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Much Ado About Nothing…?
A LOVE a bit of Shakespeare (I know! Who would have thought??) and lately the title of perhaps my favourite of The Bard’s scribbles has been running through my mind.
Most of you who read my own scribbles, and everyone who knows me personally out-in-the-real-world, would probably say I’m an extrovert; a bust-or-bust through type; and someone who doesn’t get fazed by too much if anything at all. I’ve been called brave (not really sure why), brazen (I’ll put my hand up for that), and someone who drags others along for the wild ride on The Emma Thorne Bus (which I guarantee will never run on time however nor will it be dull). I was sitting at home a couple of Saturday nights ago pondering which of my far too short outfits I was going to wear on a random night out on the town here in quirky old Hobart. I love these random adventures…I just pick a vicinity and plough on in to it and meet whoever I end up meeting and spend the night dancing and drinking to my heart’s content until the inevitable “walk of shame” down the main thoroughfares of the city home in the wee small hours. I clearly remember feeling the hem of my favourite leopard print dress when…………………………
The next thing I know I am confused and think I am in the Emergency Department at Royal Hobart Hospital – which is exactly where I was. Tubes of every type and description were emanating from me, the machine that goes “Bing!” was in my ear, and I was surrounded by medical professionals doing their absolute best to sort me out – which they did. Me being me, I stupidly talked my way out of the hospital 12 hours later thinking I would be much better off at home henceforth 4 hours later I was back in the Emergency Department worse off than I originally was. To cut a long story short, a week and a half later I was released from hospital. I had every test imaginable bar a pregnancy test which I think at one stage they seriously considered. The upshot was I had suffered severe hypertension – my doctor, though saying my initial blood pressure readings were not a hospital record, did say they were definitely a finalist. Years of holding stuff in and bluffing my way through had finally caught up with me.The message here is not my recent illness. The message here will be that I completely ignored the warnings I had along the way and did nothing about them…I mean, I’m Emma Thorne aren’t I? I can handle anything. Hmm maybe not. In October last year, in Melbourne for TransActShon, I went to the Myer Emporium like many of us did to pick out some nice numbers from the sales. Wandering around the floors I clearly remember feeling decidedly wobbly on my feet to such an extent that I had no option but to find a seat in the mall and just gather myself up again. It was fucking scary stuff at the time and anyone looking at the poor sweating and disorientated soul lounging on that seat that day must have thought “oh the poor man he’s drunk….isn’t it pathetic at his age?”. Several minor incidents similar to this had precluded this major one which I also ignored. That night at TransActShon I was the life of the party with the morning’s event firmly put out of my mind.
I could have had a major stroke. I could have had a huge heart attack and dropped dead at any stage. I was a walking time bomb. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE my sisters if you haven’t done it for a while, or worse have never done it, go and get a checkup just to see how you are travelling. I don’t want anyone to go through that and if I can just prompt someone to get along to the quack and puts steps in place to avoid any potential health issues then well and good.
Please Note: I am in NO WAY fishing for sympathy. This whole thing was my own stupid and reckless fault and the blame all lies with me. I am now fine, about to buy a new house with direct beach access (Yay!), and take my new regime of pills and potions religiously. Someone will live forever so why not me?
IF YOU ARE NOT 100% SURE ABOUT HOW YOU ARE GO AND SEE YOUR DOCTOR OTHERWISE AUNTY EMMA WILL BE DISPLEASED AND I AM NOT ALLOWED TO BE DISPLEASED. SO IT IS UP TO YOU TO ENSURE I GET BETTER.
Please Note #2: To my social friends out there have no fear darlings and it will not change my partying ways one zot. Try me.
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7 Replies
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Oh dear, I must have missed you in Myers at the Trans gathering, we were up on the fuller figure area ready with plastic to no avail. Travel well, mi dear. Sympathy? you’re joking.
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Glad to hear you are ok. I had a Heart Attack in 2011. I had my Gall Bladder removed in 2016, at the time my Vascular Surgeon told me i had a AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm) but that it wasn’t to the point i needed surgery. Shortly after that i met a woman from Australia and went to visit her. Fast forward to summer of 2018 and i was home in the US and was going thru a huge purge in anticipation of her coming to visit in the fall. My blood pressure was through the roof. I hadn’t seen my Cardiologist or Vascular Surgeon in 2 years. We were planning on going to Hawaii after her visit. The week before she got there i was in the hospital for the 2nd time. My AAA had grown and i needed surgery soon! It was November and I had surgery in January. All is good now. They released me in March to come back down. Then i went back home in June. In July i accidentally sent her an email from my teri account. It was the best thing that ever happened. We had a long talk and she said she was glad teri wasn’t another woman. Anyhow long story short, I have been back down 2 times for 3 months each and plan on coming back again. I just recently found this website and I am hoping to make some friends in Australia. Please ladies, don’t fool around with your blood pressure. Go see a Doctor. Again Emma, I’m glad to hear you are ok.
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And I am glad you are ok too Teri x
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Dearest Aunty Emma,
You do have my sympathy because it was such serious problem. I’m so glad that you are better and that the treatment is working.
Your advice on doing something where there are warning signs is so important. Many of us still have the lingering male behaviour of thinking we are bulletproof, or kyrtonite proof in your case super-Emma.
Would it be far too intrusive to suggest that a hell for leather life might contribute a little?
Thanks for the important message and the news that you are well now darling
Paula
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You are totally safe Emma. Only the good die young.
I visit my GP every 6 months, have a blood test and she, a lovely Ukrainian lady, tells me there is nothing to worry about. My heart has been checked thoroughly and is considered to be in good shape for my age. I have sensitive skin, so another destination is the local skin cancer clinic from which I emerge covered in small boils that the doctor creates by spraying liquid nitrogen onto my “pre-cancers” to cauterize them. So far, so good but …….
Statistically, about 40% of all heart attacks happen to people who are fit, have had regular check-ups and have never displayed any symptoms whatsoever. Autopsies also show that many people have had heart attacks previously of which they were quite unaware and therefore nothing was reported. So no one is exempt. (There is a very useful chapter on this in BiIl Bryson’s book “The Human Body – a Guide for Occupants”)
My point is that keeping fit, being squeaky clean and saintly in everything you do, and visiting your GP regularly is a guarantee of NOTHING! Your best guide is your own bodily signs; react to them when they don’t seem right.
So my dear Emma, you are on the right track. Enjoy life to the full, have fun and don’t walk home alone at night xxx.
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Much Ado About Nothing. I strongly suspect our ageing membership is subject to the trials and tribulations of advancing years. Trust me, I’m no exception. I have a constant and unrelating battle with diabetes impacting enormously on daily life. I’m not yet on insulin which in itself presents it’s own challenges, however I’m on the last resort of oral medications causing unceasing hours of dizziness and worry. The dizziness prevents driving meaning many days are spent home twiddling thumbs and despite my best effort creates unprecedented boredom. I most definitely do not leave my health responsibilities to the medical professionals, currently experimenting with doses, under the guidance of the practice pharmacist, the the results are quite interesting and in my favour. Diabetes aside, next week there is a potentially worrying skin cancer on my shoulder being excised.by the GP. The GP was extremely quick on examination to say that needs to be removed immediately, hmm.
Heart attacks? I’ve had two, strokes two, TIA’s several. SRD, that was a bit of a concern, I most definitely didn’t like the intubation, The SRD was hospital acquired. In the end we continue to jog along. That my friends is what’s known as life. -
Well I can offer some advice here Liz…I too am diabetic and have been on insulin for nearly 40 years. Your condition will be immeasurably easier to manage with going down that track and, despite my best efforts recently, I have no signs of any diabetic related deterioration after all these years.
I had an excellent endocrinologist when I was first diagnosed. He told me two things: keep yourself reasonably lean and eat properly. Do that, he said, and you won’t have any problems – and that is basically how it has been.
The first 50,000 injections are the hardest I told my sister that when she faced the same situation you are. I finally convinced her and it has just her life for the better. Get on the juice!
