Turnstone's world - not really a jornal... page 2

[Turnstone]

Thanks for reading and commenting to everyone so far!

Today I made another batch of dried kiwi fruit. We got a box full of kiwi fruit from my aunt. She has a big kiwi tree / bush / whatever, and harvest more than they can eat. Good for me and DH, so we don't have to buy kiwi fruit, and these are definitively not treated with any pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals!

I already wrote about my wonderful father in the pullup-challenge-thread. He can do 2 perfect pullups, at the age of 65, and he isn't even primal! I am really proud of him, but at the same time it frustrates me because I can't do a single one yet.

My mom feels better and better on a low-carb-diet. 3 months ago she wasn't able to do the household. She was always tired and exhausted. Now she made all the food for my father's birthday party, and was able to enjoy the party after that! I still have to convince her to skip the grains, but she will think about it.

I just discovered that my late onset CAH isn't just a harmless hormonal defect that gives me very bad acne when I don't take my pill, but something I need to learn more about because it affects cortisol production, too. I have to find a doctor who knows about this, as my gyn seems to know nothing about it and isn't interested in it.

[Turnstone]

Yesterday I had a migraine attack. Before I started to eat primal I had them 4 times a month or more. Now I only have it every now and then. I guess it was the third attack in 6 months.
Migraine is never good, but yesterday it was even worse because it hit me just after I prepared duck legs that I had bought earlier that day. While they roasted in the oven I felt worse and worse and in the end couldn't even stand the smell. I went to bed instead of eating... I had the leftovers today with my salad, and it gave me an impression how delicious they must have been fresh out of the oven!

Today at work at my local supermarket there was a woman who asked me where she could find tofu steaks. I wish I could have told her what she wants to eat! But I am not in the position of scaring people away from buying things there, and I guess she wouldn't have listened anyway.

Winter arrived in Germany. So far we had mild temperatures most of the time, between 10° C and 0° C. Now it's freezing cold outside all day, and with nights around -10° C. Combined with wind I am happy to live in a heated appartement and not like Grok in a cave!

[Turnstone]

Today I picked up the antibiotics that I need to take for the next 4 weeks because of Lyme Disease. I bought some probiotics, too, in hope to keep my gut flora alive.
It's still cold outside, but we had a little bit of snow. Now it not only feels like winter, it looks like winter!

[Turnstone]

The second day on antibiotics. So far I feel OK. I take probiotics, too, and bought some sauerkraut (homemade by our butcher, not the canned thing).

My workout during the last days: carry boxes of wood for the fireplace from the car to the basement, and later (one by one, every time we need new wood) from the basement up to the second floor. Each weights about 10-15 kg (depending on the wood).

[touchdowntodd]

way cool!

keep up the hard work!

[Turnstone]

The last two days I didn't feel that good. But it seems normal that after a few days on antibiotics you feel worse (at least with Lyme Disease). A sign that it's working.
I read a book abut LD and it seems its story is even worse than that with carbs, sugar and saturated fat. A few "scientists" dominate and continue to spread wrong facts. No wonder that my doc and my neurologist didn't believe me when I told them that my symptoms might be caused by LD, even after I told them I have 10 or more tick bites each year...

[Turnstone]

Happy Valentines Day!

I am still fighting with the antibiotics. One day I have no problems, the other day I get sick 30 minutes after I took them. I couldn't find out yet why I sometimes get sick and sometimes not.

[Marianne]

Hi Turnstone -- Happy somewhat belated Valentine's Day to you, too! Sorry to hear that you're having such spotty luck with the antibiotics, Lyme Disease, etc. And so frustrating when the docs don't really listen. I don't know what your options are in Germany to try to find a doctor who, if not primally inclined, will at least acknowledge that the patient has some very good information about what's going on with them! Is it possible to "shop around" like that or do most people go to clinics and get whoever's on staff at the moment? My insurance here is more clinic-like, but I always insist on at least seeing the same doctor even though the admin staff grumbles...

Our son is in Bremerhaven right now for business/some pleasure, and the poor California boy is freezing!

[Turnstone]

Hi Marinne,
thanks for your comments! My current doc is ok, she listens to me and knows a lot abut LD. But the treatment is not covered by my health insurance (and I have to drive 30 minutes to get to her). Bad for my (small) wallet, but this way I am able to talk with her, and I feel that she really is interested in helping me. If she did it on insurance she only had about 5 minutes for me. If I pay her myself we have up to 30 minutes. That's a weak spot in our health system. The doctors only have a small budget and can't afford to listen to their patients. Usually you don't "shop" around with your doc. You have your family doc, and your dentist, and if you need more they send you to a specialist. You are free to choose which doc you go to, but in general once you decided on one you stick with him / her. Only when you have to go to the Emergency Room you have to take who's on staff.
I hope your son enjoys Bremerhaven. It's not a big town and not a very beautiful one, but it has a really cool museum (the "Klimahaus", he should go there if possible. You can do a journey around the world in a day and visit the different climate zones. Very nice!) and a nice maritime flair. It's not far away from the sea and the wadden sea. If he is interested in nature he should get a guided tour there, too!

I catched a cold, and now I am sitting here with a dripping nose and very tired. Best proof that antibiotics don't care about a cold! I am not hungry, but got some sauerkraut and a spoon of coconut oil in my roibos-tea. And some dark chocolate. I eat too much of that stuff, but it's too good to resist, and it seems to help with not getting sick from the antibiotics.

Yesterday I talked to my mom and she slowly realizes that she needs more fat in her diet after she reduced carbs dramatically. She was always afraid of fat and believed her liver and gallbladder couldn't handle it and made it responsible for feeling sick after a fatty meal. She begins to believe that it might be the carbs, and not the fat! Now she only has to learn that grains aren't good for her. Not for her autoimmune issues, which caused her clogged arteries and heart disease. But I guess that's the hardest part, because my dad won't give up bread (but he is healthy and fit, can do more pull-ups than I), and she loves baking cakes, cookies and sweet bread for him. And then she ends up eating a little bit of it, too. But she told me she threw away the rolled oats. A good start!

[Turnstone]

I am still fighting with a cold, but I feel much better than thursday and friday. I blame the antibiotics for damaging my immune system so that the virus had a chance to bring me down.

Yesterday we bought the first seeds for the garden. Salad and onions, and some "therapeutic flowers" which help recover the soil and fight nematodes. We still have plenty of carrot, tomatoe and pepper seeds. In a few months I can tell you what grows in our garden. Probably salad, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and not so primal potatoes, beans and peas.

Today I am making Beef Jerky. I can't wait until it is ready and try how it turned out. It's not the first time I make Jerky, but it tastes different every time I do it. Fortunately I liked it every time so far!