Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

I don't even know what to say. I have been hearing a little about that tick disease. Not much until reading what you've written. I have no words at the moment. I really hope you and DS can get to feeling better quickly.
On the calves I know how you feel. It always stinks when we lose them. Timing is bad on top of it with you and DS not feeling well. Hopefully you can get a couple more healthy calves ready to go.
Great news on the bull results. Far more valuable as a breeder.

If it wasn't for the situation at the farm and him wanting to get the cow out of there, I never would have taken her while feeling like this. But you do what you have to do... the calves are not my fault. Neither was "good" and they had 2 plus strikes against them. It's part of it... but still sad.

Cow is doing soo good with the one calf and just a sweetheart in the barn... comes right in, goes right in the bunk never fights the head catch... Hit a homerun on her... if I can just get another 1 or 2 on her....

Actually got a pretty good nights sleep... laying horizontal... swelling in feet is half what it was from one night .... woke up once and went back to sleep after a trip to the bathroom...
I am thankful for that...

 

[farmerjan]

This tick thing is life altering for you with the variable health issues it presents. Thankfully, some can be treated/handled.

The alpha gal thing -- no beef & you raise beef
No milk & you handle dairy cows....talk about damned!

Leaves poultry & seafoods... Hopefully your body will adjust to lesser triggers It's gonna be a long, hard 2026....

If I wasn't so pissed I would just sit down and cry.... I love some seafood, and of course eat chicken... but the other...

You hit the nail on the head @Mini Horses ..... I feel damned.

And I feel twice as angry that I could have been trying to deal with it ALOT sooner if they had called me with the positive diagnosis, and not been feeling so sick for so long...
Luckily I also like eggs because even cold cereal is out unless I just eat it dry.... handfuls of cheerios like when we little kids... I do eat my oatmeal and cream of wheat without milk most times... more lie a "gruel" or mush... with honey or maple syrup....
I ate beef 3-4 times a week... milk of some form every day....

Just took the longhorn x steer in and he got killed monday... 1/2 was for me, half was supposed to be sold... but the guy who needed the half said his customer backed out... so I NEVER would have taken him to the butcher... there's $2,000 worth of steer that could have been cash in my pocket instead of scrambling to find buyers for beef I can't even eat now... I am REALLY PISSED at the friend who didn't have the decency to say it was iffy on his buyer.... NEVER AGAIN to do a favor for this friend.... he should have had money in hand for at least the half..... money for ME......
If I had known about this stupid red meat thing, I never would have let him go even it the friend had cash in hand... because of me not needing any meat now either...

Got to get the chickens watered and get ready to leave.

It is 45 out... never got below 35 last night... Last big thaw before the snow/ice mess and 10-20 degree temps for day on end...

 

[SageHill]

Oh geeze - I'm so sorry. Words are not enough.

I finally agreed to the newer mail in one, that you do at home without all the junk to drink and all that..

OK -- here's my experience on that -- those tests cost $$$ even if it's insurance that's footing the bill. ADD in to that the results are 85% false positive which means --- yup you guessed it --- colonoscopy. So either expect that you'll be doing the colonoscopy after the test OR skip it and do the colonoscopy OR skip it all together.
I got talked into that test (yes - talked into it) Dec 2024, got the positive results a day or two before Christmas (ruined Christmas) and had to have the colonoscopy early last year.
I did a lot of research on that stupid test in the time between the results and the colonoscopy and what I found made me so freaking mad I could've spit bullets.

 

[Mini Horses]

My insurance sent me that test a few yrs ago -- unannounced. Trashed it. I'm still alive & happy.

They also periodically called to set up an in home, or tetevideo, check up. I asked what are you checking for??? I'm alive, answered phone! You can't draw blood or check BP, etc, via video. I'm healthy....don't call back.

 

[fuzzi]

This tick thing is life altering for you with the variable health issues it presents. Thankfully, some can be treated/handled.

The alpha gal thing -- no beef & you raise beef
No milk & you handle dairy cows....talk about damned!

Leaves poultry & seafoods... Hopefully your body will adjust to lesser triggers It's gonna be a long, hard 2026....

What about goat meat?

 

[Mini Horses]

Goat is red meat. Only meat from Non-mammary .... Some may be less of an issue. Fun part is eating to find out how sick you get!

TIme will tell "what & how much" of meat & milk products will affect. It might moderate in time. No guarantees.

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses is exactly right... all mammals are out... and with the reactions I had with that horrible explosive instantaneous diarrhea, on top of the insistent back ache..... don't think I am wanting to experiment with anything else right now..
NO beef, pork, lamb, goat, venison, water buffalo, giraffe, elephant, hippopatamus, yak..... even seals and whales are mammals so not going to try them..... even fats from them like bacon grease.....COULD cause a problem... beef tallow and lanolin are listed as possible problems....

And the moderation in time has been said maybe 2-5 years for some... some never....

The milk and dairy products may or may not be as big a problem.... going to have to try them out slowly... I drink milk and eat yogurt, cottage cheese, all that... something dairy DAILY.....

This really really SUCKS everybody.... would not wish this on anyone.... still cannot believe it...

Chicken, turkey, any fowl... eggs.... seafood and fish....

 

[farmerjan]

Got the name of a person that specializes in tick diseases today while at DS's dr appt... he is a DO but has a waiting list 9 miles long... but specializes in head neck spine stuff, said he knows of the tick diseases but doesn't know much about them... Going to see if I can get in with this specialist... at least get someone that understands the seriousness of this..
DS dr did say that he does not feel the 2 week "protocol" of antibiotics when you get a tick bite is at all sufficient... said it is like taking an antibiotic for something and you get feeling a little better than stop before you are "better"... makes it worse in the long run... which is EXACTLY what happened here...

 

[drstratton]

@Mini Horses is exactly right... all mammals are out... and with the reactions I had with that horrible explosive instantaneous diarrhea, on top of the insistent back ache..... don't think I am wanting to experiment with anything else right now..
NO beef, pork, lamb, goat, venison, water buffalo, giraffe, elephant, hippopatamus, yak..... even seals and whales are mammals so not going to try them..... even fats from them like bacon grease.....COULD cause a problem... beef tallow and lanolin are listed as possible problems....

And the moderation in time has been said maybe 2-5 years for some... some never....

The milk and dairy products may or may not be as big a problem.... going to have to try them out slowly... I drink milk and eat yogurt, cottage cheese, all that... something dairy DAILY.....

This really really SUCKS everybody.... would not wish this on anyone.... still cannot believe it...

Chicken, turkey, any fowl... eggs.... seafood and fish....

Such a raw deal for you!

 

[drstratton]

Got the name of a person that specializes in tick diseases today while at DS's dr appt... he is a DO but has a waiting list 9 miles long... but specializes in head neck spine stuff, said he knows of the tick diseases but doesn't know much about them... Going to see if I can get in with this specialist... at least get someone that understands the seriousness of this..
DS dr did say that he does not feel the 2 week "protocol" of antibiotics when you get a tick bite is at all sufficient... said it is like taking an antibiotic for something and you get feeling a little better than stop before you are "better"... makes it worse in the long run... which is EXACTLY what happened here...

Sounds like your son's Dr has some common sense. Glad he gave you the info on the Dr. Hopefully you can get in soon.