Letters from Wetville

I spent many years sorting out full bust adjustments.  I still spend a long time on most patterns making full bust adjustments, but I'd branched out into other fitting challenges.  When sewing up some Jenna cardigans this summer (not yet photographed or blogged, but I'm wearing the yellow one as I type), I kept narrowing the shoulder on every iteration.  Finally, the blue version had a good shoulder fit, but it still fell off my shoulders if I didn't pull it on firmly. That made me think some more about items which DO fit on my shoulders.  I have a favourite Max brand green merino hoodie top.  I measured the shoulders on that (they fit perfectly) and they were tiny shoulders.  But because of the style of the hoodie, it didn't slip off easily.  My Sewaholic Nicola dresses are slightly wide in the shoulders, but because of the little cap sleeve, they look fine. Then I decided to have a go at a button through top.  At first I was all set to go ta...

Just like pharmaceutical drugs, vitamin supplements are never guaranteed miracle cures.  I've a documented propensity for developing immune dysfunction symptoms which doctors have no idea what to do about, and I've spent a lot of time successfully dealing with these symptoms by alternative means.  I've no longer got arthritis and or bells palsy.  I've reduced my hyperthyroid symptoms significantly, but there is still a big bulge of a goiter on/in my neck.  This year, taking a multivitamin with no iodine (generally counterindicated for hyperthyroid persons) and no iron (no good for haemochromatosis persons) twice a day, every day, has made a HUGE positive difference to my general health.  I've had only one mild cold this year! Tonight I thought I'd document what hasn't worked for me.  Mostly because I've trawled the net many a night looking for information which isn't there.  Here's one story.  Vitamin C is supposed to be bad for haemochromatosi...

Still blogging ... just.  I've compiled a few posts in my head about fundraising and the school gala.  I won't relive the buildup to the gala here after all, but the actual day turned out really well, we made $14 000 which is fantastic for a school of only 170 pupils in a town hard hit by recent economic changes.  I learnt that I still don't mind working hard on the day, and that making candy floss the night before is kind of fun, but that I should not volunteer to make cakes, buy the ingredients and then discover I cannot find the time to bake. The Terrible Tragedy of the Healthy Eater is hilarious, even for me the kale afficcionado. In the absence of a local butcher, and given my dissatisfaction with supermarket meat, I decided to try Gourmet Direct , on the recommendation of a foodie friend's stepmother.  Of course.  How else do you find a butcher?  All very Hansel and Gretel so far.  Armed with a free delivery code, I made a selection of meats...

Tiramisu number 2! I cut and sewed it all in one day - I love how much easier/faster it is the second time round with a pattern.  The fabric is a cotton knit of wider black and yellow stripes, with a narrow white stripe in between each black and yellow stripe.  I was unsure whether to make a full dress as I thought the knit may cling.  This picture is with a slip underneath, which will be a constant, I think.  I made it as a wearable muslin before I cut into my Nelson holiday special fabric, but I think it is good enough for work (despite the fact that the centre seam of the skirt is not quite on the centre of my body which is absolutely my error not the pattern's).  The only thing I will change is that next time I will narrow the sleeves a little.  I made this one longer than version one.  Although I won't hem it for a few wears, I like the swish of the longer length.  It may even be a candidate for a no-hem hem. I also finished the top which...

So I drive almost 250 kilometres and I have some blood tests and get injected with some iodine-like substance and they take some nuclear scan pictures of my thyroid and I have a multi-nodular goiter which is what they suspected already and I ask about when I see the endocrinologist. I see the endocrinologist in July . Then I drive almost 250 kilometres home again. So just as well I'm not entirely dependent on the state health system for strategies to deal with heart problems, anxiety, wild irritability, shortness of breath and insomnia.  The calcium and magnesium (I switched to both rather than just magnesium last week) is helping a lot on the sleep quality front.  I've been taking a copper supplement for five days now.  This is in response to a very recent discovery, where it turns out that high iron supresses copper and that persons with haemochromatosis need more copper.  I also learnt that vitamin C and copper are antagonists, so I've stopped all vitamin C ...

It's definitely tricky to be back at work while experiencing hyperthyroid symptoms.  Racing heart, anxiousness, irritability and a difficulty dealing with many things happening at once are all things I would like to farewell at the first available opportunity. Cue more googling, thinking, and monitoring how I react to different supplements and situations.  What is the relationship between haemochromatosis and thyroid health?  Welll. Well well well. I thought this story of a nutritional approach to hyperthyroidism was interesting. What supresses copper?  High levels of iron. Well well well.  I've ordered some copper supplements as so much of what I've read tonight (I've not linked to all of it as it is bedtime) resonates with my own symptom profile.  I cannot perceive of any harm in trying out some copper supplementation. On Monday I go over the hill for a nuclear imaging scan, and I hope (it's not explicit in the letter) that I get to see an end...