vivdunstan

Crossing fingers that I'm approved fit for surgery. Whatever the case I'm trying to get fitter - within my neurological illness's limitations - before any surgery. Which primarily involves eating better, to lose some weight. Since Monday, by better eating, I've lost 0.6kg - over a pound in old money. I don't need to eat too much because I'm so asleep now, but I can eat unhealthily, and it all adds up. So have a new strategy for a little smackerel around breakfast, then slowly eat 10-15 grapes with a cup of tea around lunchtime, then a filling but not too big dinner. And cutting down on biscuits, chocolates etc. Wish me luck! At the moment I'm not feeling unreasonably hungry. Hoping to sustain it. Sadly hot flushes from having to suddenly stop HRT won't burn any calories. Mega drat!

Very sad to see the Scottish assisted dying bill voted against. Thinking of my dad tonight, and those like him, who suffered cruel and prolonged deaths from terminal disease, with totally inadequate palliative care, and would have dearly liked the option of assisted dying legislation.

And I find it really hard to read people posting about making life worth living instead. My dad died of pulmonary fibrosis, suffocating to death over two years hooked up permanently to oxygen. The last few months were agonising. People saying this haven't a clue how much some suffer. It is so cruel.

September 2025 is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month. This is a devastating diagnosis for anybody and their family to cope with. It's what my Dad died from, after a very sudden diagnosis, when the disease was already well advanced. An extremely cruel and under appreciated disease. For more information, see the Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis website.

Until Christmas I was blogging here once a week through the complete Sherlock Holmes short stories and the audio adventures of Doctor Who spinoff series Bernice Summerfield. I paused them over Christmas, and then since the start of the year have been totally felled neurologically, and for the last week extra ill with a cold probably picked up at the V&A Dundee the Friday before. Though testing negative for flu and Covid. And I'm glad I'm not much iller. But that on top of the neurological illness flare is just too much to cope with.

I'm hoping to get back to both the Sherlock Holmes and Benny (Bernice Summerfield) marathons soon. I am really enjoying rereading the Sherlock Holmes stories and writing up my thoughts after. And similarly listening to the Benny audios, many for the first time for me though not all, and writing up thoughts after. Setting myself the weekly challenge of reading/listening to these and blogging about them turned out to be huge fun, and helped me keep going, and engage with them more deeply. I am keen to resume. But will only do so when I'm stronger. But hopefully not too far off ...

Tonight I’ve been browsing the Network page for me here, finding more folks who post interesting stuff, and adding them to my subscriptions list and granting access to them to my friends locked posts here. So if I’ve added you in this way “Hi!”. I post regularly about books I’m reading and other stuff. Though this blog was initially mainly used to record even more restricted health posts re my progressive disease.