Tuesday, 1 September 2020

Chicken Dinner Anyone?

 I was in hospital for 3 weeks in 2016 following a collapse at home with multiple organ failure. When I got moved from intensive care, I couldn't remember the names of foods but this lovely lady kept me fed in hospital because for some reason I remembered her. I lived on mainly chicken dinner for at least a week before I came home



Medical Update and Progress

 A few months ago I was told by the practice nurse that a recent blood test showed I had prediabetes. This was just before the weekend then a Diabetes nurse phoned me on the Monday to offer me advice.

Then a few weeks later my fasting blood sugar had gone silly as I was getting readings of over 12 mmol when it should be below 8 mmol. This indicates that I have developed Type 2 Diabetes withing a few weeks of the initial phone call.

So...I visited Diabetes UK where I discovered they had a half price offer of the Low Carb Programme which you can find HERE 

I signed up straight away and have now got my fasting blood sugars down to around 6 or 7 mmol, which is brilliant!.


Pictured above is my latest toy. Billy asked me if I wanted one after seeing it advertised on TV. I don't get commission on recommending this and there wouldn't be any point as the place where I bought it from has sold out. I am really impressed with this as it's helped with my fitness and circulation so much, I am getting a lot more done every day. The flat hasn't looked this tidy in ages.

So what with the new toy, the low carb programme and the love of my good man, I am doing wonderfully well :)


On Working From Home After Lockdown

 While nature has it that humans work better as part of a community, going out to work takes us away from our family and neighbours (local community) and dumps us in an unnatural environment in so much as the people we work with these days are less likely to also be our neighbours.


We don't now generally have an entire village employed by the same boss, so modern work environments are not natural extensions of our evolved communities. Contrived getting together of people from different backgrounds is not how biologically healthy communities work.

Science and social constructs are not the same thing

Monday, 6 July 2020

No Longer Seeking MS Diagnosis

Hi Everyone
I first asked a GP about my symptoms back in the late 80s and he told me he suspected a central nervous system disorder after doing the usual neurological tests GPs can do. He referred me to a neurologist.
The neurology appointment and consultation arrived early 1991 and he repeated the same tests the GP had done then said he was all for sending me for further investigations. He then asked me to wait in his side room while he took a look at my medical notes in case he missed something.
After 10 minutes or so he told me that after reading my notes he had decided that since all my symptoms were most likely due to mental health issues (anxiety because I was mum to 2 children with special needs),he felt further investigations weren't needed. I would no doubt get the same response now as I am currently caring for my husband who is terminally ill.
In the 30+years since, all of those symptoms have got a lot more noticeable and others have been added.My current GP knows about the new symptoms but I'm still know nearer getting a diagnosis than I was 30 years ago. 
I have had friends accuse me of malingering as I have no diagnosis (dumped friends now) and when I was in a coma following a cardiac arrest four years ago, hospital staff told my husband and my son on different occasions that they thought I was a hypochondriac. I can only assume that this is on my medical records as I hadn't talked to any staff at that point.
I am currently working from home as a writer and also run a bunch of on-line stores so it's not like I am just a lazy so and so.
I'm really posting to say that acceptance without fighting for a diagnosis has simplified my life so much and I am a much calmer and happier person for doing this. 

Sunday, 28 June 2020

Why I Don't See My GP





Conversation in early 2016 went like this

Doctor: Have you got a cough?
Me: No I don't have a cough
Doctor: What is your cough like?
Me: I don't have a cough
Doctor: Do you cough up lots of phlegm with this cough?
Me: I don't have a cough
Doctor: Hand this test request into the nurse on your way out
Me: What's the test for?
Doctor: Don't worry,the nurse knows what it is

When I got home I did a bit of research and the test was for COPD which has a persistent cough as it's main symptom.

A couple of weeks later I ended up in hospital with multiple organ failure, went into cardiac arrest and spent several days in a coma in the ICU.

Monday, 6 April 2020

Facebook Annual Reminder of April 2020


I’m adding this to my status so every year it will pop up on my memories. This is so I will NEVER forget the way the world changed in 2020...
Queen Elizabeth II ๐Ÿ‘‘ addressed the nation at 8pm on Sunday 5th April. Shortly after this the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital himself with Covid-19
The PM had previously implemented a lockdown across the country on the evening of Monday 23rd of March 2020 ⛔️
Excel in London is now known as the NHS Nightingale and will be a hospital for up to 4,000 patients, most of whom are on ventilators suffering from Coronavirus (Covid-19). Similar venues being are being used in cities across the country. Opened by Prince Charles at 11am Friday 3rd April.
Community support groups established, to support the vulnerable, elderly, immunocompromised and people in enforced isolation due to exposure, in their community ๐Ÿง“๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘ด๐Ÿป
From Thursday 26th March at 8pm and every Thursday night thereafter, we all stood united on our doorsteps, balconies and open windows and applauded and cheered for all our amazingly brave NHS staff ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฝ who so courageously and selflessly battled on to try and save as many lives as possible ❤️
Petrol ⛽️ price close to home ๐Ÿก was £1.03 per litre for unleaded.
Schools closed on Friday 20 March, potentially for the remainder of the school year. ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿป‍๐Ÿ’ป Parents were home schooling and teachers were doing remote learning using apps like Zoom for a virtual lesson.
Social distancing measures required of a minimum of 2 metres ☹️
Tape on the floors at grocery stores ๐Ÿฌ and others to help distance shoppers ๐Ÿ›’ from each other.
Limited number of people were allowed inside stores, therefore, queuing outside the store doors, still 2 meters apart ๐Ÿฌ
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated to closed ๐Ÿšซ People who can are instructed to work ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿป‍๐Ÿ’ป from home ๐Ÿก
The Government Paid 80% of wages to all employees across the country who were furloughed due to Covid-19.
Every airline ✈️ grounded either all or at least 85% of its fleet. All crew were grounded and some used their skills to work for the NHS in Nightingale Hospital, the Ambiance Service, 111 telephone handlers or community support.
Air pollution improved. Rivers cleaned up. City & traffic emissions reduced. ♻️
Parks ๐Ÿ• trails, entire cities ๐Ÿข closed or restricted to locals who can get there by foot. Not permitted to drive anywhere to exercise.
Entire sports ⚽️ ๐Ÿ‰ ๐ŸŽพ seasons cancelled. No Wimbledon, no end to the Premiership, no Boat Race, no London Marathon. A virtual Grand National was held on 4th April 2020.
Olympics postponed to 2021.
Concerts ๐ŸŽซ tours ๐ŸšŒ festivals ๐Ÿคน๐Ÿป entertainment events ๐ŸŽญ all cancelled
Weddings ๐Ÿ‘ฐ๐Ÿผ๐Ÿคต๐Ÿป family celebrations ๐Ÿฅณ holiday gatherings ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿ‘ฉ‍๐Ÿ‘ฆ‍๐Ÿ‘ฆ even funerals ⚰️ cancelled ๐Ÿšซ
Families got creative and found entertaining ways of passing time by doing Tik Tok videos or going Live on Facebook. ๐ŸŽฅ
Singers and bands played live sets on their driveways or on their balconies for all to hear ๐Ÿ‘‚๐Ÿฝ
Households that can’t see their friends and loved ones come together across the country by using Zoom or Houseparty to play games or host pub quiz nights.
No masses, churches ⛪️ are closed ๐Ÿšซ
No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, then 10 or more, then 3 or more. Now, Don't socialise with anyone outside of your home ⚗️
Children's outdoor play parks are closed ๐ŸŽก
We are to distance from each other. Shortage of masks ๐Ÿ˜ท gowns ๐Ÿฅผ gloves ๐Ÿงค for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill ๐Ÿค’ in many parts of the world. Formula 1 racing teams and Virgin Galactic designed and produced ventilators in the space of a week.
Refrigerated trucks for the dead outside hospitals in the USA ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Spain ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ and more.
Panic buying ๐Ÿ›’ sets in and we have limits on toilet paper ๐Ÿงป disinfecting supplies, paper towels, staple foods, hand sanitizer ๐Ÿงด Flour is hard to get because the packaging comes from China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ and borders are closed ๐Ÿšง
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses ๐Ÿข switch their lines to help make visors, masks ๐Ÿ˜ท hand sanitizer ๐Ÿงด and PPE ๐Ÿงค
Fines are established for breaking lockdown rules ๐Ÿค‘
Stadiums ๐ŸŸ and recreation facilities overseas open up for the overflow of Covid-19 ๐Ÿฆ  patients.
Public Park ๐Ÿ• areas turned into caravan parks for stranded tourists to self isolate ๐Ÿš
Press conferences daily from the PM ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป and other government ๐Ÿ› officials. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths ⚰️
Government incentives to stay home. Barely anyone on the roads ๐Ÿ›ฃ
People wearing masks ๐Ÿ˜ท and gloves outside ๐Ÿงค
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work ๐Ÿ‘ฎ๐Ÿป ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿป‍⚕️ ๐Ÿ‘ฒ๐Ÿป
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿ‘ง‍๐Ÿ‘ฆ
64,727 deaths globally so far as at 4 April 2020. 4,313 in the UK.
This is the Novel Coronavirus ๐Ÿฆ  (Covid-19) Pandemic, WHO declared March 11th, 2020.
Why, you ask, do I write this status?
One day it will show up in my memory ๐Ÿ’ญ feed, and it will be a yearly reminder that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted ๐Ÿ’•
We have so much we need to appreciate that we take for granted.
Be thankful. Be grateful ๐Ÿ˜Œ
Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone ๐Ÿฅฐ
We are all one! Stay home, stay safe. ❤️
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Friday, 3 April 2020

GP and Medical update

Got a phone call from someone from our GP practice just to try to bully me.

I was told to stop trying to have my meds delivered without informing the practice. I explained that I'd already had this conversation with one of their colleages the previous day when it was suggested I ring round to find a pharmacy that would deliver.

Stupid woman said that she didn't want to talk to me and Billy on the same call.Clearly she had never had a conference call...lol

Upshot is, that I still don't have my Levothyroxine which I have been trying to get for a fortnight. So I have now run out completely and have switched to T3 (Liothyronine) instead 

I have bought this book by Paul Robinson