Fed up with health problems but enjoying early autumn in my garden in The View from the Terrace

I am getting really fed up with health problems. It seems to have been one thing after another over the last few months. There were tooth problems in June which resulted in a root canal that dragged on for weeks with multiple visits to the dentist. Then, just as the tooth finally settled down I started getting the dizziness. That turned out to be something relatively minor but, at the time, I was worried it could be the onset of heart problems or that I was heading for a stroke. I do worry about the possibility of having a stroke. My mother had one and her sister died from one, and I know having migraine puts me at higher risk. It may sound odd but what I worry about is surviving a stroke as then I wouldn’t be able to have the only migraine meds that work for me.

Just as the dizziness was beginning to resolve I started having the breathing problems again. The doctor doesn’t seem to think that is anything serious and was more concerned about my toe nail infection which I thought was a minor problem. She rang me this morning with the result of my blood test and said my liver is fine and I can start taking the tablets she prescribed. I told her about my concerns that my liver may have enough to cope with because I need to take quite a lot of painkillers for my migraine. She said it was up to me but she thought I should take the tablets as that way we could see if the discolouration disappeared when the infection healed. She actually said their was a slight risk that it could be a melanoma. I asked if there was any other way to test for that and she said no. I’m pretty sure that isn’t true as I read on the internet they can do a biopsy, so I presume it’s a question of money; it’s cheaper if I try the tablets first because if when the infection is cured the discolouration has gone there is no need for for the test. I did agree when I was talking to her but I have done more research and I am still worried. I am not sure what I am going to do.

It turns out that what Hubby had at the weekend was novovirus. We now know that because we all got it. The day that Hubby was really ill I also had a migraine and then he threw up in Tony’s room. He was too weak to deal with it and so was I, so poor Tony had to clean it up. He probably caught the virus from doing that as the next day he went down with the bug and was very ill. I got it too but got off relatively lightly compared to the men. Chris came over on the Monday before work. Tony had texted him to tell him not to come but he received it too late. Of course Chris caught the bug too.

We were just recovering from all of that when my tooth started playing up again. It is the same tooth that I had the root canal for. I got an emergency appointment this afternoon and she is redoing the root canal. She did the first part today and I have an appointment in early December for the second part. If this doesn’t work I may have to decide between having it out or being referred to a specialist. I really want to do everything to save it but Hubby says we shouldn’t pay hundreds of pounds just for a tooth and I should have it out if it doesn’t settle this time. He has lost 4 or 5 teeth in the last few years and hasn’t even tried to save them with root canal treatment. He said he can’t be bothered to go through that. It’s the idea of sitting still for an hour, he can never sit still.

Hubby can be really mean with money. He missed a dental appointment last week. He got mixed up and put the appointment down on the wrong date on the calendar. He has now had a letter saying if this happens again they won’t able to keep him as a NHS patient. He thinks that is a bit much but is not really concerned. I suppose I shall take over managing his appointments as he doesn’t seem worried and would probably just stop going to the dentist if he had to pay.

I did manage to get to my duty at the helpline yesterday and I have another one on Monday. In the meantime I hope to just chill out and hopefully spend some time in the garden. I have 66 crocus bulbs to plant! They came as a free gift with some plants I ordered. I have no idea if I will be able to find room for all of them or the energy to plant them but I will try. I was in the garden this evening doing a few odd things and it was so beautiful with the sun low in the sky shining through the trees with the leaves just beginning to turn. At times like that I wish I could paint. I couldn’t seem to capture it on camera. There are still a lot of flowers in bloom, one of my favourites right now are these blanket flowers.

I find that the stresses of life just slip away when I am out there. Our view stretches for miles to the Black Mountains and the Golden Valley. There is a sort of comfort in the permanence of it all. It was there long before me and will be there when I am gone and somehow I am a part of it. I feel that way in other places too but my garden and my view is always there for me ever changing and yet constant.

Last updated September 29, 2018