Just been for a scan to see what’s going on in my body. I had to have contrast medium to outline my blood vessels. I went to the hospital, waited an hour, had it done and was back out half an hour later. Thank you NHS.
I don’t know how much it costs here, but we do have free tests because we pay for it in our general taxes. I then decided to check what a CT scan costs in America. $675 to $10000 or more! And what if you don’t have insurance over there? Terrible to have to pay unaffordable amounts and even bankrupt yourself….. I’m lucky to live here.
Tests……..a short poem…. Tested to destruction But you keep going Ploughing on into the future Maximum effort to pass Even by one point. Tested for healthiness Bounced and bumped and pushed Given medicine that may transform Be a “cure” Test positive, or negative? The result depends On interpretations May you all pass.
I think a lot about life and death these days. If I don’t hear from people I worry about them. This morning my cat was so fast asleep he was barely breathing. I didn’t want to disturb him, but he is getting old so I gently blew on his ear. It twitched and I was overjoyed. He was fine and woke a few minutes later.
My sister says she might come and live with me if my health gets worse. But somehow I want to reject that. I’m not ready for a last chapter of my book. There has been too much loss lately. I just want that to stop. To enjoy life for a change. Slough off my sorrows and come back fighting. I can’t keep my sadness and worry going, it’s too exhausting. I know I need to “memento mori”, a Latin phrase, which translates to “remember that you must die” in English. It’s a reminder of mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The phrase can be used for a work of art. I think that was what my little painting was about.
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
Are these everyday things? They are to me…
Art Groups I go to regularly. Being creative keeps my mind calm. When I’m painting or drawing I can put other feelings behind me. An art education improves creativity.
Having clean water to drink and use for washing. I realise many places don’t have the luxury of clean water. Even here there is a problem with some water companies, but at least it is clean and delivered by pipes to almost every dwelling.
Media, again the luxury aspect. TV, radio, Internet. We mainly have all these in the UK although some are more hit and miss in more rural areas where mountains and hills can block transmissions. We possibly take it for granted.
Our health service. Free at the point of use. Yes it is overworked and underfunded. But you don’t have to pay unless you go private and no one goes bankrupt paying exorbitant fees. I hope it survives all the problems going on in the country.
Finally Education. We are lucky that most pupils stay on till senior school and beyond to college and degree level. The pandemic had a detrimental effect on attendance and some children are being home schooled. I think that’s a mistake but as long as they get a good widespread education then hopefully they will be OK.
So this post is a bit random but all these things mean a lot to me. Art is my main one though.
What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?
Each day I try and write three things. Simple things I’m grateful for.
Not wondrous things, but little ones.
Traffic lights staying on green, getting to an appointment on time, a phone call from a relative, an unexpected laugh with a friend. Maybe seeing the first tadpole or daffodil of the year.
Just list 3 things, with today’s date, maybe add a little sketch of what’s happened. Each positive gratitude trains your brain to feel less negative. I’ve dome it for a couple of years now. It helps X
I’m surprised I’m still alive, I didn’t expect that!
After Trumps final impeachment the world turned upside down for a while, then the whole “asteroid” thing in ’32 gave us a real scare. It was then that the world rallied and instead of warring turned our nuclear missiles at “the BIG ROCK”. Luckily it was forced off course and is likely to pass out of the solar system in a few years.
After that? Well you know what happened, climate change, another pandemic. That takes us to today, my 80th birthday. Only twenty years till I might reach 100. I’m glad that new medication to cure various diseases has just been announced. I just hope they also rejuvenate people and turn back ageing. It’s strange to think in a few years time my body might be physically younger than I am now? Great that some dementia has been reversed too. Maybe I’ll have to work a 40 hour week when I reach the big 1OO! Life is strange. Good luck and look after my future self. Live long and prosper! Nanu Nanu!
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
Not me!
Old, not a word I dread, as long as my mind and body continue to work. I want to keep going. I don’t think there is anything after life, I seriously doubt it, so I want to be me for as long as I can.
Health is the problem. Co-morbidities are flung at me at a rapid rate. One thing or another to take tablets for, carefully balanced to keep me going. Unless the pharmacy can’t get my pills, they are out of stock, suppliers let them down. Almost every month there is a problem where I’m left owed something.
After all that I would like to leave a legacy of my art. I hope my paintings won’t get thrown out, maybe I can keep going for seberal more years. I will try.
My biggest challenge seems to be movement inside and outside the house.
Inside I’m unsteady, I use my stick because my feet get muddled sometimes. They twist round each other and trip me up. Going up and down stairs is fun, especially when the cats decide to sleep on the stairs it’s a good job they have white patches so I can see them in the dark.
Outside is a challenge too. Just getting down the steps, hanging on to handrails, then walk a few steps to get to the car. But I get nervous driving, in the past I had hubby with me. Now? I get lifts with people if I can if I’m going any distance. I imagine myself stuck with a flat tyre, or out of petrol, or lost, or too tired to carry on. What happens if the person I’m going to see is out? I think I drove less that 500 miles last year. Memory is of driving all over the country, no longer. My challenge is to get better? I wish.
I’ve just watched a drama documentary on TV that explains how important blood donations are. They are used for blood transfusions, and only certain blood types can be transfered between donor and recipient. I decided to look up more information. See below.
From Google :
“The eight most common blood types are A+, A-, B+, B-, O+, O-, AB+, and AB-. These types are determined by the presence or absence of the Rh factor protein and the A and B antigens:
Rh factor: If the Rh factor protein is present, the blood type is RhD positive (+), and if it’s absent, the blood type is RhD negative (-).
A and B antigens: These antigens determine whether the blood type is A or B.
There are also many other blood group systems, including the Duffy, K antigen (Kell), Lutheran, and Kidd blood groups. The International Society for Blood Transfusion has identified 42 blood-group systems in addition to the ABO and Rh systems.
When matching blood types for a transfusion, it’s important to consider not only the A, B, and Rh antigens, but also minor antigens that aren’t routinely detected during blood typing. A process called cross-matching can help detect these minor antigens. “
Mallaband-Brown 