hit the wall

[Gabes-Apg]

well my cape has become a big hankie as i have hit the wall emotionally

i think a fair contributer is the stress and long hours ( connie i dont know how you do it! i am in awe)

moved hotels today - i was a bit unsettled about losing my self cooking capabilities, but was trying to be positive. the new location cuts out the commute and the frequent traffic jams, so 1 - 2 hours extra sleep a night

we have arrived and my worst fears for this trip have happened, there is nothing for me to eat!
well when i say nothing, the only thing on the dinner menu i could eat was steak (not preferred) or fish
no veges, no plain rice,
i asked about breakfast ie just getting some boiled eggs and poached chicken NO - there is no chef on duty in the morning, the breakfast they put out is pre mix things like scrambled eggs etc

so no protein available for breakfast, no extra proteins that i can take for my lunch, and then fish on its own for dinner for 5 days

i broke down big time, didnt want work colleagues to see me so i went for a walk in the car park, today i was actually so proud that i had made through the two weeks with no major issues, i was inspired to kick ass on MC encouraged by all the messages of suppoert. i think i am soo tired i dont have the energy to deal with this I really just want to go home.
(hence this rant so i can clear my head and get to sleep)




in australia their is good range of cold meats are gluten free and lactose free over here they all have gluten and lactose

i have been to every possible health food/organic outlet within 1 hour drive and know what is available and whats not.

as i type this and start to calm down from my hissy fit about the limitations of MC
i think the thing that upset me more so was people laughing at my list of foods i cant eat. after i asked if i could get boiled eggs and poached chicken for breakfast, the request went to 5 different people each time they laughed at the list, chatted in french and looked at me like i was an alien.
it was very demoralising would they do that to someone in a wheelchair?

now that i have calmed down,
the best solution I can see so far is getting some more GF/SF/LF cereal and rice milk and use this for breakfast and lunch.
not the ideal but it will get me through the next 5 days
(i have some of this at the office for afternoon snacks but didnt bring it with me to the hotel as i did not expect such barriers)

i am a organised control freak, and part of my hissy fit and current upset is that I am pissed off that they (dont know who they are) has taken away my control and ability to project manage my situation

no one person has done this and it was no intential but i think i am a bit sick of adversity and challenge

the solution of just 'moving hotels' is not viable, I am driver for 3 other people that are staying here, so if i move, 3 other people have to move. All of us are over tired from the work hours and the tasks we are doing, and as i type this Friday night we still dont have any idea if we will get a day off on Sunday

we didnt check in tonight until 8pm. by the time i found out the food situation it was 9pm

this is just a rant - i am sure with some sleep i will come up with some solutions but right now MC has won this round as i am too tired to fight.

[JLH]

So sorry, Gabes, I'm sorry to hear all that. I hope things turn around in the morning.

[tex]

Damn, they keep changing the rules of the game - that makes it pretty tough to win. Somebody dropped the ball, when they moved you into a room without any cooking facilities.

Is there a snack room at work, with a microwave, where you could cook some eggs, or something? . . . not easy, I know.

Maybe a work associate would be willing to make some hard boiled eggs for you each day, that could be a big help.

Tex

[Joefnh]

Gabes I'm sorry to here about the challenges brought about by this change. Hopefully some solutions will work themselves out for tomorrow.

All in all you have done incredible to date, I'm sure the Gabes factor will conquer this challenge as well

Take care and best wishes with your hunt

--Joe

[Gloria]

How unfortunate that you were taken out of your inconvenient, but suitable living quarters.

i think the thing that upset me more so was people laughing at my list of foods i cant eat. after i asked if i could get boiled eggs and poached chicken for breakfast, the request went to 5 different people each time they laughed at the list, chatted in french and looked at me like i was an alien.
it was very demoralising would they do that to someone in a wheelchair?

I can understand why this would put you over the edge. They were rude and humiliating. You're perfectly entitled to feel upset and discouraged.

I think Tex's suggestion of asking a co-worker to make some boiled eggs for you might be your best bet for lunch. Then you could have the GF cereal for breakfast, and rice cakes for a snack. You might have to eat beef couple of days so you can get through this. What an ordeal!

Good luck - I'll be praying for you.

Gloria

[kimtg68]

Gabes, my heart is so sad for you. You've overcome SO much and you continue to be an inspiration to us all. I wish we could do something to help you. We will be here for you anytime you need to vent. Much love and support from us all.

[JoAnn]

Hi Gabes, my heart is aching for you and I wish I could get a care package to you. I don't remember, but do you eat potatoes? Potatoes have become one of my mainstays and I guess I'm wired for them genetically since my Irish ancestors survived on them. If you can eat potatoes, you could microwave them and they are pretty sustaining. My prayers are with you, too, and I'm sure things will work out with your tenacity and spirit, JoAnn.

[Gabes-Apg]

thanks everyone

i am still a bit fragile this morning, but much better than last night. i was very close to packing my bags and walking in this morning and saying, I want to go home NOW!


thanks for the suggestion
we have no smoko room at temp office, they only way i could have coffee for 2 days when we first got there was because i went and bought a kettle.

we only got filtered water bought in yesterday - after we had been there 1.5 weeks.
there are no fridges (i had been freezing a bottle of water each night to keep my stuff cold)

anne-laure does not work the weekend but i might ring her and ask her to cook me some poached chicken to last 3 days and a couple of eggs and bring it in MOnday.

i will eat fish for dinner we are having dinner at 8.30 - 9pm at night which is my bed time! so i am not keen to have steak that late (especially as i will struggle to get the french to cook it well done, well done here means it is still red in the middle. its a french thing)

joanne - i LOVE potatos! and i have come to love plain rice
and when i have been eating out i have asked for steamed potatos or mashed potato no butter and they have been doing that (or steamed rice no butter)
last night with my dinner there was 'crushed potato's' on the menu, when i asked no butter i was told it is a pre-prepared thing so they could not guarentee it didnt have butter.

I used to be the person that was always positive and helping others adjust to change and overcome adversity, but now with MC when someone changes the playing rules on you, it is really hard to embrace it willingly and not get upset

gloria - thanks for your support, even today i think that is the main thing that upset me the most about the events of last night. it is the first time i have had ridicule instead of empathy, i wasnt asking them to cook a 3 course meal. I just wanted some boiled eggs!


4 more sleeps - 5 work days till i get home!
i have my acupuncture apt booked ( it is 4 hours after i land)
TK has said he will stew up some meat 'gabes style' and have it there waiting for me

i have cleaned the snot off the cape, time to get ready and face the outside world!

[tex]

i have cleaned the snot off the cape, time to get ready and face the outside world!

Gabes,

You never cease to impress me with your down-to-earth approach, and your courage. You are the epitome of the John Wayne quote that JoAnn uses as her tag line,

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.

(JoAnn, I love that quote.)


Not only that, Gabes, but I am doubly impressed that you are one of the few people in this world who truly appreciate a properly-prepared steak. Most people are like sheep, and they fall for the old "the Emperor has no clothes" routine, and they pretend to enjoy the bloody-tasting, too-chewy, pathetic excuse for food, known as a rare steak. And to top it off, those jokers try to give an air of authenticity to such an uncivilized way to ruin perfectly good meat, by referring to themselves as gourmets. They attempt to discredit a properly-cooked steak, by referring to it as "over-done", "burned", "charcoal", etc, when the truth of the matter is that a properly-cooked well-done steak is tender, juicy, and above all, it actually tastes like steak, rather than tasting more like bloody, chewy, under-cooked poultry.

I have a strong hunch that the rare steak fad was started by people who are simply incapable of properly cooking a steak. Every time they try to cook a well done steak, they end up with an over-cooked, tough, dry, tasteless piece of charcoal, so they naturally conclude that what they have created, is what a well done steak should be like. That is not a well done steak, (it's an over-cooked steak), they simply don't know how to cook steak, and they probably never will.

Kudos to you, Gabes.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

Thanks Tex
our motto in our bid meeting room is

Perserverance is the hard work you do AFTER you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

well the good news is...we do get a day off tomorrow WOO HOO,
a group of us are going to drive 1 hour down the coast and go to Cassis.

i will only have one other person in my car so the drive will be quite pleasant.
(and more relaxed)
i also spent some time on the net today and researched some restaurants within a 5 - 10km radius. have found a good option for our dinner tonight. (that has lamb and duck on the menu)

[ant]

Dear Gabes

Only just caught up on the posts. So sorry you have been through all this. I think Gloria is right - a bunch of sniggering food snobs who actually know nothing about food is very demoralizing.

I hold myself partly responsible.... I have been noticing recently when I go to a new restaurant and show the list of food intolerance I have been using it sometimes creates a response "well you cannot eat anything"....at which point I say "yes I can, I can eat rice, meat, fish, seafood, herbs, etc. etc.". I think what happens is they start to read the "no" list and get overwhelmed and, dumb as they are, do not think of all the foods that are NOT ON THE NO LIST.

So, I have decided to turn the note around and start with all the things I CAN eat. I copy this below in case you want to adapt it. (although I know this thought is much too late for France )

To The Chef…. I suffer from 2 diseases (Celiac & Microscopic Colitis) causing multiple food intolerances.
CAN EAT:
• Rice boiled/steamed or fried in pure olive oil or coconut milk (but no guar gum added).
• Grilled, fried or baked (unprocessed) meat, fish and shellfish: these can be seasoned/marinated with salt, pepper, herbs, garlic, onions and wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple vinegar - but NOT marinated with soy source, malt vinegar or MSG. Only use pure olive oil (not other vegetable oils)
• Any well cooked vegetables EXCEPT beans, peas, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers – vegetables with skins must be peeled.
• Any cooked mushrooms,
• Cooked fruits (fruits with skins must be peeled)
• Any nuts (except peanuts and cashew nuts)
• Wine, coconut milk, green tea, pure coco and pure black coffee.
• Herbs, salt and pepper
CAN EAT IN VERY SMALL AMOUNTS:
• Cane Sugar, glucose, fructose, pure maple syrup, honey.
CANNOT EAT (EVEN IN SMALL AMOUNTS)
• Gluten (and similar) – wheat, rye, oat, corn, semolina, and other seed based flour, bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta, cuscus, tapioca, beer, malt vinegar, balsamic vinegar.
• Dairy – milk, cream, butter, cheese.
• Beans, peas, guar gum, peanuts (legumes) – including Soy, Soya e.g. Tofu.
• Eggs and Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes and peppers).
• Vegetable oils – EXCEPT OLIVE OIL WHICH IS OK.
• Raw vegetables including salads – all vegetables should be well cooked.
• Cashew nuts and peanuts.
• High fructose corn syrup, aspartame

Gabes, thinking of you and hope you get through these next few days and the journey back alright.

Best wishes, Ant

[JoAnn]

Hi Gabes, glad to hear there's a bit of light shining through the end of the tunnel today and you are counting down the days until you're home. Tex is right, you are the epitome of courage (and so are you Tex!) and have inspired us all. I hope this day is better and you can feel some relief from the stress that has been on you. Besides finding some decent food for yourself, I hope you will feel all the prayers, love, and hope from all of us here. We're with you in spirit and will be until you are safely home. Love JoAnn

[Gabes-Apg]

thanks ant and joann

it is the love, support and empathy of this family that has kept me going on this adventure.

I had good night sleep, no pit stops! woo hoo first time in over a week.
so my digestion did like my dinner last night (lamb with small serve of potato and carrot) the place i found was this smallish local cafe, the owner spoke small amt of english and there was lots of laughs as we did sound effects to confirm that one dish was lamb (via baa baaa) the meal and the atmosphere was great,

even better it is Sunday, i have the day off, the sun is shining and a group of us are heading to cassis today. I dont have to drive which is wonderful as i can relax, enjoy the scenery and truely relax.

i am still mindful that we have 3 HUGE days of work before i fly out. major deadlines are looming.


thanks again to everyone for your hugs and words of support. it has been a major part of my emotional, and mental wellbeing for this adventure.

At the moment I am still only having one sml dose of questran every 2nd day.
i had some additional BMs yesterday but i think that was the adrenalan and stress from the emotional breakdown the night before.

the liquid zinc has helped my immunity, sore throat is gone.
i think a big part of my digestion being good is realising i cant handle caesin, since being here having rice milk, i have had no cramping, stabbing pains

well i am armed with my rice cakes/maise chips and some apple juice as my back up supplies

have a great day night everyone!

[mbeezie]

Hope you enjoyed your Sunday Gabes. It will be good to recharge your battery for the next 3 days and then the trip back.

Being back in Oz is going to feel so good!

Hang in there.

Mary Beth

[Joefnh]

Gabes enjoy your day off, hopefully you will be able to visit some other towns. I'm glad the food situation is holding up. I will have to say of all of the red meats I have tried lamb has been the best and most tolerated.

Take care

--Joe