I live in Northern California and have been enduring power blackouts for weeks. Today we have the 4th blackout in 3 weeks and are being told the blackouts could go on go another month as there is no rain in the forecast. Thank goodness no fires have started near me and I haven’t had to evacuate!
Miraculously I haven’t had a flare from stress. I had just finished tapering to 11 mg when all this started and just have been staying there.
My problem has been maintaining a healthy low carb diet. Not being able to cook, having to find a restaurant that’s open, eating out a lot, not having reliable refrigeration, food spoiling, stressed out! Etc. and I’ve gone way off my plan. I’m worried about my A1c, been trying to get it back under control. This isn’t helping !
We have a very limited income.
My sister has also lost power during the blackouts.
Also just the last few days I’ve been just completely exhausted and just want to stay in bed. The cold, dark nites aren’t helping! Could this be the beginning of a flare? I just don’t want to do anything much and it’s hard to relax when you know a fire could start at any moment. Our complex is in the midst of a lot of pine trees and dry pine straw is blown everywhere.
Think I just need some kind words from you wonderful people and some moral support to get through this and to restrain my off limits food cravings.
Thank you-all in advance. ❤️
Written by
Mstiles
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It must be a nightmare. It is having an impact on you. If you get any symptoms at all then I wouldn't hesitate to put pred up. You must be in a state of hypervigilance which isn't good for healthy people.
Regarding hba1c..... Don't even think about that. Just eat as lower carb as eating out will allow but don't stress it. It can be managed back down once the whole WF business is over. I speak as someone with diabetes since 2001. Stressing about it will raise it as much as diet at the moment.
If you continue to feel down you need to speak to someone as staying in bed can be a sign of (understandable) depression. So take it easy, look after yourself and keep us updated. 🌻
As Poopadoop says if you feel a flare coming on then up your dose - and with the amount of stress you must be under then it’s almost inevitable that will happen.
Living in the UK I have no real feeling of what you are going through, but I am thinking of you and hoping you keep safe. ❤️
Dear Mstiles, so sorry to hear and see what you guys are going through on our tv's. It must be horrendous. I've just googled 'no cook, low carb' and found this list:
Canned fish (tuna, salmon, sardines)
Variety of cheeses
Beef jerky, pork rinds (with no sugars or wheat)
Avocado
Nuts
Frozen berries
Cream
Pate
Deli meat (off the bone)
Full-fat yoghurt
Olives
Mayonnaise
Ryevita
Healthy oils – like olive oil – to drizzle over snacks such as mozzarella
Skip the deli meat, jerky and pork rinds. They're loaded with salt and if blood pressure is a problem for anyone in your household, that could be a bomb.
DO NOT eat anything that comes out of an open jar of mayo or anything that contains mayo or cream after a couple of hours without refrigeration. Throw it away after hour 2 if it's warm where you are.
Cook chicken, beef (not ground beef) and other meats, then freeze in portion sized packages in zip lock bags. If you stay out of your freezer and only open once a day or so, what's in there should hold for a few days without power. Once it thaws but is still cool, you have a few hours to eat it. Don't try this with seafood of any kind.
Last time we had a snow storm coming, I filled bottles and zip lock bags with water and lined the outside of the shelves and the door to the fridge and the freezer in advance. These acted as extra insulation and kept the interior of both colder for longer. I moved all the contents to the interior, and piled the cold/frozen water around the contents.
Hard cheese doesn't need refrigeration. Neither do hard boiled eggs. They can hold a week and be just fine.
Most fresh fruits and veggies don't need to be in the fridge. Leafy greens might wilt, but are still edible.
There's always canned fruit and veggies and even meat as a fall back. Stock your pantry.
There are packages of milk that don't need to be refrigerated. On the east coast, it's sold under the Parmelat brand. Neither of us drinks milk, so I keep it in the pantry for use when baking. There's no difference between that and regular milk. It's the package that's different.
We keep dehydrated camping food as a hedge against power outages from hurricanes and snow storms. Just add water and heat. We have a camp stove and fuel for that purpose. You can't use it inside the house, but you can on the driveway or patio. These meals usually have carbs for energy. There are also MREs in camping stores. These meals are the ones the military uses. The packaging heats the contents when you follow the directions. Not exactly fine dining, but you'd be surprised what you'll eat when you're hungry enough.
Make sure you have plenty of bottled water ready to stow in the car if you need to evacuate. Take at least twice as much as you think you'll need.
As for carbs, if you're going to need energy to evacuate, you're going to need carbs. Just go easy. A couple of boxes of granola bars per person in the car will keep you going on the road.
Get some solar powered flashlights and lanterns. Much safer than candles and oil lamps. Also, get solar powered charging stations for your electronics.
When a threatening storm is approaching, we charge up all the electronics along with a battery jumping device. That thing can run an old style radio for hours without eating much juice, and we can stay current on conditions in the area.
Keep your gas tanks full. There's no way to pump gas without power. Often, they're shut down to prevent problems. Also, roads may be closed to deliveries for quite some time. I'd be really careful about storing gas though, and wouldn't think of carting it through a fire zone.
Keep a good amount of cash around. Credit cards and bank cards don't work when there's no power. Neither do ATMs. And everything is at least twice as expensive during an emergency. Sad but true.
Wishing you didn't need any of this information...
The good news is that all can be accumulated a little at a time, much of it on sale, and kept on hand for years. You might consider talking to your neighbors, friends, family, church groups etc. and see what you can come up with to collaborate on buying supplies in bulk, so you can all take advantage of savings.
I'm a New Yorker. Under the circumstances, what you said would be considered extremely polite here!
I only wish the best for you and yours. Sadly, what you're experiencing looks like the "new normal" for California, and a long range strategy is called for so you're prepared for emergencies. Anxiety and stress are often reduced by having good plans and being organized. And working with with friends, neighbors and family to help one another is both comforting and rewarding.
Oddly I was driving a relatively long distance today (not in US terms) and at one point was listening to a programme on the radio about the wildfires and blackouts in California and I thought of you as I was driving as I remember seeing your earlier posts. I was wondering how you were doing and whether you were still affected or not. I‘m sorry things haven’t improved. It sounds awful. I can’t add to the advice given by the experts but if it helps at all I was thinking of you and am sending big hugs from Scotland. Take care. ❤️
I think that your symptoms are a perfectly logical reaction to the stressful situation you are in. Feeling powerless is awful. I think eating out, amongst people in the same boat will do you more good than a strict no carb diet right now. Just concentrate on keeping safe right now and happy and if that means a heap of fries and a donut, then so be it. Once this awful situation has lifted then look at the lesser things. I have been reading about the awful inferno and thinking about you and your son and sister a lot. Hugs and bless you!
I find your description helps me understand. Just watching a news report followed by a description from a man who wrote a book on wildfires (after the fires which destroyed Fort McMurray near the oil sands) about how we, collectively, are going to have to change things about how we build our houses and communities to help protect ourselves. It is terrifying.
Are there any help or comfort centres set up where people like you who have power cuts at unfortunately frequent intervals can go to get a hot meal and support from fellow residents?
Praying for California. Sounds like tonight is even worse there with the increased wind. Stay safe and know that others are sending you love and prayers.
We had nearby wildfires last summer, and the smoke was horrendous. I hope you are not too bothered by that problem. Fortunately we were not near the fires, so no risk of property or life loss.
It sounds like You are suffering severely with the power outages, it is truly a nasty situation.
My only contribution to the wise words of others is to urge you to take care of your self as best you can. Stressing only makes it worse, as you know.
Eating in restaurants is challenging, and when I find myself dependent on that food, I try to choose protein and vegetables in place of the bread and potatos. A hamburger from fast food will often be available with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. Sounds silly, tastes good and helps manage . I eat lots of eggs too.
Stay in touch with us...we are sending you loads of positive energy and hope this disastrous situation ends soon for you. If you ever get tired of the problems in CA, come to the Pacific Northwest. We are midway between Seattle and the Canadian boarder, with the Salish Sea on one side, and the mountains on the other. We have lots of rain and have mostly been able to avoid the horrors you are facing.
Most kind regards, and prayers for your wellbeing.🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽Jerri
It seems that we just do the best we can at the time. You can get your eating back on track after you are settled. My prayers are with you. Must be totally overwhelming. I am flying into Burbank next week to see my daughter and son. Prayers for all of you that are suffering 🙏❤️
Sending my very best wishes and thoughts. Oh, and prayers for rain. Lots of it! Don't even worry about the diet, you've done it before and you can do it again when all this stress is over.
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