diet improvements

YAY!  I have finished two full days of my new diet and gotten partly through day three.  Although I know it doesn't mean much, I've already lost a fair amount of weight!  I was very hungry all day, day one, and 2/3s of day two and then it subsided a little and today, it is better yet.  I'm still a little hungry, but not in pain (my stomach really hurt for 1 2/3 days) and I can think of something other than how hungry I feel.  This is a good thing because I have a lot of other stuff to do--like work ont he adoption etc.  I couldn't concentrate on it (or anything else) for the first couple days.  Piano Boy has gone off to Landslide, which is a skater Park 45 minutes away by car--he's gone with a friend, and Biker Buddy had to work today, so I am home alone and hope to be able to concentrate enough to accomplish something.  YAY!  Hope hope.

HUNGRY

I am very hungry.  I got up hungry yesterday, was hungry all day, and went to bed hungry.  I got up hungry today and have been very hungry all day so far.  My stomach hurts.  Diets are a drag.  I keep hoping I will lose my appetite a little.  I sometimes do when I am dieting, after the 3rd or fourth day.

A Portrait of Paul

A Portrait of Paul, by Mary Stebbins Taitt.

See original smudge painting.
See sepiaed version.

Vertigo!

I am having an episode of vertigo. It started before 7 AM when I got up and has lasted over 2 hours so far and is not gone yet. It seems to rise and fall in intensity. The room and everything in it is "spinning." It had the senses of spinning but actually appears to repeatedly move off to one side. It is accompanied by a feeling of dizziness and a slight sense of nausea that also rises and falls. I am having trouble functioning. I stagger and lurch when I walk, and when I look at the computer screen, it moves to one side and makes me dizzy and nauseous. I had a terrible time making the bed.

My Neurologist, Dr. Moudgil, says that my "Vertigo Episodes" could be caused by my brain tumor, which is in the area of the brain associated with balance.

I also wonder if it could be caused or triggered or affected by my food sensitivities. I know everyone will laugh at this notion, but the reason I wonder this is that this episode is accompanied by fevers and sweats, restlessness, poor sleep and other symptoms that have been related to food sensitivities in the past. This could be coincidental because I ate out last night.

So far, all my episodes of vertigo have begun with getting up in the morning.

Vertigo can also be caused by vestibular (inner ear) disorders.

I just did some research and learned that diet CAN affect vertigo! Here are some dietary considerations:

General Guidelines

Dietary strategies for regulating fluid balances involve modifying the amount of certain substances consumed (and reducing fluctuations in those amounts), as well as reducing or eliminating other substances that can adversely affect the inner ear. Components of these dietary strategies include:

• Distributing food and fluid intake evenly throughout the day and from day to day.
• Avoiding foods and beverages that have a high sugar or salt content. Foods with complex sugars (e.g., those found in legumes and whole grains) are better choices than foods with a high concentration of simple sugars (e.g., table sugar and honey). Sodium intake also affects body-fluid levels and their regulation. Each individual's physician will be the best judge of appropriate levels of sodium intake.
• Drinking adequate amounts of fluid daily. If possible, fluid loss from exercise or heat should be anticipated, and extra fluids drunk before and during exercise and in hot weather.
• Avoiding foods and beverages with caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that can make tinnitus louder. Its diuretic properties also cause excessive urinary loss of body fluids.
• Limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption. Alcohol can directly and adversely affect the inner ear by changing the volume and composition of its fluid.
• Avoiding migraine triggers including foods that contain the amino acid tyramine. Examples of such foods include red wine, chicken liver, smoked meats, yogurt, chocolate, bananas, citrus fruits, figs, ripened cheeses (e.,g., cheddar and Brie), and nuts.

Non-dietary substances

Some non-dietary substances can increase symptoms of vestibular disorders as well. Aspirin can increase tinnitus, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, can interfere cause water retention or electrolyte imbalance.

Note that last night I had one and 7/8 large glasses of beer which is very unusual for me. It says above (and bears repeating) that: Alcohol can directly and adversely affect the inner ear by changing the volume and composition of its fluid. SO there are two possible causes for my problem: the tumor, and unusual alcohol consumption. However, since I eat simple sugars daily and do not experience vertigo daily, the dietary connection may not be the case of my problem.

I am still experiencing some vertigo 2 1/2 hours after it started.

leaf pattern

I love the colored leaves of fall.

Detail from Migration

Detail from my second to latest piece.

Grateful

Biker Buddy and I are grateful that we had the morning to play at giving each other things to be thankful for and we're thankful we still have the prowess and energy to make each other thankful.  LOL!  YAY!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Biker Buddy's spontaneous humor

This morning Biker Buddy and I were telling each other the things we were thankful for and I said, giving him a hug, "I am thankful you are such a long drink of water."

He responded, "Well, I guess that's better than a short hork of phlegm." (We both laughed so hard we almost choked.) (GAK!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hamilton

We're headed for Hamilton today, be back Tuesday. This picture is
from the Conservatory there, at the Botanical Gardens. Have a great
weekend!

X-rays and brain tumor connection

Because my mother had the same kind of brain tumor I have, I worry that a sensitivity to X-rays might be a possible cause of my meningioma and worry that I should avoid X-rays, but I have a toothache. The dentist wants to give me X-rays. :-(

If interested, see study below.

Lancet Oncology 2007; 8:403-410

DOI:10.1016/S1470-2045(07)70107-9

Articles

Genetic predisposition for the development of radiation-associated meningioma: an epidemiological study

Pazit Flint-Richter PhD a and Dr Siegal Sadetzki MD email address a b Corresponding Author Information

Summary

Background

Ionising radiation is an established risk factor for meningioma, yet less than 1% of irradiated individuals develop this tumour. Familial aggregation of meningioma is rare. We aimed to assess whether genetic factors can modify the risk for meningioma formation after the initiating effect of radiation, by comparison of the frequency of meningiomas in families that included irradiated and unirradiated siblings.

Methods

This study was based on a larger epidemiological, genetic case-control study, and included 525 families that were divided according to irradiation and disease status of each of the family's index participant: 160 had radiation-associated meningioma (RAM); 145 were irradiated and did not develop meningioma; 85 had meningioma with no previous history of irradiation; and 135 were unirradiated and did not develop meningioma. Data were collected by questionnaires.

Findings

We found additional first-degree relatives with meningioma in 17 families (11%) in the RAM group, whereas only between one and two such families (1%) were found in the other groups (p<0·0001). p="0·04)." color="yellow">Interpretation

This dataset of families, which included irradiated and unirradiated, and also affected and unaffected family members, created a natural experiment. Our results support the idea that genetic susceptibility increases the risk of developing meningioma after exposure to radiation. Further studies are needed to identify the specific genes involved in this familial sensitivity to ionising radiation. DNA repair and cell-cycle control genes, such as the ataxia-telangiectasia gene, could be plausible candidates for investigation.

Affiliations

a. Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology Unit, Gertner Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel

another study, another study,

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