Cate's Diary
- Thread starter Cate
- Start date
I’m a little skeptical of the med management through a non-medical third party over email. This kind of thing happened to me a lot and I realized my providers weren’t all that attuned to what was happening so maybe I’m overly critical and sensitive to it. Since you’re going down should be fine but be careful. Maybe there’s risk of rebound hypertension when reducing some BP meds?
I'm so happy your doctor let you cut back on the BP meds! I really hope it solves things! Your day sounds really nice and relaxing and I'm happy you had fun making toppings for your soup! I am getting K to do things like that more for herself so she gets confidence in the kitchen, and she gets so happy when it comes out. I mostly made hideous grey mush (that usually tasted pretty good) when I was first teaching myself to cook, so I am really happy to help K to learn. Your weather sounds like from a movie. Funny I dreamed about taking a picture of a rainbow just this morning!
overlandflyer
Well-known member
you should check with your doctor, of course, but something i've discovered about medications in general... just because you change your dose or even stop some meds completely, do not expect their effect to go away immediately. i recently got a change to drop a blood thinner my doc had prescribed to cover a condition that turned out to have another cause. after the change, it took nearly a month until the effect of the higher dosage meds completely wore off.
a comment on BP... when i was in the hospital for joint replacements, my BP was checked every 4 hours. i was constantly amazed that it would change seemingly randomly. it's not like my activity was changing... most of the time i was just laying in bed... but one check would be 130/85 and the next might be 125/70... it didn't seem to make much sense.
a comment on BP... when i was in the hospital for joint replacements, my BP was checked every 4 hours. i was constantly amazed that it would change seemingly randomly. it's not like my activity was changing... most of the time i was just laying in bed... but one check would be 130/85 and the next might be 125/70... it didn't seem to make much sense.
Cate
Long term member
Thanks, Amy, LaMa, Rob, Marsia & Flyer.
I will keep a good check of my BP to make sure it doesn't go straight back up & will get back in touch straight away if it does. I'm seeing this cardio privately (I get some back from Medicare) but he also practises in our public health system. His is a small practice, with only him & his receptionist who is very good. He would have read my readings & looked at my CT scan & made the decision based on both. She would never have made the decision on his behalf. I think this new med was only going to be for 2 months anyway as that is all he prescribed.
Marsia- The weather is bonkers & is just like in the horror movies. I'm amazed we haven't lost power. I love rainbows! I always try to take photos of them. I forgot to say, but yesterday, while I was listening to my sister, I saw 2 wedge-tailed eagles flying on the wind & then a grey goshawk, which was so white. I had to write it down so I would remember to tell her when she stopped talking. She lives in a city & lives alone. Well, her son lives in a bungalow out the back, but she may as well be alone as they don't agree on anything much.
Flyer- BP is weird. I do react strongly to meds. I had started feeling a little better yesterday after reducing the meds on my own for 3 days. I was expecting him to say take 1/2 a tablet twice a day & was surprised when he said 1/2 once a day. I would have thought tapering it back would have been smarter, with continuing to take daily readings, but I'll do what he suggested & keep an eye on it. I think we all have to be our own advocates with health.
Although I feel much better today it is crazily wild outside. G went to get the paper (in the car) & said it's scarily windy. We think we'll spend the day pottering about doing housework/cooking instead of tackling the great outdoors. It's batten the hatches day.
Oatmeal, berries, prunes, milk this morning, followed by one ryvita with quark & a little jam. I felt like having bacon & eggs on toast and/or baked beans so am ok with my breakfast. I don't usually have anything after the oats. I think I am better off having a banana with it & 1 teaspoon of honey & a dollop of greek yoghurt.
I will keep a good check of my BP to make sure it doesn't go straight back up & will get back in touch straight away if it does. I'm seeing this cardio privately (I get some back from Medicare) but he also practises in our public health system. His is a small practice, with only him & his receptionist who is very good. He would have read my readings & looked at my CT scan & made the decision based on both. She would never have made the decision on his behalf. I think this new med was only going to be for 2 months anyway as that is all he prescribed.
Marsia- The weather is bonkers & is just like in the horror movies. I'm amazed we haven't lost power. I love rainbows! I always try to take photos of them. I forgot to say, but yesterday, while I was listening to my sister, I saw 2 wedge-tailed eagles flying on the wind & then a grey goshawk, which was so white. I had to write it down so I would remember to tell her when she stopped talking. She lives in a city & lives alone. Well, her son lives in a bungalow out the back, but she may as well be alone as they don't agree on anything much.
Flyer- BP is weird. I do react strongly to meds. I had started feeling a little better yesterday after reducing the meds on my own for 3 days. I was expecting him to say take 1/2 a tablet twice a day & was surprised when he said 1/2 once a day. I would have thought tapering it back would have been smarter, with continuing to take daily readings, but I'll do what he suggested & keep an eye on it. I think we all have to be our own advocates with health.
Although I feel much better today it is crazily wild outside. G went to get the paper (in the car) & said it's scarily windy. We think we'll spend the day pottering about doing housework/cooking instead of tackling the great outdoors. It's batten the hatches day.
Oatmeal, berries, prunes, milk this morning, followed by one ryvita with quark & a little jam. I felt like having bacon & eggs on toast and/or baked beans so am ok with my breakfast. I don't usually have anything after the oats. I think I am better off having a banana with it & 1 teaspoon of honey & a dollop of greek yoghurt.
Wow, it really does sound like a day from the movies. Don't go outside and blow away!! Wow, you have eagles in your woods - so magical! I haven't heard of a grey goshawk before - looked them up and they are gorgeous. Glad you are feeling better and hope the pottering day was nice and productive. I had one of those days, too!
Ooohh... wild weather! So much fun to see - but yes, tree branches can fall, and the ground can get slippy, so battening the hatches is a really good idea! - an excellent day for reading, jigsaws, embroidery, cooking... 
I loved your account of the eagles and the grey goshawk (which I always hear in the intonation of Steeleye Span, singing about King Henry ("and he has ta'en his grey goshawk, though it made his heart full sore...").
Enjoy your day inside, safe from the wild roaring winds!
I loved your account of the eagles and the grey goshawk (which I always hear in the intonation of Steeleye Span, singing about King Henry ("and he has ta'en his grey goshawk, though it made his heart full sore...").
Enjoy your day inside, safe from the wild roaring winds!
Cate
Long term member
Marsia- We haven't seen the wedge-tailed eagles for a while so it was lovely to see them & the goshawk. I don't think we have them nesting on our land, but their home is probably within 10 km. We aren't far from the mountains. I'm glad you got to have a lovely day too xoxo
Amy- The wild weather was fun. I polished off a book The Ruin (Cormac Reilly, #1) by Dervla McTiernan
We(hah- G) did some cooking, I did some ironing (all his clothes), dishes, washing & then we polished off a pot of herbal tea & then the sun came out & the wind just stopped. I suggested we go for a walk & we both went right down into the bush where we saw that a massive gum tree had come down (not on the track though). It was a nice walk & I didn't get dizzy at all. I had quite a few rests though & took my walking stick that converts to a seat.
LaMa- Thank you. I'm glad too! You made me smile. My sister needs to talk to me so I should ring her more often. I put her on speakerphone & I don't like it when G can hear her. I used to ring her when he was playing golf at the local course & I had hours to kill.
Wedge-tailed eagles- https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=...assive bird,have become a separate subspecies.
Grey goshawks- https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=13530
I love seeing these birds!
If I was to have a totem, mine would be a wedge-tailed eagle.
I am feeling so much better today.
Amy- The wild weather was fun. I polished off a book The Ruin (Cormac Reilly, #1) by Dervla McTiernan
We(hah- G) did some cooking, I did some ironing (all his clothes), dishes, washing & then we polished off a pot of herbal tea & then the sun came out & the wind just stopped. I suggested we go for a walk & we both went right down into the bush where we saw that a massive gum tree had come down (not on the track though). It was a nice walk & I didn't get dizzy at all. I had quite a few rests though & took my walking stick that converts to a seat.
LaMa- Thank you. I'm glad too! You made me smile. My sister needs to talk to me so I should ring her more often. I put her on speakerphone & I don't like it when G can hear her. I used to ring her when he was playing golf at the local course & I had hours to kill.
Wedge-tailed eagles- https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=...assive bird,have become a separate subspecies.
Grey goshawks- https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=13530
I love seeing these birds!
If I was to have a totem, mine would be a wedge-tailed eagle.
I am feeling so much better today.
Glad you’re feeling better Cate! I like the information about the eagle and hawks. Really neat you can see them where you are.
Re measuring bp, the AHA released some guidelines in March. I don’t know if their recommendations are internationally followed but they’re the big ones here in the US.
https://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/preventive-care/article/better-blood-pressure-testing
Re measuring bp, the AHA released some guidelines in March. I don’t know if their recommendations are internationally followed but they’re the big ones here in the US.
https://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/preventive-care/article/better-blood-pressure-testing
davisgirl
New member
Good morning Cate! So glad you heard back from the doc and can reduce the med. those numbers were too low!
We have the crazy winds here too, and it seems in the past 10 years the wind farms have gone up all over. Not cute Dutch windmills either, the giant industrial turbine type. A local kid about 15 years ago did a report in high school about how his small town could save money with a wind turbine. Well, he did a great report and the town noticed. They did their own report and shortly afterwards, up went the turbine. It handles all their municipal power needs. I wonder what that kid is doing today? I hope life has been a smashing success. Since then a company from Florida has put up dozens all over. I’d love to see footage of one in a tornado, we get a lot of them. The turbines are computer controlled, so when the weather gets wild, they lock down.
Why did I go off on that tangent? Glad you had a good day. Hope you start to feel better soon.
We have the crazy winds here too, and it seems in the past 10 years the wind farms have gone up all over. Not cute Dutch windmills either, the giant industrial turbine type. A local kid about 15 years ago did a report in high school about how his small town could save money with a wind turbine. Well, he did a great report and the town noticed. They did their own report and shortly afterwards, up went the turbine. It handles all their municipal power needs. I wonder what that kid is doing today? I hope life has been a smashing success. Since then a company from Florida has put up dozens all over. I’d love to see footage of one in a tornado, we get a lot of them. The turbines are computer controlled, so when the weather gets wild, they lock down.
Why did I go off on that tangent? Glad you had a good day. Hope you start to feel better soon.
Thanks for the links to the eagle and goshawks. We saw all sorts of eagles and eagles nests and heard all the babies calling for their moms when we went up to Washington state a couple of years ago, and then we saw our first local eagle on the way back home. That was very awe-inspiring, and makes me want to strike it rich and buy up land for land trusts along the coastline for birds and the elk. One can dream anyway! My totem animal would be the sea otter - I feel so elated being in the water and floating on top of the waves. Do you leave the fallen trees for forest habitat or would that be a fire hazard where you are?
Davisgirl, are you from Davis, CA? I lived there when my ex-husband was getting a graduate degree in cognitive psychology, and loved the hills and the rivers and deltas there. But it didn't seem that windy, so maybe you are in another Davis.
Davisgirl, are you from Davis, CA? I lived there when my ex-husband was getting a graduate degree in cognitive psychology, and loved the hills and the rivers and deltas there. But it didn't seem that windy, so maybe you are in another Davis.
Petal001
New member
Cate glad you heard back from the cardio and good you can cut back on that pill.
Weather just raining and raining here . Bit depressing really . Sounds like you had a great day with all the chats . I enjoy a good phone chat but people seem to prefer texting nowadays
I just noticed the rest of your messages sometimes they don't load . Lovely account of the eagles and your walk .you are sounding better and happier Cate.
Used to falling tress here in storms . Nearly got hit by one once so best to stay indoors Cate as you rightly did x
Weather just raining and raining here . Bit depressing really . Sounds like you had a great day with all the chats . I enjoy a good phone chat but people seem to prefer texting nowadays
I just noticed the rest of your messages sometimes they don't load . Lovely account of the eagles and your walk .you are sounding better and happier Cate.
Used to falling tress here in storms . Nearly got hit by one once so best to stay indoors Cate as you rightly did x
Cate
Long term member
Thanks, Rob (bensanon). We both really appreciate living in nature & love the birds. From our house, we see so many of Tasmania's native birds & hardly get any interlopers. Because over half of our land is native bush & we plant mostly native shrubs, we attract a lot of small native birds as well. Late yesterday afternoon about 30 very noisy yellow-tailed black cockies flew over. We once had about a hundred of them in the bush closer to our house. The noise was deafening. I love them. We see them & say "rough weather up the mountains". https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index....lack-Cockatoo,trees used for breeding hollows.
I read your link, thank you. I'm sure that my BP goes up when I see a doctor. Their machines usually really hurt my arm & often I have been rushing about & I know when I see my GP I am usually a bit crabby with her & when I see the cardio I am a bit anxious. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he drops the new med altogether. I'll ring again if my BP readings are what I think is too low. I felt so much better yesterday.
Edit: A green rosella just landed on our birdbath & had a drink around the ice. They love the new tree fern fronds & we have one just behind the birdbath outside our living room window & it offers protection for the little birds. This birdbath is the favourite.
Thanks, Pam. Those readings were too low & I felt awful with them. I laughed when you said you weren't sure where you were going with the wind turbines as I thought you were going to talk about them killing large birds like eagles
Hi, LaMa. The tree is well off the not very beaten track so is probably safe from the chainsaw. I had said to G that it could just sit there & become habitat. Down in what I call our bush block, but is about 15-20 acres, there is lots of safe & suitable habitat for all sorts of critters. It's almost impossible to walk through parts of it. It's only the actual "track" that I like kept clear.
Hi, Marsia. I have thought about having a covenant put on part of our land, but hesitate as it would stop us placing a little self-contained cabin down in the bush, which has always been a dream of mine. It would be off-grid & with a composting toilet. I look at plans for them from time to time but am always drawn back to these- Gypsy Wagons Australia Beautiful interiors of gypsy wagons and Shepherd's Huts, Australia,Tasmania. Sloping walls, curved ceilings, spacious, beds, bunks, cupboards, shelves, electrical work, feature lead-lights. Our gypsy caravans can be customized - Gypsy Wagons Australia
I love these wagons! It is a dream after all
Hi, Petal. I'm glad I got the ok to drop those pills right down too. I feel much better already! I do not like feeling like an invalid. The day ended up being ok so we got that walk in & it was nice. I just love being in nature. I am back to feeling good about life again. I think I will query taking any new meds more next time, even with a specialist I trust. I think waiting for the results of the CT scan would have been a better idea.
It was really frosty here this morning & we are easing into our day. I think I will do some more housework today as it's a little bit neglected. G can go off & get wood if he feels like it, but I'll take it easy still & maybe go for a walk. My BP readings are ok. Last night it was only 104/62, but that is day one of only 1/2 a pill, instead of 2 x1 full one. I'll keep track every day, although I find it annoying to have a monitor out in sight. I may not be big on housework, but I do like tidy & everything in its place. I have it & my chart in a very bulky ugly shoebox. I'll find a small shoebox & decorate it, I think. Actually, I think I have a few somewhere that are designed for Christmas presents.
OK. Enough waffling. Time to do something, after making sure that there are no new posts xoxo
I read your link, thank you. I'm sure that my BP goes up when I see a doctor. Their machines usually really hurt my arm & often I have been rushing about & I know when I see my GP I am usually a bit crabby with her & when I see the cardio I am a bit anxious. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he drops the new med altogether. I'll ring again if my BP readings are what I think is too low. I felt so much better yesterday.
Edit: A green rosella just landed on our birdbath & had a drink around the ice. They love the new tree fern fronds & we have one just behind the birdbath outside our living room window & it offers protection for the little birds. This birdbath is the favourite.
Thanks, Pam. Those readings were too low & I felt awful with them. I laughed when you said you weren't sure where you were going with the wind turbines as I thought you were going to talk about them killing large birds like eagles
Hi, LaMa. The tree is well off the not very beaten track so is probably safe from the chainsaw. I had said to G that it could just sit there & become habitat. Down in what I call our bush block, but is about 15-20 acres, there is lots of safe & suitable habitat for all sorts of critters. It's almost impossible to walk through parts of it. It's only the actual "track" that I like kept clear.
Hi, Marsia. I have thought about having a covenant put on part of our land, but hesitate as it would stop us placing a little self-contained cabin down in the bush, which has always been a dream of mine. It would be off-grid & with a composting toilet. I look at plans for them from time to time but am always drawn back to these- Gypsy Wagons Australia Beautiful interiors of gypsy wagons and Shepherd's Huts, Australia,Tasmania. Sloping walls, curved ceilings, spacious, beds, bunks, cupboards, shelves, electrical work, feature lead-lights. Our gypsy caravans can be customized - Gypsy Wagons Australia
I love these wagons! It is a dream after all
Hi, Petal. I'm glad I got the ok to drop those pills right down too. I feel much better already! I do not like feeling like an invalid. The day ended up being ok so we got that walk in & it was nice. I just love being in nature. I am back to feeling good about life again. I think I will query taking any new meds more next time, even with a specialist I trust. I think waiting for the results of the CT scan would have been a better idea.
It was really frosty here this morning & we are easing into our day. I think I will do some more housework today as it's a little bit neglected. G can go off & get wood if he feels like it, but I'll take it easy still & maybe go for a walk. My BP readings are ok. Last night it was only 104/62, but that is day one of only 1/2 a pill, instead of 2 x1 full one. I'll keep track every day, although I find it annoying to have a monitor out in sight. I may not be big on housework, but I do like tidy & everything in its place. I have it & my chart in a very bulky ugly shoebox. I'll find a small shoebox & decorate it, I think. Actually, I think I have a few somewhere that are designed for Christmas presents.
OK. Enough waffling. Time to do something, after making sure that there are no new posts xoxo
Petal001
New member
Cate I think I mentioned before but my bp shoots up when I have to go to the doctor . But they know that now . I hope you get off the pill in the long term but if you need a half pill it's not too bad.
Those gypsy caravans are cute. Very reminiscent of the Irish gypsies who lived in them and travelled around the country in them with their horses pulling them along. You can rent them now for a holiday . They would make a wonderful little lodge .
Those gypsy caravans are cute. Very reminiscent of the Irish gypsies who lived in them and travelled around the country in them with their horses pulling them along. You can rent them now for a holiday . They would make a wonderful little lodge .
I love cockatoos. And yellow-tailed black cockies are so dramatic with their colouring - our place just has ordinary old galahs - I like them well enough and I like the common sulphur-crested too, but they can't compare to yellow-tailed or red-tailed black cockies for drama.
The gipsy caravans are really, really appealing - if I had a block large enough, I'd be very tempted!
The gipsy caravans are really, really appealing - if I had a block large enough, I'd be very tempted!
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Cate, I enjoy reading your posts about the weather and nature in Tasmania, such an exotic place. I had no idea it was so cold. I looked at pictures of your eagle and goshawk. Your wedge-tailed eagle looks a bit like our golden eagle, but we have nothing like your grey goshawk. Both are impressive birds. You once said you would someday post a list of the species you see on your place, that would be interesting. So different from what I am used to.
Your gypsy caravans are interesting, do you really think you'll get one? They look a little like the Basque wagons we see around here, years ago when I first lived in Utah they were pretty common out in the more remote areas, Basque sheepherders lived in them and followed their sheep. Some still do and you still see them in use once in a while. And like your gypsy caravans they can now be purchased for camping purposes Idaho Sheep Camp Inc. - Idaho Sheep Wagons are Handcrafted all WOOD No PLASTIC -No Particle Board.. there built in the old traditional style Click here for more infoWas Priced at $16,500 Now $14,200.00 . I have not seen a Basque sheep wagon finished as nicely as the caravans in your links.
I keep up on your health posts, but have so little expertise on the matter I hesitate to comment, except to wish the best for you!
Your gypsy caravans are interesting, do you really think you'll get one? They look a little like the Basque wagons we see around here, years ago when I first lived in Utah they were pretty common out in the more remote areas, Basque sheepherders lived in them and followed their sheep. Some still do and you still see them in use once in a while. And like your gypsy caravans they can now be purchased for camping purposes Idaho Sheep Camp Inc. - Idaho Sheep Wagons are Handcrafted all WOOD No PLASTIC -No Particle Board.. there built in the old traditional style Click here for more infoWas Priced at $16,500 Now $14,200.00 . I have not seen a Basque sheep wagon finished as nicely as the caravans in your links.
I keep up on your health posts, but have so little expertise on the matter I hesitate to comment, except to wish the best for you!
Cate
Long term member
Hi, LaMa, Petal, Amy & Rob (& anyone else reading my diary)
"Beautiful birds" We are so, so lucky to live here.
Rob, I was thinking only the other day that I must list them somewhere here & I had forgotten that I had said I would. I will soon. I might start a new thread. I might also start a thread listing the veggies I eat each day- not as a challenge, just for fun. I don't really like competitions, but I find it interesting to see what things others eat. No. Maybe I'll just put both down the bottom of my diary each day.
Gypsy caravans are just lovely. Maybe one day I will have one, but that would depend on circumstances. I could imagine having one just for myself to stay in on our younger son's land or for him to stay in on ours. I fancy having a sort of commune for friends and/or family up here, with them dotted around. It's just dreaming & dreaming is fun. I don't want to leave here.
I'm a bit over my blood pressure really. Now that I feel pretty well back to my normal self I'm going to pretend that I am fine & move on. I know that I can't lift anything heavy (aneurysm in the middle of my heart) but other than that I am just going to move forward, stick to low salt as much as I can & be as healthy as I can & enjoy life.
G & I are having an outing today & are headed for the farmers market 60 km away. I have been getting a bit of cabin fever.
Yesterday I say the grey goshawk again, some eastern spinebills, black-headed honeyeaters, blue wrens, yellow-throated honey-eaters, forest ravens, I heard a couple of grey shrike-thrushes calling out to one another, but didn't see them & we have seen a lot of little birds lately that we are not sure of but think they may be Tasmanian Thornbills.
Yesterday the veggies I ate were- carrots, beetroot, bok choy, potato, sweet potato, cabbage, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic...We had warm veggies twice (lunch & dinner), once with venison casserole & some quinoa/rice & then with grilled salmon. We shared a bottle of good red wine.
We had a fruit platter after dinner- pineapple, orange & apple. I have NO fruit left & only pumpkin in the fridge. I cleaned out the fridge yesterday so it's ready & waiting
"Beautiful birds" We are so, so lucky to live here.
Rob, I was thinking only the other day that I must list them somewhere here & I had forgotten that I had said I would. I will soon. I might start a new thread. I might also start a thread listing the veggies I eat each day- not as a challenge, just for fun. I don't really like competitions, but I find it interesting to see what things others eat. No. Maybe I'll just put both down the bottom of my diary each day.
Gypsy caravans are just lovely. Maybe one day I will have one, but that would depend on circumstances. I could imagine having one just for myself to stay in on our younger son's land or for him to stay in on ours. I fancy having a sort of commune for friends and/or family up here, with them dotted around. It's just dreaming & dreaming is fun. I don't want to leave here.
I'm a bit over my blood pressure really. Now that I feel pretty well back to my normal self I'm going to pretend that I am fine & move on. I know that I can't lift anything heavy (aneurysm in the middle of my heart) but other than that I am just going to move forward, stick to low salt as much as I can & be as healthy as I can & enjoy life.
G & I are having an outing today & are headed for the farmers market 60 km away. I have been getting a bit of cabin fever.
Yesterday I say the grey goshawk again, some eastern spinebills, black-headed honeyeaters, blue wrens, yellow-throated honey-eaters, forest ravens, I heard a couple of grey shrike-thrushes calling out to one another, but didn't see them & we have seen a lot of little birds lately that we are not sure of but think they may be Tasmanian Thornbills.
Yesterday the veggies I ate were- carrots, beetroot, bok choy, potato, sweet potato, cabbage, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic...We had warm veggies twice (lunch & dinner), once with venison casserole & some quinoa/rice & then with grilled salmon. We shared a bottle of good red wine.
We had a fruit platter after dinner- pineapple, orange & apple. I have NO fruit left & only pumpkin in the fridge. I cleaned out the fridge yesterday so it's ready & waiting