Yesterday I had an appointment with the doctor at the walk-in clinic, to check how my high blood pressure was doing with the greatly increased medication. It is down to 135/87, which is better, but not great. I am to go back again in November to get it checked again.
While I was there I decided to get the Shingles Vaccine, which is being offered free to those over 65 years of age, here in Ontario. The Doctor reviewed the ingredients with me, no allergen, and then he administered the shot. I didn’t even feel it.
Today I have a headache, the area around the injection is swollen and red, my joints ache, and my throat seems a little bit sore. Everything but the sore throat are described in online descriptions of side effects, so far nothing to worry about. I checked my temperature, normal, so that was good. Today I have been feeling a little tired, so much so that I dropped off to sleep while typing a word, and didn’t realize it until I woke up twenty minutes later.
Today was a beautiful summery day, mild, with a lovely breeze. It was a good day to finish the job of emptying Iris the trailer for the winter storage. Because mice are such a problem in unused areas over the winter, I removed all fabrics from Iris, which included bedding and kitchen linens. I took out all clothing, and personal care items such as soap and shampoo. Mice will chew on anything! There are just a few more items to remove, rubber boots and worker’s overalls, and then Iris will be locked up until the spring.
What a mess in the house, as I brought pile after pile of items in from Iris, and dumped them on the living room floor. The living room was wall to wall chaos. I began this project on Monday, and I am still working on it. Attila brought me a big empty tote from the garage, where I am storing items that are used only in Iris, so that they will be all in one place and ready to be stored away in Iris when the new camping season begins in 2017.
I have been working diligently on my book, already there are 181 pages, and I have much more to add! I am having fun with it though, because the people in this book were alive within living memory of my Mom’s generation, and there are stories and pictures to include.
I have devoted quite a bit of time to my GG Grandparent’s first born child, Mary Ann, who was deaf and dumb, and could not read or write. She is not discussed by the family, and I was surprised to find out that she existed. She bore a child out of wedlock, lived with family but was omitted from some official records, such as the census, and died in residence at the Powassan House of Refuge in Ontario. It would be so nice if someone had written something about her as a person, but that did not happen, at least I have found no evidence of it. I have just completed the section devoted to her life, and her descendents, and will soon be adding the information for the second born daughter, Janet. Mary Ann and Janet were two of twelve children.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
16°C
Date: 7:00 PM EDT Wednesday 5 October 2016
Condition: Mainly Clear
Pressure: 102.4 kPa
Tendency: falling
Visibility: 24 km
Temperature: 16.1°C
Dewpoint: 12.1°C
Humidity: 77%
Wind: N 3 km/h
Quote
“In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.”
Napoleon Bonaparte
1769 – 1821
AMEN! The more things change the more they stay the same.
Your blood pressure sounds pretty good to me, Maggie. I was at Emerg on Monday as my doctor felt my hemoglobin was too low, so I ended up with a transfusion. Having never done that before, my blood pressure made it all the way up to 183/103 before settling down to 176/99. I was not happy, and even less so with being there for hours.
Hope you’re feeling better by tomorrow.
It’s a shame you can’t find anything about Mary Ann as a person. Sad.
So sad, but true, that any child born with a disability, was hidden away, and essentially “erased”. Our society has progressed in that area, thankfully. I’m glad that your blood pressure is better, but I can understand your wanting to have it even more improved. You didn’t say what your goal was.
Teri, my present blood pressure would be considered high normal, which is better than high, but disappointing because even with the high dose medication it has not come down lower than that.
Goodness, a blood transfusion! Quite a stressful experience. I hope it did the trick for you, and that your blood pressure went down after you arrived home safe and sound.
Mary Ann was born in 1845, there isn’t much on a personal level about any of my ancestors from the time period in which she lived. One of the reasons I keep a journal is so that there is some record of the lived experience of my time, in case I have descendents. I feel strongly there has to be some records of our time beyond the slick media hype and controlled social spaces in the social media.
Diane, it is sad, that people were hidden away, and essentially “erased”. I discovered the existence of Mary Ann when her Great Grandson’s wife contacted me about the connection, and not having ever heard any reference to Mary Ann and her descendents, I told her I didn’t think there was a connection. I have come to expect that all is not what it seems on the surface when researching my family history.
My goal for blood pressure readings is below 130/85, so I am getting closer. We talked about lifestyle changes, but really, I use no salt and watch my salt intake making sure it is well below the daily recommended threshold, I eat well, and I am as active as arthritic knees and a tight budget will allow (no gyms for me!). I don’t think starving myself in an attempt to lose weight will help me much, high blood pressure runs in my family, and almost all the women in my line succumb to strokes. I am in a high risk group, so I really want to get my blood pressure under control. Up until last spring it was fine, 125/80, why it has shot up in such a short time I do not know. There has been no significant change in my lifestyle, activity level, diet… it was a stressful summer, that might have triggered the change. I will never know.
In our family, my cousin Susan was born with “mental retardation” to my uncle (at the age of 16!) and girlfriend (also 16). When it was discovered she was mentally retarded (which is how we always referred to it then), she was shuffled off onto my mother, who was younger than her brother and still in early high school years… and she and her mom tried raising the baby whilst my uncle went into the service. When he returned, he could/would not deal with his daughter and put her in a home for the mentally retarded and there she lived for most of her life until she was able to finally live in an apartment “on her own” but with lots of State assistance/help. I can remember her coming to our house every Xmas for many years.
It is surely unfortunate how mentally handicapped people are not deemed important enough to be treated as human. So many of them are capable of so much . I remember a family member, a man by the time I knew him, who was kept at home and allowed to be with the family for many years. His example of smiling and general happiness served to teach the lesson of “blooming where you are planted” so we loved him for his simplistic view of the world around him.
It’s so good that you are keeping a journal for your family. I wish I had done that. Working to stay healthy is a good thing too for you and for your family. Getting the shingles vaccine is pretty smart. I got it with no side effects and feel better about it. It’s not free here.
Keep up the writing.
Bex, very commendable of your Mom and Grandmother to have stepped in to do what your Uncle could or would not do. I don’t know what the institutions in the US are like, but I was a supply teacher in a large residential institution for several years; it was a difficult place. How lovely that she could spend Christmas with you!
Ava, I love the phrase “blooming where you are planted”!!! My very last teaching position was working with people who could not speak, some were unable to move anything but their eyes. I was the “special” teacher who developed programs focused on communication skills. I loved the time I spent with my students, and had a deep respect for their courage and honesty. It was a privilege to work with them.
I guess I am just one of the people who experiences side effects with the vaccine. I thought a good night’s sleep would calm things down, but my arm was worse this morning. Since it is a live vaccine, and my new Grandbabies, Sunny and Sky are preemies, we have decided not to risk seeing them this Thanksgiving weekend. Better safe than sorry. The area on my arm is swollen, red and very itchy, and some “pimples” have developed in the area. Hopefully in a few days it will calm down. So far the side effects are the ones described online by the vaccine company, and places like the Mayo Clinic.
Hope you’re feeling better today, Maggie.
Thanks for asking Teri! The rash gets bigger and sorer and itchier every day. We decided to cancel our plans to have Thanksgiving dinner with all the Grandbabies, because I don’t want to put the preemeis Sunny and Sky at any possible risk. Might be overcautious of me, but I like to err on the side of caution.
I feel fine though, other than my arm.
Maybe you should have a doctor look at your arm. It could become infected.
Hi Teri, this is a known side effect, and should only last for around 8 days, if it hasn’t cleared up by then I’ll be back to the walk-in clinic! It is much bigger this morning, less red, a lot itchier. Still, if it prevents shingles or shingles complications it will be worth it.