Monday, April 25, 2016
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Saturday, August 18, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Damn, I'm good...
...from an interview of renowned nutritional counsellor, Dr Raymond Peat by thyroid advocate Mary Shomon:
High cholesterol is more closely connected to hypothyroidism than hypertriglyceridemia is. Increased T3 will immediately increase the conversion of cholesterol to progesterone and bile acids. When people have abnormally low cholesterol, I think it's important to increase their cholesterol before taking thyroid, since their steroid-forming tissues won't be able to respond properly to thyroid without adequate cholesterol.
And then he talks about progesterone and oestrogen and the effects of too much/not enough of each. Back in the day when I was still young enough to take the contraceptive pill, I could not tolerate the combined pill as it made me ill, but the progesterone only one was fine and in fact I felt so much better. Nice to know there is an explanation that makes sense. Makes me think of all those doctors with their "whatever," attitude, and not in a good way.
High cholesterol is more closely connected to hypothyroidism than hypertriglyceridemia is. Increased T3 will immediately increase the conversion of cholesterol to progesterone and bile acids. When people have abnormally low cholesterol, I think it's important to increase their cholesterol before taking thyroid, since their steroid-forming tissues won't be able to respond properly to thyroid without adequate cholesterol.
And then he talks about progesterone and oestrogen and the effects of too much/not enough of each. Back in the day when I was still young enough to take the contraceptive pill, I could not tolerate the combined pill as it made me ill, but the progesterone only one was fine and in fact I felt so much better. Nice to know there is an explanation that makes sense. Makes me think of all those doctors with their "whatever," attitude, and not in a good way.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
I smelt a rat...
...quite literally. About 2 months ago, a pregnant rat moved into my apartment. At the time I did not know it was a she, let alone pregnant. How I found that out may well disgust some people, but if you enjoy a good rat story, read on.
The first sign of course was a bit of rat poo. I diligently cleaned it up and made a mental note to watch out for other signs of the offender. A bit more poo appeared in the kitchen and the first sighting came shortly thereafter. I was in the kitchen one day using some strong vinegar to clean something. I turned towards the fridge and a huge rat was sitting beside it looking at me. I discovered two things; rats don't like vinegar, and floor tiles change colour when you throw vinegar at rats.
The next sighting came at about 1am one morning. I was watching the end of a Lord of the Rings marathon 3 movie screening on tele when I had that feeling of being watched. Poking around the corner of a sofa was the bewhiskered face of the she-rat.
Now I have had the unfortunate experience of being caught in a rat colony migration in the past, so I have experienced the rather weird effect that I believe rats can exert on humans through their pheromones. The effect is that despite your disgust, they make you feel sympathetic towards them. In the case of the colony, it kept me calm so I didn't make a move that would otherwise have resulted in being torn to shreds. With the mother rat, I felt great empathy for her. I realised that some kind of rat trickery was being visited upon me as I was torn between killing the reviled creature and providing a nurturing environment for it. I didn't know what to do, but like females the world over, I knew that if I held onto a broom, I would feel a lot better about the situation and everything would be alright.
It's amazing the empowerment that a broom holds. Once so protected, old fashioned human disgust rose to the fore and I chased the critter around my apartment. It ran into my bedroom. OH MY GOD!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO, NOT THE BEDROOM!!!! Feeling utterly violated, I was invigorated to protect my territory and proceeded in a broom-thumping frenzy to terrify the rat into retreating to the kitchen/bathroom/stairwell area. I could then shut the door to my living and bedroom areas. I was safe for the night.
The next day I ran into my downstairs neighbour. "Got a rat have you?" he asked. He had heard the manic thumping and presumed it was the beast his flatmate had chased out of their kitchen. Luckily, said flatmate had managed to kill it's mate so at least I was only contending with one. "It's a really big one, too," was his parting, cheery comment. Thanks for that.
The rat was now coming and going as it pleased as evidenced by the amount of poo I was now cleaning up. Why the hell it didn't just move out, I don't know as I was making life very difficult for it. Tiled floors are ideal when hosing out the kitchen and especially under the refrigerator, and the broom was getting a regular work out. However, it became clear that I needed stronger eradication measures than broom and hose.
Now here in Cambodia, you can't just go and buy rat poison, probably because as soon as anyone slighted anyone else they'd have their beer spiked with it. Instead they have non-toxic glue traps. The idea is that the pesky critter gets so stuck that in it's struggle to get out, it literally tears itself apart. Colleagues have reported that their unwanted mice have indeed met their ends in this manner, and suggested strongly that I didn't resort to such a medieval weapon. It sounded perfect.
So in the kitchen, I put down a glue trap with a bit of cheese in the middle as a tempter. 1am (again), I wake to a thumping and a banging from the kitchen. I rush out expecting to see my prize stuck to gluey cardboard. All that was left was a shredded trap and glue everywhere. Despite the rat's unfortunate success in getting out of the trap, I felt that it would still be a strong enough negative reinforcement to deter it from returning. How wrong/naive/stupid I was.
A few nights later, again at about 1am, something woke me up. The building was quiet, my next-door neighbour wasn't playing any music, but something had pulled me out of a deep sleep. My rat radar kicked in, and I just knew. I picked up the broom, which by now accompanied me where ever I went in my flat, and opened the door to the uncontrolled area. I flicked on a light. No sign. My nose was telling me a different story though. By this stage, I had become extremely sensitive to Eau de Rat, and what my nose was telling me was that there was a rat under the shoe rack. The broom then suddenly found itself beating the crap out of the shoe rack, which was beaten with such effect that the rat was forced out. By focusing on the shoe rack, I am attempting to deny any responsibility for the resulting effect on the rat, which is detailed next (warning: disturbing content ahead).
The rat was in the process of giving birth, with a young 'un on it's way out of its back end. It crabbed and heaved its way to cover under the fridge. I dragged the poor shoe rack into the safe zone & closed the door on the problem. The light of day would be too soon enough to deal with this curve ball.
Morning came with the resolution that the rat bitch was going to move out of my apartment or die. I hosed under the fridge again. Nothing. With the shoe rack now in the safe zone, there was nowhere else she could hide. Relieved and a little mystified, I went downstairs on my way out to get on with my day. At the bottom of the stairs, outside the back of the filthy local restaurant which serves as mother ship for the building's rats, was the result of my bashing up the shoe rack/rat: an amniotic sac full of dead rat babies.
Did that make me 'the exterminator' or 'the terminator'? Whatever, I was now sure that was the end of that. Been there before though, hadn't I?
A couple of days later I was heading to Vietnam for a spot of shopping. Just in case, I bought three big, strong glue traps to cover one of the steps on my stairs. I returned with some trepidation and a little of excitement. Would there be a stuck and dead rat? A stuck and alive rat? No sign of any rat action? Could I have predicted the mystery that presented itself?
Two of the traps had disappeared and the third was trashed, upside down and stuck to a stair. I checked the unsecured zone, but no rat or glue traps. How the hell did the rat get out with two one foot square pieces of cardboard stuck to it?. Did it snow-shoe under the gap below the door with the cardboard pieces stuck to its feet, as one friend suggested, or had it become a high-sided rat, with cardboard stuck vertically to it, and slipped under sideways? My downstairs neighbours saw and heard nothing. I could only presume it made it's way back to the mother ship, where the rather unpleasant owner had to deal with it.
Or was that just hoping? Surely, surely the war was over. I had won, hadn't I, even though this was a rat of unusual persistence and determination?
Two days later I came home from work earlier than usual. Now, it's quite a procedure to get inside. I have to unlock my light switch at the entrance, turn it on, relock the box and proceed to the first of the locked inner gates which is beside the mother ship, and leads into the stairwell. This area is dim and dingy in an Eastern European shabby filthy way, rather than a shabby chic way. As my hand went to the gate something large and feral went on the attack. My god, it was big! In terror I ran back out of the building and into the safety of the light. Shaking and almost in tears, I didn't know what to do. Everyone who could have helped was working. Then I remembered my leasing agent. I called him. By this point, I had lost my last shreds of composure and my bawling guilted him into coming to help me immediately. He assumed the role of brave (but frightened) warrior and escorted me up to my apartment, which did result in better lighting and a rat proof door. And what was the big feral creature that attacked me? A high-sided rat, perhaps...
The first sign of course was a bit of rat poo. I diligently cleaned it up and made a mental note to watch out for other signs of the offender. A bit more poo appeared in the kitchen and the first sighting came shortly thereafter. I was in the kitchen one day using some strong vinegar to clean something. I turned towards the fridge and a huge rat was sitting beside it looking at me. I discovered two things; rats don't like vinegar, and floor tiles change colour when you throw vinegar at rats.
The next sighting came at about 1am one morning. I was watching the end of a Lord of the Rings marathon 3 movie screening on tele when I had that feeling of being watched. Poking around the corner of a sofa was the bewhiskered face of the she-rat.
Now I have had the unfortunate experience of being caught in a rat colony migration in the past, so I have experienced the rather weird effect that I believe rats can exert on humans through their pheromones. The effect is that despite your disgust, they make you feel sympathetic towards them. In the case of the colony, it kept me calm so I didn't make a move that would otherwise have resulted in being torn to shreds. With the mother rat, I felt great empathy for her. I realised that some kind of rat trickery was being visited upon me as I was torn between killing the reviled creature and providing a nurturing environment for it. I didn't know what to do, but like females the world over, I knew that if I held onto a broom, I would feel a lot better about the situation and everything would be alright.
It's amazing the empowerment that a broom holds. Once so protected, old fashioned human disgust rose to the fore and I chased the critter around my apartment. It ran into my bedroom. OH MY GOD!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO, NOT THE BEDROOM!!!! Feeling utterly violated, I was invigorated to protect my territory and proceeded in a broom-thumping frenzy to terrify the rat into retreating to the kitchen/bathroom/stairwell area. I could then shut the door to my living and bedroom areas. I was safe for the night.
The next day I ran into my downstairs neighbour. "Got a rat have you?" he asked. He had heard the manic thumping and presumed it was the beast his flatmate had chased out of their kitchen. Luckily, said flatmate had managed to kill it's mate so at least I was only contending with one. "It's a really big one, too," was his parting, cheery comment. Thanks for that.
The rat was now coming and going as it pleased as evidenced by the amount of poo I was now cleaning up. Why the hell it didn't just move out, I don't know as I was making life very difficult for it. Tiled floors are ideal when hosing out the kitchen and especially under the refrigerator, and the broom was getting a regular work out. However, it became clear that I needed stronger eradication measures than broom and hose.
Now here in Cambodia, you can't just go and buy rat poison, probably because as soon as anyone slighted anyone else they'd have their beer spiked with it. Instead they have non-toxic glue traps. The idea is that the pesky critter gets so stuck that in it's struggle to get out, it literally tears itself apart. Colleagues have reported that their unwanted mice have indeed met their ends in this manner, and suggested strongly that I didn't resort to such a medieval weapon. It sounded perfect.
So in the kitchen, I put down a glue trap with a bit of cheese in the middle as a tempter. 1am (again), I wake to a thumping and a banging from the kitchen. I rush out expecting to see my prize stuck to gluey cardboard. All that was left was a shredded trap and glue everywhere. Despite the rat's unfortunate success in getting out of the trap, I felt that it would still be a strong enough negative reinforcement to deter it from returning. How wrong/naive/stupid I was.
A few nights later, again at about 1am, something woke me up. The building was quiet, my next-door neighbour wasn't playing any music, but something had pulled me out of a deep sleep. My rat radar kicked in, and I just knew. I picked up the broom, which by now accompanied me where ever I went in my flat, and opened the door to the uncontrolled area. I flicked on a light. No sign. My nose was telling me a different story though. By this stage, I had become extremely sensitive to Eau de Rat, and what my nose was telling me was that there was a rat under the shoe rack. The broom then suddenly found itself beating the crap out of the shoe rack, which was beaten with such effect that the rat was forced out. By focusing on the shoe rack, I am attempting to deny any responsibility for the resulting effect on the rat, which is detailed next (warning: disturbing content ahead).
The rat was in the process of giving birth, with a young 'un on it's way out of its back end. It crabbed and heaved its way to cover under the fridge. I dragged the poor shoe rack into the safe zone & closed the door on the problem. The light of day would be too soon enough to deal with this curve ball.
Morning came with the resolution that the rat bitch was going to move out of my apartment or die. I hosed under the fridge again. Nothing. With the shoe rack now in the safe zone, there was nowhere else she could hide. Relieved and a little mystified, I went downstairs on my way out to get on with my day. At the bottom of the stairs, outside the back of the filthy local restaurant which serves as mother ship for the building's rats, was the result of my bashing up the shoe rack/rat: an amniotic sac full of dead rat babies.
Did that make me 'the exterminator' or 'the terminator'? Whatever, I was now sure that was the end of that. Been there before though, hadn't I?
A couple of days later I was heading to Vietnam for a spot of shopping. Just in case, I bought three big, strong glue traps to cover one of the steps on my stairs. I returned with some trepidation and a little of excitement. Would there be a stuck and dead rat? A stuck and alive rat? No sign of any rat action? Could I have predicted the mystery that presented itself?
Two of the traps had disappeared and the third was trashed, upside down and stuck to a stair. I checked the unsecured zone, but no rat or glue traps. How the hell did the rat get out with two one foot square pieces of cardboard stuck to it?. Did it snow-shoe under the gap below the door with the cardboard pieces stuck to its feet, as one friend suggested, or had it become a high-sided rat, with cardboard stuck vertically to it, and slipped under sideways? My downstairs neighbours saw and heard nothing. I could only presume it made it's way back to the mother ship, where the rather unpleasant owner had to deal with it.
Or was that just hoping? Surely, surely the war was over. I had won, hadn't I, even though this was a rat of unusual persistence and determination?
Two days later I came home from work earlier than usual. Now, it's quite a procedure to get inside. I have to unlock my light switch at the entrance, turn it on, relock the box and proceed to the first of the locked inner gates which is beside the mother ship, and leads into the stairwell. This area is dim and dingy in an Eastern European shabby filthy way, rather than a shabby chic way. As my hand went to the gate something large and feral went on the attack. My god, it was big! In terror I ran back out of the building and into the safety of the light. Shaking and almost in tears, I didn't know what to do. Everyone who could have helped was working. Then I remembered my leasing agent. I called him. By this point, I had lost my last shreds of composure and my bawling guilted him into coming to help me immediately. He assumed the role of brave (but frightened) warrior and escorted me up to my apartment, which did result in better lighting and a rat proof door. And what was the big feral creature that attacked me? A high-sided rat, perhaps...
I'm baaaaackkkk...
...on track and online. What a hell year it's been and it ain't over yet. With moving back to Asia, the death of a dear friend, the return of the Hashi monster, long hours at work (hey, I do this job cos you generally don't have to work every bloody hour under the sun), money struggles, apartment woes (more on this later) and now job insecurity, I think I'll write this year off as a whole lot of nothing but pain.
Things are starting to look up though. After battling the return of full on Hashi symptoms (BTW, I think I'm an Ord's, not a Hashi - same same but different) since last November, I am finally winning again. In the past month, I have lost about 5 of the 8 kgs I had put on, and while everyone at work is catching the flu bug that's going around the teachers' room, I'm actually bouncing around.
As I've noticed in the past, it seems that I battle on and on and nothing changes, then suddenly I wake up one morning and a switch has been flipped. I have energy: I immediately fall into a more active routine, I don't need coffee and I can tolerate being hungry, which of course means I can get back onto calorie restriction.
The question is whether there is an accumulation of efforts that finally start to pay off, a daily falling of another domino in a very long line to reach a final goal, or is there a trigger, something that tips the balance in my favour. Being the tipping point theory kind of gal that I am, I'm going with the second theory (I'm fairly sure that most of our doctors think along the lines of the first option - even the good ones). Anyone who has experienced this 'flipping of the switch,' knows that this works both ways, i.e. on AND off. And once we've had that 'ON' experience, we want to find the trigger, aka "THE MAGIC BULLET."
Magic bullets don't exist, and we know that, but we still look for them. I think we do that because we innately know that we need to add something to the mix of good things that we are already doing in order to tip the balance in our favour. Once this happens, it's like pushing over that first domino. In my case, that first domino had been firmly glued to the floor until 4 weeks ago.
So what's my tipping point? I'm beginning to think that it's cholesterol. Occasionally I've just gotta eat cholesterol laden food. This is not only contrary to everything I think I know about what is healthy to eat, but also contrary to the kinds of foods and flavours that I like to eat. Most of my life I've eaten very low fat, very fresh and 'zingy' kinds of foods. I do like some sweet stuff, but it is not the stuff of my life and I can happily go without it when I'm on track.
I'm beginning to put together a picture of how this craving works. Thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands; the trinity of health & well being. If you have issues with one of these three, odds on another one will be playing some kind of role, either obviously or subtly. I have blood sugar issues in that my blood sugar can suddenly plummet and I lose conciousness. I have been repeated tested for diabetes and not only do I not have it, all indicators apart from weight show I'm really not likely to develop it. I did experience a noticeable jump in cholesterol level when the OFF switch was triggered in November, but it only went from lower than low to high-normal, which the doctor thought was fine. I didn't. I usually have very low cholesterol. There's a clue in there somewhere. I control my blood sugar by spreading out my daily protein requirements over breakfast, lunch and dinner. My protein of choice is any high-quality, low fat animal flesh. So there's a corner of the triangle.
Another corner of the triangle is the one that I'm just beginning to get an idea about. I've read a lot about the adrenal glands over the years and a couple of small details keep coming back to me. The adrenals need a little bit of cholesterol to get them going and to keep them going. This is one of things that goes badly wrong in babies who are put on extreme diets by misguided parents. Recently I read that when your body is not getting enough thyroid hormone, the adrenals work harder to compensate. I had been experiencing little bursts of adrenaline over very small incidents that mentally barely registered but to which I had this physical overreaction. They really were WTF? moments: Another clue. Five weeks ago I went to Vietnam for a few days and while there experienced severe cravings for cholesterol laden BBQ ribs. The Vietnamese do the best ribs ever so I 'indulged,' accompanied by much self recrimination. Three days later, the switch went ON.
In hindsight, this pattern has repeated itself a number of times in my life. But, it only works in one direction i.e. low fat, low cholesterol diet that needs the occasional boost of cholesterol. My Nana swore by the intake of cholesterol, claiming that it "oiled the insides," while I poo-pooed her idea. Perhaps if she had said it "oiled the adrenal glands" I might have taken more notice. Apart from arthritis & finally dementia, she enjoyed good health for most of her 93 or 94 years, so maybe I should just have taken more notice full stop. Oh, yes I almost forgot. She had Hashimoto's too.
Things are starting to look up though. After battling the return of full on Hashi symptoms (BTW, I think I'm an Ord's, not a Hashi - same same but different) since last November, I am finally winning again. In the past month, I have lost about 5 of the 8 kgs I had put on, and while everyone at work is catching the flu bug that's going around the teachers' room, I'm actually bouncing around.
As I've noticed in the past, it seems that I battle on and on and nothing changes, then suddenly I wake up one morning and a switch has been flipped. I have energy: I immediately fall into a more active routine, I don't need coffee and I can tolerate being hungry, which of course means I can get back onto calorie restriction.
The question is whether there is an accumulation of efforts that finally start to pay off, a daily falling of another domino in a very long line to reach a final goal, or is there a trigger, something that tips the balance in my favour. Being the tipping point theory kind of gal that I am, I'm going with the second theory (I'm fairly sure that most of our doctors think along the lines of the first option - even the good ones). Anyone who has experienced this 'flipping of the switch,' knows that this works both ways, i.e. on AND off. And once we've had that 'ON' experience, we want to find the trigger, aka "THE MAGIC BULLET."
Magic bullets don't exist, and we know that, but we still look for them. I think we do that because we innately know that we need to add something to the mix of good things that we are already doing in order to tip the balance in our favour. Once this happens, it's like pushing over that first domino. In my case, that first domino had been firmly glued to the floor until 4 weeks ago.
So what's my tipping point? I'm beginning to think that it's cholesterol. Occasionally I've just gotta eat cholesterol laden food. This is not only contrary to everything I think I know about what is healthy to eat, but also contrary to the kinds of foods and flavours that I like to eat. Most of my life I've eaten very low fat, very fresh and 'zingy' kinds of foods. I do like some sweet stuff, but it is not the stuff of my life and I can happily go without it when I'm on track.
I'm beginning to put together a picture of how this craving works. Thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands; the trinity of health & well being. If you have issues with one of these three, odds on another one will be playing some kind of role, either obviously or subtly. I have blood sugar issues in that my blood sugar can suddenly plummet and I lose conciousness. I have been repeated tested for diabetes and not only do I not have it, all indicators apart from weight show I'm really not likely to develop it. I did experience a noticeable jump in cholesterol level when the OFF switch was triggered in November, but it only went from lower than low to high-normal, which the doctor thought was fine. I didn't. I usually have very low cholesterol. There's a clue in there somewhere. I control my blood sugar by spreading out my daily protein requirements over breakfast, lunch and dinner. My protein of choice is any high-quality, low fat animal flesh. So there's a corner of the triangle.
Another corner of the triangle is the one that I'm just beginning to get an idea about. I've read a lot about the adrenal glands over the years and a couple of small details keep coming back to me. The adrenals need a little bit of cholesterol to get them going and to keep them going. This is one of things that goes badly wrong in babies who are put on extreme diets by misguided parents. Recently I read that when your body is not getting enough thyroid hormone, the adrenals work harder to compensate. I had been experiencing little bursts of adrenaline over very small incidents that mentally barely registered but to which I had this physical overreaction. They really were WTF? moments: Another clue. Five weeks ago I went to Vietnam for a few days and while there experienced severe cravings for cholesterol laden BBQ ribs. The Vietnamese do the best ribs ever so I 'indulged,' accompanied by much self recrimination. Three days later, the switch went ON.
In hindsight, this pattern has repeated itself a number of times in my life. But, it only works in one direction i.e. low fat, low cholesterol diet that needs the occasional boost of cholesterol. My Nana swore by the intake of cholesterol, claiming that it "oiled the insides," while I poo-pooed her idea. Perhaps if she had said it "oiled the adrenal glands" I might have taken more notice. Apart from arthritis & finally dementia, she enjoyed good health for most of her 93 or 94 years, so maybe I should just have taken more notice full stop. Oh, yes I almost forgot. She had Hashimoto's too.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Slowly, slowly catchee monkey...
Progress has been slow, but progress nonetheless. I've lost 2 inches off my waist since the last post but I haven't felt as though I've been losing weight. Perhaps it's moving around? I did get weighed at the doctor's this past week, and confirmed that I've put on 8kgs since December. Sheee-it!!! Doc is worried by the rapid gain. I've had (almost) all the brakes on for a while but it's still been climbing.
On the positive side, my TSH is on the way back down. After being 5.4 in May last year and 5.1 in December, it's now 3.82. The integrated physician I saw last year wanted me to aim for 2.0 as she uses a very narrow band (as it should be). T4 is 15.4 (don't think that's free T4, not sure I can get that tested here) . The last result I have for this is from about November 2010 at 17.8. I was just looking at the 'normal' range for T4, 9.2 to 23.9, and realised that this was borderline low in my late 20's. I remember a consultation about thyroid, and that the bottom of the range was 9.2 and I was 9.1 or 9.2. The doctor, of course, dismissed this as being in my head (how the f**k does that work?) and not a problem. It clearly was a problem.
The doc didn't retest my iron, but I been having something of a red meat fest (lean beef and chicken livers) following which my energy levels have perked up no end. I guess I was still borderline low and just needed to get on top of it. Anyway, my energy levels are rising so I actually did some exercise today. I went for a 25 minute walk and followed that up with 3 one minute run, one minute rest cycles to test out that 3 minute exercise theory. I feel really great. It feels like I have had an hour in the gym, and I've done hardly anything. Best of all, I haven't blown out my knee. Anyway, I'm going to keep up the 3 minute running thing and see how it goes, and how my knee goes.
Other dietary stuff: I forgot about sugar, rather my problem with sugar. If I have even a small amount of sugar in my diet, I can't stick to my diet. It makes me crazy with cravings. I started including a little sugar again after I had the major hypoglycaemic attack last year, but forgot to phase it out again. I've now gotten rid of most of the sugar but still have the yoghurt problem. Yoghurt here is either low fat with sugar or no sugar but full fat and often with cream in it. In fact, it's so creamy that sometimes it just tastes rotten rather than activated by probiotics. I will have to make my own. In the meantime, I'm having low fat with sugar but this is my only source of this white poison. I've taken to buying a pile of individual yoghurts and throwing them in the freezer. I turn one out and put it in a nice glass with some passionfruit drizzled over, and then it takes a good 20 minutes of attack to eat it. This has solved one of my big problems with yogurt: a portion is over so quickly it leaves me wanting more. This way by the time I've finished my brain thinks it's had a right old yogurt feast. Other mind/food games trickery I'm employing includes carrots, chewing gum, ice-cubes and green tea made into ice-cubes. Slowly I am defeating the sugar demon. A major bonus with this is that as the sugar is coming under control, my alcoholic tendencies have dried up. Another thing I had forgotten about.
I have one more month left on my 3 month lease and I've decided to move into the main part of the city. It's too isolated for me out here on the edge of town even though I love the peace and quiet and big open areas. It's important I spend more time around friends, but it's not only too far away where I am, it can also be quite dangerous at night so I avoid tuk-tuking after dark. This has severely limited my social life, and is not good for my head space. I just need to choose an apartment carefully to make sure it's quiet enough for me. Oh, and it has to have a good kitchen. I would also be very close to the riverside which is great for walking, running, outdoor exercise classes, not to mention all the cafes and restaurants and people watching - believe me, there's a hell of a lot to watch there.
Well, it's back to work tomorrow. I think I've managed to use the break time for some good. I could have been more onto things and more dedicated, but hell I'm coming back from zero motivation to actually running so I can't beat myself up for only getting to that part on the last vacation day.
On the positive side, my TSH is on the way back down. After being 5.4 in May last year and 5.1 in December, it's now 3.82. The integrated physician I saw last year wanted me to aim for 2.0 as she uses a very narrow band (as it should be). T4 is 15.4 (don't think that's free T4, not sure I can get that tested here) . The last result I have for this is from about November 2010 at 17.8. I was just looking at the 'normal' range for T4, 9.2 to 23.9, and realised that this was borderline low in my late 20's. I remember a consultation about thyroid, and that the bottom of the range was 9.2 and I was 9.1 or 9.2. The doctor, of course, dismissed this as being in my head (how the f**k does that work?) and not a problem. It clearly was a problem.
The doc didn't retest my iron, but I been having something of a red meat fest (lean beef and chicken livers) following which my energy levels have perked up no end. I guess I was still borderline low and just needed to get on top of it. Anyway, my energy levels are rising so I actually did some exercise today. I went for a 25 minute walk and followed that up with 3 one minute run, one minute rest cycles to test out that 3 minute exercise theory. I feel really great. It feels like I have had an hour in the gym, and I've done hardly anything. Best of all, I haven't blown out my knee. Anyway, I'm going to keep up the 3 minute running thing and see how it goes, and how my knee goes.
Other dietary stuff: I forgot about sugar, rather my problem with sugar. If I have even a small amount of sugar in my diet, I can't stick to my diet. It makes me crazy with cravings. I started including a little sugar again after I had the major hypoglycaemic attack last year, but forgot to phase it out again. I've now gotten rid of most of the sugar but still have the yoghurt problem. Yoghurt here is either low fat with sugar or no sugar but full fat and often with cream in it. In fact, it's so creamy that sometimes it just tastes rotten rather than activated by probiotics. I will have to make my own. In the meantime, I'm having low fat with sugar but this is my only source of this white poison. I've taken to buying a pile of individual yoghurts and throwing them in the freezer. I turn one out and put it in a nice glass with some passionfruit drizzled over, and then it takes a good 20 minutes of attack to eat it. This has solved one of my big problems with yogurt: a portion is over so quickly it leaves me wanting more. This way by the time I've finished my brain thinks it's had a right old yogurt feast. Other mind/food games trickery I'm employing includes carrots, chewing gum, ice-cubes and green tea made into ice-cubes. Slowly I am defeating the sugar demon. A major bonus with this is that as the sugar is coming under control, my alcoholic tendencies have dried up. Another thing I had forgotten about.
I have one more month left on my 3 month lease and I've decided to move into the main part of the city. It's too isolated for me out here on the edge of town even though I love the peace and quiet and big open areas. It's important I spend more time around friends, but it's not only too far away where I am, it can also be quite dangerous at night so I avoid tuk-tuking after dark. This has severely limited my social life, and is not good for my head space. I just need to choose an apartment carefully to make sure it's quiet enough for me. Oh, and it has to have a good kitchen. I would also be very close to the riverside which is great for walking, running, outdoor exercise classes, not to mention all the cafes and restaurants and people watching - believe me, there's a hell of a lot to watch there.
Well, it's back to work tomorrow. I think I've managed to use the break time for some good. I could have been more onto things and more dedicated, but hell I'm coming back from zero motivation to actually running so I can't beat myself up for only getting to that part on the last vacation day.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Baby steps...again...
OK, so I've made a couple of small changes for some noticeable benefits. The chocolate bug bit me big time during the week so I bit back with a bit of a rum and raisin chocolate bar binge. Strangely enough, that sorted out my salt cravings, although has left me with the urge to overuse the letter 'b'. I'm back to my regular level of salt intake, which is probably more than what is recommended anyway, but then, I don't have high blood pressure, heart problems or anything else that warrants reduced salt intake. I do get low blood pressure and occasionally very low bloody sugar and an adequate salt intake seems to help keep me in some kind of balance. While living in Oz, I did pass out from low blood sugar so I'm rather keen for this not to happen again.
One small step was to stop taking the Levothyroxine from Australia and go back to the French generic stuff I used here before. One small step, one big improvement, a fraction of the price. My body actually feels like it's getting some thryoid hormone now.
I have not made it to the gym yet to try the "3 minute workout." End of term is coming up in two weeks and I'll be using that time to set in some exercise routines, including giving this one a go. I will also be buying a bicycle this pay day, which coincides nicely with the last day of term. I have some time over the break to develop the confidence/skills necessary to take on the erratically speeding SUV monster pin balls that are a feature of the traffic here. I have managed to do some walking around my neighbourhood, although in some pain. That was more than compensated for by the genuinely friendly locals and kids who greeted me on my way. Even the dogs were better behaved than in town.
Pain levels overall have reduced dramatically over the past week, except for the ongoing issue of more titanium in my body than it's comfortable with - literally. Going back to basic broken bone care i.e. staying off it, elevating it etc has sorted out most of that.
As for the weight I've put on, I feel as though I'm on the verge of going into weight loss mode. I just need to push things a bit harder in that area and I think it will slot back into place. The next two weeks provide an ideal opportunity to get back on that horse, so high-ho Silver, away!
One small step was to stop taking the Levothyroxine from Australia and go back to the French generic stuff I used here before. One small step, one big improvement, a fraction of the price. My body actually feels like it's getting some thryoid hormone now.
I have not made it to the gym yet to try the "3 minute workout." End of term is coming up in two weeks and I'll be using that time to set in some exercise routines, including giving this one a go. I will also be buying a bicycle this pay day, which coincides nicely with the last day of term. I have some time over the break to develop the confidence/skills necessary to take on the erratically speeding SUV monster pin balls that are a feature of the traffic here. I have managed to do some walking around my neighbourhood, although in some pain. That was more than compensated for by the genuinely friendly locals and kids who greeted me on my way. Even the dogs were better behaved than in town.
Pain levels overall have reduced dramatically over the past week, except for the ongoing issue of more titanium in my body than it's comfortable with - literally. Going back to basic broken bone care i.e. staying off it, elevating it etc has sorted out most of that.
As for the weight I've put on, I feel as though I'm on the verge of going into weight loss mode. I just need to push things a bit harder in that area and I think it will slot back into place. The next two weeks provide an ideal opportunity to get back on that horse, so high-ho Silver, away!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Neglect...
Neglect seems to be a theme running through my life right now. The return-with-a-vengence thyroid symptoms have been snowballing since about 6-8 weeks before I left Australia, and I feel like I'm dealing with a giant fluoride hangover. As we Hashis (or semi-Hashis, who sometimes test positive and sometimes test negative but still have symptoms - can someone please explain that one to me) know, while one is in the midst of a thyroid disaster, one forgets to do any and all of the positive things that previously had kept us on the rather straight and narrow path that is living successfully with this sucker.
We forget to do these things because the thyroid fog is so thick we can't see them anymore, and once they cease to be part of our daily mental inventory, they may as well have never existed. One of the reasons I started this blog was so that if/when I had a major relapse, I could go back to the beginning of it to remind myself just what the bloody hell I'm supposed to be doing about it. Unfortunately, I have also been neglecting the blog, so I forgot to look.
On top of whatever the hell it was that Australia did to ruin my delicately balanced constitution, there was the fact that I flew to get back to Asia, and the hell out of Oz. I don't fly well. In fact, I'm a true Kiwi, i.e. flying is just bloody unnatural. It takes me months to recover from it, which I would guess has something to do with adrenal exhaustion due to the continuous, highly stressed state I'm in while flying, even with Valium, which unfortunately, does not make me fly in any sense of the word. Bloody useless stuff that it is. And as if I wasn't already overloaded with triggers for a downwardly spiralling thyroid condition, I was living out of hotel rooms until 4 weeks ago. This meant not being able to cook, which in turn meant I wasn't eating properly.
At that point, I had completely forgotten about the results of the blood tests done just before leaving OZ; thyroid out of whack (ongoing while in Oz), salts out of whack (really need to pay attention to that one), low on B vitamins (despite taking daily), low on Vit D (despite taking daily), low on iron (despite eating chicken livers regularly). A final couple of straws: money has been a worry, rather the lack of it. This has led to some frugalities that are counter intuitive to the Hashi, as well as the fact that money worries all by themselves are generally enough to make me miserably ill. And last but by no means least, I have some really suck days at work with some really long hours. Again, completely counter-Hashi.
This all seems to be leading towards some kind of action plan, or at the least, vague promises to stop neglecting self and do something. But what?
After some considerable disruption, my sleep is returning to a normal pattern, but it's has once again become the unrefreshing variety. I was having difficulty falling asleep which is really unusual for me given that I can usually fall asleep at the drop of a hat, no matter where I am. I do sometimes have an awake period during the night when I read or watch TV. There is a school of thought that now believes this to be entirely natural and in fact, is the human default sleeping pattern: The myth of the eight hour sleep, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783 and Segmented sleep: Ten strange things people do at night, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17193783. If I start reverting to this again, I'll try to stick with it. Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that the middle of the night waking period would probably be the best time to take thyroid medication.
Exercise is as usual a collosal blind spot. I am experiencing a lot of joint pain, which doesn't mean jack as I've tested negative to all arthritic conditions several times. It just means my thyroid is tricking my brain into replicating the symptoms of diseases that I don't have. Hand in hand with the joint pain is the pain at the site of every broken bone I've ever had...and there are a few. Just to ice the pain cake, I also have out of control muscle stiffness and pain. Oh, and I've put on a serious amount of weight in a short period of time. Given that I can't do a hell of a lot of exercise with my bung knee and unrepaired internal injuries, my interest was peaked by this BBC News article: Can three minutes of exercise a week help make you fit? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17177251. I think I can try to manage to fit in three minutes a week, and who knows? Maybe, I'm one of the lucky 15%.
As for diet, it is pretty much under control again - not that it was out of control. I was eating like a normal person, which of course is over eating and eating all the wrong things for a Hashi. I'm having massive salt cravings, which I indulge, and have completely lost my taste for chocolate. I tried a little the other day and felt immensely better for the rest of the day, but I haven't got the urge to rush out and hunt it down.
What I really need to do is have some follow up blood tests. Due to the expense of the only decent medical facility in town, I've been putting that off. It's becoming a pressing issue though so I guess I should aim to be stuck like a pin cushion next week. I also need to consider that something is really wrong with the levothyroxine I've been using since I arrived in Australia. Change back to the French version I was on here before. Also, get some bloody pain killers. I was raised to be stoic about pain, so I have a tendency to see pain killers as either unnecessary or the enemy, when in fact, they can be my friend. Pain killers allow me to exercise more, sleep better and enjoy a pain holiday.
Now, how many of these things will I remember to do? I'll try to remember to check back here next week to see how well I did with that.
We forget to do these things because the thyroid fog is so thick we can't see them anymore, and once they cease to be part of our daily mental inventory, they may as well have never existed. One of the reasons I started this blog was so that if/when I had a major relapse, I could go back to the beginning of it to remind myself just what the bloody hell I'm supposed to be doing about it. Unfortunately, I have also been neglecting the blog, so I forgot to look.
On top of whatever the hell it was that Australia did to ruin my delicately balanced constitution, there was the fact that I flew to get back to Asia, and the hell out of Oz. I don't fly well. In fact, I'm a true Kiwi, i.e. flying is just bloody unnatural. It takes me months to recover from it, which I would guess has something to do with adrenal exhaustion due to the continuous, highly stressed state I'm in while flying, even with Valium, which unfortunately, does not make me fly in any sense of the word. Bloody useless stuff that it is. And as if I wasn't already overloaded with triggers for a downwardly spiralling thyroid condition, I was living out of hotel rooms until 4 weeks ago. This meant not being able to cook, which in turn meant I wasn't eating properly.
At that point, I had completely forgotten about the results of the blood tests done just before leaving OZ; thyroid out of whack (ongoing while in Oz), salts out of whack (really need to pay attention to that one), low on B vitamins (despite taking daily), low on Vit D (despite taking daily), low on iron (despite eating chicken livers regularly). A final couple of straws: money has been a worry, rather the lack of it. This has led to some frugalities that are counter intuitive to the Hashi, as well as the fact that money worries all by themselves are generally enough to make me miserably ill. And last but by no means least, I have some really suck days at work with some really long hours. Again, completely counter-Hashi.
This all seems to be leading towards some kind of action plan, or at the least, vague promises to stop neglecting self and do something. But what?
After some considerable disruption, my sleep is returning to a normal pattern, but it's has once again become the unrefreshing variety. I was having difficulty falling asleep which is really unusual for me given that I can usually fall asleep at the drop of a hat, no matter where I am. I do sometimes have an awake period during the night when I read or watch TV. There is a school of thought that now believes this to be entirely natural and in fact, is the human default sleeping pattern: The myth of the eight hour sleep, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783 and Segmented sleep: Ten strange things people do at night, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17193783. If I start reverting to this again, I'll try to stick with it. Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that the middle of the night waking period would probably be the best time to take thyroid medication.
Exercise is as usual a collosal blind spot. I am experiencing a lot of joint pain, which doesn't mean jack as I've tested negative to all arthritic conditions several times. It just means my thyroid is tricking my brain into replicating the symptoms of diseases that I don't have. Hand in hand with the joint pain is the pain at the site of every broken bone I've ever had...and there are a few. Just to ice the pain cake, I also have out of control muscle stiffness and pain. Oh, and I've put on a serious amount of weight in a short period of time. Given that I can't do a hell of a lot of exercise with my bung knee and unrepaired internal injuries, my interest was peaked by this BBC News article: Can three minutes of exercise a week help make you fit? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17177251. I think I can try to manage to fit in three minutes a week, and who knows? Maybe, I'm one of the lucky 15%.
As for diet, it is pretty much under control again - not that it was out of control. I was eating like a normal person, which of course is over eating and eating all the wrong things for a Hashi. I'm having massive salt cravings, which I indulge, and have completely lost my taste for chocolate. I tried a little the other day and felt immensely better for the rest of the day, but I haven't got the urge to rush out and hunt it down.
What I really need to do is have some follow up blood tests. Due to the expense of the only decent medical facility in town, I've been putting that off. It's becoming a pressing issue though so I guess I should aim to be stuck like a pin cushion next week. I also need to consider that something is really wrong with the levothyroxine I've been using since I arrived in Australia. Change back to the French version I was on here before. Also, get some bloody pain killers. I was raised to be stoic about pain, so I have a tendency to see pain killers as either unnecessary or the enemy, when in fact, they can be my friend. Pain killers allow me to exercise more, sleep better and enjoy a pain holiday.
Now, how many of these things will I remember to do? I'll try to remember to check back here next week to see how well I did with that.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Back in the Penh...
Well here I am back in Phnom Penh a year after leaving. Who would've seen that one coming, huh? I guess if I had gone pretty much anywhere in the world except Australia, it's very likely I would not be back here now. However, I did, and I am. More about that later. For now, I'm on the great accommodation hunt. To start with, I need cooking facilities, and pets must be allowed.
On Christmas Day, I found a teeny little, white-haired, blue-eyed (but not deaf) kitten in a banana tree behind my friend Terrina's house in Ho Chi Minh City. It's not every Christmas that Santa drops a kitten in a banana tree so I couldn't just leave it there. She's having her shots, and then waiting 30 days before she can be exported to Cambodia, along with T's dog Aspen which I'm inheriting as they are going back to New Zealand.
So here I am in Cambodia and I've already got a cat and a dog to think about. I also need a kitchen. If you know me, then you know why. Lunch today consisted of Rocky Chicken Gizzards (like KFC popcorn chicken) and Mixed Balls (3 mystery meat mixes of pork, fish and beef).
On Christmas Day, I found a teeny little, white-haired, blue-eyed (but not deaf) kitten in a banana tree behind my friend Terrina's house in Ho Chi Minh City. It's not every Christmas that Santa drops a kitten in a banana tree so I couldn't just leave it there. She's having her shots, and then waiting 30 days before she can be exported to Cambodia, along with T's dog Aspen which I'm inheriting as they are going back to New Zealand.
So here I am in Cambodia and I've already got a cat and a dog to think about. I also need a kitchen. If you know me, then you know why. Lunch today consisted of Rocky Chicken Gizzards (like KFC popcorn chicken) and Mixed Balls (3 mystery meat mixes of pork, fish and beef).
Sunday, December 11, 2011
I learnt something new from the doc last week
So as I'm preparing to leave Australia, and so-called civilization, to return to SE Asia, and people who do understand what civilized behaviour actually is, I went to the doctor for a few tests. The thyroid test was the most important one, but we decided to get a whole panel done as well.
Firstly, my thyroid is out of whack still, which it has been the whole time I've been in Australia. I still believe the primary reason for this is exposure to fluoride, even though I've only used bottled water here. Fluoride is still present on the fruit and veg that I buy, in any food product I use which needs water during the processing and in the water I shower in, so even though I've tried to avoid fluoride, that has not been entirely possible.
The doc I saw came up with another reason for my thyroid being out of whack, on this particular test. About 6 or 7 weeks ago, I had a quinsy, which is an abscess on a tonsil. I'm prone to nasty strep infections and get a really bad one every 3 or 4 years. I've noticed my entire life, that when I'm sick, I put on weight and continue to do so for months afterwards. The doc said that this is because we need more thyroid hormone when we are ill as well as for a period of time afterwards. In 'normal' people, their thyroid amps up production levels to compensate for the increased demand. People who take thyroid replacement hormones are on a fixed hormone intake so of course, this means the body is not getting what it needs, we put on weight, feel like shite for longer, yada yada yada. This is the first time I've heard of this, but I'm taking it on board and increasing my dose a little for the next few weeks, then repeating the test 6 weeks after the previous one.
Other interesting results were borderline low iron, low-normal vitamin D, despite taking 1000-2000 whatevers of it a day, and low B vitamins, again despite dosing myself daily. Basically, I'm going to amp up the vitamin intake and enjoy some chicken liver pate, and then get retested with the thyroid.
I'm really looking forward to my return to SE Asia, Christmas with Terrina and her family in HCMC, returning to Phnom Penh and catching up with everyone and everything there, and getting back into work that is challenging and rewarding in most senses of the word. More money would be good but we can't have everything all the time...
Firstly, my thyroid is out of whack still, which it has been the whole time I've been in Australia. I still believe the primary reason for this is exposure to fluoride, even though I've only used bottled water here. Fluoride is still present on the fruit and veg that I buy, in any food product I use which needs water during the processing and in the water I shower in, so even though I've tried to avoid fluoride, that has not been entirely possible.
The doc I saw came up with another reason for my thyroid being out of whack, on this particular test. About 6 or 7 weeks ago, I had a quinsy, which is an abscess on a tonsil. I'm prone to nasty strep infections and get a really bad one every 3 or 4 years. I've noticed my entire life, that when I'm sick, I put on weight and continue to do so for months afterwards. The doc said that this is because we need more thyroid hormone when we are ill as well as for a period of time afterwards. In 'normal' people, their thyroid amps up production levels to compensate for the increased demand. People who take thyroid replacement hormones are on a fixed hormone intake so of course, this means the body is not getting what it needs, we put on weight, feel like shite for longer, yada yada yada. This is the first time I've heard of this, but I'm taking it on board and increasing my dose a little for the next few weeks, then repeating the test 6 weeks after the previous one.
Other interesting results were borderline low iron, low-normal vitamin D, despite taking 1000-2000 whatevers of it a day, and low B vitamins, again despite dosing myself daily. Basically, I'm going to amp up the vitamin intake and enjoy some chicken liver pate, and then get retested with the thyroid.
I'm really looking forward to my return to SE Asia, Christmas with Terrina and her family in HCMC, returning to Phnom Penh and catching up with everyone and everything there, and getting back into work that is challenging and rewarding in most senses of the word. More money would be good but we can't have everything all the time...
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Weekly Weigh-in sans Weight Watchers
After the shenanigans of last weekend's Weight Watchers meeting that saw me quit - twice - I had thought to give myself a week off from the pressure of losing weight. This was also a busy week for me with two evenings out in a row (that just sounds so sad and pathetic), and I knew I wouldn't be able to do a mid-week fruit & vege top up shop. All in all, I felt it was an appropriate time to eat Easter buns with lashings of butter and to drink a couple of bottles of wine.
This morning I forced myself onto the scales to face the result of my slight slip into Bacchanalia. Just to be clear, after I bought the scales last weekend I jumped on them on Sunday morning to see how they measure against the WW ones. I was somewhat crushed to find the needle sitting at 81kgs instead of 79.4kgs, which probably fuelled the gusto with which I went at the buns. As a result, this morning I was feeling more than a little trepidation at finding out what damage I had done. Imagine my shock when the needle settled at 78kgs. Finally a result that is clearly below my 80kg mental hurdle.
Perhaps part of this sudden drop was due to the fact that I did go out two nights in a row. A little change in routine can shake things up nicely in the weight loss department. I also had a fantastic time at my flatmate's fashion and theatre show on Wednesday night. She was the fashion side of things. It was a fabulous evening of bubbles, fashion, real women, performance and a serious amount of laughter. See the flyer here, but I hope to get a couple of pics to put up http://www.velvetsushifashion.com/2011/03/fashion-show-march-30-and-march-31/. The other outing was my school's 'Surf Carnival' which involved students playing beach volley ball and teachers cooking a barbecue. I left before the dancing and serious beer drinking got under way.
I have been slowly recovering from my hypoglycaemic attack the previous week - perhaps another excuse to ease up on the dietary strictness that was making me a little miserable as it does when you are not getting the expected results. And, I have also gone back to basics to try to manage some of the many thyroid symptoms that appeared or reappeared since moving to Oz.
Although the days are still hot here, I bought a pair of winter boots. I can fit my orthotics into them, and wearing them reduces my leg pain, therefore reducing my overall daily pain load. I got a massage which stirred everything up, but now it's all settled. I discovered the cause of my daily morning headache that would become thunderous during the day. My TMJ (temporomandibular joint) was acting up severely. When I opened my jaw up fully, there was a great big knot clearly evident on one side, so I worked on it for a couple of days. This involves pushing on the knot firmly enough to cause pain but not so hard as to cause damage, and holding that for a couple of minutes. This stimulates your body to send all sorts of chemicals to the site including your natural pain killers, which all aid healing.
The next step was to figure out WHY this had happened and as severely as it did. Once the fog of the headache had cleared it was quite easy to see. I have a rather small bedroom with insufficient storage space so my little notebook computer lived on the beside table right beside where my head slept. This was also the side of my jaw with the big knot. I started putting the notebook on the floor before bed and hey presto! headache gone. This prompted me to move all the furniture around in my room and deal with the lack of space issues, which I had been avoiding as I didn't feel up to doing anything about. I have actually managed to create space, and now my notebook is well away from me and even has a place where I can use it. I also moved my bed from under the window as although it is still warm, cooler weather is on the way. This has also improved my sleep no end as the silly, rattly, vertical Venetian blinds no longer wake me up during the night. Even my tooth pain has reduced.
I found one last sleeve of Levo nicely tucked away in a cooler place, so there was the possibility that they had not been affected by the heat. I chucked the other sleeves I had been using, and started on it, and it seems to be better as my thyroid is no longer painful to the touch. Also after a timely reminder in Mary Shomon's latest newsletter - or was it on her facebook? - I am regaining control over my completely out of control coffee consumption. Note to self once again (us Hashis are slow learners), waiting that little bit of extra time in the morning between taking Levo and taking coffee is really, really important.
Now that the fog is lifting, I can see that I need to make some big decisions. I don't really like Perth, or rather, I'm not feeling it. On the one side, it's a bit too family for me, and on the other side, it's a bit too feral. Thinking of Melbourne...
This morning I forced myself onto the scales to face the result of my slight slip into Bacchanalia. Just to be clear, after I bought the scales last weekend I jumped on them on Sunday morning to see how they measure against the WW ones. I was somewhat crushed to find the needle sitting at 81kgs instead of 79.4kgs, which probably fuelled the gusto with which I went at the buns. As a result, this morning I was feeling more than a little trepidation at finding out what damage I had done. Imagine my shock when the needle settled at 78kgs. Finally a result that is clearly below my 80kg mental hurdle.
Perhaps part of this sudden drop was due to the fact that I did go out two nights in a row. A little change in routine can shake things up nicely in the weight loss department. I also had a fantastic time at my flatmate's fashion and theatre show on Wednesday night. She was the fashion side of things. It was a fabulous evening of bubbles, fashion, real women, performance and a serious amount of laughter. See the flyer here, but I hope to get a couple of pics to put up http://www.velvetsushifashion.com/2011/03/fashion-show-march-30-and-march-31/. The other outing was my school's 'Surf Carnival' which involved students playing beach volley ball and teachers cooking a barbecue. I left before the dancing and serious beer drinking got under way.
I have been slowly recovering from my hypoglycaemic attack the previous week - perhaps another excuse to ease up on the dietary strictness that was making me a little miserable as it does when you are not getting the expected results. And, I have also gone back to basics to try to manage some of the many thyroid symptoms that appeared or reappeared since moving to Oz.
Although the days are still hot here, I bought a pair of winter boots. I can fit my orthotics into them, and wearing them reduces my leg pain, therefore reducing my overall daily pain load. I got a massage which stirred everything up, but now it's all settled. I discovered the cause of my daily morning headache that would become thunderous during the day. My TMJ (temporomandibular joint) was acting up severely. When I opened my jaw up fully, there was a great big knot clearly evident on one side, so I worked on it for a couple of days. This involves pushing on the knot firmly enough to cause pain but not so hard as to cause damage, and holding that for a couple of minutes. This stimulates your body to send all sorts of chemicals to the site including your natural pain killers, which all aid healing.
The next step was to figure out WHY this had happened and as severely as it did. Once the fog of the headache had cleared it was quite easy to see. I have a rather small bedroom with insufficient storage space so my little notebook computer lived on the beside table right beside where my head slept. This was also the side of my jaw with the big knot. I started putting the notebook on the floor before bed and hey presto! headache gone. This prompted me to move all the furniture around in my room and deal with the lack of space issues, which I had been avoiding as I didn't feel up to doing anything about. I have actually managed to create space, and now my notebook is well away from me and even has a place where I can use it. I also moved my bed from under the window as although it is still warm, cooler weather is on the way. This has also improved my sleep no end as the silly, rattly, vertical Venetian blinds no longer wake me up during the night. Even my tooth pain has reduced.
I found one last sleeve of Levo nicely tucked away in a cooler place, so there was the possibility that they had not been affected by the heat. I chucked the other sleeves I had been using, and started on it, and it seems to be better as my thyroid is no longer painful to the touch. Also after a timely reminder in Mary Shomon's latest newsletter - or was it on her facebook? - I am regaining control over my completely out of control coffee consumption. Note to self once again (us Hashis are slow learners), waiting that little bit of extra time in the morning between taking Levo and taking coffee is really, really important.
Now that the fog is lifting, I can see that I need to make some big decisions. I don't really like Perth, or rather, I'm not feeling it. On the one side, it's a bit too family for me, and on the other side, it's a bit too feral. Thinking of Melbourne...
what's in a name?
I have re-named my blog to be more fitting for my current situation. After trying to figure out what to do with the name, the solution became apparent after just one good night's sleep. As it turned out, it wasn't rocket science.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
WTF moments this week...
...and there have been a few. The !!!!!!!! one occurred on Thursday afternoon just after I arrived home from work. I passed out. When I woke up some time later (about 40 mins) I was extremely confused, my heart was racing and my legs felt like lead had been transfused into them. It took about half an hour before the nagging thought that I really needed to eat something could push itself hard enough through the utter confusion in my brain to energise me enough to propel me off the couch. I grabbed the first thing that came to hand, which was a potato, bunged it in the microwave and was standing staring at it going around and around (truly an amazing sight when you've left most of your brain function behind) when my flatmate come home all excited about something. All I can remember is being completely flummoxed as to why her mother's dog was in the microwave with my potato. This episode was preceded by feeling cold and clammy all afternoon, as well as several days of minor hypoglycaemic attacks. Note to self: I cannot go 7 hours without food on continuous days and/or when I am busy.
The second and third big WTF!!! moments came at my Saturday morning Weight Watchers meeting. The 'facilitator' of this meeting is something of a witchy kind of cow even on a good day, but this day she decided that she needed to be in control of me. I wear orthotics in my shoes so the weigh-in ladies get me to weigh my shoes first, then put them back on and jump on the scales. Cow-lady decided that I wasn't allowed to do that. Yes, that's right - NOT ALLOWED. And it wasn't just that I wasn't allowed, it was the vicious way she went about it. The woman beside me was quite shocked. Now, I'll tell you what. When I am paying good money for a service and especially a support service, I expect to get bang for my buck, not some sour faced bully-bitch having a go at me because she can't keep her septic personality in check. This wasn't the first time I had witnessed her inner bitch surfacing, as she has been aggressive with members during meetings and often overrode their contributions. I left immediately, went home, cancelled my WW subscription, went shopping for bathroom scales, bought a fabulous, full length, lacy coat-dress with a fur trimmed collar (another inspiration piece), got my hair cut and had a massage. I spent money I'm saving to move into my own apartment but what the hell, it was good therapy.
The other big WTF moment was actually the result on the scales. After a week of back to the basics dieting (hey, I gave myself a hypoglycaemic attack with it all), I only lost 300 grams. On top of the previous week losing only 200 grams, that tells me SOMETHING IS WRONG. Either the scales lady lied - she did after all have Medusa hanging over her shoulder - or I've got something going on that needs attending to. I suspect a bit of both.
This week's goals are to continue the diet but plan the timing a bit better and be prepared for getting caught short (of food that is), and to get an appointment with a local doctor who practices integrated medicine. I just hope she isn't too busy...
The second and third big WTF!!! moments came at my Saturday morning Weight Watchers meeting. The 'facilitator' of this meeting is something of a witchy kind of cow even on a good day, but this day she decided that she needed to be in control of me. I wear orthotics in my shoes so the weigh-in ladies get me to weigh my shoes first, then put them back on and jump on the scales. Cow-lady decided that I wasn't allowed to do that. Yes, that's right - NOT ALLOWED. And it wasn't just that I wasn't allowed, it was the vicious way she went about it. The woman beside me was quite shocked. Now, I'll tell you what. When I am paying good money for a service and especially a support service, I expect to get bang for my buck, not some sour faced bully-bitch having a go at me because she can't keep her septic personality in check. This wasn't the first time I had witnessed her inner bitch surfacing, as she has been aggressive with members during meetings and often overrode their contributions. I left immediately, went home, cancelled my WW subscription, went shopping for bathroom scales, bought a fabulous, full length, lacy coat-dress with a fur trimmed collar (another inspiration piece), got my hair cut and had a massage. I spent money I'm saving to move into my own apartment but what the hell, it was good therapy.
The other big WTF moment was actually the result on the scales. After a week of back to the basics dieting (hey, I gave myself a hypoglycaemic attack with it all), I only lost 300 grams. On top of the previous week losing only 200 grams, that tells me SOMETHING IS WRONG. Either the scales lady lied - she did after all have Medusa hanging over her shoulder - or I've got something going on that needs attending to. I suspect a bit of both.
This week's goals are to continue the diet but plan the timing a bit better and be prepared for getting caught short (of food that is), and to get an appointment with a local doctor who practices integrated medicine. I just hope she isn't too busy...
Sunday, March 20, 2011
SPIDER ATTACKS CLEAVAGE!!!!
Only momentarily, but yes, that is where a huntsman spider decided to take refuge while I was trying clothes on in a shop yesterday. I had just taken off a top so was only in my bra when this thing jumped on my left shoulder, ran across it then dived straight in. I immediately yanked my bra off, sending the spider into a pile of clothing on the floor from which it must have made its escape as it wasn't seen again. I didn't scream probably because I didn't have time to but I can now feel a silent scream rattling around my head whenever I think of it. I hate the bloody things.
OK, onto the real business which is the weekly weigh in. I only lost 200 grams. Although a 200 gram loss is better than a kick in the teeth, it still feels like a kick in the pants so I'm going to focus this week - after drinking too much on Saturday night, that is. I've really got to stop doing that. Also, this week there will be NO CHOCOLATE. Recently, chocolate seems to have taken control of my mind so it's time to take it back. I've bought a couple of pieces of what I call 'challenge' clothing. These are items that I really, really want to wear and can get on, but they are too tight to wear now, so I have to diet to get into them. I have managed to fit into all my previous challenge pieces, which is great, but I've become a bit unmotivated so this should help kick me in the arse.
I'm still exhausted from starting the new job. Some mornings I wake up so zonked that later, I'm not sure if I took my Levo. I'm reasonably certain that I have forgotten a couple of times, which is really not like me at all. I've never had problems remembering to take it before, but I haven't been this bad in the morning for about 10 years. I still haven't completely fixed the water issue so I'm probably still struggling with the bloody fluoride, and whatever the hell else is going on.
Next week is another week so hopefully with a bit more effort, if I can find it in me, I'll have a better result.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Who's been a naughty girl then?
Well, that would be me, wouldn't it! Recently, I've embraced several kinds of naughtiness including overindulging in alcohol, and eating so much chocolate one night that I gave myself a chocolate hangover the next day. On top of feeling the need to feed my body with energy giving, but otherwise empty, nutrients I have been too tired to do much in the way of cooking, walking or any other kind of healthful lifestyle activity. And, whilst in the throws of trying to settle into a new country, new job and new flat, I had completely overlooked the fact that I was experiencing an intensification of thyroid symptoms. That was until the scary little monster decided to assert itself one morning by throwing a spasm fit. I have experienced this before but only when I was at my unmedicated worst. My fuzzy brain still somehow recognised the signal, threw a switch and went - FUUUUUCK! THYROID!!! I had forgotten all about the wee beastie.
By forgotten, I don't mean I had been neglecting to take my meds; I do, everyday, at the same time, religiously - praying at the alter of Levo is my only religion. What I had forgotten was to be self-aware, and to be aware of my environment. Getting a bit fuzzy and bit grumpy is always a sign I'm out of balance, not to mention constipation. Me? Constipated? The Queen of diarrhoea couldn't go? That's a bit of a big sign. As for my environment, it turned out, I have been drinking gallons of thyroid killing, fluoridated water. Whatever little natural function my poor old gland had still been managing to sqeeze out got a massive knock on the head.
Since the moment my thyroid made me scream fuck inside my head, I have been taking what steps I can to be more supportive of it. Until I can find a proper water filter, I'm back on bottled drinking water. I was rather disgusted at Target (department store) when I went to get a filter there. They have a whole stand of filters and filters jugs to choose from, but they are all made by the same company; a company that believes in the 'wonderful, health giving properties of fluoride,' and proudly point out that their product does not filter out this toxic shit. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT? Actually, I must be getting over the fuzzy-wuzzies as it just occurred to me to complain to Target about that.
I have also gotten back on the weight watching horse, and in a rather literal sense. I joined Weight Watchers. They have just come out with a completely rewritten plan for weight loss, and one of the really good things for me is that I can fit my crazy little thyroid diet into it. There is no one telling you that you have eat this or that, or can't have any of what you like. I've met other people there who have chronic illnesses, such as Coeliac's & Ulcerative Colitis, which require special diets to be followed, and they also find it's quite easy to meet their specific dietary needs within the plan. The other thing that is good for me is that I can get some support. Still being fresh off the boat, I don't know many people yet and it would be a bit rude to task the ones that I have met with being my weight loss crutch. It does get me up and out the door early on Saturday morning to attend, and it's about a 1/2 hour walk - currently my only intentional exercise. It's amazing/it really sucks how dramatically a thyroid set back also sets back physical function. At this morning's meeting, I weighed in at 79.8kgs so I'm back to about where I was when I left Cambodia - and below the mythical 80kg mark.
I have been rather preoccupied by the various disasters that have occurred; floods & hurricanes in the east of Australia, a heat wave & fires here where I am, the earthquake in Christchurch (family there all OK), and Japan has just been hit with a quadruple whammy - earthquake, tsunami, massive industrial fires and now, a nuclear meltdown imminent. I just wanna know - who the fuck broke the planet?
Next post will be about life on the edge of the known world.
By forgotten, I don't mean I had been neglecting to take my meds; I do, everyday, at the same time, religiously - praying at the alter of Levo is my only religion. What I had forgotten was to be self-aware, and to be aware of my environment. Getting a bit fuzzy and bit grumpy is always a sign I'm out of balance, not to mention constipation. Me? Constipated? The Queen of diarrhoea couldn't go? That's a bit of a big sign. As for my environment, it turned out, I have been drinking gallons of thyroid killing, fluoridated water. Whatever little natural function my poor old gland had still been managing to sqeeze out got a massive knock on the head.
Since the moment my thyroid made me scream fuck inside my head, I have been taking what steps I can to be more supportive of it. Until I can find a proper water filter, I'm back on bottled drinking water. I was rather disgusted at Target (department store) when I went to get a filter there. They have a whole stand of filters and filters jugs to choose from, but they are all made by the same company; a company that believes in the 'wonderful, health giving properties of fluoride,' and proudly point out that their product does not filter out this toxic shit. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT? Actually, I must be getting over the fuzzy-wuzzies as it just occurred to me to complain to Target about that.
I have also gotten back on the weight watching horse, and in a rather literal sense. I joined Weight Watchers. They have just come out with a completely rewritten plan for weight loss, and one of the really good things for me is that I can fit my crazy little thyroid diet into it. There is no one telling you that you have eat this or that, or can't have any of what you like. I've met other people there who have chronic illnesses, such as Coeliac's & Ulcerative Colitis, which require special diets to be followed, and they also find it's quite easy to meet their specific dietary needs within the plan. The other thing that is good for me is that I can get some support. Still being fresh off the boat, I don't know many people yet and it would be a bit rude to task the ones that I have met with being my weight loss crutch. It does get me up and out the door early on Saturday morning to attend, and it's about a 1/2 hour walk - currently my only intentional exercise. It's amazing/it really sucks how dramatically a thyroid set back also sets back physical function. At this morning's meeting, I weighed in at 79.8kgs so I'm back to about where I was when I left Cambodia - and below the mythical 80kg mark.
I have been rather preoccupied by the various disasters that have occurred; floods & hurricanes in the east of Australia, a heat wave & fires here where I am, the earthquake in Christchurch (family there all OK), and Japan has just been hit with a quadruple whammy - earthquake, tsunami, massive industrial fires and now, a nuclear meltdown imminent. I just wanna know - who the fuck broke the planet?
Next post will be about life on the edge of the known world.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
So what about the travelling thyroid thing then?
It's one thing to go gallivanting around S.E. Asia when you are fit and healthy, but it's another thing entirely when your travelling companion is Hashi Moto. There are some positives such as the fact that you're not working, but this also means lack of a healthy routine. I am not a routine person (either way you read that!), but one of the sharpest weapons in one's armoury against thyroid disease is a good routine. Routine helps reduce the fall-out from fuzzy brain, helps in remembering to take meds at the right time, and helps give structure and control.
With my regular routine shot to bits, diet and exercise have become something of a concept rather than a practice. I am sad to say that since Cambodia, SE Asia has done miserably in the salads and fresh vegetable department (see entry Deep Fried in Malaysia). The dairy department has been abysmal as well. Since arriving in Singapore, everything on the food front has improved one thousand percent with the notable exception of salads. I've been to several rather nice restaurants whose salads descriptions have fired my imagination and my taste buds only for the first to be let down and the second, assaulted. Case in point: a pesto seafood salad with Dijon mustard dressing. What could go wrong with that, I thought innocently. First there was no Dijon dressing. Instead it was a piquant and spicy, as in chili spicy, dressing. Note that these things do not go with pesto. Big flavour grouping eff-up. Oh, and what really killed what had started out as a great idea for a salad was the MSG that ripped the surface off my tongue.
Most places I've been have not been conducive to pleasant walking with the exception of Singapore which is very walker friendly. The past few days I've been walking and walking for hours but because of the sudden onset of exercise, I've aggravated some of my bung bits. At the beginning of the trip I had loose cartilage bits in my left knee causing pain, general pain in lower left leg from pin and a burst left hip muscle which had been very painful. By Bangkok, I had aggravated an old rotor-cuff shoulder injury on the left side, then receive trauma to the lower left back through a violent bit of massage. All in all, the left side of my body was f****d and I had a lot of territory to cover getting on and off trains with some seriously heavy bags. I've managed, but only because I am now a lot stronger than I was. Even a couple of years ago, I could not have coped with a fraction of this. The healing process for muscular things seems to take longer for us Hashis, so it's a been a slow improvement but I am looking forward to some days at sea so I cannot walk very far.
The worst aggravation for me by far has been the complete disintegration of time. For the past four years I've woken between 5 and 6am without fail. Suddenly I started sleeping to mid-day and couldn't get to sleep at night. The fuzzy wuzzies came back. This probably contributed to my negligence in getting my laptop stolen and definitely to loosing my passport in Penang (thank God for nice people who find things I've lost and hold them for me as I retrace my steps looking for them). I pulled out every trick but nothing was working. Part of the problem was the change in daylight hours. Dawn had moved from 5am to 7am and this small movement threw me off completely. Then there was also the issue of a minor time zone change by one hour. You would think one hour would be a piece of cake but not for this Hashi girl. I have a problem with crossing time zones. It was actually the time shift on a flight from Italy to New Zealand some years ago that kicked off my first Hashi's symptoms, although at that time I didn't realise this. Yet another reason why I prefer slow travel. Anyway, I have started to shift back to a more normal day since arriving in Singapore. Taking the night train and therefore being woken at 6am for border procedures helped to reset the clock, as well as staying in a dorm room with Asian girls who like to get up early. Its a slow and slightly painful readjustment but worth it.
So what coping mechanisms do I use to get me through all that pain and confusion? First and foremost, don't go at things the Lonely Planet way. That's for people who leap out of bed running after 14 hour days of touristic activities and nights of binge drinking. Do your own research first. I find expat blogs and local forums to be the best sources of insider knowledge of a place. Choose what you want to do wisely and realise you can only do 1 main thing per day or even every 2 days. Take the time to explore your chosen point of interest slowly and thoroughly. Take lots of pics. Chat to the locals. This didn't work in Thailand as they were only interested in you when you had dollars in your hand, but in Malaysia and Singapore I've found many people quite ready to pass the time of day chatting to a stranger. Don't worry if you can't do everything you want to do, it'll still be there next year and if you still have a burning desire to see it you can come back. Other things, don't drink much alcohol or none...it's cheaper this way too. Do pampering activities like massages, pedicures and shampoos especially as these are all cheaper in Asia. Take cooking classes where you can find them but do check out the physical barriers. I cannot climb tight spiral staircases. I seem to lose the neurological impulse that commands my left leg to move so I have to go up backwards on my bum. Very embarrassing. People watch. Take the time to be observant. You can learn more about a place spending a quiet couple of hours this way than running around like a Lonely Planateer.
Right, I have to go repack my bags and check out. Next time, I'll be in Oz which reminds me. I'm going to have to rename this blog...
With my regular routine shot to bits, diet and exercise have become something of a concept rather than a practice. I am sad to say that since Cambodia, SE Asia has done miserably in the salads and fresh vegetable department (see entry Deep Fried in Malaysia). The dairy department has been abysmal as well. Since arriving in Singapore, everything on the food front has improved one thousand percent with the notable exception of salads. I've been to several rather nice restaurants whose salads descriptions have fired my imagination and my taste buds only for the first to be let down and the second, assaulted. Case in point: a pesto seafood salad with Dijon mustard dressing. What could go wrong with that, I thought innocently. First there was no Dijon dressing. Instead it was a piquant and spicy, as in chili spicy, dressing. Note that these things do not go with pesto. Big flavour grouping eff-up. Oh, and what really killed what had started out as a great idea for a salad was the MSG that ripped the surface off my tongue.
Most places I've been have not been conducive to pleasant walking with the exception of Singapore which is very walker friendly. The past few days I've been walking and walking for hours but because of the sudden onset of exercise, I've aggravated some of my bung bits. At the beginning of the trip I had loose cartilage bits in my left knee causing pain, general pain in lower left leg from pin and a burst left hip muscle which had been very painful. By Bangkok, I had aggravated an old rotor-cuff shoulder injury on the left side, then receive trauma to the lower left back through a violent bit of massage. All in all, the left side of my body was f****d and I had a lot of territory to cover getting on and off trains with some seriously heavy bags. I've managed, but only because I am now a lot stronger than I was. Even a couple of years ago, I could not have coped with a fraction of this. The healing process for muscular things seems to take longer for us Hashis, so it's a been a slow improvement but I am looking forward to some days at sea so I cannot walk very far.
The worst aggravation for me by far has been the complete disintegration of time. For the past four years I've woken between 5 and 6am without fail. Suddenly I started sleeping to mid-day and couldn't get to sleep at night. The fuzzy wuzzies came back. This probably contributed to my negligence in getting my laptop stolen and definitely to loosing my passport in Penang (thank God for nice people who find things I've lost and hold them for me as I retrace my steps looking for them). I pulled out every trick but nothing was working. Part of the problem was the change in daylight hours. Dawn had moved from 5am to 7am and this small movement threw me off completely. Then there was also the issue of a minor time zone change by one hour. You would think one hour would be a piece of cake but not for this Hashi girl. I have a problem with crossing time zones. It was actually the time shift on a flight from Italy to New Zealand some years ago that kicked off my first Hashi's symptoms, although at that time I didn't realise this. Yet another reason why I prefer slow travel. Anyway, I have started to shift back to a more normal day since arriving in Singapore. Taking the night train and therefore being woken at 6am for border procedures helped to reset the clock, as well as staying in a dorm room with Asian girls who like to get up early. Its a slow and slightly painful readjustment but worth it.
So what coping mechanisms do I use to get me through all that pain and confusion? First and foremost, don't go at things the Lonely Planet way. That's for people who leap out of bed running after 14 hour days of touristic activities and nights of binge drinking. Do your own research first. I find expat blogs and local forums to be the best sources of insider knowledge of a place. Choose what you want to do wisely and realise you can only do 1 main thing per day or even every 2 days. Take the time to explore your chosen point of interest slowly and thoroughly. Take lots of pics. Chat to the locals. This didn't work in Thailand as they were only interested in you when you had dollars in your hand, but in Malaysia and Singapore I've found many people quite ready to pass the time of day chatting to a stranger. Don't worry if you can't do everything you want to do, it'll still be there next year and if you still have a burning desire to see it you can come back. Other things, don't drink much alcohol or none...it's cheaper this way too. Do pampering activities like massages, pedicures and shampoos especially as these are all cheaper in Asia. Take cooking classes where you can find them but do check out the physical barriers. I cannot climb tight spiral staircases. I seem to lose the neurological impulse that commands my left leg to move so I have to go up backwards on my bum. Very embarrassing. People watch. Take the time to be observant. You can learn more about a place spending a quiet couple of hours this way than running around like a Lonely Planateer.
Right, I have to go repack my bags and check out. Next time, I'll be in Oz which reminds me. I'm going to have to rename this blog...
Friday, January 21, 2011
Pics
Unfortunately most of the pics took between Cambodia and Kuala Lumpur were on the notebook that was stolen, however I had put some on facebook. Here they are along with more from Malaysia and Singapore.
Koh Kong to Penang
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=322469&id=531510481&l=acca32c71a
Singapore 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=326433&id=531510481&l=306fb6d16e
Singapore 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=326918&id=531510481&l=b5ac017033
Singapore 3
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=326995&id=531510481&l=db021f9e32
Koh Kong to Penang
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=322469&id=531510481&l=acca32c71a
Singapore 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=326433&id=531510481&l=306fb6d16e
Singapore 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=326918&id=531510481&l=b5ac017033
Singapore 3
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=326995&id=531510481&l=db021f9e32
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Deep fried in Malaysia
I'm well tired of people telling me that the food in Malaysia is awesome. There is more to food than gobs of fat, gobs of rice, gobs of MSG, a deepfryer and sugar dusting powder. Everything is fried. My chicken breast last night had been biffed in the deep-fryer. Rice is fried in great gobules of fat in a wok. Satay? Deep fried! Salad? Fried shit all over it, not to mention great gobulous smears of processed mayonnaise. Oh and it's cabbage, not lettuce (remember: cabbage is a punishment, not a vegetable). I am fried from trying to find AN INGREDIENT.
An ingredient is something that is freshly prepared and/or harvested that has had a little something something done to it to enhance certain of its natural properties. That little something something often requires technique. It may require a little of another ingredient or two, but the main ingredient should always remain the star of its own show - not the fucking deepfryer!
In case I wasn't convinced that this is a food wasteland, I can't even get a pot of frigging green tea. What you get instead is instant tea with sugar added. You cannot stop them adding it. They do not know how to make it without it. I take my coffee black with no sugar but this is the land of 3-in-1. When you find some real coffee and if you can stop them putting in sugar syrup, they try to spoon in honey or dump in packet sugar. I've taken up diet coke or grabbing a coffee at McDonald's. McDonald's is the equivalent of diet food here. Besides that, the coffee is actually quite decent.
Even things that are done well here are fatted to death. Gravies and sauces are where the flavours are if you're lucky. If not, it will be brown sludge with gobs of MSG to burn out your taste buds. In a sauce there will generally be an ingredients to oil/fat ratio of 1 to 3 on a good day. On a bad day, make your after dinner reservation at the local heart unit before eating.
On a positive note, I had the best Thai green curry of my life in a market in KL. It was the sauce. Balanced flavours, unfortunately the only occurrence of this phenomenon in the country, and a smooth as silk sauce that was spicey but not make-you-gag spicey (because it was smooth). The treatment of the eggplant could have been improved but on the whole, a lot of Thai cooks could learn a thing or three about not splitting the sauce from these guys.
Now some might say, don't eat the fatty food. Unfortunately, there is very little else to eat. I'm staying in an area with every kind of food available from street food to award winning restaurants, and I've been through the whole range. The best meal I've had was half a dozen natural New Zealand oysters with two glasses of prosecco. Hard to fuck up really, but putting thick chunks of lemon on top of those fresh, fresh, salty, succulent babies is the beginning of a fuck up. I saved them by my quick actions of whipping the lemon off them pronto, thus reducing the acidic cooking process which had already begun. The prosecco was lively.
I can't say the same for the people. About being lively that is. Although generally nice, and often quite chatty there is a general lack of energy amongst the populace. Not surprising given the diet. I'm having visions of all their poor livers, kidneys, intestines and hearts encased in fat, struggling to do their processing, hardening from the abuse, the life being squeezed out of them by all that fat squeezing into all the nooks and crannies. And they are big people. Every shape and size but mostly fat, fat, fat. Even some clothes shops have mannequins that are bigger than me. This place is a complete fatmare.
So all in all, I am not having a good time with my food. I have even been making my own salads sometimes but that's a little difficult with the whole chopping veges on your lap in your teeny tiny seedy hotel room with no refrigerator. Tonight I leave for Singapore. Again, everyone raves about the food, but will I be able to find what I'm looking for - fresh, tasty, lively without the fatty crutches of a poor cook?
An ingredient is something that is freshly prepared and/or harvested that has had a little something something done to it to enhance certain of its natural properties. That little something something often requires technique. It may require a little of another ingredient or two, but the main ingredient should always remain the star of its own show - not the fucking deepfryer!
In case I wasn't convinced that this is a food wasteland, I can't even get a pot of frigging green tea. What you get instead is instant tea with sugar added. You cannot stop them adding it. They do not know how to make it without it. I take my coffee black with no sugar but this is the land of 3-in-1. When you find some real coffee and if you can stop them putting in sugar syrup, they try to spoon in honey or dump in packet sugar. I've taken up diet coke or grabbing a coffee at McDonald's. McDonald's is the equivalent of diet food here. Besides that, the coffee is actually quite decent.
Even things that are done well here are fatted to death. Gravies and sauces are where the flavours are if you're lucky. If not, it will be brown sludge with gobs of MSG to burn out your taste buds. In a sauce there will generally be an ingredients to oil/fat ratio of 1 to 3 on a good day. On a bad day, make your after dinner reservation at the local heart unit before eating.
On a positive note, I had the best Thai green curry of my life in a market in KL. It was the sauce. Balanced flavours, unfortunately the only occurrence of this phenomenon in the country, and a smooth as silk sauce that was spicey but not make-you-gag spicey (because it was smooth). The treatment of the eggplant could have been improved but on the whole, a lot of Thai cooks could learn a thing or three about not splitting the sauce from these guys.
Now some might say, don't eat the fatty food. Unfortunately, there is very little else to eat. I'm staying in an area with every kind of food available from street food to award winning restaurants, and I've been through the whole range. The best meal I've had was half a dozen natural New Zealand oysters with two glasses of prosecco. Hard to fuck up really, but putting thick chunks of lemon on top of those fresh, fresh, salty, succulent babies is the beginning of a fuck up. I saved them by my quick actions of whipping the lemon off them pronto, thus reducing the acidic cooking process which had already begun. The prosecco was lively.
I can't say the same for the people. About being lively that is. Although generally nice, and often quite chatty there is a general lack of energy amongst the populace. Not surprising given the diet. I'm having visions of all their poor livers, kidneys, intestines and hearts encased in fat, struggling to do their processing, hardening from the abuse, the life being squeezed out of them by all that fat squeezing into all the nooks and crannies. And they are big people. Every shape and size but mostly fat, fat, fat. Even some clothes shops have mannequins that are bigger than me. This place is a complete fatmare.
So all in all, I am not having a good time with my food. I have even been making my own salads sometimes but that's a little difficult with the whole chopping veges on your lap in your teeny tiny seedy hotel room with no refrigerator. Tonight I leave for Singapore. Again, everyone raves about the food, but will I be able to find what I'm looking for - fresh, tasty, lively without the fatty crutches of a poor cook?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
my kingdom for...
...my pics. The ones that were in the hard drive of my notebook that was stolen the other day. I don't want to talk about it other than to say it was my own stupid fault, but the thief did have size 100 balls. The thing that pisses me off the most is that he got zip from all the work he put into taking my picture storage unit. First and foremost, it was password protected so it can't be resold. The next option is to pull it apart and sell the card but when I got it 2 years ago, it was basically a bin end item verging on the obsolete so now it's pure hamster & wheel technology. Pigeon post looked like a pretty good option by comparison. So I was left with zip and he was too. I hope karma is swift and powerful and involves gangrene of the testicles.
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