Preparedness for when

westcoastscot

Pineapple I agree - it's a known political ruse to overegg the situation, then draw back a little and we all feel we've won ground, when in actual fact tptb have exactly what they wanted in the first place.
Never thought I had one of those tin hats, but think it may have been disguising itself as a colander all along!!:rotfl:

Thriftwizard thanks for that - made me smile this morning picturing a chain of folks up and down the country sitting in their deckchairs, pinnies on, sowing up seed trays of food and singing along :-)

Maryb i'm find that lack of sunshine over the past year or so has affected my resilience - are you getting enough time outside? Just a thought

GreyQueen

pineapple, I share your thoughts about reducing the percentage take to what they intended in the first place, to make it look like a concession and everyone will feel a wee bit better about the theft. And make no mistake, it is theft.

I see a lot of this in politics. I believe it's called kite flying; you propose something so utterly outrageous that a furore is inevitable, then you ream it back in and something less severe but still shocking goes thru on a nod and a wink.

As for ISAs, I pulled mine some time ago. The interest rates are so pitiful that even with the tax-free status your money was losing it's spending power. About 15 years ago my parents had £15k when a variety of savings products matured all at once. They could have reinvested it, in which case it would have done diddly-squat. Instead, the had an extension built on their home with a level access shower-room WC and have thus future-proofed their place against needing to have to move if the stairs ever became a problem.

That money now wouldn't pay for anything like what it did then and the window of opportunity would have closed.

Righty, I shall go measure something in the newly-identified hidelyhole and go shopping to fit it. The joys of the very small home.............:rotfl:

maryb, I don't think you're self-pitying but I would urge you to get checked out by the GP esp as you have mentioned having had pneumonia in the past.

I think, culturally, we tend to underestimate the time our bodies need to recover from operations and infections. Part of this is the whole get 'em out of hospital asap ethos, part of it is the idea that to be poorly is to be a weakling and maybe a lead-swinger, and that rest and recuperation is also spelled l-a-z-i-n-e-s-s.

Friend and neighbour SuperGran was a career nurse and a theatre sister. She says people always underestimate how long it take to recover fully from a GA. It affects you for a long time. Plus you mentioned another non-GA procedure. So, your poor bod is trying to heal up 2 things then getting walloped by a nasty infection, all at the time of the year when we're indoors and away from natural light.

Get yourself checked out for the nasties and try to treat yourself gently. Even taking a deckchair into a sunny part of the garden (with coat and woolly hat if necessary) is a worthwhile activity. HTH.

maryb

WCS, I'm sure you are right about the lack of sunshine, that can't help. I do yearn for spring

BitterAndTwisted

I wouldn't necessarily be worrying about that cold but I would about the rattling and wheezy chest. Most especially when you've already had pneumonia!

I'd be thinking about taking some zinc and echinacea. I've heard that the echinacea can help boost your immune system but a bad chest means your immune system isn't coping right now and the boost may take longer than you might have time for. Off to the doctor with you!

Popperwell

MaryB,
I have helath problems but rarely catch colds and certainly not coughs but went down something similar to you and was laid low...lost a few days by being in bed and sleeping when possible.

My cough was so bad I stayed up till late so not to disturb the neighbours and went to bed when they were at work.

I thought it had left me and it returned. It took approx 3-4 weeks to lose it and I was checked out by my Dr last wek and given the all clear.

I was wheezing too.

So I think it really is just a case of giving it time but if you want to be checked out it would do no harm.

Hope you feel better soon.

maryb

B&T, I was thinking about getting an appointment but it has started to get better over the weekend and the really deep rattle has gone, so I suspect by the time I can get an appointment I'll be on the mend. I wouldn't let it drag on though and I will go if it gets worse again.

I did take echinacea and also some Vitamin C with zinc because I thought the loss of taste might be down to zinc depletion. Oh, for a cup of tea that doesn't taste foul!!

maryb

Thanks GreyQueen, it's interesting what you say about Supergran. The minor ops did cross my mind as having used up resources.

I'm just so grateful I didn't have to drag myself into work last week and could flop from bed to sofa and back.

GreyQueen

maryb wrote: »

Thanks GreyQueen, it's interesting what you say about Supergran. The minor ops did cross my mind as having used up resources.

I'm just so grateful I didn't have to drag myself into work last week and could flop from bed to sofa and back.

SuperGran says that it takes months to recover fully from a general anaesthetic. It's nothing to treat lightly.

The Mad Bushcrafters pointed out that even minor injuries, like little cuts on your hands, cause your body to use extra energy to heal them, which can compromise your very survival in extreme circumstances. We're constantly in flux and everything we experience can cause our bodies to rise and fall in resilience to infection and recovery time.

With my probs, I take longer to recover from just about anything, which frustrates the hell outta me, but sometimes you just have to accept that it's gardener down and lie on the couch.

grandma247

Lots of fluids too maryb. It helps the nasties out of your system.

westcoastscot

Maryb I think GQ is right, and pardon me if you're a young slip of a thing but as we get older we have less resilience.
Taking care of myself has really been brought home to me since my arthritis diagnosis - as it really impacts on my day to day wellness. I try and sit in a sunny spot with my book for 10 minute slots in the day, even with a hat and gloves on - really lifts your spirits too. I find also that once i've forced myself out I do wee jobs in the garden while I'm there - it never seems so bad once i'm actually out as it looks through the window.

I'm seriously considering future-proofing my home GQ, my arthritis is worsening at quite a rate - I struggle with the stairs first thing in the morning for a few hours, and with the bathroom downstairs it's not a lot of fun. Also getting out of the bath is a game. I'm seeing the OT on friday, and then am going to make some informed plans that will hopefully allow me to stay home for the rest of my days. I'm also in the process of future-proofing myself by adding to my education - my theory being that I work 17.5 hours a week at present, and can live on that. In the future if I can improve my hourly wage I will be able to cut down those hours and still manage - i'm not expecting there to be any welfare support when I need it, and I cannot see me being able to keep going as I am until I can retire at 68. My original retirement age of 60 was looking so close as well!!!!