Book of the Week 3 – Local is Our Future
Local is Our Future by Helena Norberg-Hodge
This book, Local is Our Future is a book about globilisation and about hope. HNH spent time observing the people of Ladakh, known as Little Tibet as they have been affected by the outside world. Their happy and peaceful existence was destroyed by the incroachment of progress. Rather, what we generally think of as progress. From her observations she began to see the world with new eyes. This book is one of the results of that process od re-seeing the world. It is a strangely uplifting and full of hope.
Difficult Read
This not a book that I bought and chose, it would not have been. The book a present and I was put off it when I glanced through the first chapter. The prose seemed to be dense and difficult. To me many of the doom laden pronouncements seemed to be presented as if they were written in stone, without evidence. It was, I assumed, one of those strident treatises written by true believers of whatever the latest neo-political fad happened to be.
I was wrong.
I knew that I ought to do my friend the courtesy reading it so that we can discuss it, As a result, I began to read it properly and found that I was so wrong about this book. Yes, I found the language difficult and I would have liked more references. However the book made perfect sense and it is not a difficult read, but it starts as a depressing one. Local is Our Future begins by identifying and illustrating what is wrong with globilisation. There are so many examples. Shipping fish half the way across the world for filliting. The shipping the fish back to be sold. Exporting and importing similar food stuffs. This is rediculous. The decline of our mental and physical health. The loss of true democracy and the increase in polution. The list of problems goes on, and on.
It is a bleak and depressing picture that most of us know and understand, but really do not want to dwell on. This book paints this picture in detail and makes us take it all in.
Uplifting
Having spent the first 40 odd pages setting out the problem HNH spends the next 80 pages setting out her vision of how we change our future. How we should source food locally, grow our own if possible. There is advice on how to deploy counter arguments against the doom sayers. There are chapters that make you see that we can turn this whole thing arround.
The problem is that sometimes it seemed so difficult that I caught myself thinking that this was all pie in the sky stuff. The problem was just too big, where to begin? HNH has the answer, she sets out what is already happening. Forget large organisations what we should be looking at are the small green shoots of change. Globilisation will be defeated by individuals taking small steps.
Local is Our Future, Conclusion
Local is Our Future is a book of hope. It is difficult and even turgid (to my mind) at the start. Would I ever have bought it for myself? No. Is Local is Our Future, an important book? Oh yes. Have I changed my life because of it? Not yet. Has it started an internal dialogue that might well result in a change in my behaviour? Yes.
Would I recommend it as a book that is important and that should command a bigger audience? In other words, should you read it? A resounding YES.
You can find it at Amazon, here.
Books of the Week, Previous Reviews
Week 1, The Death of Grass
Week 2, At Risk by Stella Rimington
Book of the Week 2 – At Risk , by Stella Rimington.
At Risk by Stella Rimington
At Risk
Stella Rimington was the first woman to be Director General of MI5, Britain’s counter-intelligence service, so far she is the only woman ever to have served in the post. It was ineveitable, I suppose, that she should take to writing espionage and terrorism books to earn a crust.
To my mind this genre can be divided into 2 groups. There are books by John Le Carre and then there is the rest. This book begins to change that grouping.
At Risk is the first in a series of books that have a main character called Liz Carlyle. Carlyle is probably a cypher for Rimington but then all characters in books relate to the author, or so they say. In any event Carlyle runs agents in the UK and becomes involved in the hunt for a terrorist that has come into the country. What makes the hunt more difficult is the fact that the terrorist does not fit the easy shorthand of being a foreigner or different. The terrorist appears to be an average, white British female.
For me the book was stilted when it started, looking back I think that was a product of what I expected. However the detail and pace of the book won me over. Not being a fan of coincidence or blind luck in books and their appearance in this book did strike a bad chord. However, not enough of one to stop me enjoying this book.
Le Carre is head and shoulders above the pack but I will read more in this series by Stella Rimington. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. It is a book that contains a lot of detail which shows that Rimington knows her stuff. At no time does she include so much detail that the reader feels that she is trying to prove herself. She does not need to do that.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Perhaps that will be a book of the week as well, I hope so.
You can order this book from the fine people at Amazon here;
At Risk
You can read the first of my Book of the Week blogs here
Book of the Week, 1 – The Death of Grass
The Death of Grass by John Christopher
Each week I want to highlight what I am reading at the moment. To start with is a great book. The Death of Grass.
The Death of Grass
An easy choice this week. I first read this years ago, it must have been in the 60s. It was ahead of its time. An infection starting in China watched with amused detachment in the West that becomes a world wide issue. Society disintegrating told by focusing on one family and their struggle for survival.
In this case the infection is a rust virus that affects rice but then jumps species and come to infect and kill all grasses. Think about it, no grains, no fodder for animals, there would be mass starvation and society would fail.
What I find chilling is that there are infections that are spreading through our cropsright now, Coronavirus just happens to be another virus but one that affects humans directly.
Written in the mid fifties the tone of this book can appear stilted to our eyes. I know some people can find this a problem. I do not find it a problem at all, in some ways it makes the book more affecting. It reads a bit like John Wyndham (a good thing to me). It has that old British tone that is of sensible Sci Fi that is not Sci Fi at all. I can imagine it being read by a 60s BBC continuity announcer in a standard English voice and that only making the book more apocalyptic.
Prescient is a word that describes this quietly chilling book exactly.
I am so glad that I found this book again, and so sorry that it is so apposite now.
you can find it at Amazon by following this link;
The Death of Grass
Hello ET, Not the Flying Bicycle Type….
Essential Thrombocythaemia is such a mouthful, ET is easier
Since my stroke I have been a pretty regular visitor to the doctors’ surgery and have had a series of bloods taken for tests. It would appear that I have a problem, Essential Thrombocythemia.
For some time my white platelet count has been high, outside of the normal range which is between 150,000 to 450,000 per microliter of blood. It went up to about 700,000. So I was referred to the Haematology Deprtment of the local hospital.
What are Platelets and What do they do?
For a start these thingies are small, really small. I believe that they are the smallest of all the types of blood cells. Platelets are shaped like plates in their dormant state. They float about in the blood vessels waiting to be called into action. When the body is injured, say a cut, the platelets make their was to the wound. There they change shape becoming larger and growing tentacles. Using them they all clump together to seal the cut. All in all platelets are a Good Thing.
They are produced by the marrow in bones and the problem (well, mine) started when my marrow started to produce more and more platelets. The issue is that with loads of platelets the chance of them forming a clot in an organ liker you heart or brain increases. My stroke was the result of a blood clot so it is probable that the high platelet count caused my stroke.
The question is whether the high platelet count, over a long period of time, should have been flagged up earlier -before my stroke – by my GP. Ideally, yes, of course. However, as there are about only 500 cases of Essential Thrombocythemia diagnosed a year why would he spot it? I often think that we have too many expectations of our doctors. The chances are that mine was the first case that my GP had come across. Why should he be expected to recognise every rare condition unerringly? Completely unreasonable.
The Good Type of a Stroke and now – The Good Type of Cancer……
I am such a lucky bugger. No one has more luck than me. My stroke was an unusual, “good” sort. That is short hand for an unusual type of stroke and it did not kill me. Now the “good” type of cancer. That is short hand for an unusual type of cancer that will not kill me – unless it gives me another stroke.
The Good News
Essential Thrombocythemia can be controlled, that is the good news. I have to take a low level chemotherapy drug for the rest of my life. It has all the usual chemotherapy side effects, or may have. So far, several months on, I have not noticed any dramatic side effects.
Now the Bad News
A good stroke, and a good cancer, what could be “bad” after those two? Bloody coronavirus, that’s what. As a result of having Essential Thrombocythemia (why is it called “Essential”? No idea) I am in the high risk group for Covid-19.
12 weeks self isolation here I come……….
For more information about Stroke go Here, for more information about Essential Thrombocythemia go Here.
More about my stroke Here, and Here, and Here, and Here, and yet again (I do go on a bit, don’t I) Here . Oops, and another blog here.
How to Make Your Own Hand SanitiZer
Not All My Own Work!
This is copied from Healthline.com a site that is well worth reading. I thought that anything that helps us all keep safe and well is worth promoting. Besides, making your own hand sanitiser is remarkably easy. Why did we ever pay for it? (oh yes, I am sorry about the american spelling of sanitizer)……
When it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, nothing beats good old-fashioned hand washing.
But if water and soap aren’t available, your next best option, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, is to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Unless you have a stockpile of store-bought hand sanitizer, you’ll likely have a hard time finding any at a store or online right now. Due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, most retailers can’t keep up with the demand for hand sanitizer.
The good news? All it takes is three ingredients to make your own hand sanitizer at home. Read on to find out how.
What ingredients do you need?
Making your own hand sanitizer is easy to do and only requires a few ingredients:
- isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent alcohol volume)
- aloe vera gel
- an essential oil, such as tea tree oil or lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead
The key to making an effective, germ-busting hand sanitizer is to stick to a 2:1 proportion of alcohol to aloe vera. This keeps the alcohol content around 60 percent. This is the minimum amount needed to kill most germs, according to the CDCTrusted Source.
How do you make your own hand sanitizer?
Dr. Rishi Desai, chief medical officer of Osmosis, and a former epidemic intelligence service officer in the division of viral diseases at the CDC, says that the hand sanitizer recipe below will kill 99.9 percent of germs after 60 seconds.
Hand sanitizer recipe
What you’ll need:
- 3/4 cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent)
- 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (to help keep your hands smooth and to counteract the harshness of alcohol)
- 10 drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead
Directions:
- Pour all ingredients into a bowl, ideally one with a pouring spout like a glass measuring container.
- Mix with a spoon and then beat with a whisk to turn the sanitizer into a gel.
- Pour the ingredients into an empty bottle for easy use, and label it “hand sanitizer.”
Jagdish Khubchandani, PhD, associate professor of health science at Ball State University, shared a similar formula.
His hand sanitizer formula combines:
- two parts isopropyl alcohol or ethanol (91 percent to 99 percent alcohol)
- one part aloe vera
- a few drops of clove, eucalyptus, peppermint, or other essential oil.
If you are making hand sanitizer at home, Khubchandani says to adhere to these tips:
- Make the hand sanitizer in a clean space. Wipe down counter tops with a diluted bleach solution beforehand.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before making the hand sanitizer.
- To mix, use a clean spoon and whisk. Wash these items thoroughly before using them.
- Make sure the alcohol used for the hand sanitizer is not diluted.
- Mix all the ingredients thoroughly until they are well blended.
- Do not touch the mixture with your hands until it is ready for use.
For a larger batch of hand sanitizer, the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source has a formula for a hand sanitizer that uses:
- isopropyl alcohol or ethanol
- hydrogen peroxide
- glycerol
- sterile distilled or boiled cold water
How to use hand sanitizer
Two things to be aware of when using hand sanitizer is that you need to rub it into your skin until your hands are dry. And, if your hands are greasy or dirty, you should wash them first with soap and water.
With that in mind, here are some tips for using hand sanitizer effectively.
- Spray or apply the sanitizer to the palm of one hand.
- Thoroughly rub your hands together. Make sure you cover the entire surface of your hands and all your fingers.
- Continue rubbing for 30 to 60 seconds or until your hands are dry. It can take at least 60 seconds, and sometimes longer, for hand sanitizer to kill most germs.
What germs can hand sanitizer kill?
According to the CDCTrusted Source, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that meets the alcohol volume requirement can quickly reduce the number of microbes on your hands. It can also help destroy a wide range of disease-causing agents or pathogens on your hands, including the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
However, even the best alcohol-based hand sanitizers have limitations and do not eliminate all types of germs.
According to the CDC, hand sanitizers won’t get rid of potentially harmful chemicals. It’s also not effective at killing the following germs:
- norovirus
- cryptosporidium (which causes cryptosporidiosis)
- clostridium difficile (also known as C. diff)
Also, a hand sanitizer may not work well if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy. This may happen after working with food, doing yard work, gardening, or playing a sport.
If your hands look dirty or slimy, opt for hand washing instead of a hand sanitizer.
Hand washing vs. hand sanitizer
Knowing when it’s best to wash your hands, and when hand sanitizers can be helpful, is key to protecting yourself from the novel coronavirus as well as other illnesses, like the common cold and seasonal flu.
While both serve a purpose, washing your hands with soap and water should always be a priority, according to the CDC. Only use hand sanitizer if you soap and water isn’t available in a given situation.
It’s also important to always wash your hands:
- after going to the bathroom
- after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- before eating
- after touching surfaces that could be contaminated
The CDC lists specific instructionsTrusted Source on the most effective way to wash your hands. This is what they recommend:
- Always use clean, running water. (It can be warm or cold.)
- Wet your hands first, then turn the water off, and lather your hands with soap.
- Rub your hands together with the soap for at least 20 seconds. Make sure to scrub the back of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
- Turn the water on and rinse your hands. Use a clean towel or air dry.
The bottom line
Hand sanitizer is a handy on-the-go way to help prevent the spread of germs when soap and water isn’t available. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can help keep you safe and reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
If you are having a hard time finding hand sanitizer at your local stores, you can take steps to make your own. You only need a few ingredients, such as rubbing alcohol, aloe vera gel, and an essential oil or lemon juice.
Although hand sanitizers can be an effective way of getting rid of germs, health authorities still recommend hand washing whenever possible to keep your hands free of disease-causing viruses and other germs.
I Agree With The Sun!
I Never Thought That I Would Write That…..
MPs’ expenses have always been bad news, the sort that the S**m and all the rest of the gutter press relish. Couple an expenses “scandal” to a Labour MP and Rememberance Day and you have a field day for the lowest of the low.
Labour front bench MP Sarah Champion claimed back £17 expenses for a poppy wreath. She should be tarred and feathered. That was the thrust of the S**m’s story. I understand the distress caused by the revelation. All MPs should be accountable for their decisions about their expenses.
Back in 2009 the MP for Henly did the same, claiming £16.50 in expenses for a poppy wreath. I am surprised that the S**m did not name and shame him.
His name? Boris Johnson.
The Health and Safety Aspect of Woodturning
A Yew Bowl With Attitude
“That’s an interesting piece of Yew….”
Sometimes you can see that a piece of wood is going to be trouble. This yew bowl was made from a larger log and what attracted me to it (apart from Yew’s inherent beauty) was the fact that two branches has grown together and fused, That would mean, hopefully, that the yew bowl would have interesting markings. The downside was that the smaller branch may not be as fully fused to the main stem as it appeared. Large bits of wood flying off the blank as it whizzes round on the lathe at several hundred revolutions a minute can be dangerous. It reminded me that Health and Safety is not to be ignored. Such a reminder is always valuable.
Health and Safety
It is so easy to forget about taking precautions when doing anything. We all tend to become blasé about things we do often. It is usually a mistake. When I started wood turning Roni made a point of labouing the H&S aspects of wood turning, much to my impatience, you can read about what she told me here.
When I set up my Workshop I took on board what Roni told me an I have a notice up on the wall that is in front of me while I turn wood. It Says “SAFER”
- S Speed
- A Aside
- F Fixed
- E Eyes
- R Rotate
The notice reminds me of the basic health and safety rules.
Speed, make sure that the lathe is set to the correct speed. If the piece is large and unbalanced, for example, the lathe needs to be set to a slower speed so that the lather does not vibrate or even bounce!
Aside, when something comes off a turning blank it comes straight off, generally. So, when the larthe is first turned on stand aide, out of the line of fire.
Fixed, are you really sure that the blank is securely fixed to the faceplate and so the chuck? Ensure that the screws are fully screwed in, that there are enought of them and that they are secure. Do not screw into soft wood.
Eyes, wear goggles or a face shield!
Rotate, before turning the lathe on turn the bank by hand. Make sure that the blank turns feeely and is not going to hit anything as it turns.
When a Blank Fights Back!
The nightmare scenario is not really when the blank falls off the lathe. Generally, it is so heavy that it just sort of falls to the floor, at speed, true, but it does not come towards your face.
Bits flying off the blank are different, and far more dangerous. They come off at speed and fly. Depending on the blank the lathe could be turning at up tp 3,500 revs a minute! There is no telling at what height they will come off, or where they will go. They are like shrapnell, hitting and potentially damaging anything in their way. They even ricochet off so have two goes at hitting you! (Seems unfair). While turning this bowl, the branch did not come off but 4 pieces of wood, up to an inch and a half each did. By standing to the side I minimsed tthe risk of being hit. By wearing a face shield I ensured if I was hit in the face I would not lose and eye.
Health and Safety is not boring!
Well, perhaps it is, but it is necessary. Taking a razor sharp tool and putting it into a fast turning piece of work is dangerous. However, there are no marks for making it more dangerous than it has to be. I would encourage anyone to try wood turning, as long as they pay attention to H&S. I have eight fingers and two thumbs, I would like to keep it that way.
A New Maple Bowl – Wood Turning
An Odd Sort of Blank for Wood Turning.
When she visited recently Roni brought some blanks for wood turning with her. Among lots of blanks for plates and natural edge bowls were some Maple blanks. I had turned a beautiful (if I say so myself) bowl when I was down at hers last. So she knew that I liked the wood and so I was delighted to accept these wood turning banks.
The blank I chose for turning today was about 9″ by 4″ (my lathe will only take blanks up to 10″ across). Wood turning blanks often have the outer edge painted (in this case a tasteful pink) to stop the wood drying out too soon and cracking.
There was one problem with this blank;
The problem with wood is that it does not grow symetrically. This wood turning blank was unbalanced because there was almost one half missing due to the way the tree grew. The issue for wood turning is that with the blank revolving at several hundred revs per minute the lathe, and everything else, vibrates and bounces. Add to that razor sharp cutting tools and there is a recipe for disaster!
Top Tip; Always count your fingers before you start wood turning and when you finish. You should have the same number both times!
Wood Turning this Blank, The Options
I seem to like making straight sided bowls, there is something that appeals to me in them. If I aimed for that with this bowl there would be a huge hole on one side of the bowl. Not that there is anything wrong with that and it can look wonderful and interesting. However I decided to go for something different. A sort of inside to out curve.
The Outside Finished
I applied the first coat of oil before taking the bowl off the lathe to turn it round to form the inside. With the bowl reversed, held on the lathe by the spigot, you can see see the finished curve, the trick will be to mirror the curve on the inside.
Wood Turning the Inside
Wood turning the inside of a bowl is more difficuylt that the outside. The main reason is that the bowl wall should be of an even thickness so finesse is the order of the day. Finesse is not one of my stregnths. In other words the curve on the outside has to be matched by the curve on the inside. Add to that the need to have the wall of the bowl flow, without any obvious transition, into a flat bottom. In my experience forming the inside is more painstaking that the outside. Obviously, you can make the inside a lot easier to turn by your choice of outside curve. I will take that to heart one day……..
Off The Lathe
Once finished on the inside and sanded the bowl is oiled and taken off the lathe. Ready for the oil to dry completely and for polishing. In spite of not being polished I think that I can be pleased with the result.
The finished bowl is just under 9″ by 3 1/2″
More explanation and an example of wood turning here.
My Stroke – Anniversary (2)
My Stroke Now
In this post I want to explore how I feel now about my stroke, how it affects my life and what the future holds.
There are 5 main areas that have been affected by my stroke.
Vision
I have double vision because my stroke weakened the muscles to one eye. That is corrected by having a prism in one lens of my glasses. The vision is blurred because of the nature of the temporary prism. Day to day I have normal, if blurred sight. The trouble is without them I still have double vision, so showering is difficult, waking up I cannot see the clock clearly and activities like swimming are difficult.
The prognosis? Originally, I was told that I could have an operation that would tighten the muscles of my right eye. To be honest, I really did not fancy being awake while the surgeon operated on my eye. Over time, the limitations of having a prism in my glasses became obvious. I came to feel that an operation was the way forward. It now seems that my eye muscles have become stronger and that the operation may not be an option anymore. My double vision may be something that I have to live with.
The other big effect that my stroke has had had on my vision is loss of depth perception. That means that although that can see that I am walking up to a curb I have no idea whether the curb is 4 inches high or 1. I tend to stumble, a lot.
Still an issue, and probably always will be.
Walking
I could only walk with a stick after my stroke. I really did not want that to be the case. Supported and encouraged by Lauren from the Occupational Health team I practiced walking, with the stick. Together we walked miles through the corridors of the hospital, and I began to get pretty cocky, it would not be long until I ditched the stick. Lauren kept reminding me that the corridors in hospital are flat, no curbs, no uneven pavements, no potholes. I should have listened more.
Leaving hospital, I decided that I would walk a few miles each day in order to be able to ditch the stick. The first few times I walked into town, which I did every day, were difficult. Yes, there were curbs, uneven pavements, and potholes. Each day was a new challenge.
However, 10 days after my stroke I ditched the stick!
Success!!
Leg and Knee Problems
Immediately after my stroke I had sensory problems down my right side, you can read about them in my previous post.
The issues resolved themselves relatively quickly for my upper body, but my leg and foot have taken longer and the problems persist to a lesser extent. I still have nerves firing when I put on socks and shoes, but at least now it is not painful. My foot sometimes tells me that it is hot, but it no longer feels like it is on fire.
One aspect that came to the fore a couple of months ago was the loss of strength in my right leg. I began to have pains in my knee. They were not related to my stroke; most likely it is arthritic in origin. The upshot is that I have begun to exercise to build up the knee muscles and reduce the pain. (Which is going very well, thanks for asking). What has been revealed to me is that my right leg is way less strong than my left, as a result of my stroke. I would not have known this or that I was favouring my right leg unless I had started to exercise. The benefit is that future leg and hip problems may well be avoided
Another success!
Speech
After my stroke I had speech problems. One side of my face did not work so explosive sounds like “b” or “p” were almost impossible. I rang my boss at work from the hospital to say that I was still alive and to say that I had some bananas in my desk drawer and that he had better move them before the went off and smelled. You can imagine how difficult that conversation was, if only I had to tell him that I had something else, like chocolate or sweets in my drawer!
One odd thing, or not, was that I could never hear that my speech was affected. To me, I sounded normal. As the left side of my face decided to work again my speech started to be clearer. There were issues, for example, about a month after my stroke I rang the doctor’s office to ask for a repeat prescription. The woman on the end of the phone was very curt and impatient. She said that she could not understand me to which my reply was “I am not bloody surprised; I have just had a bloody stroke!” Her attitude changed.
Even now I have some issues when speaking but no where as bad as they were.
A partial success!
Mind , Memory, and Depression after My Stroke
The problem with mind and memory issues is that they are internal and not obvious to others. When I “ditched the stick” it was obvious to everyone and Jane and friends all complimented me and said how well I was doing. With mind and memory issues it is so difficult to gauge progress, if any.
One result of my stoke, as for many who suffer a stroke, was I descended into depression, again. I had only just come off the medication and I was pleased that I was recovering. Over night I was in that dark place, again. I have written about depression here. Since my stroke I feel that I have been recovering and quietly stopped the medication a couple of weeks ago. I have not told anybody. Why not? Because when I stopped before I paid too much attention to how I felt. I was concerned that others would confuse a bad mood with slipping back. This time round I am putting the depression out of my thoughts and no one has commented on any bad moods. It seems to be working.
My memory is not what it was. My stroke is the probable cause. I always felt quite quick witted, able to recall events and ideas. Now there is a veil of grey mist that I must make my way through to reach the right words. Recently I took cuttings from a Perpetual Sweet Pea for Roni. The trouble is that whenever I think about Perpetual Sweet Peas the words that come into my mind are Perpetual Sweet Potatoes. Even writing the words is difficult. It’s like riding a cycle and seeing a pothole. No matter how hard I try to avoid the hole I seem to steer towards it.
Similarly, I know that my mind is not as sharp as it was. I doubt if I could hold my own in a sharp discussion about politics, my mind is not up to speed. Is it improving? I have no idea. I work at sudoku’s, obsessively sometimes, hoping that my mind is not descending into dementia.
Work to be done.
My Stroke -Conclusion
Overall, I think that I am recovering well from my stroke. They tell you that the improvement after a stroke stops after 3 or 4 months. That is not true, the pace of improvement slows, that’s all. The gains become smaller, but they are there. As time passes it becomes progressively more difficult to remember what it was like on 14th June 2018. Where I am now is my new normal.
Do I still wake up feeling lucky to have dodged the bullet, confident that everything is improving? Not every day, but often.
If you want to know more about strokes, the effects, treatment and recovery or want support please follow this link. They are good people.
A self-indulgent post? Well, yes but one I needed to write.
My Stroke – Anniversary (1)
Was My Stroke Really a Year Ago?
On this day last year (13th June) I suffered my stroke which started as I drove to work. You can read about it here, here, here, and here. Looks like I am beginning to become a stroke bore when the truth is that I rarely think about my stroke during normal life. However, I wanted to be able to spend some time reviewing where I am, where I think will go next, and how I view the past year.
This photo was taken, I think, 3 days after my stroke. Not a pretty sight with one half of my face sliding down and declaring UDI from my brain. It was the left side of my face that slipped, in case you can not tell….
My Stroke was Unusual
My stroke was of a variety called Lateral medullary syndrome. who knew that there were different types of stroke? I thought that a stoke was a stroke. If you want to you can read about Lateral medullary syndrome here.
Here is a bit from that article;
“This syndrome is characterized by sensory deficits that affect the trunk and extremities contralaterally (opposite to the lesion), and sensory deficits of the face and cranial nerves ipsilaterally (same side as the lesion). Specifically a loss of pain and temperature sensation if the lateral spinothalamic tract is involved. The cross body finding is the chief symptom from which a diagnosis can be made.
“Patients often have difficulty walking or maintaining balance (ataxia), or difference in temperature of an object based on which side of the body the object of varying temperature is touching.[2] Some patients may walk with a slant or suffer from skew deviation and illusions of room tilt. The nystagmus is commonly associated with vertigo spells. These vertigo spells can result in falling, caused from the involvement of the region of Deiters’ nucleus.”
What did that mean?
Well, one very odd effect was that although it was the left side of my face that fell it was the right side of my body that was affected. For me it meant that although I could feel pressure if someone poke my right side it would feel the same if they stuck a needle into me, i.e. I felt no pain. To me hot felt cold on my right side. Imagine how that felt when I showered. My left side felt the water as hot, my right felt as if I was having a cold shower!
Later, my right side felt as if all the nerve endings all fired whenever my right leg and foot touched anything. For example putting my sock on my right foot was painful because all the nerves fired at once. putting a shoe on was a slow and painful experience and so on. A couple of moths later I went on holiday and fell over when I walked into the sea because I could not cope with all the sensations from my right leg and foot!
The next post will cover the 5 main areas where I have been affected. Not all stoke sufferers are affected the same way, as I now appreciate. Shame that it took me having my stroke to open my eyes!
For more information about strokes visit http://stroke.org.uk
Phil’s British Heart Foundation Donation – you know it makes sense
