The West Hampstead tube station has a great Art Deco waiting room on the platform, with a curved wall of glass and a bench. I almost never see anyone use it, but I suppose when the weather's really bad it might come in handy. Here's a picture of it from the outside.
The weather isn't great at the moment, but just because of the cold. It's 23º F out there now (-5º C) and the warmest it got yesterday was one degree above freezing. Same thing today. I despair for the avocado, even with its little warming light bulb. Forty eight hours of basically freezing and subfreezing temperatures is going to be hard for it to survive, I think. But it was inevitable we'd get to this point -- a tree can only live indoors for so long. Eventually it had to face the the wrath of nature.
I met with my gastroenterologist yesterday and he said the tests he gave me last fall were all clear. My breath test showed slightly elevated levels of methane, which I also had the last time I took that test. He attributed it to my mostly vegetarian diet, and eating lots of plant matter. Even though I don't have "bacterial overgrowth" (whatever that is) he wants to prescribe an antibiotic to knock back the bacteria in my gut. I'm not convinced that's a good idea and I'm not sure I'm going to take it, but I might try a probiotic of some sort.
We're going to repeat the calprotectin test to see if it's still high. If that turns out to be the case, or if it's gone higher, he said we might do another colonoscopy. The fun never ends!
This was the morning's interesting fashion sighting on the tube. Do you think they're fake? I do.
The picture of the shoe reminds me that my daughter recently sent me pictures of shoes worn by tube passengers in London. When she was there. Apparently there is a thing with shoes there. I hope all your tests come out fine.
ReplyDeleteEveryone notices shoes on the tube because we're all trying to look somewhere other than people's faces!
DeleteMy friends and I used that waiting room some years ago after a visit to Kew Gardens, where we had got soaked in the rain that was still falling! We had just discovered that the trains were not going past St. Albans. ( we needed the next stop 5 miles further on !) Luckily between the 8 of us we had 2 husbands at home who could come and get us from St Albans.
ReplyDeleteMy window thermometer read -6c at 8am . Everything outside is white.!
Yeah, at least they didn't have to come and get you in London! It's white out here too.
DeleteDefinitely fake!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that antibiotics are a good thing for your gut. Trust your own judgement and intuition.
Yeah, it seems like a bad idea, right?!
DeleteNope! They look like real shoes to me. As for "wrath" (line 8), I would have instead used "vicissitudes"... I'm just sayin'!
ReplyDeleteRight now the temperature is pretty wrathful! There are no changes in the immediate future to warrant "vicissitudes"!
DeleteThe West Hampstead Station waiting room is so nice.
ReplyDeleteWould antibiotic plus probiotic equal zero effect? Unless you have a bacterial infection, why would you need an antibiotic?
Apparently the antibiotic he prescribed to me is sometimes used to treat small intestinal bacteria overgrowth, even though that's apparently not what I have. I think probiotics are more about rebalancing intestinal bacteria by reintroducing "good" bacteria. I'm not sure I believe in all that but that's what the experts say.
DeleteMy daughter is in London right now. First trip; is enjoying it so. Was a gift to herself for her 33rd birthday.
ReplyDeleteI hope she's enjoying the cold! At least the skies are clear.
DeleteMy oldest daughter's shoe of choice are old school Converse shoes which she embroiders designs into the sides. Her current pair has a neuron embroidered on one shoe and a molecule of something on the other.
ReplyDeleteEmbroidered shoes sound pretty cool, especially if she's doing it herself. I doubt this person painted their own "Gucci" shoes.
DeleteThe waiting room is very cool. I’m curious about the use of antibiotics for that. Doesn’t that fall into the category of over-use? So frustrating. Those Fake-Guccis are so last year.
ReplyDeleteSeems like overuse to me. Or unnecessary use, at least.
DeleteIs that waiting room warm - ish or just a wind shelter?
ReplyDeleteLast year I did a probiotic thing for several weeks, not with supplements but strictly via food intakje. It worked really well. You can find lots of good advice online, like here: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/#h4
I don't think it's heated, but I could be wrong. Thanks for the link -- I will check it out!
DeleteStomach/digestive issues are never fun. Long term GERD and Barrett's esophagus person here. With occasional bouts of Gastroparesis thrown in.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have GERD and a hiatal hernia, so I can relate!
DeleteI wonder if the antibiotic is because he couldn't think of anything else?
ReplyDeleteI think it's very possible he wanted to "do something" so I wouldn't feel like I'd spent money for nothing.
DeleteI think Boud is right. Is there something wrong with being a little heavy in the methane department? Cows seem to do all right with it. Of course I have no idea what I'm talking about.
ReplyDeleteThat is a pretty little waiting area.
I don't think it's harmful at all. At least, not to me -- maybe to the environment!
DeleteI love the Art Deco space; sleek.
ReplyDeleteThe shoes? Oh Gucci, you should sue.
They look too lumpy to be Gucci, don't they?!
DeleteFake! Oh, you must be kidding! Got to admire the chutzpah. I'm glad nothing too nasty showed up on your tests but still frustrating to not be at your best and have somewhat inconclusive results. Good luck with the repeat.
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess we've ruled things out, so that counts for something!
DeleteYou could take some clippings from your avocado tree if you are worried about losing it so you can keep it going with new plants.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if an avocado could be rooted from cuttings? I'm not even sure. If it dies I'll just plant another avocado seed. It's really no big deal; I'm making more drama out of it than necessary. :)
DeleteI do not get the lure of designer anything, the status it implies, having the name splashed across whatever. But yeah, fake. Would Gucci really be that crass?
ReplyDeleteYour tests were all clean, the methane explained, you don't have bacterial overgrowth, why suggest the antibiotic unless it's because of your concern and he wants to be seen as proactive. I don't think I'd take it if I wasn't having recurrent diarrhea, gut pain, or bloating.
I think he is trying to take some sort of action. I do have some bloating and pain, and of course I have that elevated inflammation marker, but I don't know that antibiotics are the solution.
DeleteAren't colonoscopies fun! I hope you don't need one.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, I'd rather have one than miss something sinister.
DeleteGoogle Rhyton Mouth Sneakers, Gucci Brand. I actually thought these were obvious fakes until I looked them up. I cannot imagine paying $621 for them. They are plainly ugly.
ReplyDeleteWow! Good detective work! Yeah, they look so amateurish. I can't believe they're real. (Of course they could still be knock-offs but good replicas.)
DeleteI was about to say yes, they are fake but then I read Debby's comment. $621 for sneakers is just plain crazy and such ugly ones even crazier.
ReplyDeleteWe are have a cold snap here too. It's 40 degrees out there right now. Not as bad as where you are but cold for us.
I love that photo inside the tube station. A great place to stay warm until the train turns up.
I would literally not pay $10 for those shoes!
DeleteGut health is important. Antibiotics can disrupt gut flora. Probiotics are useful to encourage gut health/flora. I agree with others, unless you have an infection, I would not take the medication.
ReplyDeleteThe train station waiting area provides good viewing and must be appreciated in bad weather.
I'm out of the loop and did not know Gucci made pricey, ugly sneakers.
I had no idea they made shoes THAT ugly! Ha!
DeleteIt does seem strange that you are advised to take antibiotics when there is no inflammation or any other sort of symptom, not even a "bacteria overgrowth", to use your specialist's term. As far as I know, antibiotics are to be taken seriously and if one starts a course, it has to be finished at all cost, otherwise another strain of resistant bacteria may be created, and there are already too many of those about.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I am glad your tests have come out all clear!
I like the art deco waiting room but I would also only use it in very inclement weather and if I knew I had to wait for more than a few minutes, especially if other people were in there and playing music on their phone or talking loudly, or smelling.
As for the "Gucci" shoes, I can't tell (and don't really care) whether they are fake or not - I just find them plain ugly.
Well, there are symptoms, and there is inflammation -- that's why my calprotectin level is unusually high. But I agree that antibiotic overuse is a concern. The shoes ARE plain ugly!
DeleteOf course I'm no doctor, but I highly question that recommendation for antibiotics. Also, I highly recommend reading "Missing Microbes" by Martin J. Blaser, MD. I reviewed it on my blog back in June 2015. It made a huge impression on me.
ReplyDeleteI think you've mentioned that book before. I will add it to my list to watch for!
DeleteI'll be interested to hear how it goes with the Probiotic. That was recommended to me after my colonoscopy/endoscopy turned up nothing of note, but I was overwhelmed by all the choices & never even tried one.
ReplyDeleteI know -- I've had doctors recommend them too but there are SO MANY out there.
DeleteI don't know if they're fake or not, but they sure are spendy. https://stockx.com/gucci-rhyton-mouth From where I sit, unless there is an infection, stay away from antibiotics.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine paying that much money for any pair of shoes, Gucci or not!
DeleteKimchi would be a hot ticket. Natural probiotics from fermentation. Dave could make it for you. There are actually people who make it for gut biome health. Prescribing antibiotics is always a crap shoot, who knows what they will kill.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-easy-kimchi-at-home-189390#post-recipe-8608
OK, thanks for the tip! Yeah, that's my concern about the antibiotics -- they'd kill the good stuff too.
DeleteGucci, LOL. Fake for sure. I would hesitate to mess with gut health as I think they're showing how important it is. I feel like antibiotics would be too strong for what's going on. Probiotics would be great. I do like kimchi (as advised above) but many don't. :)
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way -- I'd rather not mess with my gut "flora" unless I absolutely have to.
DeleteThe waiting room is very lovely, I wish we had some like that here, but they'd probably get trashed by hoodlums with nothing better to do. I hope your gut health gets sorted.
ReplyDeleteYou know, surprisingly, I don't see a lot of vandalism in the train stations -- I guess because you have to pay to enter and you're on camera all the time.
Delete"I despair for the avocado" - what an evocative phrase! Fingers crossed for it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the rest of us non-medical commenters: probiotics (and pre-biotics) all the way.
Chris from Boise
I'm glad everyone has the same reaction to the antibiotic prescription that I had!
Delete