Thursday, 16 January 2014

High jinx

Comedian Kurt Braunohler hired a sky writer to do this over LA:


Monday, 13 January 2014

Time for a laugh

View sent us a few funny pictures. Thanks, View.







Sunday, 12 January 2014

A new experience - UPDATE

It's quite daunting having to go into hospital in a new country. I adjusted very quickly to the British system when I left Brazil. It's very easy to move from a system where if you have money you're ok to a (socialist) universal care one!

Things are slightly different in France. The government picks up part of the tab and people take out private health insurance for the top-up. The insurance companies are not allowed to refuse anybody on grounds of pre-existing conditions and there are no limits (similar to Obamacare?). That's the bureaucratic side of things and the French love bureaucracy!

Now, when it comes to the care itself, they're great and straight to the point. Our GP arranged everything very quickly. I had an ultrasound of my abdomen and lower limbs arteries the very next day after I went to see her with the initial symptoms. Once it was established that I wasn't going to drop dead immediately, she was able to schedule the angioscan and the consultation with the surgeon with a degree of flexibility. The surgeon decided to wait until after the end of year holidays and I was given a date to enter hospital the day before the surgery.

I had requested a private room with an extra bed for Peter when I had the pre-op tests and the consultation with the anesthesiologist in mid December, so that's what we got. As we knew I had to spend at least 24 hours in intensive care, we had to book a room in a B&B attached to the hospital, just across from the car park, called Pavillion Marivaux.



The hospital room was very spacious and we were served a "marvelous" dinner. I found out we couldn't smuggle our own food in.


The nurses were incredibly kind and very efficient. The surgeon came round to say hello and confirm the time of the surgery. The anesthesiologist also paid me a visit, remarking that I had "pole position," i.e, the first op of the day. When the new shift started at 9 o'clock, a very jolly nurse came in to explain the "showers." I was given a bottle of Betadine and told to shower with it before going to bed. She said she would wake me up 2 hours before the surgery for another very thorough shower with Betadine, including hair, then she would prep me up. This shower routine is to combat MRSA, which seems to be a worldwide problem due to abuse of antibiotics over the years...


I was taken downstairs to the operating theatre, had my arms strapped to arm rests, catheter in one arm, blood pressure sleeve on the other, electrodes all over, Dr Asselineau said something while injecting... then I felt a pressure on my right leg and thought Dr Brechet was preparing to start the surgery, but he was just finishing it! It all happened during the previous "..."

Unfortunately, the details of this stage in the proceedings are a bit foggy, but I know I was taken to a reanimation unit, where a bunch of very efficient people hooked me up to various bits of equipment, asked loads of questions, then moved on to the next person out of surgery. There were several teams moving between patients, checking them every ten minutes or so. People came and went, but I was still there after 4 hours. I don't know what caused the concern and or delay in my transfer to the intensive care unit, but I finally arrived there and could ask if Peter had been informed about the outcome of the surgery. Yes, he had, and would be able to visit me in about one hour.

They say cell phones are not allowed in hospitals, but all nurses, doctors, porters and everybody else are permanently talking on theirs, all the time! Peter had my cell in his pocket and I was able to receive a call from my sister. I also sent some texts to local friends and to Shapeshifterbelly.

One of the auxiliary nurses was Portuguese and we enjoyed some very nice chats when I was awake.

I spent most of the time asleep, even though my right arm would get squeezed for the blood pressure every 15 minutes and a nurse would check me every hour. Dr Brechet came to see me in the morning and said that as soon as Dr Asselineau gave the ok, I could go back to the regular room, then home the next morning. That's when Peter sent an epic text to SSB. My phone is a hateful piece of shite and he's not very good with modern technology, on top of having enormous hands, which makes the keyboard totally inadequate. This is what he wrote:

Hissb regina is happy tohave thigs fixr ficed fixed backto normal room today. Thanjs foor ketting everyone know. lv love peter.

Isn't it great? And he wasn't even drunk!

The Portuguese lady, Paula, held my hand all the way to the elevator when they came to transfer me to the other room, then kissed me and wished me all the best.

In my limited hospital experience, I always came across at least one miserable member of staff. Not this time. They were all charming, cheerful and seemed genuinely interested in my well being.

I haven't done very much since we arrived back home. The neighbours came out to greet me. Madame Soup from across the road returned the key (she was feeding the cats) and Madame Mim from downstairs offered to run errands, such as going to the pharmacy, etc.

We managed to go to the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions and contact the community nurse for a home visit. She was charming and this morning she gave me the first shot of Heparin, which I'm going to need for the next ten days.

It was a very interesting experience and now I have a fantastic bruise on my right leg around the groin area.

Peter is cooking lunch, so wish me luck. His food can't be any worse than the vile stuff they served us at the hospital!

UPDATE

I forgot to mention that EVERYBODY kept urging me to fart after the procedure. I obliged and produced my best drumrolls and Chinese fireworks!

Thursday, 9 January 2014

Are you looking at me?

This shot was captured on a diving trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,
where this endangered fish species is said to be friendly with humans

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Things that need to be done

I've been keeping some things from you...

I had some weird symptoms at the end of October, which led to many tests in November. I have a partial obstruction of my abdominal aorta and of the right femoral artery. Too many years of eating the wrong things, plus smoking heavily, was bound to cause some problems.

So... I go into hospital tomorrow and will have surgery on Thursday to fit a couple of stents. There will be posts as usual: I scheduled one week's worth of posts to keep things going.


The down side is that there's no wi-fi at the hospital, so you'll have to be patient regarding any news. The surgeon said I would be in for three days, because he thought I would have an epidural or a spinal block, but the anesthetist decided to go for a general anesthetic when he saw my medical history. I had transverse myelitis in 2000 and after consulting with a neurologist, the anesthetist thought it could be risky to mess with my spine. Having general anesthetic will possibly extend my stay in hospital to between five and seven days.

The other downside is the hospital food. A few weeks ago I had to spend a day having various pre-surgery tests and they gave me a very nice room. Lunch was included, but I wouldn't offer it to a pig! I asked the nurse if the food was always so "delicious." She laughed and said yes, it's always incredibly delicious.

We're going to take a lot of our own stuff!




Monday, 6 January 2014

Time to say a big thank you

Amy suggested a post where people can express their gratitude to the guys who are very committed to their work.

Here's to you, Mr Sleuth!



Sunday, 5 January 2014

Our very handsome new friend

Pallottine sent us some photos of Cody. What a cute little guy!







Saturday, 4 January 2014

Adorable dogs

Mrsgunka sent us these pictures of "two" doggies helping each other...



Thank you, MrsG.

Friday, 3 January 2014

Exercise for over 60s

GrannyJ sent us this very useful exercise program. Thank you, GJ!

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato bags. Move up to 20-lb bags for another couple of weeks or so.

Then try 50-lb potato bags and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.


After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

Reflections


Mrsgunka sent us this beautiful photographic essay by Tom Hussey. She wrote: 

"This is really great.  My mind says I'm 40 but the mirror says different. Gonna quit looking in the mirror. It is too depressing. Guess I need a longer dressing table and a picture of Rita Hayworth over the mirror. Bless Amy!"











Thank you, MrsG.

Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Time to party!

Another year gone... Out with the old, in with the new!




These fireworks were a lovely welcome to the new year in Melbourne:


Let the party begin! Happy 2014, my very dear friends!



Monday, 30 December 2013

Two fairytales

View sent us the first one and I found the second of these fairytales:

Once upon a time, a Prince asked a beautiful Princess, "Will you marry me?" The Princess said, "No!!!" And the Prince lived happily ever after and rode motorcycles and dated skinny long-legged full-breasted women and hunted and fished and raced cars and went to naked bars and dated ladies half his age and drank whiskey, beer and Captain Morgan and never heard bitching and never paid child support or alimony and dated cheerleaders and kept his house and guns and ate spam and potato chips and beans and blew enormous farts and never got cheated on while he was at work and all his friends and family thought he was friggin cool as hell and he had tons of money in the bank and left the toilet seat up. The end.
**********
Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat, contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle. 

The frog hopped into the princess's lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am, and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in yon castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so." 

That night, the princess dined sumptuously on a repast of lightly sautéed frog's legs seasoned in a white wine and shallot cream sauce. The end.

Sunday, 29 December 2013

Bed & Breakfast with a difference

There's a B&B in Marseille called Au Vieux Panier where each of the five rooms is changed every year. Each room is a work of art.

Here's an example, by graffiti artist Tilt:



I think this particular room would give me a headache...

Saturday, 28 December 2013

Animals in awkward places... and they fit!

Amy sent us a load of animal photos, where they seem to find the most awkward places to sit... Thank you, Amy.