This inhaler bag is sadly not working for me anymore.

 

When it's in my bag, I don't see the pink part of this bag, so I struggle to see it. This has been happening since my eye trouble started and so that is partly to blame. 

I have on regular occasions not taken it out of my handbag when needing it to hand, because of not seeing it and on odd occasions when it has come to removing it from my ruck sack.

After not taking it out of my handbag one evening, with a few items I take out at the same time, to put in my rucksack I use for my morning job and for whatever follows that morning, I knew it was time to look for another bag for my inhaler and spacer.

 

I now have a pink cotton canvas bag for my inhaler and spacer. So I shouldn't miss this one. But I have still kept my other bag in case I ever need to fall back on it because this new cotton bag, as I dare not zip it up completely, with the zip being difficult to unzip. 

 

 

 

 

I bought myself a new blood pressure monitor. A Braun ExactFit 3 Model BUA6150. 

 

 

My other Braun BP monitor is of a different model number. I have had it a good number of years. So I bought a new one to make sure my blood pressure readings were accurate. To say the arm cuff is supposedly for the same arm measurement as my previous one, I feel this fits my arm better.

Although I have this new BP monitor, I still have the other one. But I doubt I will have any reason to go back to it.

I expect not to have any other questions asked now regarding my actions as a deputy and before I became deputy, since when I Mentioned how I unexpectedly had to answer some questions in last month's chit-chat. 

My mood has struggled to pick up. But I have picked up, compared to before. 

My anxiety is back to low or nil levels. But I am jumpy with things, like bangs, or if someone has come up behind me and I am not aware until the last minute. So my body feels high alert.

4th May was local election in my area. To vote for:

I changed my mind on the choice of new Mayor in the week leading up to the elections. But that person did not win who I had chosen and instead, the person who was already Mayor remained Mayor with him being chosen by a majority. But that's fine with me. I voted for him last time.

My choice for District Council Election never changed who I voted for. But I am not going into it any further as to who I chose for each of these, than obviously many will know, and that my vote was not for anyone in the Conservatives. I never will and never have voted for these. 

This month was also the Kings Coronation. We had an extra bank holiday in the UK because of this. Why we had an extra bank holiday when the Coronation was on a weekend, I do not know. But I won't knock an extra day off just to relax. I didn't watch it. I don't care and, as I have said before, which I agree with, the Coronation should have been funded by him and not by the tax payer. I don't want to watch the wealthy all glammed up showing their gold or whatever when there are people who are much worse off in the UK.

My long weekend was spent at home cutting myself off from the world, watching dvd's. I did not want to see anything, like displays or whatever may have been happening in my area for celebration of this event. If there was any, which I don't know, as I did not look it up to find out. I didn't read up on it either. I avoided the news. I just couldn't give two monkeys about it.

I had a week off from both my jobs. It was also my birthday that week. I am 47 years old. 

I made the most of my week off going out to places. 

I went to Newark-on-Trent once. But originally I had plans to go twice, but I decided on once with my energy levels a bit low by near the end of the week. 

Once to Edwinstowe, where I went around Sherwood Forest while there, and twice around my local res. My local res being Kings Mill Res as most of you will know. 

On both occasions, while at Kings Mill res being in nature, I also watched the water activities going on that "The Mill Adventure Base" provide.

 

One of the days at my local res, one was on my birthday. I spent over half a day in nature there. 

I had a black tea at the cafe while there first thing that morning and then had a vegan mushroom risotto for lunch.

 

On the way home, I bought myself a vegan chocolate muffin with strawberry pieces on top. (I had one of these first thing that morning while in town.) So I had cake. Guilt free.

 

 

The photos below of my birthday cards and magnetic book markers I opened that morning, on my birthday.

 

 

The days I spent at my local res, after I continued to be outside when home in my own garden. Whether it was jobs in the garden, or just relaxing. I did this until the evening before watching my dvd's.

I also spent time in my garden at the weekend of that week too.

Near the end of the month, I was back at the eye clinic. A much later appointment than they originally told me I would next expect my appointment. 

I had a full eye check on this examination, as it was those stinging eye drops they give so they could look at the back of the eye, as well as the eye pressure tests; one that blows the air in your eye and the other where a tip touches the eye, that I had done last off.

I mentioned to the doctor that I first mentioned to the nurse on this visit (which the nurse said to mention this to the doctor) about the stress I have been under since 2019 because of what has been going on with my mum and the knock-on effects on my own mental health. Especially the last 2 years when I was deputy for my mum's finances, waiting to be relieved from those duties, and which led to my bad eating habits where I was eating on a lot of sweet cakes. Letting them know that, finally, in January, I was removed from those duties after waiting for some time to be removed and so now the stress and pressure are dropping since then.

I mentioned this because of it not being raised by me or something that has ever been asked by them since being under them.

I mentioned how I was originally cutting out sweet foods completely. But after a month, I just couldn't do it and so I allowed the odd treat. But what I eat is much less than before and even less to what I used to eat before it all got out of control.

I mentioned why I was doing this because I had suspicion after seeing a video about how sugar can cause inflammation at the back of the eye and knowing how sugar affects my joints, I could not help but wonder if I had caused my eye issue.

Both the nurse and the doctor said that stress could well have been the factor as well as the amount I have been eating of sweet foods.

The nurse was very surprised I had not put weight on by eating what I had been eating. But I told her that when I am stressed, I do easily lose weight.

 

The eye clinic wants to check me again in 6 months because of family history on my mum's side for glaucoma.

Although I have no signs of glaucoma, they can't say if I would have it later. So they want to see me again, to check my eyes.

I continue to only allow sweet treats when I want when I am out, as this is where I only have self-control. But I don't have a sweet treat every time I am out.

I have tried a pack of cakes in the house and I have no control. So I have no plans to buy a pack or make my own sweet goodies.

You will know in the 'Chit-chat March 2023' post that I had to give away a couple of pieces of my furniture, just so I could get rid of mum's dining table and chairs to charity.

Although I wasn't planning on doing this, I felt good about doing it. I still do.

So, this month, after I kept looking at my bookcase for the past month in my bedroom that I use for my clothes, I thought, you know, I am getting rid of this for a 3-drawer plastic drawer. 

This month I did just that and it takes up half the space while still containing my clothes I wear.

I continued doing a light declutter, which mainly consisted of dvd's. But I also donated an item from the kitchen and a jewellery box that took up room on top of where I had it previously in another room that made it feel cluttered. It was one of them that looked like a piece of furniture on a small scale. Drawers for rings or bracelets and a door you open to hang your necklaces.

I had it for years and it's still like new. So, in the charity bag it went. So, two bags of donations went in the end.

 

I don't have many jewellery pieces, so a much smaller jewellery box was enough.

I'm happy not seeing my previous jewellery box that I felt was like clutter these last couple of years.

 

 

 

© "Liz's Onward Journey," by Elizabeth Fisher