Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Can You Keep A Secret?

Hello Friends!

I suppose it was presumptuous of me to hope that the pre~Christmas events would continue with their momentum, and true to form things have come to a grinding halt. I feel as if I'm almost back at Square One. I am not surprised, but at least some people have sat up and paid a bit of attention and I do now have a useful list of contacts and telephone numbers who I can hopefully turn to in the future. No point in dwelling on it, there are others far worse off than I am so moving swiftly on...

On January 31st a DN came to the house to take blood. She did not know who had requested it, but I do know three or four of the people who saw me before Christmas had suggested I get my vitamin B complex tested. The results were back on 2nd January and I was told I’d get the results the following Monday, but Monday came and went with no phone call, then today over a week later I finally got them. My vitamin B complex is very low and I am anaemic so, heigh ho! more tests to follow. Oh! joy bliss rapture!  I have had a predisposition ever since I was a child to being anaemic, when the doctor prescribed that I take a glass of Mackeson stout with warm milk as a tonic. You certainly wouldn't find that prescribed for anyone today, much less a child, would you! In fact the only time I have not been anaemic is when I was taking Centrum multivitamins in the 1980s and 90s. 

Have you seen the new comedy show starring Dawn French called Can You Keep A Secret? It’s one of the funniest comedies I’ve seen in a very long time. It is about a woman whose husband has Parkinson's and through an error of judgement overdoses on his medication and is pronounced dead by the local doctor. Of course, he is not dead but the insurance policy gets cashed in, and of course I don't have to tell you the way this is going to pan out. I have laughed out loud while binge watching it last weekend on iPlayer.  I don’t know why Parkinson’s was the medical condition selected but I am glad it was and sincerely hope and pray that it brings some much needed publicity to the illness.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Well, I can’t say I’m looking forward to more tests, but if they can do anything to help me regain some of my lost energy and mojo, I will go along with it.  As of today, I had already started to work on my diet and the doctor who called seemed pleased with what I am doing.  I have bought a new Ninja nutribullet and stocked up my fridge with a good variety of nutrient dense low fat foods such as spinach, kale, tofu, oat milk, a variety of fruit juices, apples, pears, Bananas, kefir yoghurt, frozen berries and more. It is my intention to have a out based fruit smoothie for my breakfast, an egg or tofu based lunchtime meal{I do like avocado and also samphire} And then I'm going to make a homemade low salt soup for my supper. I'm cutting out all sweets and cakes etc and taking my diet back to what it used to be. Of course one of the desired side effects should be that I will also ditch some of this weight that I have gained over the past three years as well as helping me to be better prepared to cope with the Parkinson's. I have also been researching foods that are higher in dopamine than others so I will be incorporating those as well.


Smashed Avocado, Butterbean and Spring Onion Tacos

I hope the weather improves for all of us and I'm looking forward to some better days in the near future that with my increasing energy I'll be able to get out and start enjoying the countryside a little bit again.

Until next time

Debbie  xx


11 comments:

  1. Well, some positives there - even the negative of finding out you are anaemic. I hope you can take Vitamin B complex tablets working quickly for you. The Nutribullet sounds like a good investment, and some really healthy foodstuffs there. Keith never has a sweet tooth all his life, but the Parkinsons seemed to make him crave sugar and he even loved Mead, which I found sickeningly sweet.

    I haven't seen Can You Keep a Secret, but I'm glad it made you laugh, and hope it gives Parkinsons more recognition too.

    Fingers crossed your sudden lack of help again isn't a permanent state of affairs.

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    1. my sweet tooth has gone off the scale. this is one of the points made in Can You Keep A Secret with William's appetite for chocolate and biscuits.

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  2. Thanks for the update Debbie and I am sorry things seemed to have come to a grinding halt. You seem to be taking good steps to improve your diet and the Smashed Avocado butterbean and spring onion tacos look delicious.

    I am glad you enjoy "Can You Keep a Secret" and I too hope it brings some publicity to the illness.

    Take care and I hope the new diet means you feel better and have more energy.

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    1. Thank you, must keep the old chin up and keep swimming!

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  3. I'm so sorry thing have slowed down for you but you are being proactive and getting some answers and that's very important. When my B was low and I was dealing with greater exhaustion, I was given an over-the-counter Vitamin B supplement (and also a multi-vitamin). It has helped tremendously. So, keep that in your back pocket to chat with the nurse about. We don't have this show over here -- yet -- but I'll keep watching my Britbox for it!

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    1. I am waiting for another blood test and that will decide whether or not I will get injections, tablets, or both for the Vit B deficiency. In the meantime, I'm addressing my diet and making sure I get my Marmite!

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  4. Oh, Deb...I had to laugh at what you were prescribed for anemia as a child. Like you, I have been anemic all my life and I had to drink blackstrap molasses and warm milk. It's called a "black cow". I guess blackstrap molasses has lots of iron in it. I'm will to try yours, if you want to try mine? lol

    I am so proud of you for taking control and doing what you can to help yourself. That is a lot of work and not easy to do, but I bet you will feel great from all your new changes. Let us know how things go. I hope that your medical team step back up and do all they can for you, you deserve no less!

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    1. Ha! not a chance! They used to pour cod liver oil, Minadex, Virol, and more down my tender throat! I know what your blackstrap molasses tastes like, so will stick to Mackeson's!
      Of course, my friend, I'll keep you informed!

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  5. I hope the new diet works for you

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  6. Many thanks for the update Debbie.
    Although things seem to have slowed a little it is at least encouraging that further blood tests etc. have been done.
    It seems these days that we need to be pro-active ... keep it going ... and keep positive.

    My good wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  7. Those tacos look delicious. I'm also paying better attention to my diet, as I've let things slip recently. Xx

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