Flops' Friday mini blog

[floppybootstomp]

Well I don't want to whinge on but if you really want to know last night I slept in a sitting positionj in bed propped up by pillows and it helped, breathless session in morning wasn't so severe.

Felt great all day, windscreen fixed, went shopping, drove to docs and got inhaler and didn't have one breathless moment.

But during evening suffered a relapse I suppose. Ate too much, napped, woke, coughed, partially vomited with coughing spasm, vomit blocked airway, very scary moment.

Still not sure whether I'm infected or not, don't know whether to request more antibiotics. Am definitely going to do job tomorrow and will see Doc on Wednesday if I'm still here, lol

That's the worst thing about this, scared to sleep, knowing I'll wake and go through some very scary crap where I can't breathe, wondering if I will suffocate. Possibly the worst malady I've ever suffered, even worse than the cancer thing, me not a very happy or secure chappie

Well, you asked, lol

Oh, btw, the inhaler doesn't make a bit of difference, which kinda proves my air blockage is caused by coughing spasm/mucus/liquid. Damn.

Unless the Doc gave me a placebo of course. My regular GP actually off sick, have been dealing with locum Doc, he not so sympathetic, seems to me.

 

[muckshifter]

I know you have 'had the jab' but have you been checked for Pneumonia?

your symptoms ain't far removed from this infection, does your loco have a stethoscope

 

[Taffycat]

Sorry to hear the lurgy is still so bad Flopps - and also about the locum Dr. Some can be very good, but sadly, there are others who are less than helpful.

I don't want to be nosy, or sound like a know-it-all ... I'm far from being that, lol... but did the Doc get the asthma nurse to demonstrate the inhaler with you? (Before you correct me and say you haven't got asthma... no, accepted, but, the inhaler technique does need a little bit of practice, so whoever runs the respiratory-problems clinic at your surgery, would be the best person to help.) Many moons ago, our nurse not only instructed my husband, but she took me aside and explained it all to me too, so that I could help him.

They usually watch you take a puff or two, to ensure that you are getting the medicine into your lungs, where you try to hold it (your breath) for as long as is comfortable, before exhaling. You've probably seen that on the leaflet already, but, some folk find it a bit tricky to synchronise the puff with the breath intake.

If synchronisation is difficult, you can get them to prescribe a "spacer" called an Aerochamber. A wee device that you attach your inhaler to at one end, and your mouth at the other, which can make things a lot easier.

The other point - if I haven't completely bored you by now... is there are quite a few different kinds of inhaler, which are intended to treat different types of asthma/respiratory complaint. My OH has a "preventer" (Clenyl) and a "reliever" (Ventolin) ... he doesn't often need to use the latter one, because the former has his condition under control. Whatever you have been prescribed, for your particular problem, you still have to give it some time to work. Results are not always instant, though you could find things begin to ease after several days or a week.

It's understandable for you to want some instant relief, because the coughing/choking/lack of breath must be pretty horrible. Sitting-up is good... (bloomin' uncomfortable when you just want to lie down and get comfy,) but helpful whilst you're dealing with this.

I don't normally recommend internet links for matters medical, however, there is an informative article here, which tells you a little more about inhalers. Occasionally, it can help to be able to question the Dr about whether you might need something different. No, I'm not advocating that you try to do their job, but some of them take a bit more interest, when you suddenly start to ask pertinent questions. (Or maybe that's just around here, lol.)

Okay, nurse TC is signing off now lol.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for your input TC, tis apreciated

I have used an inhaler once before, I'm allergic to horses and after about six months of taking one of my daughters horse riding every Sunday morning I suffered an asthma attack caused by that allergy even though I never went inside the stables, I just dropped her at the gate.

Merely being close to horses and presumably inhaling residue coming from her clothes on the way home was enough to trigger the ashthma attack. It lasted five days and I did suffer constricted airways, could hardly walk for two days, and the inhaler was a great relief.

The situation I have now, I'm fairly convinced, is caused by thick muscus being hard to shift when I cough it up and it lodges across the entrance to my lungs. I am using the inhaler correctly although I did at first have it upside down and wondered why it wouldn't work I have a reliever, btw. If anything, the chemicals from the inhaler irritate my throat and make me want to cough and it doesn't open my airways any further. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Yesterday was the first full day for eleven days I didn't suffer any breathlessness during coughing. I had slept upright again, woke at 8am, thought to myself 'oh no, here we go' but fell asleep again to 10.30am. Before coughing for first time of day managed to breathe in some steam from a bowl which I think helped.

Last night slept on my back and woke today at 6.15am, coughed and had just one very slight instance of blocked airway, but nothing compared to previous. (This is graphic, sorry) mucus is yellow in morning, then reverts to white during day which indicates slight infection, will probably see nurse before week is out to consider more antibiotics (I may have repeated myself there, if so, my apologies).

Mucks, there are actually two main strains of pheumonia and I'm only protected against one, the most common one, but all I've read about pneumonia states there are always other symptoms apart from mine that accompany the illness, like a temperature, for instance.

I don't have any other symptoms apart from what seems to be a chest infection. I thought maybe 34 years of smoking had contributed towards the condition but the nurse on the NHS helpline seemed confident that after 5.5 years of me not smoking this would not be the case. That surprised me.

Right then, that's me medical log for those who want to know, for those who think I'm being self-indulgent and whingeing - you're right! Kinda embarrassing really but at the same time a little therapeutic.

As ever, any upset to my body's normal functioning makes me apreciate just what some other folk have to suffer on a daily basis with no hope of relief and make me thankful for my relative good health.

 

[Taffycat]

Oh sorry Flopps, I'd forgotten about your experience with the horses; sounds like it knocked you out quite a bit at the time.

Regarding the inhaler making you cough - that began to happen to my OH after he had been using them for a few years. His throat was becoming quite sensitive so that they were not working so efficiently. That's why he now uses the AeroChamber I mentioned.

The chamber enables the user to draw breath a little more gently and slowly (if you see what I mean?) This reduces the irritant effect, so the medication can do its work instead of being coughed out. (There's a piccy here - but it's purely for illustration, because they are available on prescription.)

Sounds like sitting up is helping you, so probably worth pursuing until you're over the worst, if it reduces your breathlessness. Also the steaming - a previous Dr we had, used to always highly recommend it, as it does indeed seem to help make things less "sticky" in the chestal regions.

Please continue to let us know how you're progressing. I rather doubt that many here would consider you to be either "self-indulgent" or "whingeing." Most are intelligent enough to know that it can help to ....dare I say it..... get things off one's chest!

There! I did!

 

[bootneck02]

Yes keep us informed to how you are getting on FBS as Taffycat has said it is good to get things off your chest, so to speak. It is also reassuring to know that friends are interested in you as a person although we have never met. So keep up the posts and get well soon. I know I only do short posts usually but I am dyslectic and sometimes it takes hours to get something intelligible typed up and spelled checked.

 

[Abarbarian]

Sorry to hear you are not so well

You cann't be that ill if you are spending all the family silver on upgrades

A few links for you about overclocking dated at the turn of the year,

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/intel_corei7_2600k_and_corei5_2500k/5.htm

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-overclocking-efficiency,2850-2.html

Hot whiskey toddy's are always s good thing

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks folks

Unfortunately I discovered at an early age that Scotch and Irish whiskey makes me throw up. Strange but true, one swallow of whisky and upchuck

However, I'm fine with Jack Daniels which I will very occasionally drink with coke & ice and Brandy is the only spirit I really like, the more expensive the cognac, the better I like it

Ex-missus bought me a bottle of Remy Martin Fine Champagne Gognac VSOP for my birthday in April which kinda gobsmacked me. Still, better than throwing rocks at each other I suppose

 

[floppybootstomp]

Ok, update on me elf. Last Thursday I saw nurse at GP's and she gave me this tube to breath into daily and I have to make a chart of my breath strength plotting the readings. I also have to go for a chest X-Ray and give a gob sample to see if I have an infection or not.

I said to nurse 'Chest X-Ray? Are you looking for cancer?' Nursey replied 'No, we're not, what we're looking for is to see what detritus 30-odd years of sucking in smoke has left and see if there's any permanent damage. We also want to determine whether there's any pulmonary disease present.'

Oh, ok then nursey. Going for chest Xray either tomorrow or Thursday and back to see nurse for tests October 6th. Haven't had a breathless episode since Saturday morning now and I do feel better. Still coughing though.

Missed a school reunion on Saturday as I didn't feel up to it, that cheesed me off.

Twin daughters ran in the London half marathon Sunday in aid of cancer research, they both completed the course in good time. They stayed with me for weekend with boyfriends and one friend of boyfriend so I had a full house, it was murder trying to get into the karzi Sunday morning.

One boyfriend and his mate also completed half marathon, I'm proud of all of them.

Daughter Sophie has recently acquired a syrian hamster. This hamster is a little odd, it's possibly the most hygenic hamster in the world. This diminutive rodent doesn't wee in it's bedding and floor lining, oh no, what she does is climb up the bars of the cage until she's half way up with limbs akimbo and then pees out of the cage in a great arc and onto the top of the chest of draws that the cage sits on.

Quite odd

Have been playing Witcher One from the beginning again as I lost progress when 'puter died, same with Alice: Madness Returns. Alice starts really good but soon becomes quite repetitive, difficult andf frustrating.

There are six levels and I got past the first originally then got a bit cheesed off with it. All the reviews I read confirmed my POV as well. A shame, as the game looks fantastic, a very quirky world, but the gameplay, if you look below the fantastic graphical world, is decidedly old school, akin to Lara Croft Tomb Raider shenanigans.

I also downloaded Witcher 2 for £20.99 from Steam over the weekend cos it's having a huge update on Thursday with all the DLC being supplied free as part of a huge 'patch' so I thought that seemed a good deal. I shall start that when I've finished Witcher One.

On the Xbox I've bought Mortal Kombat (number 9, the latest one) which I got in a GAME store for £25 and it's great, enjoying this one.

Also got NFS Shift 2 Unleashed which I don't seem to be any good at and Deadly Premonition which is good. Good but odd.

And I'm playing Crysis 2 again in DX11 and high res packs, just because I can.

I went to build a computer for a friend who's a bit skint from parts lying around based on an Asus M2V motherboard but don't have a PSU with 24 pin main connector and 4 pin 12V connector.

Anybody got one of those lying about they want to sell cheap or perhaps swap for any of the bits I have up for sale? It only need be about 350 watts upwards. If so, please get in touch with me.

laters

 

[bootneck02]

At least you are going to find out what is the matter with your old lungs I hope all goes well and it is only an infection and they can give you some jollop to clear it up. Anyway good luck with the X-rays and results of the gob samples. Any Idea when you go for the x-ray gob samples test.

 

[Taffycat]

So glad to hear you have begun to feel better, but still a good thing to be getting thoroughly checked-out in the chestical department. It might save you from having to go through all this grief again, when any future lurgies are doing the rounds.

My OH was provided with a peak flow meter (i.e., the wee tube) when he first began to experience some problems.... I remember that we used-up quite a lot of graph paper (upon which the breaths were plotted, morning and night,) until the correct medication/dosages, etc., were worked out.

Congrats to your girls and their boyfriends for doing so well in the half-marathon. What a wonderful achievement, well done them!!

Your description of the Syrian hamster is so funny! I now have a mental picture of her as she so fastidiously wees beyond the confines of her home. Sensible creature,

Good luck with your X-ray - and more importantly, the results. Take care Flopps.

 

[crazylegs]

My sis has a syrian hamster and has had various hamsters over the years, yes they are strange creatures and sis's one actually has its own toilet cubicle in the cage, apparently you have to put something in there that smells funny and that trains them to go in that place, you can get it from the pet shops, otherwise they do pee in some peculiar places like your finding out..lol

Hope the tests show nothing but mucus flopp's, aaahh the good old PF meter had to blow into one of those when I was a kid getting over whooping cough and that was serious in the cough department I can tell ya..

Take care mate and let us know on the blog when you get your results!

 

[Becky]

Daughter Sophie has recently acquired a syrian hamster. This hamster is a little odd, it's possibly the most hygenic hamster in the world. This diminutive rodent doesn't wee in it's bedding and floor lining, oh no, what she does is climb up the bars of the cage until she's half way up with limbs akimbo and then pees out of the cage in a great arc and onto the top of the chest of draws that the cage sits on.

Quite odd

'lol' is overused, but I actually did laugh out loud at that!!

Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better, and I hope the Xray goes well this week.

Oh and a big well done to everyone for running the marathon

 

[nivrip]

the wee tube

Thought that was for collecting wee samples.

 

[muckshifter]

Daughter Sophie has recently acquired a syrian hamster. This hamster is a little odd, it's possibly the most hygenic hamster in the world. This diminutive rodent doesn't wee in it's bedding and floor lining, oh no, what she does is climb up the bars of the cage until she's half way up with limbs akimbo and then pees out of the cage in a great arc and onto the top of the chest of draws that the cage sits on

Sorry, didn't happen unless we see pics, video would be good.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Sorry, didn't happen unless we see pics, video would be good.

If you think I'm driving from Greenwich to Frome and back just to take pix of a rodent taking a weewee you need your bumps feeling mister

 

[bootneck02]

Yes

 

[Becky]

I definitely think you should do that - not just for us, but for the world.

Alternatively can your daughter video / photo and email it?

 

[darcy]

hopin' ye be feelin' better day by day, flopps : )

bw, ~ tale of hamster had me lol-ing : )

 

[floppybootstomp]

Woke up Tuesday and thought to myself 'I feel good, I feel ok'. Energy levels back to normal and no breathlessness when walking. Still got nasty cough symptoms though, I kinda spasm sometimes and get locked into reaching. But I can cope with that, 8 weeks into this thing I am possibly on the home stretch.

No work coming in, guess I may as well be semi-retired. Have some promo ideas, could also promote disco but I'm comfortable for a while so the hell with it.

Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze front man) is now DJ-ing at one of my locals, The Pelton Arms, every thursday, playing quite an eclectic assortment of sounds, has even thrown in some classical. Nowt new, says Mr cynical Flops, I was doing that years ago and Tilbrook actually came to my nights back in the 80's, maybe I inspired him, lol

But he's out of order, he's taking mine, Simon and Gordon's livelihoods away from us. I shall have to retaliate and sell out Hammersmith Apollo for two nights running, that'll put his nose out of joint, knowing I can play him at his own game.

Gamez, potted comments:

I have reached the conclusion fps's are a complete waste of time on the Xbox. Bought Shadows Of The Damned 2nd hand in the week and got frustrated as hell using a gamepad trying to shoot monsters, gave up, returned game for part exchange. Which is a shame cos it looks like a really great game, wish they'd port it to PC.

Almost got rid of the Xbox actually, got a bit poxed off with buying games only to get frustrated with them. But I kept it, glad I did cos today I bought Forza 4 and it is fabulous. Campaign mode good, single races great too, oodles of cars and tracks to choose from, dynamics are superb and there's a big range of difficulty levels, if you choose easy you can't really go far wrong but go five levels up on the difficulty level and it is very challenging. Loving it.

Also bought Blur (Xbox) 2nd hand, that's very good as well.

On the PC bought Tomb Raider Underworld for PC on Steam for £3.39. Had this on Xbox but ditched it cos it was too fiddly using gamepad making those jumps, thought it would be easier on PC. Well, it is easier on PC but the graphics were a whole heap better on Xbox - can't win, lol

Have been playing Mass Effect 1 which I downloaded eons ago cheap on Steam, not sure about this one, interactive novel, methinks.

The Baconing (Deathspank) for a fiver on Steam, so-so but no more.

And as mentioned elsewhere, completed Crysis 2. Every game should be like Crysis 2, that's my kind of game.

About every two or three years I buy two pairs of dark blue button fly Levi 501's, I been doing this since I was 18 months old. In Bluewater shopping mall the Levis store want £110 a pair and neighbouring John Lewis store want £95 a pair.

In Rotherhithe, London, SE16 there is a men's clothing store named Jays run by a Jewish geezer about the same age as me. They've been there ever since I can remember, traditional shop window, old fashioned changing rooms.

I bought two pairs of 501's from there for £102 and they're perfect, brand new. So that's me sorted for legwear until 2014 then Plus they do combat trousers every bit as good as the M & S ones for £22 for two pairs, so bought some of them as well, they come in Black, Navy, Olive Green and light Grey.

Groovy.

Right, I'm rabbiting on like an old fishwife so I shall sign off.

Pip pip!