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Conundrums and contradictions; puzzles and paradoxes, I haz dem …
To say that the English climate doesn’t agree with me is the understatement of the century and I don’t just mean that I’m a wimp, start to feel cold under 25C and just don’t like it, although I’ll admit that all of those are true.
No, I am genuinely in pain every time it’s humid. The obvious difference is that, whereas that was one day in a 100 in Tenerife, here in the UK it has been the other 99 days. On the roughly 9 out of every 10 days when it’s too wet, too cold or threatening to be either or both, I’m in too much pain to move.
And we’re not just talking about some minor ache, it’s creaking joint and searing muscle pain, alternately both dull and sharp, in my shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, back, neck, hips, legs, knees, ankles, feet … often severe enough to make me cry, nauseous and prevent me from sleeping.
This is the same pain I’ve been suffering (and had previously been managing with combination of benign climate, a special mattress, a heat pad and careful balancing of effort versus rest; none of which tools I have available now) since 1995, but as I suspected it would, has been severely increased in frequency and severity in the British climate. And this is why I’ve spent the last 7 years begging my mother to make some sort of compromise to avoid it.
So you get some idea why it’s so difficult to cope, with the pain and with her.
And this is supposed to be summer. I will not be able to cope with winter.
Of course I know that if I don’t move, I’ll just stiffen up like some creaky old relic (and do), but it would make matters much worse if I was to get caught in rain, so balancing it to move far enough, often enough, is proving difficult.
Whenever I can on a day when it’s dry enough, I get out and walk (can’t afford anything else) the 2-3 miles to the village, despite the fact that it half kills me to do it and takes another few days before I can move again.
But I do it, because already, when too many wet days passed and I wasn’t able to go out my feet and ankles became so swollen that I could hardly get shoes on - never happened before - which was painful and quite scary.
It took a couple of days with my feet in the air to get the swelling down initially and, ironically, the only way I can keep it under control is by walking more and, when I’m at home keeping my feet up. The other contradictory thing I was recommended to reduce water retention, is to drink more water.
Now I can walk, or I can lie down with my feet up, but I dare not sit in a chair for more than a few minutes, because my feet go to sleep and / or swell up like balloons. I already couldn’t stand for long, unless I keep moving.
It’s difficult to manage and matters would be greatly enhanced by the ability to get into some warm water now and again, but obviously, that isn’t to be.
Still, I reckon this is all considerably better than taking some prescription drug with "… a monstrous list of side effects that includes diarrhoea, constipation, drowsiness, sleeplessness, hunger pangs, loss of appetite, euphoria, depression…", as The Grumpy Goat so aptly describes it.
More contradictions:
A dry skin problem on my forearms, wrists and hands that I only used to suffer in winter in Tenerife, has flared up already. At the other extreme, oily skin and a plague of "teenage spots" have returned to my back and face and, one or other has me constantly itching and scratching like a flea-ridden moggie.
Oh, why the pic of the dandelions? Dandelion root, is a powerful and safe diuretic for reducing fluid retention, dandelion root promotes liver detoxification and dandelion leaves support kidney function. Ground roasted dandelion root can be used as a coffee substitute. The leaf tea is not too dreadful either.
Sponzurz
