It's 08:35 on a Sunday morning and I am up watching Gladiators! I did go to bed before 10pm last night as I was very tired and had another migraine. After doing really well for the last 10 days or so I have had a migraine, Thursday, Friday (this one came back later as well) and Saturday. I will now go through my food diary and see if anything has changed......
I picked up Propanolol to try as a prophylactic for the migraines yesterday so figers crossed that will work. I have dropped my dose of Amitriptyline down by half, mainly through necessity due to forgetting to ring for the repeat prescription, but also as I don't think I need it as an anti-depressant any more, I have been sleeping on the lower dose and am not getting problems with pain in my legs or a slightly dodgy bladder. I am seeing a GP in 2 weeks to discuss how I get on with the Propanolol so will discuss the Amitriptyline as well. Apart from anything else having several medications gets expensive (must remember to get a prepayment card)!
I have now been taking Alli for 11 days. I think I have lost around 8 pounds in that time. I have missed a few tablets, 2 last weekend as I didn't get up to eat breakfast and my Mum and Dad visited Friday evening for dinner and I didn't take one then - I don't think it was horrendous, I just didn't want to have to count everything. I have been experiencing 'leakage' as I call it, which is lovely..... It isn't unmanageable and I think is mainly down to the home made cake I have been eating small pieces of throughout the week. The cake has all gone now so back to proper snacks with low fat amounts from now on.
We actually had an indian last night and I was brave and took a tablet. I had chicken shaslik, half a bread and a poppadaum. Hopefully not too bad!
Throughout this week B and I have been designing a new website for the Thames Valley branch of Lifesavers. It is still a work in progress but we are getting there! Something we can do together, I did volunteer B for the job of getting the site up and running and so far it's gone from an expired domain name (which remains expired) to an up and running website. It turns out web design is fun!
Sunday 19 July 2009
Saturday 11 July 2009
Alli
On wednesday I started taking 'Alli'. It's orlistat, with a brand name, and is to help with weight loss. It works by binding to 25% of the fat in a meal preventing it from being absorbed - well that is my understanding anyway.
I had cut down the 10 days before (as recommended) but also managed to finish most of the higher fat items in the house over the evenings. With me it's all about it not being there to eat in the first place!
I can see how this helps people though. The packaging advises side effects such as wind, oily residue, diarrhoea and oily soft stools, therefore, as long as you keep taking the tablets self preservation sets in and you try to avoid overdoing the fat content at all costs! The starter pack gives you the calorie and fat target to stick to based on your weight and as I am VERY overweight I have a target of <19g fat per meal and 1800 calories over the day. So far I have eaten fewer calories each day but have been about on target for the fat at lunch and dinner.
You have to have a BMI of over 28 and it is a pharmacy only drug - you have to fill in a form - you can buy it online though! You have to fill in a form and your order has to be approved but that makes it even easier!
Anyway, I guess I will now be including a weight loss update on here. I know I need to loose weight, should my MS become problematic in terms of mobility in the future weighing what I do now will not help. Also, forgetting MS, my BP defies my weight at the moment but it won't forever. I am at a much greater risk of develping heart disease and diabetes in the future. I hear you say, anything could happen in the future, yes it could, but I don't want to be making anything that does happen worse!
On a different tack - I hope everyone is feeling some relief now the weather has cooled down a bit. My legs feel like my legs again and it is no longer a struggle to stay awake and use my brain in the evenings. Last weekend was interesting, the week was ok, an air conditioned building, but the weekend. B and I went out to do some shopping and by the time we were on the way home my brain seemed to have stopped functioning!! Still, shouldn't complain, it's nice to see the sun from time to time!
I had cut down the 10 days before (as recommended) but also managed to finish most of the higher fat items in the house over the evenings. With me it's all about it not being there to eat in the first place!
I can see how this helps people though. The packaging advises side effects such as wind, oily residue, diarrhoea and oily soft stools, therefore, as long as you keep taking the tablets self preservation sets in and you try to avoid overdoing the fat content at all costs! The starter pack gives you the calorie and fat target to stick to based on your weight and as I am VERY overweight I have a target of <19g fat per meal and 1800 calories over the day. So far I have eaten fewer calories each day but have been about on target for the fat at lunch and dinner.
You have to have a BMI of over 28 and it is a pharmacy only drug - you have to fill in a form - you can buy it online though! You have to fill in a form and your order has to be approved but that makes it even easier!
Anyway, I guess I will now be including a weight loss update on here. I know I need to loose weight, should my MS become problematic in terms of mobility in the future weighing what I do now will not help. Also, forgetting MS, my BP defies my weight at the moment but it won't forever. I am at a much greater risk of develping heart disease and diabetes in the future. I hear you say, anything could happen in the future, yes it could, but I don't want to be making anything that does happen worse!
On a different tack - I hope everyone is feeling some relief now the weather has cooled down a bit. My legs feel like my legs again and it is no longer a struggle to stay awake and use my brain in the evenings. Last weekend was interesting, the week was ok, an air conditioned building, but the weekend. B and I went out to do some shopping and by the time we were on the way home my brain seemed to have stopped functioning!! Still, shouldn't complain, it's nice to see the sun from time to time!
Friday 3 July 2009
Moan when it's hot, moan when it's cold - can't please me...!!
Well it has been a while. After getting married and going to Cardiff for a couple of nights it was all back to normal and back to work. Fortunatelt only for a couple of days before the weeked but then it was a month until we got to go on Honeymoon.... Still it went quickly!
We went to Turkey in the end. We chose a hotel in Belek and had a swim up suite. The pool which was outside our patio doors was a smaller pool and away from the main hotel so it was really nice, relaxing and quiet! We spent most of our time in and around the hotel with 4 excursions to see the sights. I really don't know what we did for 2 weeks really...!!!
The temperature in Turkey was between 30 and 39 degrees, sometimes it was 30 at 8pm. Fortunately it was a drier heat than here and we were able to go into air conditioned buildings and get into the pool to cool off. Now we are back in the UK it is too hot at 30 degrees! The heat here just has more of a humid feel to it. I also survived 2 weeks in Turkey with very little in the way of extra tingling but I now have a more definate change in sensation to my right leg and to some extent the left and it almost feels swollen, it isn't but it is just that tight sensation. Still could be worse!
I had my yearly appt with my neuro before we went away. Nothing new really, although I apparently better than I was last year - which I think is right as I had just had a relapse last time I went - ON. I got the impression my reflexes in my knees were a bit dodgy - only because they felt weird and were a bit brisk - not that I actually know!
Work is the same, very busy this week, but then I have just had 2 weeks off and 3 of the team are on leave.
I am now going to take this hot laptop off my lap and watch Murrey (hopefully) beat Roddick!
We went to Turkey in the end. We chose a hotel in Belek and had a swim up suite. The pool which was outside our patio doors was a smaller pool and away from the main hotel so it was really nice, relaxing and quiet! We spent most of our time in and around the hotel with 4 excursions to see the sights. I really don't know what we did for 2 weeks really...!!!
The temperature in Turkey was between 30 and 39 degrees, sometimes it was 30 at 8pm. Fortunately it was a drier heat than here and we were able to go into air conditioned buildings and get into the pool to cool off. Now we are back in the UK it is too hot at 30 degrees! The heat here just has more of a humid feel to it. I also survived 2 weeks in Turkey with very little in the way of extra tingling but I now have a more definate change in sensation to my right leg and to some extent the left and it almost feels swollen, it isn't but it is just that tight sensation. Still could be worse!
I had my yearly appt with my neuro before we went away. Nothing new really, although I apparently better than I was last year - which I think is right as I had just had a relapse last time I went - ON. I got the impression my reflexes in my knees were a bit dodgy - only because they felt weird and were a bit brisk - not that I actually know!
Work is the same, very busy this week, but then I have just had 2 weeks off and 3 of the team are on leave.
I am now going to take this hot laptop off my lap and watch Murrey (hopefully) beat Roddick!
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