Health Issues

 Thursday. 3.00 p.m. I have a cold. I haven't had one in years. In all the time I was with Carol, I didn't have one cold. I can't think where it has come from, presumably caught from someone at church or perhaps in Sainsbury's or the shopping centre. It's not heavy, but I keep sneezing and have a sore throat, and it's just unpleasant and makes sleeping at night difficult, because of a really unpleasant cough. I have sweets to suck and I've taken Paracetamol. I'll just have to put up with it until it clears up.

6.30 p.m. I have been for an appointment at Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre. It was scheduled for 4.30, but I was still waiting at 4.50, so I asked the receptionist and was told that they were running late. I eventually got called to go to Room 16, which came up on the digital screen. I had assumed that I was going to have an appointment with a doctor, but when I walked through the door, I then discovered that I was seeing the pharmacist. I was to have my blood pressure taken.  The pharmacist lady did my blood pressure sitting down, but, after looking at the results, I had to stand up for the second test. It was shown that there was a difference in the readings between when I sat down and then stood up to have my blood pressure taken. It would have been blood pressure which was the cause of my collapsing on the floor and then being taken to hospital.

It was odd seeing my writing on the computer screen when the pharmacist had a look at the blood test results when I had to check it over a week.

As a result of the blood test results, I am going to have to wear a blood pressure cuff for 24 hours, and this will begin next Tuesday. It doesn't concern me, but it will be quite difficult to have to wear it in bed. Then I will have to go back to the Medical Centre to give the pharmacist the device so it can be checked to see what the results find and have an E.C.G. done, which will check my heart health.

Friday. 7.30 a.m. I have put my washing in the machine. It's supposed to start at 8 o'clock, but I can't be bothered waiting. Just get on with it and start the machine. No point waiting, I say!

It looks like another mild morning. Please, no rain or wind!

Saturday. 12.25 p.m. It's bright and sunny. I can say, for the first time this year, that I've gone out WITHOUT A JACKET ON!

This morning we had Men's Breakfast at the Oaktree Centre. I arrived at 8.40 and the smell of frying bacon as I approached the building. So, a superb cooked breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, sausage and tea. I rarely eat fried food, so it is a treat and great to not have to cook it myself.

Richard, who usually leads this event, wasn't in attendance, so someone else was leading.

Sunday. 1.15 p.m. I haven't been to church this morning and attempted to watch the service via Facebook. I say 'attempted', because of technical issues. I have a Portal, which sits on the top of my television set and has a camera and microphone in it. It should allow you to communicate using Facebook (it is a product of Meta, the company which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. At one time you could view video from Facebook on it, but for some reason, this feature has been removed. You can use Zoom on it and other apps, which was handy during the Covid pandemic, when we weren't supposed to meet 'face-to-face.' 

I started watching the service through my iPad, but part way through things went pear-shaped, I lost video and only had sound and then that went, by which time I gave up, unfortunately.

Happy Bunny Time (Or maybe not . . .)

Saturday. 6.30 p.m. I went to the Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre for my flu jab, although 'jab' is not the best way to describe how the vaccine is delivered to patients. I was due to be there at 12.20 p.m., but I got there at 11.55. I had only just signed in on the computer system and sat down to wait when my name came up on the digital display. I was the only person waiting, but in previous years, when I had my vaccine, there was a queue outside and many people inside. Very soon I was in the room, sitting down on a chair and having the vaccine.

I managed to say to the nurse who did the vaccine shot that I had attempted to get a doctor's appointment so that I could discuss my medication, in particular the sleeping tablets which will finish on Wednesday, as I only get a five-day course. She said perhaps I could get an appointment today, so we went to the reception desk and I have an appointment booked for Monday at 11.10.

Sunday. 7.15 a.m. The clocks have changed, so it's daylight when, a day ago, it was pitch-black outside. 

I took the sleeping tablets at around 10.30 last night, and I slept through until around 4.30-5.00 and I have to say, I feel a better deal than I have done. Difficult to say, but my mental health has deteriorated over the past couple of months. The doctor has helped, with the sleeping tablets. I would wake up in the night and find it difficult to get back to sleep. 

1.00 p.m. I have had problems with the built-in SatNav in my car. I can never get the voice to work, for whatever reason. When you attempt to put the Postcode of a particular place you want to get to, it will not allow you to put in the whole Postcode. I don't know why, but there it is. But today, I got it working and even got a male voice to work, and it can be heard with the radio on. But, when I went to church this morning. the SatNav insisted on taking me to Worcester! So, it got annoyed with me when I    went in a different direction, insisting that I 'turn right in 20 feet. . . . Take the second exit on the roundabout . . .' etc, in an attempt to get me on track. So, at least it means, that when I drive off to Worcester next Friday afternoon, I will have the SatNav directing me. I don't have a problem getting to the Motorway, it's once I have to take the exits off the M40 and get onto two other Motorways which is the problem, But it's barely two hours in the car, an hour to the junction where I get onto the M40 and then a further hour to Worcester.

As I write this post, there is a steady, but light rain falling. Not something Alfie will be keen about, so I will be overkeen about it, as he doesn't like getting wet. Well, as it so happens, either do I, so we will have to wait for it to either stop or at least, be sort of, less, if that makes any sort of sense.

3.00 p.m. In the past, when I have had the flu vaccine, I would have some sort of reaction around 24 hours later. It would be mildly flu-like and the site of the needle going into my arm would be uncomfortable, so much so that, going to be, if I lay on that side it would be uncomfortable. I have to say that, more than 24 hours on I haven't had any such reaction, thankfully.

Tuesday. 3.35 p.m. I went to Camphill, but I had intended to go later than normal because the sleeping tablets I'm on can have the side effect of leaving you dizzy. They do warn you in the leaflet which is in the package, along with the meds, that you shouldn't drive or operate machinery. I woke without that side effect and left at around 9a.m.m but then I found that the theatre was being taken over by Halloween. As a Christian, I said to Terrie, that I \didn't 'do' Halloween, and she said that the day was all Halloween. So, I went home. I'm glad I did, and when I got back to Dexter House, I went into the community lounge and had a long conversation with some of the residents and mentioned my work at Camphill and why I had come home. 

(Note:I know, the title is stupid, but I couldn't think of a better title for this blog post.)