Clematis, Weird Wednesday, Thankful Thursday

 

Because the weather in April was so mixed and unreliable, I left my trellis "under cover" (fiber cloth) all month. When I finally removed it on 30th April, I found my clematis in bloom! Only a few flowers, though - with a lot of bare branches in between, after the past harsh winter. I think when it has ceased flowering, probably time to cut back the whole plant and see if I can start over once again from one or two green shoots at the very bottom... (I've done that before. (The origin of the plant I still have is one I had on the balcony at my previous flat - and this summer it will be 16 years since I moved!) 

Sometimes I wish I could do the same with myself! ;-) Yesterday (1st May) I woke up feeling dizzy and unwell, with no real clue why. It reminded me of a vertigo attack back in January 2023, which also came from "nowhere" - but at the same time a bit different, and seemed more connected to neck pain this time (my neck being a "weak spot" since way back). Perhaps I had just been lying in some weird position. On the other hand, I also felt kind of nauseous, with a slightly upset stomach as well, so maybe something I'd eaten? (But what?) 

The only thing that stood clear was that in spite of another beautiful and warm spring day outdoors, for me it would be a day best spent at home resting, close to bed and bathroom... 

Going with the theory that it may be to do with my neck, I took out my TENS unit, which I havn't been using much lately, but for many years (after an accident) used daily. For anyone who may not know, TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and is a method of pain relief involving a mild electrical current, and the machine is a small, battery-operated device that has leads connected to sticky pads called electrodes. After two 30 min rounds with that (with an hour or two in between) I actually did feel better. (Not sure that really says anything about what was the cause in the first place, though.) I still didn't feel hungry but decided I probably had better eat something anyway, so I made pancakes (four small ones) and ate two of those with apple sauce for lunch. In the afternoon I felt okay enough to sit for a while at the computer and put in a blog post. That was just about all I did that day, though. Fell asleep for a while in my TV chair in the afternoon. Gave myself another TENS treatment. Had two more pancakes for supper and went to bed early.

And this morning I woke up feeling pretty much "normal" - enough to go ahead with today's chores, including changing the sheets on my bed, cleaning the bathroom, and doing three loads of laundry in the afternoon (in our common laundry room in the basement). Also back to normal intake of food.

Someone else referred to the "Thankful Thursday" theme on their blog today - which made me ponder about the fact that normally, when I can, I book the laundry room for Wednesday afternoons. This week, because Wednesday was 1st May, and a holiday, I had booked it for Thursday. (We're allowed to book it also on holidays now, but out of old habit I still usually avoid doing that.) Anyway - this week I'm "weirdly" thankful that I had not planned to do laundry on Wednesday, because if I had, I wouldn't have been well enough to go through with it. Whereas today, I was!

Tomorrow I'm having a "truckload" of groceries delivered around noon, so hoping I'll still be feeling up to dealing with that. (At least delivery means I don't need to go anywhere! But it does still involve quite a lot of bending and lifting...) 

Probably better be off to bed now!

Vertigo

At the beginning of this week, I kept my computer busy "by itself" for a couple of evenings, sending backups of thousands of photos to external drives; in preparation of freeing up some space on my laptop. Not all done with that project yet, for reasons that will become apparent below.

On Wednesday, while also having laundry day, I packed up the rest of my Christmas decorations to go down to my storage room. Or so I thought. When I got back up to the flat again after having got the last things down to the storage, my eyes fell on the top of the bookshelf in the hall... There seems to always be that one thing somewhere that I miss! ;-) (As this tree does not take up much space, it went into a cupboard where I keep vases and stuff, for now. Remains to be seen if I'll remember that next December!!)

So had quite a busy Wednesday afternoon, and was rather tired in the evening; but not abnormally so. Still also felt "normal" at first when I woke up around 4 a.m. in the night and needed the bathroom (I often do) - that is, until I sat up, and the world started spinning... I also noticed that I was sweating, but at the same time feeling cold. I managed to get to the bathroom, though; where I also checked my temperature. That, however, was normal, which served to calm me down a bit. I changed my pajama top, and changed to another pillow (thinking that I might have been lying in some weird position with my neck). Lying down again I felt okay, and after a while fell back to sleep. 

But next time I woke up, and sat up, the whole thing started over, and worse. I even had to throw up (although nothing really to throw up...). Skipped breakfast and just had a cup of tea with honey, plus a bite of a banana with my blood pressure pills. However, apart from the vertigo, my brain (and the rest of me) seemed to be working as it should... I also checked my blood pressure, which was okay as well (neither low nor too high). So started googling symptoms, and arrived at the self-diagnosis that it was probably "benign positional vertigo" (BPPV). (In layman terms, small particles/crystals getting into the wrong part of the inner ear and confusing the sense of balance. In Swedish it also goes by the name of crystal sickness.) I also recalled something similar happening to me some 30 years ago - but then I didn't wake up with it but had a sudden dizzy spell at work. I think I was off work for a day or two, but since then it never happened again - until now. 

While I was googling and thinking, the worst nausea also seemed to have given way, so I decided there was no need for an "emergency" call. I also found some exercises (head movements) to try, and some tips on what to eat when feeling nauseous (little pieces of crunchy fruit and vegetables, crackers/bread, thin chicken broth - and drinking plenty of water). Practiced that throughout the day and felt better; even if still a bit wobbly. I kept my phone with me in a fanny pack all day in case I should lose my balance and fall (I didn't, though). I also recalled that I had a folding cane I bought some years ago when I had trouble with a knee, so got that out to for support. In the afternoon I slept for a while (lying down), and thankfully had no new vomiting attacks when I rose again. 

I also slept okay in the night and had no more severe vertigo attacks neither when I woke up in the night, nor in the morning. Today, a light headache but not really "dizzy" like the day before. I had a delivery of groceries coming in the morning around 10 a.m. (ordered earlier in the week), and managed to take care of that (including some bending and lifting). I've felt no need of the cane indoors today - just taking things slowly, and thinking about my movements. 

I even went outside to the rubbish bins + a 5 min walk around the next building, with my outdoors walking poles for support. (The weather the last couple of days has been "slushy" rather than icy, with a mix of rain and wet snow). In my entrance/stairwell they're still in the process of painting the walls and railings etc, so I've been using the lift rather than the stairs. (I was in luck about that... The lift was "out of order" for maintenance on Tuesday, when I did not need it; and back in working order on Wednesday, when I did need it!) 

On the whole I feel lucky - and thankful for the internet! Without the possibility to search for info online, I'm sure I'd have felt a lot more panic-stricken. 

Of course if the symptoms recur I may still have to consult health care. On the other hand, they may not! (I'll be taking things slow for a while, hoping for the best.,,)