Newbies Nest

[abcowboy]

Howdy ho Nesters! It's a great day to be AF is it not! I was going to post this on Monday, but then figured it wouldn't be fair to [MENTION=8356]Lavande[/MENTION] to put her on the spot with such short notice, and she might already have something in mind to say to us all on Monday. It's quite funny that I consider the lady who keeps chickens is the Mother Hen of MWO, always helping out with great advice and support!

So if it's not being too personal, could I ask that you finally do a post about you on Monday? You are such an inspiration to all of us here! I noticed that you joined MWO on Feb 13, 2009 and found your last Day 1 on March 26, 2009. In just 6 short weeks you found your way out, nothing short of a miracle if you ask me! What was Lav like back then and what was MWO like back then?

See y'all on Monday for the party!

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, All:

Great to see you pop by, Steady, Roobs, TJAF, and Cowboy! Love to hear those happy, sober stories. Great work to keep yourself out of that hotel room, Steady. When you type it out, it does seem almost ridiculous, but in the middle of it I know it doesn't. Do you know how you talked yourself out of it??

I am off to work today. Seems when you have to take days off sick, there are no fairies who come and do your job for you...

Stay sober, folks!
Pav

[Crusader]

Re: Newbies Nest

Afternoon Nesters...day 37.

My posting times won't be predictable with my new diet and health regime. At points I feel like I'm making progress and then the pain, etc. returns, but if it is repairable by taking care of myself, I'm doing that. I know natural solutions can take time to have an effect, but I want to see some type of progress. This is day three of a no fat diet or no more than 5 grams a day for sure. I've only eaten fruits, vegetables, beans and added in lemon juice to my morning water today. Eventually I want to add in better fats, but not until I can see if it is making a difference. I found a bag of chia seeds in the cabinet from a diet I was on a while back. I may add those in for more protein. I'm doing the oil packs once to twice a day. On I go...

Lav, I only use probiotics when I'm on antibiotics. I use Natren as my source. They ship them fresh from the lab in a cooler in two days to ensure potency. During my jaw/mouth surgery this year, I had to be on antibiotics and took the probiotics. I still have some left in the refrigerator, but with my digestive issues I get an overgrowth of good and bad bacteria, so probiotics sometimes make my problem worse. I had gone to a medical center years ago and they went in and took a sample. The results were an overgrowth of good ones as well. I take grapefruit/Artemesia seed capsules when I can tell it's happening again. I had the test done before and after using that and colloidal silver and it worked. I've been using them again, but they are harsh, so have to be taken with food and carefully. I appreciate your advice. I know where you are coming from with the leaky gut. I don't think I've heard of Amy. I'll check her out when I get some time. CONGRATS on nine years! That's awesome.

TJAF, nice to hear your story. It gives me some positive outlook with the way I've been feeling. I haven't had blood work in a long time, but I'll be seeing a doctor soon or sometime next month with some blood work being done I'm sure. Nice to see some others posts, too.

LC, I've heard you can drink ACV with a straw and it helps with the tooth issue. Ask Byrd, though. Often what 'we' hear is inaccurate. Your post about wanting to drink when you feel good rings a bell. I think we find an excuse to drink in any situation. You get a new haircut or outfit and feel good and full of energy and off you go out and about. You feel depressed and you drink at home. You're bored, hungry, tired, hopeless, etc., the list goes on. I know you aren't alone in feeling that way. I can think back through my life and see so many reasons I found to drink. It's a habit we develop and becomes our go to. It can be tough, but we have to develop all new activities we go to. Summer is coming and that can be a big trigger. It's an autopilot program upstairs that takes real effort to change. This isn't my first go around, so I know how easy it can be to fall especially when something big changes in your life. Even a long term sobriety can be lost when we don't realize that. I was a non drinker for many years, but I sure did fall off hard with a few bad life events. The habit can come back quick. I admire that Lav and Byrd remember how bad it was for them. Maybe that is the big benefit of staying on MWO. It keeps the bad side fresh in their minds. After a time without the reminders, it can be easy to think I can have one or two. I can just drink now and then. Or it wasn't that bad really. I guess that's why they call it a cunning baffling disease. I think it's brain chemistry just like any addiction, but whether one calls it a disease or an addiction like any other doesn't matter. Recognizing that we can't control how it takes us over is the main message. I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching. lol I guess I'm talking to myself as much as I am anyone reading this. Confessions of an alcoholic. I could never say that word, but it fits. I have a problem with alcohol...an alcoholic is the proper label.

Thanks Bryd. Cheap...that cracked me up. That's our world today. Get the best deal. With Walmarts and Dollar Stores, deals galore...people have learned to bargain for everything. I have to admit, I am a bargain shopper and for the most part practical. I give you credit. I would not like sales. Some of us are good at it and some best look elsewhere for a career. You are a trooper, that's for sure.

Hugs and love to all.

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Cowboy, we are all looking forward to Lav’s 9 year speech. I owe her such a debt of gratitude. She stayed with me theu thick and thin. She told me the teuth when I didnt want to hear it. After all, its a support forum, not an enabling soiree. Sometimes I huffed away, hut I always came back because I knew in my heart of hearts she was right. There was really only one way out and that was to stop. How long it takes us to do that is totally up to us. Lav, thank you for believing in me when I didnt believe in myself.
Crusader, you must be feeling such a sense of pride amidst all the health issues you are facing. 37 days is awesome! I hope you are able to keep eliminating variables on your way to better health. I have Crohns and Lupus and it seems as if more and more foods are bothering me. I think the only thing I can eat with impunity are eggs and bananas. Mind you, I need to do a better job of not eating the stuff I know bothers me, (see Forum for Moose Tracks Annoymous). Why do I do that? Oy. Good luck to you!
Having a lazy Sattidy and LOVING it! Bwahaha! Hugs to all, Byrdie

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Have you ever seen a chicken blush? Ha ha!! You guys are all so kind & loving, thank you for your words

TJ, great to see you & hear that you are doing well! Finally getting to the point, once again where you can feel proud of yourself & your accomplishment is a big thing! Wishing you the best!

Roobs, an infrequent visitor but staying on your plan, awesome!

Steady, isn't it odd how our brains can suddenly turn on us & allow us to daydream things? Why would any of us purposely destroy our sobriety for a one night one person 'part'? It's ridiculous but these are the things we have to look out for. IF I ever went ahead & did something like that I don't know if I would have the strength to get restarted, honestly. Glad you thought it thru & made the right decision

Cowboy, back on February 13, 2009 Lav was dealing with a big question. Did I want to continue to hang on to my security bottle of wine or did I want to have complete access to my brand new grandson who was not even 3 months old yet? I had been self medicating with AL for about 10 years trying to numb a ton of emotional pain, wound up pretty depressed & anxious. I had periods of time that I did not drink but allowed it back in my life every time I was hit with another emotional assault - so to speak. Once my grandson arrived I realized that I could & would finally quit for the both of us. And that was it, I made my decision, made a solemn vow to myself & the rest is history. Those emotional hits came a few more times but I stayed firm in my decision. Changing the way we think & feel about things is a gift we give to ourselves!

Hi there Pav & Byrdie!
Byrdie, you have been an excellent assistant nest mum & I thank you for your years of service

Crusader, I have never heard of having too much good gut bacteria - interesting, I'll have to do a little research. Sticking with the probiotics & staying away from foods that I know I react to have helped me so much, I am fortunate. I hope you can get things squared away for yourself very soon. I'm sure that a lot of us have damaged our gut lining with AL. Grateful that we don't drink anymore, right??

Hello to the rest of the crowd & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest.
Btw, we at in the midst of setting up the 'teenage quarters' out in the chicken house & will be moving the youngins outside in a day or two. We hauled 6 bales of straw & 6 bales of pine shavings home today. The whole chicken house needs a serious spring cleaning, ha ha!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Just popping in for a quick hello. I worked a long day today and am totally spent. Great to see Steady, Roobs, TJAF, and Cowboy! Pav, hope you're feeling better and Crusader hope you get there soon. Lav, looking forward to your big 9-year speech! LC, G, Byrdie - you all sound good. Sorry for missing so many others - my brain is exhausted from being "on" for so many hours today.

Happy weekends to you all!

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi everyone, I am back. I had a nice time in Mexico until I got food poisoning, I am still not 100%. I got sick last Sun and had to fly back on Monday because I had to get home where I could go to the doctor. I was SO sick, worse than 10 hangovers. I think I got it from eating shrimp. The good thing is that I am home now, thank goodness. It sucks to be sick in Mexico- kinda scary.

I did not drink on my trip and it was no problem. I was offered drinks by the pool but I told them I didn’t drink

Have a good rest Wags.

I hope to be feeling 100% tomorrow so I will post then.

You guys sound good.
Xo

[lifechange]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nesters!
Happy Un-hung Sunday..

Nar, that was a post that I just couldn't "like".. I like the fact that you didn't drink in Mexico.. but we knew you wouldn't. 'Cause you don't drink! I'm so sorry to hear about the food poisoning. Gosh that sounds like it was a terrible case. I hope you're feeling all back to normal tomorrow/today.:hug:

I just have a couple minutes as I wait for my younger daughter to arrive..she's got a crochet project going and she left many small balls of yarn laying around on the floor of her room.. the cats went crazy while I was out this morning and they're strewn all over the flat! I've left it for her to see.. our cats are getting into their senior years so we love it when they get frisky and up to no good. We've got a badmitton game on the plan..across the street at the park. It's sunny and fairly warm and there's not a hint of wind. Perfect. I love this time of year here.. the people go nuts for sunshine and there's such a festive feel to everything.

Crusader, I really hope you'll begin to notice a difference soon.. I appreciate your long and thoughtful posts very much..

Wishing all of you a nice Sunday.. xx

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi, Nest:

Nar - SO SORRY that you got sick. I don't know how you flew with bad food poisoning - brave soul. What a bummer. Welcome back!

Lav, I'm saving my big speech for you for tomorrow, but you're a rock star around here in my eyes. Been cultivating my Lav-itude about alcohol since I came here. Hope those teenagers like their new digs...

Crusader - Hope you figure that out.

Went to a memorial yesterday. I was charged to make a pitcher full of blender drinks and just busted it out. One moment I wanted to take a sip to taste it because it was an unusual favorite of the honoree, but it wasn't for the alcohol. I found myself easily thinking "one sip wouldn't be like drinking." It was weird, because it really was the flavor, not the booze. I don't know why I took that job - I guess it was fun. By the time I left, plenty of people were three sheets to the wind, and I was glad to get home. Very sad, as it was a younger man with three sons who are just in their late teens and 20s.

Off to relax before the next two family events today. Must. Say. No. More. Often.

Stay sober out there...

Pav

[BelleGirl]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning nestlings and nesters far and wide.

I often think of Lav as the "Big Bird" around here. No offense intended with the image of Big Bird of Sesame Street. 😂. 9 years is truly awesome. Waiting patiently for tomorrow's speech. Lav you have been such an inspiration here. Wondering who was the inspiration before you in the "olden days".

Nar...that food poisoning is awful. Hope your trip was fun before that to make up for it. Hopefully you will be on the mend tomorrow and back to the land of the living.

Crusader...thanks for the link to the SI joint exercises. I will try them today. I finally broke down and made an appointment with a "non-surgical" pain doctor to see if I can get some permanent source of relief. I love to stay active, and try to walk my 10000 steps a day, but this is truly a pain in the butt. I hope you make some progress with you health issues by making the dietary changes. My son had C-diff when he was 5. it was awful...the bad gut bacteria had a war with the good, thanks to some antibiotics. The bad won the battle and he was so sick. I try to get him to take probiotics, but especially when he has to take antibiotics which (crossed fingers) has not been necessary for quite some time.

Pav...great job on not "testing" that pitcher of drinks. It seems that when I did have to get myself near alcohol in the past (before my almost 5 year quit failed) I would just hold my breath and not even try to sniff the stuff. This time I am avoiding even that...i.e. using broth instead of wine in recipes that need it. You deserve an A+++ for that one.

I'm on day 23 here...One week till 30! Sent daughter off on cruise yesterday morning at 0 dark 30. She is out at see in the Atlantic at the moment but we still can text...not sure how much that will cost me in the end, but if she needs momma, I'm here for her. I do miss her already. However, son is filling in the gap with teen issues. I think they do this to us to make it easier to send them off to college. From what I hear from other parents, even tho there are some worries when they are at college, it is a bit out of sight, out of mind with the daily shenanigans and issues that come up.

Don't feel like drinking at all. I could have found a lot of reasons tho. Here's one. Daughter finally got glasses on Friday at 4pm. She has been waiting and asking every day if they are ready for pick up. She was amazed how clearly she could see. Fast forward to Saturday at noon, after she got off of bus at cruise ship dock. Glasses left on bus. Called bus company...nothing. 20 hours is all it took for those glasses to go MIA. and now she cannot see all the pretty sights on the cruise. Arrrggggghhhhh!!!

Have a good day all..........

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Nar - I hesitated as I clicked like for your post, cuz I only like that you're starting to feel better - not that you experienced food poisoning! Ugh... I've only had that once that I know of - in Bolivia - and I understand what you mean about wanting to get home. In my case, I got it the night before scheduled to fly home anyway. The flight home was interminable and awful. Hope yours was better, and glad you're on the mend. Great job not drinking, and hope today brings you added relief. :hug:

[Crusader]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning Nesters...day 38.

It seemed like the first 30 days flew by and this last week has crawled. It's funny how we perceive time differently during periods that unfold in various ways. I put this perception of my days moving slowly down to my health struggles. I was amazed how quickly those first 30 days went by. I have no real desire to drink. I'll admit that when this ill feeling started to progress a week ago, I thought if I'm going to feel so lousy anyway, why don't I just drink. It will mute my immune reaction. I'm not thinking that now, but how easy those thoughts we have sneak into our consciousness.

Lav, no worries. If you think about intestinal mobility and malabsorption issues, it feeds all the bacteria when food is left hanging around longer than it should be or not digested properly. I was surprised when the doctor told me that, and I doubted it. Then I started thinking about my digestive issues and it made sense. Good bacteria eat and break food down as well. They multiply with over feeding with a poorly functioning digestive system. Taking down the population and solving the digestive issues is something I did on my own. They weren't much help back then. I knew when I took good probiotics, my problem became worse, so the test made sense to me. I'm glad they work for you. They help a lot of people. What are some of your brands you use that you like?

Byrd, why do we do a lot of things we do that isn't in our best interest? lol Foods can become addictions, too. If I don't eat dairy or other foods for an extended period of time, the craving for them goes away. It gets worse before it gets better, just like a drug or alcohol. That may be your stress relief and treat. I've had other kinds of ice cream in the past like rice dream. Now they, also, have almond milk versions and soy as G eats. Try some of those as a substitute and see if that helps. You may be well served searching your own food issues with those two diagnosis you have. I know some people have very good results by changing their diets. Our culture has taught us we need all these options to be happy, just like alcohol.

Thanks Wags, LC, and Pav.

Narily, that is a big reason I have never wanted to go to Mexico. I know several people that has happened to. I figure I don't need anymore digestive problems. lol I hope you are feeling better soon. Maybe you owe yourself a massage or something nice since the vacation went sour.

Belle, I hope they help. I do certain stretches for my body. I find what works and discard ones that don't. I've had lower back issues flare from time to time and had some injuries, so the can help. I try to release pressure on the joints in most of mine by stretching it. Antibiotics can really cause issues. Years ago they didn't believe in probiotics and would look at you like you were talking quack medicine, but now many doctors recommend them when you take antibiotics. They know more today. The key with probiotics is to be sure they are active. Many types have small print on the boxes or bottles that are in mass production that show they aren't good anymore. I hope you feel better soon.

Have a good day, all!

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Sunday all, my internet has been crawling today. I can sit with a cake for hours working on the moat minute detail but with computer issues I have NO patience.
Crusader, NS has been trying to work with me for years on a better diet to reduce inflammation (bless her heart, as we say) I know I need to improve my eating habits, I just have this sense of entitlement! I will give the lactose free stuff a try. Soy bothers me a lot, so not sure if that is a good option. Maybe one day I will learn! Im famous for saying ‘Either stop complaining or do something about it’ so its time for me to take my own advice....stop complaining! (Bahahaha!)
Nar, I hate to hear about your food poisoning. Thats tough stuff in the comfort of your home, let alone out of the country. Im so sorry!
Lav, can you tell we are all ready to celebrate?!
I hope everyone has a peaceful evening! Byrdie

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good Sunday evening Nesters,

Don't you know we started the day with a snow shower?? Honestly, this is getting on my last nerve, ha ha. Nothing accumulated so no harm done
I would hate to disappoint an entire nest full of folks but I really am not much of a speech maker. I try to condense my writings every single day so people don't get too bored with me. I am just happy to share my happiness with all of you

Nar, welcome back & I am sorry about the food poisoning. That sounds nasty & scary especially when it happens so far from home. Glad your vacation was AF!

Wags, sounds like you had an epic day - hope you are recovered.

LC, I am jealous of your nice weather, hope you had fun.

Belle, you an think of me as Big Bird, that's OK but just know that I try to keep my hair short & neater looking than those big yellow feathers, haha
Sounds like you have been on MOM duty all weekend. Maybe, just maybe those glasses will make an appearance, that's a shame.

Crusader, I think I have gastric hypermotility, things move thru too fast. Sorry everyone just heard that, LOL
I really think we just have to listen to whatever it is our bodies are telling us & proceed from there, if you know what I mean. The probiotic I'm taking right now is Nature's Nutrition, I get it on Amazon Amazon.com: Probiotic 4 Billion CFU. #1 Rated Most CFU's Guaranteed Potency until Expiration. Patented Delay Release, Prebiotic Supplement with Acidophilus. Best Probiotics for Women & Men - 12 Capsules: Health & Personal Care

Byrdie, are you making a cake??

Someone asked who inspired me on MWO when I first got here & I think it was mostly doggygirl & greeneyes - they no longer post here but I do see one of them on FB most every day. I am grateful to them & plenty of others including Mario :hug:

Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
Lav

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Un Hung Sunday everyone.
Thank you for all the kind words, you MWOers are THE BEST! What a great support group.

I am almost 100% now, just tired. It’s just going to take a bit of time. Yeah, it was hell but it makes me grateful for the life I have here and to my health.
Life, your cats sound hilarious. Lol, your daughter will like that. I love badminton, I used to play in high school, just a few years ago

Pav, blender drinks? Holy crap, that is amazing you took that job. Good thing you didn’t have a sip. It’s so nice to be the one noticing people are getting drunk instead of being the one drinking.

Belle, way to go, 23days! Great job!

Awww, Wags, you are so sweet. Sick in Bolivia would definitely suck. Thanks for the hug.

Crusader, I am with you on not going to Mexico. I don’t think I will be going back. It’s been a week and I still don’t feel as good as I should. Way to go on 38 days! You are doing great!
Byrdie, thank you. Thank you for your post, yes it is SO good to be home.

Lav I am really looking forward to your post tomorrow. I totally remember Green Eyes and Doggy Girl, Mario too... of course. Hey, I may have to get that probiotic, my stomach is not happy.

Looking forward to waking up Un Hung tomorrow. Have a great night everyone.

I AM BACK!
xo