60TH BIRTHDAY MILESTONE !

Hi everyone, I have just celebrated my 60th birthday on 11th September and even though open parties or gatherings are not allowed during this Covid-19 lock down, I managed to celebrate at home with my family members. It was nice to have some good food, good company and I felt blessed.

Reflecting back on the years, the three things that I felt most traumatized were firstly, my knee pain from osteoarthritis, secondly, my addiction to sleeping pills and thirdly, my weight gain which inadvertently caused many other problems. But looking on the bright side, I am so glad that I had my bilateral total knee replacement 10 years ago and the pain is gone. Of course, I still have the usual stiffness around my knees caused by the permanent damage of arthritis and my other joints such as my fingers and back are affected but overall, I can live with these occasional discomfort as long as the knee pain is gone. 

Fighting my addiction with sleeping pills caused by the knee pain was another serious battle as I almost died twice due to seizures. Having gone through a therapy saved me and I am glad that I do not have sleeping problem anymore. I am really thankful for my family's intervention to get me the necessary help and for my decision to choose recovery.

Battling weight gain is something that I went through my whole life. It's a yo-yo cycle but eventually when I chose to live low carb about 4 years ago, I managed to lose weight and get healthier. My chronic stomach discomfort has improved tremendously and my blood sugar has normalized. I still suck at exercise but am trying my best to make a routine of it.

Having retired from full time work, I am so grateful to have found something that I love to do and could do it from home at my own time. Yes, it's my youtube channel called "lowcarbrecipeideas". It's been almost three years and I managed to receive a silver plaque form Youtube for achieving 100K subscribers. I strive to create relevant contents and publish two videos a week. Even though it takes up quite a lot of my time but it's something that I enjoy so I can only feel grateful. Stay safe and healthy everyone !

Feel free to check out my youtube channel and social medias at;

Https://www.youtube.com/lowcarbrecipeideas

Http://www.instagram.com/lowcarbrecipeideas

Http://www.facebook.com/lowcarbrecipeidea

60th Birthday Sept 2021

Before TKR Damage at stage 4 out of 5

Post TKR 2011

Before going low carb 2017

After going low carb 2018

2019

 2019

HOW I LOST 4 DRESS SIZES WITHOUT EXERCISE AND GOT RID OF CHRONIC ACID REFLUX

Hey everyone ! It's been a long time since I posted here. For your information, I have been very active operating my lowcarbrecipeideas social medias on instagram, facebook and youtube channel. I have just uploaded a new video on my youtube channel where I spoke about;

1. How I lost 4 dress sizes without exercise.

2. How I got rid of chronic acid reflux.

3. How I normalized my blood sugar level from a pre diabetic level.

4. How I improved on my immune system.

In this video, I also shared about my osteo-arthritis condition and bilateral total knee replacement. I hope this video will help you in some ways so please check it out by clicking the link below. Thank you !

How I lost 4 dress sizes without exercise and got rid of chronic acid reflux

PROGRESS UPDATE

Hi everyone, sorry I have been missing for quite a while. Actually, I have been doing something really good and that is living low carb since last September and operating an instagram account @lowcarbrecipeideas. It's available now in facebook too with the same name.

Now you all know that I have been struggling with weight issues my whole life. And ever since I had my total knee replacement, I did a lot of research and found out that the cause of arthritis is sugar or carbs and I blogged extensively about it here. Then I decided to eat low carb but failed miserably over a period of 6 years. However, based on this experience, I do know that eating low carb works because when I am on it for several months, magical things happened - weight loss, blood sugar level reduction, acid reflux and stomach discomfort gone, less aches and pains, immune system improved and I feel so good. But once I relapsed, everything came back.

So since September 2017, I started my low carb journey again as I had a wake up call with my blood sugar level increasing to pre-diabetic level and I have gained so much weight. I am happy to report that its been a year now and I have lost 4 dress sizes naturally, blood sugar normalized, acid reflux and stomach discomfort gone, improved immune system and I feel good and more energetic. Why I have managed to go this far this time? It's because I discovered miracle rice and noodles which are zero carbs. They are made of konjac plant, hence, they are healthy with high fiber. They contain 97% water and 3% konjac powder. So I still get to enjoy all my favourite food such as curry laksa, fried rice, nasi lemak, pork noodles, fried kuey teow, pasta and much more just by substituting with these zero carb rice and noodles. Then I started an instagram account @lowcarbrecipeideas in March this year to share all my low carb recipes and keep myself accountable. Miraclenoodle in the U.S. discovered me using konjac rice and noodles in my recipes and offered me to become one of their ambassadors which I gladly accepted. All I have to do is just post recipes with miracle noodles. If you are interested to try these miracle rice and noodles, check out their instagram Miraclenoodle  and website at Miraclenoodle. You can use my 10% discount code ELSIE for purchase of miraclenoodle products. I have also started to conduct low carb cooking classes and share my experience. So do follow me on instagram or faceook @lowcarbrecipeideas for mouth watering low carb recipes.  

As far as my knees are concerned, I am happy to report that they are good, no problem whatsoever. I am so grateful to have had my bliateral total knee replacement in 2012 which allowed me to stay active, travel overseas for vacation, work and pursue my passion. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018

Happy New Year everyone!

I can't believe that it is almost 3 years since I posted anything here. And so many things have happened such as;

1. My sister in law, Sok Hia is doing well since her bilateral total knee replacement more than 2     
    years ago. The only thing I noticed is that she still have a fear of falling down hence, she
    sometimes uses a stick or umbrella for support just in case. Other than that, she is fine.

2. Two of my sisters, Mandy and Patricia went through similar bilateral total knee replacement
    during the past few years.  That means three of us siblings  have undergone the same surgery.
     And including my sister in law, that makes four of us in the family! Can you see how rampant
    osteoarthritis is?

3.  My low carb diet went down the drain due to lack of discipline and too much work. Hence,
     I put on so much weight and medically, it was a disaster due to the side effects of wheat and
     carbs in my body.

4.  Since September 2017, I put a stop to all the unheallthy eating and went back to eating low
     carb and also started my brisk walking whenever I have some time. As a result, I have lost
     1 dress size and feeling a lot better.

5.  The best thing I discovered lately is konjac food which are available in the form of rice
     and noodles. Konjac food are made of konjac powder which is derived from the root of
     of an Asian plant called Amorphophallus Konjac and they have a host of health benefits too.
     They are also referred to as elephant yam or konnyaku. It's low calorie, high fibre and
     contains no starch or sugar. Its texture is firm and springy and its tasteless so it will
     absorb any flavor that it's cooked in.  This is definitely a savior for me as it doesn't deprived
     me of eating chinese noodles or rice anymore. I have started sharing on instagram on my low
     carb journey and recipes so feel free to follow me under the name of "lowcarbrecipeideas".
     You can see and learn more about konjac food there.

6.  As for my knees, it's the seventh year now and I still feel great. Of course, the stiffness is still
     there when I sit or stand too long but that doesn't prevent me from being active.

So until next time, Happy New Year once again. Hope the new year will bring peace, good health and happiness to all of us.

SOK HIA'S BILATERAL TKR EXPERIENCE

I am so excited to share this real experience of a bilateral total knee replacement (TKR) by a close family member as I was involved with her journey before and after TKR.

Lee Sok Hia is my eldest sister-in-law. She is 65 years old, of a small frame and relatively healthy. As you can see here, her knees were quite seriously bowed before TKR due to osteoarthritis.  When I had my bilateral TKR four years ago, I thought I could motivate her to fix her knees too. But as expected, her fears were too great and it took her until now to take the bold move.  Apart from fear, the delay was partly because she does not experience pain in her knees.  This may sound unbelievable but true and it does happen to a small percentage of people with the same problem. However, she experiences discomfort in the knees, limping, backache and difficulty in walking so much so she has avoided going to a lot of places that involves walking. Meanwhile, her bowed legs continue to deteriorate and she also experienced difficulty walking up and down staircases and had to cling to her husband for support in the fear of falling down.  It finally hit Sok Hia that she has no quality of life and she decided to do TKR about two months ago. She chose the same Orthopaedic Surgeon (OS) as mine as she was convinced that he did a good job with my TKR and that of one of our friend. And so the journey begins. 

The first visit to the OS was quite an experience. He was puzzled that she did not have pain, did not take pain killer and could still squat down. Therefore, he suggested for her to do a thorough examination before determining whether she really needed TKR. After a series of blood tests, x-rays and MRI, it was discovered that she had 30% deterioration in the spine of her neck, 5% at her back and 90% at her knees. So the OS was convinced that she needed TKR but the question remains whether she really wanted it because she did not have pain and did not take any pain killer. She said yes, simply because she wanted a better quality of life. And so a date was fixed which was only 2 days away. I thought it was superb, no long waiting period and excessive worrying.

The operation went smoothly and as you can see below, her knees were straightened. She has been very disciplined with her physical therapy exercises on her own which greatly contributed to good improvements during her recovery period. Of course, she experiences the usual stiffness, tightness and numbness which will hopefully improve in time.

There is one important thing that I would like to share with you based on this experience.  Sok Hia was advised not to have epidural but general anaesthetic. The doctor advised against doing epidural because her back wasn't in good condition. Now, if I had known this, I would not have opted for epidural when I had my bilateral TKR four years ago. I did not realise then that my on and off backaches were important to be mentioned to the doctor.  Therefore, after the surgery, I had severe discomfort in my back when lying down or resting my back on a chair which was most unpleasant during my recovery. So on hind sight, I wish I had known about this fact before my TKR.

I will gradually keep you updated on Sok Hia's recovery. Meanwhile, by sharing this experience, I hope it will motivate you to take that step towards obtaining a better quality of life. 

Before TKR

After TKR

3 weeks after TKR

3-YEAR UPDATE

In case you noticed that I have not been posting here for quite some time, it's because I have been so tied down with a relatively new home business. Even though its a small business but I have been putting my heart and soul into it. And the best thing is that I am able to contribute to charity at the same time.

Keeping busy has really made me stopped thinking about my knees which is quite an achievement. I have done so many things this past year besides starting my home business such as volunteering to feed the homeless in the streets twice a week, taking part in my son's surprise marriage proposal in Krabi, Thailand, enjoying my holiday trips, cooking, planning and supervising my home renovation and standing for hours doing promotion at sales events. I can also exercise without any problem and sleep really well too. Now all these would not have been possible if I did not have my total knee replacement (TKR) three years ago.

I would be kidding you if I said I do not have any stiffness and tightness in my knees now. Of course, I still do but at a lesser extent and this is the price I paid for all the damage caused by osteoarthritis and for delaying TKR. But still, I consider it as a small price to pay in return for pain free knees. Inspite of my progress, I try not to take things for granted particularly since I now know what is the root cause of arthritis and all other diseases. If you are new to this site, I suggest you read those posts related to this topic.

As mentioned before, I have been following a low carb diet since last year and managed to lose some weight and saw my belly shrunk. I am also a strong advocate of drinking green smoothies, baking soda water and consuming more alkaline food. Ever since then, my immune system has improved drastically, gas problem gone, blood sugar normalised, less aches and pain and I sleep very well. But I must admit that ever since I started my home business, I have fallen off the wagon once in a while as my business involves food and also when I am busy preparing for events. Amazingly, I discovered that when I started consuming carbs and wheat again, almost immediately I felt all the negative reactions to my body such as indigestion, gas, dark stools, aches and pain, blood sugar and pressure increasing, belly bulge and constant hunger.  The weight would just start creeping back its scary but at the same time, it proves that carbs and wheat are so unhealthy for our body. Realistically, I know its not easy to give up these unhealthy food because they are so delicious and addictive. So even though I may deviate once in a while but I make it a point that for most part of the time, I stick to eating low carb meals for the sake of my overall health and to prevent osteoarthritis in other joints.

So for those of you still contemplating TKR, I am living proof that it's the best thing that I have ever done for myself. One of the joys of TKR is being able to do things for myself, with my family and contribute to charity. Next up, is my son's wedding in September this year which involves a lot of preparation and organisation but I am all game for it. What about my little business? Well, its a passion for me and as long as I can earn some money for myself and contribute to charity at the same time, I am one happy person.

While TKR surgeries have proven to be highly successful, in reality a lot of people are put off by it due to fear. So here, I would like to encourage you to let go of the fear in order for change to happen. Seek proper medical advice and listen to the right people particularly those who have gone through TKR. You can also join one of the many TKR support groups available not only to raise your concerns but learn about other people's experiences. So good luck to you!

INFOGRAPHICS

Preparations for the home before joint replacement is crucial to help with recovery. Nordorthopaedics clinic has produced an infographic which gives useful tips on how to adjust your home in preparation for a joint replacement surgery.  I am sure you will find their write up below to be very helpful. 

Think you already did your research on joint replacement surgery? Have you given much thought to the recovery period, too?

It is crucial to understand that joint replacement surgery requires additional preparation. As a person who has not experienced joint replacement before, it might be hard to pay attention to all the necessary details that make up a safe environment for you to get better.

This infographic can help you make your home more "recovery friendly".

Inspect every room and living area carefully in order to eliminate every possible obstacle that could cause any trauma or put an extra burden on your joints.

Focus on the appropriate heights - so that you don't need to keep an extra chair in the kitchen to reach an overhead cabinet or a sponge in the bathroom when showering.

Space is also a significant factor. Make sure you have a lot of it to move around, so that a box standing on the ground would not lead to a freak accident.

Another important thing is being able to have confidence in your moves. Therefore well-lit places contribute majorly to creating a place suitable for a recovery.

Lastly, if you have pets that crave constant attention and make your life more active, consider finding them a temporary home or invite a friend or family member over to help you.

Pay attention to details and remember that small things can contribute greatly to the feeling of confidence and being able to not to worry about hurting yourself in the place you are supposed to feel safest!

Check out this link to see the infographics.

http://www.nordorthopaedics.com/en/articles/infographics/getting-your-home-ready-after-joint-replacement