I’m speaking mentally, you understand, not meteorologically. The almost endless cycle of wind and rain which has been battering the British Isles for the past two months hasn’t allowed much fog to form, though today’s welcome lull between two storms has seen the hills look misty for once.
The mental fog after my general anaesthetic has been a different matter. I don’t ever remember taking so long to shed the effects of an anaesthetic and I’m still finding it hard to concentrate for any length of time. I seem to have slipped into a kind of suspended animation, so that time drifts by almost without my noticing it. Only now am I starting to feel a bit more awake and ready to tackle things, as long as they don’t involve heavy lifting.
The past two weeks have been been filled with a random mixture of blog and book-reading, knitting and TV-watching - hardly the stuff of a riveting blog-post. The weather has been almost unrelievedly terrible, with the countryside too sodden and wind-blown to tempt me out for a walk. The real sign of hope is the noticeably lengthening days, which reminds me that, despite all signs to the contrary, winter is passing and spring can’t be too far away.
Until then, perhaps what I need is a mischievous cat to keep me on my toes and stop me nodding off. All that mending would certainly help the time pass productively.
Maybe they gave you some Versed or Propofol. My doctor was telling me that he couldn't remember things for two weeks after being given Versed, Personally, I'd rather be given simple valium and a pain killer rather than these two drugs that are designed to steal your memory. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. Yes, the days are getting longer and that is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI haven't a clue what the anaesthetic was, Rubye, but I do know I couldn't stay awake for more than half an hour at a time for the next day and a half. I stopped taking the pain-killers after a couple of days as they too made me so sleepy and took away my appetite. Thankfully that's all in the past and I really am starting to feel much more like my old self, just in time for spring. :-)
DeleteI really enjoyed this Simon's cat! So true to life with cats... my cats do this all the time and we never see what they're chasing. We guess it must be a flying bug that is beyond our sight...
ReplyDeleteAnd I also love that picture of the fog. Whenever I see fog, I think of Merlin and the 'dragon's breath'.
As for how you are feeling, I didn't realize that you were having such a hard time as a result of the anesthesia? Sure hope you throw off that haze and get back to your old self soon. :)
Watching a cat chase a fly is one of the great pleasures of life, Rian. They're so persistent and determined and do such funny things in the process. I really miss having a cat about the place.
DeleteThe picture of the tree in the fog was taken on a day when we were lost in the clouds and the sun was finally beginning to break through. I'm rather pleased with it, just as I am with the fact that my mental fog is lifting. I usually bounce back quite quickly after a general anaesthetic, but this time it's been a really slow process. It must be my age.... Here's to a bright spring before long.
So glad to here that 'the fog' is passing and you are on the mend. The snowdrops, primroses and even daffodils are doing their best to tell us winter is over here...that's if they are not submerged in flood water! Keep smiling!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Harriet, and nice to see you. :-) Things are much further ahead down with you if you have daffodils already. Plenty of snowdrops here, but I've yet to see a hint of a primrose or daffodil. I do hope your floods subside soon. The West Country has had such a terrible time this winter.
DeleteThe same tree and the same hill behind it and yet they look totally different in the fog and when the sun shines through. I'm so glad that you are starting to feel better - nothing is ever instant and it's all part of the healing process as they say. The constant rain and wind do seem endless but having the days noticeably lighter is quite a lift. Simon's cat is so true to life - I've got one just like him:)
ReplyDeleteThat's just what I thought too, Molly, as I sorted through my vast collection of photos of 'our' ash tree to find the right ones. :-) I never tire of the way it changes.
DeleteIt's good to be feeling much more like my normal self now. I think I expected to bounce back as I used to do, forgetting that I'm nearly nine years older than the last time I had a general anaesthetic. Still, the weather has been very conducive to some gentle hibernation, so no need to feel guilty about my inactivity. :-)
Simon;s Cat always reminds me that once we stop moving about so much I'm going to get another cat.
Glad to see that you’ve got your typing muscles working at least. Also glad that the raingods have - temporarily - put a sock in it. But, of course, we’re back to wet and windy and soggy again by now. If you had to be ill and incapacitated it’s as well that it happens now and your own incarceration coincides with a time you wouldn’t be out in anyway.
ReplyDeleteI can recommend reading as a very pleasant pastime. I never tire of it.
Best of luck and get DH to keep those cups of tea coming.
Yes, I'm glad to have been able to think through another post, even if only a short one. All I've managed for the past two weeks have been some blog comments and emails and even those I'm behind with. You're spot on about it being the right weather to be out of circulation. There's no temptation even to put my nose out of doors most days.
DeleteI love reading too, always have done, though even reading been in dribs and drabs rather than long concentrated periods. I was back to making my own tea very quickly. Not being a tea drinker, DH's efforts are not very successful.....
I'm so sorry that the effect of the anaesthetic has been so miserable for you....though perhaps a haze helps to put up with the miserable weather.
ReplyDeleteI look at the U.K. newspapers online and shudder - not just at the storms but the sheer depressing inability to cope with storms and floods.
You have Simon's cat to cheer you up...we have a week old lamb. No nodding off until he does.....and here he comes again, nudging my knees for his bottle....
it was really unexpected, Helen, as I've always recovered very quickly in the past. The sleepness night before admission wouldn't have helped, but somehow the after-effects have really lingered this time. Still, when it's raining cats and dogs and blowing a near-hurricane, having an excuse to do nothing is really quite welcome.
DeleteThe unrelenting succession of storms is well beyond the ordinary and even though there is incompetence at times, the sheer amount of damage, especially along the coasts, is truly shocking. As for the floods, there we are reaping the whirlwind of our mistaken management of rivers and floodplains, as expressed so eloquently in the following article: http://tinyurl.com/o6h7x6o
I demand photos of your new lamb! We once bottle-reared twin lambs for a friend and I've never forgotten the experience. ;-)
A crisp, foggy February morning would actually be quite welcome methinks, instead of all this wet.
ReplyDeleteI do hope you unfog soon x
Crisp? I've almost forgotten what that feels like. We've had so little frost this winter and I do love a frosty morning. I'm sure I'd feel more awake..... :-)
DeleteI'm afraid that the older we get, Perpetua, the longer it takes for our bodies to recover, be it from illness, injury or, in your case, a general anaesthetic. Certainly that's been my experience in the recent past & I am only a few years behind you :-)
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm glad to read that you are finally beginning to feel 'a bit more awake' & hope & pray that this continues. I love the two contrasting photographs and as always, Simon's Cat is great fun & so close to reality in our household, now we have Šárek.
Unfortunately you're absolutely right, Ricky, much as it pains me to admit it. In the past I've been sitting up with tea and toast and my knitting only a few hours after an operation, whereas as this time I was really wiped-out. At least I'm now answering comments the same evening. After my last post it took me four days to rely to them, which says it all really. :-)
DeleteI'm glad you like the photos and I knew you would appreciate Simon's Cat, now you are living with a lively young one as well as stately old Oscar.
Sorry to hear that the anaesthetic has stayed so long with you, perhaps they gave you a heftier dose than you needed?
ReplyDeleteAt least it has forced you to stay in one place at a time when you really need to.
I hope your fuzzy mental processes clear along with the ghastly weather as soon as possible.
Meanwhile Simon's cat can keep you amused until Moses comes along and clears a path through the water.
BlessingsX
I can't really say, Ray, though I think they calculate these things very carefully nowadays. It may have been made worse because I was put on painkillers while waiting for the op and then was given morphine straight after as well as other pain-killers later. My ageing body probably didn't like the combination, hence the persistent fuzziness. :-)
DeleteStaying in one place has not been a penance in this weather. I just pity those who are trying to get on with their lives in such difficult circumstances. It's raining yet again as I type, but at least we're in no danger of being flooded. Please God we'll get some brighter weather soon.
A thousand Amens.
DeleteWe've actually had sun for most of today, but sadly it's only an interlude. Sigh.....
DeleteIts great that you are once again starting to feel part of the human race. While this 'fog' may have been unwanted perhaps it helped in the healing process ... no sudden urges to attempt something beyond what was allowed:)
ReplyDeleteAs for your weather ... Poor UK!! I have looked at on-line videos as I have a friend in Devon and it is a tragedy that the ocean has decided to exceed its boundaries!
Spring must be around the corner:)
Thanks, Shirley. It feels good to be more alert at last, though I still flag after a busy day like today when we had to go into town. I'm just going to have to be patient - not my strongest suit. :-)
DeleteThankfully the rain eased today and we actually had sunshine and blue skies here in Mid-Wales though another storm is scheduled to hit us overnight. The West Country has had an appalling time and the floodwaters are still rising in many places, with high tides expected too at the weekend. Roll on spring......
Dear Perpetua - glad you are making progress even if you are finding it a bit slow yourself. Perhaps it has been a good thing that you have been feeling a little 'foggy' it will have made you take things perhaps more easily than you may have done otherwise. Time is on your side, there is nowhere to go in this awful weather, you are better off, in the warm, and indoors.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosemary. You're right that I've had little choice but to take thing easy. The combination of mental fog and these endless storms has slowed me down to a virtual crawl. :-) Still, I'm enjoying the books I'm reading and my second sock is moving along nicely. Talking of the weather, I do hope you also had a respite today. It was so uplifting to have sunshine and blue skies for much of the day.
DeleteI'm glad to know you're making progress and I hope you'll feel back to normal soon. I hope, too, that better weather is on its way to where you are.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer. Things are improving day by day as far as my health is concerned, though sadly I can't say the same about our weather. Blue skies and sunshine today, which was wonderful, but the next storm is arriving overnight. Sigh.....
DeleteHow fun to have Simon entertain for a bit, Perpetua, and glad to know that the fog is slowly lifting.
ReplyDeleteHaving had a few surgeries myself, I found the inability to concentrate the most disconcerting. After a time, it abated, but, I remember thinking I had all sorts of time to recover and would tackle all the War and Peace type novels I never quite got to, and found myself scanning magazines and short stories instead. I will be sending good thoughts (and, hopefully, no storms) across to you and hope that the fogs lift.
The days are, indeed, getting longer - a welcoming sign.
Simon's cat is a wonderful pick-me-up, Penny, particularly now that I can laugh in comfort again. :-)
DeleteYou obviously know exactly what I'm experiencing with my post-operative fog. I thought I'd start to learn music theory because I can't practise and instead I could barely concentrate even on reading and commenting on blogs at first. Increasing age doesn't help either, I think. I'm sure I bounced back a bit more quickly than this in the past. :-) Thanks for the good wishes, though sadly the storms are still coming....
Pleased you are starting to feel better at last. Sadly, if your winter is nearly over it means our summer has gone very fast and winter will soon arrive here. I am having trouble keeping up with the days they just fly past - better than time dragging though.
ReplyDeleteOne of my cats also chases insects while the other isn't interested in the slightest.
Thanks, Susan. I think the length of winter depends on when you think it starts. For me the real winter months are December to February, with March signalling the beginning of spring. Other people of course stick to the convention that spring begins at the equinox. :-) Regardless of that the days are certainly flying, though not with much to show for them at the moment.
DeleteOur cats used to chase insects, but could rarely catch them.
I am both sorry the anesthetic has taken such a toll and given you that fog, and then also relieved for you that that it is finally lifting. I hope you have felt reasonably peaceful in the waiting! I'm glad you're finding yourself again…you've been a bit lost in the mental clouds! Maybe some of this unanticipated "rest" has somehow been good for you. I do hope so, dear Perpetua! ox
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debra. I haven't been agonising about this - that would require too much mental effort. :-) It's just that a fortnight has disappeared and I don't really know where it's gone and certainly have little to show for it. But I've kept warm and rested and been glad I didn't have to go out in our terrible weather.
DeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteOooohh this didn't come through last evening - at least not before I switched off, so a bit late in the listing here!!
I'm with others - that foggy foto is fabby!
Anaesthetic recovery can often be the greater effort - but in a way, if it has kept you compliant with the "don't lift a finger" order, then perhaps it has played a part beyond its intention! But it's not fun, that cottonwool feeling.
Like the snowdrop I spotted at the door the other morning, it seems you are on the rise and that is only good. Like you, I had commented to sister the other day how the days were drawing out and the birds and plants seem to think there's a change. Edinburgh has got off lightly in the winter stakes this year - I do feel for all those who have been battered and bruised down South. Anyway, lovely to see you out and about in Blogville today! YAM xx
Glad you like the photo, Yam. It's certainly atmospheric. :-) I've tried very hard to obey the orders about not lifting, but will admit to a touch of impatience now. But I have three more weeks to go and I will be good!
DeleteThere are real signs of spring appearing - hazel catkins outside the back door and the first leaves on the honeysuckle in the lane. I just hope they don't get frozen if we have a late spurt of cold weather like last year. Fingers crossed....
Oh dear - so sorry the anaesthetic is taking its time. It can be hard to shake off the effects - something that we don't always stop to consider. But it's giving you healing time and that's the most important. I'm not able to summon up the energy to write my own blog at the moment though today, at least, the sun is shining a bit again. I'm not comparing our weather with the UK - but when it's miserable here, I tend to feel a little homesick...strange that!
ReplyDeleteTake care and take it steady - you'll soon be out spreading new butterfly wings in the world!
Axxx
I do hope so, Annie, once this rain final stops. It's silly really that I didn't anticipate this happening, but I've always recovered quite quickly from general anaesthetics before. I'll know now what to expect if I ever need another one. :-)
DeleteSorry the weather's been getting you down too. It does seem to have been an extraordinarily grey winter over most of western Europe and that can be very depressing. Glad the sun is shining for you again. :-)
Simon's Cat - always good for a laugh. So glad you are on the mend, and that your miserable weather is at least taking a break. Take care.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Simon's Cat wonderful, Bonnie? :-) I'm definitely on the mend, thanks, but the break in the weather was very short-lived and it's very grey, wet and windy again today. Sigh....
DeleteGlad you're feeling more yourself now. I've been feeling 'under the weather' and I haven't been through what you have. Knowing folk are really suffering in this bad weather is not very uplifting either. Do take care.
ReplyDeleteSorry you've been feeling unwell too, Linda. You're right,. the weather and the bad news really don't help. I promise I'll be careful and thanks for the good wishes.
DeleteI wonder if they used a different combination of drugs this time for the anesthetic. I also wonder if the gloomy weather and inability to get out and enjoy a bit of fresh air every day has contributed to it taking longer than usual to recover. ?? Whatever the cause, I'm glad to hear "the fog is finally clearing."
ReplyDeleteI really have no idea, Kristie. I'm guessing it was a combination of the sleepless night, the op and the pain-killers which wiped me out initially and my age and the dire weather are making me take longer to recover. It certainly feels good to be more awake. :-)
DeleteI am glad the fog is lifting. Convalescence has a 'processing component as well; think of the little circle going around while you wait for it to load. You have experienced two serious emergencies interrupted by cataract surgery. Lots of issues to deal with in addition to side effect from medication. Our bodies usually tell us what we need, and take over if necessary.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your blog and your perspective.
Thanks, Sarah, and welcome to my blog. I owe you a huge thank-you for your unvention of the Magic Loop. DD taught me the method and gave me your booklet and my first circular needles and sock yarn and I've been happily making socks ever since. I'm thrilled to know you've found and like my blog.
DeleteYou're so right about the accumulation of stress over the past few months and I love your image of the loading wheel, which I see rather often when our broadband is running slow. I think my body has definitely said enough is enough and taken time out.
It's good to hear that you are definitely on the mend.
ReplyDeleteYes, the days are getting longer. The way I tell is that suddenly my houseplants that have been sitting in a static trance for months begin to look alive again----putting out new growth and looking somehow greener. Yes, I think spring is definitely on it's way. It's about time!
Thanks, Vic. It feels good to be back in touch with things again. :-)
DeleteI'm glad to know that despite your bitterly cold winter weather your houseplants are giving you hope that spring is on the way. Our winter has been mild this year, but so wet and windy, but even outside there are the first signs of spring peeping through.
Not to worry; take the time you need, you have had such a battering. It's good to hear you are pulling out of the fog at last, though. Somebody up there has your best interests at heart!
ReplyDeleteI like to think so, DB. :-) I've really had no choice but to take my time and there's still some way to go. DH and I had to go into town yesterday and by the time we got back I was SO tired. I'm getting plenty of opportunity to practice the virtue of patience. :-)
DeleteIt certainly does seem to take longer as we get older to recover from,not just the effects of anesthetic, but any illnesses we have. I can feel your frustration at not being able to do all the things you would normally do (and it's surprising how much lifting is involved in all we do). Hoping you will feel back to normal very soon xx
ReplyDeleteThat's a discovery I've had to face, Ayak. The days of just bouncing back from things are in the past, I think, and I'll have to learn to be patient. You're so right about how much lifting we do all through the day and I keep being surprised when I have to call on DH to give me a hand with something I normally take for granted. He deserves a medal for not minding all the interruptions. :-)
DeleteThat was great-thanks for sharing. I am glad you are feeling better and that it didn't take swallowing a fly to make it happen. I assume.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Chicken. Simon's Cat is truly wonderful. No, no flies involved in my reawakening - just the passage of time and more patience than I knew I possessed. :-)
DeleteI guess the timing was good for you to be suspended in some sort of altered state if you had rain, and more rain. I find, whether I have been under general anesthesia or not, that I sometimes wonder around in a daze never really settling on anything. I am especially this way when the weather is bad. I get lost in my books during these times. I quite enjoy it. I just don't like how the housework piles up.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it has been a challenge to not lift anything. That would really try my patience. Take care of yourself. I'm glad you are better.
You're absolutely right, Sally. Our dreadful weather is totally unconducive to wanting to do much, so I haven't missed anything by being foggy for the past couple of weeks. I've enjoyed my reading, but even that has been a bit desultory and I can only read anything requiring deep concentration by doing it very slowly and in small chunks. Don't even mention the housework. I think I'm going to have to spring-clean once all this is over!
DeleteThe not-lifting makes life awkward and poor DH has been very patient with my repeated requests to carry things for me. :-)
I'm glad the metaphorical fog is lifting. It is often something that people don't expect after the anaesthetic and it can take quite a while to dissipate. Makes reading a novel with a complex plot a bit challenging I'm sure. But I'm glad that you have nothing exciting to report because your posts over recent months have included way too much excitement regarding your health and that of DH's so I'm glad things are quiet - may they remain so for some time to come :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd YAY! to longer days and signs of Spring :-)
The longer days are great - still traces of the sunset in the sky at 6pm today, despite the clouds. :-) That's as exciting as I want things to be for the foreseeable future. The last four or five months are not ones I'd wish to repeat, except for the success of the cataract surgery. I've had several general anaesthetics over the years, so was prepared for the fogginess, but not for how long it's taken to dissipate this time. The novels I've been reading have been distinctly lightweight, but none the worse for that. :-)
DeleteI expect myself to bounce back as quicky as I did when I was younger. Doesn't happen! Hope you're feeling like yourself again quite soon.
ReplyDeleteIndeed it doesn't, however much we wish it did. The years are starting to take their toll. :-) But each day is making a difference now, I'm glad to say.
DeleteDear Perpetua, as you would know, I'm sitting here grinning--widely--after watching the antics of Simon's cat. Oh, Simon does know felines!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to learn that the fog within your brain is slowly dissipating. A friend of mine who died of cancer back in 1998 had a 7-hour-long operation in 1997 and the doctor said that for every half hour of being under a patient needed a week before the anaesthesia left the body. So 7 hours would be 14 weeks before the last, lingering effects of the drug left the body. So please be patient with yourself. And by the way, what tea do you favor? I like a good oolong. Peace.
I knew you'd enjoy it as much as I did, Dee. :-) Simon watches his cats very closely.
DeleteThat's a fascinating statistic you gave me and it fits well with my experience. This time I was under for at least an hour and a half, which explains why nearly three weeks later I'm still not quite back to my usual self. I think age has something to do with is also. :-) As for tea, I tend to go for brand rather than type and have two or three good blends which I really enjoy.
I'm so sorry you've had such lingering effects from the anesthetic, Perpetua! That kind of mental fog always feels worrisome, doesn't it? I hope you feel better soon! It's great that you're keeping up with blogging and other pursuits as you recover. I'm sure that can only help.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. It's been a bit of a surprise after past experience, but I think I was probably very tired in any case after such an eventful few months.Even blogging has been sporadic and i don't usually say that. :-) I'm feeling better every day now and starting to look forward to spring and the resumption of my normal activities.
DeleteSo glad you're feeling better! Hope it clears completely soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lucy. Fingers crossed I'll be back to normal functioning soon and will have to blame my age for any future fogginess. :-)
Delete