Saffron has long been associated with expense, since it prices out at the highest to purchase among spices. It also has a solid reputation as an antidote for stomach pain and digestive problems, plus recent clinical trials point to saffron as a remedy for mild to moderate depression. Other studies suggest the ancient spice produced from flowers might effectively reduce tumor size and offset chemotherapy side effects.

Yet another positive health benefit is saffron might help regenerate brain cells lost to alcohol consumption. We, ahem, are always looking for practical applications to your healthstyle, particularly if a glass of wine is in your near weekend future.

Continue reading...

Women, to put it bluntly, are biologically different from men. Those differences imply some guidelines for diet, exercise and health matters in general.

 Women, for example, naturally have a higher percentage of body fat than men, 27% on average compared to 15% for a fit individual. That single number alone is helpful information if one of your weight loss or exercise goals is fat reduction. Any woman trying to reduce her percentage should take into account this natural difference, since it can help avoid guilt and provide a realistic goal.

 Women experience hormonal changes that differ considerably from that of men as they age. Even young women can have irregularities in menstrual cycle and other physiological changes as a result. This can be seen more clearly by looking at some extreme cases, for example.

 Women in concentration camps in WWII frequently discontinued having regular menstrual cycles, as a result of the effects of starvation. Highly trained female athletes also often experience similar changes, as a result of ultra-low body fat and other causes.

 The ill effects of PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) can be reduced by stabilizing blood sugar levels, regulating fat intake and other dietary changes. For example, mood swings can be smoothed out to a degree by higher amounts of soluble fiber, which helps produce a slower rise in blood sugar. Apples, oats and beans are good sources.

 Combining fat with protein and carbohydrate intake in a balanced way will help slow the rise in blood sugar from the carbohydrate consumption. Ice cream may be a comfort food but the effect is short-lived and doesn't provide the balance needed. Instead, increase consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables. Bananas are a good choice, along with walnuts.

 Women are more prone to arthritis, fibromyalgia and other conditions. Certain previously unsuspected food allergies can worsen the symptoms. Testing is essential, but at the same time a healthy diet will help. Rice and soy beverages can be substituted for those sensitive to cows milk, there are wheat-free breads on the market that are still whole grain and peanuts may need to be avoided for some.

 For example some women who suffer from rheumatic symptoms will find they are allergic to wheat. A gluten-free diet will help lessen that problem. This includes finding substitutes for ordinary cereal, standard bread, pasta and other foods made from wheat flour.

 During the years of menopause, as cycles become less regular and large hormonal changes are occurring, diet can help lessen the severity of any discomfort. Lowering sodium intake is helpful. Substitutes include herbs, garlic or lemon juice for flavoring. Each individual is different, though, and you should consult a physician for proper amounts.

 Menopausal women are likely to benefit from reducing saturated fats, beyond that of younger women or males. Since estrogen levels are declining, HDL cholesterol (the beneficial type) will tend to fall and LDL cholesterol (the potentially harmful type) will rise.

 One result is that, though men in general have a higher risk of heart attack as they age, during this time a woman's risk is equal to those of men of similar age. Reducing saturated and trans fat can help reduce those risks.

 Moderate wine consumption is beneficial. It provides antioxidants and other helpful compounds and is generally lower in calories than many alternatives. Lowering caffeine can help reduce loss of calcium, which is more needed as women age.

 What constitutes a proper diet varies somewhat by gender and age, so investigate what is right for your particular circumstances. Knowledge is the key to health.

For more information regarding health, fitness, and wellness, please visit http://www.johnspencerellis.com

Meanwhile
Above in the tangled net of my mind
Everything changed.
Like taking off the goggles of a virtual-reality nighmare
Or hearing a pneumatic drill relaxing into silence
Or being let out of a too-small space
Into the cool evening of a sweltering day
The world seems changed.

And yet
Out there in the persistence of matter
nothing has changed.
The problems are the same, the stresses and strains
The only change is microscopic, intimate, invisible. And yet
the negativity that poisoned my life yesterday
is gone as if it never existed at all.
Sometimes small changes
are the sweetest.

A poem that follows on from my earlier poems Weeping and Hormonal winter.

Despite being one myself, teenage girls continue to utterly baffle me. My one friend is quite clearly PMS-- she's vomiting, cramping, and grouchy as all get out. She knows this, and will acknowledge it. But she continues to snap at me despite knowing that she is doing it, and despite knowing that she's being irrational. HELLO, UM WHYY?!?!

I honestly believe I understand guys better than I do girls. It may be untrue, but at least I can guess with a guy, based on body language and conversational clues. With a girl, there is no correlation between the mind and the rest of the body. Or even the mind and the rest of the mind. That multi-tasking we do so well? Yeah, we do it too  well.

I suppose I do it too, but I just don't see where being hormonal has to replace being reasonable. If you're pregnant, that's cool, I get it, the baby's essentially consuming your brain cells as nourishment. Whatevs. But when you don't even have an excuse like that, then I see no reason to not take a Mido and try to restrain the irrationality. It falls along the lines of 'siddown, shaddup, and hold on.' At least, that's what I try to do when someone points out to me that I'm being ridiculous.

And if you never hear from me again, you'll know she found this post.

Chest:    -1/2"
Waist:     same
Hips:      -1"
Thighs:   -1/2" 
Calves:   -1/4"
Arms:     -1/4"

I will say that I'm in the throws of PMS right now, which only means temporary bloating so my waist measurement may have gone down a bit, but due to timing, I won't know until I measure again in 2 weeks. But being down a total of 2 1/2" isn't anything to sneeze at - I'll take it.  =)

Getting on the scale this morning I was slightly bummed to see the number go up by almost a lb. That's when I checked to see where I am in my cycle [yup, I have a spreadsheet for that, too...]. And there it was. PMS... Then I wasn't bummed anymore. It is what it is. Part of being a lady... This is the first time since eating healthier and weighing myself daily that I'm seeing what my cycle will do to my weight and measurements, so it's kind of cool from a 'scientific' perspective. The good thing is, after my body is done with the bloating, I should see a decent drop on the scale, so that's always fun.

So far, according to PhysicsDiet.com, I am down 2.2 lbs since 8/20. The actual number is 4.2, but I'll stick to the averages. It's nice not being so affected by the smallest increase here and there. As long as I'm trending down, I'm happy. So from now on, I'll just give the PD number...  =)

And now it's time to workout.

biasanya wanita menandai hari pertama menstruasinya namun saat bulan berikutnya jika tanggal tersebut molor lebih dari biasanya mereka bertanya-tanya : kenapa saya terlambat datang bulan? *kok jadi melodrama hehehe*

Jangan langsung berprasangka buruk, hanya utama yang mempengaruhi itu adalah faktor hormonal. contoh pribadinya saya aja. bulan lalu karena menghadapi seminar, pameran dan audit saya terlambat datang bulan. well, mungkin saya farmasis jadi tenang saja, buat sebagian orang, telat datang bulan bisa menimbulkan kecurigaan berlebih.

Sudah tahu kan kalo kami mahluk perasa dan pengaruh hormonal sering kali menyebabkan kami moody *mencari kambing hitam progestron*. let me tell you a secret boys.....

sebenarnya sebelum menstruasi beberapa wanita mengalami PMS Pre Menstrual Syndrome. beberapa wanita mengaalami perut seperti di iris-iris, nyeri seperti habis makan cabe sekilo atau seperti kejatuhan batu di perut *sepertinya hiperbola* . untuk cewek yang seperti ini kudu sabar dan perhatian *elus-elus*

tapi kebanyakan wanita ga sesakit seperti itu, sebelum menstruasi mereka cuma pengen marah-marah ama pasangannya atau belaga sok manja abis dengan menyalahkan hormon progesteron hehehe *dihajar para wanita*.

balik ke topik terlmbat menstruasi.....

Wanita yang memliki periode menstruasi tidak wajar, seperti dua minggu lebih harus segera memeriksakan diri ke dokter untuk mengetahui apa yang terjadi dengan dirinya. begitu juga wanita yang selalu mengalami nyeri hebat saat menstruasi harus memeriksakan dirinya dengan seksama. Perhatikan kesehatan reproduksimu.....

Let's just hope your desk doesn't look like this after an extra day off...

My day went pretty well. I did some work around the house.

I have had a head ache for the past few days off and on. It's soon that wonderful time of the month us women just simply love. The time when us women turn from the beautiful creatures we are, to sometimes crazy obsessed not so pretty creatures......

Anyway hope you had a Happy Tuesday. I went surfing the net and came across these pictures. I am amazed on the funny pictures I find....So enjoy....

[gallery]

Lady O

Två anledningar: psykologbesök eller PMS. Dagarna framåt får visa.

*** WARNING - I NEED TO VENT ABOUT THE WOMANLY TOPIC OF PERIODS ***

For the last couple years, I've been taking my birth control pill consistantly so that I never get my period... Besides last Christmas, when my Mom convinced me for a brief moment that this practice was unnatural and unwomanly, I have been blissfully period free.

In the last couple weeks, however, even though I am still on the pill I have been feeling twangs - wicked ass cramps... and now it is as if my body is saying a big "fuck you" to me... followed by "you cannot avoid me (your womanly curse) forever"  

It is sooooo painful. After eight months of blissfull period-free freedom... Here I am, feeling like I want to rip heads off of flowers, yell and scream at kittens, squish unassuming ants, and perform other such unjustified acts of aggression.

I have no energy.

I don't feel like talking.

I don't feel like socializing.

I just got my period tonight, so maybe I am on the upswing???  Maybe tomorrow I will be more sociable and energetic...

Okay, I feel better now that I have vented.

So I've still been eating, sleeping, dreaming (reading) surrogacy every day, and I've really decided (over and over) that I WANT this.  I think I've thought through just about every scenario from what if I need to be hospitalised for a D&C to what if I want to go on an overseas holiday whilst carrying someone elses baby.  And *I* can make peace with everything.

Had a really good moment with dh this evening (it was quiet, the kids were in bed, we were just chatting and giggling - RELAXED) and I opened up to him about how badly I want to do this.  I told him that I've thought about this, I've researched it and I really want to go ahead, but that I also need him to fully support me.  I asked him to take whatever time he needs to research it himself and get his own questions answered, and then let me know how he feels, and whether he thinks he could get his head around it.  If he's not totally on board with me then I will drop it.  We chatted a bit about the various risks and possibilities - he seemed a bit taken aback, I definitely don't think he had realised quite how serious I was - yet he was not at all negative.  He didn't give too much away besides finding it hilarious that I'll need to see a shrink (to get into the surrogacy program) - LOL.  Clearly he sees a psychological evaluation as a potential stumbling block for me!

But yah, I'm feeling really happy that it's out there and at least for now we're on the same page.  I feel like we've connected in a whole new way and if he really isn't keen I will NOT try to convince him, I will accept it (probably enrol in an egg donor program) and who knows, maybe one day he'll change his mind.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much but I really have a good feeling about this and am really excited.  This could really happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please hold thumbs and think of us! :)

So that little hypochrondriac - who appears residing in my stomach, throwing an air pocket party - WebMD-ed burping. Little help you are again, WebMD, as it appears that bloating, gas, and the like are not only sypmptoms but also just simply conditions in themselves, surfacing in articles on indegestion and heartburn to - my and all our favorites - pregnancy. Why is everything a symptom for pregnancy? Or, even better, why is every symptom for pregnancy also a symptom of PMS? Bloating? Sure. Fatigue? Why not. Throbbing boobs? Apparently. In another cruel joke on all women, the universe has set it up so that every month we have no idea if our uterus still lies dormant or if we have the exact opposite about to slap us in the face. And, as usual, I cross my fingers for the former.

School began this week. I made it. Good enough for me.

As I've mentioned on this blog before, I suffer from adrenal exhaustion. I'm sure it was caused by the high-stress work I used to do in advertising, compounded by my coffee addiction (which I've now kicked -- thanks, Dandy Blend!).

Anyhow, about a month or so ago, I started on a supplement called maca.

Maca is a tuber, in the same family as the radish and the turnip, grown in the Andes Mountains in Peru. It's full of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

For approximately 2000 years, maca has been an important traditional food and medicinal plant in its growing region. It is regarded as a highly nutritious food and as a medicine that enhances strength and endurance and also acts as an aphrodisiac. During Spanish colonization maca was used as currency. Source: Wikipedia

Maca is used as a hormone regulator -- so it helps with symptoms of hormonal imbalances -- from PMS to menopause to infertility.

It's also supposed to be really good for your adrenal glands, which is why I started taking it.

I was on it for about a month or so when I got my period. I was stunned to find that, for the first time ever in my life, I had absolutely no symptoms of PMS.

I've always had PMS. Like, always. And it's always been bad PMS. Such bad cramps that I had to pop ibuprofren like candy.

When I changed my diet and started eating a more WAPF diet (more saturated fats, fewer vegetables oils -- except coconut oil and olive oil, pastured meats, raw dairy, etc.), the PMS got a lot better. I'd say the cramping and pain was reduced by half. A pretty substantial improvement!

So you can imagine my astonishment to find that all my PMS symptoms -- pain, bloating, cramping, tenderness, irritability, mood swings, etc. -- were GONE.

Interestingly, my melasma (hyper-pigmentation, often referred to as "pregnancy mask") is also starting to clear up. I had forgotten about it because I've been wearing bangs. I visited a friend a few weeks ago and she pointed it out -- said she could tell that it was definitely lightening.

It makes sense, because I have read that adrenal fatigue causes melasma.

I'm still in a state of amazement. And I'm thrilled that I have proof that I am recovering from adrenal fatigue.

One caveat:

However, maca does contain glucosinolates, which can cause goitres when high consumption is combined with a diet low in iodine. Source: Wikipedia

So if you take maca, you will want to also supplement with Iodoral or Lugol's to get extra iodine. I am taking 50 mg daily of Iodoral (for one year, at which point I will drop down to a maintenance dose of one pill or 12.5 mg per day), so it should be fine. I personally think everyone should supplement with iodine (12.5 mg daily is considered a maintenance dose for adults).

And I don't think maca is something that you would need to take forever. It's something you can take to help with balancing hormones and issues surrounding imbalanced hormones (infertility, low sex drive, menopause, and PMS).

Incidentally, I take 1/2 to 1 tsp of maca per day, in a little kefir or raw milk, along with 1 TBS of coconut oil (when I remember), and I recently started adding 1/2 tsp of bee pollen to the mix.

If you want to know where to get it, I've been using two different brands (I got one at the store and then ordered the other online -- and have been taking both of them for no particular reason). Maca Magic, which I got at Whole Foods (but you can order online) and the other from Radiant Life Catalog. (And no, I'm not making any money from these people.)

Photo credit: The National Academies Press

[caption id="attachment_281" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Punnet of tomatoes"][/caption]

Click for a better view.

Anyway, the sorry tale: it would seem that I don't in fact have Grave's Disease (this is not sorry - this in fact made me very very happy indeed!). I was hyperthyroid of course, but now, and for the last two weeks almost, I've been so HYPOthyroid I can barely keep my eyes open.

Shall I start from the very beginning? Okay, I will, it's a little self-indulgent but I feel a need to share the whole story - and you never know, it might help someone else. I first experienced what it now transpires were early symptoms of hyperthyroidism last August (yup, a year ago). I had a dry mouth, chronic sinusitis, pain in my right eyeball, fluctuating pressure in same and 'jumpy' vision. Needless to say I was worried about my eyes, but the optician I saw in September dismissed my symptoms. He seemed only concerned about Glaucoma. Over time, the symptoms eased - in fact the coming and going of symptoms has been characteristic of my whole experience. Come December I started to get anxious. Really anxious. It semed to be tied in to my menstrual cycle so I tried various ways of managing what appeared to be rapidly worsening PMS. By March my irritability, spiralling anxiety and inability to control my temper were really out of hand - but it still seemed to be tied to my cycle. I went to the Docs and was prescribed Prozac, but unfortunately I couldn't tolerate it. Neither I nor anyone else connected these symptoms to my eyes and sinuses - why would we? The dry mouth was back though, as were symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome though I hadn't had it in years. I then tried natural progesterone cream to help with my 'PMS' symptoms - it did provide some relief. Meanwile the mouth got slowly worse, and I lost some weight suddenly - but as I had just given up refined sugar I assumed that was why.

Then in June my periods stopped. In fact I thought I was pregnant. I felt exhausted, my breasts were sore, I was (yes!) irritable, emotionally labile, still anxious - in fact all possibly symptoms of pregnancy. And I was happy about it. Despite my circumstances, despite never having actively tried to get pregnant, I was ecstatic. So when the Doctor too thought I was pregnant I allowed myself to get excited. But I wasn't pregnant, I had a blood test, so no doubt about it. Now Doctors aren't too concerned if you miss a period or two, but I was - I've never missed one before (apart from when I was in Asia for six months, but then it was obvious why - new country, rapid weightloss, etc) plus I'd had all these other menstrually related symptoms - so back to the Docs and fortunately for me I get a young enthusiastic locum who has been given some very patient centered training - and when he hears I've got a dry mouth he orders pages worth of blood tests. Next thing I know, I've got hyperthyroidism. Finally I know why for (by now) seven hideous months I've been feeling like a monster because I can no longer control my behaviour and my irritability is now constant - as is my tendency to explode about even minor issues, I'm also getting paranoid. By this time too I have also ended my relationship because my state of mind is so bad and I have convinced myself that I cannot be in a relationship with this man.  At the same time, I had felt unable to talk about what it was like inside my head sometimes because I was afraid and ashamed.

Fortunately for me said man had me back - because of the preganancy possibility I got in contact with him, he forgave me and, yes, we are still together  - and he has given me tremendous support. I am so grateful for this, and his forgiveness - not to mention his tolerance of my appalling moods.

I then wait for four weeks for my 'urgent' appointment at the Endocrinology Clinic.  I also make a couple of trips to my local sugery as by now my eyes are dry and gritty all the time and my mouth and nose feel like the Sahara. I also have sinusitis and eye pain again. On both visits, to TWO different GPs I get told I have symptoms I don't have (a tremor the first time and severely retracted eyelids the second - the Doctor didn't even look at me, he looked at my freaking notes) and on this second occasion end up releasing some of that irritability and by now chronic anxiety at the GP. At least he then looks at me. I also get told I could have Sjogren's Syndrome as well, because unfortunately it seems neither of the GPs I saw knew very much at all about hyperthyroidism and did not realise it can cause dry mouth and dry eyes etc - even if your eyelids are NOT retracted. It is also by now apparent that everyone is determined that I have Grave's Disease, even though there are other causes of Hyperthyroidism, and that they will project onto me the symptoms they think I should have.

And by now, I'm beginning to feel decidedly atypical. I've been researching, and IMO what I have is more likely to be Hashimoto's Thyrotoxicosis. Hashimoto's actually causes hypothyroidism, but sometimes you get an attack of hyperthyroidism. I notice too that I have gained some weight again, I'm losing my interest in food and I'm sleeping more. Also my sensitivity to cold is increasing. None of this is typical of Grave's. However I'm also aware that I'm attempting to self diagnose in a specialist area, so I think to myself, that so long as I make sure to tell the endocrinologist EVERYTHING, of course they won't make a wrong diagnosis - of course they will pick up on the oddities. After all, he or she will be a specialist. Of course.

Unfortunately, it seems that the endocrinologist, too, is rather keen on the Grave's Diagnosis. I tell her, that no I have not lost weight for a long time - in fact I have put it on. Eating more? she asks and I tell her, no, in fact I'm losing interest in food. I also tell her I have this black depression now, and it's getting worse.  She says nothing. She finds that I do have mild Grave's Eye Disease - in fact you can have GED without Graves, with Hashimotos...it's an independent disease - though it most often occurs with Graves. Similarly I have since learned that hyperthyroidism itself can also cause some symptoms of GED, but without warranting a diagnosis of GED. And she would know that, right? Wrong. Eye symptoms, however mild, confirm it. She puts me on 20mg of Carbimazole daily to bring my levels of thyroid hormone down. She also sends me off for blood tests and tells me quite clearly that 'Should anything show up in my blood tests she will ring me.'

I accept the Grave's Diagnosis - to be honest, I'm overwhelmed and desperate for some symptom relief - it's been eight months of hellish mood swings and I want to feel better, but a part of me fully expects a phone call or letter in the next few days telling me that I have the wrong diagnosis. I don't get one, however so I begin taking the Carbimazole. Within 48 hours of the first dose I crash. This is extremely worrying because as it happens, Carbimazole has a potentially fatal side effect - it can shut down the entire immune system. This is obviously extremely rare, but before taking it I got a pep talk off both the Endo and my GP on what to look out for.

Anyway, I'm crashed but no sore throat  so I think it's probably just a reaction to the stress of the past few weeks - the hyperthyroidism magnifies any stress of course, and all that free floating anxiety is just looking for someting to cling to, not to mention the fact that I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (diagnosed shortly before symotoms of hyperthyroidism started appearing, interestingly) so I do crash sometimes. So I sleep. And I sleep. And when I'm not asleep I doze. I notice that my feet are cold, and it becomes unbearbly painful to handle cold things. I try to grate red cabbage that's been in the fridge and have to use gloves to hold it.  On the fourth day I get up and go out for some herbal tincture for the by now suicidal depression. I really believe that I don't want to live if there is a possibility that I may feel this bad again. I've also lost all hope that it's going to go away - because of course, that is the very essence of depression.

I get my tonic and go back to sleep. I continue like this - with a few hours here and there of getting up and doing a few things before crashing again, until last Sunday, when I develop an unpleasant sore throat, and the sensation that my entire neck area is congested. I also feel generally ill now, not just narcoleptic. Oh F*ck. So I go to the out of hours GP, who is German and eccentric and uses pronouns with abandon and total lack of discrimination - and also seems a bit too happy that I have Grave's for my liking, demanding the whole story which I really can't be bothered to share at this point: however she can find no evidence of infection so she says she is sure I should keep taking the meds at the same dose and 'I will get used to it' (!)

Monday is Bank Holiday and I do not improve: first thing Tuesday I phone the Endocrinology clinic and speak to a nurse. Of course, my Doctor is on holiday and I am speaking to a Diabetes nurse (same clinic) who can't help, but she promises to pass the message onto a Doctor who will call me back that afternoon. One of the other things I was told at the clinic, was to call if I needed to so I knew I could do this.

But no Doctor phones me. And I am still constantly angry and irritated. So I phone back and use that anger and irritation to get me through to the doctor's secretary the next morning. She is equally irritated and angry until she finds my records, and yesterday's message, then her attitude magically changes. Dr Parkinson will ring you shortly she assures me. And indeed he does, and he apologises. And he is the first person who really pays attention to what I am actually experiencing, he also checks the bloods from my visit to the Clinc and guess what? My levels of thyroid hormone were going down on their own and by the time I had my appointment at the clinic they were significantly reduced - which of course is why I was depressed, had gained weight, but was losing my appetite. This also means that I do not have Grave's Disease! I had no need to be on carbimazole at all. In fact because I was on carbimazole I had become rapidly hypothyroid.

Unfortunately I had already taken Wednesday's dose before I spoke to the Doctor and as the drug takes a week before it leaves one's system, I won't know if I'm going to really feel better now, or will need a short term dose of thyroxine to lift my levels back to normal as the Doctor obviously doesn't know whether I've 'bottomed out' (as he so charmingly put it) yet.

So what is actually wrong? Dr Parkinson thinks I may have something called De Quervain's Thyroiditis. This is not autoimmune at all, in fact it's thought to be caused by a virus. Occasionally it results in long term hypothyroidism, but usually it resolves itself. So if my levels return to normal on their own, then this is certainly what I have. If not, then there is still the possibility that I was in fact right in my self diagnosis and I have Hashimoto's, as I don't have one of the ususal signs of De Quervain's - an inflamed painful thyroid (yes it is inflamed at the moment but that's due to being attacked by the carbimazole, it wasn't inflamed before) but as no-one has thought to test my blood for antibodies, I don't know for sure. It's a case of waiting until my next trip to the clinic and next set of blood tests - however that's not so bad now as one advantage of the hypothyroidism is the total disappearance of all that anxiety and paranoia. And knowing I don't have Graves has been a relief too. And my eyes, though still jumpy, are not as dry now, so I only really use drops at night.

So I'm still tired and depressed a lot and need matchsticks for my eyes which continue to be painful, but all being well this should start to ease off by the middle of next week and I might actually start to feel like a human being again. I might even get to do some work too - as you can imagine, I haven't felt very creative for some time.

And when I  have the energy I'll be wanting an explanation from the  Endocrinologist I saw at the clinic - when the results of my blood tests came in she should have contacted me,  but she didn't.

And finally (are you still there? Wow!) - is there a moral to this tale? Yes, I think there is: self diagnosis is always going to be problematic - after all it's why we go to specialists in the first place, but if you have your doubts about a diagnosis speak up, believe in yourself enough to ask questions and challenge anything you think is mistaken, I certainly wish I'd been more assertive!

If you made it this far, thanks for being with me, writing this all out has proved very therapeutic.

Other than that, things are ok.
1. Foot is better. Here's how to fix a hurt foot...
a) go to the minor injury clinic and let them tell you it isn't broken (after x-rays)
b) schedule a follow up appointment for a week later with a specialist and walk around in flip flops with that little sock thing on until the appointment.
c) the day before the appointment your foot will miraculously feel SO MUCH BETTER.
d) Go to the podiatrist in good faith and have her tell you the same thing (though we both agreed that it was soft tissue damage and not a broken cuneiform bone. Most likely the bottom ligament got really twisted.)

2. Bunny is fine, still haven't heard from the doctor. I know if he was freaked out he would have called. He's pretty cool though.

3. We have entered the era of duct-tape with beast... more precisely Gorilla Tape.
The rear window drive gave up the ghost (and now the other rear window is about to die, I can hear it in its death rattles) so I ordered a part. In the meantime, I had to tape the window closed or risk getting my car either stolen or vandalized beyond repair. (And I'm too tired and crabby to deal with either of those scenarios.)
Mmmmm classy.

4. Packing list will be redone completely. I'll re-post when I stop changing my mind every 5 minutes.

5. I'm working on a Feline CRF tab (see previously mentioned crying jag) but it may take me a while because denial, she is a beautiful thing.