Love my Cloud 9 O Pod

Santa was very good to me this year, he brought me a Cloud 9 O Pod. 

I have spent years trying to get body, bounce and volume into my hair. It's straighter than if you have used straighteners on it, it's fine and it's flat. Over the years I have spent a fortune on styling products, curling tongs and heated rollers. With a varying degree of success and frequently burning my fingers, ears and neck.

Recently I have found velcro rollers stay in my hair best but I need the heat too. So, I can either put the rollers in and use my hairdryer which works to a degree but often half of my hair blows free of the rollers. The best result was from using my curling tongs first and when my hair is hot put a roller in. This was both time consuming and still resulted in a number of burnt ears and fingers.

Then one day while I was having my hair done, rather than tonging it as usual my hairdresser brought out this O pod which heats velcro rollers in seconds and neither the pod or the roller are hot to touch. I let Santa know I would like one and he listened.

It is so quick and simple to use and, although the rollers are cool to touch when you first put them in, very soon after you can feel the heat against your head. They are a little heavier than normal velcro rollers but I have the clips to keep them in place and even in my fine hair, they do stay in. 

I love my O pod.

http://www.cloudninehair.com/the-o/the-o-pod/

Christmas has been and gone for another year.

It never ceases to surprise me how weeks of build up, planning and mayhem in the shops can be over so quickly. The wrapping paper is in the recycling, the chocolates are all eaten and the turkey bones have been picked clean.

The biggest decision I need to make now is when do I take the Christmas tree and cards down. My instinct is to put them all away on New Years day, before I go back to work. Somehow, I can't imagine coming home from work on Wednesday and being reminded it's still technically Christmas.

On reflection, this Christmas has been quite calm. I did a lot of my gift buying online, and all my items arrived in time for Christmas, even though I was quite late ordering some. Royal Mail did a good job for me and saved any last minute panic buying.

Every year I tell myself I will start preparing earlier, and every year I don't.

There is a tradition starting to take hold in our Christmas's - each year something happens with an item of food. One year we lost the Christmas pudding, only to find it lurking on the top shelf of the 'beer' fridge several days later.

This year, it was the turn of the Christmas cake that never was. We always buy our cake, and this year was no different. We were in the cake section at out local supermarket, we picked up the right size box in a Christmas style. The cake inside was iced with a sprig of holly indicating Christmas. It was in the trolley and through the checkout with the rest of the shopping to tide us over Christmas week. I have written before how I love a chunk of cheese with my Christmas cake and so I was treating myself to a block of Red Leicester cheese, something that was off my list of foods since my cholesterol issue. 

And so, Christmas dinner over, washing up done (and yes, it does still get done by hand even though I have a dishwasher in the kitchen, a personal preference) we settled down to a coffee and a piece of Christmas cake and a nice sized chunk of cheese.

The first cut into the cake was fine,

 the second led to such disappointment. There was no rich fruit cake hidden under the pure, flat, white icing. Not even a sponge cake with a few raisins in. Underneath that Christmas holly was a Madeira cake. What???  Yes, of course it said it on the box, but we hadn't read the words, simply looked at the box and the cake inside and made an assumption that we had a Christmas cake.

And no, cheese and Madeira cake does not work!


However, if that's the worse that went wrong this Christmas, we can consider to have done OK.

Latest Cholesterol Check

After the last disappointing cholesterol check I wasn't too hopeful that this would be any better. I hadn't lost much weight and only just started exercising again, so apart from my daily glass of beetroot juice and a little more fish in my diet I couldn't think that my good cholesterol would have increased much. I had continued with a very low saturated fat diet but my operation had certainly interrupted my focus. By having the blood test now it meant regardless of the results I could enjoy Christmas and get back on track in the New Year.

So, I duly went for my routine meeting with the oldies of the surgery and this time I made sure I planned it well. I ate at 6pm the night before the test and nothing to eat after, I had a soft drink during our weekly dancing class and that was all. So, I had done as much as I could when I finally gave my tube of blood.

A week later saw me sitting outside the doctor's room hoping that there was some improvement to be proud of. And then I heard my name called, the results were in.

I had got my overall cholesterol down to 5.5 (originally at 6) but more importantly my tryglycerides had plummeted. These were the bad ones which had previously only moved from +3 to +2.8 and needed to be below +2.3 ...

Fanfare ...

... and the figure now is +1.7

Success.

Even my good cholesterol is normal.

So, I can have an enjoyable Christmas BUT to make sure I don't go back on a diet of pizza & chips, I have booked a follow up blood test in March, just to keep an eye on the levels. My doctor is in agreement to this and I think it will keep me focused on the task.

Oh, I'm a happy lady!  No Statins.

Cha Cha Cha!

It's winter, it's dark before I leave work to come home, it's cold and I'm in full hibernation mode. When I get home, close the door behind me and put my slippers on, I'm in for the evening. If I want to go somewhere it's better if I go straight from work rather than coming home first.

I like to have a something to do in the evenings during winter to prevent me from going into full hibernation mode. After losing my first dog several years ago I needed something to occupy my evenings and Neil and I decided to take a course of beginners ballroom dance classes. We really enjoyed it and actually both had a left and a right foot, so weren't constantly standing on each others toes. At the time I struggled with a problem with my knees and as the weeks progressed and we did more latin dances, which put a lot of pressure on my knees and when we found out that the follow up course focused more on the latin than the traditional ballroom dances such as the waltz, foxtrot etc, we stopped dancing and took up golf.

Following my operation a few weeks ago I need to get back into some form of gentle exercise and so tonight, we are going to join a new group of people in the first beginners class of this winter's course. 

The first dance will be the Cha Cha Cha. I can remember a few of them but I struggle to recognise them from the dance diagram below.

So I did a bit of a refresher by watching this video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOgMhx2vmHc&feature=fvwrel

I'm really looking forward to seeing how we get on. If nothing else, it's an excuse for a drink and a chat and a chance to meet some new people.

Step, step, cha, cha, cha...

The Lion, The Witch & The Lampost...

No, don't worry, I haven't gone mad or changed the title of the famous and popular C.S.Lewis book. I have been enjoying a bit of late night musings.

A year ago we were in California visiting our friends and preparing for Thanksgiving. It was my first holiday where I had been able to take my kindle with about 200 books to choose from rather than the usual 3 or 4 paperbacks I was previously restricted to when travelling. Before going away I had downloaded a whole list of free downloads from authors I had always meant to read and never got around to doing so. Many of the stories had been made into films or portrayed in TV programs and so, the need to read them was somewhat diluted by knowing the  story and the characters already.

But there are some books which I really did still want to read. With the recent interest in Sherlock Holmes through the new films I reminded myself that I had never actually read a real Sherlock Holmes novel, How close to the character in the book was the character in the film? Would I now believe in the character in the book if it didn't match that portrayed in the film? While in California I decided I would read the first book written in the Sherlock Holmes series, A Study in Scarlet, and see how I got on with it. Over the next few nights I read several more of his short stories and before I knew it I'd read 10 stories.

Time for a change. Another set of free books that had downloaded were the Narnia Chronicles. I had seen various TV series and films of the C.S. Lewis books throughout my life, as well as reading the book of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe while at school. I will be the first to admit that at the time of reading the book I had no idea it was part of a series and not a stand alone novel. The recent films had been the first time it had occurred to me that there were follow on adventures.

I decided I would read the series and although I knew the story well, I would start at the beginning with TLTW&TW.

Ha! I was absolutely stunned to find this is not the first book in the series. There is another book that fills that position, The Magician's Nephew - Never heard of it! And what's even more bizarre is that it is very much the equal of TLTW&TW as a story, infact I actually think it's better. It explains the wardrobe being magic, it explains the White Queen it even explains the lamp post. I loved it. Of all of the books it is my favourite.


Another book I needed to read was The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkein. Again, I knew the Lord of the Rings trilogy well from the films. I had the books on my shelf from Dad's collection. They were his favourite, most frequently read books along with The Hobbit, and I had not opened a single page in anyof them. He was always berating me for not having read them. I felt a duty to his memory to at least read The Hobbit. So, a while ago I finally downloaded The Hobbit to my kindle and read it. And yes Dad, you were right. I should have read it a long time ago, it is definitely my kind of story.


And this train of thought all started because I finished a book tonight. It's new, recently published by one of my favourite modern day authors, Cecelia Aherne. I enjoyed it, while not her best - P. S I Love will always be high on that list (and no, the film does not do it justice) along with A Place Called Here, to name but two.

And so I am at that place again, needing to choose my next book to read. 

I wonder what world I will choose to jump into this time. 

A cricky neck

For several years I have struggled with a neck problem which was brought on by the deterioration of the cartilage between the vertebrae in my lower neck. Most of the time this is fine, while everything is lined, up but every now and then I sleep in an odd position that puts my neck out of alignment. When this happens I wake up in a lot of pain and discomfort and this morning is one of those days. It's like the 2 bones that sit on each other have slipped a little out of line and until they 'click' back into place I will be in pain.

And so, I know today is going to be a long day, I have a searing pain that goes right up the right hand side of my face, like neuralgia. Painkillers and anti-inflammatories will help but until I go to bed tonight and hope it puts itself right overnight, it's going to be a day of my in a grumpy mood, as I find this pain difficult to forget about.

Don't envy my work colleagues today!

Does Beetroot Juice hold secret Health Benefits?

I love fresh boiled beetroot. I loved growing my own this year and freezing it, ready sliced, so I can enjoy it throughout the winter.

When I got the results of my months of eating low saturated fat foods in an effort to reduce my bad cholesterol I was set a new challenge after being told that I had low levels of good cholesterol. I needed to know if there were foods I could eat to improve the levels of good cholesterol. As well as finding out I needed to be eating more oily fish I came across articles suggesting that beetroot juice would also help.

Below is an extract from this website: 

http://news24.hubpages.com/hub/beetroot-juice-health-benefits

Health Benefits of Beetroot Juice:

Heart Health:

Beetroot Juice is very good to improve the health of heart as it increases the good cholesterol level and decreases the bad cholesterol level. So, risk of stroke or heart attack is decreased. Also, it contains nitrate which carry out expansion of the blood vessels so more oxygen and blood is supplied to heart. Also, it decreases the risk of several heart diseases. Its nitrate content also helps to reduce blood pressure so it is considered to be the inexpensive and easiest way to combat hypertension.

Now, the problem, of course, is that I have thrown away the water I boiled the beetroot in which, by all accounts, is where the nutrients are once they have been boiled out of the beetroot. I found that local health food shops sold cartons of beetroot juice or I could order it through the internet but then, on my normal weekly shop at the local supermarket I found they also sold bottles of it. 

So, each morning we have a small glass. It's ready mixed with apple juice to take the edge off the taste of straight beetroot juice and it's not as bad as you may expect. So far the only side effect I've read about, although not yet noticed, is that they do warn it may turn your pee pink.

So, whether it's the extra fish I'm eating or the beetroot juice, or a combination of the two, hopefully my next cholesterol test will be more positive.

Mischievous Night

Tonight is Bonfire Night, a British tradition dating back to 1605 when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The bonfire was initially lit on the anniversary as a celebration that King James 1st had survived but soon the tradition began where an effigy of Guy Fawkes was thrown on to the bonfire. The kids would spend the day making the'Guy' from old clothes, stuffing it with straw and soon started taking it around the streets shouting 'penny for the guy' which they would then spend on fireworks for the evening.

Read more: http://www.bonfirenight.net/gunpowder.php

I remember when I was young we looked forward to mischievous night. This, for us, was always the night before Bonfire Night, the 4th of November. That was the night we were 'allowed' to play tricks on others. Taking gates from the local houses and stashing them at the end of the street, tying the front and back door handles together so they had difficulty opening the doors, putting black shoe polish on the handle to the garage or the 2 front doors of neighbouring houses. Throwing toilet rolls around the garden and sometimes over the roof of the house, backwards and forwards.

It was all harmless fun, no damage was done and it was tolerated for that one night only. 

So, this year I got wondering how did it get moved to Halloween? 

Half an hour on Google has led me to subscribe to the view that the tradition was taken to America by emigrating Brits, but as the Gunpowder plot meant nothing to the American's, it got moved to Halloween and evolved into 'Trick or Treat'. In my younger days the person subjected to the prank didn't get the option of giving us a treat to stop us, in fact the one down side to the whole tradition was that in most cases we weren't around to see the look on the person's face when they discovered what we'd done. But, being the grown up now, I have an idea how they felt - not pleased!

Read more: http://halloween.wikia.com/wiki/Mischief_Night

Winter is upon us.

The clocks went back this morning, and we had an extra hour in bed. Being a Sunday, I made the best of it as I'd been up at 2am with one of the dogs. After the beautiful sunny, clear blue skies of yesterday today's were the complete opposite grey, dull and heavy looking. The sun would never burn off this greyness today, so glad we took the dogs walking in Sherwood Forest yesterday.



There were several photographers out taking photos of the trees, the colours have been glorious this year. Unfortunately, I still can't hold my camera as it causes pain in my should so I have picked this photo from Photobucket as an example of the beautiful colours yesterday.

Once again, dog walkers are being warned of SCI, Seasonal Canine Illness. 

Read more here: http://www.chad.co.uk/news/local/sherwood-forest-and-clumber-park-dog-walkers-warned-over-mystery-illness-1-4846191

We were first aware of this problem 2 years ago and are fortunate that our dogs do not wander into the undergrowth, they do not eat flowers, leaves or other items in the woods and tend to stay very close to us on the paths. Until I saw the notices yesterday I had forgotten about the problem in previous years, maybe time to give Sherwood Forest a little bit of a miss for a few weeks. It's normally a problem September to November.

Although our dogs are showing no signs of the illness after our walk yesterday, I'm off to complete the questionnaire into SCI as they want feedback from dog walkers in Sherwood Forest as one of the 5 research sites, whether the dogs have become ill or not.

http://www.aht.org.uk/cms-display/preworkingForm.html

Pacemaker Blog

I have taken the posts on my pacemaker story onto a separate blog: http://livingwithapacemaker.blogspot.co.uk/

For anyone wanting to know how I'm getting on,which is very well at the moment, please follow the link and add me to your list of blogs to follow.

Not done that in a long time.

I work opposite a large supermarket so it is too easy to call and shop after work, on my way home. It's logical but sometimes a pain. Sometimes it nice to finish work and go home.

I always seem to do the main weekly shop on Monday. Last week I realised I should not be shopping on my own. I was fine filling the trolley. I was fine putting it all on the conveyor belt at the check-out. I was even fin putting it in bags once it had been checked out. I could do all that one-handed and protect my left arm.

What I couldn't do was lift the bags into the boot of the car without it involving my left arm.

So today, I have ordered my shopping on line. It will be delivered tomorrow after i get home from work. And Neil can put it all in the cupboards and fridges so the only thing that I had to do today that hurt a little...

... was pay.

And it meant I could shop from my favourite store which I don't normally as we don't have one close enough.

Job well done.

In the right direction, but more work needed....

I was so sure the results would be good, I'd tried so hard to eat the right things and I'd read on the internet that triglycerides react well to changes in diet.

But they don't react well to blood tests that are not done correctly.

I purposely checked my form to see whether I needed to fast from the night before, if I could only have sips of water for the 10 hours before my test. The box was not ticked, I could have breakfast.

It should have been ticked.

My overall cholesterol is down from 6 to 5.3 a good reduction and almost there, it needs to be below 5, but it's the triglycerides that are the problem, these are the bad cholesterol that were at +3. They have come down to +2.8, not a big move, and there are 2 reasons for this.

Firstly, my good cholesterol is too low and secondly having breakfast and coffee would have affected the results.

So, it's heading in the right direction but I could not help but feel disappointed.

The internet came into action again once I got home. I needed to know how to get my good cholesterol up. Losing weight is good and that is still reducing gradually, without any effort. More exercise helps but I can't do anything about that until I get the all clear from my operation in another 3 weeks. So, we're back to the foods we eat. In cutting out so much fat from my diet, it seems I have cut out too much good fat too. Now I need to re-introduce good fats. More oily fish & avocados are back on the menu. 

I have another blood test in 2 months, and this time the box is ticked, I will fast before the test and hopefully next time the results will be better.

Has a low saturated fat diet done the trick?

It is over 3 months since I was told that my triglycerides were too high at +3. According to the internet I should be aiming for below 1.7. From reading up about triglycerides, they do respond well to diet change so I am hopeful I will see some significant reduction in the level if I'm not actually back to where I should be. 

I've been for my blood test this morning, once again joining the ranks of the pensioner brigade in the dash for a ticket to try and reduce the waiting time. I've been a couple of times now, so I know the routine and I'm quicker on my legs than most of them so a bit of body swerving normally gets me from the door downstairs to the waiting room upstairs in a few seconds less then the majority.

Now, I have another week to wait for my results - appointment next Tuesday. 

Having had my test I can now be a little naughty as it won't influence the outcome, but equally, if I'm not there yet all I'll be doing is giving myself more work to do, oh the decisions we have to make as a grown up!

It's almost 2 weeks since my operation and I have yet to get the Wii fit out to see what my weight has done in that time, I have certainly been less active and probably not been as good with my diet as I should so I expect to be told off by the little Wii monster that waves me goodbye each time.

Well, no time like the present - I'll go and find out right now!

Wish me luck!

...

...

...

And it's not bad, not bad at all. I have only gained 1lb in 2 weeks of sitting about recovering from my operation. I'm well pleased with that.

Tomorrow, back to work full-time, back to normal and back to healthy living!

The Family's All Together Again.

Before my operation I had already booked a few days off work so that I could watch the Ryder Cup, being played in the US this year, and stay up as late as necessary without having to worry about getting up for work the following morning. 

It was coincidental that it coincided with my recovery from my operation, I refuse to call it a procedure, despite what the medics think. To me, it will always be an operation, they cut me open, did things and stitched me up - that, in my opinion, is the definition of an operation!

When my brother in London knew I was having the op, he said he would come and visit me for a few days afterwards, and so he arrived on Wednesday and has stayed through the weekend. We've spent a couple of days visiting the Butterfly House and a local National Trust property with the hope we could get some nice photos, but as normal this summer, the weather did not play ball. 

I didn't take my camera, as I knew I would not be able to do much with it as it's quite heavy and I wouldn't be able to hold it to my eye as I cannot raise my arm above my shoulder but my brother passed me his at one point, as he has a screen that can be angled to allow you to use the camera at a lower position and very soon I realised I just couldn't hold the weight of the camera.

At the Butterfly camera I tried taking photos on my mobile but even that was a problem, again because I cannot raise my arm high enough to see what i am taking. It would seem my photography days are on hold for the time being.

Then, last night my other brother and my sister-in-law came over for a family meal and we had a lovely evening together. Especially with everything that has been going on for the last few weeks, it was lovely to have everyone around me for an evening. 

The end to a perfect few days would be if Europe could win the Ryder Cup - could be a bit of a tall order that one!

Getting back to normal

I went to work today. Just for a few hours but it was good to be back. 

After all, I'm not ill and if I'm sensible I should be fine. My shoulder is tender but not painful, I haven't had any painkillers today. The bruising is coming out so it isn't looking very pretty (don't worry, I won't be posting and photos) and it is still reminding me that I shouldn't use it too much. I am learning my limitations, but it was good to be back in the office. I know there are many jobs where it wouldn't be possible to be back at work so soon but it's nice to get back to a bit of normality.

Itchy Stitchy ...

One week on and I'm thankful to be sitting at home, operation over, the fear and anticipation gone, the anxiety of the day behind me and the worry of what would happen gone.

It wasn't good at the time but now, 3 days on, I am surprised how little discomfort I am in, how much I have been able to reduce the painkillers and how much I can actually do. 

I am still sleeping on the sofa as I cannot find a comfortable position in bed, but I can wash & dress myself. I wasn't looking forward to getting my hair washed and dried but today we did that with the help of a pillow between me and the sink.

They said the pain was similar to when you have a tooth out and controllable with over the counter painkillers. After the operation on Wednesday I didn't believe that was possible, but it was. I've had nothing stronger than paracetamols and ibuprofen and have spent the majority of the time since I came home pain-free (although I did have to get up during the first night to take some).

So, they didn't lie to me when they said recovery was quick. I have to be sensible with my left arm and not lift it above my shoulder for 6 weeks yet keep it moving to avoid a frozen shoulder. I have to be ultra-cautious with my wound to keep it clean to minimise any risk of infection as, with the pacing wires going direct into my heart, any infection would be really serious. I had a big shot of antibiotic into the wound before they stitched me up and I've a 5-day course of tablets to take. 

And as I sit here typing this, the biggest issue is the itchiness of the wound, it's healing and driving me mad. 

So much progress in so little time.

I do need to say a massive thank you to all my family and friends who have been so supportive throughout, from the accident, throughout the tests, the diagnosis and finally through the operation and after. It's helped me amazingly to know you were all there for me.

Roll on Wednesday when I can drive again! 

Double Booked.

The letter confirmed that my TOE is booked for Sept 19th at 8.00am. Then, 5 days later I received another letter from the hospital. 

It read: Your appointment is booked for Sept 19th at 8.00am to have your permanent pacemaker fitted.

Ah, I see a problem there. 

First thing Monday morning, I rang the hospital. It turns out it's all the fault of the missing form and a Consultant's holiday.

The end result is I don't need the TOE - Yippee!

But I do now have a date for my pacemaker fitted and this time next week I will be sitting at home, the procedure over and the recovery process begun.

Yikes!

Transoesophageal echocardiography( TOE Heart Scan)

More grown up stuff:

I have received my form transferring me to the hospital where my pacemaker will be fitted. Ahead of that time I need another scan of my heart, this time from inside my body. This is a very simple explanation of what I have to look forward to next.

Transoesophageal echocardiography:
In this test you swallow a probe that is attached to a thin tube connecting it to the ultrasound machine. This views the heart from within the oesophagus (gullet) which lies just behind the heart. This can give a clearer view of the heart than normal echocardiography. It is done in situations where a very detailed picture is needed.

So, that's a day out for me not to look forward to. I can have sedation (yes, please) although that will mean I am out of action effectively for the whole day (who cares?). So, roll on the 19th. I suppose I have to be positive and be grateful they are being very sure what they are dealing with before they go ahead.

So, I have had my MRSA test to make sure I am clear and not taking anything in to hospital, that was a simple cotton bud swab of my nose and groin area, 2 minutes, no pain - that, I can do.

In the meantime one of my friends has put me in touch with someone who had a defibrillator fitted (similar to a pacemaker, just does a different job) several years ago, and has had a replacement fitted as well. I had a long chat with him last night and asked some very daft questions which he was happy to answer. I'm still feeling relatively calm about things, although I do have the occasional wobble, normally when I'm left on my own for too long. (Yes, I know, don't be left on my own too long!)

Still, at least the sun is shining so the walks to work are enjoyable, talking of which.....

Time to go.

I've become difficult to buy for!

Yesterday, seven years ago, Neil and I were over in California, getting married. The years have flown by and yet, when I think of all the changes that have happened, all the houses we have lived in, and the living here, living abroad, living here we have done, it's impossible to see how we could have fitted it all in without the passage of those years.

We don't go overboard on gifts at anniversary times, although it is an unwritten law that there has to be a card on the breakfast counter if he wants to be able to return home for dinner. My husband is not good at remembering dates. He usually needs a clue, and sometimes the devil in me decides not to give him any clues, just to see if he can drag up from the depths of his mind, that there is something for him to remember.

With everything that has been happening lately, our anniversary even crept up on me without a lot of notice. In the US it was Labour Day, or should that be Labor Day. We especially chose the Labor Day weekend as it would mean we could spend more time with our friends in America before they needed to return to work, but in the UK it is not a holiday date so we didn't serve as a reminder.

So, whether deliberately or not, Neil did not get any subtle (or otherwise) hints from me about the upcoming anniversary.

Yet, I did get a card yesterday and a gift, although I have now become (apparently) officially difficult to buy for. A basic interpretation of that is, now I have cut saturated fat out of my diet he can no longer dash into the shops and buy the most expensive box of chocolates anymore.

But, ever the quick thinker, and knowing I have a sweet tooth, he knows I can have Jelly Babies and I am now the proud owner of a rather large box of Jelly Babies which will take me up to Christmas to eat. 

So, he has managed another year without disgracing himself by forgetting our Anniversary. 

Oh, how did he manage it? A very good friend of ours who came with us to California for the wedding never forgets to send us a card, a couple of days early to avoid being late - and Neil had picked up the post that day. There was the subtle hint he needed with time to dash out an buy the very necessary card for a further year of married bliss!

Happy Anniversary Darling.

Echocardiogram Time

A few days after my meeting with the doctor where I was told I would need a pacemaker fitted, I rang the hospital to see things would start to happen. It was difficult enough getting my head around what I had been told, but without any timescale to work to, I was constantly wondering 'what of something happens between now and me getting my pacemaker'. As I had been told it was only happening at night, it meant sleep was very restless, even Neil was telling me he was checking on me 2 or 3 times a night to see that I was ok.

The Cadio-respiratory dept had no record of my form telling them I needed a scan. I rang the following day, which by now meant 5 days had passed, long enough for a piece of paper to reach one side of the hospital in out-patients to the other, even if it was relying on being blown by drafts from opening and closing doors. Claire could tell I was worried and so she took control. 'I'll ring the doctor's secretary to check your notes and then call you back when we know what's happening,' she told me over the phone. I checked she had the right contact number for me and left her to do what she said.

Within half an hour my phone rang. Claire confirmed that the form had gone missing in transit, but that the secretary confirmed I needed the scan and , as it happened, they had a free appointment that afternoon, if it wasn't too short notice.

No, I would be there.

On arrival I was introduced to Tracy, her and Claire will be my aftercare team. Once the procedure is done they will do the follow up appointments to check everything is working ok, and that I am ok. I felt relaxed with them both so this was good news.

Tracy took me through to the treatment room and asked me to undress. The scan is done similar to an ultrasound scan on babies. She applied a cold gel and then ran the machine over my skin. I could see my heart on the monitor and occasionally, I heard the whooshing sound it makes as the blood pumps through. After a few seconds I decided not to look at the monitor as the picture shows lots of marks, little pin-holes and other odd shapes and I thought I would be better not looking as I didn't know whether this was all as it it should be or not. I preferred not to give myself anything else to worry about.

All the time Tracy was taking the scan she was talking to me about what will happen, how I was feeling and about the procedure itself. After it was all done I started to get dressed again while Tracy went to get some booklets on pacemakers, the tests I had done and what they all meant and also the condition that I have. I hadn't been given any information like this before and really only knew what I had been told or seen on the internet. 

I felt so much more settled about the whole situation by the time I left the hospital and felt there should be a Claire or a Tracy on standby when I had come out of my 1st appointment where they told me I needed a pacemaker, I would have slept a lot better over the past few days if I'd had chance to talk things through at the time.

So now, it's more waiting. The scan results will be seen by the Cardiologist and then they will refer me for the procedure. Tracy said it would probably be about 5-6 weeks but that I should ring the secretary next week and she should be able to give me some better idea.

So, time for me to go and read some booklets.

A Day Away from the Grown Up Stuff!

I love the beach, I've always enjoyed walking along the edge of the sea. Trying to pick a line where I'm close to the incoming waves, but just far enough in so as not to get my feet wet.

Yesterday, Neil suggested a trip to the coast so we could walk the dogs along the beach and enjoy the promised sunshine. I 'googled' for dog-friendly beaches as many that allow dogs out of summer season do not let them on the beach during July & August and Skipsea beach came up. It looked good for dog walking, very long, sandy with lots of pebbles. It's on the east coast between Hornsea and Bridlington.

The dogs are great travellers in the car so a journey of an hour or two is never a problem. We loaded up the car with a coat for every occasion, incase it was cold, windy, rainy....... whatever the weather was going to do, we had a coat so our walk would not be spoiled.

The satnav took us through Beverley, a lovely little market town with a popular horse race course. It never occurred to me to check if there were races on, and there was. We knew as soon as we reached the outskirts that the volume of traffic could only mean one thing. As we slowly edged nearer we could see from the number of ladies in posh outfits and the men in dressy suits that it was a full race day. Going slowly through the town I noticed a sign that said to be aware as cattle could be on the road from an unfenced area. 

And they weren't kidding, as we started to leave the town we were met by 2 of the largest, black cows I've ever seen close-up. They were stood in the road blocking our way. From our seated position in the car, we were looking up to them. 

Finally one of them started to walk across the road and out of our way and the other followed and we could continue on our way. One very good reason i would not want to live in Beverley, I really could not deal with that on a regular basis. 

Eventually our satnav took us alongside a large caravan park and down to the coast at Skipsea. We parked just a few yards from the beach and decided we needed nothing more than our fleeces. The dogs were getting excited and we unloaded them and set off to the beach. It was reasonably busy with several dogs and children playing in the sea as well as running around on the beach.

The sea looked cold and I knew our 2 would not venture in and would only get wet if a wave took them by surprise. We had a lovely long walk along the edge of the sea, the pups saying 'hi' to every dog that went past.

Once we decided it was time to turn around and head back we could see the dark clouds gathering and realised we had timed our walk perfectly, we even had time for a coffee and a jam scone (these are allowed on my list of items in moderation) before heading home.

We decided to come home via Driffield to avoid the racecourse traffic and the cows in Beverley. The area around Skipsea is full of lovely, villages with pretty churches and proper village centres. Many of them showed signs of having had heavy rain but our drive home was dry and once home, Brandy & Brinkley slept for the rest of the afternoon, worn out from their long walk on the beach.

Worst Case Scenario

When I woke on Thursday morning I knew I'd had a restless night. There was several hours still to go before my appointment at 2.30pm and I was hoping that being at work would serve as a useful distraction. Normally the mornings go relatively quickly and lunchtimes are upon us before we realise.......but not today. The clock ticked painstakingly slow. 

Finally Neil arrived to pick me up and we set off to the hospital. Over the previous few days I'd had many people give me their thoughts on what I would be told. I had deliberately not been scouring the internet for information as I didn't know exactly what I was dealing with, but my hope was that at worst, it would be tablets for the rest of my life.

After the usual weighing and measuring in, which I think is just to waste some time we sat in the waiting room until it was my turn.

Finally we were called through. The results of my 48 hour monitor had confirmed the original diagnosis, I had 2nd degree av block which, the doctor explained meant my heart sometimes didn't beat when it should. The monitor showed this was only happening at night when I was asleep at the moment. I asked whether I had type 1 or type 2 and he confirmed I had type 2, the worst of the types. The condition would get progressively worst if it went untreated until eventually it would lead to a complete heart block. He confirmed the effect of the missing heartbeat can be dizziness or fainting and this could have been the cause of my recent accident. Having asked several more questions about how I was feeling he went off to speak with the Cardiologist on duty.

We had to wait several minutes before he returned with the plan of action, and that's when I received a massive shock.

They were going to give me a pacemaker!

I didn't feel ill enough to warrant such an outcome, there must be something else they could do first, but no, this was the only course of action that would correct my problem. I was at 'worst case scenario' stage.

After that, my mind shut off, I have little knowledge of what else was said between the doctor and Neil, I was stunned.

Now, I have to wait for the next stage, an echo-cardiogram so that they can check the structure of my heart before they carry out the procedure. I have to ring the hospital on Tuesday to get some timescales involved. 

In the meantime I am not allowed to have spicy food or alcohol, I have to avoid getting over-excited and I am not allowed to drive. I am told I can resume all of them after the pacemaker is fitted.

I've had a couple of days to come to terms with what is going to happen to me. I am trying to focus on the positives, that I am lucky they have identified the problem before it has got any worse, that after the procedure I can continue to live life as before and that I will always be closely monitored so the chances of something going unheeded is low. The rational side of me can see that I have been very fortunate to have been referred for the series of tests that has highlighted the problem now. 

The emotional side of me is struggling. It doesn't surface often but I am scared. Scared of what is going to happen over the next few weeks. I am lucky, I have a lot of support from family and friends, and Neil who knows that I am now worried about sleeping because the problem happens at night, tells me he checks on me several times throughout the night while I sleep, to make sure I am OK.  It is reassuring.

There is still a part of me that can't quite believe this is all happening. 

Wow!

A long 2 weeks.

The doctor had said I should hear from the hospital within 2 weeks and if I didn't I should ring her and she would chase them up for me.

That night I started up my laptop, determined only to look at reputable websites. I needed to know more about my condition. 

Basically there are 3 degrees, 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Of the 2nd degree there are 2 types, one more serious than the other. Once again I was left no choice but to play the waiting game. Until I knew whether I had type 1 or type 2, I still didn't know what I was dealing with.

I made the decision to let family and friends know what had been found and what the possible outcome could be. It was easier for me to share it with them. Again, I kept telling myself if it was serious they would call me sooner rather than later. A week passed without a call.

After 10 days I couldn't wait any longer, I needed to know when I would be seeing the Cardiologist, the stress of waiting was beginning to get too much. 

I rang the hospital.

I explained the situation and the lady on the other end asked me to wait. When she came back she said she had pulled my letter out of the pile, that they were having an extra clinic the following day and if I could make it, I could see the Cardiologist at 2.30pm. 

I told her I would be there.

Impatient for news.

For 24 hours I turned all kinds of thoughts over in my head until I was driving myself crazy. The one rational thought that I kept pushing to the forefront was that the hospital would have called me back sooner if there was anything seriously wrong, but I couldn't settle so I decided I would ring my doctor to see if she had heard anything. It was lunchtime when I called and she was out. They said they would get her to ring me when she was back. By 5pm I had settled myself to not hearing from her and made a mental note to call her the following day.

Then, not more than 2 minutes later my phone rang. I told her of my recall to the hospital and asked if she had heard anything. She had. She told me in a very matter of fact tone that I was being checked as they had found indications in my first test of 2nd degree av block, which she told me meant the electrics in my heart didn't work properly and so there was elongation between beats and this could result in my heart missing a beat on occasions. 

I wrote it all down as she said it, but I didn't take it in.

The CT scan doctor who had requested I have a heart check as well had done good. I had been referred to the Cardiologist and he had requested the 2nd, longer test. I asked what this could mean and she told me, worse case scenario is a pacemaker, but she didn't think we were anywhere near that.

I thanked her and cancelled the call. 

Stunned. 

I felt well, since losing weight through my new eating regime, I had felt fitter than for some time. They couldn't be right. I didn't have dizzy spells, no fainting, there was no history of heart problems in the family. My work colleagues could tell something was wrong and came over. 

I simply said, 'they've found something wrong with my heart! It can't be too serious or they would have me straight in but there is a problem'.

24 hours heart monitoring

The CT scan I had a few weeks ago has fortunately come back clear. It doesn't explain the accident but it's good to know I have a healthy head.

At the same time I was also referred for 24 heart monitoring. So, a few weeks ago I visited yet another department at our local hospital. I was wired up to a machine for several minutes while they ran some basic tests and asked some basic questions, do I get dizzy spells or feel faint, do I have palpitations etc. etc, to each I answered 'no'. Then they stuck 3 pads to my chest and sent me home for 24 hours attached to a portable monitor. The unit hung from a strap around my neck and I had a small booklet in which I was to make a note if I had any feelings in my heart that were note worthy. I couldn't think what I would be noting as I had never had any issues with my heart but the doctors wanted everything checking out so I was happy to oblige.

I was to do everything I normally do while wearing the unit, except have a shower. It was cumbersome with 3 thickish, long wires stuffed up my jumper and the unit felt quite heavy around my neck, but it was only for 24 hours. It was Friday lunchtime so, after picking a sandwich up from the hospital restaurant I returned to work. 

Now, a little on the hospital restaurant. It's at the head of the corridor to the cardiology department and has leaflets and posters outside about cholesterol reducing. So, you would think there would be a variety of low fat foods available - oh no. I eventually managed to find a sandwich that would do, but I was totally disappointed in the choice - how ironic.

Anyway, back at work the monitor didn't bother me too much and after a while I managed to forget it was hanging around my neck. We had deliberately not made plans to go out that night and so the next hurdle would be trying to sleep attached to the cables - and it wasn't easy for me. After a restless night I spent Saturday morning clock watching, hardly able to wait for the 24 hours to come to an end. Eventually the time came for me to peel off the pads holding the wires in place and I could bag the unit up for returning to the hospital for analysis on the Monday morning. 

On my way to work I drove by the hospital and took the unit back to the cardiology dept along with a blank record card. I didn't have any 'off feelings' from my heart, never had and hadn't expected to have any just by being hooked up to a monitor. The receptionist confirmed my blank card was intentional and after I said yes, I left to start the wait for yet another letter not to arrive. 

After 4 weeks of no call back to the hospital, I finally began to relax and feel that I would never be able to explain the accident but at least I'd been fully checked out, which was no bad thing.

Then it happened, week 5 - I got a letter telling me they wanted me back to have another monitor fitted - this time for 48 hours. Suddenly I got concerned again. Friends tried to re-assure me they were just double checking before discharging me - but I wasn't convinced. I went back to the hospital the following day and was once more fitted with sticky pads, wires and the unit around my neck. I explained that due to the osteoarthritis in my neck I found having the unit hanging there uncomfortable, so he said I could carry it in the pocket of my jeans as long as the cables were not pulled taut. And so 48 hours began.

It was 48 hours that would change my life significantly.

DS PIC PIC - time to let go.

Before the advent of home computers, I read a lot of books and I did a lot of crosswords and other puzzles to keep my mind occupied. As a child I loved reading through my encyclopedia, especially the wildlife (my love of the Hoopoe came from said encyclopedia - but that's for another day) as well as reading the usual novels. I loved Enid Blyton's Secret Seven, Famous Five & especially the Malory Tower's series. My favourite childhood book was Pamela Brown's 'Swish of the Curtain' 

so much so that I bought it a few years back when it was re-issued, just to have on my bookcase along with Hillaire Belloc's Cautionery Verses.


As years passed my love of books and puzzles never changed but the manner in which I did them did. The advent of computers saw me buying magazines which listed pages and pages of computer code to be typed into the BBC computer that we had, 

just so we could try a really basic game. When the game stopped working it usually meant we had entered something wrong and the job of trawling through the lines of machine code looking for the error was almost as challenging as the game itself.


Then progress meant we no longer had to type the code in, we could now download them via tones down the phone line, recorded on an old tape recorder, something that could be very hit & miss, depending on the quality of the line.


Progression then moved at pace until finally we get to the modern day game with such complicated plots and such fabulous graphics. Throughout the progression my love of puzzle type games never lessened and I was always on the lookout for a good 'brain teaser'.


But doing puzzles on the computer meant being at home. When I was out or away, it was back to the trusty puzzle book.


Until I discovered the Nintendo DS. Wow, that was my kind of games console. I invested in a white DS and suddenly I could keep it in my bag and take it with me. Over the years I collected a number of games, 

some played with more regularity than others. When the Brain Training games came out I couldn't stop playing them, always competitive with myself, trying to beat my previous score.


When they started advertising Professor Layton games I pre-ordered.

It arrived in time for Christmas 2008. My friend Lucy also used a DS and also had the game for Christmas. Neither of us surfaced for 2 weeks whilst we challenged each other as to who would complete the puzzles first - as it happened we finished it pretty much together. People around us had no idea of the total fascination we had with the game but Lucy & I were totally addicted.


A couple of years ago I finally found a game that would be completely addictive, the only problem was it was incredibly difficult to find. It had been released in 2008 and they had not manufactured on a large scale and only made the one run. A £20 game was now selling on Ebay as used for £30 plus, and that was when they were listed, which was infrequent. Many were manufactured in single languages, French or Italian, finding one in English was    
proving a challenge. Eventually, after about 3 months I found a copy listed on Ebay and it had a Buy Now price - I bought it.


Over the last few years it has been played for hours but as my arthritis has worsened in my hands and fingers, it is becoming increasingly painful to hold the stylus and the DS itself. Finally, about 6 months ago the DS went back into its case and has remained there ever since. Now, my game playing is solely on my laptop. Unfortunately there isn't a version of Pic Pic for the laptop, but there are similar games that keep me occupied. I rarely sit watching TV without having my laptop on my knee.


And so, I have finally decided the time is right to Ebay my DS games, most of which will go for a fraction of what I paid for them, except for Pic Pic. 

The end of an era, but I shall hang on to my DS for now, you never know ......

The Games are now open......

What a wonderful opening ceremony, so well choreographed and so many looking as if they're having a wonderful time. Still waiting for the flame to arrive after the 240 teams that are taking part have all paraded into the stadium.


The lighting effects in the stadium have been stunning and once we turned on the surround sound, the music boomed through the house as it must have around the stadium.


I do feel a little sorry for the drummers that are lining the route while all the athletes walk by, there arms must be ready to fall off.

We're on the eve .......

The opening ceremony is tomorrow night yet events have started taking place already - isn't that the wrong way round?


Yes, finally we are on the eve of the Olympic opening ceremony. The Olympic torch has toured the country and seems to have been very well supported, drawing huge crowds to see it's progress.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18996243

And so, the next few weeks will be morning to night sport, right through until the closing ceremony on August 12th. At the moment we can all have high hopes for our athletes, high expectations of medals and the knowledge that anyone that doesn't not enjoy sport will find it difficult to avoid.


Good Luck Team GB, do us proud!

Is this summer or just a taster.

We are now on day 3 of dry, warm, sunny weather - known to most as summer.


It has been a long time in starting this year with each passing month breaking rainfall records, the usual comment about the rain being 'good for the gardens' has long since stopped being heard as gardens can't absorb anymore rain. 


This weekend saw a shift in the weather system overhead and suddenly our grey stormy skies were replaced with this.

How long this will last is uncertain, we don't know yet whether summer has finally arrived or if this is just the climate giving us a little sample, soon to be taken away.


So for now, the evenings are filled with the sound of lawns being cut and children out playing and the smell of BBQ's being lit.


Enjoy! 

Lazy Sunday Morning......cut short!

If I have a lie-in, it has to be on a Sunday. Quite often I'll be up early with the dogs and then go back to bed and watch a film. This morning was no exception, except halfway through the film the doorbell rang.


After a mad panic to make myself decent and find door keys, I opened the door to find the 'Orange' man on my doorstep. I had deliberately requested a delivery between 1 & 5 pm so as not to disturb any potential lazy Sunday morning. 


Bless! He was using his initiative as he was passing our house on his way from one delivery to his next. It would save him doubling back later.


And so, as he was there I went and got my phone, dismantled it to give him the bit back he was exchanging, and waited for my replacement. He scanned mine, then scanned the one he was going to be leaving and said 'oh dear!'.


'Is your phone a Galaxy Ace?', he said.
'No,' I replied, that's my husband's phone. Mine's a Galaxy S'.
'Ah', says he, 'they've sent the Ace'.


And so I closed the door, rebuilt my phone and went back to bed to finish my film.


Another call needed to Orange, try again. 

Kernel Panic Upload Mode

Until a few weeks ago if anyone had asked me what a kernel was I would have said it's the name for the pieces of corn on a piece of corn on the cob, or the bits of sweetcorn, so imagine my surprise when I started getting a strange message on my mobile phone saying 'kernel panic upload mode'.


Once this message appeared the phone froze and the only way to clear it was to take the battery out and then rebuild the phone. 


I did what I always do and 'Googled' it. Did I find the answer. In a word 'No'.


I now know that a kernel is a computing term. A kernel connects the application software to the hardware of a computer, explanation courtesy of Wikipedia. 


It seems a lot of people are having these kernel panic modes but the suggested solution may as well be written in Chinese. I had no idea what I had done to to get it and no idea what to do to clear it. All I knew was my phone would randomly go into panic mode, which in turn put me in panic mode.


I connected it to my computer to make sure I had the most recent software uploaded. It said I did. I reset everything to factory settings to see if that got rid of it. It didn't.


I called in to my local Orange shop to see if they could help. They couldn't. Not only couldn't they help, they hadn't got a clue what I was talking about, Mr-I've-worked-here-for-four-years-and-never-heard-of-this-problem. He didn't seem too happy when I asked if he would find me someone who had worked there for 5 years to see if they knew what I was talking about. If I wasn't wanting to buy anything and therefore add to his commission for the day, he really didn't want to talk to me.


Once home I rang Orange. I explained my problem and without any hesitation the helpful chap on the other end of the phone said, 'not a problem madam, we'll send you out a new phone, you will have it tomorrow'. 


'Tomorrow is Sunday', I replied. 'Yes, I know. Would you like it delivering between 9-1, 1-6 or 6-10?'


And so, having selected my delivery slot I await a replacement phone tomorrow afternoon which hopefully will be Kernel Panic Mode Upload free.