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Wednesday
31st July 2024
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07:59
BST
Yesterday
was hot ! The
temperature reached
about 30° C.
You'll note that the
forecast, even the very
latest revision, says it
should be full sunshine
now... It is actually very
dull ! I can see a few
blue areas of sky between
the clouds, and the sun
could peep out at any
time, but I feel sure that
it will be a bit of a wait
until we get full
sunshine. Assuming we do
get full sunshine sooner
or later, the temperature
should reach at least 27°
C. There is a
weather
warning for
thunderstorms,
and I think
that includes
today,
although the
only day when
they are shown
on the chart
is tomorrow.
Tomorrow's
forecast
replaces all
today's full
sunshine (if
we ever get
it) with sunny
spells, but
the
temperature
profile stays
the same. The
big difference
starts at 4pm,
which is the
earliest the
forecast
thunderstorms
could happen.
Yesterday not
really a satisfactory day.
Maybe it was me, maybe it
was the heat, but I found I
had almost zero "get up and
go". Most likely it was both
the heat and me. Under the
right circumstances I can
get quite busy on the
hottest of days, although
admittedly that usually only
happens when I go for a long
walk - something I can't do
unless I get this angina
fixed.
One good thing about
yesterday was that it was
very obvious that my cough
was on the retreat. Many
hours could pass with no
desire to cough. I have an
idea that I was still
fighting the bug, and that
was slightly, or more,
draining my energy. That
could be the case today as
well. About the only thing I
have show about yesterday
morning is that I had a
shower. After that shower I
put more clothes in to soak
with the idea that I would
finish the whole process,
and get everything drying
under a hot sun early in the
afternoon.
My afternoon got off
to an almost nothing start.
The reason was that I did
not want to start anything
that might distract me from
a phone call I was expecting
at 2.30pm. It was from the
Practice Pharmacist to chat
about my current medication.
She phoned probably less
than 5 minutes late, and
that seemed acceptable. Most
of the call was the usual
listing of all the drugs I
am prescribed, and was I
taking them all, and did any
of them cause any trouble.
Once we had gone
through the list of drugs I
referred back to the
Isosobide Mononitrate, and
told her the story of how
when I saw the Cardiologist,
and consultant, they said
they would increase the dose
from 30mg to 60mg, but how
since they said that on 15th
May, nothing has happened.
In fact it seems none of the
notes that took were added
to my healt records. I told
the Practice Pharmacist the
cardiologist doctor's name,
and she has promised to
write to him to find out if
they still intend that I
should be on the higher
dose.
I don't think I
believe anything will happen
this time, but if it does
then the Practice Pharmacist
can write a single
prescription to "top up" my
recent repeat prescription,
and then change the records
for the next repeat
prescription in just under
56 days time. It seems so
unlikely, but it would be
great to get this dosage
fixed in time for the
weekend when I am hoping
I'll be able to spend hours
at Petts Wood Calling -
which is on this coming
Saturday !
Once my phone call
had finished I should have
gone straight to the
bathroom to finish washing
the clothes I had left
soaking in the morning. It
was actually an hour or two
later when I started the
rinses of those clothes. If
I had persisted I could have
got it all on the line by
about 4pm, and byt 6pm it
would probably be baked dry
in the hot sunshine. The
only problem was that with
the temperature around 30° C
it was hot work, and with
the added heat of the fairly
hot water I was using, it
felt like my rubber gloves
had sprung a leak. It was
actually just sweat. It's
funny how you never really
think of hands sweating, but
they can and do when inside
a rubber glove.
I did my best to eat
carefully yesterday. My
lunch was semi-exotic - it
was rice crackers and bacon
paté. As far as I know that
should have been very low
sugar even if the
paté contains a lot of
fat and salt. My
dinner should also
have had a low sugar
content. It was
grilled steak with
mixed peppers
flavoured rice. I did
have some (alleged)
zero sugar chocolate
biscuits as a dessert.
I don't think I had
any ice cream
yesterday - which
would be strange if it
is true on such a hot
day.
One time I
really coughed was
when eating the steak
and rice. Bits of dry
dry rice would stick
to the back of my
throat and really
irritate it. That was
not surprising, but
still a bit of shame
because otherwise I
could almost have
believed that I was
just about over my
cold - except for a
mild feeling of
lethargy (which was
probably just the
heat). Maybe as I
started to feel tired
while watching TV late
in the evening, did I
have a few interludes
of some mild coughing.
Skipping over
the TV I watched,
which was no different
to most nights, I went
to bed just a little
after 9pm. I didn't
feel the need for any
antacid stuff, and for
any cough mixture. It
feels like a long time
since I could omit
both those two. I did
get to sleep fairly
fast, but an hour or
two later I woke up
with a real hacking
cough. It felt like I
had swallowed a small
towel or something. My
mouth was dry, as was
my throat, and I think
I was trying to cough
up something that was
not there.
Some water
slowly sorted that
out, and then an odd
sort of thing
happened. I fell
asleep and seamlessly
dreamed a continuation
of that waking up
coughing. I guess I
must have woken up
just a few minutes
later - either that or
I really had been shot
by two small red balls
that must have fallen
out of me, and I was
holding in my hand.
From then on I don't
really remember much
about my night.
It was almost
as if I had slept non
stop from a bit after
1am to 5am. I don't
remember having to get
up for a pee, but I do
have some dreamy
memories of having a
sip or two of water in
the night. If it was
as it seemed, that I
almost didn't pee in
the night, it
suggested that my
blood glucose could be
in accordance to my
idea that I ate
nothing that would
cause high blood
glucose readings this
morning - but they
were high.
The Contour
meter read a
terrible 10.4mmol/l.
The GlucoRX meter was
not terrible but still
very bad at 9.8mmol/l.
The Sinocare meter was
a very slightly better
at 9.7mmol/l. I can
think of several
reasons that could
explain these very
high readings. I am
sure I drunk less
water last night, and
although I may not
have peed much, I
certainly sweated off
a lot. So maybe
dehydration was part
of the reason. Another
part could be the
usual effect of my
blood glucose rising
while fighting some
sort of infection, and
that cold/cough was
definitely some sort
of infection.
There is
another unwanted
possible explanation.
The cough started
about the same time I
started taking the
Esomeprazole tablets.
Maybe the cough, and
all it's nasty mucus
is something to do
with those
anti-heartburn
tablets. That seems
unlikely, but they
will definitely be
affecting my
digestion, and that
could somehow affect
how I deal with
sugars. I still have 6
days of Esomeprazole
tablets
to go. Before they
finish I hope that I
will get more, and
even better cough free
nights. With only
heartburn to worry
about I may not buy
another packet of
Esomeprazole to see if
it is affecting my
blood glucose level.
One positive
health thing, and in
some ways it
strengthens my belief
that I ate carefully
yesterday, and it is
that this morning,
without having what I
expect will eventually
be a big poo, my
weight is exactly the
same as it was
yesterday after my
shower (and the large
pee, and large poo I
had before having that
shower). Unless I am
deluding myself (which
is quite possible) it
means that, in effect,
I have lost a spare
100 or 200 grams. I
have eaten breakfast
now, but if I can
repeat yesterday, and
have a good pee, and a
good poo before I have
a shower, I may see a
slightly smaller
figure.
Another
positive health thing
is that my blood
pressure seems to be a
little bit lower than
the last few days. It
might be an indication
of winning the battle
with whatever caused
my cough and cold.
This morning it was
102/49. Yesterday was
112/53. It is quite a
small change, and both
are comfortably in the
"Optimum" area
according to my blood
pressure meter.
It is lucky
that I managed to
start writing all this
earlier than usual.
Once I have uploaded
this I can spend half
an hour resting before
I have to finish the
laundry I started
yesterday. It is all
in the second rinse
water (now cold), and
all I have to do is
wring it all out, put
it in the 3rd rinse
water. Wring that out
and put it in the
conditioner. Finally I
can wring that out,
and hang it all on the
washing line in the
sunshine (and the sun
did come out 10 or 15
minutes ago, although
the sky still looks a
little cloudy).
Once the
laundry is out of the
way I can have the
full shave,shampoo and
shower trio before
getting ready to go
and see my favourite
barmaid and have a
couple of pints of
Guinness. After
missing last Wednesday
I feel even more
strongly I have to
go....and yet in some
small ways I don't
want to go. I still
feel a bit "weak", and
snoozing might be
preferable, but I'm
fairly sure I'll make
it to the pub.
1772 words
today
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