Bubbles McBubble's Journal, 11 May 2023

You’re pretty hilarious mcbubbles 😂 

Good for you Bubbles! I sort of get where you're coming from. In 2012 my appendix ruptured. Spent 8 days in the hospital post op on nothing more than clear liquids and jello. Spent most waking hours walking around the hospital with my IV pole as I was bored out of my gourd and it was supposed to help get the innards moving again. Got to the point where even jello was repulsive. My neighbour had the best smelling meals. I wasn't able to be discharged until my intestines decided to function again. Pretty excited to weigh when I got home expecting that after 8 days of what likely amounted to 200-300 cals a day at best, and enough laxatives on board to create an explosion (required for discharge) that there would be a loss on the scales. Nope. The scale gods verdict was 4 oz. So yes, I feel your pain and the unkindness of the scale gods sometimes. 

I feel you my I had gallbladder surgery, crushed my foot broke my hip and I can’t seem to lose weight no matter how little I eat my husband always tells me I just need to eat so I try I’ve avoided the skills because there’s really no sense in stepping on something that’s pointless I like to measure myself now and see how my clothes are fitting. I can’t hardly exercise much because I can’t stand very long sitting very long hurts as well. Walking can be really strenuous just in the grocery store. Somethings Gotta give. Soon I’ve started wearing leg weights again to try to strengthen my legs. 

You are lovely people. I have had unreliable scales since I ripped the back off the battery holder with a screwdriver to change the battery. I think something has died in there... but it's covered in stickers like 'you go girl' and 'you can do it' and I don't want to have to replace the whole set. I am so sorry you all have had so much suffering! I've had... a caesarian, couple of dodgy colposcopies and the ones where they go down your throat, but only for investigative purposes - and two tumours carved out of my right boob. I'd got to the point where if I was going to have any more carved off it, I was going to take the whole thing off, sell up and go live in the forest and embrace my amazonian inheritance. I stacked the deck so well that when it turned out not to be cancer I was vaguely disappointed... The laws of physics must be obeyed and I am the enforcer. If I don't manage to make goal in a month I'll go sharpen my axe in my bedroom and stare balefully at the scales till they wise up. 'you can do it' too bloody right I can. 

You said it right! It's a lifestyle. Keto, even low carb is hard. Prepping is key, which I know is hard. I am ignoring my scale atm. It refuses to admit I am winning. I keep fluctuating between 3 lb. I figure if I give it the cold shoulder lung enough it will eventually have to acknowledge the truth. A truth a couple articles of clothing have admitted to 😊 It's about how you feel in my opinion. If this lifestyle is giving you more energy and making you feel better, then that's what is important. Keep sharing. We are all going through it and are here for you.  

Bubbles are you measuring your bust, waist, hips, biceps, thighs and calves? Ive been doing that since last august on the 1st of every month as well as taking pix front back and sideways in miniscule top and bottom to see if i see a change. Also helps to go back and see the progress from say 4 months ago. You may be adding muscle and if the inches are going down thats why. Do you have access to an inbody machine? It not only weighs you, but gives you pounds of water, muscle and fat as well as bmi and bfp (body fat percentage which is different than bmi). It’s a useful tool when the scale is being grumpy. I uploaded my last inbody but same issue it was so blurry couldn’t be read. I can try again if you want to see what it looks like. When all else fails you can take a sledgehammer to the scale. That will really show it who’s boss🤪 

Thanks so much Sadaro and Yearofhealth. I'm not ... organised ... enough to take measurements, and really, I can see by the floppy flesh I'm reducing. I'm trusting the laws of physics. Also the diabetes if not well controlled slurps moisture out of your body, you go wees in the morning and you're quite dehydrated, so you weigh less. I think as I control the diabetes better and better, I don't need to pee in teh night, I'm not flushing out all the water and I'm not as dehydrated. So to be fair on my poor scales, I think that's happening too. Sleeping all night without having to pee is great news for me, by the way; I have an outdoor bathroom and winter is coming. I think it was probably around 6 degrees celsius last night. :D  

Are your A1c numbers improving with the weight loss? I was pre-diabetic last year and as of January off the watch list. Outdoor bathroom? Yikes what about the nighttime critters? I only do the measurements 1x per month on the first and put them in a journal, not daily. 

My HBA1C was 50 last check, which is on the cusp of prediabetic. I don't think you use the same numbers in the US but to give an example, the check before it was 83 and the one before that was about 99. I'm on galvumet but they were trying to put me on insulin and I refuse. Also, my blood pressure is too low for the other meds they can offer, so it was insulin, continued galvumet, additional metformin or get my A into G and get on with the show. My next bloods are in about 8 weeks, I'm expecting something in the 40s, trying to get down to the 30s. It's not the weight loss that's improving the bloods, it's the lack of carbohydrate in my diet. I slowly reduce and reduce the sugars in my blood and as my pancreas heals from the damage of free sugars, I'm hoping it will come back on line. Waiting on a few organs healing... As to my neuropathy, that's reducing. I have it full time in the pads of my feet and my toes, but even that's much reduced. So I'm doing really well, and I'm feeling incredibly happy too. I suffered so much fatigue and nausea and now I have energy and maybe raging nausea once a day for 3 minutes? Instead of half the time. And I don't miss carbs. I don't really even think about them. It's only when you've quelled an addiction that you can look back and see that it was an addiction. As an ex smoker I totally know all about addiction. :D  

So all moving in the right direction!!!! Yay!!! So, weird thing, my mom and her sis both had/have (one here one in heaven) peripheral neuropathy. Ive had so much numbness and stabbing pains in my feet i finally met with neurologist to face the music but he doesn’t think it is neuropathy which I’m guessing is a good thing. I wore 3-5” heels for 40+ years sooooo may have caused nerve damage. I do still get nauseous in the am and dont know why but guessing narcotics hangover from last September still giving me issues. It’s exciting to feel better and better right? Im super proud of you. Food can be such a friend but equally such a danger. For my feet i bought these podiatrist socks that separate your toes and that does seem to give me a little relief. For what it’s worth. Im really interested in your labs in July! Forward momentum! I get my lab results on the 25th of this month. Fingers crossed 

Ps. Narcotics hangover meaning post surgery. Ive never been a drug user. Just realized how that may sound  

Yeah year of health. I believe you. ;) Thousands wouldn't! Lol I think I've had problems with narcotics hangovers for the last two breast surgeries. I don't think I come back from the anaesthetics properly for maybe a year or two each... what with mood and exhaustion. I'm just about hitting my 2 yr anniversary from the last one. I've seen some youtubes that promise me that if I can stay keto for a long enough time, even the neuropathy should go backwards. It actually is already going backwards. Last foot test I had a couple of spots on my feet I was feeling nothing at all... I think my biggest scare has been having something like a piece of gravel stuck to my toe, and brushing it off only to find it was a huge blackberry thorn going INTO my toe. And here I was walking around on it, no sensation at all. These are all terrifying ideas, and I am duly taking note. I'm so sorry about your high heels/nerve damage! Yes, it's incredible having energy. I feel like I pushed the nos button about 2 weeks ago, and I'm finally energised. I have an autistic daughter who has moved out, and I'm seeing just how exhausting that was, by the fact that I'm not so exhausted. For the last few years I made it home from work, done my chores and that's it. Now I'm going places, visiting people, inviting people over. I take my keto coffee bits and pieces everywhere I go; I don't eat any carbs no matter where I am, other than what you get from greens or the little bit in cheese or keto cookies etc. Staying in control over the weekend has made a huge difference. Not going near my daughter for meals is also good: her beautiful little face makes me want to buy sushi or other fun things when we go out to the mall... oh the donut shop. sigh. I feel relatively safe on my perch. But I know just like the smoking: it only takes one. As nancy says, 'just say no!' :)  

Oh Bubbles. You sound like such an interesting person! I understand the middle of the night potty situation a little. Hubby is diabetic! my weight loss journey is also his and he doesn't even realize it! I'm adding less pasta and breads and slowly incorporating that into his meals as well. his A1C is down half a point and the last couple months since I started. 

Ahhh little bubbles…you dont know it but you gave me a little relief. Ive only talked to my husband about the nausea and as i had two major surgeries 6 weeks to the day apart (the second one was 9 hours under anasthesia) and only use Tylenol for pain unless migrain then prescription its the only thing that makes sense. Usually gone by the afternoon although i often have to Bend over for a few seconds when i first get up. Loads of syncope, which i thought may be due to calorie insufficiency. Keep going!!!! I feel 25 years younger although i also accidentally retired after surgery so wayyyyyy less stress. May go back at some point tho no more 60-70 hour weeks for me. Maybe 2 12ish hour shifts if i do. You really think keto is helping with neuropathy? I will tell my auntie. She has zero feeling from calf down and relies on a walker. Very very sad. Congrats on your daughter moving out!!! Im sure you miss her like crazy in many ways but more freedom in other ways and good for her too right?! I get the exhaustion. Last time i had energy and felt this good i think i was 30. Honestly. My career did me in. Necessary evil. I miss ice cream like you miss the donut shop. I wish it loved me like i love it..but it doesn’t care about me…happy to let me enjoy it while ruining my health. Little bugger😂 

Sadaro you keep on working on that guy... as we increase fats and reduce carbs it's like burning hardwood instead of kindling for energy, it's amazing. Some things can come as a shock: eg making macarons with almond meal and fake sugar instead of flour and real sugar, the egg whites are fine. Bits and pieces of changes here and there. Even baking with 1/2 & 1/2 sugar/fake sugar begins the process and once a person is used to fake sugar you can totally replace it everywhere. Yearofhealth I have been complaining to my doctor of tingling painful toes since about 2015, and it was only a few years ago that I went in for a bladder infection and she tested my urine and said 'oh hey, the sugars seem high'. OMFG. (I have complained about sweet urine and she has always been 'oh that's ketones.' No - ketones smell like nail polish remover. This smells like fruit juice. ) So I'm like "how about you test my blood sugar?" and she's like "oh , okay." followed by "oh wow, your sugars are high." Needless to say I have fired her. getting high on her own supply I think. Better check the meds cabinet...! But anyway I can tell my progress because when I have let go of the diet, I tingle half way up my legs. What's happening is called casually 'caramelisation' - sugars in the blood 'cook' your flesh and your bones change colour, even if you are normal, from white as a bebe to golden as an old person, and it's the consequence of sugar. We expect to deteriorate from sugar in the blood but with diabetes, that's a heckton faster. While we're prediabetic the pancreas is being damaged by the blood sugar, when we're diagnosed diabetic we're mostly not producing insulin properly at all any more, too much damage. There are arguments that the thyroid suffers from free sugars too, it could be hashimotos, or it could be sugars. I'm thinking that the main driver of change in my body has been the diabetes, so if I reverse that then I can watch everything else come right... or not. But remove the problem variables and see what I have left on my plate, yanno? ........... Doctors are a mixed bag about diabetes. My current GP says things like 'it's a degenerative disease, it doesn't get better'. Her science is OLD. Her understanding was created 20 yrs ago... I constantly have to manage up. Six months ago they were really pressuring me to go on insulin and I'm like 'just give me a little more time!' - now my sugars are down, they're pressuring me for statins. 'no, just give me some time!' Let me see what I can fix via diet. Doctors are so trigger happy... 'let's take out your gallbladder'. No! let's not! Let's imagine it's there for a reason! Always a fight...