Today after lunch, I took a walk to the library, the post office, and the grocery store.
First, I walked to the library to return a graphic novel. Then, I went to the post office to send off an envelope, participating in the population screening for colorectal cancer. Lastly, I stopped by the grocery store for a few items.
Getting things done and some light exercise at the same time.
Today, I have a dental appointment at 2.25 in the afternoon. D suggested biking there, he will accompany me. My front tire was flat when I pushed the bike out of the shed. It was promptly fixed, and we were on our way to Kortrijk in no time.
We were only about a third of the journey when my tire started to loose air quickly. Damn, cycling with a half-deflated front tire was a struggle I never want to experience again. Fortunately, even though I was about ten minutes late to the check-up, I was asked to wait because the dentist was still occupied with the patient before me. That gave me some much needed time to cool down and sweat it out in the waiting area. đ
While I was getting my teeth checked and cleaned, D was off to look for a pump, in which he found at a café a block away. When I walked out of the clinic, my bike tire was pumped but started to deflate again.
We went back to the café for the pump, but the tire was no longer fixable at this point. So, I pushed the bike to a park a few blocks away, and waited, while D biked home to get the car.
All is well in the end. But what a day this has been. The last day of the month, my teeth were cleaned and I have one flat bike tire.
Grass pollen count has been at all time high these days. Today, it is off the charts!
The reason why I am not sneezing and blowing my nose like crazy right now, is because I have taken an allergy pill twelve hours ago…
I woke up at 2 o’clock in the morning with eyelids that were partially glued together by eye snot. I got up, splashed my eyes with water, noticed that they were swollen and bloodshot, and went back to bed. At three o’clock, I was woken up by a mosquito bite on my arm. Once again, my eye lids were partially glued together, my nose was annoying the heck out of me, and it was warm despite having three ice babies in bed. Argh!
I gave up. I chose the easy way out. I took an allergy pill. There goes my objective of not relying on allergy medicine this year. Well, at least I am not suffering now. Maybe I will pass out in the sofa this evening, maybe not. We shall see. Eyes are still swollen. Good grief!
This afternoon, D and I left the house together. D cycled to his hair salon appointment, whereas I did my errand walk.
My first stop was to the ATM to withdraw cash. Then, I went to the pharmacy to enquire about evaporated COVID-19 self-test kit. I got a vial of test liquid for free.
My next stop was the library. I have not been here for a while, and I missed it. After a few minutes of browsing, I left the library with three graphic novels.
The final errand of this afternoon was to the grocery store, to take advantage of some promotions.
It is such a luxury to live within safe and comfortable walking distance to all the above mentioned places.
This morning, D and I went to the container park (recycling park) to get rid of the styrofoam that came with the new television. We also got rid of an old water filter, a broken shaver, and a bag of garden trimmings. I almost ‘recycled away’ a new LED tube. Yikes!
We then went to a local butcher to load up on our carnivorous cravings. Meat for the weeks ahead. Right now, eighty percent of this purchase is already in the freezer.
Today’s lunch was a simple home-made pizza, put together using a dough I made and froze a month ago. I do think that the yeast would have woken up more, giving me a more bread-like pizza crust, if I would have left it out longer at room temperature. An experiment worth repeating.
Now that Lent is over, I will no longer be having meatless Wednesdays and Fridays. Instead, I am going to try out a milder and adjusted form of 16:8 intermittent fasting. I do not eat breakfasts anyway. So now, I just have to stop myself from snacking after half past eight in the evening. Good protein intake is essential when practising intermittent fasting at my age, hence the visit to the butcher was sort of a win-win step?
In life’s long journey, tedious or otherwise, one needs to do the occasional and necessary course corrections.
Today, the medical report from the ER doctor became available online. I have had an episode of vasovagal syncope.
Thus, my main objective now is to rest and recover from my bruised scalp and mild dizziness. This is what I have found out as regards to head injuries: Mild head injuries may present with surface wounds, like shallow scalp lacerations and bruises, as well as symptoms like headache, confusion, nausea and vomiting, or dizziness that usually improve within a couple of weeks.
And from a different website, I learned about the common triggers of vasovagal syncope:
For now, the best thing I can do for myself is to take it easy, sleep well, eat healthy, and drink lots of water.
Yesterday, D and I did our bulk grocery shopping at two locations. Colruyt and Jumbo.
Today, we went to buy a replacement television. Our old TV lasted for thirteen years before the display died on us.
My days this past week have been filled with weird on-and-off dizzy spells and numbing headaches. But I guess that is not unexpected, considering the bad fall I had. The important thing is that I am recovering gradually. I do feel better today compared to yesterday. Fingers crossed!
All in good time…
I have not blogged since last Wednesday. But I am doing so now, five days later…
The above is a photo I snapped of my lovely dinner, when D and I went out eating last Thursday evening. Shortly after I began eating, my world turned alarmingly noisy, suffocatingly warm and darker. I then made the big mistake of standing up and heading to the toilet in search for some calm.
The next thing I know, I was laying flat on the cold tiled floors in the hallway!
I vaguely remember being led out of the restaurant, sitting in an ambulance, and then ending up in the emergency room of AZ Groeninge!
A total of six people took care of me. I was kept for observation for a few hours, my blood drawn, my head scanned, and my vitals checked. In the end, I need not stay overnight at the hospital. *phew*
Right now, I am here, breathing, writing this blogpost, and determine to rest and recover.
Last day of Tournée Minérale today. Twenty eight days without a drop of alcohol was not difficult at all. For the entire month of February, I probably craved for a glass of cold beer once. It was a fleeting moment, which I managed to wave away instantly.
I shall continue not drinking if there is no need to do so. Good for health, good for my wallet, good for the environment. Same goes for meat… and it is Lent.
It is literally a dry February in terms of the weather as well. We have not seen much rain in this part of the world. Not good.
Today is the first day of Lent 2023. I shall try to avoid meat on Wednesdays and Fridays as I did last year. Doing it for health, finance and the environment.
