IBS relief

A very common and frustrating problem for many is irritable bowel (syndrome).

IBS is a diagnosis by exclusion.  This means if the doctor has excluded the other causes for altered bowel habit then ones bowel is diagnosed or labelled as being irritable.

There are several triggers for this including stress, certain drinks, caffeine, spices, lack of fibre etc.

A focus on ones diet does help greatly.  Simple measures including eliminating caffeine and alcohol and consuming more water improve the bowel environment.  Peppermint in tea or capsule form calm the bowel.
Bananas and melon also promote healthy bowel action.

Fibre supplements and antispasmodics may be prescribed by the doctor to treat constipation and bowel cramps.

Success at last

Yay I finally have a gardener!

After weeks trying to get hold of one I finally had some luck.  Going to get the flower beds done and the lawns and plantars and the bit I hate the most weeding!!!!

Here's to sitting outside and enjoying the most of my garden - that's if I ever get any time to ! lol

Riots in the UK

Hopefully things have calmed down from the horrific wave of rioting that has hit our towns and our streets.

Its been tough but the public and police have worked side by side in stopping the mayhem that was fast developing.

Things seem calmer now but sadly and tragically lives have been lost.

I wonder what the cost will be to the country to fix the damage caused by the riots and in their wake. My thoughts are with all those that have suffered

Rotten nails!

Fungal nail infections are a night mare.

Both to treat and to avoid from spreading to another nail. They are usually caused by a fungal skin infection that starts off as atheletes foot for instance and then results in the nail being invaded by the fungus causing unsightly thickened yellow and/or brittle nails.

Nail paints work to some extent but if more than one nail is infected or nail paints havent helped then oral antifungal treatment would be needed.

Sending nail clippings for fungal cultures is usually problematic as thus cultures can come back negative and the nails look typical of fungal nail infection and also respond to the treatment .

Its a common problem and a bit annoying to the patient

Toilet talk

There has been a good deal of campaigning on bowel cancer awareness and being alerted to altered bowel habits.

In the main going from your usual bowel habits to loose stool or poorly formed stool for more than a few weeks should be a cause for concern and trip to your GP.

A change to constipation would also warrant further assessment from your doctor.

Worrying signs such as weight loss and /or blood in the stool would be assessed by the doctor in deciding which pathway should be followed.

A positive family history of bowel cancer is also very relevant.

Fibre supplements are a good short term trial for restoring bulk and fibre to ones bowel and this may resolve loose stool.  However if this fails to work and the looseness persists then a visit to the GP is still warranted.

Flowers

Why is it so impossible to get a gardener?  Having tried several people most of whom didnt actually want the work I wonder if they must be over run with customers,   Oh well the search continues...........

Oh how we wait for the rain

In this extreme humidity we anxiously await the rain,
Is it just me who finds the heat so stifling?
I usually start to wither akin to my fuschia plant,
which once had lush flowers
has now dessicated
unlikely to survive the blazing sun any further/
Oh how we wait for the rain .......

Think I may have hay fever

Either that or I have a summer cold.

Not great as I just recovered from a stomach bug last week

Does hot weather cause hypoglycaemia?

Hot weather can be a cause of increased insulin absorption so those on insulin may find there blood glucose levels fluctuate due to the warm weather as insulin works faster.

There isnt much data out there on whether the heat has an effect on causing hypoglycaemia in non insulin dependant diabetics.