Well, she was, according to the hysterical vet, suppose to be dead by Halloween, but she's still alive! She gets an IV every other day and an antacid every day but she is losing weight steadily and falls a lot when she tries to jump to her favorite spots. And she's throwing up often and she won't use the litter box. She still purrs and snuggles and seems happy with life though so I don't think the end is near, it's just closer, day by day.
The cat she replaced also died from renal failure, the plight of the well-cared for house cat, but we didn't opt for IV fluids with our 1st cat and she died peacefully a couple of weeks after she was diagnosed. So yes, we bought our latest girl time, lots of time, but the end is being dragged out slowly. I won't do IV fluids again, that's for sure. She flinches no matter how much I knead the skin of her scruff, she fights to get away the entire time. She fights the pill now because she's learned to hate the pill pockets and all the treats we wrapped the pill pocket around. It feels a little like, "Hello! Ready for your daily torture that keeps you alive a little longer? Please don't hate me."
Monday, May 8, 2017
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Finally, No More Litterbox Smell!
You know that old saying, "We can put a man on the moon but we can't____________!" Ok, sci-fi tech has just solved smells. Any smells. The one concerning me is litterbox smell, multicat household, asshole cats who play dominance games and don't bury.
Did you ever watch the movie, The Andromeda Strain? Remember they stood in the light to sterilize the germs off their bodies? Same principle!
I plugged this in the cat bathroom, a bathroom with 2 large litter-filled plastic storage boxes that served 5 cats, 1 cat with irritable bowel, and then went shopping. Came back and there are NO smells of any kind in the cat litter room. None. That fermenting litter smell, the one that never goes away no matter how often you clean the litter box, no matter how much baking soda you add, no matter how much vinegar you set in the room, it is gone. Completely.
This is so high-tech, so science fiction, so...oh hey, you think they have these on the space station? Because I hear that the space shuttle developed a smell after a few days. Mammals in close quarters and toilets with no fresh air, that sort of thing. You think NASA invented this? I can't believe that there is no smell whatsoever, of any kind, in that room! Matter of fact, my old Calico walked in, stopped, sniffed the litterbox, came back out and sat in the doorway and gave me a pointed look.
"It's ok. Do you business."
So she turned around and did her thing, but she was unsure because THERE IS NO LITTER SMELL! AT ALL!
"It's ok. Do you business."
So she turned around and did her thing, but she was unsure because THERE IS NO LITTER SMELL! AT ALL!
Friday, January 20, 2017
Week 8, Ringworm GONE
The last to get better was, of course, my elderly renal cat who started our latest ringworm plague in the first place (How ringworm snuck up on us). She cleared up on day 20 of her full dosage of Terbinafine. We did half dose prior to that because the vet worried about her kidneys. So I have once again sterilized the house (vacuumed, mopped, dusted, washed everything washable, sprayed everything else with Lysol) and...well, now we wait and see. I doubt we'll get it again but let's face it, the renal cat is of delicate health.
Here is a pic of our last foster kitten that we had to adopt because it took her 3 months to get clear of ringworm and by then she was grown and unadoptable and we were attached. This is how ringworm originally came into our home and once my elderly cat got sick, even 2 months after this little bugger was clear, she was covered in sores very quickly. And then it spread to everyone EXCEPT for the kitten and the house rabbit. But this is our final foster kitten, and this is her with the eye infection she got from bathing and smearing the fungal ear drops into her eye.
That's how they treated her.
I asked about sulfur dips and the owner of the rescue organization said, "We are NOT doing that. Here's some fungal ear drops. Fungus is fungus, it doesn't matter."
Here she is when her face done fell right off! I was spot treating with anything I could find that wouldn't hurt her. When I decided to keep her, I took her to my vet and got her treated properly.
Speaking of sick cats, not only did we get ringworm from fostering from our local cat rescue org, 2 of my cats ended up with stomatitis from the calicivirus some fosters arrived with (thanks guys!). So for the 3rd time in a year, my smallest cat suddenly dropped weight, going from 8 to 6.5lbs because her teeth hurt too much too eat enough. I've had to force feed her to keep her alive long enough for a steroid shot to take effect. This time, she scared the vet so hard they thought she had cancer and they ran tests to be sure. All they could find was bad teeth in the back of her mouth so Monday she's getting most of her teeth pulled. Her gums are always always always red and painful while my other cat, who is 4 years younger, has no symptoms at all. He might even be over it, he hasn't had atrocious breath in a year (even though he did have some teeth pulled already). These stomatitis cats end up with all their teeth pulled and that may or may not actually help. I'm hoping, of course, that this will help.
And that's yet another reason why I'm not fostering kittens anymore. They always complained bitterly that we insisted that any kitten we take in be treated for fleas FIRST and they've actually gone so far as to show up on my doorstep with fleas popping all over little street urchins and I've actually had to refuse them until they pop a capstar down the gullet of the kittens. They roll their eyes and sigh and act like everyone should have fleas and intestinal parasites. What's the big deal?
And the final reason I won't foster with the local org ever again? Here's the last conversation I had with one of their volunteers. Keep in mind that I said this momma cat, Cupcake, had as crusty ear the moment she entered my home. They assured me that it was nothing. I thought it was nothing because the kittens never once showed any sign of ringworm and it never spread on the momma-cat. When I took them all in to be fixed, I showed them again and they assured he it couldn't be ringworm and they don't test for it anyway. Whoever adopts her can get that spot tested but they wouldn't do it. The very 1st weekend I brought the kittens in for adoption and gave the momma back to the org (because she was chasing and attacking my cats and stressing them out in their own home, causing litter box issues) and Sprinkles got a bald spot from the stress. This is the crazy:
And just for the record, no one ever ran any, "meds back-and-forth," to my house. Like I said, I refused infested kittens entry UNTIL they were treated for fleas but these people who would call with, "kitten emergencies and can we bring some kittens over right away," already had the meds in their vehicle when they arrived with new kittens! That hardly counts as a special trip or multiple events.
I don't play games. I don't do passive-aggressive. I have zero tolerance for that nonsense and I'm done endangering the health of my pets for these unprofessional idiots.
Here is a pic of our last foster kitten that we had to adopt because it took her 3 months to get clear of ringworm and by then she was grown and unadoptable and we were attached. This is how ringworm originally came into our home and once my elderly cat got sick, even 2 months after this little bugger was clear, she was covered in sores very quickly. And then it spread to everyone EXCEPT for the kitten and the house rabbit. But this is our final foster kitten, and this is her with the eye infection she got from bathing and smearing the fungal ear drops into her eye.
That's how they treated her.
I asked about sulfur dips and the owner of the rescue organization said, "We are NOT doing that. Here's some fungal ear drops. Fungus is fungus, it doesn't matter."
Speaking of sick cats, not only did we get ringworm from fostering from our local cat rescue org, 2 of my cats ended up with stomatitis from the calicivirus some fosters arrived with (thanks guys!). So for the 3rd time in a year, my smallest cat suddenly dropped weight, going from 8 to 6.5lbs because her teeth hurt too much too eat enough. I've had to force feed her to keep her alive long enough for a steroid shot to take effect. This time, she scared the vet so hard they thought she had cancer and they ran tests to be sure. All they could find was bad teeth in the back of her mouth so Monday she's getting most of her teeth pulled. Her gums are always always always red and painful while my other cat, who is 4 years younger, has no symptoms at all. He might even be over it, he hasn't had atrocious breath in a year (even though he did have some teeth pulled already). These stomatitis cats end up with all their teeth pulled and that may or may not actually help. I'm hoping, of course, that this will help.
And that's yet another reason why I'm not fostering kittens anymore. They always complained bitterly that we insisted that any kitten we take in be treated for fleas FIRST and they've actually gone so far as to show up on my doorstep with fleas popping all over little street urchins and I've actually had to refuse them until they pop a capstar down the gullet of the kittens. They roll their eyes and sigh and act like everyone should have fleas and intestinal parasites. What's the big deal?
And the final reason I won't foster with the local org ever again? Here's the last conversation I had with one of their volunteers. Keep in mind that I said this momma cat, Cupcake, had as crusty ear the moment she entered my home. They assured me that it was nothing. I thought it was nothing because the kittens never once showed any sign of ringworm and it never spread on the momma-cat. When I took them all in to be fixed, I showed them again and they assured he it couldn't be ringworm and they don't test for it anyway. Whoever adopts her can get that spot tested but they wouldn't do it. The very 1st weekend I brought the kittens in for adoption and gave the momma back to the org (because she was chasing and attacking my cats and stressing them out in their own home, causing litter box issues) and Sprinkles got a bald spot from the stress. This is the crazy:
I don't play games. I don't do passive-aggressive. I have zero tolerance for that nonsense and I'm done endangering the health of my pets for these unprofessional idiots.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Ringworm Week 5
2 cats holding their own, no further ringworm but no fur regrowth. They only get fungicide shampoo and lime/sulfur dip once a week.
1 cat had one large new bald spot on her ear but no crusties and old spot has grown back fur. She's on terbinafine and weekly dip.
Renal cat no longer has crusties all over her body! Fur may be growing back, too early to say! Terbinafine and weekly dip.
It's starting to turn around! Light at the end of the tunnel!
House rabbit and kitten never caught it.
YAY!
1 cat had one large new bald spot on her ear but no crusties and old spot has grown back fur. She's on terbinafine and weekly dip.
Renal cat no longer has crusties all over her body! Fur may be growing back, too early to say! Terbinafine and weekly dip.
It's starting to turn around! Light at the end of the tunnel!
House rabbit and kitten never caught it.
YAY!
Monday, December 19, 2016
Ringworm Week 3
Renal cat-the lesions are still scabby and shedding skin. More lesions all the time. She's on Terbinafine pills, weekly bath of antifungal shampoo that sits on her for 10 minutes, then a sulfur lime dip. Topical Lamisil twice a day where she won't lick it off
Litter mate-spot behind ear still growing larger. Her treatment is the weekly bath. Lamisil.
7 year old cat-spot behind ear has spread to other ear. Weekly bath. Lamisil.
3 year old cat, both ears. Weekly bath. Lamisil.
Kitten may have a tiny bit of hair loss around her eyes.
Spouse has developed a lesion on his chest from being scratched while bathing the cats.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I had 5 fosters quarantined in a bathroom with ringworm, they were on Itraconazole, weekly sulfur lime dips, and Lamisil. The area was wiped down with bleach weekly, walls and floor, all surfaces. Took them 3 months to be free of it.
The litter that started this, had free run of the house, on Itraconazole and sulfur lime dips, took 3 months to get free of it.
So there you have it. Doesn't matter at all if you quarantine or not. That's really just to keep everyone else from catching it--although humans (exceptions are kids or elderly or immune-compromised) won't catch it from normal contact. Spouse got it from being scratched by the infected cat, which happened while bathing them, so quarantine wouldn't have changed a thing. If I had caught this earlier with the 1 cat, I'm positive the others would have never caught it. They didn't catch it either time before. The real trick is to keep the infected cat from spreading active spores, too late for me now. To keep the spore count down, I mop with bleach weekly. I vacuum the furniture. I spray Lysol on the furniture and bedding. I'm not going to rip out the carpet or throw away the furniture, or even wash everything we own in bleach every day. It won't make any difference. Ringworm has to run it's course and it looks like that's about 3 months. I just can't seem to get it to stop on the elderly renal cat. It's just not slowing down at all.
Litter mate-spot behind ear still growing larger. Her treatment is the weekly bath. Lamisil.
7 year old cat-spot behind ear has spread to other ear. Weekly bath. Lamisil.
3 year old cat, both ears. Weekly bath. Lamisil.
Kitten may have a tiny bit of hair loss around her eyes.
Spouse has developed a lesion on his chest from being scratched while bathing the cats.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I had 5 fosters quarantined in a bathroom with ringworm, they were on Itraconazole, weekly sulfur lime dips, and Lamisil. The area was wiped down with bleach weekly, walls and floor, all surfaces. Took them 3 months to be free of it.
The litter that started this, had free run of the house, on Itraconazole and sulfur lime dips, took 3 months to get free of it.
So there you have it. Doesn't matter at all if you quarantine or not. That's really just to keep everyone else from catching it--although humans (exceptions are kids or elderly or immune-compromised) won't catch it from normal contact. Spouse got it from being scratched by the infected cat, which happened while bathing them, so quarantine wouldn't have changed a thing. If I had caught this earlier with the 1 cat, I'm positive the others would have never caught it. They didn't catch it either time before. The real trick is to keep the infected cat from spreading active spores, too late for me now. To keep the spore count down, I mop with bleach weekly. I vacuum the furniture. I spray Lysol on the furniture and bedding. I'm not going to rip out the carpet or throw away the furniture, or even wash everything we own in bleach every day. It won't make any difference. Ringworm has to run it's course and it looks like that's about 3 months. I just can't seem to get it to stop on the elderly renal cat. It's just not slowing down at all.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
The Ringworm Saga
Week 2 of anti-fungal shampoo and sulfur/lime dipping.
Because she just wasn't getting better, Calia, the renal cat, was also put on Terbinafine pills. Same ingredient as Lotrimin cream, works in the liver instead of the kidneys. Also, cheaper than the $50.00 bottle of Itraconazole we used for treating the 1 kitten. This 21 day treatment cost $9.00. Just as effective, vet tech friend has used this in rescue kennel situation and it cleared them all up, same as
Itraconazole. Even better, didn't have to go across town in heavy traffic, pay to park, and walk half a mile to pick it up at a special pharmacists. Got Terbinafine at the local pharmacy.
Twice a day I put anti-fungus cream on the others, it's not spreading. The fur all fell out and my vet tech friend says that the fungus is now dead there so hey! Progress! I'm also giving them all lysine to boost their immune system.
So far, pet rabbit hasn't caught it!
The spot on my face cleared right up.
We all only caught it because I didn't know Calia was festering. She's always been an itchy cat. Once they shaved her neck for her 1st blood test, she started REALLY itching and she scratched most of the skin off of her neck. We all, the vet and us, all of us thought, well, she's itchy. It wasn't until just over a week ago, Friday night, that I thought, wait a minute, those new spots are small and round. So I got out my blacklight to check. So she's been covered in ringworm for weeks. If I had known earlier, I'm sure none of the other cats would have gotten infected. We had the kitten go 3 months before her ringworm cleared and no one else in the house got touched by it. And I don't bleach my furniture or scrub the walls or bleach the floors. I figure by the time you see it on a pet, you've already been exposed. The kitten got over it when she was old enough for her immune system to kick in--the exact same time it took the fosters we hosted that one time who were in the bathroom for exactly 3 months, same age, floors bleached, walls scrubbed, the works. For kittens, it's an age thing. Right now, she's the only one without ringworm because she's peak of health, not an old lady like Calia and her littermate. Seriously, you can tell their ages by the amount of ringworm on their bodies. The 12 year olds look terrible, the 7 year old, not so bad, the 3 year old, you have to squint in good lighting to see anything and the 8 month old is tip-top.
So. I have not caught it on my scalp so I have not lost any hair. The cats seem to be getting better, although it's really slow.
Because she just wasn't getting better, Calia, the renal cat, was also put on Terbinafine pills. Same ingredient as Lotrimin cream, works in the liver instead of the kidneys. Also, cheaper than the $50.00 bottle of Itraconazole we used for treating the 1 kitten. This 21 day treatment cost $9.00. Just as effective, vet tech friend has used this in rescue kennel situation and it cleared them all up, same as
Itraconazole. Even better, didn't have to go across town in heavy traffic, pay to park, and walk half a mile to pick it up at a special pharmacists. Got Terbinafine at the local pharmacy.
Twice a day I put anti-fungus cream on the others, it's not spreading. The fur all fell out and my vet tech friend says that the fungus is now dead there so hey! Progress! I'm also giving them all lysine to boost their immune system.
So far, pet rabbit hasn't caught it!
The spot on my face cleared right up.
We all only caught it because I didn't know Calia was festering. She's always been an itchy cat. Once they shaved her neck for her 1st blood test, she started REALLY itching and she scratched most of the skin off of her neck. We all, the vet and us, all of us thought, well, she's itchy. It wasn't until just over a week ago, Friday night, that I thought, wait a minute, those new spots are small and round. So I got out my blacklight to check. So she's been covered in ringworm for weeks. If I had known earlier, I'm sure none of the other cats would have gotten infected. We had the kitten go 3 months before her ringworm cleared and no one else in the house got touched by it. And I don't bleach my furniture or scrub the walls or bleach the floors. I figure by the time you see it on a pet, you've already been exposed. The kitten got over it when she was old enough for her immune system to kick in--the exact same time it took the fosters we hosted that one time who were in the bathroom for exactly 3 months, same age, floors bleached, walls scrubbed, the works. For kittens, it's an age thing. Right now, she's the only one without ringworm because she's peak of health, not an old lady like Calia and her littermate. Seriously, you can tell their ages by the amount of ringworm on their bodies. The 12 year olds look terrible, the 7 year old, not so bad, the 3 year old, you have to squint in good lighting to see anything and the 8 month old is tip-top.
So. I have not caught it on my scalp so I have not lost any hair. The cats seem to be getting better, although it's really slow.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
This is too much for me
It's been a bad year for fostering.
Aside from the people involved, last Christmas evening, the foster kittens came down with Calicivirus. It's just a cat flu, they were fine in days, but Professor Fuzzywinkle caught it from them and Mei Mei caught it from him. Now they both have stomatitis and have had teeth removed and steroid shots. It becomes a gradual spiral to the cat needing all their teeth removed which may or may not cure the problem.
This last litter of fosters in April were super adorable but Momma cat had a blemish on her ear. I tried to get it treated but the organization said they don't test for ringworm, the new owners can if they want, it's not round, it's not ringworm although it looks like some sort of fungus. Hey, guess what? It was ringworm! She never broke out but it never got better. Kittens where fine until after their first showing and then all hell broke loss from the stress. Luckily for me, 3 got adopted before anything happened but the last little baby got ringworm. Bad. The org didn't want to spend the money on treatments. Gave me ear drops to use on her face--which she promptly rubbed into her eye and IT got all messed up. After 3 weeks, I took her to my vet and decided to treat her for real, I have 4 cats of my own and a rabbit to think of plus I don't want to be losing hair. Months of dips and oral meds and she was healed! And we kept her because after months, we got attached.
And that's how we have 5 cats today.
2 months ago my Calia got sick. Really sick. Suddenly, she's a renal cat. We brought her back from the brink of death and she's on an IV every other day. She's also always been an itchy cat but guess what? For weeks, it's not just her allergies, it's ringworm! She's had it untreated for weeks. I finally black-lighted her BECAUSE everyone else has spots EXCEPT the new kitten! Everyone. Me too. Fabulous. And renal cat Calia can't take meds. And Fuzzywinkle is a long haired cat. And I just don't know what I'm going to do right now. I didn't sleep all night. When the vet opens, I'll call but it cost over $200 to treat the 1 kitten. 4 cats? This is insane. And am I going to have to shave Fuzzy? Will the sick cat never get better and will just keep spreading it? Do I need to put her down? What the hell am I going to do?
Aside from the people involved, last Christmas evening, the foster kittens came down with Calicivirus. It's just a cat flu, they were fine in days, but Professor Fuzzywinkle caught it from them and Mei Mei caught it from him. Now they both have stomatitis and have had teeth removed and steroid shots. It becomes a gradual spiral to the cat needing all their teeth removed which may or may not cure the problem.
This last litter of fosters in April were super adorable but Momma cat had a blemish on her ear. I tried to get it treated but the organization said they don't test for ringworm, the new owners can if they want, it's not round, it's not ringworm although it looks like some sort of fungus. Hey, guess what? It was ringworm! She never broke out but it never got better. Kittens where fine until after their first showing and then all hell broke loss from the stress. Luckily for me, 3 got adopted before anything happened but the last little baby got ringworm. Bad. The org didn't want to spend the money on treatments. Gave me ear drops to use on her face--which she promptly rubbed into her eye and IT got all messed up. After 3 weeks, I took her to my vet and decided to treat her for real, I have 4 cats of my own and a rabbit to think of plus I don't want to be losing hair. Months of dips and oral meds and she was healed! And we kept her because after months, we got attached.
And that's how we have 5 cats today.
2 months ago my Calia got sick. Really sick. Suddenly, she's a renal cat. We brought her back from the brink of death and she's on an IV every other day. She's also always been an itchy cat but guess what? For weeks, it's not just her allergies, it's ringworm! She's had it untreated for weeks. I finally black-lighted her BECAUSE everyone else has spots EXCEPT the new kitten! Everyone. Me too. Fabulous. And renal cat Calia can't take meds. And Fuzzywinkle is a long haired cat. And I just don't know what I'm going to do right now. I didn't sleep all night. When the vet opens, I'll call but it cost over $200 to treat the 1 kitten. 4 cats? This is insane. And am I going to have to shave Fuzzy? Will the sick cat never get better and will just keep spreading it? Do I need to put her down? What the hell am I going to do?
Thursday, November 17, 2016
End That Cat Litter Smell
It's Day 3 and it's still working!
I have clumping litter. I clean it once, sometimes twice a day. I add baking soda. I clean the actual plastic box. I have a window and a ceiling fan in the same room and yet, I can't get that awful fermented litter, poop miasma from permeating the whole damn house!
FIXED IT!
I put a small cup of vinegar on the corner, on the floor, just out of cat's way. The smell stopped instantly! Even in the morning, when it's at it's grossest, the litter smell doesn't go much beyond the doorway! Once it's clean again, no smell at all!
I don't know how long this will last but this is awesome!
Yes, there is the faintest vinegar smell inside the cat bathroom but it's not overpowering and it doesn't effect cat behavior.
I have clumping litter. I clean it once, sometimes twice a day. I add baking soda. I clean the actual plastic box. I have a window and a ceiling fan in the same room and yet, I can't get that awful fermented litter, poop miasma from permeating the whole damn house!
FIXED IT!
I put a small cup of vinegar on the corner, on the floor, just out of cat's way. The smell stopped instantly! Even in the morning, when it's at it's grossest, the litter smell doesn't go much beyond the doorway! Once it's clean again, no smell at all!
I don't know how long this will last but this is awesome!
Yes, there is the faintest vinegar smell inside the cat bathroom but it's not overpowering and it doesn't effect cat behavior.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
How To Clean a Porcelain Cat Water Fountain
I've got a Drinkwell Pet Fountain. It's porcelain, not metal and WOW! Does it get nasty dirty! Maybe it's my water quality or cat spit but it gets a ring of crud around the bowl and over the lip of the tower.
The best part is that you can scrub it and soak it in vinegar or bleach and it doesn't do a danged thing! Not a bit of difference. It's like that pet fountain crud really means business.
One day, while scrubbing at it to no avail, I scraped at it with my fingernail and voila! There WAS smooth porcelain underneath! It could be scraped off, but with what?
Suddenly, my mind replayed an old commercial in my head.
"Don't scrub your toilet with a pumice stone!"
And seriously, who reaches into their toilet and scrubs it with a pumice stone? EWWW! But a pumice stone would totally get the crud off the cat fountain, right?
BING!
Why yes, toilet bowl cleaner cleans it right up, in seconds, no scrubbing!
1) OF COURSE, by all means, wash again with detergent, get any toilet bowl cleaner off of it before you give it back to your pets. Better safe than sorry. And duh, of course, only use this on the porcelain parts, not the pump and filter.
2) This is acid, wear gloves or don't touch until it's rinsed.
3) Don't get toilet bowl cleaner on metal-like a metal sink. It etches. If you've got a big metal sink, clean the pet fountain in the bathtub, like I do.
And there ya go, cleans a cat water fountain just like new!
Monday, May 9, 2016
Workout Update
I've been on and off exhausted since that time in...January? That one was because I was coming down with a cold and fighting it. The cold sores all in my mouth should have been a give-away, problem is, I don't just get body tired, I get brain tired too. Shit doesn't occur to me.
Last Monday, my lifts were shit so I said, "Self? When is the last time you took time off to recoup?" Um...none. No time off. Been going since January like a MACHINE! ARGH! I am STRONG!
Huh.
So I took last week off.
I'm still tired all the time but again, I was fighting constant cold sores inside my mouth and even though I could push thru the workout, I bailed.
Right now, 3pm, my morning workout. Yeah, still exhausted all the time. Probably not cancer again. Must be just...laziness? I dunno. Anyway, I went up on my overhead press! I'm lifting 25 pounds (dumbbells, not barbell) now. Lat pulldowns- 80lbs. Squats and deadlifts are out for now. Weather change is making my knee ache. I can't even get off the toilet without holding on to the wall and leaning to one side. It'll come back once the barometer changes then I can lift again. Why a joint encased in juice and sealed in flesh can feel the weather, I have no idea, but here it is.
Last Monday, my lifts were shit so I said, "Self? When is the last time you took time off to recoup?" Um...none. No time off. Been going since January like a MACHINE! ARGH! I am STRONG!
Huh.
So I took last week off.
I'm still tired all the time but again, I was fighting constant cold sores inside my mouth and even though I could push thru the workout, I bailed.
Right now, 3pm, my morning workout. Yeah, still exhausted all the time. Probably not cancer again. Must be just...laziness? I dunno. Anyway, I went up on my overhead press! I'm lifting 25 pounds (dumbbells, not barbell) now. Lat pulldowns- 80lbs. Squats and deadlifts are out for now. Weather change is making my knee ache. I can't even get off the toilet without holding on to the wall and leaning to one side. It'll come back once the barometer changes then I can lift again. Why a joint encased in juice and sealed in flesh can feel the weather, I have no idea, but here it is.
Monday, April 25, 2016
8 Weeks Old and Done
So, here are their, "graduation photos."
They get fixed this week and then off for adoption.
Yesterday the org called with an emergency! Newborn kittens and a momma needed a home quickly! 6 hours after we said we'd take them, they got back to us and said it'll probably be a couple of days.
Sigh.
And will I get attitude when I tell them to capstar the lot of them before I take them into my home? Yep.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Got Kittens!
Yeah, the org hates us because we insist that the animals are treated for fleas before they are allowed in our home (with out pets). We're high maintenance, apparently. And then with our outlandish demands that the kittens are all fixed while they're still kittens and not at 3 or 4 months old, yeah, we're terrible.
So kitten season and we got a batch anyway. And they have ear mites so hopefully I can get SOMEONE to do SOMETHING about that. Poor things.
Working on getting more pics, I'm posting movies over on Twitter, it's so tedious to do that here so...yeah, you lose, LOL
So, my deadlifts are up. 125. Not the first time I've lifted this but I'm going back up the ol ladder. Overhead press is up to 20lb dumbbells so not great but I'm pushing thru this plateau. Still force feeding myself. Got sick twice, lifted anyway. Both of us got sick, I blame him for bringing something from work then immediately after, got sick again. Still lifted. Added cardio. LIGHT cardio! Just 20 minutes of HIT! And sometimes boxing the heavy bag. It's good! It's all good! Getting too hot to do that outside tho, jeeeeeeeeez louise it's going to be a long hot summer!
Example: I got up at 8 (way too early) and fed my 4 cats, medicated all (everyone is allergic and Ceilidh is neurotic so pills, anti-biotics, and eye drops, a little for everyone) went upstairs and fed the fosters, cleaned litter boxes and sweat was pouring off me, my jam-jams were soaked and had to be tossed in the laundry. 8am. In March. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!
Cat allergies-2 have been on prescription food, it doesn't do anything. Got 2 that are all red gummed and had dentals and 2 rounds of antibiotics now, I'm going to skip all the months of trying new things like the vet wants, even tho she admits that the other things rarely work, and when we go in in a week for a check up, if it's still bad, I'm opting for pulling the teeth. It doesn't effect the cat whatsoever and Mei Mei is a snowshoe, she can't lose any weight. She's down to 7 from her normal 8.5. Can't have it. Her teeth hurt? Get rid of them, let her have a pain-free little life. Fuzzywinkle doesn't slow down eating for anyone. If it was just him, I'd say leave it. It just makes his breath bad and he couldn't care less but if one is going in, let's get it over with.
Calia has itched her whole life, then last year she got a nose bump that kept growing and then in November her toes swelled up and she got a bump behind her ear. Vet says it's all allergies. Steroid shot and she's nearly normal! Ceilidh, well, she's allergic to...I don't know. Air? Liquid squirts, vomiting her whole life. No food seems to work for long. She'll be getting another steroid shot in a couple of weeks. It seemed to help some. The special food and the cat probiotics sure didn't make any difference once the shot wore off.
Personally, I think all the commercial cat food is toxic but mine will NOT eat people food and raw food is not acceptable to my divas. Tried it. They didn't eat for 3 days. I gave in. Mei Mei can't lose any weight, remember? Won't eat chicken, tuna, salmon, steak. At least the rabbit eats his hay cookies! Rabbit and the fosters are the healthiest animals I have in the house! Sheeeeeeeeesh!
So kitten season and we got a batch anyway. And they have ear mites so hopefully I can get SOMEONE to do SOMETHING about that. Poor things.
Working on getting more pics, I'm posting movies over on Twitter, it's so tedious to do that here so...yeah, you lose, LOL
So, my deadlifts are up. 125. Not the first time I've lifted this but I'm going back up the ol ladder. Overhead press is up to 20lb dumbbells so not great but I'm pushing thru this plateau. Still force feeding myself. Got sick twice, lifted anyway. Both of us got sick, I blame him for bringing something from work then immediately after, got sick again. Still lifted. Added cardio. LIGHT cardio! Just 20 minutes of HIT! And sometimes boxing the heavy bag. It's good! It's all good! Getting too hot to do that outside tho, jeeeeeeeeez louise it's going to be a long hot summer!
Example: I got up at 8 (way too early) and fed my 4 cats, medicated all (everyone is allergic and Ceilidh is neurotic so pills, anti-biotics, and eye drops, a little for everyone) went upstairs and fed the fosters, cleaned litter boxes and sweat was pouring off me, my jam-jams were soaked and had to be tossed in the laundry. 8am. In March. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!
Cat allergies-2 have been on prescription food, it doesn't do anything. Got 2 that are all red gummed and had dentals and 2 rounds of antibiotics now, I'm going to skip all the months of trying new things like the vet wants, even tho she admits that the other things rarely work, and when we go in in a week for a check up, if it's still bad, I'm opting for pulling the teeth. It doesn't effect the cat whatsoever and Mei Mei is a snowshoe, she can't lose any weight. She's down to 7 from her normal 8.5. Can't have it. Her teeth hurt? Get rid of them, let her have a pain-free little life. Fuzzywinkle doesn't slow down eating for anyone. If it was just him, I'd say leave it. It just makes his breath bad and he couldn't care less but if one is going in, let's get it over with.
Calia has itched her whole life, then last year she got a nose bump that kept growing and then in November her toes swelled up and she got a bump behind her ear. Vet says it's all allergies. Steroid shot and she's nearly normal! Ceilidh, well, she's allergic to...I don't know. Air? Liquid squirts, vomiting her whole life. No food seems to work for long. She'll be getting another steroid shot in a couple of weeks. It seemed to help some. The special food and the cat probiotics sure didn't make any difference once the shot wore off.
Personally, I think all the commercial cat food is toxic but mine will NOT eat people food and raw food is not acceptable to my divas. Tried it. They didn't eat for 3 days. I gave in. Mei Mei can't lose any weight, remember? Won't eat chicken, tuna, salmon, steak. At least the rabbit eats his hay cookies! Rabbit and the fosters are the healthiest animals I have in the house! Sheeeeeeeeesh!
Monday, March 7, 2016
Night Sweats
I've upped my calories yet again. All the online calculators come up with drastically different numbers and I was using a low one. Many others have me in the 2000 to 2200s a day. Ok, now I'm up to 2000.
More or less.
I have bags of nuts all over the house to help me hit those numbers and macros. Day 3 and I'm close, really close. I have 191 calories yet today. Macadamias, here I come!
One of the reasons I think I was too low at 1760 is because I am still freezing cold all the time. Another sure sign is last night, man I had the night sweats all night. If you add 300 more calories in a day, do you sweat all night?
Besides, I'm not lifting weights for grins. If I want to see development, I need to eat more.
More or less.
I have bags of nuts all over the house to help me hit those numbers and macros. Day 3 and I'm close, really close. I have 191 calories yet today. Macadamias, here I come!
One of the reasons I think I was too low at 1760 is because I am still freezing cold all the time. Another sure sign is last night, man I had the night sweats all night. If you add 300 more calories in a day, do you sweat all night?
Besides, I'm not lifting weights for grins. If I want to see development, I need to eat more.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Hitting All PRs Today!
I've got my allergies to pollen and my cat going full blast (my truck it yellow with pollen right now) and I'm tired and just physically exhausted. I know it's going to be bad when I come upstairs and I'm winded.
I'M WINDED GOING UP A FLIGHT OF STAIRS--that's how tired I am!
Boy, I'm going to have a great workout today, huh?
Somehow, I had all PRs (personal records) on everything! EVERYTHING!
Went up on squats. 1 extra set, up 5 lbs (goblet squats)
Went up on military press. Got 5 reps instead of 4
Went up on rows, graduated from dumbbells to barbell.
Checked weight this morning and I'm up 7 pounds. I'll weigh-in again in a month. Hope for the best. Hey, maybe I just packed on 7lbs of invisible muscle? LOL
Still eating my tdee, mostly. I was 79 calories short last night. I'll do better today. I will! I hope. Everyone says it's impossible to gain weight eating your tdee. Everyone says it's water. My macros are in line, there's nothing else I can do about it. Up or down, I've given my body to the internet, I can't focus on the scale.
I'M WINDED GOING UP A FLIGHT OF STAIRS--that's how tired I am!
Boy, I'm going to have a great workout today, huh?
Somehow, I had all PRs (personal records) on everything! EVERYTHING!
Went up on squats. 1 extra set, up 5 lbs (goblet squats)
Went up on military press. Got 5 reps instead of 4
Went up on rows, graduated from dumbbells to barbell.
Checked weight this morning and I'm up 7 pounds. I'll weigh-in again in a month. Hope for the best. Hey, maybe I just packed on 7lbs of invisible muscle? LOL
Still eating my tdee, mostly. I was 79 calories short last night. I'll do better today. I will! I hope. Everyone says it's impossible to gain weight eating your tdee. Everyone says it's water. My macros are in line, there's nothing else I can do about it. Up or down, I've given my body to the internet, I can't focus on the scale.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
1 Month Of Weight Lifting And...
No change whatsoever.
It's POSSIBLE that I'm not eating enough, that's the old stand-by answer, but I physically can't eat any more at all. I wake up and eat a large volume of food, do that ever 3 hours, go to bed bloated and gassy and stuffed. It interfers with my sleep, last night I woke up thinking I had to puke, burped, tried to lay on my stomach to keep it safe, and went back to sleep.
My workouts are intense enough. I am always pushing for more reps, sets, or weight. Friday I hit a wall of exhaustion. It wasn't a sleepy-tired, it was muscle exhaustion. Luckily, I take weekends off, but I was just wiped.
So my standard answer why I never see any changes and why bodybuilding doesn't work for me is that I must be too fat to see the muscle. That's the internet stand-by answer as well. It's like the religious fall back of, "you didn't pray hard enough," or, "you weren't worthy enough." Sure. It's totally because I'm too fat.
Which actually, I look even worse. My body is just lumpy with blubber right now. I'm eating far too much and I'm barely getting over 1700 calories a day.
Also, I've reached my limit on military press. 15lb dumbbells is it. WAS it. I could lift them last week, this week I can't get them up at all. And this is how my weight lifting stalls and ends. I get to a certain point and can't lift any more weight. I do this for a few weeks and then I give up and do something else.
I'll go out for lunch today, easy way to get more calories because I don't know of a single restaurant in a 1500 mile radius that actually cooks food. They all just open boxes and heat in a microwave and serve. Local Mom & Pop Greek restaurant raves about her gyro meat supplier. She brags how they don't even have to cook anything. Like this is something to be proud of. Makes Burger King look healthy, doesn't it? At least they grill their mystery meat. Can't decide which shitty restaurant to go to, which is what keeps me from going, LOL Chili's (don't get the steak fajitas, the meat quality is all gristle and fat. Last time I had it, I sent it back. It was inedible.)? Rock & Brew has boring burgers, and really, sorry Gene, a really sad menu. Bah, I'll go somewhere, I guess. It's all bad, it doesn't matter.
End of month 1. No progress.
It's POSSIBLE that I'm not eating enough, that's the old stand-by answer, but I physically can't eat any more at all. I wake up and eat a large volume of food, do that ever 3 hours, go to bed bloated and gassy and stuffed. It interfers with my sleep, last night I woke up thinking I had to puke, burped, tried to lay on my stomach to keep it safe, and went back to sleep.
My workouts are intense enough. I am always pushing for more reps, sets, or weight. Friday I hit a wall of exhaustion. It wasn't a sleepy-tired, it was muscle exhaustion. Luckily, I take weekends off, but I was just wiped.
So my standard answer why I never see any changes and why bodybuilding doesn't work for me is that I must be too fat to see the muscle. That's the internet stand-by answer as well. It's like the religious fall back of, "you didn't pray hard enough," or, "you weren't worthy enough." Sure. It's totally because I'm too fat.
Which actually, I look even worse. My body is just lumpy with blubber right now. I'm eating far too much and I'm barely getting over 1700 calories a day.
Also, I've reached my limit on military press. 15lb dumbbells is it. WAS it. I could lift them last week, this week I can't get them up at all. And this is how my weight lifting stalls and ends. I get to a certain point and can't lift any more weight. I do this for a few weeks and then I give up and do something else.
I'll go out for lunch today, easy way to get more calories because I don't know of a single restaurant in a 1500 mile radius that actually cooks food. They all just open boxes and heat in a microwave and serve. Local Mom & Pop Greek restaurant raves about her gyro meat supplier. She brags how they don't even have to cook anything. Like this is something to be proud of. Makes Burger King look healthy, doesn't it? At least they grill their mystery meat. Can't decide which shitty restaurant to go to, which is what keeps me from going, LOL Chili's (don't get the steak fajitas, the meat quality is all gristle and fat. Last time I had it, I sent it back. It was inedible.)? Rock & Brew has boring burgers, and really, sorry Gene, a really sad menu. Bah, I'll go somewhere, I guess. It's all bad, it doesn't matter.
End of month 1. No progress.
Friday, February 26, 2016
I Broke a Nail
I put the scale away because NO.
I'm eating 1760 calories a day, macros are 40p, 40f, 20c and I broke a nail, split it right down the middle trying to get my rings off to work out.
Sheesh! I am so swollen with water and fat. Ok, I'm suppose to believe that it's not fat, it's all water. Uh huh. Sure, I'll play along. That's why I put the scale away.
Measurements-the same as they've always been since high school. Yippee. I'm not going to bother with measuring again, it never changes. Needless to say, clothes fit a little more snug but pretty much exactly the same as always. And yes, my jeans are the same ones from high school. Back when they made them from real denim instead of thin cotton. Lasts forever, which is why they aren't making them to last anymore. Job security. Now that's it's shorts and t-shirt weather again, who needs jeans anyway?
So. Any muscle? Nope. I've gone up 20 pounds in deadlifts but honestly, legs can lift much more than they tell me. I'm probably not even lifting my max weight, just my too afraid to lift more weight. Which is a paltry...105lbs.
I am such a cream puff.
I'm eating 1760 calories a day, macros are 40p, 40f, 20c and I broke a nail, split it right down the middle trying to get my rings off to work out.
Sheesh! I am so swollen with water and fat. Ok, I'm suppose to believe that it's not fat, it's all water. Uh huh. Sure, I'll play along. That's why I put the scale away.
Measurements-the same as they've always been since high school. Yippee. I'm not going to bother with measuring again, it never changes. Needless to say, clothes fit a little more snug but pretty much exactly the same as always. And yes, my jeans are the same ones from high school. Back when they made them from real denim instead of thin cotton. Lasts forever, which is why they aren't making them to last anymore. Job security. Now that's it's shorts and t-shirt weather again, who needs jeans anyway?
So. Any muscle? Nope. I've gone up 20 pounds in deadlifts but honestly, legs can lift much more than they tell me. I'm probably not even lifting my max weight, just my too afraid to lift more weight. Which is a paltry...105lbs.
I am such a cream puff.
Monday, February 22, 2016
A Leap of Faith
I'm officially going off the diet. I've, of course, been absolutely perfectly keeping my calories at 1300 and my macros at 40p, 40f, 20 carbs.
I have lost no weight, actually just bouncing up and down between 161.5 and 163. I have seen no gains in my workouts.
Now I can do this for a few weeks, months, years, just to be sure that my body has time to acclimate, but I've pretty much given this whole, "eat less," thing a try for 30 years and it hasn't taken yet. I can eat less than anyone, no cheating, no problem and it's not helped me in the slightest. It seems to work great for a few days and then I have to eat less. And when I'm down to 300 calories a day and 1.5 hours at the gym, the only way to lose more is to stop eating entirely for a few days. Been there, done that. If that worked, why am I not muscular and thin? I work out enough and eat with enough care.
Leap of faith.
I did actually increase my calories by 200 last week one day and promptly gained 2 pounds. I also did not see huge workout gains. It can go both ways, can't it? I'm just choosing to listen to the world...but isn't this what went wrong in the first place? They said eat less, I did. Now they say to eat more, should I? They were wrong the first time. I think I have to try this and maybe find truth along the way. I don't want to get fat but what I am doing is not working. Time to try something else. That's logical, isn't it?
Also, I've been having terrible head-rushes the last couple of days. I usually get these when I'm losing weight but there's been no weight loss.
I have lost no weight, actually just bouncing up and down between 161.5 and 163. I have seen no gains in my workouts.
Now I can do this for a few weeks, months, years, just to be sure that my body has time to acclimate, but I've pretty much given this whole, "eat less," thing a try for 30 years and it hasn't taken yet. I can eat less than anyone, no cheating, no problem and it's not helped me in the slightest. It seems to work great for a few days and then I have to eat less. And when I'm down to 300 calories a day and 1.5 hours at the gym, the only way to lose more is to stop eating entirely for a few days. Been there, done that. If that worked, why am I not muscular and thin? I work out enough and eat with enough care.
Leap of faith.
I did actually increase my calories by 200 last week one day and promptly gained 2 pounds. I also did not see huge workout gains. It can go both ways, can't it? I'm just choosing to listen to the world...but isn't this what went wrong in the first place? They said eat less, I did. Now they say to eat more, should I? They were wrong the first time. I think I have to try this and maybe find truth along the way. I don't want to get fat but what I am doing is not working. Time to try something else. That's logical, isn't it?
Also, I've been having terrible head-rushes the last couple of days. I usually get these when I'm losing weight but there's been no weight loss.
Also, most bodybuilders are dumb. How is it that THEY can figure out how to build muscle but I can't? It canNOT be that they are all genetically gifted and this just falls into their lap. No. That's impossible. That's another reason I'm going to eat more.
I'm going to do this.
I'm going to eat more. I don't know how since there's so much that I can't eat, but I have to...somehow...eat more.
Here's a couple of my meals. 6oz of shrimp, mushrooms, guacamole. 6oz of salmon and green beans. And somehow I have to get more food on those plates and I don't know how.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Liars, Nutrition, and Bodybuilders
So I'm trying to get more calories and trying to make my macros 40p, 40f, 20c.
It's very very tricky if you don't eat grains, to get enough calories. And frankly, I don't see how anyone who DOES eat grains can ever get 20c a day. Sometimes my SALADS tip me over 20c and it's just friggin' lettuce and tomatoes and vegs! Add rice or bread and you internet people HAVE to be lying about what you're eating. And this right here is why I never believed anyone about how much their eating yet competing as bodybuilders. In the 80s, you'd have Ah-nold saying no white death (white flour, white sugar, white rice) and Stallone saying, "eat something that had a face and a salad," versus the juicers going on about eating multiple pizzas and sweating like pigs at night, trying to sleep, feeling the 'roids burn all the calories.
And today we have flat out liars who don't know dick but sure have a lot to say for themselves anyway.
Example: "Use a whole-wheat soft tortilla, smear a small amount of low-fat mayonnaise on top, and add in a pre-grilled chicken breast, shredded lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes."
Ok, do you NOT realize how much sugar/carbs is in that? And Frankenfats because what is mayo? It's simply oil, vinegar, and eggs in a blender. What do you suppose a low-fat version could be made from since the main ingredient that makes it what it is, is now low fat? Well, not a food item. And a wheat tortilla? Pure sugar, the most simple carb ever made. Your saliva turns it to digestible sugar as soon as you start chewing. And how much chicken/protein should you add to off-set the vegs and the sugar and the frankenfat to count as a high protein snack? Yeah. Exactly.
Stupid.
Here's another full of nuts and yogurt. I make yogurt. It's not some mystic health infused magical protein of the gods. 1 cup of yogurt has the same amount of protein as a cup of milk. Matter of fact, just call it a cup of milk and be done because that's it, man. It's just milk and bacteria, no magic. Not much protein. Drink a gallon or 2 of milk a day like Dave Draper but let's get over the magic yogurt phenomena.
And nuts. Very little protein but heaps of fat. Sure, it's the good fat but everyone says they didn't drop any weight until they got off the nuts for snacks. So are any of these great snack choices? Honestly, are they better than a freakin' Snickers bar?
I don't know what IS a good snack, which is why I looked for answers, but there is so much bad information out there, it's absolutely crazy.
From now on, I want to see a pic of anyone posting nutritional info online. I'm checking for body fat and steroid use, shouldn't leave me much nonsense to weed thru at all!
It's very very tricky if you don't eat grains, to get enough calories. And frankly, I don't see how anyone who DOES eat grains can ever get 20c a day. Sometimes my SALADS tip me over 20c and it's just friggin' lettuce and tomatoes and vegs! Add rice or bread and you internet people HAVE to be lying about what you're eating. And this right here is why I never believed anyone about how much their eating yet competing as bodybuilders. In the 80s, you'd have Ah-nold saying no white death (white flour, white sugar, white rice) and Stallone saying, "eat something that had a face and a salad," versus the juicers going on about eating multiple pizzas and sweating like pigs at night, trying to sleep, feeling the 'roids burn all the calories.
And today we have flat out liars who don't know dick but sure have a lot to say for themselves anyway.
Example: "Use a whole-wheat soft tortilla, smear a small amount of low-fat mayonnaise on top, and add in a pre-grilled chicken breast, shredded lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes."
Ok, do you NOT realize how much sugar/carbs is in that? And Frankenfats because what is mayo? It's simply oil, vinegar, and eggs in a blender. What do you suppose a low-fat version could be made from since the main ingredient that makes it what it is, is now low fat? Well, not a food item. And a wheat tortilla? Pure sugar, the most simple carb ever made. Your saliva turns it to digestible sugar as soon as you start chewing. And how much chicken/protein should you add to off-set the vegs and the sugar and the frankenfat to count as a high protein snack? Yeah. Exactly.
Stupid.
Here's another full of nuts and yogurt. I make yogurt. It's not some mystic health infused magical protein of the gods. 1 cup of yogurt has the same amount of protein as a cup of milk. Matter of fact, just call it a cup of milk and be done because that's it, man. It's just milk and bacteria, no magic. Not much protein. Drink a gallon or 2 of milk a day like Dave Draper but let's get over the magic yogurt phenomena.
And nuts. Very little protein but heaps of fat. Sure, it's the good fat but everyone says they didn't drop any weight until they got off the nuts for snacks. So are any of these great snack choices? Honestly, are they better than a freakin' Snickers bar?
I don't know what IS a good snack, which is why I looked for answers, but there is so much bad information out there, it's absolutely crazy.
From now on, I want to see a pic of anyone posting nutritional info online. I'm checking for body fat and steroid use, shouldn't leave me much nonsense to weed thru at all!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Giving My Body to the Internet
I got a physical.
He didn't mention weight loss, my blood pressure is great, and then they took my blood.
A week later, someone calls and tells me that my cholesterol is very high and the doctor wants me to eat less fat, sugar, and exercise more.
And this is AFTER I told him that I have IBS and control it with diet. No grains, no sugars (certainly no processed foods), just meat and vegs and fruit. For YEARS! I am the living, breathing definition of eating clean.
I asked for my cholesterol number, even though she had, "already put my file away and had to get it out again."
Bitch? Seriously?
258.
So I eat perfectly. I work out everyday, weights and cardio and I'm about to die from a heart attack?
Can't be right. I have an iphone, apps to the rescue! I started tracking my cholesterol and calories. Ok, clearly I'm eating too much. I can eat less. I can always eat less. If I could only lower my calories I might actually reach my goal weight, which had remained elusive except for one afternoon, when I got all the way down to 127 pounds--and then ate lunch and that was the end of that! Of course, to get there, I biked for 30 minutes every day, then hit the weights for an hour, and did this all with 1 Lean Cuisine a day. In 5 months, I lost 50 pounds and to get that final 5, I stopped eating for 3 days and went to a water park to burn as many calories as I possibly could! Voila! Success! So I can do this! I can drop more calories. As long as I'm eating, I can drop more calories. Noooooooooo problem.
After a week, know what I learned? My average daily cholesterol is 66 (300 is the norm) and my average daily calories is 777. Huh.
Ok, I know I don't eat a LOT but that seems low. Apparently, some days I only eat 300 calories. Sometimes more, but never more than 777. And OBVIOUSLY, high cholesterol ain't coming from what I'm eating. My liver is making it all on it's own with no help from me. But why? Why is my body making so much cholesterol? I did some research and messed up thyroid and starvation both raise cholesterol. Matter of fact starvation messes up thyroids. I see a viscous circle forming. So much for dropping calories. It ain't making me thin yet, it's just keeping me from getting fatter, actually.
Sigh.
You know how diets have for years said to lower your calories to 1200 and I'd laugh and say there's no way I can eat all that food! Yeah, well seriously, not only was I never overeating but I started looking at what my calories should be for my height and all. It's like 1800. The internet says I need to be eating 1800 just to maintain.
Huh.
And then the internet says to add 500 extra calories to build muscle. And gee, I guess it's not shitty genetics why I never built an ounce of muscle in the 38 years I've been lifting.
Ok, internet. I have turned my life over to you. I'm eating. I'm eating so much that it hurts. I'm up to 1300. It's so hard to eat so much. Eating too much has always triggered my IBS and this is not helping. I'm eating a lot of SCD yogurt and...well, eating. Nuts and olive oil are my constant companions to raise those daily calories and oils are another trigger so...this is so difficult.
Friday, November 6, 2015
I Guess I'm Made of More Star Stuff Than You
Coldwater Creek.
Not the clothing line but the cancer cluster.
Coldwater Creek.
Look closely at the map, you can see my childhood home in Ferguson, Mo. My mom's cousin used to live in Florissant, until she died of brain cancer last year. She had nerve trouble with her hands for years. At one point they thought she had Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's Disease, but docs could never figure it out. Gosh docs, she just was contaminated by nuclear radiation from the atomic age. Looking up her house, the creek was at the end of her street. Her kids grew up there and have kids of their own. I don't think they know.
This explains my melanoma (at least I caught that one early), my constant lower back pain (a lot of people have malformed spines and have to get their spines fused, I'm not there yet), my IBS (many have Crohn's or just flat out cancer). MS, ADHD, every rare cancer you can think of, cysts, tumors, birth defects, miscarriages, infertility, RA, and it's not just us or our parents, it's our kids too. I'm sure it'll be their kids as well and their kids and their kids.
I'm pretty shocked right now. Just...pretty shocked.
Not the clothing line but the cancer cluster.
Coldwater Creek.
Look closely at the map, you can see my childhood home in Ferguson, Mo. My mom's cousin used to live in Florissant, until she died of brain cancer last year. She had nerve trouble with her hands for years. At one point they thought she had Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's Disease, but docs could never figure it out. Gosh docs, she just was contaminated by nuclear radiation from the atomic age. Looking up her house, the creek was at the end of her street. Her kids grew up there and have kids of their own. I don't think they know.
This explains my melanoma (at least I caught that one early), my constant lower back pain (a lot of people have malformed spines and have to get their spines fused, I'm not there yet), my IBS (many have Crohn's or just flat out cancer). MS, ADHD, every rare cancer you can think of, cysts, tumors, birth defects, miscarriages, infertility, RA, and it's not just us or our parents, it's our kids too. I'm sure it'll be their kids as well and their kids and their kids.
I'm pretty shocked right now. Just...pretty shocked.
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