[little*rhino]

as many of you who frequent chat already know, i'm facing some pretty big health challenges. With my genetic disorder life is uphill in many ways much of the time, but this recent issue has really taken the cake. i'm facing surgery (again) and they aren't even sure right now if surgery is safe for me. The genetic condition often comes with heart and vascular issues and so, they are doing a lot of tests first to be sure. After last summer's ER episode for blood loss due to an artery breaking, i don't think their caution is unwarranted.

The pain gets me down. The fatigue gets me down. Not being able to buy the supplements or have adequate nutrition for my needs gets me down.

bottom line is that i am down a lot these days

i scrape the barrell really. It just never ends... chronic pain is my most constant companion, followed closely by fatigue. My health is one thing after another, something is almost always wrong.

right now i am trying to make the most of what little food i can buy... protein and such are vital to maintaining strength for me, but they are so expensive. Veggies are almost worse cost-wise.

i need some help/advice for making the best of it. i need some ideas for getting the most nutrition in the cheapest forms possible... recipes, etc. i really can't afford much and soon i will be relying on the foodbank as my only supply. What can i do to stay as well as possible before surgery?

[Rhapsody]

Eat well (seek out the food banks in your city)
Drink plenty of Water - 6 to 8 cups per day
Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night
Decrease your stress level.... and Relax Relax Relax

[January]

Food pantries usually have peanut butter, cheese and some kind of tuna or canned meats. Those are are all high protein. Oh, if they have beans, take some of them, too. They are very high protein.

I wish you the very best. There was a time I couldn't possibly afford the food I needed to help my health problems.

(if ok)

[little*rhino]

thanks for responding

i wish i could relax My holmes-rayes stress score was over 400 i think... or just under, i forget.

i've had a nonstop litany of heavy duty stressors since... well... where to even start? My health took a bad turn starting last spring... but didn't explode until the end of November when damage from a previous bone graft resulted in bone infection. It's been jolly since then.

i managed to get a bag of red peppers that were on sale... ditto with some celery and some tomatoes... they were looking a little too soft to eat as is, but i made my special cream of veggie soup. That means i'll have daily veggie servings for a couple days. i found some vegetable cocktail on sale too... not as good as eating veggies but better than nothing.

i'm eating eggs for most protein right now... and there was this big mark down on bacon so i bought some and froze it in portions.

recipes... i need ways to make dirt cheap taste good. My dog has to be on special food so i can't scrimp on that.

[lorna]

Dear Lovely Little*Rhino,
I wish you kind thought and loving wishes. I hope that you are able to make the best with what you have. I am very limited in budget, I always buy the 4 litre bags of milk, I always have cereal, plain yogurt. Beans and eggs are a cheap protein option. Onions and Carrots and Potatoes are pretty cheap, but heavy so get someone to be with you, even with the milk too if you can. What I did for my dog was email some of the companies, Orijen, Acana, Wellness, Purina etc for samples and coupons. I found them pretty generous. Thats a free option. Also perhaps email different companies for samples of their product, you may wait a bit , but free is free...I hope that this somehow helps. I hope for you everyday, I hope your pain gets less and I hope for your health . Lorna

[slowinmi]

((((((((LR)))))))))

I don't have any words of advice or great wisdom for you. The others have all done a good job of that (and I am a terrible cook - you would not want a recipe from me).

I just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you and wishing you well. Sending you loving thoughts for speedy healing.

slow

[amante]

Little Rhino,

I am so sorry to hear that you are in such poor health and needing surgery. try to keep the stresses at bay, give your worries to a higher power if you can and believe, it's what got me through my surgeries. Do you have the superstore Aldi, they are in the NY area, not sure if they are nationwide, but they tend to have fruits and veggies super cheap and they are good stuff too. Aldi prices beat Walmarts. perhaps you can look them up on line and see if they are in your area.