The new refrigerator seems to be working well so far, which is overnight, things are cold and the items in the freezer are frozen. It makes some noise, but less than the old model, so it is an improvement. Being energy star compliant, it uses a third less electricity annually, which might help marginally on the hydro bills.
Frankly, when a refrigerator saves $30.00 annually on a hydro bill, it isn’t going to make much difference to us or the environment. In my opinion most of the power guzzling is done by industry and commerce, so they are the ones that really need to look at trimming their carbon footprints. The residents of the whole township here could save 200 KWh a year on hydro, and it would still pale by comparison, if one industry in the township cut their consumption significantly. It seems to me the powers that be would have us believe we are doing something significant, when in fact we are not. I am sure that when we save energy we are facilitating conservation, but I doubt domestic use represents any significant electricity usage. I think these programs are a placebo, seeking to make the general populace feel as if they have agency. Just saying.
Today my to do list included a call to Ontario Hydro to see if we can have the old refrigerator picked up. Apparently not, it isn’t old enough, it has to be 20 years old, but it was built in 1995. It is too young for the program. The next call was to the local landfill, who will accept the old refrigerator for a fee of $23.00. We will need to borrow a truck to get it there, which can be tricky, but I think Attila will manage it. I will have to keep reminding him though, it won’t be high on his to do list. I would do it, but I do not have access to a truck, and even if I did, it would be a tough go getting that refrigerator in and out of the truck by myself.
The house is a tip! It is time to get all domestic. The next few days will be spent cleaning and organizing. Attila will be working on the drywall, ensuring that all the areas within child-reach are covered with drywall. Luna, Janus, and the Grandbabies will be visiting soon.
My recovery from the colonoscopy preparation is moving along nicely. I am still very queasy in my stomach. The older I get, the longer my stomach stays upset after an “event”, such as violent vomiting. The five failed and one successful punctures, for the IV’s I received in hospital emergency and day surgery, are still bruised and sore. I tire easily. It could be a lot worse. I am keeping an eye out for signs of kidney damage, a rare side effect of sodium phosphate. I am in the highter risk category, due to my age and a medication that I take daily. The warnings say this side effect could show up as much a three months after ingesting sodium phosphate.
I am getting plenty of sleep, eating well and drinking a lot of fluids. There isn’t much more I can do, nature takes its own time.
I commented on my last entry that I am now researching colon hydrotherapy for the bowel cleansing process, for my next colonoscopy in five years time. I am surprised that the medical establishment has not embraced this gentler, non-medicinal technique to cleanse a bowel, particularly for those of us who react strongly to the chemicals used for the process. It wasn’t mentioned in the instructions from the specialist. It isn’t performed by doctors here in Ontario, but at spa’s. That makes it hit or miss in my opinion. There are no rigorous standards of care to ensure the procedure is done correctly, or even safely. I will proceed very cautiously with this, but I will investigate the options thoroughly. There must be a private clinic somewhere within driving distance, where they can perform this adequately and safely.
Attila and I are having dinner with Harriet and Hogan this evening. Harriet prepares lovely, allergen free meals, so the food is something to look forward to! It will be lovely to visit them at the cottage, which is small, simple, homey; an extremely pleasant place to be.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
24°C
Date: 4:00 PM EDT Friday 9 August 2013
Condition: Sunny
Pressure: 101.2 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 24.3°C
Dewpoint: 11.5°C
Humidity: 44%
Wind: WSW 13 km/h
Humidex: 26
Quote
“Dare to be yourself.”
Andre Gide
1869 – 1951
When I was an office manager, my boss owned our building in the town next to here. He renovated an old furniture store (large) into a professional office building and it was quite nice. One of our tenants there was Nancy, a hydrotherapist. I never availed myself of her services myself (but I wish I had), but she had quite a large following of patients. She had been a career flight attendant for TWA and happened upon a hydrotherapist for herself one time and asked about getting into it as she was tired of flying all over the world. She went to school and got her license to practice. Her business was very very regimented and clean and professional. I think it’s a growing field of less invasive health care for the bowels. I think that’s a wonderful idea to consider hydrotherapy (colon cleansing) rather than taking that awful sodium phosphate.
Thanks for the word of mouth information Bex, the best kind when it comes from a known and trusted source! As the days go by and I slowly recover from my ordeal, a voice inside me keeps repeating, “never again”.
It strikes me that the kind of stress put on your body by the coloscopy ordeal is way out of proportion to the benefit gained. If it gives you a heart attack or an ulcer, then it’s done more harm than good. I truly wonder, sometimes, about the tests we are expected to undergo, in the name of medicine.
Sarah, that is how I am seeing it too. The thing that I find astounding, is that the gentler colon hydrotherapy was not even mentioned as an option. I will not subject myself to this severe physical distress again. After all, I will be five years older and five years frailer the next time.
What I didn’t know, and Harriet told me last night after dinner, was that after telling Harriet they would assist me to walk out to the waiting room, and making wait in the waiting room while I was in recovery, they eventually came out and told her she had better come in to help me. I did not know about this, because I was unconscious at the time, and woke to find Harriet at my bedside. She said that I kept fading out of consciousness all the way home. Attila said that when we drove in to get his house key, that I glazed over and was out of it several times. I do not remember this! Harriet also told me that when she left me to lock the door after she left, she was worried that I wouldn’t make it up the stairs and into my bed. I did, thank goodness.