Bras that don't fit

"Finally, a Bra Collection Designed Exclusively for A&B Cups" reads the ad for a Glamorise bra. They listed some hard-to-find sizes, including 42A and 44A. I haven't seen these in the store but found it online and decided to order one.

Well, it arrived today and I was disappointed. The cup is bigger than it should be. I'll send it back for a refund, and of course there is no smaller cup in a 44 band length.

Cup sizes are funny. Every size guide I've seen says something like this: "Subtract your band measurement from your bust measurement; each inch represents a cup size." HA! Not if your band size is over 38 inches. Once you pass that magic number, the cups sizes increase. I haven't figured out the exact formula but a B cup in a 42 or 44 equals about a D cup in a 38. And very very few models come in an 44A or 42A or even a 40A.

Some years ago I got tired of adding elastic extenders to the back of my bras so I went to a fancy lingerie shop and got professionally fitted. The clerk said I wear a 38C. "That'll be too tight," I protested. But I tried one on, and of course, it was so tight it dug into my rib cage.

"Well, some people just don't like wearing a bra," she opined.

"Not me! I just don't like feeling pinched."

"Maybe we can order a mastectomy bra that would fit you," she said.

But they were very expensive and there was no guarantee they would fit. I kept on wearing extenders until my skin got irritated from the chafing of the elastic (or maybe from the latex). And the straps kept slipping because the extra couple of inches in the back made them too far apart on my shoulders.

Finally I started ordering custom-sized bras from Decent Exposures and from a Chinese vendor on ebay. But neither gave the look I wanted. Well, guess I'm stuck for now. I could keep the faux-A cup bra that I just got and pad the heck out of it, but I really don't want to add look BIG or unnatural. I'm already plump enough!

There are some sport bras that fit me, sort of. But they have what a friend calls the uni-boob look: a single lump all the way across the chest, kind of squashed into a roll.

Well, I guess I'll order another model from Decent Exposures. They not only sew to your specific size, they will take the bra back and adjust it if needed. And I like the latex-free option and the fact that the elastic is covered so it doesn't irritate my skin. I just wish their bras gave a bit more lift and had more thickness.

Anyone else tried Truvia?

I bought some Truvia at the supermarket. It's a new sugar-substitute made from stevia and erythritol.

I use stevia regularly to sweeten cocoa with no apparent side-effects. I was a bit cautious about consuming erythritol because I generally do not tolerate sugar alcohols. So I only used one packet of Truvia at a time, and usually only once a day.

Then I used it twice a day and the side-effects showed up. I suffered some gas and diarrhea. Immediately I stopped using Truvia and went back to using plain stevia (which also can be purchased in packets). That was four days ago and the side-effects of the Truvia have not stopped.

I'm unsure whether the processing of the stevia into another form had any effect or the side-effects are only due to erythritol. However, I just read up on erythritol in Wikipedia and I may be sensitive to it because it is produced from glucose by fermentation with a yeast. I am very allergic to several varieties of yeast, and cannot consume most fermented products without unpleasant results.

By the way, if you look up stevia you'll read that it may improve insulin sensitivity. It is being studied as helping to reverse diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Postscript: This post has drawn a number of comments and has received many, many hits from people searching for symptoms caused by Truvia. If you have side-effects from this (or any product), please consider writing to the manufacturer. If you had a severe reaction and are certain that it was due to this product, you should report it to the FDA.

Personally, I have not done so because I have many allergies including one to yeasts (which is in erythritol) so I suspect that's what set off my diarrhea. I'm being much more careful now about avoiding sugar alcohols.

Additional Postscript 3/2013, seen on BeverageDaily:

Cargill has failed in its second attempt to secure EU approval for use of bulk sweetener erythritol in soft drinks, after EFSA published a negative opinion relating to its introduction on child safety grounds.

A Cargill spokesman admitted that erythritol can have "not harmful" laxative effects.

See: http://www.beveragedaily.com/Ingredients/Cargill-suffers-bitter-erythritol-blow-EFSA-rejects-beverage-use-extension

Chemsense page

The page for the Chemical Sensitivities group in DC-Maryland-Virginia is now www.Chemsense.com. It used to be on AOL but they are no longer hosting websites.

Misery in the Intestines

We had company last week. Unfortunately, I got sick Thursday night with the worst diarrhea of my life. I only got a few hours sleep and was unable to entertain our company on Friday. My husband took them out touring for the day while I stayed home and rested. I was also able to do laundry and a little housekeeping.

I don't know what brought on the illness. We had been eating out a lot because (a) we were entertaining guests and (b) it's hard to feed a diverse group. I have food allergies and my sister-in-law doesn't eat red meat, my brother-in-law has to avoid salt, fatty meat, and hydrogenated fats, and my husband is diabetic plus he is a picky eater (won't eat fish, for instance). Anyway, I must have eaten some ingredient that disagreed with me in a restaurant. It is difficult to avoid allergens in restaurants because even if they don't add them, they can be on the grill or in the cooking oil, especially butter and wheat.

It's been years since I had diarrhea so bad that I needed to take something for it. So in the middle of the night, I looked for appropriate medicine and found Pepto Bismol. Unfortunately, it says not to take it if you are allergic to salicylates, which I am. By 4 am, I was getting desperate. The closest all-night store is an hour away. I decided to take a calcium tablet, which can be slightly constipating as long as it's not calcium citrate. That may have helped because I was able to sleep until 7:00.

At 7, my husband drove to our local general store to see what they had. They had Kaopectate but it carried the same warning about salicylates. (Salicylates make my ears ring and upset my stomach.) They also had Imodium so he purchased a package and brought it home. I only took one capsule because I was already recovering.

The diarrhea stayed away. Unfortunately, I then several days painfully constipated, with my tummy so bloated I looked pregnant. I've had the bloating with constipation before; in fact, even a tiny pat of butter gives me that condition. (Cow butter, that is. I'm okay with goat butter.)

I probably should have seen a doctor but we were heading into the weekend and our guests were leaving soon so I just waited it out and tried not to complain. I made an effort to rehydrate by drinking extra water, taking in salt and potassium. Of course I was afraid to bring the diarrhea back so I didn't take laxatives. (My experience is that they don't work for dairy-related constipation anyway; they just cause painful spasms.) After four days, the constipation finally ended and now I feel pretty much normal.

Low salt diet may not be good for your heart

Another example of expert advice becoming dubious...

WEDNESDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) — Surprising new research suggests that a diet low in salt may be worse for your heart than eating lots of salt, but don't start eating potato chips just yet.

"No one should run out and buy a salt shaker to try to improve their cardiovascular health. But we think it's reasonable to say that different people have different needs," said study author Dr. Hillel W. Cohen, an associate professor of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
The study, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, doesn't confirm that a low-salt diet itself is bad for the heart. But it does say that people who eat the least salt suffer from the highest rates of death from cardiac disease.
"Our findings suggest that one cannot simply assume, without evidence, that lower salt diets 'can't hurt,' " Cohen said.

For the rest, see www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90010

Finally, the FDA Warns about Mercury Fillings

NEWS ITEM: Silver-colored metal dental fillings contain mercury that may cause health problems in pregnant women, children and fetuses, the Food and Drug Administration said today after settling a related lawsuit.

COMMENT: It's about time! Health advocacy groups and holistic dentists have been saying this for years. Unfortunately, the American Dental Association has tried to silence the protests because they fear that lawsuits will follow.

Even worse, having the fillings removed carries hazards because mercury is released when the old metal is drilled out.

I had my silver fillings removed over ten years ago, a few at a time. The dentist worked carefully, using a dental dam and administering oxygen to that I wouldn't breathe in too much mercury. I still got really ill though, and didn't feel well for several months.

Warning about CFL Light bulbs

Parents and others should read the Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report. It's from the State of Maine; their waste management bureau did extensive tests on breakage of compact flourescent lightbulbs. They still recommend using the bulbs, although after reading the warnings, I don't understand why.

After cleaning up a broken bulb, tests show "all types of flooring surfaces tested can retain mercury sources even when visibly clean."

Never vacuum up pieces of a broken CFL bulb. "Vacuuming tends to mix the air within the room such that the one foot and five foot heights are similar immediately after vacuuming. A vacuum can become contaminated by mercury such that it cannot be easily decontaminated."

Mercury is dangerous. So what do you put a broken CFL in? Turns out that plastic bags won't do; use a glass jar.

Read Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report and its attachments for details.

Uh-oh, Getting Older

Last week I got results from a Dexascan and learned that I have osteopenia, that is, low mineral content in my bones. This can lead to osteoporosis. The nurse said I need to take more calcium and vitamin D.

Then yesterday the podiatrist said I have arthritis in my toes. I was a bit shocked. Arthritis, me? I'm not old enough...

Oh, wait. I am. Getting older is rough. And how do you age gracefully when your body stops cooperating?