don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that sling

27 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by in health & happiness, hospitals

≈ 11 Comments

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sling
So after more than three weeks suffering with REALLY BAD shoulder and arm pain (lately lots of pins and needles in arm) I called my doctor, who said if it was serious pain I should go to emergency, in case they wanted to take an x-ray. So I did. And at emergency they kept asking why I hadn’t gone to see my doctor. Whatever.

I got seen to and after a perfunctory examination was told I had “omalgia” (no attempt to discover the source), was given a sling and a jab in my bum (anti-inflammatory) and sent on my way with prescriptions for paracetamol, ibuprofen, omeprazol and diazepam.

Well fuck that shit. If I just wanted to be given a whack of drugs I would’ve gone to my doctor three weeks ago. Seriously… painkillers, anti-inflammatories, fucking valium and oh, a stomach protector?? Because my shoulder hurts. A lot. And no attempt to find out WHY it’s hurting so much? Fuck.

This first happened to me about two and a half years ago and my lovely friend Kate @sledpress sent me THE CANE which I’ve been using but, unlike last time, it’s just not doing the trick. Have also been using SPIKE, which Kate sent as a part of a birthday package ten years ago. My gosh, that girl has been looking after me for quite some time now! I don’t know why what worked before isn’t working now.

On the plus side I got in 10,000 steps by walking home from the hospital (luckily today it was a balmy 36º, tomorrow it goes back up to 42º). I lasted with the fucking sling for about 20 minutes before ripping it off my neck. And now I am back at home looking for ways to get better on my own. Emergency doc also told me not to do any exercise. This sucks.

 

friends in the time of coronavirus

24 Friday Jul 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, friends

≈ 6 Comments

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corona

This is tough. Yes, lockdown was lifted here on June 22nd, and non-essential shops, along with bars and restaurants, were allowed to slowly reopen. And so far that seems to be going well. People are mostly following the rules.

But then Spain immediately opened its borders not just to EU Schengen countries but also to the UK, which was basically WAY BEHIND in their Covid response, and even now have yet to call for a the mandatory use of masks.

After lockdown was lifted here nothing much changed for me. I stayed home, waiting to see what was going to happen. Would there be a second wave of infections two weeks later? How safe was it really? For those who don’t know I am in a high risk situation due to being immunocompromised due to previous cancer and chemo treatments, and also because of my age. So not only am I more likely to catch this fucker, I am also more likely to die from it. A sobering thought.

But I have been out for tapas now… maybe 3-4 times? And also for the occasional cold beer when I’ve been out grocery shopping on my own. Have also had a couple of business meetings and a trip to the hospital. Though I mostly keep myself to a schedule whereby I only go OUT THERE about once a week, and maybe meet up with a friend every other outing. Which leads me to… Continue reading →