af Tuesday 9 July

[treetops]

MAE absters. Thanks for all the support. My silly little issues are not such a big deal in the whole scheme of things and I have dealt with much much worse (self and others) in my years on this planet. I know that every winter I get down ? sometimes that has been full-blown depression and other times just yukiness/flatness. However it usually hits me in September, not July. Also I have just been in Spain, its been really sunny here, I take a Vit D supplement ? so I can?t put it down to SAD. I eat a healthy but somewhat boring diet. I think my flatness is part of the yearly work cycle here ? winter is our busy time of the year in my job, schools seem to last forever and Aug is the anniversary of my Mum?s birthday and death. Last year my drinking seemed to escalate during winter ? and I finally quit in October. So all fore-warned and as you can see I indulge in self-analysis about my patterns.

So here?s some coffee (even it tastes dull to me these days ? what is wrong with me?)

Lav ? sounds like your are busy but your brother?s death will still be raw. Even when we prepare ourselves ? grief is grief. Thanks for all the wise and kind words. I probably don?t have a boring life (looking from the outside) but it?s the daily stuff that one has to do that seems to be not thrilling me of late. I know we are responsible for our own happiness but I do sometimes find the way my partner and daughter live ? on the internet ? unexciting. Daughter is often doing homework so has an excuse but partner spends his evenings playing silly games ? that is when he is not eating. Yes, I have tried talking to him about this but I am way past trying to change his habits.

Det ? so you have sushi in your cave. You sound perky these days so that?s great.

Hope you are surviving the ?heat? Mick! Blondie and I had a wee chuckle at 24 degrees but it is relative and it depends what else you are doing. Where I live people moan about the weather being too cold and then when it goes over 20 degrees those with Anglo-Celtic genes seem to wither.

Cinders ? thanks also for you sweet words ? and also Turnagain, Caysea.

Cat ? I think we are about the same time being AF. So lets make sure we do take those murmurings seriously. In my case its not like I want to rush into a liquor store or a bar, but it?s the so-called ?civilized? ways the beast entices ? or tries to. Well bugger off (not you ? it!).

Bear ? I hope our thinking out loud also helps you in your process. Sounds like you are on the right track. I guess loosing some weight and in a healthy way ? will really boost the self-esteem and that?s all good for us alkies. Remember the tortoise ? slow and steady does it.

PPQP ? thanks for all the P?s too. We need each other.

So today is Tuesday and I have some challenging (yes its boring) but necessary work to do. You all have a great Tuesday and let us all know how its going

[Catbuddy]

af Tuesday 9 July

Supplements

Hi TT,

Quick reply after my long post on Monday's thread.

Have you tried supplementing zinc? It is recommended to combat alchohol and sugar issues. I read last night that zinc specifically improves the sensitivity of our TASTE BUDS! So we experience satiety and lessen cravings. Try it and see if it helps!

The blood sugar balancing supplement that I metioned yesterday is "Pan T5-T9"; it is an enzyme blend that supports the pancreas where insulin is made. There is a whole field of alternative medicine grounded in enzyme support; I'm no expert. But it did work for me. Now I find the amino support as effective, but if L-glut doesn't work or you don't like it, you could try this. I had no side effects. Unfortunately, you may need a health care practitioner to get access. I went through an accupunturist; chiropractors use it, too.

Finally, back to the chronic pain challenge. I think my chronic pain is inflammation driven. So what reduces inflammation? Stop allergic foods, okay, can try that. Does anyone have experience with Tumeric?

Cat

[bear73]

af Tuesday 9 July

hey TT and Catbuddy
Up for first day back at work - got CBT counselling session tonight - looking forward to it.

TT - hearing you think out loud and talk things through helps me so much - I hope you start to feel better soon.I tend to get blue in summer I have noticed - weird - I love summer. I always try to remember it will pass - I am sending you good thoughts.

Det - cheap sushi is a special Monday eve deal night at a sushi chain in UK - all fresh and lovely.

Gotta run - have a great day everyone.

[Mick]

af Tuesday 9 July

Yoohoo everybody..right I aint losing this post...copy all the way through!!How are we all today?good I hope.weather over here was lovely again yesterday,so was out in the garden.I also in my mind, climbed another milestone yesterday..for some reason I dont like climbing heights on ladders,never have done..got a long set of them in the garage but never really used them,but was in the garage yesterday and thought sod it give it a try...so I did with some apprehension.Success did it 3 times climbed up to the roof.I can now clean my own gutters and fascia boards etc !sounds small but it was a big deal to me!

On with the show ..its 6.15 am, sun is shining ...another grand day,tea and coffee on the go.

Evening TT...well thats your boring Tuesday over with..how you feeling today?any better?hope so.I think one of the things we try to do is analyse everything from a not drinking anymore perspective..we feel down ,pissed off ,moody ,grumpy,unhappy etc and we tend to say its because Im not drinking,when in actual fact, that stuff was probably in our life anyway and the no al is a good easy to find excuse,when really al isnt the reason but the pseudo method we used to try and deal with it..Im sure you will be fine ..as for wanting to cook with wine,thats because your guard is down because you aint feeling to great and the shit little voice is saying "hmmm,I can help!"utter crap!!You know where we all are ..you can pm me any time you want

Lav,Lav..dont beat about the bush....please say what you mean!!!shut the fk up.. go for it girl hows you today?ok I hope.So you are going to be a busy bee the next 5 Mondays?Glad the shop is picking up for you too...what kind of shop is it?Bet you dont sell cawfee like this ..here you are!!have a great day.

Mornnig bear...well last day of freedom, then back to work for you ?so you have picked up an exercise plan? swimming is good ,I really enjoy it,hows the af doing ? getting any easier to manage? hope so

Mornig Cinders ..and how are you today?all grand..now that hubbys back at work!!!you glad for him ...or you???
You are absolutely right..sometimes we feel crap for no reason,its just one of those things..other animals get the same sort of feelings..only difference is they dont shoot off to the doctors for a cure all ,or chuck loads of ale down their necks!!out in the garden again for me this morning..you any plans for today?

Hiya Caysea..how are you today..wowee seen you on here twice pretty recently great ..nice to see you!

And Turn here too...whats goin on here? everyone is on the way back!!!welcome lovely to see you.

Hiya Det...how are you my friend? seem to be doing real good ..well done mate.Gotta agree with you..the phrase politically correct is a great bullshit phrase for society nit picking ..(see theres one not pc phrase already!)at anything what a load of guff ...yes there are some things that are out of line but nowadays you cant do or say anything in case it offends..and the funny thing is that it is usually a third party that complains not the alleged victim!!! Been part of the pc brigade, sung the pc song, buried my opinions in the past to nod to the companys mission statements and policies ..Im well out of that now!!!

Morning ppqp..hows you today?ok I hope ..with reference to my last post to Det, and not having to be pc any more..Im pretty sure you know the general tone would be ..something along the lines of"oh hello little voice ,how are you? come to offer me drinky poos?"Yeh right pretty sure thats how it wouldnt be!!!
Like you I have doe my research into paws.......hes a funny round man with a red suit and a white beard who jots about at Christmas giving out pressies.First name is Santa :H

Right folks thats me off ..before they come and cart me away!!!!Took some more pics yesterday in the garden just to show how quick everything has grown especially the new borders that I put in! great growing weather...except for me!!!

have a good one

look how much this has filled out









Will was trying to to teach his son the evils of alcohol.
He put a worm in a glass of water & another in a glass of whiskey.
The worm in the water lived while the one in the whiskey curled up & died.
“All right, son,” Said Will, “what does that show you?”
“Well dad, it shows that if you drink alcohol you will not have worms

Paddy got a job as a road line-painter. He paints 5 miles on the first day, 2 miles on the second day and 1 on the third day.
“You get worse and worse every day!” yelled his boss.
“That is because the bucket gets further and further away every day.” said Paddy.

One day a man was walking along the beach and found a bottle. He looked around and didn’t see anyone so he opened it. A genie appeared and thanked the man for letting him out.
The genie said, “For your kindness I will grant you a wish, but only one.”
The man thought for a minute and said, “I have always wanted to visit Hawaii but have never been able to because I’m afraid of flying and ships make me seasick. So I wish for a road to be built from here to Hawaii.”
The genie thought for a minute and said, “No, I don’t think I can do that. Just think of all the work involved: the pilings needed to hold up the highway, how deep they would have to be to reach the bottom of the ocean. Think of all the pavement that would be needed. No, that is just too much to ask.”
The man thought for a minute and then told the genie, “Well, there is one other thing that I have always wanted. I would like to be able to understand my girlfriend. What makes her laugh and cry, why is she temperamental, why is she so difficult to get along with? Basically, what makes her tick?”
The genie considered for a few minutes and said, “So, do you want two lanes or four?”

An old married couple were driving down the road one day when suddenly the woman punched her husband right in the face. He shouted, “what the hell was that for?”. She replied, “That was for 50 years of the worst s*x I ever had!”
As they continued down the road, suddenly the man hit his wife square in the face. She turned to him and said, “what was that for?”
He said, “that was for knowing the difference.”

A photographer for a national magazine was assigned to take pictures of a great forest fire. He was advised that a small plane would be waiting to fly him over the fire.
The photographer arrived at the airstrip just an hour before sundown. Sure enough, a small Cessna airplane was waiting. He jumped in with his equipment and shouted, “Let’s go!” The tense man sitting in the pilot’s seat swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air, though flying erratically.
“Fly over the north side of the fire,” said the photographer, “and make several low-level passes.”
“Why?” asked the nervous pilot.
“Because I’m going to take pictures!” yelled the photographer. “I’m a photographer, and photographers take pictures.”
After a long pause, the pilot replied: “You mean, you’re not my instructor?”

In Alaska’s National Forests, a tour guide was giving a talk to a group of tourists about hiking in grizzly bear territory.
“Most bear encounters occur when hikers, being extra quiet along the trails in hopes of viewing wildlife, accidentally stumble into bears. The resulting suprise can be catastrophic,” he explained.
To avoid this, he suggested that each hiker wear tiny bells on their clothing to warn the bears of their presence.
“Also,” he added, “be especially cautious when you see signs of bears in the area, especially when you see bear droppings.”
One tourist asked, “How do you identify bear droppings?”
“Oh that’s easy,” the guide explained, “they’re the ones with all the tiny bells in them!”

A man walked by a table in a hotel and noticed three men and a dog playing cards. The dog was exhibiting an extraordinary performance.
“That is a very smart dog,” the man commented.
“He’s not so smart,” said one of the irked players. “Every time he gets a good hand he wags his tail.”

A man wrote a letter to a small hotel in a Midwest town he planned to visit on his vacation.
He wrote:”I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well-groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?”
An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who said, “I’ve been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I’ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the walls. I’ve never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I’ve never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. Yes, indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you’re welcome to stay here, too.”

The other day, my friends and I went to this “Gentleman’s Club.” One of my buddies wanted to impress us, so he pulls out a $10 bill. The “dancer” came over to us, and my friend licked the $10 and put it on her butt.
Not to be outdone, my other friend pulls out a $50 bill. He calls the girl back over, licks the $50, and puts it on her other cheek. Now the attention is focused on me. What could I do to top that?
I got out my wallet, thought for a minute…..then the banker in me took over. I got out my ATM card, swiped it down her crack, grabbed the 60 bucks, and went home.


A couple went on vacation to a fishing resort up north. The husband liked to fish at the crack of dawn the wife preferred to read. One morning the husband returned after several hours of fishing and decided to take a short nap. The wife decided to take the boat out. She was not familiar with the lake so she rowed out, anchored the boat, and started reading her book. Along comes the sheriff in his boat, pulls up alongside and says,”Good morning, Ma’am. What are you doing?”
” Reading my book,” she replies as she thinks to herself, ‘Is this guy blind, or what?’
“You’re in a restricted fishing area,” he informs her.
“But, Officer, I’m not fishing. Can’t you see that?”
“But you have all this equipment, Ma’am. I’ll have to take you in and write you up.”
“If you do that I will charge you with rape,” snaps the irate woman.
“I didn’t even touch you,” grouses the sheriff.
“Yes, that’s true….but you have all the equipment…”

Children’s Letters To God:
Dear GOD, In school they told us what You do. Who does it when You are on vacation? -Jane
Dear GOD, Are you really invisible or is that just a trick? -Lucy
Dear GOD, Is it true my father won’t get in Heaven if he uses his bowling words in the house? -Anita
Dear GOD, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma
Dear GOD, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t You just keep the ones You have now? -Jane
Dear GOD, Who draws the lines around the countries? -Nan
Dear GOD, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay? -Neil
Dear GOD, What does it mean You are a Jealous God? I thought You had everything. -Jane
Dear GOD, Did you really mean “do unto others as they do unto you?” Because if you did, then I’m going to fix my brother! -Darla
Dear GOD, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. -Joyce
Dear GOD, It rained for our whole vacation and is my father mad! He said some things about You that people are not supposed to say, but I hope You will not hurt him anyway. -Your friend (But I am not going to tell you who I am)
Dear GOD, Why is Sunday school on Sunday? I thought it was supposed to be our day of rest. -Tom L.
Dear GOD, Please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before, You can look it up. -Bruce
Dear GOD, If You give me a genie lamp like Aladdin, I will give you anything you want except my money or my chess set. -Raphael
Dear GOD, My brother is a rat. You should give him a tail. Ha ha. -Danny
Dear GOD, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. -Larry
Dear GOD, I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big but not with so much hair all over. -Sam
Dear GOD, I think the stapler is one of your greatest inventions. -Ruth M.
Dear GOD, I bet it is very hard for You to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. -Nan
Dear GOD, If You watch me in church Sunday, I’ll show You my new shoes. -Mickey D.
Dear GOD, I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible. Love, Chris
Dear GOD, We read Thomas Edison made light. But in school they said You did it. So I bet he stoled your idea. Sincerely, Donna

wow 2 posts on while Iwas writing this ..hi Cat hows you ?would it not be better to find out whats causing the inflammation as well then maybe you can reduce it ..Swimming really eases my bak..also have a look at any meds you are on..my joints arealot less sore now that I dont take statins!

[Lavande]

af Tuesday 9 July

Good morning Abbers,

Not a drop of sunshine here this morning, oh well!

TT, I am taking 3000 iu of Vitamin D daily. My blood level was low a few years ago & my bones were already falling apart. My blood level went right back to normal & my mood has been consistently good. I'm not having anymore bone scans done because I'm tired of being pestered by Drs wanting me to take osteoporosis meds. Tried two of them, they made me sick as hell.
Everyday life can be boring, we need to find something to entertain us

Cat, my daughter found much relief when she eliminated wheat & gluten. She recently told me she added a turmeric/bromelain supplement which takes care of ALL of her joint pain
Turmeric & Bromelain | Product Details

bear, nice too see you feeling level. You have a good plan, stick with it for a while to see what happens

Mick, your garden pics are lovely but where are the weeds? :H :H
Once again, the weeds are growing larger than my veggies plants!!!
My granddaughter will be here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings for the next 5 weeks!!!! The college is stuffing an entire 13 week semester into a 5 week summer course. I really, really wish my daughter luck!!
My shop Mick is home based (easy commute). I do embroidery/monogrammimg for companies & individuals on shirts, hats, jackets, etc. This has been my happy retirement job from nursing for the past 10 years.

OK, speaking of work......time to go!
Have a great AF Tuesday everyone.
Lav

[porqoui]

af Tuesday 9 July

MAE ALL...

TT...thanks for kicking us off and the coffee tastes great. With all this crazy weather everyone has had it's not surprising you're getting the winter time blues in July. It's the little issues that can bite us you know where so keep up the pattern analysis it's working for you.

Cat...I have never used Zinc that's worth thinking about. Thanks for the info on Pan T5-T9 much appreciated. Sorry, I don't even know what Tumeric is and not enough coffee yet to look it up. :H

Bear...enjoy your first day back at work. You've certainly turned your thinking around I can hear it in your posts.

Mick...congrats on your latest milestone. Maybe your sober footing had something to do with that accomplishment. Can hardly wait to see what you accomplish this year. The garden is looking great. Forecast is for sun and mid 20's all week so I'm expecting a big growth spurt. Will have to take some comparison pics. Enjoy your day.

Lav...I take the same amount of Vit D and find it really makes a difference. I can tell when I've been slacking off. Why is it we'll do things to make us feel better and when we do feel better we stop doing the things that made us feel that way?

Time for another cuppa and read through the jokes. Have a great AF Tuesday all and all to come....PPQP

[Lavande]

af Tuesday 9 July

Complacency PQ!
That's why it's so important to remember to be grateful each & every day

Here's a little something for you & Cat & anyone else interested. The healing power of turmeric is just amazing:
turmeric | Live Love Fruit

[bear73]

af Tuesday 9 July

I'm back early from work - training was cancelled at last minute but had already driven all way there so worked from another office today. Was quite a nice gentle way to get back to it, ploughing through e-mails. I work with really nice people.

I may have a brief snooze now - off to see counsellor in just over an hour.

Only exercise today will be walking for 30mins to appt and back - tomorrow I am going to rollerderby training and doing drills that aren't too full contact as knee still not totally better.
Hope everyone has a good day, trying to remove boozy hen do from diary and book camping trip instead - paid ?90 to hen do already tho so may have to lose the money - eek!

[Catbuddy]

af Tuesday 9 July

Okay, quick supplement question:

Why is Vit D so helpful? What does it address?
Thoughts on Calcium/Magnesium/Vit D balance? Any good brand/formulation you recommend for these supplements? they go together, and when the balance is out of whack, they work against each other.

Okay, I'm adding tumeric ASAP.

Cat

[treetops]

af Tuesday 9 July

Vit D is commonly prescribed for those of us who live in parts of the world when we dont get much sun in winter.
The Vit D is a tablet taken only once a month to counteract less sun un winter (I only take it for 3 months and this is the first time ever I have taken it) and I don't think there is anything to be gained by taking extra amounts. Most people get enough from the small amount of time they spend outside.
Kiwis are a bit obsessive about Vit D as in the 19th century some children got rickets from being inside (this happened in the UK and probably in most urban industrial cities) . However now in nz we have to watch our direct sun exposure due to the hole in the ozone layer - ie we have to be careful of skin cancer here.

[treetops]

af Tuesday 9 July

PS - I think the best way to add tumeric is to cook with it. We use it a lot.

[Turnagain]

af Tuesday 9 July

My doc put me on 50,000 iu of Vit D after I had a no show on a blood test. I'm back to normal now, but still take that D once a week. The winter time need is obvious for us northern latitude types, but even in our so-called summer, we don't always see a lot of the sun because of overcast weather.

Before the super powerful pills were available, I would get Vit D shots. Felt like someone injected sunshine in my butt! A happy, glow-y, feeling. I would leave the office humming that song by Katrina and um...whoever - the one that went..."I'm walking on sunshine....oh yeah...."

Thanks for the link on turmeric, Lav. I've been neglecting to add it to my recipe repertoire lately. A timely reminder to get 'curried away.' lol. groan. sorry. Feeling a little punny today, I suppose.

[Catbuddy]

af Tuesday 9 July

Thanks, TT. I get lots of outdoor time, and we have decent sun, so my assumption is Vit D levels are fine. It would be great to get a baseline on all this stuff. How did you guys go about that, for anyone who has?

Cat

[TheSunFlower]

af Tuesday 9 July

Popping in real quick. Lav I wanted to express my condolences for you and your family.

The sun came out on Sunday so I spent most of the day outdoors. I was catching up on posts last night....but too tired to post.

When I lived in the North it never occurred to me to take vitamin D....we had so few actual sunny days.....that lack of sun was my norm. Moving South though....if we go 2 consecutive days without sun....I take vitamin D. Now that I am so used to having sun....when we don't have it....I can tell my mood is shifting down right away.

Also...I read somewhere people with solid levels of vitamin D are thinner. Don't know if its true.

[Determinator]

af Tuesday 9 July

hidyo ho Aberooooos!

thanks for the nice start TTops. the only time I've had a bad 'flat' feeling is when taking too much/and/or the incorrect antidepressant. that is a marked side effect of some of them. also long term use of benzo's can lead to this and it's known as 'depersonalization' trivia for the day!

vitD (actually D25) is a hormone precursor and is HUGELY important for hundreds of systemic functions of our brain and body. even if you get regular sun exposure you could still be low. optimal levels per latest research is a level between 20 ng/mL and 36 ng/mL the only way to know for sure is to get a blood test by someone that understands functional medicine. sadly this may not be your current MD. hard to say. you may also have B12 deficiency even if you take supplements (once again a BT is needed). most B supplements are not very well absorbed by the body and are a waste of money. best sources are organic pastured eggs, and perhaps best of all would be an organic pate' from a European market.

well, got checked into this hotel early, and still may have one more meeting but I'm on standby.

Dx's birfdy is this Thur and she looooves sushi so I'm taking her to a swanky sushi joint for a nice relaxing lunch.

CatBuddy, ditto Lav's suggestions on wheat/gluten. it's inflammatory for everyone to a varying degree. and of course sugar is enormously inflammatory. be very careful with food labels though as both wheat and sugar are hiding in just about every processed food. cut those out, report back in two weeks and I bet you feel super!

Mick, super pics. are those your horses?

got dinner tonight with yet another sales rep that's a drinker. I'll be good I love my AF life.

be well friends