I'm such a foodie.

Saying that makes it a bit difficult to admit that, when I'm honest with myself, my favorite food is pizza.

That's not to say that I don't love all manner of casseroles, curries, stirfrys, soups, salads, desserts and so forth.

I think I realized that pizza was my favorite when started eating at Lupi's in Chattanooga. So very good.
It's a local pizzeria that makes their dough from scratch¹ and has a list of ingredients that covers most of their front wall.

Whether making my own crust and sauce to ordering takeaway and all levels of pizza preparation in between, I probably eat it three times a month.

But, when ybunny suggested it for supper last weekend, I felt a bit queasy.
The feeling continued up until today when we went for lunch to Pizza Express.

It wasn't just from being sick, although everything made me queasy while I was sick.
This was a specific aversion to pizza.

Even now, with lunch probably still cogitating in my stomach, thinking of pizza is still a little sick making. Such an odd development.² (Though, I only had to look at ybunny's, since I had cannaloni.)

Ever love a food and then go completely off it?

---

¹ - Once when I was there on a date, we stayed until just as they were closing. One of the guys working the ovens asked if we wanted the rest of the dough from the day. I took it to my dorm and baked it, except, I must not have worked it enough, because it rose...into a tower of baked pizza dough. Very odd.
² - Honestly, it would probably be best if the aversion stayed because it has continually been one of my diet breakers.

Regardless of how many people actually read Food Friday, I'd made a New Year's resolution to keep up Friday posting.

But, then, there were things that happened the last few weeks.

I can't even remember back to two Fridays ago.

However, last Friday was the beginning of most of this horribleness that is the flu/bronchitis/crawling death that ybunny and I have both had.

We've both been apathetic to food since then.
And, lemme tell you, it's hard to get excited about food when you're not really eating it.

So, fingers crossed that we'll be recovered by next Friday and I can go back to half-hazardly keeping my New Year's resolution.

ybunny and I should put a sign on the door saying, 'Virulent: enter at own risk'.

He got sick on Thursday, I got sick last night/this morning.


To amuse ourselves, we've watched telly until we're sick of it.
I have played, enjoyed, gotten irritated with, and now quit Facebook's Knighthood game. I might go back to it. We'll see.


There was and is snow. Pity I can't properly enjoy it. *throws pity party*

I'm exhaustified.

Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK. It is also the 4th Sunday of Lent.

For the ecumenical service in the AM:
Introit - Attende, Domine (plainchant, 1st cent)
Anthem - Lord, Hear My Prayer (Mendelssohn-Bartholdy)
neepheid's lovely fiancé sang the solo
Hymns - Forgettable, except that we got to sing 'Nun Danket'

For the Catholic service in the PM:
the usual, though a new intonation on the Psalm since we did the 23rd tonight
Hymns - very odd words to the tune 'Personent Hodie', the rest ordinary

I have a weird throat thing where it doesn't hurt but feels like it needs cleared constantly. Hmm.

Today for lunch, we met A&C with children, neepheid + fiancé, Scumbag, and a few others at John Lewis. We picked a good day to be a party of 13, as usually that would be impossible to seat on a Sunday.

It was lovely to see my darling goddaughter on Mothering Sunday. However, I made her cry when I wouldn't let her pick her nose. Ah, well.

Guess what?

Tonsillitis.



That makes twice in one month's time. Woo.

I finally have been given a referral to an ENT.

I'm not bothered about the Ear and Nose part, but I'm keenly interested in the Throat part.

As in, GET THESE TONSILS OUT!

If I boxed up my tonsillitis, I wonder where I could take it back to...





So, in 2007, that makes 5 counts of tonsillitis. Brilliant.

Another Friday draws to a close. This is my second Friday in a row sick, albeit I'm sicker this round than last.

Other than coughing until I make myself sick, I've also discovered that I have some sort of allergy.

Most likely this is a food allergy.

On Wednesday evening, I was having a hard time breathing. I thought it was just the bronchitis making itself known.

I absently scratched my stomach...and then scratched it again...and again.

I looked down and saw that there were bright red hives all over my stomach.

And they were spreading. Within 15 minutes, and despite a Benedryl, the hives spread until they were on my stomach, knees, hands, upper lip, and wrists.

My breathing got more and more labored. drjoan did a quick telephone consult and off to A&E I went.

By the time I arrived, I simply couldn't breathe and was in the midst of an asthma attack.

I am very rarely affected by my asthma as I can usually control it with breathing exercises. The most effective is to force myself not to breathe for 30 seconds. Because of the coughing brought on by the bronchitis, it was impossible to go more than 5 seconds before gasping for air to cough with.

The A&E crew treated the asthma attack, but were mystified by the hives. They threw some steroids at the problem and then sent me home with some more to take over the next few days.

95% of hives are caused by food allergies, apparently. I just can't figure out what I ate to cause them.

The only thing unaccounted for: some Irn Bru I drank at the in-laws. I drink Irn Bru very irregularly, and I never drink the non-diet variety. It's the only red herring after an exhaustive of what I've eaten over the last week.

It's possible that the colouring may have caused a reaction.

Either way, I'm staying away from bright orange foodstuffs for the next good while.

Any foods cause you to have allergic reactions? Ever had a reaction without knowing the cause?

I try not to run on too much about wedding stuff, but a few updates now and again should be okay, I think. Mind you, you'll get an eyeful late Sept/early Oct, so brace up now.

Invitations for the UK/Europe went out today. It is absolutely horrible trying to decide whether or not to invite one person or another. I hope we stay friends with everyone.

That said, we're quite happy to have people come to the ceremony and/or ceilidh, we just can't afford to feed everyone at the sit-down meal.

I need to organize my thoughts a bit better to know what has yet to be done.

A few other points of...well, not interest...so just points.

1. I applied for my 'permission slip' to marry ybunny. *rolleyes* Hopefully that will be back soon.

2. I spilled curry on my new favorite shirt last night at Nawaab's. drjoan/redthought/anyone else who's minded, could you possibly pick up one of the bright blue short sleeve v-necks from Target (the own-brand ones) if you get a chance?

3. I'm over the moon with my new GP. Great doctor, great nurses, great location. Maybe the NHS works after all.

4. ybunny has left with A, his brother J, and neepheid for the Download Festival. I hope they come back intact. I'm not really worried.

5. I finished up translating the book of Ruth from Hebrew. I'd done the first chapter once before, but I figured since it's a short one I might as well do the rest before returning to Deuteronomy. Which is miles long. *sigh* I'd spent a few moments on it in Cornwall, but today I sat down with my lexicon and had some quality, non-interupted time. Huzzah.

Right. That was far too random. I'm off to the church to play the piano. (A real piano! Not a keyboard! I'm so stoked.)

I've been feeling a bit off this week...kind of a tired, achey thing. I'm just stressed about the conference paper coming up. I worry too much, I'm aware of this.

Now that I'm a grown up and I don't live with or even near to my parents, I'm kindof on my own when I'm sick. Not that friends wouldn't come round to bring food or offer a lift to the hospital if necessary, but it's not the same thing as having Mommy at your beck and call when you're down and out.

I didn't get sick often as a child, but when I did it usually was pretty bad. I was so sick with pneumonia as a child that I don't really remember any of that month or so.

I do remember the times I was sick with the flu (more's the pity). Being sick with the flu meant staying in bed and watching TV until your were absolutely sick of it.

It also meant that you got Sick Foods. Sick Foods for me as a child were ramen noodle soup, dry Rice Krispies, rainbow sherbet (towards the end of the bug, though) and George Washington broth.

Those things stick with you. What did I eat while I was sick with tonsillitis this last time? George Washington broth. I'd drag myself into the kitchen, sit on the floor waiting for the kettle to boil, pour the packet and the water into a mug and stumble back to the bed. But, it made me feel better. Even if it was just psychological.

The best of Sick Foods came when I wasn't sick. My sister, redthought had her tonsils out when I was about 12. She wasn't happy about swallowing anything, including her own spit, for the first 4 days or so. golfbisquit and I held off eating any of the things drjoan bought for her to eat until about 48 hours into it. Then, the rainbow sherbet just had to be eaten. We ate it plain...we made it into rainbow sherbet and Sprite floats...we refroze it in the icecube trays...we took it outside and let it melt and then pretended we had fruit soup.

We felt bad for redthought...but rainbow sherbet! And we weren't even sick. Result!

What did you eat when you were sick as a child? Do you still eat it?

I'm not even sure what round this is now. Round 25 at least. But, I digress.

I needed to refill my Cytomel* prescription. This is always exciting.

*ringring*

Nurse: Hello, Medical Practice.
Me: Hi, I'm calling about getting a refill slip.
Nurse: Name?
Me: *gives name and address*
Nurse: You want the levothyroxine?
Me: No. I need the other thyroid supplement, the liothyronine.
Nurse: Right, that's the same thing.
Me: Sorry, but no, it isn't. *getting irritated as this is not the first time this game is played*
Nurse: Can you spell it please?
Me: L-I-O-T-H-Y-R-O-N-I-N-E.
Nurse: N-I-N-E.
Me: *thinking, hurrah, you can spell 9* *spells the full name again*
Nurse: Are you sure this is what you need?
Me: Yes, I've had a refill slip from you several times previously.
Nurse: I'll just put you on hold and check.
Me: Fine. *rolls eyes*
Nurse: *comes back* It says on your file that you take levothyroxine.
Me: Yes, I do. But, I take liothyronine too. That's the one I need, not the levothyroxine.
Nurse: *very quiet for a minute* Well, we'll check with the doctor and your prescription will be ready Friday.

==Two days pass==

I walk into the medical practice.

Me: *gives name and address* I'm here to pick up my prescription refill slip.
Nurse: *hands it over and goes back to whatever she's doing*
Me: *checks it because I know I'm not lucky enough to get the right thing after all that, see that it's definitely for levothyroxine, not liothyronine* Sorry to bother, but this isn't the right prescription.
Nurse: What's wrong with it?
Me: *headdesk*

So, they send me up to speak with the GP**. After the usual chat, I'm off to Boots to fill the scrip.

Time needed in a perfect world: 2 minutes

Time in the NHS wordview: 45 minutes

---

* I discovered today that the brand name in the UK is Textroxin. Just fyi.
** This will make the fifth GP I've seen at this same practice. Getting a different person each time requires me to 1) show my scar to prove I have no thyroid, 2) explain that I'm on both meds, 3) confirm that I've not always lived in the UK. *gigantic sigh*

Dear Self,

Do not forget thyroid meds.

Do not forget them two doses in a row.

T4 will stick around for a while, but you can't go without the T3.

Must tattoo inside of eyelids.

Love and kisses,

Me

PS: Sleeping from 5pm to 8pm does not help with completing conference paper.

I don't have mono/glandular fever. Woo.

I have a few thoughts about the National Health Service (well, I have more than a few, but only a few I feel the need to share with you).

1. I'm continually shocked by the low level of barrier safety that occurs when I'm seen.
Never, at any time, have I been asked or been checked for AIDS, HIV, Hepatitis, or anything else of the sort. Yet, when I go to get blood drawn, the nurse wears no gloves. Ditto for a pap smear.
I forget from one trip to another that they don't do this...I need to remember and ask why they don't.
As a side note, before you ask, 'are they working sans gloves during phlebotomy activities so they can avoid mis-sticks?', obviously that isn't working out for them. Nurse Sans Gloves took blood from me last Thursday and couldn't hit the mark on either arm. That didn't keep her from twisting the needle about to keep trying. Yes, yes...thanks for the green bruises, biyatch. They feel super.

Bottom Line: I can't believe that they are willing to take the chance.

2. The relative lack of privacy in medical offices.
The GP's office has glass between the patient and the front desk. Great for security for the staff, not great for communication. To get them to hear what you're saying, you have to all but yell. Gee, thanks...I'm glad I can share my medical complaint with the entire building. If you have anything other than an already made appointment, it is necessary to stand in the foyer and go back and forth about what feels like your entire medical history. (Or, at least I do. If I had a nickel for every time someone doubts that I have no thyroid. Really people, why would I lie about this? Check the scar, it's right there, front and center.)
At the...well, I don't know what to call this clinic, I think it says Family Planning outside...they have a semi-open plan office and drill you about contraception history and reproductive history in full hearing of anyone else in the waiting room.
Just wow. Wow.

Bottom Line: Privacy seems to be pretty far down the priority list.

3. The stubbornness of GP's and hospital consultants alike.
As I mentioned above, I'm sick of assuring people, 'yes, I had my thyroid out. I'm not asking for thyroid meds because I think they'll somehow get me high'. *eye roll* Again, why would I lie about this? It defies comprehension.
A friend told a GP that one of her options for future health care is physically impossible as an alternative. Instead of listening to her explain that, they let her tell them the reason, which they should have understood, but didn't listen and still referred her to the specialist. She still won't be able to use that option and she's wasted her time and prevented someone who maybe really needed that appointment slot at the specialist's.

Bottom Line: When did active listening drop out of the skills that physicians need?

4. Ignoring non-urgent patients.
Let's play a game of 'What if?'.
What if I didn't get my thyroid meds? Well, back in the days before thyroid hormone replacement, patients that presented as hypothyroid eventually ended up in asylums or kept at home as invalids.
You simply cannot live without the replacement thyroid hormone.
Will I ever reach that point? No. I have enough levothyroxine brought over from the US that I'll be functional at the very least.
Will I be myself? No. I need to have a specific amount and a specific combination of levothyroxine and liothyronine in order to keep going on my PhD and so forth.

Another game: 'What should have happened?'
I should have been sent up to the Thyroid Clinic as soon as I registered with a GP, back in August of 2005. From there, I should have been monitored via blood tests to keep my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone level at zero. There should have been tests once every three weeks for the two months following the surgery. For the further 4 months after that, there should have been tests once a month. If I stayed level over those 4 months, I should still have been tested once every three months to keep my levels at zero. I should have been guaranteed that I would go back to the once every three weeks test frequency if/when I get pregnant.

What did happen? I was treated by someone who didn't refer me to the Thyroid Clinic, but simply took a blood test and then didn't know what the levels should be. Nothing was done until 2 months later when I insisted on a blood test. My levels were shockingly high. I finally got seen at the Thyroid Clinic after waiting for 3 months, but it was a cursory appointment. I assumed that I would be added to a regular rotation. It is now 9 months later and I have not been seen again by the NHS.
I have paid exorbitant amounts of money in order to be seen in the US, without insurance. Without such option, I would not be working on my PhD, as I am non-funtional academically without the correct meds.

So, I'm ignored. I'm not bleeding, I'm not losing my mind and threatening others, I'm not in danger of losing limbs without treatment, I'm not growing extra bits.
It's a case of 'if you look fine, you must be fine'. Friends, that's bullshit.There will be a post about that at some point soon.

Bottom Line: If you don't know how to treat a condition, admit it. Remember that non-urgent patients need care too.

If you read this, and you're part of the NHS, I apologize if this offends you. I know what it is like to look out from the other side of health care. But, I think the things I'm complaining about need to stop or at least be reconsidered.
Oh, and no, I don't think the US system is the answer either, but at least I can get seen expeditiously.

So, I've got tonsillitis again. And as an added bonus, I've got chills and achiness that won't go away.

Anyone surprised?

I feel absolute crap. So far the lurgy is kicking my arse all up and down the place.

The worst part is that I have nothing to show for it, since I don't have a fever...just a horrible chest wracking cough and a headache.

I'm going to just try to sleep it out.

I can't remember if I've posted this yet or not, but I'm making it my goal to walk all of Aberdeen.

Yes.

All of it.

All.

Every side street, everything. Everybody's dead, Dave.

So, unless Alan and Caroline call me out to go to theirs, I'm going out to push the frontiers of my exploration.

Poll #844694 Walkies
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

In which direction should I walk?

I'm here, safe, and remarkably fine after my ordeal with Homeland Security. (That's a story for another post.)

I've been spending a good bit of my time with my dad while he's in the hospital. We're hoping he'll come home by the weekend.

*goes back to drowning self in Diet Dr. Pepper and Cheerwine*

As I sit eating a fig for supper, I realize that I regularly ignore a certain warning sign: wash before [insert activity].

I don't usually wash clothes before wearing the the first time. I used my juice tumblers before washing them (I'd say all my tableware, but drjoan made sure that my cutlery/place settings were washed first). I eat fruit without washing or even rinsing...sometimes on the way back from the store.

I'll probably take no harm from this. Possible harm, but probably none.

I'm curious, what warning labels/signs do you ignore?

Poll #821728 Warning signs/labels
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

I ignore...

1.

Scottish Gas: feck off.

We aren't using the gas. At all. At All. AT ALL. Clear enough? Stop sending the hate-mail bills. I've been in the house when ybunny's called you on two occasions explaining that. I've called you myself today, because it's not nice to threaten people with the police, warrents, and £250 in penalties for something not being use.

Yes, we will eventually have gas central heating and mayhap a gas cooker. At present, all we have is one pipe, connected to nothing, in the hall closet.

I know that this is at least the third time you've used these scare tactics on us, it makes me want to stay with electric. At least their meter man is friendly.

---

2.

Aberdeen drivers: feck off.

There's a reason for that wee orange-y red box at traffic lights. Bicycles.

Don't edge forward onto them while the light's red, don't try to nudge the bicycles that are waiting on them when the light's amber, don't try to run over bicycles that might be still in them when the light's green.

I admit, cycling when it is windy and rainy was not perhaps the best idea. However, when I left the house, it was clear and still. I'm putting out maximum effort to keep going forward in a head wind. All you're doing is pressing down your foot. Let's think about who should wait for whom...especially when it will only cost you 30 seconds.

Oh, and thanks for giving me the fingers as I tried to turn into Rose St. and not cycle into three unloading lorries and a granny jaywalking. I'd be madder about you sideswiping me, but you almost hit her in your fit of 'cars own the road'. I'd watch myself if I were you. Old ladies have lethal handbags at times.

That was effective. I slept from 6:30 to 8:30 this morning. Nothing like two hours of sleep to make you cranky.

Don't know why I couldn't sleep last night, though the fact that it was light-ish by 3:05 didn't help.

I almost want to say that I'm ready for the light to come up later/go down sooner, but to be honest, I'd rather it stayed like this than going to what it does in December.

I mostly couldn't sleep because I'm starting to feel feverish again. This loop of being sick and feeling so-so had better break soon. I'm almost half hoping for something to be wrong when I go in on the 18th because at least I won't get told 'well, your body has had some big changes since the cancer'.

no.shit.

Just because there have been changes doesn't mean that I should continually feel like I'm swimming upstream. Blech.

Right. At least part of all my problems is the fact that I have tonsillitis. Big, swollen, gross tonsillitis. So, I'm on the antibiotic/yogurt train to being able to sleep without choking on my own saliva.

How droll.

Ireland trip commences in T-30 hours. We've church and a lunch date with neepheid before that.

*heads for the door to let kitty out*