopefully we will get there.

Thank you for your concern, and I am sorry about your Mum, she must be a dreadful worry to you, as Himself is to me, but it must be difficult for you when you don't live close to her.

Candlelightx