I like your attitude! I hope that you win sooner rather than later!

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I've just re-read every post in this thread and this stood out to me, apologies to your acquaintance if she's following this thread... my head was in a dark place at the time and it didn't register

I do sincerely hope she's fully recovered, or will make a full recovery soon.

I don't see degrees of suffering with this virus, only suffering.

No worries, Doddie. Yes, to the best of my knowledge, she has fully recovered now. She hasn't mentioned any ongoing issues in quite some time and she's been fairly active.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I seem to have mixed up my threads, much of what i've lately posted was intended for this thread and not for my other thread about "Long Covid", i'll link to what i think is a relevant point in that thread and move on with "My Experience" in this thread instead of the Long Covid thread.
viewtopic.php?p=26872#p26872

i.e. Supplements, my use of, i intended for that discussion to be in this thread.

Aside from Selenium which appears to have made a difference but not been 'the' answer, i also took delivery of Zinc, Quercetin and Niacin (B3 with Flush Effect) today that the author of the RUN-DMC video on YouTube suggests might help with NAD+ deficiency...

cf. Part 1 & part 2.
https://youtu.be/uQlBmy-T2W8
https://youtu.be/C3w7skYHcSg

Yes i know this is based on supposition and speculation but it has a grounding in science, add that they are over the counter food supplememnts... i feel that devoid of medical science/knowledge so far, it is a risk worth taking... the worst that i can imagine happening is i suddenly feel worse and i stop taking them.

An update on the supplements i decided to take, i've abandoned that approach because imo they didn't help and may have even set me back (?).

I've just come off the back of 3 days of what i feel has been the worst 3 days i've suffered for at least 2 months... GI pain, brain fog, insomnia all returned and hit me at the same time... prior to trying the supplements i had gone weeks when i was only suffering from one symptom at a time, to now be back at a level where i was hit by multiple symptoms at the same time suggests i need to get off the supplements asap.
(I didn't take any supplements yesterday, today i feel better, make up your own mind.)

Instead i've decided to do what i've been doing since this monster knocked me over in August, wait for science to find an answer and accept that there is no silver bullet (yet) and i'm in this for the long haul.

Fwiw, i don't regret trying the supplements, it's unlikely they'll have caused any long term damage, more likely they just they aren't for me.

Onwards and upwards, again.

A quick update, i managed to get through Christmas Day without any major upset, sort of...

Fwiw, for the last 20+ years i've dedicated Christmas Day to my wife in that i do everything for her, all she has to do is sat back, eat, and be merry.
Historically it's been a day we spend together and if my sister (or anyone else) wants to turn up on the day then they are welcome.

For obvious reasons this year was more complicated, we had contingency plans in place that if i was unable to function my wife would cook under direction from me... god help her! LOL

My wife is hopeless at cooking and can easily burn a boiled egg, i spent a period of time after i left school as a Commis Chef so while not fully trained, i can cook.

Anyway, the day panned out like this.... I had insomnia on Christmas Eve but did manage to get a couple of hours sleep so thought i'd be able to function for most of Christmas Day... Christmas Day started with the usual opening of presents etc but after i peeled the sprouts and potatoes etc, prepared the kilted sausages, and put the turkey in the oven, i hit a wall.

I got my oximeter out and my pulse rate was over 120bpm and it wasn't falling... from standing at a worktop?... this was not looking good.

As the turkey was going to take almost 3 hours to cook i decided to step back and rest for an hour, this turned out to be a good move because it did allow me enough of a rest to scale back what i'd intended to achieve yet still allowed us to enjoy the meal... doubtless the prosecco helped my wife get over my failings this year! lol

The next step is New Year...

My wife who was born in England but essentially brought up in Glasgow does her bit by cooking me a steak pie with all the trimmings (a Glasgow/West of Scotland tradition apparently) for Hogmanay when i'm not at work.

It's been a long time since i've brought in the bells but after this year i sincerely hope i am capable of doing so... I AM DONE WITH THIS YEAR... and i really want that pie!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Doddie. May 2021 finally bring you relief!

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Right back at you Steve and lang may yer lum reek

I had to look that Scottish phrase up -- thanks, and the very same to you!

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Hopefully 2021 will be better for all!

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I knew you'd have to look it up, just a wee bit of devilment on my part that i said it to you

For those that don't know...

Lang = Long
Lum = Chimney
Yer = Your
Reek= smoke, or smell.

So, "lang may yer lum reek" translates into "long may your chimney smoke"... a throwback to the days when all households in Scotland had coal fireplaces, the sentiment being that may you always have enough money to buy coal and stay warm... not everyone did.

Fyi, searching the term using Google sort of gives a correct translation on the first page of results but none quite get it right.

It's looking more promising by the day that it will, we all still have a way to go but the light at the end of the tunnel is for sure getting brighter

@Steve, i forgot to add, there is a New Years tradition in Scotland call "first footing".

Source: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-History-of-Hogmanay/

Much of the above seems to have faded away from when i was a child, my maternal grandmother was a fervent believer that the first person over her doorstep had to be tall and dark-haired to the point that she wouldn't allow me in her house (i was blonde back then) until someone with dark hair had been in her house after the bells... i quickly learned to phone ahead to ask if she'd been first footed already because standing on her doorstep in the freezing cold and not being allowed in was not a lot of fun!

To this day i buy shortbread for New Year, just in case... i bought a tin of shortbread at chrstmas just in case i need it at new year... i don't know why i still do that, tradition i guess?... i'm 57 and i've never needed it yet!

To this day if i was to visit anyones house on hogmanay or new years day i would never turn up without a bottle of spirits (Whisky or Vodka are acceptable today), to turn up without a bottle of something is still considered an insult... you don't need to drink it but you need to have one, and leave it behind when you leave.

Coal, black bun and salt have become folklore, at least in central Scotland... probably because coal and black bun are now very hard to find in central Scotland... Salt? not sure what that's all about other than it used to be a food preservative... all i know is no-one i know has ever been offended by anyone not turning up with salt!

Interesting traditions, Doddie. I can't think of any that I've been involved with. Well, perhaps one from childhood -- my parents were both Dutch. On New Year's Eve my parents would always make oliebollen. We were allowed to sample them as they came out of the oil, but they were meant to be eaten on New Year's Day.
https://dutchreview.com/culture/food/dutch-oliebollen/

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Steve, if you think first footing is interesting just wait until you you see this Shetland tradition!...

Shetland has a long tradition of viking fire festivals, none more so than the Lerwick Up Helly Aa...

What the Helly Aa? (Your guide to Shetland's Up Helly Aa fire festivals)
https://youtu.be/QgP9LAGV8DQ

Fyi, the computer studies student i shared a flat with in the 90's that first got me interested in computers was from Shetland, he tried to explain to me what Up Helly Aa was all about but it flew right over my head... fast forward 30 years and i still don't fully get it... but at least thanks to video i can marvel at the spectacle

p.s. I now really want some oliebollen

Sounds like a form of donuts to me. Looked it up and they are, sometimes, called Dutch donuts. Hmmm, I DO have a deep fryer... would need to get a gallon of oil though. Sigh, I couldn't get a little Fry Daddy or something that just takes a couple of pints of oil... Nooo, I need to get something with two baskets that takes a lot of oil. My fryer does get used but not often due to the amount of needed oil. If just for myself I tend to just use a deep sauce pan. Ya, I can filter and save the oil in my fridge but I worry about how long it would stay good. Hmmm, I wonder if you can freeze Safflower oil... ? Sigh, just searched and freezing is not advised as it changes the structure of the oil.

Might go well for a breakfast plate with corn fritters. BTW, corn fritters are best with a bit of maple syrup.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18040/corn-fritters/
The recipe is basic. Personally I like to add a touch of nutmeg and a decent dose of black pepper.

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I agree, definitely sounds like donuts, or doughnuts as we call them

One of the first recipes i stumbled on was:
Oliebollen – Traditional Dutch Doughnuts
https://honestcooking.com/oliebollen-traditional-dutch-doughnuts/

I'd imagine that enough oil to deep fry in any pot is all that's required.

So do I!

That video about Up Helly Aa was fascinating. Very cool tradition. I wonder how many residents don't care about it -- I assume not many.

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

Yes, oliebollen are very much like doughnuts and very delicious (and fattening!).

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I really enjoyed watching that video Doddie, I never knew the amount of work that goes into it. When you see it reported on TV all you see is the procession of the torches but you don't get to know what goes into it.

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Joan Archer
http://crossstitcher.webs.com

A wee bit more about first footing, this video pretty much sums it up... his interpretation isn't 100% accurate probably because he's just a nipper, especially when it comes to The Tron on Hogmanay of days past, but it's close enough... add that the City Centre did look beautiful this year without tourists

Scottish New year tradition of First Footing
https://youtu.be/2Cy3zlsMdno

FYI, before the City Council saw an opporunity to raise revenue (wih hamburger stalls and such, spit), a visit to The Tron and then onto a house party was the norm in Edinburgh... within two years of the City Council organising 'the street party' on Princes Street the house parties in Edinburgh all but died.

Every tenement back in the day had a house party where the door was open to everyone, it's sad that that doesn't exist today because it was a means for neighbours to bond and form lifelong friendships that without Hogmanay wouldn't have happened... oh well, that's the world today.

Another update and things are beginning to look very encouraging

My health appears to be steadily improving now, to the point that i had a long telephone conversation with my doctor today and we've both agreed that if things continue as they are then i should aim to return to work in February.

The change in my health over the last 3-4 weeks has been quite incredible, gone is the GI pain and nausea that have plagued me since August, gone is the exhaustion and fatigue... there are still symptoms that persist, e.g. tinitus & insomnia etc but i see them as relatively minor and i should be able to work around them if they persist when/if i return to work. I'm also still suffering from short term memory loss at times but these appear to have reduced from not remembering whole events down to losing words when i talk... e.g. If i'm talking about a bus, i forget what a bus is called even though in my minds eye i can picture a bus and i know what it is, i just can't find the word "bus" in my vocabulary (a very odd feeling that has given me a new insight into how dementia sufferers must feel).

My doctor has signed me off work for a further 3 weeks, if all goes too plan and i don't have any further relapses then i should be fit to return to work on or around February the 1st

I see today as a corner turned but i'm still wary to consider calling it a milestone... i really want it so bad to be a milestone but the one thing that i've learned about Covid-19 is it nearly always has a sting in the tail when you least expect it.

Fingers crossed the tail has run out of stings and i can begin what will still undoubtedly be a long road to get my life and health back... nearly 6 months of inactivity doesn't come without a cost though, something i know i'll have to work on to get myself back to pre-covid levels.

The road i've been down since early last year has been so different and difficult, mostly because i didn't know i was on that road and when i found out it was the wrong road no-one knew how to get me off it.
Today i feel like i've turned a corner and i'm now on the right road, i can see a milestone, i just need to pass that milestone and i know i'll be a mile closer to my goal.

Isn't life an odd road.

Fingers crossed for you, Doddie!

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

It looks like i may finally be winning, fyi i love this song when life gets in my face...

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - I Won't Back Down (Official Music Video)
https://youtu.be/nvlTJrNJ5lA

I have another favourite from the UK in the 70's but the more i listen to the lyrics i think that posting it here now would be entirely inappropriate, which is shame but i need to respect the Forum. I already consider posting Tom Petty as pushing the limits because of the undertone some might read into it. It's sad but probaly true.