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Dec. 3rd, 2005 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urocyonI'm feeling a bit dim for needing this article--by someone with ME/CFIDS on the ever-popular conversational gambit, "What do you do?"-- to add a piece that helps things fall into place. (Ah, the fun of radial thinking at times!) It's probably another example of being anxious not helping with problem solving. The combination of (a) shyness compounded by a slightly different cultural setting which keeps me from semi-comfortably conversing on autopilot if need be, and (b) perfectionism triggering insecurity on a bad day seems to have kept me from taking two minutes to consider exactly what the purpose of this gambit might be, rather than just taking the conventional response as the only really acceptable approach to the question. I feel particular silly, since my automatic/probably trained reaction to it is that paid work seems poor ground to nourish interesting conversation. And, to be honest, on a not-so-great day, I probably don't consider what I am doing (how much time do you have? *g*) terribly important, especially when approached in that sort of context.
It may sound like a prime example of mountains out of molehills, but I suspect this is a common point of self-conscious craziness in a society like ours. *shrug*
I'm up and about again after seeing the GP on Tuesday morning. He gave me possibly one of the most spectacular non-diagnoses ever: "It certainly does sound like you have a problem with gluten, probably coeliac disease--I'll just put a dietary note in your record." Not that I really saw the point in going to see him, since avoiding gluten fixed the problem and is the only treatment, no matter what type of intolerance it might be, but I did expect a bit more. Then again, I have noticed some similarities between dealing with the NHS and dealing with US health services when one has neither good insurance coverage nor tons of money; it's amazing how few diagnostic tests and other frills are required, all of a sudden. The GP did offer to order some blood tests to make sure I don't have any nutritional deficiencies, such as B12*, once I am back on a GF diet, which declined in what I hoped was a semi-gracious manner. I didn't feel like pushing it with a request for bone density testing that day--it may sound silly to some who know me in person, given my apparent bone mass, but this siphoned-off nutrition is yet another risk factor thrown in on top of high prolactin levels, etc. I do prefer to keep my bones intact, and may well press it another day. Ah well, at least the crusty bread and relative ease of eating out made the month or so back on wheat not completely a lost cause, antibody blood tests or no.
I am giving the man the benefit of the doubt on general patient education. After all, I did seem to know what I was talking about, and my mother did jump on him for being condescending. (He didn't even seem to realise he was doing so.) A bit of unsolicited help there which made me cringe at the time, but he's been careful not to talk down to me since then. Still, I do wonder about people less inclined to research things, and those who might actually benefit from food on prescription with an actual coeliac diagnosis.
Ah yes, and did get a flu shot with a minimum of persuasion, so have been mainly out of commission since then. I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the doctor's asking me to relax my arm, when it was about as relaxed as it gets--it just has visible musculature. Maybe he noticed the stringy arm, with its huge elbow joint, attached to my allegedly medically relevantly overweight body, but that's probably asking too much.** Ah, another reminder that I might want to start into some strength training again. I used to have upper arms almost twice as big in a "smiting people" sort of way, but thought they looked fat; now I'm not wanting to slip quietly into stringy-limbed McCraw middle age. *wry smile* It does seem premature, though!
Monday I finally set out on a clothes shopping trip, and picked up not one, but two winter coats. At another shop, I found one very similar to this black wool one with a furry collar I'd looked at before (but which was too small in the shoulders)--the other one was only £50 on sale, and 80% wool instead of 73%. The other--which I considered practically a freebie--is similar to this, but with a hood, for £30 on sale from the same place. I seem to have developed a mental block around the shop's name. I also picked up two sweaters on sale--I'd probably have picked up at least one more, but for the difficulties of sorting through them for size while trying somewhat civilly to fend off grasping old ladies with stout walking sticks, and bricks in their pocketbooks. This is one very pragmatic reason I usually avoid the pre-Christmas sales, and malls in general.
I also wound up picking up a pair of ankle boots at Clarks, after a truly ludicrous amount of time spent wandering around trying to find shoes that (a) fit, and (b) didn't look cheap. Finding at least one somewhat nearby shoe shop that stocks "larger" shoes of a reasonable quality has become more pressing. Now, I still don't think my feet are particularly big, but just try to find a decent selection of shoes in most shoe shops/department stores here above, say, a 6 U.K./8 U.S. women's. I wear, on average, a 7.5/9.5 C (or D, if the manufacturer is skimpy--can't find equivalent UK width) with a narrower heel, to make things even more fun.
Serious perusal of the shoes on offer in a decent-sized shopping centre was slightly disturbing, other than the size distribution. Of the faux-furry type boots, I only saw one pair on offer--Hush Puppies--which were fully lined rather than just having decorative puffs. And there were a disturbing number I can only put down to declining consumer standards, unless they were trying for some bizarre DIY aesthetic. Find your granny's badly-stored, mangy old stole in the attic. Haggle it to bits, and haphazardly glue them onto hideous obviously vinyl (not in a good way) boots. Optional step: glue on dreamcatchers and beads on plastic lanyards purchased in large bunches from the pound shop. Price tag: £50+
I only wish I were exaggerating there. *shiver*
Hmm, with any luck the Sainsbury's delivery and Ingvar will both be here soon. He had to go in to work today, though I can't for the life of me remember exactly why.
* Not one I would have considered; then again, I do not eat many enriched cereal products, other than some cornmeal, and do consume quite a bit of animal origin, at the request of my system.
** He actually did seem to reevaluate this judgment a bit after clapping eyes on my parents. This, however, did not lead him to offer me back my combined BCPs. Grr.
It may sound like a prime example of mountains out of molehills, but I suspect this is a common point of self-conscious craziness in a society like ours. *shrug*
I'm up and about again after seeing the GP on Tuesday morning. He gave me possibly one of the most spectacular non-diagnoses ever: "It certainly does sound like you have a problem with gluten, probably coeliac disease--I'll just put a dietary note in your record." Not that I really saw the point in going to see him, since avoiding gluten fixed the problem and is the only treatment, no matter what type of intolerance it might be, but I did expect a bit more. Then again, I have noticed some similarities between dealing with the NHS and dealing with US health services when one has neither good insurance coverage nor tons of money; it's amazing how few diagnostic tests and other frills are required, all of a sudden. The GP did offer to order some blood tests to make sure I don't have any nutritional deficiencies, such as B12*, once I am back on a GF diet, which declined in what I hoped was a semi-gracious manner. I didn't feel like pushing it with a request for bone density testing that day--it may sound silly to some who know me in person, given my apparent bone mass, but this siphoned-off nutrition is yet another risk factor thrown in on top of high prolactin levels, etc. I do prefer to keep my bones intact, and may well press it another day. Ah well, at least the crusty bread and relative ease of eating out made the month or so back on wheat not completely a lost cause, antibody blood tests or no.
I am giving the man the benefit of the doubt on general patient education. After all, I did seem to know what I was talking about, and my mother did jump on him for being condescending. (He didn't even seem to realise he was doing so.) A bit of unsolicited help there which made me cringe at the time, but he's been careful not to talk down to me since then. Still, I do wonder about people less inclined to research things, and those who might actually benefit from food on prescription with an actual coeliac diagnosis.
Ah yes, and did get a flu shot with a minimum of persuasion, so have been mainly out of commission since then. I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the doctor's asking me to relax my arm, when it was about as relaxed as it gets--it just has visible musculature. Maybe he noticed the stringy arm, with its huge elbow joint, attached to my allegedly medically relevantly overweight body, but that's probably asking too much.** Ah, another reminder that I might want to start into some strength training again. I used to have upper arms almost twice as big in a "smiting people" sort of way, but thought they looked fat; now I'm not wanting to slip quietly into stringy-limbed McCraw middle age. *wry smile* It does seem premature, though!
Monday I finally set out on a clothes shopping trip, and picked up not one, but two winter coats. At another shop, I found one very similar to this black wool one with a furry collar I'd looked at before (but which was too small in the shoulders)--the other one was only £50 on sale, and 80% wool instead of 73%. The other--which I considered practically a freebie--is similar to this, but with a hood, for £30 on sale from the same place. I seem to have developed a mental block around the shop's name. I also picked up two sweaters on sale--I'd probably have picked up at least one more, but for the difficulties of sorting through them for size while trying somewhat civilly to fend off grasping old ladies with stout walking sticks, and bricks in their pocketbooks. This is one very pragmatic reason I usually avoid the pre-Christmas sales, and malls in general.
I also wound up picking up a pair of ankle boots at Clarks, after a truly ludicrous amount of time spent wandering around trying to find shoes that (a) fit, and (b) didn't look cheap. Finding at least one somewhat nearby shoe shop that stocks "larger" shoes of a reasonable quality has become more pressing. Now, I still don't think my feet are particularly big, but just try to find a decent selection of shoes in most shoe shops/department stores here above, say, a 6 U.K./8 U.S. women's. I wear, on average, a 7.5/9.5 C (or D, if the manufacturer is skimpy--can't find equivalent UK width) with a narrower heel, to make things even more fun.
Serious perusal of the shoes on offer in a decent-sized shopping centre was slightly disturbing, other than the size distribution. Of the faux-furry type boots, I only saw one pair on offer--Hush Puppies--which were fully lined rather than just having decorative puffs. And there were a disturbing number I can only put down to declining consumer standards, unless they were trying for some bizarre DIY aesthetic. Find your granny's badly-stored, mangy old stole in the attic. Haggle it to bits, and haphazardly glue them onto hideous obviously vinyl (not in a good way) boots. Optional step: glue on dreamcatchers and beads on plastic lanyards purchased in large bunches from the pound shop. Price tag: £50+
I only wish I were exaggerating there. *shiver*
Hmm, with any luck the Sainsbury's delivery and Ingvar will both be here soon. He had to go in to work today, though I can't for the life of me remember exactly why.
* Not one I would have considered; then again, I do not eat many enriched cereal products, other than some cornmeal, and do consume quite a bit of animal origin, at the request of my system.
** He actually did seem to reevaluate this judgment a bit after clapping eyes on my parents. This, however, did not lead him to offer me back my combined BCPs. Grr.
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Date: 2005-12-04 01:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-04 10:44 pm (UTC)