Go forward!--Christopher Reeve

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Hahaha! It's not that bad. I had my appointment with the new doctor yesterday. First of all, I like him. He's Libyan, speaks very good English, and NICE. He listened, and took his time with this crazy American woman who has her own ideas about how to treat her sarcoidosis. I wanted to try the Marshall Protocol and stay away from prednisone. He agreed to read the materials I gave him and do some research. He even wrote me the prescription for Olmetec. Unfortunately, they don't carry it at Hamad Hospital and I can't get the quanitity I need OTC in Doha (at least not today). And it would cost me about $500 for a summer's worth. So, that's on hold for now. I go back in two weeks and perhaps I can still do the antibiotic portion of the protocol. If not, I am looking into natural antibiotics like colloidal silver and olive leaf extract. The olive leaf extract sounds really promising and isn't very expensive either. I think I can buy olive leaves at the souqs here and make tea (God, I hate olives...I wonder what the leaves taste like!). We'll see what happens. I do believe Dr. Marshall has something in his theories about inflammatory diseases being caused by bacteria. It makes a lot of sense to me, especially when you consider the overprescriptions of antibiotics for years which has resulted in superbugs galore! I am so worried that I may have passed some of these critters to my children and grandchildren. I am going to educate myself and my children. We have all experienced too much illness. Something isn't right. Something has to change!

Now, how is life in Doha? Well, annual leave is coming up fast! I can't wait. I'm hoping that if the doctor agrees to let me start the cycline treatment and, if it's available, that I may be able to get medical leave and go home a week or two early to get started. I do not want to feel crappy while traveling (it's hard enough!) and the antibiotics will cause a die-off of bacteria that may make me very sick. Not infectious sick, but feeling crappy. I don't need to get quarantined for H1N1 at an airport somewhere because I have a fever! :) LOL Yesterday was the last day of classes for the spring semester! Tomorrow is the final exam. Sunday is the gradeathon of exam essays. The following week is finishing up, submitting grades, etc. My IELTS prep course did not go forward (not enough students registered). But that's ok. I need a break!

Today we are hanging out, may head to the souqs later when it's cooler. It's getting hotter and hotter here in Doha. Oddly enough, I'm tolerating it very well. I stood outside waiting for Nelson to pick me up yesterday and realized I could not have done that when I first arrived. We keep our AC set at a much higher temperature than when we first arrived.

Anyway, that's my quick update for now. I'm hoping to do a little bit of touristy stuff that we haven't taken time to do here in Doha, so I'll update more until we leave! Later!

Karkade! Who knew?

In the past week or ten days, we have discovered KARKADE. It is, pure and simply, hibiscus tea. I never thought about blossoms of a plant as something to make tea from. We talk about tea LEAVES, not blossoms. I found some hibiscus tea in tea bags several months ago and have not found any since. Last weekend, I found the dried flower itself in bags at the local market. I took it home and tried it out in Mimi's nifty little cups (which she meant for me to use in making green tea, but I have never cared that much for green tea; sorry, Mimi). The cups have an insert that strains the leaves, er, I mean the flowers. :) It was the best darn thing! Reminded me of cranberries and I love those. I started telling people about it and they told me it's called karkade (kar ka day). It's highly prized for its health benefits and delicious flavor. So I started checking it out. It helps lower blood pressure. Research has proven this. It also has loads of antioxidants, one of which is anthocyanin, the ingredient in Montmorency Tart cherries that is being investigated for its possible use in stabilizing blood glucose in diabetics. I read that it helps cool the body (we all know I could use some cooling off!). If you google the stuff, you will find a ton of information. And, besides all that, it's just GOOD. :) I love it. Tonight, we went to Souq Waqif and I bought it in bulk. One bag came from Iran and is said to be the best. The stuff I bought at the supermarket is from Egypt and not bad, I think. The cheapest comes from Sudan. The main difference I can see is that the Iranian karkade is redder, looks fresher and is finer in nature. The Egyptian and Sudanese karkade is darker and maybe a bit more coarse, but then we are talking about a dried product here. We tried the Iranian karkade tonight and it does taste a bit smoother than the other. I am going to make up a big pot tomorrow (I also put it in the frig and drink it cold....it's better than sun tea at home, no kidding!).

In any case, I will bring some home with me, and if you would like some to try, you have to tell me so I know how much to get. :)

Hurray for KARKADE!

For those of you curious about what's going on with my health in a little more depth, you can check out my new blog at:

http://4wardclimb.blogspot.com/

I am going to cure myself of this damn sarcoidosis and if any of you have any inflammatory type illnesses, or what a doctor has told you is an autoimmune disorder, you might want to research the Marshall Protocol. I have links on my new blog if you are interested and you are welcome to ask me anything about it!

Until next week!

Positive thoughts are power

Dear family and friends,
Nelson does not want to leak the possible news that he might have the head farrier position at Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) because he is afraid of jinxing it. It's a wonderful opportunity that would change our life now, and especially change our future in terms of retirement and comfortable living. Nelson deserves this recognition and validation of his life's work and talent. We both deserve some breathing room (financially and in terms of physical space which translates to VILLA!). And, as I pointed out to him yesterday, I have a vested interest in his obtaining this position because what is mine is mine, and what is his is mine. :) He is worried about what to do about so many things if he gets the job, doing a good job at managing the department, and teaching the farriers to take pride in doing a professional job, at the track and off the track. He worries too much. :) I have every confidence in him. I don't care if he makes double my salary, gets a villa and a Land Cruiser. :) Well, he gets a vehicle and since everybody at the track (including the former head farrier) drives Land Cruisers, I am assuming. :) As I said, what is his is mine, too. :) I can also appreciate the prospect of a villa, a little yard of our own, bigger accomodations to host a family holiday or visitors for a time! SO! My request is that everyone out there send positive thoughts and vibes our way for successful acquisition of this job....the final decision/offer will be made the end of the month and there is no one else in the running at this point. They have even already sent him to Human Resources to start getting his paperwork together. Something tells me the decision is already made, but I want to see it in writing! Thanks everyone for your support and we'll keep you posted here!!

Shacking up with shingles

Life has been interesting this past week as I discovered from the clinic doctor that my "spider bites" from about ten days ago were either 1) jelly fish stings or 2) zoster virus better known as shingles. Well, I did go swimming the weekend before and the "bites" or rash didn't show up for 3 days after that! So, after a second visit to the doctor, it was agreed that it's probably shingles, or perhaps a sarcoidosis rash. So, we deal with it. Mixing shingles with sarcoidosis and diabetes has been a trip. Having been on prednisone may have minimized the symptoms and more severe pain. I am monitoring it carefully and while it's been playing havoc with my blood sugars, today is much better. I was headachy and feverish for two days, exhausted beyond reason yesterday and today, after my first full night's sleep without sweats and chills all week, I am feeling like myself again. Thank God! Hopefully, the rash will go away soon (I have two creams that seem to be doing the job) and I will not experience any more (or at least very little) pain and soreness now. For those of you who will ask: yes, I have an appointment with the pulmonologist in two weeks and will keep up on what's going on. Walla!

Nelson had an interview with the track manager last week and we are patiently waiting for some word so we can make our flight reservations ASAP. He waited this long to just TALK to the man, so who knows how long it will be before they make any decision and then, take action! :) It's so frustrating! This job would change our lives for the better in ways that I hesitate to contemplate for fear of jinxing the whole thing. Nuff said!

Our anniversary was this past week....14 years. In ways it feels like yesterday and in other ways, it feels like 40. Not in a bad way, just that it seems we must have always been together. Perhaps we were married in another life. :) LOL We splurged on a HUGE coffee table book as our gift to each other. Title? Horse. What else? It is huge....I will have Nelson take a photo of it and post it here so you can truly appreciate its size and magnitude. It's a series of photos of horses with and without people, in all shapes and sizes, engaged in a multitude of activities....some with celebrities (I love the one of Arnold Schwarzenegger in white breeches and no shirt, sitting on a big warmblood type white horse....marvelous photography) and some with nobodies.....we will never tire of looking at it. Besides, it will inspire us to take the photos and write the poetry for our own coffee table book. One last thing: Although I was home sick on the actual day of our anniversary, it was quiet and uneventful, just the two of us, and that's alright by me.

There are two weeks left to the semester. I can't go home for 49 more days. Depending on what happens with this job (or not), Nelson may be going home in mid-June. I need some horsey and grandkid time, that's for sure! Keep in touch, write or call when you can....Maggie

A bad day fishing....

Sometimes a bad day fishing is BAD. Yesterday we headed out for the mouth of the Inland Sea with friends, including our computer geek friend, Tarek, of whom we are slightly fond. We all met to have breakfast at Kudu in the Hyatt Plaza mall down the road....steak, eggs, toast, hash browns, OJ and coffee is 15 QR ($4.12 USD). The steak is sliced up in small strips because it is the same steak they use in their subs but it is DE-lish! We love it! Of course, it is better for a diabetic like me to skip the pancakes, but once in a while I think I deserve one or two and they are darn good there. Anyway, Tarek didn't realize our fishing methods....he thought we were going somewhere nearby and taking a boat, no clue that we drive so far south, almost all the way to Saudi Arabia, to go fishing! He waited until we were almost there to ask what time we thought we would be home. He had to read the news at 8:00. Ah ha!! AND he didn't bring swimming trunks, not realizing I guess, that we swim and that the fishing requires a little wading into the surf. He solved that by cutting his pants off at the knees. Very resourceful young man!

In any case, to make a long story short (because I am tired and really don't want to relive the day too much), we did a little fishing (no catching of fish though) and we swam a little, found a few shells, caught a little sunshine....and as we headed back to be closer to the Coast Guard station where we head back through the dunes, the sand was soft and we all struggled to make it through. Suddenly, as Nelson downshifted to make it through a soft patch, the clutch went all the way to the floor and STAYED there. Nelson looked up and said, "Is that smoke?" And it was smoke, coming from under the hood. We jumped out and as we realized the smoke was not from steam but from FIRE, Tarek and I grabbed important things like wallets and purses and my book and started tossing them out, while Nelson scrambled to find the fire extinguisher. By the time our traveling companions came back to help, the fire was out and the Jeep was a goner. Wires melted everywhere, no saving it now. So, now we have to wonder, how the hell do you haul a dead jeep 30 km through the dunes to a main road? Tarek made several phone calls to find out what one does with a dead jeep on the beach, on the other side of the desert. Apparently no one knows and mostly, people just leave such things where they die. I imagine that would be a hefty fine! Tarek discovered that it would cost us around 2000QR ($550 USD) to get it hauled out (assuming no one came along and stripped it of its almost new tires and any other useful items in the meantime). It was our good fortune to once again meet a pair of fellows who had stopped earlier to help us push Phillip (Nettie's boyfriend) out of the sand. They agreed to take the Jeep, haul it and part it out. We exchanged information and the deal was made. Nelson was very sad to leave his old Jeep out there, but I reminded him that it's better than having to shoot a horse with a broken leg. Phillip called colleagues who were spending the day at the Inland Sea, who came and picked us up. There simply was not enough room in Phillips Pajero for 3 adults and our cooler, and various and sundry STUFF, including a box of horseshoes and Nelson's bumper anvil. Phillip's friends led the caravan out through the dunes, up and down the dunes, it was fabulous although a couple of times, I gripped Nelson's arm a bit hard. It was a new experience, for sure. But the dunes themselves (some scalloped as if sculpted, some pointed like pyramids) were gorgeous as was the view of the water from the top of some of them!
We made it home in one piece, a little worn out and a little bummed. But, no one was hurt. That is the important thing. Perhaps next fall we can buy a better SUV, a little newer.....Nelson suspects that a gas line broke and sprayed or leaked on the exhaust. It was a freak thing and could have happened to anyone (not really...it is EXACTLY the kind of thing that happens to US!). :) We are mostly bummed that some of our activities will now be curtailed unless we are able to catch a ride with others. We had planned to pit crew at the last endurance ride of the season next weekend, maybe spend the night and go fishing in the morning (Endurance Village is VERY near where we go fishing, or at least the entrance to the desert).
In any case, I have 3 weeks left of teaching. Thank God. This is the time of year when students and teachers start getting fed up with each other. Exams are coming and then that 3 or 4 week wait after before I can leave for home. Nelson is coming home about 3 weeks early ahead of me. I can't afford to take the time off and I MAY have an IELTS prep course to teach. I really hope so. It might help us towards another SUV. :)
Keep in touch. Write when you can. We miss home and a note from home is always welcome. God bless!!
Maggie

The parallel swim gets easier....

Please look at the bottom for the best ever photo of Nelson with his first catch from the Persian Gulf. Yesterday we traveled again with our Irish friend, Richard, in search of surf, sand and FISH. :) In spite of a very brisk wind which meant we had to monitor visibility to make sure we could find out way out of the dunes, it was a very pleasant day. Plenty of sun, plenty of waves and plenty of fish, even though Nelson and Richard went 1-1. Nelson caught a nice queen fish, while Richard caught a nice king fish. That made a nice pair! The awesome part of the fishing was just about dusk when the big fish starting coming in to shore literally riding the waves as they made their charges on the schools of fish which, by the way, make the water look as it's boiling. The big fish lined up in the waves to make their rush and it was a sight to behold. They are absolutely beautiful, especially when the sun glints on them just right. We were almost ready to leave when another group came in and Nelson tossed out his line. They seemed to disappear and then suddenly, there they were again and Nelson reeled as fast as he could. The fish took a good hold, hooking itself deep in the throat and, despite plenty of splashing and flipping and jumping out of the water, Nelson was able to land him. I jumped up and down and cheered him on to success. It was just as exciting watching it (however, I want my own fishing pole now!). :) It was a fabulous day with plenty of reading and relaxation and a brief snooze in my chair. I even got a chance to get in the water, swim, and ride the surf a bit which was awesome. The waves were strong enough to knock me down. The nearby dunes are reminiscent of Lake Michigan, especially around Sleeping Bear Dunes, but the salt water I swallowed quickly reminded me of the difference. However, the waves are nowhere near as magnificent and large as the waves we get on the Big Lakes. Another trip is planned for this weekend. I'll hope to have some more photos to share. I may have to go back to Live Journal as I can't post a series of photos here and can't figure out how to use the Slideshow feature. Keep in touch, write or call! 61 days to home!!
Maggie