Health: Covid

 

Covid has entered the building, again. We'd all got the bug, again. 

I was first by a day, then the Offspring, and a day later, the Beloved.

Magnesium

Magnesium is important for many processes in the body, including regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure and making protein, bone, and DNA.

People who eat a gluten-free diet very often have a magnesium deficiency. Signs of deficiency include high blood pressure, migraines and muscle cramps. Tick, tick, tick.

For the last couple of years I have been taking supplements to help remedy this lack, and it is wonderful to have a huge reduction in migraines and muscle cramps. Next time I'm visiting the doctor I'll find out how my blood pressure is doing.

My preference is to reduce the supplements, and get more magnesium for food as nutrients from foods tend to be more readily absorbed than tablets. The Breakfast Banana Bar is a great way to consume more magnesium. The oats and bananas are fairly good sources. The Breakfast Bars will become a common feature in my diet.

However, 30g of pumpkin seeds has almost five times the amount as a medium banana, or a serving of porridge.  I can see a lot of pumpkin seed sprinkled on my salads in my future.

Put It Where You Can See It

 

I so want to have things neatly put away. Everything in its place and a place for everything. But, if I put my big white horsepills away I forget to take them. These horsepills are magnesium tablets, and without them there's problems with cramps and migraines. It's best I don't forget to take them.  

The tub of Mg pills was assigned a space on the shelf under the table by my chair. Sadly visibility tops tidy. They now sit in full view, on top of the table. Even when they are in full view, sometimes I forget to take them. I am getting better at it thought. And each time I take them I give a little pat on the back, "Well done. Another little bout of self-care."

ADHD

 

I'm now as sure as I can be, without having an official diagnosis, that I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But's a really crap name. My attention is often just fine, thank you very much. I don't often daydream. But hyperfocus is something I can do, and I perform well under pressure.

Now to work out ways to turn this to my advantage, and make it less of a disorder, and more of a superpower!

And Breathe

 

My head is a great deal better today. I can think again!  There's still a little 'thickness', and a bit of pain at the head/spine area, I'm feeling good.  I've been looking at foods high in magnesium and realised I don't eat many of them. 

In addition to my horse-pills, I'll be increasing my intake of Mg-rich foods. My breakfast of  granola and natural yogurt can be enhanced by tossing in some roasted cashews and pumpkin seeds. Instead of a couple of clementines mid-afternoon, I'll have a banana.  Salmon will be  a more frequent item on the menu, as will spinach. These changes, along with supplements should hopefully start to rectify the problem.

This morning I learned one of the other symptoms of magnesium deficiency is high blood pressure. An increase in Mg may well help my BP to be A OK once more. 

Crash!

 

I forgot to take my horse-pill until I was almost asleep last night. My body would not co-operate, and would not rise from my partial slumber to trundle down the stairs to get the magnesium. This was a big, big, BIG mistake.

Today I am suffering. It's migraine time, and I can function at a superficial level. I won't be making that mistake again!

Even Happier

 

Wheeeee!  No headaches what so ever! I'm delighted!

Happy!

 

I am happy!  

The migraine has gone, but there is still a bit of low frequency throbbing from the tension headache. I'm feeling happy, and sunny, and so much better.

At work, I was speaking to a colleague who is a former nurse. I'd mentioned how much better I was feeling. I didn't think the magnesium tablet could have kicked in already, but that the placebo effect was wonderful. She explained magnesium can be processed very quickly, and she would expect the benefits to be from the Mg, and not placebo. Surprised and delighted, was I.

Head and Finger

A muscle at the base of middle finger decided it didn't like its normal position and spasmed. It took a fair bit of massage to get it back into its proper place. Then in the afternoon, a migraine started, and the finger decided to go its own way again. I'd been having tension headaches off and on last week.

Muscle spasms can be caused by a lack of magnesium. Coeliacs can have problems getting a proper about of essential minerals because of crappy gut absorption doodahs.

I started thinking, 'Perhaps I need some magnesium.' Then a stray memory waved at me from a distance - migraines and tension headaches can also have something to do with magnesium.

I've taken a huge horse-pill of magnesium. Hopefully it might make things a little better.

I Am Relieved

We've just heard the Government press briefing. Despite a few new cases of Covid, and one of unknown source, we are not heading back into lockdown. Ninety four percent of the most vulnerable people have been vaccinated, and seventy percent of adults have received at least one vaccination.

I'm so relieved!  

I'm also relieved money is flowing into the business account. On Saturday morning, I'll need to take a trip to the bank to deposit money.

We're reached a lovely number. Seventy percent of adults have received their first vaccination. This figure has been reached before the younger adults have been invited to book appointments. I very much hope the figure continues to grow, and as many as are able to receive, do.

Migraine

Migraines are rather weird things. One came over me yesterday. At 5pm, I was pretty much fine, by 5.45pm,  I was concerned I was going to be able to stand. Thankfully at that point I was right beside the car, and was able to hang on to it. The Beloved bundled me in, and drove me home.  

Driving into the sunshine brought pain.  The Beloved  dropped the sun visor, and that was useful. Then I had a brainwave, I could wear my face mask over my eyes. By wearing it upside down it covered eyes, nose and mouth.

A rather interesting thought came to me at one point, I was still able to think, but didn't have the ability to translate these thoughts into words. 

A couple of years ago, a migraine suddenly descended upon me whilst shopping. The supermarket has an in-store pharmacy. The Beloved took me to the pharmacy and asked for migraine medication. The pharmacist wanted me to take paracetamol as a first stage. I disagreed, and tried to explain what I needed. During this time, I was sitting slumped in a chair, eyes tight shut against the bright lights. My words were very few, and rather slurred. That's when I wondered if I might be able to bi-pass words, and use signs. This worked, and The Beloved translated my signs to the pharmacist. 

After a lot of dithering, he agreed to give me the drugs I needed. The Beloved went to finish the grocery shopping; I remained in the seat. In the 15 minutes it took him to return my symptoms had reduced to the point I was able to speak again.  I asked for the pharmacist, and purposefully choosing multi-clausal, polysyllabic words and phrases thanked him for his care. I also let him know I was off to bed, and would sleep for about 2 hours, and would then be fine once more. The look on his face was priceless. It's not often people get to see how quickly the correct medication works.

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Well! That explains a great deal.

Over the last few days I started coughing, and become a bit breathless. I look my inhaler at 3pm, and just a few minutes ago, and there was no relief, none at all. I check the inhaler, and it's all out of nice lung calming medicine. No wonder it wasn't working!

Being a vaguely sensible person, I have spare inhaler in the sitting room (and a second one at work). Two little puffs later, and I can breathe again.

Breathing is nice. I recommend it. Do it.

Covid Update

We are starting to make tentative steps out of lockdown. At the weekend, we were able to meet with friends and family outside. Garden centres have now been allowed to open, and there has been easing on the restrictions builders face. Little by little, we are edging out way out. 

Next week, schools will re-open for students who are taking assessments for grades, and for the children of key workers. It is hoped all children will be able to return the week after that, and also that shops will be able to re-open.

Some interesting vaccination statistics have come to light. 90% of the 45,000 people in the Phase One group have had at least one vaccination, with 15,000 having had both. By the end of April, almost every adult who wants will have had their first vaccination. By the end of June, everyone (who wants) in Phase One group will have had both injections, and July for the rest of the population. Hopefully by that point the vaccines will have been deemed safe for use with children toon.

..., ..., Knees, and Toes

My knees are behaving a bit better, and my toes have been absolute starts. These glorious toes haven't caused any problems.

It feels as if I have the same level of pain, but it's now diffuse rather than concentrated in my knees.

I am a little bear who likes to get stuff done, and this weekend has involved painkillers, sitting on the sofa, napping, playing games, and watching youtube. Not much productive activity involved!  Ah well, there's another weekend coming up in a few days, let's hope I can get stuff done then.

Head, Shoulders, ... and Toes

There are times when certain body parts demand so much attention, and I just want to ignore them.

Last night, as I was rising from my chair to go to bed, my left knee started screaming at me. There wasn't much I could do to ignore it. Even whilst lying down in bed, my knees wouldn't stop screaming. They demanded a pillow underneath them for support, and a nice hot water bottle for comfort. 

I've no idea what I have done to offend them. They are still moaning about something this morning. My Saturday morning walk along the coast is not feasible today.

Starting To Wave Goodbye To Lockdown Weight

A while back I lost more than 13.5kg (30lb). Slowly the weight crept back on, and then leveled out at a lost of 8kg. I was okay with this. When the Beloved was in hospital, I felt I was ambushed, and weight piled on. Then in lockdown the whole amount returned.

However, this month I've been taking steps. With the decrease in tensions on my little Island regarding Covid-19 and a return to work, it has all become so much easier. So far this month I have lost 2.2kg (5lb), and plan to keep it up. Currently I'm retraining my taste buds not to expect so much sugar. My goal is to lose about a kilo each week. 

Some might throw their hands up in horror and exclaim, "What's the point?" That's a really easy question for me to answer. I felt so much at a lower weight, and I greatly enjoyed the food I was eating. Losing weight was an act of self-care and self-love. 

One of the really good things about having trod this path before is I know I can lose weight, and I know how to do it. 

Migraine

Ouch!

Migraines are not just a headache. They are debilitating monsters who turn sounds in huge blaring attack, light into a relentless over saturation, and smells into an olfactory assault.

And, according to the image search on Google, it's is overwhelmingly a female problem. On the first page of results, there's 96 photographs of emails, 2 with a male and a female, and 9 males. It's also a problem of white people between 20 and 40!

I'm so glad I have medication, and could take to my bed this afternoon. The sleep did me a great deal of good. I'm still a trifle 'drunk', and my balance is not at all good. My family is also rather wonderful, and are so helpful at such times.

Cough, Cough

My asthma has been playing up over the last little couple of weeks. The number of spray disinfectants being used made it a quite a bit worse. If it had been any other time I would have been in work and would have been using my inhaler when needed. Instead, I've been at home this week on a dose of steroids. 

Today is the last day! Huzzah! I'm fine in the mornings, but by 2pm I'm like the walking dead and need to sleep for 3 hours. When I get up my brain takes a few hours to waken up. I'm so looking forward to getting a functioning afternoon brain again!

14 Days at Home

This is the modern log cabin where my Ewok/battlebear is choosing to self-isolate. 

Yup, my asthma has been playing up, and there's quite a bit of coughing in the morning. All of the spray disinfectants have not been helping. I called the Covid-19  helpline this morning, and explained my symptoms, saying I thought it was just asthma. They said it sounded very likely, but to have a chat with my GP as I might require treatment for asthma. We are also required to self-isolate for 14 days, just to be on the safe side.

This means my plan to declutter and spring clean has been brought forward. Might as well use the time wisely and put it to good use. I'm also planning on a Lego competition this evening after dinner.