Iron Out

Hello, dear readers!

I had a plan, I really did. With my aching back no longer aching, and my bread-free month coming to a successful conclusion (with a celebratory pizza, no less), I planned to make this post a positive affair, a forward-looking post full of joy and optimism for a healthier, hardier me.

Sadly, this was not to be.

No, as is so often the way with these things, events have overtaken me, and, as a result, this week’s offering will have to concentrate on said events and the unhelpful, cumulative effect they seem to have had on yours truly.

Because I’m tired.

What Ails Ye
Anyone who has had the considerable misfortune to become a long-term reader of these poor offerings will know that your friendly neighbourhood blogger is blessed with a dazzling array of health conditions that stretch from the Spina Bifida I was born with, through an intolerance of pork products, and on to Pernicious Anemia, Multiple Sclerosis, and the odd flare-ups of Optic Neuritis. Basically, I function through a cocktail of bourbon, the loving support of friends and family, and sheer bloody-mindedness.

But, as I say, today I am tired.

Partially, this has to do with the series of minor emergencies which have plagued myself, and my ever-amazing wife, Tina (One burst pipe, one washing machine that, possibly as a result of said burst pipe refuses to either work, or give me my trousers back, and one slightly flooded kitchen, caused by my efforts to rectify the washing machine situation - all filmed before a live studio audience), but mostly it’s to do with the Pernicious Anemia.

Terms And Conditions
This wonderful condition means that my body refuses to process vitamin B12, also known as iron, from any food source. You can feed me as many rare steaks as you want (and please, do feel free to do so), but the effects on my red blood cells will be negligible.

So, instead of tasty red meat, less tasty, but equally nutritious broccoli, or even essentially tasteless little pills, I get my fix of this wonderful nutrient from my wife stabbing me gleefully with a needle every three months, and I can feel the need for a stabbing now. Something that’s been creeping up on me for a while.

These injections are what give me a new lease of life. Not quite in a Popeye/spinach scenario. There’s no jump into the air as energy surges into each of my limbs. No animations of trains or steam liners painted on my newly inflated biceps. No, this is a more gentle, gradual rise from the pit of total exhaustion, one that can take a few days, as the B12 makes its way from the meat of my deltoid to my liver, to be carried in my blood to the body’s other organs.

Sadly, we are all out of both B12, needles, and syringes. A failure to plan on my part and the reason for my current malaise.

It does give me an opportunity, however. You see, I’ve written about this subject before, but never while I’m in the midst of the effects. Usually, if either my Pernicious Anemia, or indeed, my Multiple Sclerosis (which also causes me to suffer bouts of complete knackeredness), are flaring up in this way, I will make my apologies and either postpone that week’s blog or skip it entirely.

 
Symptoms Of A Clown
It’s something I was considering doing, but as I opened up Blogger to post, I figured it would be a good chance to describe exactly how I’m feeling as I’m feeling it, with neither the benefit nor clouded vision of hindsight to get in the way.

So here goes.

I’ve got a headache. Not the kind you’d necessarily take paracetamol for, but a low, constant nag around my temples. My eyes feel lightly poached, like I’ve spent about 60 straight hours working at a computer screen. My limbs are heavy, and my thoughts scattered and indefinite. Writing even these few words is more difficult than it should be, and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve lost my thread mid-sentence.

Mostly, I’m tired. Not in a need to go to bed now kind of way, but the deep down exhaustion you might feel after an intensely busy week. I simply have no energy. No motivation. No get up. No go (it’s gone). Not even for the nicer things in life, like surfing the net, or reading, or watching the box (well, with certain familiar exceptions. Certainly nothing with too much plot or substance). It doesn’t mean I can’t do these things, or possibly more, but I know, today, each will be that much more difficult and leave me with less and less ability to do anything else. Doing those things well… I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

Aaand Done
Luckily, my day is pretty much done. The blinds are nearly ready to be drawn, it’s the wife’s turn to make the tea, and there are (as far as I know) no plans in place until the engineer comes tomorrow to rescue my trousers. A good night’s sleep might provide some temporary relief in the meantime, but rest isn’t quite what it was, so we’ll have to see. With luck, and a not too busy doctor’s surgery, tomorrow might see me b12ed up, and next week’s post might (might) return to normality.

Now, about that tea.



Until next time.

***

Hey, folks! If you would care to take a look at some of my more creative writing, then the links below will transport you to the magical worlds of two anthologies my short (and in one case, very short) stories have been included in. Feel free to check’em out!

Death Ship

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9198684140/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_TWEMTA3KWK7T89QEZPF6?fbclid=IwAR322Fx5nfgVUQAA62ZZ6CUsNnBm8pbSxPanzz6Qkjg3vAv4ESipq7iKKhs

https://www.waterstones.com/book/death-ship/david-green/s-o-green/9789198684148?fbclid=IwAR2gP4CXHSG7wTccO39wOqXFtI81k0259Ep8DUM48Ki6kTUdlKoF3yafojA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9198684140/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2XZ7JICGUQ1CX&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2Wa6sGxb82_VCsC7l1CGXwHjsSwTheqba6jDX_G8EDsywZoGpC93nXr2w

Reaperman

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaperman-Drabbles-3-Legends-Night-ebook/dp/B099NNPTQ1A