Low FODMAP Diet - Update

The other week I met with the Dietician again (15th) and so far Stage 1 of my Low FODMAP has been a success and I've seen a reduction in my symptoms - YAY! (though there's still some issues which we think may be related to my hypermobility gastro issues rather than my IBS). But I'm now ready to move onto Stage 2, which is introducing and trialling slowly different FODMAP foods, e.g. wheat bread, pasta, broccoli, apples, baked beans, peas etc. and seeing what I do and don't react to so I can customise my diet which is Stage 3. 

How Stage 2 works is over three days you trail a food, for example with bread on day 1 you have one slice of bread and then see how your symptoms are, then on day 2 if you're symptom free or have mild symptoms you'll have 2 slices of bread then on day 3 3 slices of bread depending on day 2 symptoms. However, if symptoms are severe you just stop and will know to rule that out of your diet form then on. Today I've have one slice of wheat bead and I've had some symptoms but I'm wanting to continue to day 2 just in case is psychosomatic and just to be sure before I do cut bread out my diet but I have feeling that wheat bread will be a no-go for me based on my experiences so far with the Low FODMAP diet. After trialling a food you then go back onto total low FODMAP for three days to clear out your system and then you move onto the the next food trial. If you got symptoms during the food trial and they're severe enough to stop you prematurely stop the trail and have 3 days total Low FODMAP again to clear out you system. 

I'm not particularly looking forward to Stage 2 as it will mean putting up with reactions and symptoms but hopefully it will mean that after after finished, which will take a few months my diet will be less restrictive.

Because cutting what and gluten out of my diet has been successful and helped with other things like my chronic daily headaches and skin rashes the Dietician suggested testing me for Celiacs Disease after I've finished the Low FODMAP diet. The only downside to that is that I'd have to got back onto a wheat and gluten diet for at least 6 weeks for them to then test me for Celiacs Disease.

The Deep - Tue 6th March

So last week I went over the bridge to Hull togo the The Deep with my carer for a day out. I went for their "Tranquil Tuesday" and called up to check that the event was happening and was told it was an all day even but when we got there we found that "Tranquil Tuesday" was after 3pm and we arrived at 12pm with 200 school children in the building. I and also the call handler may have gotten mixed up with their "Quiet Day" events which does make things confusing having two 'quiet events' on so in future I'm sticking to the Quiet Days as I really enjoyed that day when I went in the past - they have no school in and turn the lights up and he sound down so much much calmer!

Children and wheelchairs don't quite mix - in their excitement they want to be at the front of the tank and don't think about the wheelchair they've pack in around and that I can't see tank or that I can't manoeuvre my wheelchair anywhere. Plus I really could have taken my ear defenders with me!

The staff at The Deep where really great though and I got my entry ticket refunded over the confusion of the day's events. The catering the in the cafe is brilliant for allergies too - I managed to get a dairy, wheat and gluten free meal! The cafe also have wheelchair friendly tables and when we couldn't find a spare one in the main dining area two members of staff showed up to the upstairs dining area which was much nicer and quieter, plus it had a great view, and they asked us if we could fill in a comment cards comments come better from visitors than staff alone so we said how allergy friendly the cafe was but it would be better for the "wheelchair friendly tables" sign to say "reserved for wheelchair only" so that non-wheelchair users think more about where they choose to sit. We also said how the drinks mugs could be made bigger! (You an never have a big enough mug for Yorkshire Tea!) We also noted how helpful the staff were.

There's a huge range of animals at The Deep from colourful neon anemone's, tropical fish, animals from the Amazon including vegetarian piranha's, snakes and poisonous dart frogs and even penguins. One of my favourite animals are the jellyfish - I find them fascinating creatures and amazing to watch them move. I love all the colourful fish and anemone's too.

It's a day I'd really recommend and if you're a fellow spoonie I'd plan to go after 3pm (they close at 6pm) when the schools have gone home or go on one of their Quiet Days events which have BSL talks too, plus your entry ticket is valid for a year and carers get in for free.

I took lots of photographs but below are a few of my favourites...

Body Gossip: 'This one is for you' video

This beautiful video by Body Gossip has been around for a while but I still love it and though during EDAW would be a good time to share it. It's a poetic film staring different famous faces and is about Eating Disorders and fighting back to claim a life recovered.

To find out more about Body Gossip's work click here.

International Wheelchair Day 2018

The aims of today:

• To enable wheelchair users to celebrate the positive impact a wheelchair has in their lives.

• To celebrate the great work of the many millions of people who provide wheelchairs, who provide support and care for wheelchair users and who make the World a better and more accessible place for people with mobility issues.

• To acknowledge and react constructively to the fact there are many tens of millions of people in the World who need a wheelchair, but are unable to acquire one.

Today is International Wheelchair Day. Another one of those quirky Awareness Days that I came across.
I'm a part time wheelchair user and since getting my wheelchair it has given me greater freedom and indepenence. Granted it's not the best wheelchair in the world but it serves its purpose and means I can enjoy things like days out with less pain, fatigue and dislocations.

I use my wheelchair because of my M.E. which causes extreme fatigue so using my wheelchair means I can conserve my energy and it reduces my pain which has a knock-on effect with PEM (Post Exertion Malaise). I also have neurological problems where my brain doesn't send messages to my legs properly so I have an off-balence gait and other symptoms like chronic nerve pain in my legs; sometimes I lose all feeling in my legs so a wheelchair is essential in getting me around my leg muscles also go into spasm too making walking difficult too.

Having interchangeable mobility needs can be hard. People often assume they are for older people or those who are paralysed but they're wrong. I'm faced with questions like "why are you using a wheelchair when I've seen you walking with your crutches?" which can be difficult to answer and hear and explain. There are all sorts of reasons why people need to use a wheelchair and some people do use a wheelchair full time but people like myself are ambulatory wheelchair users which means we can walk but also need a wheelchair at certain times.