Taking a break

I'm taking a break from blogging for a while; but there's five years of posts here, so hopefully, you can still find something interesting to read.

Food as Medicine Short Course

Do you want help to sort out fact from fiction when it comes to nutrition and health?

Dieticians at Monash University are running a free on-line nutrition course, called "Food as Medicine."

It's a course designed for anyone with an interest in food, nutrition and health, and run by actual, qualified dieticians, not someone who is trying to market the latest "superfood" or supplement.

It starts this coming Monday, so if you're going to sign up, be quick.

Further information: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/scs/nutrition-dietetics/short-courses/food-as-med.html

My Memory's Getting ... What Was I Saying?

lupus.cheezburger.com

I had to go to the GP for a new referral to my gerontologist (not for my age, for my memory.)

I made the appointment, thinking, "I don't really need this, my memory's been getting much better lately."

In fact, I'd been telling myself I had been feeling really good, generally, and that everything was getting better.

I walked the dog every day for a week. I convinced myself that the exercise was good for me, and I was actually feeling better in all ways.

Then I got the phone call from the doctor's office asking why I'd missed my appointment.  I'd forgotten to go.

Suddenly, I realised just how exhausted I actually was.  I looked at my pill sorter, and noticed the number of times during the week I'd forgotten to take my meds.

I went to bed.  I stayed there for most of the week, and and probably not yet quite back to where I was before I decided to exercise every day.

My son's been walking the dog. This has made the dog much happier because he walks further and faster than I do.

The lesson from all this is that yes, I do have limits, and constantly pushing past them isn't going to make them go away, it's just going to make the crash worse when it comes. It seems I had learned that lesson a few times before, but I've kept forgetting it.

The other lesson is that, yes, I do need that appointment for my memory.

It's All In The Jeans

lupus.cheezburger.com

I've gone down a jeans size!

How did this amazing thing happen, when I've been unsuccessfully battling weight for years?

A while ago, I talked my rheumatologist into letting me try a lower dose of prednisone.

He told me that the 5mg dose I was on shouldn't be enough to make me gain weight. However, he was finally persuaded to let me gradually reduce to 3mg per day.

It doesn't seem like a lot, does it?

I knew it would mean extra pain, and I was prepared for that.  I find I'm using more meloxicam (anti-inflammatory tablets) and anti-inflammatory gels and rubs. With that help, I'm managing the pain.

But I stuck to Calorie King, which regular readers know I've been doing for years, and slowly, something is starting to change.

My weight still fluctuates wildly from day to day because of my problem with retaining fluid, so I really can't reliably tell how much I've lost, but my jeans had been getting looser and looser.

About a week ago, I found I could pull them on without undoing them.

Today, I found an older, smaller pair.  They're loose.

So poo to you, prednisone.  For once, I win.