This has been another interesting week in the 'may you live in interesting times' way. I have always thought that phrase was truly ominous.
Monday was way too busy. I cleaned the kitty litter tray (not high on my list of preferred jobs) and vacuumed. Then we went into town to take the smaller portion's clock to the clock doctor. Hooray. To the stoma clinic for next months supplies for himself. Then to pick up bird seed (another 20 kilos), garlic, cinnamon and milk. Home for a cuppa. Then to the post office to send things overseas. A big queue which is unsurprising. I am still unhappy that if you are sending things to the US of A, an additional $9 'security charge' is added to the postage if the article weighs over 500 grams. Which gifts for my nephew, his wife and their children assuredly did.
Then to the doctor because both of us had prescriptions which needed renewing. Here is where it starts to get weird. I have been seeing this doctor for over a decade (and will find another as soon as I can, but that is another story). For the first time ever she expressed sympathy for the way I am feeling. It is true that I was/am feeling crappy, but that is often the case when the weather is all over the place. I went in to get my scripts renewed and she upped the dosage on all of my painkillers without being asked. Then she took my blood pressure and her concern deepened. I usually hover around the 120 over 80 mark. On Monday it was 90 over 80 which goes some way to explain why I have been spinning out a lot. She checked and it isn't an effect of the medication I consume. A mystery. Who knows where it comes from.
She hoped it was temporary. A wish I share. Give us this day our daily whinge.
Monday was way too busy. I cleaned the kitty litter tray (not high on my list of preferred jobs) and vacuumed. Then we went into town to take the smaller portion's clock to the clock doctor. Hooray. To the stoma clinic for next months supplies for himself. Then to pick up bird seed (another 20 kilos), garlic, cinnamon and milk. Home for a cuppa. Then to the post office to send things overseas. A big queue which is unsurprising. I am still unhappy that if you are sending things to the US of A, an additional $9 'security charge' is added to the postage if the article weighs over 500 grams. Which gifts for my nephew, his wife and their children assuredly did.
Then to the doctor because both of us had prescriptions which needed renewing. Here is where it starts to get weird. I have been seeing this doctor for over a decade (and will find another as soon as I can, but that is another story). For the first time ever she expressed sympathy for the way I am feeling. It is true that I was/am feeling crappy, but that is often the case when the weather is all over the place. I went in to get my scripts renewed and she upped the dosage on all of my painkillers without being asked. Then she took my blood pressure and her concern deepened. I usually hover around the 120 over 80 mark. On Monday it was 90 over 80 which goes some way to explain why I have been spinning out a lot. She checked and it isn't an effect of the medication I consume. A mystery. Who knows where it comes from.
She hoped it was temporary. A wish I share. Give us this day our daily whinge.
Your whinge is fair enough and sympathy, finally, after TEN years? I've often thought that doctors and hospital workers need empathy refresher classes because they often forget that there's a worried, suffering person who doesn't always want to her, "Oh you've got nothing. You should have seen the guy we had in last week," whilst keeping their other eye on the clock....
ReplyDeleteTWENTY KILOS of bird seed?? No wonder you get such lovely photos! :)
I hope that your mystery solves itself very soon.
Wow, 90 over 80. That's barely any difference between resting and beating, almost like your heart is not beating hard enough. I hope it's a fluke, temp.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where they pull doctors out of to seem so completely void of human emotion, sympathy or empathy. How do med schools screen that out of students. Do they specifically seek machine people I think sometimes. Getting a flickr of emotion or concern, that's a big thing. I hope you'll be ok, with the bp issue.
Wow. Low blood pressure. Last time I checked, mine was 200 over 140. Wouldn't be great if we could split the difference.
ReplyDeleteKath: It isn't even that I expect sympathy, and it cures zip, but I would have liked an acknowledgement or two in the past decade that sometimes life gets tough.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am not going to tell you the period that twenty kilos of seed lasts. Not long.
Strayer: Thanks. I also hope it was a fluke. I was super tired by the time she took it, which might have had something to do with it.
And yes sympathy/empathy seem to be alien to far too many health professionals.
Cat Drawings: It would be nice wouldn't it? Two problems eliminated. No cost and no side effects either.
It could be the effect of the new film 'Melancholia' which has summoned a metaphorical apocalypse. If you see Kirsten Dunst floating by in a wedding dress - run!
ReplyDelete90 over 80? That's not good at all.
ReplyDeleteI read your comment to Strayer where you said you were super tired by the time she took it, and that's why it was low...I think it would be the other way around ... you're super tired because the blood pressure is too low.
Anyway, I hope it gets fixed soon and you start to feel better, or at least less tired.
It's OK to whinge. :) Hello - coming to visit from Cloudia's blog. I always notice your blog name and "The Elephant's Child" is my favorite Rudyard Kipling story.
ReplyDeleteI have a BP cuff at home, and I use it occasionally to see how I'm doing outside of the doctor's office. I take medication to lower mine, which I would HIDE if you were around here! :-)
ReplyDeleteOnce I had a BP of 90 over 60 and felt really tired all the time, but some exercise helped. Maybe you should go for a nice swim and remember to kick!
I find once doctors start to have health problems of their own they become more human and understanding of their patients.
ReplyDeleteDelores is right. Let us all know how you are doing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, one and all.
ReplyDeleteMitzi: I suspect if I saw anyone floating by in a wedding dress I would run - or a least wobble away quickly.
River: MS makes a person tired all the time anyway. I hope it was a temporary glitch.
Lynn: Welcome. I grew up with having the Elephan's Child read to me often, and can still recite slabs of it.
DJan: I plan on a swim tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
mybabyjohn/Delores: That could explain it. Sigh. It is sad that empathy does seem to be bred out of them till that point though.
Susan Kane: Thanks.
Hope your low blood pressure is only temporary. If you want to have a whinge go right ahead its fine by me :-).
ReplyDeleteTake care EC, look after yourself.
ReplyDeleteI think your whinge is well deserved, so whinge away. Hope your blood pressure takes care of itself soon. I wish I had my in-law's doctor. I'd go to her if it wasn't for the fact that she lives 200 miles away!
ReplyDeleteOh gee, that blood pressure sure is low! Have you had vitamin B12 level and hemoglobin checked? I was anemic and had really low blood pressure.
ReplyDeleteWindsmoke: Thanks - I hope it is temporary too. And believe me, once I have started whinging nothing can stop me till I am done.
ReplyDeletelibrarygirl: Thank you.
Denise. I once had a doctor I really, really liked. She moved three states away. Sigh.
Karen: My haemoglobin levels have always been super high - in fact while I was still donating blood the people at the blood bank told me I wasn't feminine. Humph. I guess it could have dropped. If my blood pressure stays low I suppose blood tests are the next step.
I like your last phrase. It made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteI use it a lot myself at the moment, not the phrase but the action.
I am seeing rather more than I like of doctors and I can't say that I altogether trust them. Pill-pushers, that's what they are.
90/80? i'd be surprised if you didn't have to hold your breath to make yourself bleed! i've battled low BP for awhile, and it definitely causes some of the 'tired'. also think that seeing if you can get your own BP cuff at home to monitor it more regularly - and see if it was a fluke - might be helpful.
ReplyDeletegood luck. and hoping you're better soon...
Friko: That phrase has been my mantra for a while now. The alternative (of bottling it up until I have a heart attack) just does't appeal. And I share your distrust of doctors.
ReplyDeletedaisyfae: Thanks. When Jazz goes into psycho cat mode believe me I bleed. Quite copiously from time to time. I will have to think about getting my own bp cuff.
sorry to hear about your blood pressure dear Sue. That is a concern. I hope it has improved since you last posted.
ReplyDeleteStrange about your doctor too. Sometimes you wonder about where the empathy goes?
Damn what a rip is that postage?
Gemma: Thank you. I will be fine. For the moment I am ignoring it, which is working just fine.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes that 'security charge' is a rip off. Or I think so.
This is nice when a doctor shows compassion...I hope your blood pressure is ok
ReplyDeleteKim @ Stuff: It is nice to see compassion. Just unexpected with this particular doctor.
ReplyDeleteHope your health sorts itself out and soon!
ReplyDeleteladyfi: Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJust adding myself to the list here hoping the alarming BP reading was a glitch. I'm amazed you could still stand with a reading like that. Not fair! People with one exhaustion-inducing ailment should be immune from acquiring others! I'm counting the stops you made on Monday, and it makes me feel faint with incapacitating worn-outness just thinking about it. Not to mention the resulting pain. Ugh!
ReplyDeletePerhaps your doctor actually had her own misfortune recently? Or had to take a continuing ed class that emphasized faking compassion? I know someone who had to have two painful foot surgeries. For the first one, the surgeon didn't believe in pain control. My young friend suffered horribly. Then the doc went off to Hawaii and developed agonizing kidney stones requiring the ER. For some reason, when it was time for surgery #2, the doctor had unexpectedly developed an interest in pain control for his patients. You never know.
I didn't know about the security charge. Yeay USA! Ech. We don't have such a charge in the other direction. Highly irritating, as so many of our "security" measures are.
Only one whinge daily? Don't know about you, but I'd use up a mere one before breakfast.
Paper Chipmunk: I am still tired to the aching bones. I have not the remotest idea whether it is the BP, the MS or a combination of the two. It sucks anyway.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what got into my doctor. The smaller portion assured me that I didn't look any crappier than usual. Perhaps you are right and she has had a misfortune of her own. It was nice not to argue the need for painkillers though - and better to have the dosage doubled without asking.
My singular whinge can last all day. Some of it is in my head, some vocalised.
It's so depressing to be in the position of having to beg for pain relief. And that it's the exception, rather than the norm, to have a doctor treat you with decency and a willingness to ease your suffering.
ReplyDeletePaper Chipmunk: Consider us singing from the same page (though I sing badly).
ReplyDeleteHaving arrived late after so many eloquent and sincere well-wishers, all I can do is add simply that I too hope you get to the bottom of this BP mystery soon! Fatigue is a bitch.
ReplyDeleteTwo Tigers: The fact that you have made time to visit in this very, very busy period in your life is appreciated so much. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWanted to add my good wishes for an improvement in your BP and overall health and report to you that you sent me googling. Had no idea what a "whinge" was. Now I do. And you're certainly deserving of one, or multiples of same.
ReplyDeleteAhh, continuing education - even at my age...
I love your phrasing. "whinge". You are a constant reminder that it's a BIG world out there. I'd be hard pressed to find a clock doctor in this throw away world.
ReplyDeleteMay you be well, dear friend
ReplyDeleteAloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
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Ron Dudley: Thank you. I too learn something most (if not every) days.
ReplyDeletebarbfroman: Himself's clock is an antique that he inherited from his parents. It is super sensitive and regularly stops working. Which makes him sulk. He doesn't have the patience to fix it, and this time I refused to try.
Cloudia: Thank you so much.
Holy crap! Does that mean your blood is just in a puddle? How very weird and disturbing. Medications, I think, can cause everything. I'm very fortunate that I have not yet had to make the decision to take any. Well, I'm very fortunate, period.
ReplyDeleteMurr: Not certain what it means. The blood seems to be coursing through my veins (still a pink hue) but it might be doing so more slowly. And yes, medication sucks. Particularly when you think about the fact that there are no side effects - just desirable and less desirable ones. And often the less desirable come up trumps. Bah humbug. May your good fortune continue.
ReplyDeleteIdiot doctors. Having said that upping your dosage is all good. Perhaps she had an epiphany, or possibly someone close to her has developed symptoms much like yours and now she sees the reality of the day to day pain. Sometimes it takes that when they consider you just a number.
ReplyDeleteI have very low blood pressure, always have had, faint at the drop of a wooly hat, so I know how you're feeling and hope it goes back to normal soon. At least it's better than it getting too high. x
All Consuming: Idiot doctors indeed. Though I have noticed that those of us who have to deal with them regularly are more scathing in our assessment of the breed. And yes, much better low than high. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have low blood pressure too - lower than yours. A tip: Buy over the counter salt tablets. Take one or two a day. Salt raises blood pressure. =)
ReplyDeleteMonitor it though. You might need to play around with the dose. The good ole doc told me to salt my water but I found salt tablets more reliable.
Have never found a reason for mine either.
Have Myelin?: Thank you. I have virtually eliminated salt from my diet, so that would probably help.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about salt. My BP has always been on the low side, but some years ago as part of a general effort to clean up my diet, I too virtually eliminated not only added salt but all sodium-rich foods from my diet. My BP was sometimes as low as 90/50 - and that was taken at the doctor's office, where readings tend to be higher than usual if anything. A couple years ago, my doctor actually uttered the words no doctor dreams of uttering to a patient: "you need more salt in your diet!" Unfortunately I am so used to cooking and eating without salt, it's been very difficult to incorporate back, except where it naturally occurs, like in cheese, or in ways I can't control, like during dinners out when the chef's ingredients are his own choice, or on the occasional bowl of popcorn! Other than that, the salt shaker in my house gets little to no use. My BP has rebounded slightly, but 120/80 is still about the highest I can manage. So, perhaps this salt thing has a - pardon the pun - grain of truth to it? In any case, I hope you get to the bottom of this!
ReplyDeleteLet me add this - I never salt my food either, and my BP has been dangerously low many times. Putting salt in my water didn't work, I am not a clown fish. =p
ReplyDeleteI still don't salt my food.
I take Thermotabs, a salt supplement that's buffered. I'm sure there are other brands.
The salt! Yes! Too obvious. Now that it's been mentioned, I suddenly remember reading a while back in our newspaper about women (especially) who have fainting spells, and it turns out that many don't consume enough salt. They said that there's so much advice that a good diet is low in sodium that many who don't actually need to lower their intake wind up lowering their sodium levels too much. Unless you have high blood pressure or other health reasons, it's not actually that healthy for many to eat a low sodium diet. Especially if you live where it is warm.
ReplyDeleteI live with and cook for someone who has to be on a low sodium diet. I thought I was doing a good thing by eating low sodium too. In my case, I have no adrenal function, a medical condition that requires sodium consumption, but of course no doctor had ever mentioned it to me. I had to find out the hard way and thanks to Dr. Google.
Given my own history of sodium woes, I'm sorry I didn't think of this sooner.
Two Tigers: Snap on the salt front - not only added salt but sodium rich foods are now gone (and have been for some years) which means that I taste even a little added salt. I will have to look at some form of salt supplement I think (that is if necessary).
ReplyDeleteHave Myelin?: I don't want salt in my food/water. Having been without it for years I don't like it. I will look at salt supplements if my bp continues to be of concern.
Paper Chipmunk: I am treating the low bp as a glitch for the moment, but if it is still low I will try salt supplements.
Hmmm...and you didn't have problems with low bp before? Now that the salt's been mentioned,25+ years ago, a chiropractor told me to consume plenty of salt for low blood pressure, so I have always used it generously. My blood pressure finally rose to 'normal' levels from a synthetic thyroid medicine, along with an alarmingly increased heart rate. When I stopped taking that, bp went back to low. Heart rate normal.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have been utterly fustrated with doctors. They only have an average of 7 minits to figure you out and move on. I think mine never reads my charts and test results; I have to prompt him...he certainly never compares all of the symptoms/results from my other Drs. he gets. Grrr...you go on and "whinge" away! (glad you at least got some pain relief, tho)
(p.s. new gravatar is working just fine!)
Spectra: Nope, no problems with low bp (that I know of) before. It has always been boringly normal when taken at the doctor's office. Which probably means it was low and my ire had increased it.
ReplyDeleteI do hope you've found another doctor by now, Sue. I would find it very upsetting if the doctor upped doses without even telling me why, discussing it with me.
ReplyDeletewordsfallfrommyeyes: General practioners are hard to find here. Most have their books closed. I will replace this one when I can. And I had been trying to get her to increase the dosage of my pain medication for some time - to no avail. Finally she did. And now I have largely eliminated them because their other effects were worse than the 'cure'.
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