[How much probiotic?]

I have been told that I should take twice the recommended daily amount on a regular basis, due to poor gut health and poor absorption, and 3-4 times that amount if on antibiotics. That has come from two of my doctors, my dietician and my pharmacist. The first time I was told that, I thought there was no way that was correct. Last year, I had a terrible infection and my pharmacist  told me to take twice the recommended amount with each dose of antibiotic. I didn’t have any stomach issues while on the antibiotic. 

[A Vent: No Wind]

I feel your pain. My DH bought me a statue for my beloved garden many years ago. It is concrete. And built to last. It is so not my style. At all. And no amount of wind could ever blow it away. 

[Anti inflammatory help?]

I have an assortment of autoimmune issues and Parkinson’s. 
I went whole food, plant based three years ago and it has helped me so much. Dairy, in particular, is awful on my body. My labs (inflammation markers, liver enzymes, etc) have all improved considerably since changing my diet. 
I do infrared heated yoga several times a week. Prior to starting, I could have checked every box on the list of “people who should not do hot yoga.” Turns out, my body loves it. I can really tell a difference when I miss more than a few days in a row. 
Massage is also essential.
I have to keep moving to keep my body from freezing up. 
I am glad hot tub was mentioned, as I keep thinking I need to use the one at the gym. 
I have to keep my vitamin D levels up, as I can really feel a difference when it starts to dip down. My absorption is awful, so I have to consistently work on keeping it up.
Probiotics. I think most people with health issues have poor gut health? Not sure on research, but the people I know with chronic health issues also have gut issues.  

[s/o American cheese, and grits]

Got to second the smoked Gouda. In fact, because of this thread I had to go out for smoked Gouda grits this morning. So yummy. 

[Did the eclipse affect your animals?]

We weren’t home to see our pets. However, we went to a little park on a large lake by us and witnessed - I am not sure what type of large birds they were, as I was too far away from them to even attempt an id - but they were dive bombing the water and feeding like mad. It was so wild to watch, as there were close to a dozen birds swooping down hard, splashing down hard in the water. It started about 10 minutes after totality and lasted several minutes. I go to this park quite often and have never witnessed anything like it. Birds reminded me of cormorants, but looked closer to all white/light gray, not black. 

[Join me here if you think all this eclipse hype is overblown]

We were in area of totality. Millions were expected to come in to this region to view it. 
We went out to a park at the lake by our house. There were maybe 100 people in the area. Some cars had out of state plates. 
It was amazing. 
I don’t know that I would drive hours or fly to see it, but it was simply amazing. 
Trust me, I have been sick and tired of hearing about it the past few days and just looking forward to it being over with. But I loved it so much. I told my husband after that I really need to up my astronomy self learning. I don’t recall anything from my school days, studied geology in college and my only child has always been obsessed with science and way ahead of whatever I tried to teach him. He took an astronomy class at community college during high school. Maybe that is what I need to do. 

[What am I supposed to say? Am I doing this wrong?]

I have volunteered a lot at a local food pantry and in their Christmas program and all I got to say is - Some People. (Eye roll…)

People get that feel good feeling for donating and think they are helping. But for whatever reason (age, clueless), just don’t comprehend *useable* items. Age - maybe they grew up in the depression or their cognitive abilities are slipping. Clueless - they don’t realize that putting a dozen eggs in a giant donation box at the church simply won’t make it to the pantry in useable condition. (Often crushed, damaging other items.) I have seen it all over the years. (The worse: Home canned items dated decades earlier. We don’t even accept home canned items, let alone from the 1970’s!) And some people just hate the thought of anything going to a landfill and would rather off load trash to someone else than think about throwing out a seemingly useable item. (We got that a lot at Christmas with things like used makeup kits, well worn clothes, etc.) 

OP: It sounds like your wording is good. It is just that some people are weird. 

re: People not reading thoroughly online. I am on the board of a local organization. We have had several issues lately with board members not reading emails well. One was a huge donation of approx 100 pallets of items from a local warehouse. Per the original email, we would have to accept all of the pallets and need a way to move them out in a short time frame, plus a place to store them while we processed and sold the items. I was on vacation at the time and didn’t read the emails until the following day. I read the original email first and immediately thought, “Oh, we can’t do that. No way. We don’t have the ability to move and store that many.” I was shocked when I realized there were dozens of emails, fellow board members were so excited about the prospect of such a windfall. Finally one person - out of the dozen people on the board - caught that we had to accept all of the pallets and chimed in that it was way out of our ability. 

[Kate Middleton]

35 minutes ago, Heartstrings said:

I was just telling my husband that someone needs to check on things at the palace.  Maybe some of the 500 year old bric a brac has specks of uranium, or mercury or something.   Is there still asbestos in an attic somewhere? Is the maid using cleaners that don’t mix well with the old stuff? They get the best possible medical care and nutrition, so it has to be environmental.   

One of the articles I read said that 1 in 2 UK citizens get cancer in their lifetime. Unfortunately we live in a world where everything is toxic, no matter where or how you live. 
 

We didn’t tell our young adult child about my spouse’s cancer right away, as our child was starting their first professional job the same day as my spouse’s oncology appointment. Our child (new college grad) had enough anxiety about their new job and we didn’t want to add to their plate. It was hard enough telling them, I cannot imagine navigating and processing a cancer diagnosis with young children, amid all the conspiracies and speculations. 
 

Many years ago, one of our neighbors passed away from brain cancer. He and his wife didn’t tell their teenagers the magnitude of his cancer and they didn’t know it was terminal until days before he died. 
 

[Aggressive people at estate sales?]

I have been a reseller for six years. I almost never go during the opening hours because of the aggressive behavior of some. It is awful. I have seen people get knocked down and shoved aside. I tend to take the opposite approach, looking for things that pop to the surface after the first wave of items have been picked over. 

[Things you never thought you’d buy]

20 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

If this is an ongoing need they do make male bladder pads that absorb better and have odor control.

I finally did find some for men, though they are for urinary issues and not heavy bleeding. 

[Things you never thought you’d buy]

Maxi pads. For my DH. (…one of the lesser known facts of bladder cancer treatments…) 

[Gardeners....planting berries]

I am in zone 8a/b. (Just changed to 8b with new hardiness maps.) Here, we can plant year round, though late winter and early spring is an ideal time to plant. 
Blueberries like more acidic soil, so your local soil may need amendments added to acidify the planting area. 
It is generally recommended not to plant blackberries and raspberries very close together, if possible. If not, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. But if you have the space (and irrigation set up), I would put them on opposite sides of the property. I think that is for disease control issue. (Memory issues…) 

[A wedding question]

On 2/11/2024 at 2:37 PM, MercyA said:

People can be so weird. When I got married, DH and I decided not to have any small children in the wedding party (no flower girl or ring bearer). One of his siblings brought their little girl, our niece, to our wedding dressed in a formal flower girl dress in the same color I chose for my attendants. You just have to laugh.

My stepmother showed up at my wedding wearing her wedding dress. Yes, the very one - white - that she wore to marry my dad the previous year. I can look back on it and laugh now and - honestly - that wasn’t the weirdest thing to happen at my wedding. My mother had disowned me several years prior, when I was 15, because I refused to take sides in my parents’ divorce. (Judge granted my permission to live with extended family because my parents were so embattled in their divorce.) Anyhow. My mother showed up at the wedding. And acted all mother of the bride. Fast forward a few decades. She disowned my sibling on their wedding day. She loves to make a grand spectacle of herself. 

[Freedom of Movement for those with disabilities]

I have young onset Parkinson’s and am losing my ability to drive. One of my biggest challenges is when other drivers dart in and out of traffic lanes, often times across three lanes of traffic while speeding. That fast diagonal movement triggers extreme and immediate vertigo, where I feel like I am falling head down a cliff. It is horrible even when I am in the passenger seat, but extremely dangerous when I am behind the wheel. I am in the suburbs of a major city. To get anywhere, one must use the freeway, which I cannot do anymore. I drive side streets whenever I do drive but that isn’t always an option. 
 

Another huge vertigo trigger is glass shower doors at hotels. And low lighting, esp at restaurants in the evening. I know that sounds petty and so minor compared to many physical disability challenges. Neurological challenges are often hidden. I look perfectly healthy - until I don’t. Then I appear “drunk” and very unsteady on my feet. I need help walking to the bathroom in a restaurant in the evening because I can’t walk in low lighting. I have gone to vestibular therapy and it helped some, but more than anything it showed that my brain needs all the visual cues possible to keep my head in an upright position. Anything “off” and my head pitches forward. 
 

I would love mass transit options. We do have some availability in the next suburb over to connect on to the city’s mass transit but it would take hours to get anywhere that way. 

[Medical Cost Sharing insurance]

I have a friend who had one of these plans, though I can’t remember which one. Her 60 yr old husband suffered a major, life altering, stroke in 2022. They were left with $$$$$$ in medical bills not paid. As others have said, it is a gamble. It is not insurance. 

[King Charles, 75, diagnosed with cancer, postpones all future engagements for now]

4 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Surgical treatment for enlarged prostate is done using a scope put through the urethra followed by removal of part of the prostate. I'm guessing that as they inserted the scope they found urethral cancer - which does has a very poor prognosis in men and would involve very very drastic surgery that a 75 year old man may not have interest in doing, given that it often doesn't prevent the cancer from coming back. 

It's a rare cancer, less than 1 in a million, but is associated with HPV sometimes. 

My DH has bladder cancer and there is some speculation on one of the cancer groups that it could be bladder or urethral. 

[Controversial topic: is "Fast Car" a girl song or not?]

Thank you so much for posting the video. I don’t watch awards shows and was seriously bummed this morning to find out they performed together. Everything about that was beautiful. Tracy Chapman is gorgeous. They seemed to have some great chemistry and appreciation for each other. The audience shots were lovely. I am indifferent to Taylor Swift but I loved the shot of her. 
I loved Tracy Chapman back in the day and had her CDs. I didn’t know anything about her personally to have an opinion on the lyrics. I enjoy Luke Combs music and bought the album when it first came out because I loved several of the songs and was surprised to see Fast Cars was a remake of my fav Tracy Chapman song. 
I know I already said this, but Tracy Chapman was gorgeous last night on stage! 

[Cancer treatment (friend)]

I have gifted several female friends with loungewear from Soma and that has been well received, with comments later about how comfortable the items were. I went with loose fitting cardigan, which they could wrap around if cold. 
If you take a basket in person - I have commented before on other posts - when my child was premature and in NICU, a friend gave me several loaves of homemade banana bread, wrapped in smaller portions so I could freeze and pull out and eat when I needed a nice snack. It was seriously one of the nicest things I have ever received. 
Best wishes to your friend. My husband has cancer and it is a long haul.

[Co-worker with cancer]

My DH has cancer and current treatment plan is three years at a min so we are looking at a lot of medical bills. (He has a very recurrent form of cancer.) 

I agree that workplace collections, especially if organized by a Dept head, can be problematic. I am going to sound horribly cold and I truly am the most sensitive, empathic person ever, but it is really too much any more. So many people have cancer, strokes, bad vehicle accidents, etc. If people feel compelled to do something for the individual, then they should do something on their own and not through an organized fundraising event. I think the era of everybody having a go fund me has created an unrealistic expectation about fundraising. Yes, medical bills are awful. We had a premature baby that required a long hospital stay and numerous surgeries and then years of therapy, so I totally understand that medical issues are financially draining. But I think that true giving from the heart - and often time not financial giving, but good deeds and emotional support - is what what people need during times like this. I still remember the lady who baked me two loaves of homemade bread when my child was in NICU and it has been 20+ years now. 
 

Another issue with fundraising, esp in a work environment - I know someone whose spouse had a horrible accident that has left them needing round the clock care, plus home renovations to accommodate the medical equipment needed to be at home. Someone set up a go fund me, plus there was one local fundraising event that I know of. The person then posts on Facebook a selfie that she needed a new pair of sunglasses and a week later a photo of their manicure and the next week their new outfit and on and on. Now I do understand that possibly some of those items were gifts! But it is every.few.days. Please, If you are the recipient of a fundraiser, do not post on social media about your purchases! Just don’t. It looks bad. And now that I think about the original post, I especially think this is bad in a workplace. If someone organized a fundraiser for me, I would then feel weird ever showing up at work with a new outfit or a new purse. Maybe that is just me. But I would feel weird about it and would request no fundraiser for that reason alone. 

[Collecting vintage Christmas]

I sell antiques and vintage, with Christmas items always being a solid seller. I personally collect a few specific things - midcentury Santas and snowmen, anything with 1970’s vibes (ex: I have two female elves wearing daisy clothes), ephemera (I love old family holiday photos and cards), felt and sequin ornaments. I love/collect certain handmade ornaments, like granny square stockings, felt ornaments, etc. 

[Driving advance directives]

I am getting there myself due to Parkinson’s. I can’t drive more than 10-15 miles from home and can’t drive on the interstate. I don’t think a lot of people are aware that balance issues are just as bad, if not worse, while in a moving vehicle. It isn’t so much my own driving but seeing other vehicles weaving in and out of traffic at high rates of speed (even on the other side of the road) is too much for my brain to process and it sends my brain/head toppling. I always thought I would turn over my keys when need be, but there is such a loss of independence, even at my early stage of Parkinson’s. I haven’t been able to drive myself to my friends home or to my favorite shopping places for several years now. My DH was diagnosed with cancer last year and I can’t drive him to the oncologist. He ended up hospitalized late at night due to complications from his cancer treatments and I totally understand why people are so resistant to turn over their car keys. It is one thing to not be able to drive to the grocery store. But to not be able to drive your spouse to the ER or follow an ambulance to the hospital is quite another. There is the loss of independence and then there is totally stranded at midnight. I can see where having a plan on paper sounds good (I will turn over the keys at this point…), but then when things happen it just isn’t the same. 

[Random question: girl pushups: why?]

3 hours ago, Heartstrings said:

They are only called girl push ups to be derogatory, just like running like a girl or throwing a girl. Some woman could jump right to the classic push ups and some men would need to start with knee push ups.  One is not “better”.  

All bodies are valid.  Needing to start “lower” and that being seen as “bad” is one of the things that keeps some people from even starting.

I agree. 
I am (re)learning to jump rope. I know the mechanics of it but I have Parkinson’s and nailing the timing and landing lightly stretch my brain. I am so self conscious. Painfully self conscious. I have to tell myself, At least I am trying! 
A friend and I were talking recently about how inspiring it is to see individuals that… may be larger or older or non-athletic… at the gym. It takes courage and dedication. Everyone has to start somewhere. We can’t all just go out and run a 10 minute mile. Especially if we weren’t raised running. Or doing push-ups or pull-ups. 
My young adult child is a huge Tour de France fan. Last year, we started talking about females and long distance bike racing, then we shifted to discussing marathons and how females weren’t allowed to compete in races when I was born. The history of females being allowed to participate in sporting events is fascinating to me. Females were finally allowed to lift weights during my senior year of high school, alongside the (male) football players, but I was the only female that took advantage of that. At 60, I still lift weights and love it. 

[Random question: girl pushups: why?]

I can do standard push-ups easily and can hold a 2 min plank. I have never been able to figure out how to do pull-ups, though that is my goal this year. I am doing weight offset pull-ups several times a week at the gym. When I tried many years ago - pre-motherhood and much smaller - I wasn’t able to do a full pull-up. I do see females do them at the gym and am always amazed. I am also amazed by people that can box jump! Last year, I was finally able to box jump on a 12” box. I hope to work on that this year, too. Right now I am working on jumping rope. I am so pathetic at it. LOL 

[Face is looking old….help]

10 hours ago, GailV said:

What brand(s) do you use? Regular collagen powder - bovine, fish, pork - gives me insomnia (even taking it at 6am) plus some mild anxiety. So I'm on the lookout for a vegan alternative.

I use SunWarrior brand

[Face is looking old….help]

Hydration! Make sure you are getting plenty of water. I drink green smoothies and I think my skin looks more vibrant when I am consistent with drinking them. I sometimes add vegan collagen powder to my smoothies. I do hot yoga in an infrared heated studio. I have lost 60 pounds over the past four years and think those things have really helped my skin. 
edited to add: congratulations on the weight lose!