Sounds good Tom ;

Instead of laxatives, try fiber ~ I tale Psyllium daily and wow, what an improvement .

I just take a table spoon or two of it in water and no discomfort whatsoever .

I sit down on the stool like a fool and relax and everything just falls out .

You have to try it to believe / understand it .

You'll need far less toilet paper too, no more endless wiping .

Forget the crackers, biscuits and pills, they're all crap ~ your body wants and needs lots of fiber to scrape the colon clean .

The improved energy is amazing too .

I tried the bargain brand Psyllium because my Doctor said all were the same, HE LIED ~ the cheapo stuff works fine but is like swallowing sand, DON'T TRY IT .

Good to hear you're on the mend and trying to avoid the heavy meds .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Ahhh, ain't old age grand? When we were younger we couldn't give a shyte and now we can't!

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

If you do the fiber thing, you'll be crapping like it or not .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Soluble starch. I think psyllium husk falls into that category. A few years ago I learned of the research about resistant starch. That’s a type of starch that has a tight molecular structure until being cooked, such that if you consume it, it resists being digested. Makes it to your colon where are the good bacteria (happy face) ferment it and make a good meal out of it. The byproducts of the reaction have benefits. Too long for me to try to describe, and I don’t want to assume to be an expert on it. The same starches when cooked and warm (allegedly) blossom inti a sort of tree-like shape with leaves, such that your digestive process in the stomach and small intestine can turn it into blood sugar.

One side benefit is it gives you really nice bowel movements. It’s controversial stuff, nutritionists of the formal, college trained variety think it’s heresy. One easy way to get it is with potato starch. Who would’ve thought that 2 tablespoons of potato starch mixed with water before going to bed would help you lose weight?

Lately I use more plantain flour than I do potato starch. The formula I now take perhaps three or four times a week before bed (supposed to help you sleep believe it or not and give good dreams, I think it’s true) is 2 tablespoons of plantain flour, 1 tablespoon each of potato starch and psyllium husk, a half teaspoon of turmeric and some collagen and/or nutritional gelatin. Sometimes I include my electrolyte mixture which has stevia leaf added. I normally can’t stand stevia, seems all of the electrolyte supplements come with it, but given that the resistant starch mix, especially with the turmeric added is a bit rough tasting, the stevia almost helps a bit - at least is not so objectionable.

I got into the electrolyte stuff at the urging of a friend. He claims that US soils have been irrigated so much that many of the minerals have been washed out. I also add a little bit of extra magnesium liquid, at his recommend, my study indicates he’s correct. Electrolyte, especially magnesium deficiency is a causative factor of leg cramps. I had been going through a rash of incidents of waking up at night with leg cramps that were hard to get rid of. I mean seriously painful and disruptive leg cramps. In the past, I’ve been able to quickly calm them down by stretching the muscles involved. Suddenly that tried-and-true method was not so effective. Who knows, the cramps are gone now, and I am happy for it.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Today was not much fun but we did dislodge the log jam. I an trying to get off all narcotics as they cause the plugging. The pain from the operation is pretty bearable now.

Thanks for all the kind comments! I am sorry but am feeling pretty glum now. Hopefully will feel more cheerful tomorrow.

Tom

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Not to worry Tom ;

This too is a normal result .

Hang in there and follow the doctor's orders to a "T" to heal up faster and less painfully .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Feeling pretty good now, thanks guys!

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Upon reflection without good insurance I would not be able to do anything that I really want to. People without the benefit of good insurance are at the mercy of every day life occurrences. Any of my major medical procedures would be impossible to fix and life ruining.

Good healthcare free to everybody is what is needed.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Careful there Tom ;

The liars will pounce on that statement .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

True. But actually being able to provide that is the issue. I was in the dentists chair this morning for a throroughly unpleasant root canal which took almost two hours. During which I was reflecting on the costs involved in the procedure. The single use instruments, the X-Ray's on tap, the salaries of the staff, the rent of the suite etc. I'm not saying I'm happy with my bill, nor that the "system" in the US is equitable or acceptable, but the idea that all this can be provided for free doesn't quite stack up some how.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Universal health care generally is paid for out of taxes If it feels free at all it is just because you never get a bill. I never think of it as free.

The best universal systems have prorated premiums. By the amount of tax you pay. You do not feel them but they are there. So free no and the premium is cheaper. The concept of free is just propaganda.

There are problems with universal health care systems. There are also problems with the for profit systems. Hybrids or attempts to mix the two systems are not good. I have looked at various examples.

The Canadian system is total coverage from birth until death. The yearly cost of medicine under both systems increases faster than yearly inflation.

Unless they find an economical cure for Cancer. Probably both systems will be in trouble down the road. Or peoples wallets will be.

Prescription drugs costs are brutal in America. If you have a drug plan your copay is about what our retail cost is. If we do not have a drug plan. We carried a drug plan until we were 65. Copay was five dollars a prescription fill. There is no plan as such. At 65 and older you cannot pay more than about 300 dollars a year in copays.

After a heart attack or anything else requiring expensive prescription drugs. If you are younger and do not have a drug plan. They will just give you the medications rather than see you back in the hospitals. You would have to provide a means test though.

My guess is that it would not be hard to do. If you still had kids at home for a lot of people. I was concerned about a universal health care system about 60 years ago when we first got it. I felt we should pay for office visits and anything above that was covered. The reasoning at that time for full coverage was some of the population could not afford office visits.

I suspect that universal systems also give you generally a healthier population. I see no substantial abuse. If you think you might have a problem. There is nothing financially to think about. You just go to the doctors. Or hospital emergency departments.

I want to see the hidden premium increased in Canada. I can afford it. Many may not. I feel the system is underfunded currently. Having something like this for almost sixty years. The importance of it does not stay front and center. Instead it is taken for granted.
My vascular surgeon an American once told me that you Canadians do not know how fortunate you are and take the medical set up for granted. I had to correct him. Not all of us do. It takes no imagination at all to know what the alternative is in north America.

I am for so called free enterprise in general. Just not in the context of the medical field. None of us really want extensive government interference in our lives. Yet to me it is creeping up on the population of north America anyways. Usually in the form of ever increasing regulations and laws.

The top ten percent of north Americans avoid more taxes than the ninety percent under them pay. A pretty unbalanced state of affairs. The talk of entitlement never seems to apply there.

Free is not the right word. Included in our citizenship package.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Very little in life is free .

Taxes are the price one pays to live in civilization .

Those who whine endlessly about too many taxes are almost always dishonest snowflakes who are the very first to complain when they're asked to be responsible on any level .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Yesterday my walking progress was seeming stalled....so I bought a higher quality walker with four wheels on it. Lovely device. Not that expensive but an investment.

Today I did so well by evening I was walking without any devices.

Wooo Hoooo!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My turn. I'll be having L4 positioned back over L5 during Oct. Seems it is misaligned 20mm. Once somewhat realigned they will be tied together.

The technical terms of what all is going on is:
Degerative spondylolisthesis
Spinal stenosis
Spondylilysis

Needless to say I'll be closing up shop for a few weeks.

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Jim