xylophone

After trying Express VPN and a couple of others, and even Nord, I finally settled on SmartDNSProxy and found it to be superb and for me far better than the others mentioned. So now I can watch Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer, as well as rugby on Stan Sport so I'm a "happy camper"!

From what I can see here and elsewhere, there is this terminology which is used in cases like this whereby the person in question is said to "identify as a male/female", but what the hell does that mean? "Identify as" could mean so many things and for so many reasons, and god help the day when someone's offspring says to their parents that they "identify as a dog" and want to be treated as such! So much nonsense

I can see where @giddyup is coming from, because I've suffered from constipation since I was 30 years old and despite attending the large BUPA establishment in London and being given the once over by various specialists, which included a "barium swallow" and an intestinal "barium meal" procedure, with all of the x-rays and pics being taken and studied, the outcome was........ "you have a slow digestive system". Luckily my company was paying for this so it didn't cost me anything, otherwise it would have been expensive. Fast forward over the years and I always seem to have suffered from it, and over the past few years it has become worse, so I went to see the colorectal professor at Bangkok Phuket hospital and had the required colonoscopy (in fact I've had three) and he prescribed some Resolor tablets which had the desired effect for a few days, and then didn't and not only that, they made me feel lousy. Rather than go on, in a nutshell, every doctor/specialist/hospital etc that I have visited with this problem has been of no help whatsoever other than to tell me what I found out when I was 30 from BUPA – – I have a slow digestive system! Having said that, the sorbitol remedy I posted about does work and I may well have to stick with that every couple of days or so.

Yes I did buy some of that and it worked for a short while and then it didn't! So I am trying various other options, although the prune juice and sorbitol mixture really does work, so I am back on that to have a bit of a "clear out", although as I said in an earlier post I don't want to have to use it all the time. Sorbitol is a "sugar alcohol" found in prunes/prune juice (and some other fruits) which draws water into the bowel, thereby causing the desired effect; and it would appear to be safe for long term use and it has very little effect on one's blood sugar levels. "Sorbitol has been reviewed and recognized as safe to consume by many global health authorities, including the FDA". So maybe I will stay with this, but nothing wrong with trying to go the "fibre" way although I'm beginning to think that because my digestive system is so slow, the fibre adds to the problem, rather than helps to alleviate it.

Thanks, I may well give that a try!

Just watched a movie called, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" (by the Coen Brothers) and although I struggled to comprehend the meaning of it initially, it did finally fall into place towards the end, and I have to say that it is a very good and thought provoking movie overall. It is different as are many of their movies, but clever all the same.

Liquid, which I buy from Lazada (0.75 litre for less than 100 baht) but it is intensely sweet if you can bear it, so I swallow it quickly and I'm not even sure that the Prune Juice is really necessary!!

Having suffered from constipation due to a "slow digestive system" according to the doctors at BUPA, I have tried just about everything to be regular and nothing has worked, not fibre, cereals, grains, fruit so I thought I would give the two unpeeled kiwifruit suggestion a go. Last night I put two whole unpeeled kiwifruit into the blender and drank the result before bedtime, expecting there to be movement in the morning. This did not happen and I waited for about three hours before deciding upon my tried and trusted remedy which I have tried to give up; half a cup of "good" prune juice, Sunsweet (not the ones with added sugar) and two dessert spoons of liquid sorbitol (which I can buy from Lazada very cheaply), mixed and quickly consumed and about an hour later the "explosion" happened (which is why I have tried to steer away from this concoction) – – it works, but it works too well!! The other remedies I have tried include; Sennakot tablets, Bisacodyl tablets, Resolor tablets (prescribed for me by the colorectal surgeon at Bangkok Phuket hospital), Miralax, Mucillin powder, and I thought I'd found a remedy with the "Posh Medica" powder which worked at least once, and then didn't, and also half a cup of olive oil which had no effect whatsoever and some licorice which although tasty, didn't have any of the desired effects. So what to do? I can revert to my Sunsweet and Sorbitol remedy, but I would like my digestive system to be able to work naturally without "prompting", BUT perhaps it is the scourge of old age where the workings of the body are not as keen as they once were and have slowed down. However I don't want to be like the aged gentleman who was next to me in hospital in Melbourne where I had my Turp performed, because according to one of the nurses he had been constipated for many weeks and they were pumping him full of something because every so often there would be a moaning and groaning coming from the bed and an awful smell filled the room. As far as I remember he was in his 80s, and I was out of there before I ever found out what happened to him, but whatever they were putting into him was certainly working, but geez, he was hardly conscious all the time. I'm 77 in a few days, so perhaps that's what I have got to look forward to, even worse than it is now – groan!!!!

@w94005mI have only just found this thread, although I did post on Barrett's oesophagus a few years back, because it was a condition which eventually made me retire early and come to Thailand.......... I was being treated by my fantastic doctor in Auckland, for gastric reflux and when PPIs didn't seem to be helping he did a gastroscopy and found that I had Barrett's oesophagus – – probably as a result of my extremely stressful job, so I decided to retire early and move to Thailand, all the while still taking the PPIs which did help, as did the non-stressful existence in Phuket. However because the damage was still there and I occasionally got some reflux and I didn't want to continue taking PPIs so I did some research and came across d-limonene, which had some very good write-ups as regards its efficacy for Barrett's and the like. So I thought I'd give it a try and it was the best decision I've ever made, although for the first month of taking it I had my doubts, but my condition gradually improved to the point where the PPIs were not needed. A couple of years later (plus) I went back to Auckland and my wonderful Dr said he wanted to give me a once over healthwise and a gastroscopy would be part of that checkup (he is also a surgeon). Well he was absolutely delighted and amazed with the results, because there was no sign of Barrett's oesophagus at all, in fact it had completely disappeared and he wanted to know what I had done to make this happen. I told him about the d-limonene and there and then he looked it up on his computer and commented that he hadn't heard of it before and he would investigate it because a close friend of his who was also being treated for Barrett's was still having difficulty. As far as I know he did order the capsules. For a well-respected doctor and surgeon to investigate this, and the research which went with it, IMO it says a lot about this particular remedy. It can be bought online and I was taking the 1000 mg capsules, which I no longer have to take because I don't have reflux or Barrett's oesophagus any more. I can only hope that this may be some help for you.

Yes, do keep on trying and maybe think about a dinner get-together, which might be more suitable for some people?? A group of us here in Phuket had a dinner get-together every Tuesday at a selected Italian restaurant, and it was called IFAWAS (Italian food and wine appreciation society) and I contacted the restaurants we were aiming to dine in and asked if we could bring our own wine and they were okay with that, which was good because part of the evening was meant to be about discussing the pros and cons of the wine we had brought along. There were around 6 to 8 people who attended on a regular basis, sometimes more when friends were in town, and new guests were always welcomed provided they were invited by existing diners. This went on for quite a few years before it fizzled out due to one thing or another, but at the time it was enjoyable.

I've tried the McWilliams range that you posted about, and it's not at all bad although I do keep it for accompanying things like spicy Thai food and curries. Also like you I have upped my wine buying price and buy most of my wine now from Vinum Lector, who will deliver once you put in your order, and I've got a few favourites with them, namely a Petite Sirah based red wine which is a big, jammy wine and is exactly what I like. it costs around 700 baht plus VAT and IMO is well worth it. I also order a sweet wine from Hungary, from them although it is only a 500ml bottle size, so at almost 700 baht it's a bit pricey, but it is a very lovely wine and IMO equals just about any Sauterne wine I've ever tasted......nearly forgot that I also order some Portuguese ruby port from them and it is well priced considering the cost of a comparable bottle in the stores here. If I want an everyday drinking red then I will go for the "19 Crimes" blend at around 549 baht a bottle and it serves my purpose. OOPs – – nearly forgot another favourite of mine from the same supplier, which is an Italian Appassimento from Veneto and with its slightly "raisiny flavour" also suits my palate these days, and I keep it for when I cook my Italian dishes. Not expensive at around 600 baht a bottle VAT included (as I recall).

That's the conundrum I came up with just a few months ago when my health insurance premium shot up to 250,000 baht for the year, and it only had a 1 million baht cover! I searched other health insurance companies but at my age (76) I was almost uninsurable, so I went back to my insurance company and asked what the premium would be if I paid an excess of 50,000 baht, and they came back with a figure which I deemed acceptable. Having said all of that when one gets to my age and has had various ailments/procedures/medical events during one's life, they will very often count these as "exclusions" so in effect one becomes insurable for very little – –however, there are still some "nasties" which can affect an elderly body, so I think I'm covered in this respect!!

Back on to movies and following on from my previous posts about seeking out older movies, I downloaded and watched, "Behind the Candelabra" and enjoyed it and I thought Michael Douglas was superb in it. He had all of Liberace's mannerisms down to a fine art, and how on earth folks didn't know Liberace was gay, is beyond me! He did win an Emmy for his performance in this movie, which was fitting I thought.

Me neither as I thought it was great and at the same time horrific........a warning perhaps! On to your point, there are some morons who post on here and this could have been one of them and I've had some "follow me" on some of my posts, so I remind myself that they are out there and I laugh at their efforts!!

Me too, although a movie "buff" friend here hated it??