[Eczema-what prevention/treatment works best for you?]

I had it really bad on my hands. I started wearing gloves for anything messy, doing dishes, etc. At night I moisturize with something very thick (current favorite is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula 48 hour Moisture, good deal at BJ's) and put on cotton gloves. At one point it was so bad and my skin started coming off in big pieces. I used to have to cut it off because it was so thick and would harden. It was pretty gross! I discovered I can't use any lotions with urea in them. Eucerin was what I was using - once I stopped I started getting better. I often think I had a bad batch that had more urea than it should have had because I've used other lotions with urea without problems previously. Now I react to it no matter the strength.

Edited to add: After tracking my food intake for a few weeks, I realized I don't get much zinc. I was reading how zinc supplementation if deficient may help with various skin conditions, so I added a zinc supplement this week. 

[What changes have you made to make your life easier/better?]

We recently added a shower to our basement bathroom, and it's been wonderful. Now I can take a long shower any time of the day without holding up the other bathrooms for the seniors in the house. 

We are going to get back into cooking for the freezer. We used to have so many meals in the freezer, but now we mostly have ingredients, which really doesn't help at all when things are really busy around here. We have two more bathroom renovations coming up, and one is off the kitchen, so I want plenty of frozen meals before they start work in August! 

I stopped worrying about when the dishwasher needs to be loaded/unloaded. I may check to make sure there are enough bowls, spoons, etc. to get through breakfast, but I prefer to take care of the dishwasher late morning instead of early morning, and it has made my mornings more pleasant. I also load it later at night instead of right after dinner. Dh has earlier hours than I do so I prefer to spend time with him and load it after he goes to bed. I listen to a podcast or an audiobook while loading and it relaxes me for bed. 

Like Carol posted above, I also started eating to 80% full, and it has made a huge difference with reflux. 

[Tell Me About Swiffers vs. Other Mops]

In between regular mopping I use either the Swiffer Wet Jet, a regular Swiffer with the wet cleaning cloths ( I get the ones from Aldi) or the new Swiffer Power Mop. I really love the Power Mop, but I will probably buy some washable mop pads to use with it. One of the things I like about the Swiffer is they are easy to use for anyone in the house. My son was using the Power Mop yesterday because there was something sticky on the floor and it is a quick clean up, plus he thinks it's cool. I have it ready to go near the kitchen for spills. It does a pretty good job on the floors! I am going to try it on the baseboards in the upstairs bathroom today. Eventually I may replace everything with something that has washable pads and can be used with any cleaner. 

There are times when I'm not feeling great - MS flare or other autoimmune/health issues, and all of my cleaning is done with Swiffers, cleaning wipes, etc. until I'm feeling better. Whatever gets it done with the least effort. Family will help me, of course, but I like to keep as active as I can. (Plus certain family members will dry mop and push everything under the radiators, which is why I don't think dry mopping is actually cleaning.🤬)

[Has anyone done the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP)? Any advice?]

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

The protein in wheat some people with MS react to is ATI—amylase trypsin inhibitor. I think I spelled that right. Wheat ATI is a category, but ATI is present in all cereal products, afaik—including rice, corn, barley, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, etc. (I am not sure about oat.) It feeds the endosperm of the grain. 
 

I do think this is why, for some, going grain free does help. 
 

I also think whole grains help diversify and feed a wider array of gut microbiota while providing some key nutrients—dont be more restrictive than you need to be. There are some studies on how going GF changes your microbiota—bifido is decreased, along with B. longum and lactobacillus. Those decreases make you more prone to e coli and c-diff.

Yes, thank you. I believe one of the articles I read mentioned that even just lowering, not completely eliminating wheat (and possibly other grains) did have positive results. I avoid wheat most of the time, but I do have some tolerance when I'm not in an active relapse. I've noticed I tolerate homemade breads better, so maybe part of my issue is various food additives. I have gone completely grain free in the past, and I had positive results as far as my weight, but I found it very difficult and depressing! Usually that went along with a low carb or paleo diet, and my gut was not happy after a while! 

Hopefully more research on ATI will be done in the future. 

[Has anyone done the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP)? Any advice?]

4 hours ago, Soror said:

 

So, it is the same as the AIP lady.

As to my understanding, she started out with the Paleo diet - then shifted to AIP with health issues. Now, she's gone the other way and has opened up her diet. The AIP page is still up there but her current videos talk about how unhealthy her relationship with food became and how she restricted whole classes of foods based on one thing wrong with them and ignored other aspects. 

I think her new approach is healthy and balanced (far more so than most of the 'diets' out there). 

I agree with this approach. In the end, you have to do reintroductions anyway. The problem is by the time you do it for a while you're tired of restricting and following the rules for reintroduction is tiring and it drags out forever with so many things being eliminated. If you start doing one thing at a time you won't be going into it worn down from the elimination and can do it properly. You will also not be changing your diet so drastically so it will be easier to comply.

 

Yes, and I'm loving the new direction she is going in. I do see the benefit of an elimination diet, but I think there are people that get stuck in the elimination phase and don't re-introduce many foods. Others seem to be very good with the re-introductions and find out they can have a little bit of certain foods before they get symptoms or have been able to add back in a significant amount of foods. I think I will try the modified AIP recommendations and see what I find out, but I will continue following Nutrivore recommendations while doing it. I've never tried eliminating nightshades before and I suspect a few of them are problematic for me. (I would be very upset if potatoes are a problem food for me, though!) It seems that Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt at Autoimmune Wellness are the current experts in the AIP community. 

[Has anyone done the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP)? Any advice?]

While I haven't done AIP yet, I did do Wahl's protocol for over a year. I had more energy and lost weight, but I can't say it helped with the active MS flare I was in the middle of when I started. It took over 2 years for that to resolve. Wahls is similar I think, but I didn't cut out nightshades. My stomach really didn't like all the meat, so after reaching out to Dr. Wahls she agreed it would be better for me to reduce meat and include legumes, which worked really well for me. Then I completely lost the desire to do special diets for awhile. My current doctor would like me to try AIP for Hashimoto's, and I see they have introduced a modified AIP that includes legumes and I think seeds, not sure. I may try that, but I did cut out wheat products again. I'm not sure if it's the gluten or a different protein I react to, but I read an article about a study done with MS patients, and they weren't reacting to gluten, but another protein. I can't remember what it was - if I remember I will link it later. I also discovered that guar gum bothers my stomach a lot, so I removed that as well as dairy. At the moment I am reading Nutrivore by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, and trying to follow her recommendations. I've been adding a lot more fruit and veggies, eating the rainbow, legumes, etc. I would say my diet is mostly plant-based, but I love my husband's bone broth and will have that every day if it's available. I do eat some meat here and there and I have some weekends where I will eat everything, lol. I feel like crap when that happens, though. When I'm eating better, I feel better - more energy, less inflammation, less achiness, sleep better, no GERD, etc.

[Possible Broken Toe--Go to the Dr?]

I broke my toe years ago by dropping a full sheet tray on it. I never went to the doctor, and now I can't wear any type of heel higher than 1/2 inch. I also can't really bend that toe. It makes some yoga moves difficult. I don't really know what the doctor would have done, but I wish I had gone. 

[How do you incorporate movement throughout your day?]

I work from home, and every time I want coffee or tea I need to walk up stairs to get it. I really don't like to sit for long periods, so I get up a lot. When the tea water is heating I pace around. I throw a few loads of laundry in during the day, park farther away when I need to run errands, hop on my little stepper near my desk for a few minutes, etc. I bought a few workout journals from Habit Nest and do that at night. I'm alternating between the body weight one and the dumbbell one. I don't do as many reps as others may, but I do what I can. In the evening I usually have restless leg, so I frequently get up while watching tv, and if I'm in the recliner I'm usually doing leg lifts or something similar. I'm very fidgety, lol. 

[Do you have a “thing” in your family that always takes far more trouble than it should]

I'm going to have to say cleaning/defrosting the freezers. We have 3 of them and I dread it when it's time to clean/defrost. Plus we do an inventory before we refill it. It just seems like a huge undertaking to me. I also hate when I have to clean the refrigerators. How do they get so messy?!?! It's never simple - I have to completely empty it, take all the shelves out, clean all the jars, etc. that were in it. It's like everyone just spills stuff everywhere and leaves it to form a sticky mess that takes over an hour to scrub. I may as well throw the oven onto that list, but at least there's only 1 of those! 

The other thing would be various paperwork/tax stuff/doctor's stuff for the elderly folks in the house. I feel like I spend a significant amount of time filling out this form or that form, applying for some kind of rebate/tax break, dealing with insurance issues, etc. I always have to be on the lookout for them. They would never know about the property tax rebate if I didn't read about it, or FEMA covering fil's funeral due to COVID, etc.  And the elderly gentleman that lives with us would have just paid $1200 for lab work instead of checking why Medicare didn't pay it. And don't get me started on all the crap I get from their doctors. Each one has a different platform, and they want medication lists filled in before every appointment even though it's in their system already. They each have about 15 - 18 medications and supplements every day. My email gets flooded with reminders, check-ins, surveys, visit recaps, lab results, etc. It's too much to keep track of! And many seniors aren't equipped to handle all the digital garbage.

[Dr. Hive: what is this?]

That's how my bout with Covid started, so it may be worth testing. But it seems like there are so many different viruses floating around lately and everyone has been sick within the last 2 months, at least in my area. 

[S/o hot, humid—what are your tricks for comfort?]

I'm going to avoid the outside as much as possible! But when I'm forced to go out, I wear light loose clothing. I have some neck wraps with ice strips that go inside, and a cooling wrist band. I also have a few portable mini fans, so I always have one charged and ready to go. I will probably be buying a cooling vest this year if the summer is as hot as they say it may be. I saw this in a link from the Stanley post yesterday, and I think I'm going to buy one. They are pricey though: https://www.hotgirlspearls.com/collections/chicklet-collection I take staying cool very seriously!! 😄

[All these new “whole body” sprays]

2 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

I agree with you. 
 

FYI, I tried Lume after coming here to complain about their gross and annoying ads. I used the body wash only. It is actually not a bad product. The tangerine smells really nice. That might be a good choice for a cream for a guy. Their scents don’t smell horribly strong. Maybe just keep away from the nether regions, lol. I mean, that’s what it’s for, but I wouldn’t put it there if it were me. 🙃

That's the one I was thinking of, thanks! 

[Help: Changing to plant based diet and need ideas for meals and recommendations for cookbooks.]

I will do meals that have a vegetarian/vegan component for some and a meat component for the meat eaters. For example, if it's taco night, I will make regular taco meat and a bean taco filling for me. If I'm really lazy I will buy packaged beans with seasoning (Fillo's or similar) or plant based taco filling. Another one I do is greek chicken kabobs served with pita, cucumbers, onion, lettuce, tomato, tatziki, and for the non-meat version I do chickpeas in the air fryer with greek seasoning/marinade until they are chewy/slightly crispy to fill my pita. That's one of my favorites! If steak is on the menu I will usually make baked potatoes and do some kind of loaded potato for myself. There's so many good vegan loaded potato recipes online. If I'm in a cooking mood I will make some easy mains just for me and freeze them. Turkish lentil soup is one of my standby easy things to always have in the fridge or freezer. I will eat my main and some of the sides that everyone can eat. I don't have a lot of cooking energy, so I prefer easy meals. My husband does most of the hard stuff, I assist. I wish someone would come out with a cookbook with dual meat/vegetarian meals. I think there are quite a lot of households that are a mix of meat eaters/vegetarians/vegans. 

[All these new “whole body” sprays]

I'm against spraying anything on my body in general. Or in my house. I don't want to be inhaling who knows what, and it would probably trigger a migraine. A cream would be ok if the ingredients were ok. I have been thinking of getting something like that for my son, or the Lume body wash. I wish I could sample the different Lume scents and the men's version they came out with. 

[Thank you.]

Sending prayers for comfort during this difficult time.

[Another Aging Parent Question]

I would have her medications looked over by a geriatric specialist to be safe. When mil had a serious fall a few years ago, they reviewed her meds when she was in ICU, and were amazed at what her doctors had her on. They cut a lot of things out, reduced pain meds and tranquilizer doses, etc. The blood pressure medications especially needed to be cut down. I feel guilty about it, because she was slurring a bit a few days before the fall and we just put it down to fatigue. But her falls were increasing during the few months leading up to that. When we cleared out all her meds while she was in the hospital we couldn't believe the extra medications she had laying around, especially pain meds that weren't hers. I don't know how she figured out what she needed to take when. I'm pretty sure she went through withdrawal while she was in ICU. We got a lot of pushback when she came home, from her and my fil about her reduced prescriptions, not just pain meds. But we wouldn't budge on the changes and the new doctors. No way was she going back to the one that put her on most of that crap. We fill her medications into the daily plastic pill holders every Sunday and give her one every morning. 

Even living in the same house as mil, we still have a Philips LifeAlert pendant for her. We also had one for fil before he died. We can't always tell when she falls, although if it's a big one we can usually hear it. She won't keep her pendant on when she goes out, and it only works in the house, but she forgets to put it back on. My son usually will make sure she has it on. I'm not sure if it can be set up to call someone before first responders. We usually respond to the person on the speaker right away that everything is ok or that we need help. I'd call a few different companies and ask. Hasn't happened while she was alone in the house yet - that's very rare.

Edited to add: If it hasn't been mentioned yet, maybe she should be checked for TIAs. That happened to an aunt - she was having TIAs every few days, and she would fall every time.

[Medical Alert Device that can be worn like a watch]

12 minutes ago, TechWife said:

This is true & Siri works no matter what the screen display says. There's also a fall detector - if it senses she has fallen and she doesn't respond to a prompt it will call 9 - 1 -1. However, it does have to be paired with an iPhone.

I believe it can be paired to a family member's phone. 

[Medical Alert Device that can be worn like a watch]

Most of the wrist-based ones we were looking at didn't have automatic fall detection, and that is a must around here. Even so, it doesn't pick up a slide out of bed, which will happen occasionally. We use Philips Lifeline - I think they are the most reliable. They do have a basic smart watch with a call button but not automatic fall detection. They also have a pendant that will work out of the house. We just have the pendant for the home, which works to about 3 houses away. 

[Period question]

When I had a period I always peed more during that time, especially in the first 2-3 days when my flow was heaviest. And holding it in too long always made my cramps worse. I don't miss those days!! Being post-menopausal is the best thing ever!

[Is there a song with your name in it?]

Not that I know of. There is a song that sounds like they are chanting my name in an ominous way that is often played on one of my husband's created stations. Usually we are cooking when it comes on, and we joke about it. I will pull a knife and glare at him, or he will bow down to me, etc. We're weirdos, lol. 

[Update, She got the job!]

My ds 25 aspie can be the same way with me. If it's something I deem important, I will bring it up in a similar way to this, based on what it's dealing with: "There's something I noticed, and I would like to talk to you about it, but I don't want you to think I'm criticizing you. It's something that I had trouble with until my mother taught me how to do it when I worked for her as a teen. It's pretty common for people not to know this. Can I show you what I'm talking about?" I really have to emphasize that it is a common thing that people need to learn and that it's not a big deal if he hasn't learned it yet, etc. I try not to sound like I'm giving him a lecture, and I have to watch my tone of voice. He is overly sensitive to a stern sounding voice or anything remotely sounding like criticism. I have to remind my husband not to sound like a strict school master when he is working with him lol. Dh doesn't mean it, but he has a deep serious voice when dealing with work issues, and ds does not respond well.  

[Sharing Stylish yet Comfy Pants (Esp Tall Ladies)]

This is exactly what I've been looking for, thanks! 

[Railroad crossings]

I slow down while looking. The two crossings in town have a good view to each side and the freight trains that use that line go very slow. If I happen to cross the multitrack commuter line a town over I always stop and look, and there is a stop sign right there even though there are gates. I was crossing the freight line in another town and I did slow down and look, didn't see anything, and after I got over the tracks a train suddenly flew by much faster than the usual speed. The lights never flashed and the gates didn't go down. I let the police know that happened immediately in case the same thing happened at other crossings. We are in a trafficky suburb, so it's very unusual for a freight train to go that fast! The one thing that blows my mind is the people that stop on the tracks during peak traffic times. I have never stopped on a track - that just seems crazy to me. When someone stops on the tracks in front of me, I try to leave a lot of space in case they need to back up quickly. We don't get many trains coming through, but better safe than sorry!!

[What is something you’re not so good at that you think most people are good at?]

Definitely peopling and anything that is dependent upon that. I will go to great lengths to avoid calling customers - I'd much rather deal with people through email. (It doesn't help that I have trouble understanding people on the phone, especially if the connection isn't great or if they have an accent.) You know how you can be at a gathering and there's the women that will make their way into the kitchen to help with clean up while chatting away with each other? They are like a different species to me lol. I have trouble with small talk. Ok, any talk, really. Overall, I find people exhausting, but I do wish I was better in navigating social situations. I have a son on the spectrum - sometimes I wonder about myself.

Remembering names and faces. My father was the same way, but my mom always had his back, telling him who was coming up to him, any details he needed to know about them, etc. He was active in our town, on the town council, on various committees, etc., so it was a big help for him. 

Distractibility and short term memory. I can flitter all over the place, lol. My husband is always reminding me to keep my mind on what I'm doing, like the green beans I was blistering in the frying pan last night that ended up quite a bit burnt because I was sidetracked by something else. If something distracts me I will lose all memory of what I was doing. It has me a bit worried at times. And I don't know how many times someone will tell me something or ask me to do something, and 10 seconds later I've completely forgotten it. 

[Things that make us realize how many neighbors we have.]

We've had 4 different families in the house behind us over the last 8 years. The first family was very nice, but they had religious gatherings on their front porch in warmer weather that included loud singing and guitar playing. The following 3 all had/have loud screaming matches constantly. The family before the current one was the worst - I couldn't believe what would come out of the two teen's mouths!! Quite a few of the people on the side street have really loud cars that rumble through at all hours of the morning and night. The worst offender is the police officer a few houses down with a few sports cars, my nephew at the end of the street with his pickup truck and his dad with the motorcycle. For whatever reason the garbage and recycling pickups don't wake me up, although they are usually very early and loud. I'm a night owl, so they must come when I'm in my deepest sleep. We have quite few neighbors that mow the lawn early on the weekends, and when they all happen to be doing it at the same time it gets very loud! Last year was very strange - we had trees being taken down in the houses around us constantly. It went on for about 3 weeks and would interfere with traffic and be very noisy all day.