Heavenly Beverley : The Boom has been Lowered

Friday 3 June 2016

The Boom has been Lowered

After all the excitement of our Artists' Group, there was a slightly more sobering activity yesterday afternoon. We sped off to York just before half past one to hear the report of Michael's abdominal CT and my blood test.

Middle age and beyond are not for the faint-hearted. I have discovered that at, almost fifty-five, my body is letting me down in a variety of ways. I have morning medication and evening medication. Parts of me hurt from time to time, particularly on cold mornings. Periodically, trips to doctors, physios, dentists and hospitals disturb the peace of my life.

I am not as quick or agile or fit as I used to be. And weight is an ongoing issue. I know that round is indeed a shape; unfortunately, being short adds to the illusion that I am rapidly becoming the size of a small barn.

Michael isn't amused either by the galloping pace of aging. He refers to his pile of morning pills as "second course" and is delighted to have finally finished his current crop of IV antibiotic infusions. Now we just have to keep him out of hospital for the rest of winter...

So, we met with Doctor Susie, our fabulous GP, for the News. The Good News was that Michael's liver, although fatty, shows no signs of cirrhosis or other nasties. The Bad News is that his liver resembles a Wagyu steak, one of those delicious cuts of cut marbled with fat. And the enzymes that break down vino are through the roof. Oh and that he has a build-up of plaque in the arteries to his legs, causing narrowing of these blood vessels. Apparently, this may explain the odd marathon he seems to run, whilst asleep, in bed every night.

So, the next step is to book an appointment with a vascular surgeon. Oh goody.

He is off the booze for the duration, which he is trying not to think about much. The Good News is that all his sweats have stopped and he is feeling a good deal better. The Bad News is that he is eating everything that isn't nailed down. And that giving up smoking, completely, has become all that more difficult.

He is stuck on around two cigarettes a day. He knows he has to give up, but he is just finding the Final Push too hard. We will just keep persevering.

My blood test was not as Bad as feared, but my liver is indeed grumbling. I really need a break from vino too, ideally for six to twelve months. Sigh...the boom has been lowered.

Neither of us has had a drink for a week and a half now. We are coping pretty well, we think, but we do miss our evening glasses of vino. So, in typical Beverley Hillbilly fashion, we have decided to cheat. Just a little.

My birthday is in six weeks. I will break the drought for that day. And we have decided to let the vino flow on Michael's birthday in September. And some port is essential on our trip to the Goldfields. Then we will return to clean and sober living until Christmas. After that, who knows?

In the meantime, we are trundling along quite well. We have so many other passions - the Gallery, our art, our town, our friends and family, our trips and our stories. So we intend to knuckle down and behave ourselves for a while.

I have definitely come to the conclusion that life is far preferable to the alternative!