I normally like to be positive and say good things, but at the moment I am suffering from 'flu' like symptoms, dripping nose , headache, sore throat , and tomorrow I go for my 'flu' jab. My only worry is that this might kick off ITP which has not hit me since the millennium. I'm also running a temperature. I feel like I have been kicked all over my body and all I have done today (apart from a lot of blog posts) is walk to Aldi and back (about 3 miles round trip) to get fruit and porridge for work.
So I am taking paracetamol and chocolate and I will beat this. Tomorrow is a 6 am start and I will be in work. I don't let these things beat me. Admittedly last time I had 'flu' I lost some weight and managed to work from home. The fact is barring time off for hospital operations I've forgotten how to call in sick, that's real, I don't think I have had a sick day since I left SSS in 2002 and then it was 'flu' followed by ITP followed by full blown diabetes which wasn't diagnosed for about a year resulting in me having a lot of time off.
Anyway it's reasonably under control now and I suppose I just don't like feeling physically run down. I am sure I will be fine in a few days
So what song should we have, at first I was going to choose something appropriate but I've decided to go with John Cale's "Bamboo Floor" which I love it and it makes me feel good. And when you don't feel good you need to do something to make you feel good and I am going to listen to that and then go to bed.
Despite the horrific weather in Cumbria , the end of my holiday has left me feeling good. I have experienced some things I never want to again , but grateful with the knowledge that I came through without wrecking the hire car or injuring anybody especially me and Fiona.
Today I saw my youngest daughter and her fiance who have moved to a new house , and it was wonderful having a catch up.
The last couple of nights I have slept like the proverbial log , only waking between eight and nine in the morning . I hope I don't sleep through the alarm.
Tomorrow I have a six month diabetic review , slightly worried because my blood sugars have rocketed despite no change to my eating or exercise, we shall see what comes out of it.
Still I feel good , I have my friends and am looking forward to whatever happens this week , which I am sure will be fine.
Rod Stewart's output was consistently excellent until after "Atlantic Crossing" but he still produces some corking songs like "She Makes Me Happy" which does genuinely make me happy and that can't be a bad thing can it?
Go on , do something that makes you happy and spread the love darlings
I am diabetic , you all know that. I treat it very casually , you all know that. I do what I'm supposed to do you all know that, and the fact I am still here is testament to my general life regime. The NHS has been brilliant in their support of me, with some superb support from across the spectrum , especially my brilliant surgery , Thornfield Medical Group, who I would recommend unreservedly to anybody and NUTH Hospitals who I have both worked for and been treated by over the last few years.
You get the odd well meaning pedant , like the nurse who told me I had to live off carrots and celery, and the nurses and doctors who keep banging about me getting out of a car and sitting in the passenger if I have a hypo while driving. As I diabetic I have to check my blood sugar levels at least every two hours when driving , and I always do this before getting behind the wheel. If the blood sugar was low I would not get in that car, and the day I have a hypo while driving is the day I give up driving. But as I bang on about the odd pedant I have to tell you about the nurse who brilliantly analogised the benefits of Omega 3 Oil as a brillo pad for your veins and arteries (everyone and I mean EVERYONE) should take Omega 3, the brilliant consultant who , although trialling me on a liver drug which resulted in identifying my cirrhosis (which means I can take extra care of myself in that area) , who also noticed muscle wastage in my left hand which I had lost the horizontal use of, eventually kicking of some tests that discovered a weird trap nerve carpal tunnel syndrome combination that has resulted in a 90% restoration of the functionality of my left hand, we original thought it may have been a TIA or a stroke (which I may have had around the turn of the century when I got hit by ITP).
But as usual I've gone sort of off subject before I've started, but it's really that porridge is the best breakfast anyone can have and it's particularly good for diabetics. It is one of the few foods you can buy that does have sugar as one of it's ingredients (most other cereals have loads) , although the sachets and quick porridge brands have loads of added sugar., just go with a box of Quaker Oats and you can't go wrong (though I'm on Aldi's stuff at the moment). Anyway the way I make porridge is half a cup of dry porridge oats , a cup of skimmed milk , then put in a pan and stir together and but on the hob on the lowest heat and come back when you are ready to eat (at least 30 minutes) , add some fruit for taste , chopped apple , banana, raisins or sultanas , and you have a perfect start to the day. After that you DO NOT feel like snacking at all , it's very slow release, Perfect.
And now the dangers..... I was once working from home , put the porridge on about 7am and the started work. I was so engrossed in my work that I forgot about the porridge until a cooking smell wafted upstairs that I noticed about 11:30 am. Amazingly because of the low heat, adding another cup of skimmed milk and stirring it it resulted in a great breakfast ... at dinnertime.
Then yesterday ,I had porridge for breakfast , but came home to find I had forgotten to switch off the hob , so it had been on all day, but luckily only on the low heat which means you don't see a red glow when you take the pan off, so that didn't do my energy conservation much good.
Anyway today I'm going to see Ash with I used to soundtrack my YouTube video that I did when I took part in Lighting Hadrian's Wall which I've include with this even though the only connection is me. Have a great day, I'm going to the Chase Park Festival with my girls , and friends and their families (who are all girls!) so you enjoy yourself , I'm gonna enjoy mine
Autumn is definitely here, the leaves are turning yellow , gold and brown and falling from their trees covering paths and gardens, and it's windy and rainy but we are in the middle of October. It's dark when I leave for work and dark when I'm getting back and the heating is now on for longer and getting turned up.
There's a couple of upcoming gigs, next week including a warm up one for Pauline Murray at the Tyneside Bar and Cafe before her first tour of Australia. I've seen her twice fronting Penetration recently , check out posts here. so I am looking forward to that. I recently went for an evening of Nic Cave songs so as yet my gigs there have had an Australian connection.
The other thing this week is that I had noticed that my blood sugar was getting high, yes I'd been on holiday , but it was hitting 12 to 20 at it's worst. I couldn't think what had changed , and then realised I'd run out of hemp oil tablets, and at the same time I read that nettle tea was good for reducing blood sugar , so I got myself some and the blood sugar is now back to normal after a couple of days. I'm quite amazed that something can have an actual effect that quickly so I'm going back to see my doctor to discuss it with her.
So an interesting week, and hopefully we can all keep warm and cozy while enjoying the good things in life. Have a great day everybody. Thought I'd include the Philosopher's Song from Monty Python as it always bring a smile to my face and I'm sure it will to yours.
I've just been told I have Cirrhosis of the liver. It's irreversible so it's just a question of keeping it from getting worse. Essentially it's scarring of the liver caused by alcohol abuse or being overweight or diabetic, so over the last five years it's been the last two items that are the problem. The situation is the same as with diabetes again irreversible but , I think , manageable. But that's it for the bad stuff. I know the NHS will look after me and have my best interests at heart.
It''s now Friday evening and the weekend is here. Royal Blood are on the radio and I have forty eight hours of fun ahead.
This is the thing , even though some things are not brilliant , there are still lots of great things you can find and enjoy so you have a great weekend and if I get to see you even better.
..Apparently. So I've mowed my lawn, and cut some bushes back and filled up the brown bin , ready for next week. The weather today has been lovely, and despite the downpours this week the lawn is in remarkably good fettle.
This weekend I was intending to do nothing but managed to be so busy today that I forgot my mid day insulin injection, and was wondering why I was feeling a bit tired , just putting it down to physical exercise when I came in a saw four untaken tablets and then it clicked I'd missed my middle of the day injection, checked the blood sugar and it was a bit high but it's back to normal now.
Darlington Brick Train
Anyway looking out the window the sky is still blue , there's only a little cloud cover so not sure if we are going to get the downpour, but at least I'm prepared for it.
This week has been good for music and seeing friends so tomorrow I really will try to have a quiet day. Oh and earlier this week I went to see the Brick Train in Darlington which is about ten minutes from where I currently work. Because of this I chose a cover of the Kinks "Last of The Steam Powered Trains" and this version brings out the riff that reminds me of Howling Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning" which incidentally is also about steam trains,
namely the sparks the could be seen from the funnels when you saw
the trains at night.
About The Brick Train
Hope you are all having a great weekend, and have a fantastic Sunday everybody. There are lots of great things happening so enjoy everything.
Say hello to your neighbour or phone a friend , do something to put a smile on your face and you will make the world a friendlier place.
Well actually I can, everybody can , there's always something to enjoy or feel good about. I was at a great gig last night by the Star Spangled Chestwigs and had a great crack on with several friends. When I left got an "affectionate" goodby from Shev and the crowd, got to the Metro station , train pulled up , which got me into Newcastle Monument where I walked to my bus stop two minutes before the last bus turned up. That wasn't planning, it was luck, but just made me feel better.
Earlier in the day I'd had lunch at Cafe Rouge with my daughter Juliet, which was excellent, great service , and there were a couple of parties in , one of which had a few young mothers among their number. As I was leaving I noticed that one mother was breast feeding her baby, the atmosphere was so relaxed that she could do that as it should be , completely naturally . Kudos to Cafe Rouge for providing that environment, they have gone up in my estimation.
The thing is being happy is a positive trait that should be practiced and encouraged in everyone. Bad things happen but to work towards coping with them, and find something that will put a smile on your face.
A lot of people seem to spend more energy being miserable and they must have a sad life. The right wing push hate slogans, and people who are good friends of mine often spread these probably without thinking. On Facebook groups like Britain First and Right Wing News are particularly spiteful and nasty. Anyone on benefits spends all of that hard earned tax payers money on cigarettes, tattoos, alcohol and cable TV and immigrants just walk in here and get mansions and new cars, although it's seldom you can find hard examples of this. They seem to forget that their taxes are also paying for the tax "avoidance" / "evasion" of large corporations , but that is apparently ok. But what they don't think is that the avoided tax will end up bled out of the economy and in a Cayman Islands Hedge Fund, while cash paid out in benefits will stay within the economy. If we stopped ev
asion with the money returned to the economy we could employ people under the direct control of government to properly administer tax and benefits.
Another of the hate posts I've seen recently are targeting diabetics. "Don't they understand if they stop stuffing their faces with cake and chocolate they'd be ok". These have been posted by people I consider my friends. Well yeah I'm overweight but don not over indulge. Also what about Sir Steven Redgrave, hardly a lard arse, and a good friend of mine has far worse diabetes that me , which she is coping with but is a mere slip of a girl.
Really I feel sad for the people who write and spread these things while happily they are taken advantage of by big business and right wing governments and organisations.
So basically , the sun is shining , there are lots of things to do, pick up a phone and talk to a friend, meet them in a park or art gallery, go and see a film, listen to some music, read a book, go for a walk (I found an excuse to make myself go for a long walk earlier and feel better for it), there are lots of things you can do to make you feel good. Try to see the good in others but don't be taken advantage of. If someone is having a hard time , offer a helping hand, be there for your friends, I know all my friends are.
Anyway there's been some diatribes here , but I am happy , I am good , and I am having a great weekend.. You do the same.
Well yesterday was overcast and very very wet, and some people were saying well that's the end of the summer, winter's here , implying that it was all misery doom and gloom from now on. As I walked out of Darlington Station a guy was walking up wearing only a shirt, no jacket and no umbrella , and I thought why his is only wearing a shirt , when really I should have been admiring his optimism. Although he my have just not been prepared , but I like to go with the optimistic view,
On Thursday I mowed my lawn , saw the lawn and garden got a good watering, and it definitely was not walking out weather unless you had at least an umbrella. It's still warm here, and it's four in the morning , I've had six hours sleep , and the rain has finally stopped . There was a serious amount coming down last night.
We shall see what the weekend brings, but after a brilliant but hard week at work, it will be nice to relax with may a nip out somewhere to relax even more.
I'm just writing this because I realise that I should actually still be asleep for another three or four hours, although I am feeling absolutely great. Still buzzing from my doctors visit on Thursday for my diabetic catch up where she was so pleased with what's happening to me . I'm just feeling good and I love the rain as musch as the sun , because you need both in your life.
Diabetes is a condition that effectively forces you to live your life as you are supposed to, eating and drinking in moderation and taking exercise.
When you gave it you made have to take supplements in the form of tablets or injections. People have said to me they could never inject, they'd rather die. Well that is your alternative. I do have a phobia about needles because they can hurt a bit and I'm not that much into pain. I inject 5 times a day. Sir Steven Redgrave does seven times a day. It's as easy as eating a sweet. The odd time you will catch a nerve but it's like stubbing a toe
It amazes me that there are diabetic jams and chocolates still on the market they taste horrible. Just go for the real thing because they taste good and really appreciate.
On thing my brilliant doctor once said is that alcohol is the purest form of sugar so ideally cut it out. But if you want a drink just really appreciate it and don't get wrecked. Throughout my diabetes I have had two doctors , the first guy was great but went to Australia. I trusted him so much I let him do my vasectomy.
My current doctor is a lively lady who combines her work with raising a family and is brilliant positive , always coming up with suggestions and really look forward to seeing her.
Living with diabetes is also about building a good support group, lots of people want you to fall off the path, maybe not out of malice, but even when you say no they keep trying to push you towards having cake, chocolate or alcohol. This is something you have to deal with as you see fit.
I'm actually writing this on my phone so hope I get a signal to upload and publish it
It's taken years for me to get somewhere near understanding what diabetes actually is , and for the first tine since getting it I actually feel in control of it. There could be a number of reasons for this and I still need to confirm what it is, but a very positive mental attitude is help no end and when good things happen you tend to take actions that will cause more good things to happen.
This may not work for everyone but it seems to be working for me. Another brilliant day lies ahead. Everyone have a fantastic one.
Oh and the picture is of a five dollar shake from the Stateside Diner. I can enjoy them because I treat myself once in a while.
Today a friend told me that they really enjoyed reading my blog even though often they were not sure about some of the words I use. That may be really pleased and gave me a warm feeling inside. Sometimes i am not sure what to write about but I always try and put down the good things that happen and that is one of them. I know they will read this and know who they are and really I need to think of some obscure words to use , but I am no William Shakespeare. Or even William Shagspear
Anyway such wordsmithery is probably beyond my ken or ability , so you will have to put up with the mundanity of my everyday life. Today I applied for a new job , based on the title , then read the job description and realised it was completely the wrong job. A word with a friend and we both searched the jobs list and couldn't find the job I was looking for, well it was there , just the title wasn't exactly what I expected . Anyway tomorrow I will be applying and hopefully will be successful.
Also pleased that I can fit into a Large T Shirt my youngest daughter bought me a few years back . I will take a photograph tomorrow and post it, although I managed to forget to take my drugs tonight , so ended up taking them late so loaded up with my new lower dose of insulin.
So for the music for this post I think the Othello Rap by the Reduced Shakespeare Company would be appropriate .
Enough of these positive vibes , people really don't like them. Only joking , but lots of people really don't . Yesterday I had a shock when I weighed myself on the Wii and it told me I had lost 13 lbs since I was lost on (admittedly a while back) but it's the biggest loss I've recorded on there. I'm still lardy as hell and the Wii reckons I should be 11 stone , but that's more than a way off yet.
This is coinciding with a dramatic reduction in my insulin intake which was ludicrously high at one point , nearing 200 units a day. I'd got it down to 150 a day then someone put me onto to some positive thinking stuff, and the insulin has come down to 100 a day now , that's a 33% reduction , which in turn stops you from putting lots of weight on. So the two are working in tandem , losing weight means lowering insulin intake which in turn helps you lose weight.
So basically weight is going down and insulin requirements are going down. I cant see that I've lost any weight but some people have said they have noticed. However tomorrow is a moment of truth when the hospital weigh me and hopefully I don't find the Wii is faulty.
Thought I would use my blog to document this. Been to the hospital and confused the experts even more. Everything seems to be OK that should be , but I can't grip laterally with my extended fingers of my left hand. Have an MRI scan being planned just to make sure my brain is still functioning , snd that's about it. Still can't do much with my left little finger either which makes it awkward putting gloves on and the like, but things seem to be slowly improving , although whether that's just me compensating I don't really know. I keep trying things with my left hand and then thinking .. "Could I do that with my left hand before this happened?"
It's probably diabetes related but we shall see how it progresses.
After the unfortunate derby result (well I suppose we have to let the Mackems have a little hope before they get relegated) I have Omid Djalili to look forward to this afternoon at The Stand . Only joking Sunderland folks !!
A few weeks ago I was in York in a brilliant Indian restaurant called The Bombay Spice (check it out if you are ever there , and i realised I couldn't hold my fork properly. Co-ordination and strength seemed to have gone. I was concerned as this was similar to ten years back when I lost the use of three fingers to what may have been a stroke as a result of ITP which was as a result of a bad 'flu attack.
By Sunday I could hold a fork reasonably well dining in the superb Blue Bicycle . Ive been forcing myself to do things since then , but still can't really control holding reflexes and my little finger is full of pins and needles anda bit useless.
Bee messing about with a guitar as that makes you do things with your fingers , but still can't play any chord that requires a little finger , but can obviously play bass!
Reading books and taking the tops of yoghurt pots was difficult at first , but is getting better.
Finally saw my doctor at nine o'clock last night and she put me through a lot checking for signs of a stroke , nervous and diabetic related degradation but everthing looks in order so it's off to see a neurologist.
It's awkward but could be much worse . The strength is definitely there , it's just a case of relearning to apply it. Also I'm reading a rather large tome about Tony Benn and turning pages and holding the book is a bit akward.
On the upside looking forward to the summer festivals and we're close to the Easter Weekend . Which sort of reminds me I've been listening to the excellent new Eric Burdon album and currently playing is the superb "Devil and Jesus".....
Went for my annual diabetic review today and everything looks OK . I'm still doing so many drugs that certain South Americans would love to make my acquaintance , but I ain'yt to enamoured with the alternative.
Is used to be if you were iverwight and over 40 then you might end up with Diabetes, and the treatment of it includes keeping fit , losing weight , eating and drinking the right stuff (no cake , chocolate or alcohol) . What surprised me today is that most of the people at the clinic were young and anything but overweight. So what the hell is happening . Obviously modern living is screwing up people big style.
There are a lot of diabetic sites out there which may help answer the question . You can start here!.
A couple of months back I was having various problems with blood pressure tablets that were affecting me both physically and mentally. The tablets were working but the side effects were rubbish , affecting both thinking process and the causing what Pele describes as 'erectile dysfunction'. The problem is diabetes is a debilitating condition and things are only going to get worse , or so they tell me. A possible solution was Viagara , but it's both expensive , and they only prescribe you four tablets a month , when really I want something that'll work on a daily basis.I then came across this in Boots, Cardio-Ace.
Cardio-Ace is essentially Omega-3 Oil , which can be found in oily fish to name but one source. Not availableon prescription because you can get it from a decent diet. Anyway this stuff works. At my annual Diabetic Review the nurse explained how it works. Basically as we get older our arteries and veins get clogged up with fat and gunk making it more difficult for the blood to get round the body and provide stuff like oxygen for the brain etc. What Omega 3 does is act like a brillo pad on your arteries and veins clearing away the gunk leaving your body in a fully functioning state. Would recomend this stuff to anybody . It works!!
