Pulse Oxymeter

Flying to Brunei in an A320 I register about 85%, and my fellow passenger, KoalaBear registers 90%. On the ground I was 95%. Assuming I am 5% below the other folks I think I might be OK! Next flight, in a week or so, I will try half a Viagra and see if I improve - that is if I remember!

Exercise

Keeping fit and training for Coughing with CF in polluted environments is tricky. Walking around town is probably the best for me, but running is out - not to mention finding a place to run. The hotel gym looked good, but coughing and spitting there seemed wrong!

Hopefully we will soon get back on the training schedule and run in the tropics! I am ready for some exercise after all the flights.

Sent from my iPhone

Chinatown

As most of you know I started my www.coughing4cf.com adventure. As a form of  'private diary' I thought I'd start blogging here:

Flight to KL was fine, except for the fact that I noticed my oxygen levels even in the pressurised cabin was very low. Handy to have the device with me to tell me that, but very worrying at the same time.

On board I bought a prepaid phone SIM for a few dollars. In KL I realized that this service doesn't give me Internet over the phone network. I can still connect on wireless networks, which is fine, but means I have no iPhone maps in the street when I need them:

Last night I went to meet the guys at Chinatown. I thought I wouldn't need a map..... Was told to get on monorail. People there told me to go to station X. I get there and ask for Chinatown and get told  by passengers that I have to go to station Y. There I got told to go to station Z... There i saw a sign to 'Chinatown'. Walked for 40 minutes and got totally lost and decided to find a cab. There was no taxi anywhere to be found. I saw a durian stall - indicating I was miles away from the tourist routes.... Eventualy found a cab. He refused to take me to China town. But then at a petrol station someone offered me a lift. 20 Minutes later I got to Chinatown and found the guys there in minutes! 

They had finished dinner... I thought finding china town would've been simple and locating them hard. With the iPhone on the Internet it would've been EASY! this is why I need Internet on the phone... Ah well.

I probably should've stayed in the same hotel as guys, but they saving money by sharing in a cheap hotel and i was worried I might be quite sick from the flight and booked the 4star Novotel. Killer, Flasher and Cheese bought lots of stuff at the markets but I am over my 15kg allowance with all my meds, so I had to restrain myself!

Today we fly to Brunei! Thrust and Ross arrived last night and we're in same hotel and will go together.

Had the best lunch in hotel yesterday!! Unbelievable yumcha style food in a buffet. That and a clean fresh room where I could nap, nebulise and shower etc made a big difference. From mow on I'll be sharing...

Sent from my iPhone

Kids in my life!

No no no! Not like that! I just went out with Cindy for an hour to a local playground and tired out her grandchild Lucia (and her step-sister Bianca)... Still, nice to go to a playground and play with kiddies once in a while. Grandma Cindy does not act like a grandma at all...

Back to pH levels

I heard from a nurse that when people present in hospital with blood that is too acidic they give IV fluids with Alkaline in them to correct the pH. Further research has shown that there is such thing as RESPIRATORY ACIDOSIS which I would say could be something that people with CF probably constantly live with in some measure. That would explain why eating more alkaline foods might correct this tendency.

Still feeling heaps better than I have in the past, and all I can say it clearly started when I started watching my diet a little. All I do is try eat more from the alkaline forming foods; drinking a bit more green tea, have soy-milk on my muesli, add some pickles to my snacks/sandwiches, add Spirulina, which allegedly is an alkaline supplement, to my pills and potions... More of my musings, including this one, on the acid-alkaline balanced diet -here-.

Homeward Bound

Plenty of stops along the way, but I managed to get back to the NW Coast of Tassie without too much trouble. Back to the domestic challenges of everyday unusual life...

Balancing pH

Since I have been thinking about this acid/alkaline stuff. It is not a diet, it is more keeping things balanced. We are in general too 'acid' and need to eat more 'alakline' foods to be balanced. However a friend of mine was told by a doc who measured her saliva pH that she was too alkaline and had to eat more acid listed foods. The message is that we can go both ways, and we just need to watch it. Maybe I should get some of these pH measuring strips and see where I actually am on the scale.... But still feeling really good!

Fixing Cystic Fibrosis?

People often ask me if CF comes in different severities. I guess it probably does, but some seem to fare better then others. Someone recently alerted me to the acid-alkaline diet and said from needing a lung transplant 10 years ago to 70% lung function now he swears by it (and medication/life-style too of course). I started it about 6 weeks ago and must say my lungs have been incredibly good ever since. No idea if it really is that, but... Quoting mostly from http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm (and many like it):

Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline (7.35 - 7.45). Below or above this range means symptoms and disease. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. A pH below 7.0 is acidic. A pH above 7.0 is alkaline....



The reason our pH is too acid in our society is mostly due to the typical American diet, which is far too high in acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline producing foods like fresh vegetables. Maybe that is why I have been relatively well!

To restore health, the diet should consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods. Generally, alkaline forming foods include most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs and seasonings, seeds and nuts. Generally, acid forming foods include: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, grains, and legumes.

Spirulina is an alkaline seaweed based supplement that I have been taking daily in the morning with a pickle or two in the afternoon, and watching the food lists a bit - giving preference to alkaline foods from many lists on the internet... Coincidence or not, but geez, I am starting to suspect it might be this simple diet!

Time bilong PNG

Visiting Andrew in Port Moresby for a couple of weeks.

Nothing much has changed in the last decade. Still a need for high security, living in compounds, tough cars... I am trying not too drink too much. Really hard knowing there is a cupboard full of duty frees including the bottle of Canadian Club I brought, and beer in the fridge.

Food at the supermarket is incredibly expensive and food in nice upmarket expat restaurants is remarkably cheap. Needless to say every meal has pretty much been out of house.

Oh, and my Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin) is still acceptable!! Enough to show off to the office staff at Andrew's Global Technologies' office in Konedobu!

Tasmanian Sign

It is not often you see Tasmanian Signs. Coming down the Forth Hill last week they had roadworks. No idea what the sign on the right is, but I am sure that it is obvious to the locals.