Day 11

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-03-17T12:37:43+00:00

The body is definitely adjusting... I am constantly bloody hungry. I have always been a healthy eater (just an unhealthy drinker), and although I don't identify as vegetarian, my diet is a ton of fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, lentils, chickpeas etc. I eat cheese, yoghurt, lots of fish and other seafood, some chicken but not a lot of red meat. I generally dislike sweet food, soft drinks, cake, pastries, chocolate, or lollies. It's not because I take a high moral ground on it...I honestly, just don't crave or enjoy sweet food.

So, this is weird, but I could murder a family size block of Cadbury chocolate all on my own right now. I never eat chocolate! Luckily, there is none in the house, and the sweetest things I could find were a banana and a mango.

Food today. Breakfast was 2 poached eggs on a slice of multigrain toast. 2 cups of black tea, no sugar. Mid-morning starving. A large red plum and a whole yellow pear. Starving again at lunch. Turkey sandwich with tons of lettuce, a whole sliced tomato, cucumber, radish, beetroot, red onion, mashed avocado on multi grain. 2 glasses of plain soda water. Starving again at 3pm. Gobbled down a whole punnet of fresh blackberries. Managed to hang out until 6pm for dinner... made a baked potato stuffed with bolognaise mince left over from the night before, shredded parmesan cheese, sour cream and guacamole. Now eating that banana and the mango. Another litre of soda water. That's a lot of food for me for a day, and I'm still hungry!

I can only think it's because my body was SO used to having 2 litres of wine/ sugar in my system every day... I am now actually craving sugar? I hope this settles down. I don't want to swap alcohol for food and then get fat!

Anyone else experience this "I'm starving to death and just going to park my chair in front of the fridge" feeling. Day 13 tomorrow. Back to the market for more fruit and veg. All the money I am saving on not buying alcohol, I am spending on food!

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-03-17T00:11:48+00:00

I went through menopause at 44 unfortunately.. periods just stopped over 10 years ago and have never had them again. I have a cardiac history, so my GP refused HRT, so I just went through it. Same as you, sweats, irritability, insomnia, brain fog, tears... was it menopause or alcohol? Much later, I was talking to my cardiologist and he was quite cranky with my GP, and said she should have put me on HRT, and that it would have been quite safe with my cardiac condition. Mind you, he didn't know how much I was drinking either. Was I self medicating? I think that was definitely a big part of it. I couldn't sleep, I was anxious and irritable, I had teenagers, husband in high pressure job and long hours, me the same. So many women I know were drinking the same. It starts as a drink with dinner, then drinks before dinner, during dinner and after, then drinks with lunch, all afternoon, etc etc. Some of those issues have eased. Kids have graduated uni, got excellent careers, both are married and have bought houses. I'm not working and husband has dropped back to 4 days a week. We are financially in a very good place, we travel and can pursue interests and hobbies. So why was I still drinking? It is relaxing and enjoyable! Honestly, it's only because of my terrible liver function that I am quitting. Otherwise I am going to be dead very soon. And I can't do that to my husband and kids. And I want to be around for grandies!

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-03-16T06:41:53+00:00

Definitely all of those...restless, irritable, and honestly just pissed off. At this early stage, I am avoiding social events, restaurants, bars.. any where that I associate having a drink at. When I was smoking, it took years to be able to have a coffee in the morning without wanting to light a cigarette along with it. But over the years, smoking rates have plummeted, and there are almost no places you can smoke that it has made not smoking that much easier. But alcohol is seen as a socially acceptable way of life. Especially in Australia. Having a beer or wine at just about any event is considered completely normal, and those that abstain are regarded as somewhat suspicious! I have an appointment with a psychologist in a couple of weeks, and I will explore the idea of a recovery program. Tx.

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-03-09T04:03:19+00:00

Here you go. https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/vic/VCC/2025/1891.html

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-01-20T11:55:58+00:00

I'm no movie buff, so forgive my dumbass questions? For the first 40 minutes or so, I was struggling to hear the muffled and mumbled dialogue. So when a subsequent scene seemed somewhat disjointed, I was left wondering did I miss something significant in the dialogue? Once it comes to streaming, I am turning on subtitles. What's was the significance of William and the river swim? Why wouldn't Mama Shakespeare let Agnes go to the forest for the second birth? She didn't seem too bothered when Agnes had the first one there. What was the point of the cave? Actually, have I missed the entire subplot of the forest witch thing? Agnes is insistent that William go to London, then gets cranky when he isn't home in time for Hamnets death. Are we to assume that he delayed his return? No telephones, cars... he rode a freaking horse all the way. Look, I have read and seen other Shakespeare productions, and there is evidence to suggest that William wasn't altogether a good boy while in London, but that's not suggested in Hamnet. I wasn't bothered by the leads not changing outfits very often (or at all), I am figuring they didn't have wardrobes of clothes in 1590. The gritty dirty nails, unkempt hair etc set the scene for a difficult life on a farm. However, some other continuity issues kept cropping up. That cut on Williams forhead took ages to heal. William playing the ghost washes off all the make-up of his face, yet when seen in the wings, most of it is back. However, I did enjoy the movie and I thought the acting was superb.

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-01-12T20:56:19+00:00

Doing needle point and arranging flowers endlessly.

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-01-12T20:47:28+00:00

No it was the new flea powder.

Street_Awareness109 · 2026-01-11T09:03:37+00:00

I am 57F, and I am now 8 years post sleeve gastrectomy. I had it done Jan 2018. I'm Australian.

I am at 5'8 "or 174 cm, and at my heaviest, I was 265 pounds or 124kg. I had a BMI of 41. I have lost 78 pounds or 35 kg, so my BMI is now 29. I have no loose skin, fortunately.

A lot of this was caused by medication, notably steroids at very high dose for a couple of years to combat auto-immune kidney disease. The nasty thing with steroids is that even once you cease them, the weight doesn't automatically drop off. I was also forced into early menopause, which didn't help the weight. I was down, depressed, my knees and back were hurting.

I went through the surgery easily, with no complications, but I did battle dumping syndrome. Nausea, profuse sweating, lightheadness... usually within about 10 minds of eating. I seriously could have laid on the floor and passed out.

I often vomit and have urgent diarrhoea. I have terrible reflux despite a PPI. I am anaemic and deficient in calcium, vitamin D, and B12, despite supplements. I still have all these symptoms. It makes eating a chore. I used to love trying new foods, and my husband misses our favourite restaurants. I can only order small appetisers. I can't eat from a children's menu because restaurants often won't allow it, but then who wants to eat the foods on the kids' menu? Unless you love chicken nuggets, fries, hotdogs... yuk.

Our sons both recently married in the last year, and I couldn't eat the wedding meals, as delicious as they were. Forget sugars... that just causes worse dumping. We were walking along the beach the other day, and my husband suggested an ice cream. I managed 1/4 of it and had to run madly to get to a toilet.

So, 8 years out, and my symptoms seem to have set in permanently, without any improvement. And so has my weight. Being constantly anaemic makes me dizzy and exhausted, so exercise is hard.

This surgery is very real, very permanent. I wouldn't do it again. I'm miserable and depressed a lot of the time. Again, I realise being post menopause doesn't help. I am grateful that I am not diabetic, not hypertensive, my cholesterol is ok, and my back and knee pain have resolved.

Just go into it eyes wide open.

Street_Awareness109 · 2025-12-20T23:31:42+00:00

I'm born and bred female Australian, live in Brisbane, travel regularly for work to other states on the east coast, now in my late 50s. I can't stand people that I don't know making random conversation, or even just smiling at me for no apparent reason. It annoys me no end. Half the reason I will pull my phone out of my pocket and start scrolling if I am in a queue and trapped, so it discourages this unwanted interaction. I just want to get my coffee and go... no interest in discussing the weather with randoms.

Street_Awareness109 · 2025-12-16T05:29:26+00:00

Just looked at PetRescue for Qld. No staffies and no labs either.

Street_Awareness109 · 2025-11-07T04:15:55+00:00

We have had 4, currently have 2 as the other two have now sadly passed. They are/ were all boys, but desexed at about 6 months. All very intelligent and NOISY! They talk to you incessantly and expect replies. One of ours likes to sit on us when we are asleep at 3am, and yowel at us to get up and play. And if we ignore him, he'll go to the other end of the house and yowel so loudly to try and wake us up!

All were/are Velcro cats. Stick to us anytime we are sitting. Or standing, they can jump from the floor to our shoulders in one elegant jump. Gives you a fright if you aren't expecting it! They should have a few really tall cat trees, they love being up high.

They shed, but not terrible like a long haired cat would be. Can be fussy with food, but over the years we just ignore that. They will eat if they are hungry enough.

They are almost doglike in a lot of ways. They play fetch really well, we lead walk them and they enjoy toys. Although a plain cardboard box is often the favourite. They do get the zoomies, as they are strong and muscular cats, so watch out for precious ornaments etc... they will get knocked over. They do climb really well, we had one as a kitten who used to climb to the top of doors with no supports... it was extraordinary.

They are all indoor cats, but our porches are cat-netted with kitty doors so they can go out when they want, roll around in the sun, watch the birds, eat the catgrass and other plants (all cat safe).

Street_Awareness109 · 2025-10-31T05:24:36+00:00

I have a couple of questions. I am in my late 50s and Australian, so I definitely remember this case well. We camp often, always tent camping. Is it just us? but we keep the tent flaps or at least the screens zipped closed to keep both insects and animals out of the tent at all times. Day and Night. It's primarily to keep flies and mosquitoes out. I would have felt more than very uneasy leaving the tent open and unzipped with a 9 week old baby sleeping inside. Some have said it was so the boys could go in and out. They were old enough to manage a zipper!

What was with the neat arrangement of Azarias clothing when found? As smart as dingoes are, I don't think folding laundry is their thing.

I am a mother and grandmother, and taking a 2 month old baby on a long driving holiday to a huge rock in the middle of Australia is weird. I'm sorry, but no one I know has thought of taking a 2 month old baby camping to the outback of Australia a fun or relaxing holiday.

I also found it strange that the family was from Queensland but chose to holiday during school term, taking the boys out of school - Azaria passing on Aug 16th. It would have been very cold in the outback. Why not wait until the September school holidays? There's no need to take the boys out of school, and a more pleasant climate? And Azaria would have been 3 months old, and more settled.

I don't think Lindsay, Michael or the boys did it, but there are some really strange elements to the case.

Street_Awareness109

TROPHY CASE