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Musical instrument display in the stairwell.
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We’re finally feeling settled in. Wandering about the ship, we familiarized ourselves with all the many venues, bars, restaurants and shops, and theaters. My FitBit is practically smoking with all the steps we’re taking, walking throughout the ship off and on all day.
It feels terrific to be moving about as much as we have each day when in Fairlight. But, of course, there were days I wasn’t quite up to getting out, as I’ve been over these past few days since I changed my diet even further.
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| Staff preparing the Star Lounge for the nightly Diamond Lounge. After collecting sufficient points to warrant access to many services provided to members, we’re Diamond Club members, including a nightly “party,” which includes complimentary food and drinks from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Last night, we left in time for an enjoyable dinner in the Sapphire Dining Room, sharing a large table with other friendly passengers. |
In sheer desperation, I adopted the FODMAPS diet, including only those acceptable foods for my usual way of eating. However, the elimination process was a challenge after cutting out most dairy, cream, onions, garlic, cauliflower, avocados, and more.
Within 24 hours, I was almost pain-free, can now consume hot tea, eat a normal-sized meal, and have even managed to have a small breakfast and dinner. In addition, the bloating is reducing a little each day, and I can go almost the entire day without thinking of my gut discomfort.
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| Each passenger finds a groove that enables them to participate in activities they find most pleasurable. Many sit quietly and read or play games on their iPads, tablets, and phone with little interaction with others. We’re both social butterflies. That’s our groove! |
Hopefully, as time passes, I’ll be completely free of any discomfort from the annoying Helicobacter Pylori, its resulting ulcers, and its varied symptoms. The ship is doing a fine job preparing my meals, including the new exclusions I incorporated into my usual food list.
For information on the FODMAPS diet, please click here. Ironically, this scientifically-backed approach to intestinal health was developed by the Monash University in Australia. So far, so good! Our fingers are crossed.
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| Stairways to the Promenade Deck, where many passengers gather throughout the day and night. (It’s also easily accessible by multiple elevators). |
At the moment, we’re seated in the Diamond Club Lounge on deck 14 that has a constant flow of complimentary food and beverages. The seating is inviting and comfortable, the conversation welcomed and easy flowing with other members who’ve had many similar cruise experiences to ours.
Busily, I’m typing in an attempt to complete today’s post considering the WiFii issues that continue while we’re out to sea. We have no idea if this will improve or worsen along the way. It’s simply a part of life, “living at sea” as we have on many cruises, this as #18 since we began our travels.
Finally, I broke the awful cycle of awakening between 3:00 am, 4:00 am and staying awake. To help with this process, I’ve been listening to podcasts on my new smartphone when I go to bed instead of staring at the screen.
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| These passengers were in the queue at the guest services desk for a variety of reasons. If and when we have a customer service issue, we call rather than stand in this long slow queue. |
If I awaken during the night, again, I’ll listen to the podcasts and am lulled back to sleep. My phone has a timer to turn off the podcast automatically. As we all know, having a sufficient sleep is vital to feeling well during the day.
There’s a lot of truth to the fact that is staring at screens before bed harms sleep. Once I received my phone, my sleep habits worsened. Now, as of several days ago, I’m getting back on track.
Oh well, a part of the aging process may result in various health issues, including a variety of conditions, sleep problems, and generally not feeling as well as we may have felt decades ago.
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| One night soon, the staff will entertain us while dancing and singing from this upper walkway. |
But, making every effort to combat these “afflictions” can be highly instrumental in ensuring we build ourselves back up to optimum performance and health. It’s an ongoing process that, if ignored, can result in permanent disability and a lack of opportunity to live life to the fullest.
Need I say, we’re grateful and happy to surpass some of the issues that come our way. But, often, it requires more than just a good attitude. In our case, it’s needed to analyze the circumstances, searching for solutions, and implementing a new and comprehensive plan.
No, it’s not always easy or convenient. Not being able to eat many foods I like with my already limited diet is annoying. Also, giving up coffee and caffeine was hard. But, we have little time or patience for wasting even another day feeling less than ideal in this life.
Photo from one year ago today, April 24, 2016:
Here again, we’re unable to get into our site to post the “year ago photo” due to the nature of the Wi-Fi signal aboard the ship. This issue may continue through the remaining 22 more nights on this cruise. Once we’re settled in Vancouver, we’ll go back and make all the corrections, including line spacing and other errors we’re unable to correct at this time. Sorry for the inconvenience.