Darkoshi

I put what I thought was 6 drops of Vitamin D on my spoon, put it in my mouth and started swallowing it. The taste was unexpected; strong and sweet instead of mild and oily. Realizing it was iodine drops instead of Vitamin D, I spit out as much as possible into the sink. I don't want to overdose on iodine. Per that article, 6 drops would still have been under the recommended upper limit, but it would have been half-way there.

I don't take either of those supplements on a frequent or regular basis; I also take chewable children's multivitamins. Both bottles are quite old; I suspect the D may have lost potency so I'm less worried about taking more of it. But iodine is a mineral which I imagine is less likely to lose potency, and its dosage is a single drop per day to get 100% of the recommended amount.

Most people don't need to supplement with iodine, but I had read that vegans often have low levels of it.

Vitamin & Mineral interactions chart
Sneaky Vitamin and Mineral Interactions

Taking A, C, iron together is good.
But don't combine iron calcium or zinc.

Taking Calcium & D together is good. (and E, Selenium, Zinc). (and A).

Most minerals compete with each other.
Magnesium & Zinc reduce absorption of calcium, and vice versa.

But I have Calcium+Magnesium+Zinc tablets... is that a good thing? Ie., if you're taking more of one of them, you should take more of the others too, to make sure you don't get deficient in them? Or is it pointless to take them together?

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Every once in a while I read something that makes me think "I should try supplementing with ***, maybe it will help my ***."

The latest such *** was magnesium. I had read that if you're deficient in magnesium, that can prevent vitamin D from being absorbed (and possibly vice versa, that taking a lot of D can make you deficient in magnesium). Both Qiao and I already take vitamin D supplements. I also read that magnesium deficiency can cause "nerve and muscle problems, such as muscle twitches".

So I thought, maybe taking magnesium will help these nerve issues I've been having. (And more lately, knee/joint issues.) I read that even though magnesium is plentiful in food, many people are deficient in it. For a while, I was taking one Tums tablet each morning for extra calcium. But maybe taking extra calcium like that without extra magnesium, was bad. I had since stopped taking the Tums anyway, due to quandaries as to whether doing so was any good.

Then I looked for magnesium supplements in the store, and found the above-mentioned Calcium+Magnesium+Zinc combo (each tablet ~33% RDA), and decided to try it. I don't like swallowing a lot of pills, so I've been crushing 2 tablets with a pill crusher each morning. If I mix the crushed tablet with a small amount of Kashi cereal (the kind which is like shredded wheat) and soymilk, it tastes ok. (Other things I tried mixing it in with, even a different kind of cereal, didn't taste good.)

According to the 2nd article, fiber decreases magnesium absorption. Kashi cereal and the other stuff I eat for breakfast tends to be high in fiber. (Fiber is supposed to be good for you!) But hopefully not enough to nullify the potential benefit of the magnesium.

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Before that, rather recently actually, *** was Vitamin K. I don't even remember why... maybe for my bones or teeth.

According to this page on vitamin K, it works together with vitamin D. So maybe it's good to take the calcium/magnesium/zinc, and the D, and the K in the morning all together. Along with my cereal and soymilk, which provides some fat for the fat-soluble D & K vitamins.

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Those dancers I posted vids of, their hand movements: Reminds me of how I tend to move my hands while dancing. (and OMG, that Illan dancer reminds me of !me! somehow, like that is totally how I would look dancing, if I had a flat chest, and if I were still young and flexible.) (BODY ENVY) But at the moment, I can't even imagine moving my hands and wrists like that without them getting very achy. I'm quite sure the best remedy for that would be for me to get more sleep, as opposed to any supplements. I do try, I really do.

Edits post again: Now, not to say that I'm old or decrepit. I am still rather flexible, just a bit out of shape, and these achy wrists don't help. I know I still got a pretty damn good body for the most part. But still, BODY ENVY, like that is totally! how I should look.
In that performance, he even did the !spinning! thing exactly like I used to like doing. But my *old*decrepit* head can't do it anymore without feeling sick and dizzy from it.

Not having cooked methi before, I thought it was okay to include the stems. Wrong - the chopped up stems remained tough and fibrous even after cooking.

I had cooked the greens with mustard seeds, which in spite of my familiarity with their popping action, made a bit of a mess on the stove.

Because of the stems, I told Qiao that he didn't have to eat his portion. Then, after meticulously picking out all the stems, I ate the remaining good parts up all by myself, just to get rid of the mess and be done with it. That was Sunday evening.

I didn't notice the methi having any strong flavor. Raw, it tasted simply like mild greens to me. This seemed odd, as I had read that it had a distinctive taste. I recall fenugreek seeds not having much of a smell either - only a light butterscotch smell.

Cooked, it was like spinach. Most of the taste was from the mustard seeds.

Fast-forward to Monday afternoon. I was surprised by and self-conscious of a smell emanating from my underarms, even though I had washed and used deodorant like usual that morning. After getting home in the evening, I washed and applied more deo, but the smell persisted. I worried that my deodorant was no longer working for me.

Tuesday morning, I showered and again applied deo. I even re-applied some deo before and after my lunch-time walk outside in the 100-degree heat. But I still noticed the odor. It's not even a very bad smell, but definitely unfamiliar. It's not the normal smell of my sweat.

So I wondered if it was from something I had eaten. I've been trying out SAM-e supplements... but I had started those over a week ago. Furthermore, I had gotten sweaty working in the yard on both Saturday and Sunday, without noticing this odor.

Then I remembered the methi and mustard seeds. I had eaten mustard seeds in the past without any ill effect. Could it be due to the methi? Yep, apparently so.


Fenugreek pungent sweat, how to get rid of it?
(from a comment on that page) Fenugreek contains an aromatic compound called Soletone. It smells sweet like maple and a bit curry-like. It is the scent that people notice wafting off of people from certain countries where it is commonly eaten. These people do not notice it since they and those they know mostly smell like it, so to them it isn’t an odd thing. Some Asians have commented that Americans all smell like rancid butter, which is probably true based on our diet. Some Asians smell like fermented cabbage to other people. The fact is that most of us shower every day and these smells have nothing to do with hygiene (although this can be a separate issue).

The Mystery of the Maple Syrup Smell

ETA: My body odor continued to smell of fenugreek for a whole week, even though I had only eaten it that one day!

I was referred to a specialist last week as the therapeutic options (compresses, massage, eye drops, antibiotics) weren't succeeding to get rid of the chalazions. I suppose my optometrist wasn't comfortable doing more than that, even though I saw a certificate on his wall indicating he had been trained in minor eye surgery.

The new doctor said I have blepharitis, which is a chronic condition. She said that when the clogged pores get infected and walled off, that is when they become chalazions. (That's interesting, as I had read that chalazions are not caused by infections, but some sites also corroborate what she said.) Even though my left eye hasn't had problems so far, she said that the meibum secretions on that eye are thicker than normal too.

She gave me 2 injections into the chalazions. The first one hurt rather badly while she was doing it as she moved the needle around a little bit; the 2nd one not as much. But I'd say each injection was finished in under 10 seconds, so they really weren't that bad.

So far, I can't tell if the injections helped any, but she said it could take up to a month. She's keeping me on antibiotics at a reduced dosage. I'm using the Azasite drops again on the lid margin, and I've also started taking vegan omega-3 (DHA+EPA) supplements.

Normally, meibum helps keep an even tear film on the eye. When the secretions are abnormal, this can cause an uneven tear film. This could explain the worsened vision in my eye, and also why the vision sometimes seems better or worse.

These last weeks (even before the injections and starting the omega-3), my hair&scalp have been greasier than usual, and my face/neck has been breaking out in lots of small bumps/pimples. I suspect it is a side effect of the antibiotics and/or eye-drops. But that's odd, as the antibiotics are also sometimes prescribed *against* acne. I remember my face breaking out like this 2 other times. Once was after my jaw got broken and was wired shut to heal (I was on antibiotics then too). The other time was while on birth control pills to reduce the uterine lining in prep for getting the Essure implants.

Qiao is home. He's doing well, considering that he can't put weight on his right foot and that his left arm is still weak, etc.

He is using a "pollywog" wheelchair. It has 4 small wheels, so that the 2 big wheels can be popped off when necessary, for it to fit in narrow spaces. Fortunately, after I took down the bathroom door and some of the cabinet doors and handles, the wheelchair fits into the bathroom even with the big wheels on. That way Q can get in and out of there on his own. He can also stand up on his own, as long as he keeps his weight on only his left foot.

I tried out the wheelchair myself, and was impressed. It's much more maneuverable than I imagined. You can move forward or backward by turning both wheels at once. If you turn only one wheel, it curves. If you turn one wheel forward while turning the other backward, then you spin in place - that's rather fun to do.

I had wondered at first if we could take off one of the big wheels and leave the other on, since that would have made the chair narrower, and Q's left arm is still weak anyway. But with it that way, when you turn the one big wheel, the chair only moves in a curve, not straight - unless you propel it using your feet.

It was 109 degrees here on Friday and Saturday. Today a late afternoon thunderstorm cooled things off.

Vitamin D2 tablets are harder to find than I expected. CVS and Earthfare didn't have any, though they had several kinds of Vitamin D3. Fortunately, Rosewood Market did have one kind of D2.

I've started taking daily Selenium and Vitamin D supplements. After the first day of taking them, my lower back achiness/stiffness was surprisingly and significantly reduced, and I was hopeful... But I had also taken an Alleve (naproxen) tablet, against a headache. It must have been the naproxen that helped with my back, as the achiness came back even though I've continued taking the Selenium and Vit. D.

It hadn't previously occurred to me to take pain relievers against my back aches; I generally only take them for headaches or menstrual cramps. If I thought it would cure my problems, I surely would take them. But I think it would only mask the problem.

I went for a small walk/jog one day last week. The sun was bright in my eyes, and the wind was windy in my ears. I was only able to jog short distances before having to slow down to a walk to catch my breath. But it was good to do it, after not having done it in such a long time.

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Zorro somehow got her collar off again today and chewed it up. The same thing happened with her prior collar a few weeks ago. I may have to get her a metal collar, so that she can't just keep chewing them up. Maybe I could get some metal chain, but attach a piece of elastic cord, so that it could pull off if she gets stuck. I worry about her or Serena getting their jaws caught on each other's collars, since they rough-house around so much.

I was thinking that it would be very cute if I could get Zorro and Serena capes to wear for Halloween. Zorro could have a black cape, and Serena could have a red cape, and they'd be Batman and Robin! It would look so neat for them to be running across the yard with their capes fluttering behind them. But in reality, they'd probably chew them up first.

ETA: Robin had a yellow cape? Oh well, make that yellow then.