I just wanna say -- the random comments thread

[TooPatient]

I may need to bribe myself with a diamond per class per quarter in order to survive the next 31 weeks until I graduate. My group project is trying my patience and taking every bit of stress management I have in me. Very frustrating!

 

[mary poppins]

That sounds completely reasonable, @TooPatient! Very exciting that the end is in site and you will graduate soon.

 

[Cozystitches]

I may need to bribe myself with a diamond per class per quarter in order to survive the next 31 weeks until I graduate. My group project is trying my patience and taking every bit of stress management I have in me. Very frustrating!

You've got this!!! All most finished, just keep your eyes on the prize (diamonds AND a degree!)

 

[missy]

My mom just called me. Their cat Simon (very old but not sure how old as he was a rescue) just died. We saw him yesterday and he was just laying in his cat bed all day. He had been ill for a long while now but it is still very sad. At least he is at peace now.

RIP Simon. We love you.

A photo from March of Zena (sister's dog) and Simon.

 

[vintageloves]

@missy I'm sorry to hear about your mom's cat. Companion animals are such special members of God's creations (and because I'm biased, I think cats are the greatest ever). I really believe there is some reward waiting for them across the rainbow bridge and hopefully we will see them again.

I ordered a vintage aquamarine ring and it arrived the day before Thanksgiving and my husband talked me into wearing it for the holiday. It's 3.5 carats, emerald cut, the most gorgeous shade of blue-green, got a great price and everyone felt the need to comment on it. My mom literally grabbed my hand while I was in the middle of a conversation with my MIL (who is frugal and probably wasn't mentally high-fiving me on spending her son's money on a ring) and pointed it out. My SIL was asking me over dinner if it was new. I just felt really uncomfortable and judged. My mom and SIL both have large engagement rings worth more than my entire jewelry box several times over, and I've never felt the need to bring it to the entire family's attention or act like it's some aberration that they have it. Ugh, family. I love them, but somewhere along the line, we became the couple who are supposed to be happy for everyone else but not have happiness ourselves. If I ever do get a nice 15th anniversary ring, there's no way I can ever wear it in front of them.

 

[missy]

Thanks @vintageloves. We are all very sad and my heart is hurting right now knowing Simon is no longer with us but I am a bit relieved too because I felt he was suffering a little. My parents are huge animal lovers but sometimes their judgment can be clouded and my mom wasn't ready to let him go and she denied he was in any discomfort. Of course we cannot know for sure but my gut said he was and it was time. We just saw him yesterday at Thanksgiving and he was in his cat bed making noises and drifting in and out of sleep.

I feel so very sad that Simon is gone and that my parents are hurting and mourning. They have had a lot of heartache as all animal lovers do. But what is life without heartache because if one doesn't have heartache that means one never experiences true love. So no matter how painful it is loving and losing someone (be it fur baby or human) it means one is experiencing great love to experience great loss. There is no other alternative IMO.

I am sorry about the way your family makes you feel about your bling. Family is a double edge sword. Love them at times and hate them (while still loving them) at others.

I hope you can take the joy and love and ignore the negative judging. You are quite right in that one should take happiness and joy where one finds it and fiddle dee dee to whatever anyone including your family thinks about your bling.

You can afford it and you enjoy your bling and more power to you. Don't let them take that away from you and darn yes wear it when and where you please. And girl, when you get that big flashy 15th anniversary ring don't censor yourself around your family. Wear and enjoy the heck out of it and what it represents. Your strong loving marriage.

 

[junebug17]

My mom just called me. Their cat Simon (very old but not sure how old as he was a rescue) just died. We saw him yesterday and he was just laying in his cat bed all day. He had been ill for a long while now but it is still very sad. At least he is at peace now.

RIP Simon. We love you.

A photo from March of Zena (sister's dog) and Simon.

@missy, I'm so sorry about Simon, it's such a painful thing to lose a furbaby. I agree though, it's a bit of a comfort to know that he is free from any discomfort or suffering he might have been feeling. So hard! Sending love and hugs to everyone.

 

[lyra]

Missy, I'm sorry about Simon. I will not let an animal suffer, they just can't be with us forever. I think he was probably happy to have loved ones around him one last time, even if he was grumpy and tired.

 

[missy]

Thanks @junebug17 and @lyra
My mom and dad think he was at least 19 yo and he had a good life after my parents rescued him many many years ago.

 

[Arcadian]

@missy I'm sorry to hear about your mom's cat. Companion animals are such special members of God's creations (and because I'm biased, I think cats are the greatest ever). I really believe there is some reward waiting for them across the rainbow bridge and hopefully we will see them again.

I ordered a vintage aquamarine ring and it arrived the day before Thanksgiving and my husband talked me into wearing it for the holiday. It's 3.5 carats, emerald cut, the most gorgeous shade of blue-green, got a great price and everyone felt the need to comment on it. My mom literally grabbed my hand while I was in the middle of a conversation with my MIL (who is frugal and probably wasn't mentally high-fiving me on spending her son's money on a ring) and pointed it out. My SIL was asking me over dinner if it was new. I just felt really uncomfortable and judged. My mom and SIL both have large engagement rings worth more than my entire jewelry box several times over, and I've never felt the need to bring it to the entire family's attention or act like it's some aberration that they have it. Ugh, family. I love them, but somewhere along the line, we became the couple who are supposed to be happy for everyone else but not have happiness ourselves. If I ever do get a nice 15th anniversary ring, there's no way I can ever wear it in front of them.

If you DO get that ring, enjoy it and tell them to step away from your wallet. My goodness, I'm ever greatful my mother and father celebrates the fact that I can do better than they did. My siblings can be on that end but my response is "don't want none, won't be none"

 

[caf]

Oh Missy - so sorry. So glad you got to see him yesterday. Condolences to your mom and dad. It is always so hard to lose a pet. Your parents are so kind to have rescued him. (I have lost two rescue cats and one rescue dog in the last year. And a second rescue dog now has cancer. But he's getting some chemo so hopefully he will stick around for awhile more )

 

[yssie]

::HUGS:: @missy

There's really no good way to let them go, is there? The more you love them... the more the goodbyes hurt

But he isn't suffering any more, not even a little - just hold tight to that. I hope your mum is doing okay today.

 

[Slickk]

Thanks @junebug17 and @lyra
My mom and dad think he was at least 19 yo and he had a good life after my parents rescued him many many years ago.

@missy I am so sorry for your parents’ (and your) loss. Pets are family members, plain and simple, and it is so very painful to lose them. I think your mom wasn’t ready and she did what was best in her opinion. I’m sure she gave Simon the best care, especially at the end. ((Hugs)) to you all.

 

[vintageloves]

If you DO get that ring, enjoy it and tell them to step away from your wallet. My goodness, I'm ever greatful my mother and father celebrates the fact that I can do better than they did. My siblings can be on that end but my response is "don't want none, won't be none"

My husband says I should take it as compliment. I don't think men understand how women can compliment what another woman is wearing and have it be a passive aggressive dig. :roll I know I should just lean into it and be like "that's right, I do have something new!" but I'm not like that.

 

[canuk-gal]

Thanks @junebug17 and @lyra
My mom and dad think he was at least 19 yo and he had a good life after my parents rescued him many many years ago.

Me luvs your family. Just GOOD people!

 

[TooPatient]

@missy I am so sorry for your family's loss. It is never easy as they are family. Very glad he got to be with you all yesterday (an unexpected positive of your parents hosting) as I am sure he enjoyed having you around even while he was in bed.

 

[mary poppins]

@missy, I was checking in to get your opinion on something (below) and am so sorry to read of your family's loss of one of its furry family members. Your parents were so sweet to give him a good life as a rescue with a safe home full of love. Losing a pet is devastating and it can be hard to know when it's time to let them go. May Simon rest in purrs and peace and your family's memories of him live on furever.

I am thinking of switching to a new vitamin E supplement and am wondering if you have a recommendation for eye health. I have been taking 200 IU of E in the form of d alpha tocopherol but am now unsure if I should be taking d alpha plus mixed tocopherols. Or maybe you have another suggestion?

 

[missy]

Thank you so much @canuk-gal, @Sandeek, @caf, @yssie, @TooPatient. I very much appreciate your kind comments.
(((Hugs))).

I am thinking of switching to a new vitamin E supplement and am wondering if you have a recommendation for eye health. I have been taking 200 IU of E in the form of d alpha tocopherol but am now unsure if I should be taking d alpha plus mixed tocopherols. Or maybe you have another suggestion?

It depends on your genetics too so it is complicated. Certain components of the AREDS formula may either be beneficial or harmful, depending on a patient’s genotype.

The effectiveness of antioxidant and zinc supplementation appears to differ by genotype. Further study is needed to determine the biological basis for this interaction

Supplements alone are not enough to prevent or delay ARMD and it is better to obtain Vitamin E from diet vs supplements and research is still undergoing. I cannot definitively say it will help but a balanced nutritious diet is helpful certainly and supplementing with what one may be lacking might be beneficial as well. We just do not know for sure.

What I do know:
-Nutritional supplements might help people with early to intermediate AMD who are at risk for developing advanced AMD. But so far (based on my best interpretation) this is only beneficial (perhaps) to a very small group.

-Studies show that nutritional supplements alone are not enough to prevent or delay advanced AMD and a healthy balanced diet is critical whether one supplements or not.

-Taking nutritional supplements can be helpful, but there can be possible health risks. It's a fine line balance at times and it varies for each individual somewhat. And as I wrote above it depends on one's genetic makeup and that adds a complicated variable.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2881167/

In a large-scale randomized trial of female health professionals, long-term alternate day use of 600 IU of natural-source vitamin E had no large beneficial or harmful effect on risk of AMD.

In summary, these randomized trial data from a large population of healthy women indicate that 10 years of alternate-day treatment with 600 IU of natural source vitamin E alone has no material beneficial or harmful effect on AMD occurrence. Whether vitamin E as a component of an antioxidant combination can help to reduce risks of AMD, as suggested by the findings in AREDS, warrants continued investigation.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) found that vitamin E, along with other nutrients, helped some people who had moderate age-related macular degeneration. The nutrients reduced the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration by 25% for those who already had evident early changes of macular degeneration. Evidence from other studies suggests that the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E, along with lutein and zeaxanthin, may decrease the risk of cataracts. However, other studies have not found that vitamin E is important for vision, so more research is needed. It's important to talk to your doctor before taking vitamin E supplements in order to discuss the right dose, possible side effects, as well as other treatments.

https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/diet-and-nutrition/vitamin-e




Sorry for all that background info and now to answer your question to the best of my ability given what I do know.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11722951

Taking only the alpha tocopherol form of vitamin E could displace critically important gamma tocopherol in the body.
While alpha tocopherol inhibits the production of new free radicals, gamma tocopherol is required to trap and neutralize existing free radicals.
A number of studies have pointed to the need to obtain sufficient gamma tocopherol. Yet the vast majority of human clinical research focuses only on alpha tocopherol. Gamma tocopherol has far more powerful anti-inflammatory actions than does the alpha form and also has gene regulatory activities and alpha tocopherol is a potent anti oxidant.

And what you already know but worth repeating since as far as supplementation goes we have a long way to go to really know what is safe and helpful and what is OTT and possibly risky. There are strong correlations between eating processed foods and increased prevalence (or incidence) of age-related macular degeneration. And as for now the jury is out as to whether synthetic multivitamins have any clear benefit in preventing the onset of AMD. And as you probably know there is an increased risk of mortality from Beta-carotene and vitamin E supplementation but that is for another day. Honestly at this juncture there is not enough known to make any definitive statements but for the one I wrote above re diet and I'll add exercise to doing the best we can to maintain health given our genetic and environmental influences.

Lastly and summing up (finally, sorry for the long drawn out post but there is no definitive answer and I wanted to share some background with you to explain why) one of the biggest problems with the AREDS studies is that diet was never taken into account. And diet can be (probably is) a big factor in AMD development and/or progression. IMO. Foods to be avoided are refined added sugars, refined white wheat flour, polyunsaturated vegetable oils and artificially created trans fats. Best foods (for our overall health and eye health) are whole unprocessed organic foods.

I am aware that I did not answer your question with what you wanted to know and I wish I could have but this is what I do know. Be careful with supplementation and do the minimum you think you need and try eating as healthfully as possible and obtaining more from diet than supplementation.

 

[mary poppins]

Thank you for your input, @missy. I appreciate your thoughtful answer. I eat a pretty clean diet that is no to low sugar / carbs and focused more on function, nutrition and anti-inflammatory factors rather than just pleasure. Of course, I enjoy indulging in treats once in a while. Most of the vitamins and supplements I take involve measurable differences based on blood tests, scans or how I feel physically, but E seems rather ambiguous. I think I'll discontinue it when I'm done with my supply (about a week left) and try to remember to eat more foods that provide E. Getting the RDA through diet alone seems challenging, though, but I don't want to overdo it through supplements that might not even matter.

Thanks again for your comment!

 

[missy]

Thank you for your input, @missy. I appreciate your thoughtful answer. I eat a pretty clean diet that is no to low sugar / carbs and focused more on function, nutrition and anti-inflammatory factors rather than just pleasure. Of course, I enjoy indulging in treats once in a while. Most of the vitamins and supplements I take involve measurable differences based on blood tests, scans or how I feel physically, but E seems rather ambiguous. I think I'll discontinue it when I'm done with my supply (about a week left) and try to remember to eat more foods that provide E. Getting the RDA through diet alone seems challenging, though, but I don't want to overdo it through supplements that might not even matter.

Thanks again for your comment!

My pleasure Mary. One thing I will caution is that blood tests don't always show the whole picture. Often they are measuring what is in the blood and not in the cells. There are specific blood tests where you can actually measure what is in your cells. Here is one I can remember but there is another company offering something similar. If you are interested let me know and I will find more info for you. I don't have the energy to pursue this for me at this time though.

https://www.spectracell.com/patients/patient-micronutrient-testing/

Also it is important (though you probably already are aware of this) to stop taking your supplements a specified amount of time (depending on the supplement) before any blood test otherwise you are more measuring what you just took vs what you are getting from it. Again if you are interested I will find the info for you. Offhand I remember the B vitamins need to be stopped about a week before lab work is done and same for the D vitamins.

And of course going by improvement in symptoms carries a lot of weight so that is great and may be enough for you to know.

 

[AGBF]

I was very sorry to read about Simon, missy. It is terrible to lose one of your babies. And one of your parents' babies is one of yours.

Big hugs,
(((missy)))
Deb

 

[mary poppins]

Eek, I was not aware of either of the points you made @missy. Thanks for the follow up. Interestingly, biotin affecting lab results came up in one of my AI forums yesterday, too, with someone posting these two articles https://www.labcorp.com/sites/defau...WLg7-mnlC5ya3ammkr1Mv6swTnFnfaZxcdd4cdrr1SKnc and https://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/...qLvQYlSVIEnWQ-mTHXyrODw7AfUCF0-LkR82q9mJXLyzU. That lead me to find this when poking around. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/ I'll have to look further into the issue regarding other Vs & Ss.

Hopefully my DEXA scans, though not blood lab related, are accurate. The last two in four years have shown improvement after daily supplementing with calcium orotate, D and K, plus increasing consumption of yogurt-based smoothies (and other calcium food, of course). I'm trying to get out of osteopenia status so as to avoid osteoporosis.

 

[missy]

I was very sorry to read about Simon, missy. It is terrible to lose one of your babies. And one of your parents' babies is one of yours.

Big hugs,
(((missy)))
Deb

Aww thank you so much @AGBF. Simon was on the older side so it helps knowing he had a good and long life after my parents rescued him from his tough beginning into this world. The saddest news of the week (so sad that we have more terrible bad news) is we lost a cherished and dear longtime friend the other day. All of a sudden. An autopsy is being done and it was probably a brain aneurysm or a heart attack. He had just turned 64. Heartbreaking.

On a lighter side because let's face it we cannot survive if we don't embrace joy while dealing with the pain and tragedy of loss and sadness did you see my thread on "Jewelry...The Body Transformed"...it is right up your (rich luxurious buttery) gold alley and I called your attention to it but I think you might have missed it. Here it is just in case you are interested and did not see it the first time around.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jewelry-the-body-transformed.245238/

 

[missy]

Eek, I was not aware of either of the points you made @missy. Thanks for the follow up. Interestingly, biotin affecting lab results came up in one of my AI forums yesterday, too, with someone posting these two articles https://www.labcorp.com/sites/defau...WLg7-mnlC5ya3ammkr1Mv6swTnFnfaZxcdd4cdrr1SKnc and https://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/...qLvQYlSVIEnWQ-mTHXyrODw7AfUCF0-LkR82q9mJXLyzU. That lead me to find this when poking around. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/ I'll have to look further into the issue regarding other Vs & Ss.

Hopefully my DEXA scans, though not blood lab related, are accurate. The last two in four years have shown improvement after daily supplementing with calcium orotate, D and K, plus increasing consumption of yogurt-based smoothies (and other calcium food, of course). I'm trying to get out of osteopenia status so as to avoid osteoporosis.

Yes I am aware of the Biotin issue and the question is how much Biotin is too much where it will interfere with lab testing. I have not yet been able to find a satisfactory ie definitive answer to my query. I believe in smaller amounts (that is under 3-4,000) you are probably OK and it is the larger doses that may and probably do interfere with lab testing but again not completely sure as to what amount will not interfere. I personally take 2000 mcg a day of Biotin and do not discontinue it more than a day before lab testing. But I am not sure that is not interfering with the lab tests and before my next blood draw I was planning on discontinuing the (relatively small amount I take) Biotin for 3-5 days before the testing.

Glad your DEXA scans are good and that your supplementation is helping you.

 

[AGBF]

Aww thank you so much @AGBF. Simon was on the older side so it helps knowing he had a good and long life after my parents rescued him from his tough beginning into this world. The saddest news of the week (so sad that we have more terrible bad news) is we lost a cherished and dear longtime friend the other day. All of a sudden. An autopsy is being done and it was probably a brain aneurysm or a heart attack. He had just turned 64. Heartbreaking.

On a lighter side because let's face it we cannot survive if we don't embrace joy while dealing with the pain and tragedy of loss and sadness did you see my thread on "Jewelry...The Body Transformed"...it is right up your (rich luxurious buttery) gold alley and I called your attention to it but I think you might have missed it. Here it is just in case you are interested and did not see it the first time around.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jewelry-the-body-transformed.245238/

I should have replied to this sooner, but I had replied in the thread you referenced, missy. (I hope that I used "reference" correctly. I hate it when people make verbs out of nouns as they do with the word "impact".) The thread about gold was wonderful and you put a huge amount of work into it. Anyone who loves gold should visit it.

Deb

 

[Cozystitches]

Ugh. Just typed out a whole vent, then thought the better of it. Essentially: Parents, please remember that I am highly qualified and certified and have been teaching for years, I kind of know what I'm doing.

 

[lyra]

I feel for you @Cozystitches . When my daughters were about middle school age I remember having to go to a meeting at school for my youngest daughter. I was kind of blindsided by having several teachers and the principal in attendance. They were walking on eggshells basically. They wanted to tell me that my daughter wasn't doing well in French Immersion, and that they thought she shouldn't continue in it. I said, okay, but can she still attend the school as it leads to the same high school as her sister. Huge sigh of relief all around. I don't know what they were expecting--I can only imagine they get yelled at a lot and wanted to present a united front or something. They literally exhaled I think. I always deferred to teachers. They are the experts. Just like I defer to doctors and other professionals. Take care!

 

[Cozystitches]

@lyra Its sad but too often we do walk on eggshells, and unfortunately it seems to be getting worse.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I like animals more than most people.

Back in August my neighbor had hip surgery (she is in her 30's) and called me on the phone to ask if I could come take care of her, help her up and down to the bathroom, get her snacks etc. Well this also happened to be the same time my beloved dog got sick and was in the hospital with kidney failure. Whatever day neighbor needed me I was there, texted to check up on her etc. Here I was caring for her and making decisions about how far to go with treatment for the dog.

Then I got the call from the vet that I had to go, she wasn't going to make it, I had told neighbor that I would sit with her since her husband had to take the kids to football, I feel really badly about having to leave her alone. Here I was feeling guilty about having to put my dog to sleep.

Well since then I have not gotten a text, a phone call, absolutely nothing from her. So I was important enough when she needed me but not anymore. And that makes me so mad because I could have spent more time with my dog instead of wasting it on her.

Rant over

 

[missy]

I like animals more than most people.

Back in August my neighbor had hip surgery (she is in her 30's) and called me on the phone to ask if I could come take care of her, help her up and down to the bathroom, get her snacks etc. Well this also happened to be the same time my beloved dog got sick and was in the hospital with kidney failure. Whatever day neighbor needed me I was there, texted to check up on her etc. Here I was caring for her and making decisions about how far to go with treatment for the dog.

Then I got the call from the vet that I had to go, she wasn't going to make it, I had told neighbor that I would sit with her since her husband had to take the kids to football, I feel really badly about having to leave her alone. Here I was feeling guilty about having to put my dog to sleep.

Well since then I have not gotten a text, a phone call, absolutely nothing from her. So I was important enough when she needed me but not anymore. And that makes me so mad because I could have spent more time with my dog instead of wasting it on her.

Rant over

I'm sorry @StephanieLynn. I agree that I prefer animals over many people.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your beloved dog.