A Storm, A super moon, and Sunshine.

Welcome To Monday

Well after the tail end of Hurricane Bertha, and the super moon last night, all we need now is a visitor from outer space and the start of my week will be complete.

My Dream came true

So here we are on A Monday Morning, but Let me tell you first of the events of Yesterday. As you probably Know we were bracing ourself for the arrival of the tail end of Hurricane Bertha that has been tracking across the atlantic from the Caribbean

Here Comes a subdued Bertha

true to form the Storm reaches the western shores of England and Wales, late on Saturday Night and travels eastwards  reaching us here in Portsmouth in the early hours of Sunday Morning. there were several torrential downpour,s and Thunderstorms to begin with and some very high gale force winds which caused some very high waves along Southsea sea Front.

Southsea Promenade early Sunday Morning, Photo By Mike Walker.
Published by the Portsmouth Evening News.

Photograph by Helen Yates

By lunchtime the rain had cleared away Eastwards and Northwards, but the strong winds remained, To say we were lucky here is an understatement as most of the UK got it a lot worse than we did with Mini Tornadoes, Flash Floods etc, I think we were spared the worst as we are shielded by the Isle of Wight to the South and Portsdown hill and the Southdown,s to the North and also we are in a natural bay along the South Coast.

Showing Portsmouth in Relation to the Isle of Wight and the coast line

Showing Portsmouth in relation to France and the English Channel.

However the Isle of wight got some really heavy storms as did some of the villages inland from Portsmouth but the storm affected Wales and the Midlands and the North of England far worse than we did, also the east coast got hit quite badly as well.
The weather cleared  and had settled down a little bit in the afternoon so my Son Gervase was able to come and take me shopping at 2.00 pm, we went to Sainsbury,s up at Farlington,
There were some heavy gusts of wind along the dual carriage on the way up to Farlington, but not to bad, anyway we were back home by 4.30 so after that it was a nice evening of relaxing and watching the TV, until bed time at 11.00,

Sainsbury,s at Farlington

As I said earlier we were back home by 4.30 so I put the shopping away and made a coffee and sat down for a chat with Gervase, He left about 5.30 to head home to Leanne and I get my Dinner cooked, a nice Steak Burger with Broccoli, Sprouts, Potato and Gravy, followed by Tropical fruit salad in Jelly ( which Pauline made for me) and then an evening of Facebook and TV until bed at 11.00.

There was also a full moon last night, what they call a Super Moon, apparently it is the nearest it has been to the earth for a generation and the next time is in 20 years time, Perhaps this has something to do with the weather ???

The Moon above the Houses

I went to take a picture with my Phone, it is not that good as too much light in the city but at least you can see it

Its Time for Bed

Well I had a decent nights sleep and woke at 6.00 am this morning feeling not to bad, I know I am Ok as I got out of bed without falling on my butt, so that was a bonus. anyway as is the norm at the moment, I make a coffee and just do a quick check on Facebook on the Laptop.

I Want My @@*&@@ Breakfast

1 hour later I am still there I blame the Australians. On the Australasian myositis support group, so I wrote a little poem and put on there this morning for them.

For Amber and Barry and all those people on the Australasian Support Group.

 Once I had managed to drag myself away from Facebook, I get myself some Breakfast of Wheatabix and the obligatory Four  prunes and then get washed and dressed, before going back to Facebook to check out the other Global Myositis Support Groups,

There are 4 Myositis support groups all together and there are links to them on the left hand side of this blog under Facebook Groups, the 4 groups are.

• Myositis support and Understanding (USA Based)
• Myositis Friends support Group  (UK Based)
• Myositis Support Australasia. (Australian Based)
• Myositis-Canada. (Canada Based)

These 4 Groups are closed groups and are for People that have one of the forms of "Myositis" or who is affected by Myositis i.e. Spouse, carer, relative, medical professionals, Although based in one of the 4 countries as listed that are open to people from all over the world, and because of the time differences around the Globe, they are truly a global 24 hour a day support group.

There are other myositis Facebook groups such as the Ramblers KIT Group plus others there are also links to those on the left hand side of this blog under Facebook Groups.

Anyway once I have posted and checked out all the Myositis sites I then go and get my daily paper down the local shop and have a walk around the block on the way home, I am only out for about 20 minutes, as the wind is still very strong, once back home it is a nice coffee and settle down to read the paper and do the crossword,s before going for a lie down for 30 minutes before getting some lunch at 1.00 lunch time.

Going to Settle down with the paper

today I am having some John West Canned Smoked Mackerel fillets with Toast for my Lunch.

These are really nice on Toast.

Well that was very tasty, healthy and filling, so now to settle down to watch the news and get this Journal started. as it is now 1,45.

Now it is 3,30 and I am just finishing the Journal so now to get it Posted and then start getting myself sorted and decide what to have for dinner tonight, something with a jacket Potato I think, anyway that is about it for today, the rain has kept off, but the wind is getting stronger, so until tomorrow I will say .............

Out shopping , late with the journal

Sorry the Journal is late today folks, but it has been a very tiring day out shopping with my Friend Pauline.  anyway welcome to Wednesdays daily journal

The Morning rush

As usual the morning followed its normal pattern of Wake, coffee, text Pauline, coffee, Bathroom, coffee, breakfast, coffee ( not always in that order), anyway that takes up the first hour or so with quick bursts of Facebook in between.

However once that is all done I have a phone call from Pauline to say that her and Gordon will be down about 11.00 and as it is now 9.45 I need to get myself washed, shaved and dressed ready for when they arrive, as today is Shopping day down the city centre with Pauline and while we are doing he shopping , Gordon cleans my flat for me, I enjoy wednesdays and look forward to it, especially when they bring Misty the labrador with them.

Misty at my Flat in the Lounge

Your doing a good job Gordon

Once I have got myself ready it is 10.45 and pauline texts to say they are on the Milton Road so time to get the coffee made for when they get here.

Pauline and Gordon duly arrive and the coffee is made so we sit and have a coffee and a chat and give Misty a fuss, before getting the wheelchair ready and everything else I need to take, and then Phone Citywide Taxis for a Taxi to take us down to the city centre.

By this time it is 11.30 so the taxi arrives and loads the wheelchair and off we go , once we have gone Gordon starts to get the Flat cleaning started.

Once we get down to the city centre, we go and start the shopping, we go into Wilkinsons first to get some cleaning products and some food for Pauline,s cat and then make our way out to the Nationwide Building society where I need to get some business done, while I go and get that sorted Pauline goes over to Marks & Spencer where she has a look around the clothes area, once I have finished in Nationwide I go over in the wheelchair and meet her there.

Anyway at this Point I need to use the disabled toilet which is on the first floor by the cafe so we go up in the lift and into the Disabled toilet and this is where the fun starts.

The disabled toilet really is a discrace , I have always used the disabled toilet when we shop in M&S and have never had a problem before, There were no Paper towels, No toilet paper, no soap in the soap dispenser and the hand dry blower did not work, Good job I always carry hand gel, toilet wet wipes and tissues with me. at least the hot water tap worked, needless to say I was not amused, so a strong letter of complaint will be heading there way. 

Time to Panic

I think the problem that is occurring in the stores is that to save money Portsmouth City council has closed most of the Public toilets in Portsmouth and relying on the public using toilets in the shops, utter disgrace but that is another story, but that is not the end of it, We head to the lift and go down to the ground floor , where we head to the food hall, Pauline gets a basket I go to get my shopping list and I have left my shoulder travel bag upstairs in the Toilet, "PANIC" pauline heads up to the toilet and cafe to see if it is there I follow up in the wheelchair, and then all of a sudden I remember where I left it, I had hung it on the handle of the wheelchair when I used the toilet and in my disgust at the state of the toilets I had not put it back over my head and it was hanging on the back of the wheelchair behind the wheelchair bag, that is why we had not seen it. "I felt a right Plonker"

So once that had been sorted we get some food shopping and then head out into the precinct where we sit and have a coffee and I got chatting to a chap about my age, he was a smoker and he asked if I minded if he smoked, I thought that was nice of him as he could see that I was breathing heavy and I said that I did not mind at all, as I used to be a smoker, anyway we had a nice chat and Pauline took a picture of us .

Me and my new found friend

It was not too busy in the Precinct today, not as busy as I thought it would be anyway. Here is a couple of Photographs of Portsmouth City Centre shopping Precinct.

Looking North from where we are sat

Looking south from where we are sat

After we have finished our coffee we make our way into the Tesco supermarket to get the rest of the shopping and then go back outside and phone for a Taxi to take us home, it is now 2.40.

Pauline with the shopping and the wheelchair

The City wide Taxi arrives and it is one of our regular drivers

Once we get home we have a coffee and a sandwich for lunch, Gordon has as always got the flat spotless and so we get the shopping put away and then Pauline Gordon and Misty make there way home while I have a lie down as it is 4.00 and I am wacked, and then at 4,40 I get the journal started.

Well another successful day, I have a nice M&S Salmon salad for dinner later on and then a relaxing quiet evening ahead. it is now 6.00 pm and I need to get the journal posted so until tomorrow I will say...........

Its another Freaky Friday.

So here we are on another Freaky Friday. It seems strange not settling down to write my journal on a daily basis but hopefully it will not be to long before I get the new computer and then we can get back to writing it daily again, as I do miss not writing it every day.

Writing a daily Journal

well yesterday was an interesting day as I had my Appointment with my Neurologist Dr Gibb up at the Queen Alexandra Hospital (QA) at Cosham. my appointment was for 11.30 so I booked a taxi for 11.00 as it is about a 20 minute journey from here in Southsea up to the QA. I was meeting Pauline there, as she was getting a bus from Waterlooville which is where she and Gordon have moved to, so she is nearer to the QA than I am.
Anyway I am meeting Pauline at the North Entrance at the QA as that is the easiest entrance to the Outpatients department.

North Entrance to the Queen Alexandra Hospital Cosham.

Well I get to the QA at about 11.20 ish and Pauline,s bus arrives about the same time. The taxi drops me off at the North Entrance but Pauline has to get off at the South Entrance and walk up the hill to the north entrance, anyway we meet up and go in to report to reception to let them know I have arrived.

Outpatient Department  Reception

When we report to reception I am informed that Dr Gibb is running about 30 minutes late in actual fact My appointment was for 11.30 and Dr Gibb calls me in at about 12.50 so he is actually running an hour and twenty minutes late still never mind, gives us time to read some out of date waiting room magazines, ( really should have brought a Newspaper or the iPad with Me.)

Waiting For Doctor Gibb

Once I was in with Dr Gibb we had a chat and all my Blood works have been coming back OK, over the last 6 months and all my downloads to the cardiology department from my Reveal Heart monitor have shown no repeat of the erratic heart beat over the last 16 months. I told him about the fatigue I have had since tapering down to the 10 mg of prednisolone on alternate days but he is reluctant to increase it and I am going to start on a daily multi-vitamin and see if that makes any difference.

 we discussed my Digestive/constipation issues in regard to my inability to digest some foods properly ie (beans, cabbage, cereal etc) due to my "Cup and Spill" stomach which was diagnosed after an endoscopy in 2010 and has been put into the background after being overshadowed by the onset and diagnosis of Dermatomyositis, so I am going to be taking a sachet of Fybogel every Morning to add more fibre to my diet so that  (along with the increased dose of Lactulose) in the evening should help with the constipation.

  
The Methotrexate is remaining at 15 mg on a Friday and the Folic acid is staying at 5 mg on a Monday. also the Lansoprazole is staying at a daily dose of  15 mg before breakfast and 15 mg before dinner . and the Prednisolone is staying at 10 mg on alternate days.
I said about the Ventolin Inhaler from the GP Dr Tyrrell that he prescribed to help with my breathing in this humid weather.

Ventolin Inhaler and the Aerochamber. 

I have  my yearly Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) scheduled for next Friday. and Dr gibb said that once he has the results of that  he will contact me with regard to on going treatment. hopefully the result of the PFT will not have changed over the past 12 months as the one last year and also in october 2011 was around the 80% to 85% which was acceptable.

Q: Did I pass the Pulmonary Function Test ?

well I must say that apart from the long wait in a very stuffy waiting room it was a very positive appointment, so now just the PFT on next Friday to get over and done with and then we will see where we go from there but feeling very positive as I said to Dr Gibb if it was not for the difficulty with the walking and the mobility of my arms I would be as fit as a fiddle, I wake up in the morning and feel like an 18 year old, get out of bed and feel like a 60 year old which on reflection is not to bad as I am 70 in 7 weeks time.

A positive appointment yesterday

Once we had finished with Dr Gibb me and Pauline headed down to the cafeteria on A level which is at the other end of the hospital where we had a cheese and ham toasted sandwich and a coffee each before going outside the South Entrance

Queen Alexandra Hospital Main entrance (South Entrance)

where I phoned for a taxi to take me home and Pauline waited for her bus back to Waterlooville. Pauline,s bus arrived before my Taxi so saw her safely on the bus.

Pauline,s bus arrives before my Taxi

Well there we are then, slept pretty well last night and had a decent day today, I am glad the weather is getting cooler as that does help, although it is still very humid, we had some rain during the night and also this morning but the sun returned this afternoon.
 It looks like the weather is certainly on the change for the week ahead but it could be worse I suppose/

so today has been a very quiet day of rest and TV for me, it is now almost 5.00 pm so I will get this journal finished and posted before watching Pointless on BBC 1 and then I will be having "Fish and chips for dinner before taking my Methotrexate

Yummy, Yummy Fish and Chips.

So until the next journal which will probably be On Monday I will say.....................

Laptop connected to the TV.

Well here we are sitting in my recliner with my laptop but connected to my a 39" TV. not the best solution but it may get me through writing my journal until I get my new desktop computer.

Samsung smart TV with Facebook App

As I have said earlier this week, I am having problems with my vision, mainly when spending time on the laptop, I have been diagnosed with a Prednisolone induced cataract in my right eye but at this time it is not severe enough to warrant an operation, but I will be discussing this with my Neurologist when I see him on Thursday, anyway after speaking to my optician and also the GP, it looks like although my vision is not to bad under normal conditions it is not that great for reading and looking at small text on computer screens for any length of time so It is decided that I need to get a larger computer to work on. so I have decided to purchase a imac with a 27" screen, also means that I will need to get a nice comfy office chair so I can work from my desk.

27" Imac

 However after reading the posts on facebook I have taken some of the advice and connected my laptop to my smart TV, that way I can still spend a little longer on the computer but not an ideal situation but will allow me to produce my journal although not on a daily basis.

One of the problems with having  impaired vision is that I can never see if my coffee cup is up the right way LOL.

Ooop,s must clean my Spectacles again

As a lot of you know I had my monthly blood tests at the Eastney Health Centre last tuesday. Well all the blood tests were Ok from last week, and after seeing Doctor Tyrrell on Wednesday I have upped the Lactulose dose to 10 ml twice daily as I have developed "Minor Anal Fissures" through a  combination of Constipation and the Prednisolone causing my skin to thin. anyway I have some cream for that (Life really is a Pain in the butt at the moment)

Perhaps I should eat less fish ???

At least I have also found out from the cartoon above why I walk Funny "LOL" anyway just hope we do not have a lot of snow this winter otherwise I will have to go out wearing a Tuxedo.

Anyway that is about it for today, I am out shopping with Pauline tomorrow and then I will be seeing my Neurologist Dr Gibb at the Queen Alexander Hospital on Thursday so will get another journal posted on Friday to keep you all up to date on my exciting life, at least it will be turkey mince tonight not Fish so who Knows what that will bring tomorrow ???.

I am not coming to your house for dinner tonight

so I am now going to get this posted and just to say that I will get back to getting the journal written daily as soon as I have my larger computer anyway thanks for all your facebook messages and so until Fridays edition I will say..........

and welcome to another Thursday.

And has anyone seen Pauline ?????

yes folks it is Thursday again, Oh how the week flies by when we are having fun, what with a trip to the seaside on Monday, The vampire Tuesday, and yesterday the Doctors and now today the Lost "Pauline" life is full of Fun.

Wednesday 28th August 2013

Well Wednesday dawns bright and cheerful, and I have to get up earlier today as I have my appointment with Dr Tyrrell my long standing GP. I made an appointment to see him as I am finding that it is difficult to breath in this hot and humid weather we are having here in the UK this year and also Dr Tyrrell is retiring in September so I need to drop a thank you card in to him as well.

Happy Retirement Dr Tyrrell

 However I am up at 8.00 and into the lounge with a coffee where I text Pauline, She phones back to say her and gordon will be down at 9.30 and Gordon will take us to the Eastney health centre for my appointment at 10.00 and then he will go and start the weekly flat clean while Pauline and I go down to morrisons to get the shopping.

Once I have finished talking to Pauline I have a shower and then get ready for when Pauline and Gordon arrive/ They arrive about 9.30 so we have a coffee and then Gordon gets the wheelchair into the car and then we are off to the doctors, where Gordon Leaves us and heads back to the flat to start the cleaning.

Eastney Health centre (Stock Photo 2012)

We do not have to wait long to se Dr Tyrrell, he checks my temperature and also my chest and blood pressure and it is al Ok so agrees that it is the humidity that is causing me to find it harder to breath, anyway I will see Dr Gibb next Thursday and he will probably arrange for my yearly PFT the last twice it has been about 84% so not to mad for my age and as an ex smoker. anyway I wish him luck with his retirement and look forward to meeting his replacement, anyway as I thought he prescribes me a Ventolin  inhaler with a Aerochamber and so off we go to get that at the chemist across the road before phoning for a taxi to take us down to Morrisons at the City Centre.

Lloyds Pharmacy opposite Eastney Health Centre. (Stock Photo 2012)

Ventolin Inhaler with Aerochamber

Once we are down at Morrisons, we have a coffee and then get the shopping done before getting a Taxi back home, by this time it has just gone 12.00. Once home Gordon has got my flat nice and clean and tidy as usual and so we have a Sandwich for lunch and also a coffee and a good chat before Gordon and Pauline make there way home about 1.30.

You have done well Gordon. Thank you

At 2.00 I go for a cat nap for an hour and then at 3.00 I make a coffee and get the vegetable prepared for dinner before going into the lounge and getting some paperwork sorted out before dinner at 6.00 and settling down for the evening with the TV.

Here is the Wednesday Update on Tom Coleby,s Cycle ride by his mum Lesley Coleby

Lesley Coleby

Tom's John O'Groats to Land's End cycle ride - Day 6. The boys have safely arrived tonight's destination. They are staying between Warrington and Chester with Sophie, a good friend from University. She (or her parents!) are kindly putting them up for the night. I hope they are prepared for 5 sweaty, very hungry tired boys. I also hope they can borrow the washing machine, as I don't like to think of the state of their two sets of cycling kit! It was a long day today, 100 miles, it went well although a slow first 50 miles as Ed had a couple of punctures and wheel issues which meant they didn't arrive until gone 6pm. I gather the roads have been busier, as they have cycled through/near several big northern towns - Lancaster, Preston, Wigan and Warrington. Warrington is not far from Liverpool (Beatles fame!). It will be great for them to see a friendly face and Sophie is a lovely bubbly girl so I'm sure she will boost their spirits. Tomorrow they will be cycling not far from the Welsh border all the way down from Chester to Hereford. James's parents, who live in Cardiff, Wales, are hoping to meet them tomorrow night, so another boost hopefully. Keep the boys in your prayers, an accident can happen at any time, especially in the busier routes. Until tomorrow ........

So Far Tom has raised over £3,600 through his just Giving Page. Well Done Tom

Tom and Friends crossing the border from Scotland to England.(Tuesday ?)

Thursday 29th August 2013

Well after another decent nights sleep, waking once at 3.30 for the bathroom and also a glass of water I eventually woke at 7.30 where I got up and made a coffee which I took back to bed and lazed listening to the radio until 8.30.

Lazing in Bed

 At 8.30 I get up and make my way into the lounge where I text Pauline and then get some Porridge for breakfast, Pauline texts back to say she will phone me when she gets indoors as she is out with Misty on their morning walk. Once I have had breakfast I was up the breakfast things and then settle down to watch "Heir Hunters"  A Genealogy program on BBC 1. about 9.45 Pauline phones to say that all is Ok and that it is another hot day .

Walk don't Run !!

well once I have spoken to Pauline and The "Heir hunters has finished I get the Roland the Rollator out and take a walk round to the Tesco express to get the morning Paper and then have a wander into Milton Park where I sit in the fresh air to read the paper for 30 minutes before heading back home about 11.15.

Tesco Express (Stock photo 2012)

Milton Park (Stock Photo 2012)

Once back indoors I make a coffee and settle down to do the crossword in the paper and then watch an episode of "The Father Dowling Mystery,s" on the TV before going for a lie down until 2.00 when I get a Strawberry complan and a Banana for Lunch.

Father Dowling Mysteries 1987 - 1991

As I am washing up the lunch things, Gordon Phones to ask of I have spoken to Pauline this morning. as he has phoned her Mobile and Home phone and she is not answering. Gordon is up in Salisbury Today and Tomorrow , so I phone Pauline several times on both phones and I am thinking of getting a taxi over to their house in  waterlooville when my phone rings and it is Pauline, she went out to the local tesco and forgot to take her mobile, which is amazing as she is always telling me that I need to take my Mobile if I go out, anyway panic over and I tell her to phone Gordon as he is worried.

When you go out shopping take your Mobile with you

well after all that excitement LOL, I decide to make a coffee and get this journal written, so the rest of the day will be spent relaxing in front of the TV and having dinner at 6.00.tonight I am having a smoked loin of Cod cooked in butter with a jacket potato with grated cheddar cheese "Yummy, Yummy" Naughty but nice and then I can look forward to Freaky Friday tomorrow.

Smoked Cod loin half price from Morrisons

So there we are then folks so until the next Journal on Saturday I will say..............