Apropos of Nothing v.10

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1075889/

This thread can't be derailed because there's no topic. HA!

Sorry I haven't been around, guys. I've been in a real funk lately. My back is worse than ever, and I'm just feeling lousy and run down all the time. I haven't done anything in the garden, haven't even started any seeds. Got nowhere to put them when they grow.

I have daffs, crocus and hyacinths in bloom, but even that doesn't seem to be sparking any enthusiasm in me like it normally would. I need to shake myself out of this...

I was just going to ask where/how you'd been. I hope the sunshine starts to help some - I think this is generally the hardest time of year.

And you had a hard year last year. As the Italians said in "Eat, Love, Pray", BE GOOD TO YOURSELF.

So sorry to hear you are down in the dumps pony. Sending hugs to you. Take care.

Pony, Sorry to hear that you are feeling down.... We miss you very much! Sometimes it is ultra hard to shake yourself out of a funk.... just take care of yourself... I second Kathy's thoughts!

Maybe this will put a bit of a smile on your face. I have been "decorating" Budda's grotto so that he has a prettier place to meditate, and I think of you every time I pass it. There was a bit of a landslide of dirt from the stump this winter, so it has covered a lot of the ground cover, but it will be back with a flourish as it warms up. You can't really see the cool black cottoneaster to the left, but mixed with the black mondo grass and the new euphorbia, it is looking very nice....

{{{HUGS}}} Pony. I was wondering also about you. Been there and done that. That grotto is looking great, Julie. It's awesome how glimpses of things remind us of people. I know I will never look at aluminum foil the same way again. ^_^

Pony go to lots of funny movies, get down to Elliot Bay book store and sit in on readings, take a long bike ride around Lake Washington, and most importantly tap into the wonderful person you project to all of us and charge your batteries.

Pony, make sure you are taking you vitamin D and treating yourself well. I was in a funk and couldn't sleep a while ago and Pix recommended 5-HTP to help build up serotonin and it has worked so well. It took about two weeks but the difference is amazing. That Pix is so smart!

Don't disappear on us again - we miss you! Take care and I will be thinking about you.

So good to see you around again, Pony. As others have said, we have missed you a LOT. Maybe the vitamin D will do the trick for you. We certainly hope so.

Oh, Pony! I'm sorry you are in a funk and especially that your back is causing such pain. It's hard to be happy when your body hurts.
Portland, I am so glad to hear the 5-htp worked for you. It's like magic for some people. I wish doctors knew more about that.
Now, if only they could fix menopause! I tell you, it's a good thing sometimes that I am not the president of this country, with my little hand next to that nasty red button! Some days I could nuke puppies and kittens! Other days I am crying just for living. Yesterday I was crying because I hated the fax machine. Today my daughter mentioned the fax machine and I had to cry about it again and told her to stop talking about machines or I would have to get my own room. She said that she and her friend were going to form a support group for people their age whose mothers were going through 'the menopause'. I guess her friend's mother just goes in her room and closes the door. I think it's for the protection of others. Sometimes I think that sounds like a very good idea.
I tried hormone replacement therapy. Weight gain (no no. not good) and blood pressure up. Also not good. I am a hormone failure. Now I will probably cry again.. I think I will go play with my plants. They do not talk back to me.

Oh ha ha Pix, you do make me laugh! I think I've made it through to the far side of the M, and it's not much better over here. Multi-tasking skills have gone to pot: I still do it, but don't feel as completely in control of every aspect as I used to. On the other hand, I'm smarter about interpersonal stuff.

It's true, about going into a little room for the protection of other people - and it's also self-protection, so you don't have to feel guilty for being stupid and horrible. I find it's better not to write anything in the little room either. Still possible to be stupid and horrible, even by yourself!

Oh, super. Not much better on the far side but with better interpersonal skills. Just what I want/need. I don't even use the skills I have now, not having the patience to care enough. I doubt it if I want better ones. Hey, maybe there are other options! On the other hand, I don't really feel stupid and horrible, more like 'pixy at the funhouse: spin the wheel and see what you get today, or rather, this minute!'. I guess I'm lucky I don't do guilt very well for very long. I realize I'm not in charge of this part of my life. I may not be graceful about it, but I think it's obvious to those around me who know me that if I could do better I would, so I don't bother with the guilt thing. That would be more of an energy drain than I could bear. Maybe I just need a name tag to wear: "Hello. My name is Pixydish and I'm in menopause.. Please stay clear."
Oh well. A long work day beckons. Hope I don't tell anyone off today.

LOL Pix. When I was in that stage I did tell someone off, and that someone was my boss. But he was wrong, and he knew it. Normally I would have been subtle and simply put research supporting my claims, and debunking his, on his desk. But something snapped in my head, and I was weary of having to tiptoe around this guy. He was trying to promote something to a client that was totally not appropriate for a hospital, and he didn't understand the implications. So I let him have it, and then stood back to get ready for his blasting, but he was silent, and the next day he gave me a raise. He said he thought I was ready to turn in a letter of resignation. Hah!

I know you don't want to hear about skiing, but that is what got me through the few miserable years of menopause. It takes all of your energy, is done in the cold, comes with a cocktail at the end of the day, and clears your head. If you have an activity that does the same for you, then do it as often as possible. And the years after? I feel great and I think my brain still works.

Pony - my warmest thoughts to go with all the others. Do, just, take care of yourself - better yet, get someone else to do it!

Pix - menopause is quite possibly one of THE all time bad design ideas - really cr*&.

OH all you young people, your fun is just beginning. Growing old is not for wimps. It is much tougher than being a teenager. Except you have more experience to deal with it. The only thing to do is keep laughing. Fast becoming a DOF. If you don't know what that is, you will find out soon enough. ^_^

Thanks, gang. You all are awesome. *group hug*

I should try the vitamins- in fact, I think I'll pry my butt off the couch and go to the store to get some right now.

Julie, the grotto looks wonderful- and that did make me smile. Thanks. :)

Willow, please tell me that DOF is not 'dottering old fool'.. please say it isn't so. Laurie, yes, whoever designed this could have been nicer. Maybe should go back to the drawing board in my book.
Pony, it's an amino acid, and try Super Supplements as a place to get them first. Buy what's cheapest since it's just a bean extract anyway. By the way, it's said to help with some kinds of pain,, too. Who knows? Keep a good thought.

Portland, skiing would probably kill me. Truly, it likely would. But I can still garden like a fiend. And I have plenty to do out there.

Ah, good idea... I'll check Super Suppliments tomorrow. I picked up some vitamin D at Rite Aid, but as far as I could see they didn't have the 5-HTP.

'Doddering Old Fool' is exactly what popped into my head when I saw DOF... are we right, Willow?

Pix I wasn't recommending skiing for you - just saying that is what worked for me. I think any kind of intense activity that gets your brain fully involved is great for stress. And let's face it - menopause is stress! I love gardening but tend to do it more slowly, which works for me because I have a small garden. Really, if you are covered in snow try snowshoeing! Dogs love it!

Please Willow what is DOF? Dottering Old Fool? Oh I hope not! :(

Pony - be careful with the Vit D - you can overdose, so if you start having symptoms . . . best case scenario is, of course, to have your doc run a blood test to see where you fall.

This message was edited Mar 10, 2010 10:00 AM

Good point Katie59. Get it tested first.

The sun is trying to peek out but it is so cold. Below freezing last night and right now it's 38. Brrrr.

Well that too, but I was thinking F**T. Excuse me!LOL

Eeek I think I'd rather be a fool. Well, do we really have to choose? How about "Fabulosa".

Fabulaso! That would be nice.

I'm not worried about ODing on vitamin D- what I got is a calcium suppliment with vitamin D in it. I will only be taking the reccomended dosage. I already know I don't get enough naturally occuring vitamins and minerals in my diet, thanks to being the only one in the household who will touch fruits or vegetables... so I wind up not getting them because it's too much hassle to fix an additional dish for myself at mealtimes. (yeah, how lazy can ya get?)

When Tracy goes away for scout events, I binge on fruit and veggies... I guess there are worse things a wife could do when her hubby is out of town... ;p

I picked up some 5-HTP today. I hadn't realized it's L-Tryptophan! I used to take it religiously in the 80s until the FDA banned it in solo form. I had no idea it was back!

So we were right about DOF... hehe. But it's doddering, not dottering. Hmph. I think I'd rather be a Darling Old Freak. I mean, I'm already 2/3 of the way there, right? :D

OK!

Oh
freak is better! It is doddering. 'to move shakily'

Okay, whatever! I'm thinking I will make up completely new words for that. Something like 'Delicacy of Foodstuff', which would be similar to 'soup du jour', but slightly different. Or how about 'Deliciously obstinate female'? I like that. I will adopt that one for awhile. Until I change my mind.
L-tryptophan was banned due to either 1) the opportunistic political reasons created by a bad batch of the stuff that made a few people ill because a fermentation process used to manufacture the stuff or 2) the invention of Prozac, which, incidently, came at around the same time. Actually they are exactly the same reason. BUT 5-htp is, I believe, 1 carbon molecule along in the chain of events that produces serotonin from L-tryptophan, or some such organic chemistry type latiny or greeky thing, and is not produced using that same fermentation process. My psychiatrist friend used to give his depressed patients l-tryptophan all the time until Prozac came on the scene and L-tryptophan was taken off the market. Conspiracy theorists talk about a direct correlation there... again, I wave my hand in their general direction and say 'whatever'. We have them both on the market now. Some like one, some like the other.. Try the 5-htp. If you took the L-tryptophan and it worked for you, then you'll probably like 5-htp. Watch for the jitters. If you get them, take less. It you are taking a Beta blocker, don't take it without talking to your doc first. If it works pretty well,, but you still want to feel a bit better, you might look at samE instead. It's REALLY good stuff but takes longer to work. It increases more than just serotonin.

If you are low on Vit D,, that supplement likely does not have enough D in it to help. Have the blood level tested. I was shocked at how low mine was, and also my daughters. Just shocked! And I'm outside all day long when I can be! Mine was 13. My daughter's was 8. Can you imagine! We are both taking 4000IU a day of Vit D.

Umph- I'm not making a trip to the doctor just for that. Next time I have to go in for whatever reason, I'll ask for a panel to see what all my levels are.

I took L-Tryptophan way back when as a sleep aid, not for depression... but if it's supposed to be a general mood-lifter I'm certainly happy to take it for that... and if it helps me sleep, all the better!

'Deliciously obstinate female' suits you. And I mean that in a good way. ;)

Yes, it's a sleep aid because it helps produce melotonin, which is on the serotonin pathway. Can't produce melotonin without serotonin.

Must get massage now.

Pixie wins! 'Deliciously obstinate female', love it. But I still dodder slightly.

For that seratonin effect, may i also suggest long, fast, walks - there is a lovely quote, Mother Teresa i think is credited with it: "it is impossible to walk quickly without smiling" - and I find she is right.

We were talking about yoga sometime ago - does anyone else do Pilates? Boy I've found that incredibly helpful - I've been going about 18 months now and it has really given me back the flexibility I had 20 years ago, along with the most toned tummy and bottom muscles i think I have ever had. I find it really stretches me out and lets me garden all day with no achy back. Fab.

sounds like we should all do them. They have a class for the women who live here. I've never gone.

Government RDA: 200 IUs of D per day up to age 50.

However, skin exposed to sunlight for about 20 minutes produces approx. 10,000 International Units (IUs).
I take 8000 IUs/daily of D3 - I've been doing this for several years, and I have a wide spectrum blood panel done 3x per year. Levels consistently show within the "normal" range.
Cholecalciferol (might have butchered that one) changes & reacts as a hormone in the system, affecting many areas of the body. Vit D deficiency is significant for those of us that live in the north. It is a topic worth researching.

Laurie YES I do Pilates! I really get into it and feel very energised after it. I originally got the machine at Goodwill to work on my rowing muscles and it was only $35. So I accidentally got motivated to watch the CD that came with it and have used it to get me out of the doldrums when I can't garden. I am seeing muscles (esp abdomen) getting shape back. My "cooler" has disappeared and the six pack, not rigid yet, has returned. I like the quiet and not too strenuous activity while I sit with DW and watch TV or movies. It does cause me tendon issues because I am doing many more reps than the video calls for but that will disappear when I get younger. LOL
Melissa you can get L-tryptophan from your vet. We use it to quiet cats and help them with that amino acid defficiency that can cause cardiac issues. It doesn't taste too good with the fish flavor but neither does Fish oil that I take every day.
This is a nice shot leaving Petersburg a few days ago.

My omega 3's taste like lemon meringue, at least that's what the bottle says. It's a pretty bad version of it, though. You can buy the tryptophan at the supplement store, too.
I match your Petersburg photo with one taken at sunset a few days ago. The shot is taken from my friend's home, overlooking the Tacoma Narrows.

Is that Fox Island or the prision island. I have lost my memory. I paddled around it a hundred times.
I like this one from Maui a couple of weeks ago.

SOFA!! You got a pilates machine for $35!!!! You lucky duck! More variety and less reps will let the tendon strain pass even faster. We will want photos of the 6 pack.

WW, try out the class - I would love to hear what you think of it.

I think it's Fox Island, Soferdig.

Costco also has L-tryptophan!

Can you id this bug for me? It is like a beetle and they are creeping me out.