New Endo!

[rabidsamfan]

Went and saw the new endocrinologist today.



And I must say that I'm a lot happier with this one! She's better at explaining what and why; she wants to hear from me if something goes strange, even if it's not on one of her days in the clinic (she has two children under the age of three); and most importantly she won't commit to a certain schedule of things because her attitude is that it all depends on what's going on with my body, not some ideal patient in the ether.

Yes!!!!!

I told her that I'd think about what she said and come back if I had questions and she was genuinely happy to hear me say so. But mostly it's that she explains things. She even explained what the other endo was thinking when she wanted to skin the time down. But the new gal wants DATA! Lots of DATA! She wants to know what the numbers are and what my symptoms are too. And she explained what will happen after the radiation more clearly too, and did the math in front of me so I could see what she was basing her calculations on.

This, says I, is going to be the start of a very good thing!

*bounce!*



Of course I also started the Low Iodine Diet today.

Let me just state that to the uninitiated tongue, no-salt matzo crackers are absolutely dreadful...

*bleah!*

Comments

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad that things are working out better for you with the new endo! But I am genuinely sorry about the nasty diet.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I went down to the haymarket and bought some fresh veggies and all, but I'm still not enthusiastic.

[shirebound]

Yay for a better doctor!!

Are you allowed butter? Saltless butter won't spice up the matzoh *that* much, but it's better than nothing.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

No. No dairy, no soy, minimum meat and minimum grain.

Gah...

I can use salt, I just can't use iodized salt, which is why I had to buy the saltless kind -- just in case the manufacturer was using iodized salt.

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

Yippee! Yay for the new endo! :-) Good for you, for taking your care in hand & changing doctors. Well done!

And matzo? There is nothing more tasteless than unsalted matzo. Blech.

Hewene

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Oh, it tastes like something all right, but not anything I'm going to mention in public!

*hopes peanut butter will help*

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

Oh, and do be careful. Matzo can have the same, um, effect on your digestion as all that calcium did...

Hewene

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I'm limited to four servings of grains a day, so I doubt I'll be eating that much of the stuff! *grin*

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

No-salt matzos are ghastly, but they're a bit better with no-salt peanut butter on them, if you can eat peanut butter.

Explanations and reasons are everything.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I can eat peanut butter. I can even salt the peanut butter, as long as I don't use iodized salt. But the matzos are not going to supplement my omelet tomorrow, believe me!

[mariole.livejournal.com]

hooray for the new endo! I like her already. *hugs*

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Me too! This is much much better.

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

Matzo can be divine if properly prepared! Since once a year I eat a lot of matzo for 8 days, here are some tips:

Matzo brei for breakfast, seasoned either savory with onion and garlic powder or Mrs. Dash, or with cinnamon and served with jam. Let me know if you want a recipe.

Matzo with jam or peanut butter or both.

No dairy does limit things a bit!

Glad you are happy with the new dr.!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

No dairy, no soy, no fish or shellfish or seaweed or anything else that is swimmy, limited meats (5oz per day) and limited grains (four servings...)

What is matzo brei?

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

What is matzo brei?

It's sort of the matzo version of french toast.

Hewene

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Does it work with just egg whites? No egg yolks either.

:p

A recipe would be nice!

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.... dunno. You could make it with Egg Beaters. They're all egg whites. (I do limited yolks, myself). You soak the matzo in a mixture of eggs and various seasonings, then fry it up (PAM or a non-stick pan helps with the fat factor). Can be sweat or savory, and the soaking in eggs makes the texture of the matzo less stale-crackerish.

Is this diet just until you have the scan and/or radioactive iodine treatment? I hope they don't mean for your diet to be this restrictive long-term...

Hewene

[sayhello.livejournal.com]

Oh, and make sure you break up the matzo first into 2-3" chunks. Irregular is fine. I don't really have a recipe per se, it was always one of those things you just threw together. Sounds like belleferret has an actual recipe, though...

H.

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

Yes I do, honed over the years by Jewish mothers and grandmothers, though personal tastes differ! :-)

First, run water briefly over a sheet of matzo then shake off excess water. I use 2 eggs per sheet of matzo. Yes you can use just egg whites or egg beaters. Beat the eggs in a bowl, add seasonings to taste (sweet or savory), and break the matzo into small pieces and add to the egg.

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Spray with non-stick coating, add mixture. Make sure you spread out the matzo pieces. Cook until it holds together well enough to flip and cook on the other side briefly. Serve with jam or peanut butter.

How much water you let soak in and the egg to matzo ratio (and how long you let that soak) will vary the texture of the final brei. Some use less matzo and add matzo meal (basically powered matzo) which will give a softer texture.

[piratesmoon.livejournal.com]

Well I'm glad I read all the comments before posting. I was going to say that the only thing more disgusting than salt-free matzo was matzo brei and leave it at that. I have the most horrible memories of spending Passover at my grandmother's house and being subjected to it. It was mushy and slimey and tasteless.

I know that there are people out there who love it so it may just be my grandmother's version. Glad someone was able to give you a recipie.

If I come up with any brilliant ideas for the diet I'll let you know.

[cara-chapel.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your new endo is working out so much better! It can be really hard working with a doctor you don't respect. :P

*HUGSHUGSHUGS*

Good luck on that diet, sweetie....

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I'm going to need it! Although I admit today wasn't too bad so far.

But it looks like I'm going to have to limit the Pepsi. BIG FROWNIE FACE!!!!!

Argh!

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Good to hear that the new doctor is so much better! And if you only have to avoid iodine salt, you should still be able to eat decent food.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Yes, if I can prepare it myself. A lot of restaurants/food prep companies use iodized salt and/or the first bag they found in the store. So it's a bit tricky.

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Start cooking yourself, dear... and if you use the right recipes, you might kill two birds with one stone. *grins*

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

You've never tasted my cooking, obviously. :p

And yes, I should be sleeping.

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

Dear, you never tried my very first miserable attempts to bring someone digestible on the table. I needed 20 years to get there where I am now. And there are easy recipes that can't go wrong, even if you have two left hands.

[lame-pegasus.livejournal.com]

*shrieks* O dear, did I really write "someone digestible"? Sorry.

*shakes head*

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

*snerk*

Well, I'm awake now!

*crawls back onto chair, still giggling*

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I tend to use the same username at gmail these days. Don't mind me deleting your comment, btw. I tend not to leave a complete e-mail address out where the spiders can find it... ;)

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

ugh, low iodine? Ugh. I'm sorry!

*hugs*

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

It's a nuisancy sort of thing. The endo said most people lose weight on it.

[dreamflower]

Yay! for the new doctor, who sounds perfectly lovely! *Ick* for the new diet...

Poor dear! But maybe you could pick yourself up some non-iodized salt to keep with you. I have a bottle of non-salt seasoning I keep in my purse for when I go out.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I've got some kosher salt, and I'll put some in a baggie for travelling.

It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks! The new endo wants me to stay on the diet for four days after the treatment, so I'm stuck till the second of July...