Monday, April 01, 2019

When your body says you're sick, LISTEN

Gorgeous vase by Jay Strongwater but I don't like the colour, picky but one in the palest pink would suit me more.  And that's as far as I got for this post and now on the 1st of April I feel like blogging again.  I was so ill I couldn't leave the house for 4 weeks and Doc Marvin came 3 times.  I don't think I've ever coughed so much in my life and the squeaking, wheezing and whistling in my chest drove me crazy.
I couldn't even go to the Cemetary to bury Mum's ashes but the girls came and picked up the box and sent photographs. I really wanted that day as it was 14th February, St. Valentine's Day and it was a beautiful sunny day for mum and dad to be re-united.  After that I really fell in a heap.  Lying down to sleep was near impossible so I slept wherever I could.  It wasn't unusual to wake up with a cup of tea still in one hand and a sandwich in the other or a lemonade icy pole, lovely cold icy pole.
For the first week I was on Solone to get the fluid out of my lungs.  Pharmacy could have put a warning on the box not to take the first ones at night. Up, down, up, down, and everytime I sat up, cough cough cough, pee and repeat.  I ended up putting a couple of towells at the edge of the bed because I'm not that good at cross legs and cough while standing up. It was a bacterial infection in the lungs and lingered on although I didn't feel really sick just so tired I couldn't think or remember what day it was.
The Bear was worried until he worked out I was okay to feed him and then he got sneaky. I'd be heading for the back door to shut it and he would shoot out knowing I couldn't follow but I can't blame him as it was one of those horrible hot weeks.  Karma got him in the end.  Whatever time I woke up, the cough would start so I'd be up for pills and a cuppa, turn on the news after filling his dish.  No Bear appeared and after an hour I really worried. I vaguely remember hearing a faint miouw but I slipped into sleep, so it wasn't a screaming, raging cat fight.  So sick mummy staggered round the yard, went out to check the street for a body, nothing.  Nephew rang to see if I wanted anything and was straight over to look for the precious.  As his car pulled up, the precious strolled out of my bedroom where he'd been hiding and threw his paws round Steve''s leg. You could almost hear the sobbing story of what had happened to him during the night. Never mind me! He had one huge hole in his ear and one large scratch on his shoulder, nothing else except PTSD.
It doesn't end there.  I couldn't figure what was floating around the apple tree until it hit the concrete.  I went out with a stick to poke at it and so help me it was the black fluffy end of a possum's tail, bitten straight through. I'm still trying to work out who got to who first. No wonder he wouldn't come out of the wardrobe and the hole in the ear won't come together to heal, too big and I have threatened to put his registration tag in it.
I must thank "Paws and Whiskers" pet shop who delivered his kibble when I was too ill to go out.
Last week I was well enough to go and get litres of blood taken, a chest X-ray and a CT scan of my heart.  They gave me a dvd of the scan but the Doc is taking a well-earned holiday so I'll see him eventually.  The X-ray showed the heart was the right size but the CT scan was needed to show the tissue or whatever was around it. He said my sugar was up but what can you do when living on lemonade icy poles.
Mum's stuff is still in a pile in the lounge but I am gradually getting it down. My things are going as well, I'm doing that Japanese Lady's method of throwing out, you look at ornament, book or whatever and say, "do you make me happy?" and if it's no then it's gone.  So instead of space I have two huge boxes full of unhappiness.  Next up is the Queen Ann crystal cabinet, going into the sewing room which will involve a bit of shuffling in there but honestly I can't stand the cigarette smell, 40 years of cigarette smoke have been embedded in the wood.
I plan to put quilting fabric in it as fabric can be washed and I can put huge bowls of potpourrie in the cabinet.
I even found a box of Christmas presents that I didn't send two Christmases ago. Not my fault, always there was a crisis near Christmas. Highriser, your present is next only because it's been sitting on the table for so long, the box has faded and looks like an op shop re-gift.
I hope it's not so long before I blog again.
  

11 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

I am so glad you have surfaced, and wish that Mubai escorts would stay home.
Here's to a better year. A MUCH better year.

JahTeh said...

I hope you are better, El Chi. I really felt for you every time the Canberra Temp was shown. And we're in to April and it's already been a crummy year.
Every time I see that spam, I drool for curry.

Cathy said...

Well that was a moth and a half you don't want to experience again. Wasn't really that long but I bet it felt like it to you.
Just a reader, not one to comment but it is good to see you again. There's lots of 'illness' around at the moment so you'll have to be very unsociable until you get your flu shot.
Take care
Cathy

River said...

I am so very glad to see a post from you. I keep meaning to email, but either forget, or people come knocking on my door to chat, wondering why I haven't been to visit them and have they done something to upset me? no, but knocking on my door too often will....
Anyway, I can sympathise with the coughing and crossed legs thing, I've discovered that a lot of my coughing ISN'T asthma, since the medication wasn't helping, so it must be hayfever related, since the anti-histamines DO work. I plan on checking that with my doctor if I ever get around to going. I must try that falling asleep with a sandwich in my hand trick. How lovely to wake up and find food already there. I've read about the Kondo method of decluttering and sometimes when Lola is being a Royal Pain in the Neck, I look at her and say "Do you bring me joy?" and of course the answer is "NO" but I can't throw her in a box for Vinnie's. Then later she snuggles up to sleep against my ribs and that does bring me joy, so I guess I'll keep her after all.

Beth Waltz said...

Dear JahTeh, whatever else is ailing, your wit is well. That pungent, poignant,"So instead of space I have two huge boxes of unhappiness," resonates in my bones! Just having relocated after decades in the previous dwelling, I've been performing the Kondo ritual daily and now regard it as an amateur exorcism of hungry ghosts.

Take very seriously that observation that you were too tired to think and do, please, listen to your body. It's time to rest and focus on self care. (Regards to the Bear, by the bye. My own toms are very much enjoying duck watching at our new home -- and their conversations are entertaining me.)

Anonymous said...

I await with a nervous and bated breath. I hope you feel better now and do not require the theft of my partner.

JahTeh said...

Cathy, apparently we had the worst SUMMER flue season, twice as many sick people than last year so barricades up for winter. All I want is a few weeks of autumn sunshine before the freeze.

River, the Kondo method is fine as long as you don't look in the box again. I don't have to worry about clothes since I wear mine until they fall apart. I'm even throwing out books and going through magazines and keeping maybe one page that I really want. Remember the 100 or so wedding books that went that way, so much space in the bookcase.

Beth, you have ducks? The Bear would be terrified faced with a duck.
I have a big cane basket which was also a pest because it went down smaller at the bottom than the top, anything that went in eventually spilled over the top so brain wave, plates in the bottom with bubble wrap then the smaller glass stuff towards the top and the whole lot can go to the op shop. I've been tripping over that basket for years and never thought to send it full to the op shop.

Andrew, dearest, I could really use both of you to move a cabinet. I'll send an email when I've made space for it.

Anonymous said...

Not with our bad backs, thank you very much.

Sami said...

Came over from Andrew. Summer flu is awful! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Cheryl said...

Sorry to know you have been so unnwell these past couple of months. Being ill when the weather is hot is the pits.Its great that you are feeling better now and blogging again.I might be inspired to do some decluttering after reading your post, I have been putting it off way too long.
Cheers,
Cheryl

JahTeh said...

Good one Andrew, I always knew you were spineless, the reward of a misspent youth.

Sami, it wasn't summer flu just a lung full of cough and so tired but not really sick. I've felt worse with a common cold but this was just annoying and still lingering.

Cheryl, It feels good and this time I've remembered to label the boxes. I've given up trying to put the books in order, they are just shoved on any shelf that's vacant. The worse thing I can do is start playing with my quilt fabric, that's Alice down the rabbit hole time, but I realize that some fabrics I really don't like so another box for the unloved going to the op shop.