Monday 21 July

Well, I am back and feeling a bit better.   Finally, eventually, went to the ER.  My main objection to going is that the cost of CT scans and doctors is more than it costs to fly home, where I can be treated for free, but that argument doesn't hold up when I am not feeling well enough to travel anyway.  So I presented myself and told them - somewhat defiantly I think - that I had been before and I am not insured, but I was told not to worry, they will treat me anyway.   Another objection is having to wait for hours to be seen (can you believe that, this is private medicine!!) so I went to the Chaplaincy office first and Bill came with me, and I was seen more or less straight away.

I was asked what the difference was between a migraine and the headaches I was having - because I am on regular medication to prevent, or lessen, the incidence of migraines - I told them the migraines were in a different part of the head, more in the temple region, but these were deep in the base of my skull.   Anyway, I had a CT scan of the brain and there is nothing sinister going on there, so they gave me medication for the headache, and after taking it as soon as I got home I slept very soundly all the afternoon until about 7 this evening, and as I said at the beginning I am feeling a bit better now.

As an aside - a nurse admired the skirt I was wearing (it was just a black and white print) said I looked as if I was going on a date!  My first reaction was "perish the thought", followed by "I wonder what the dress code is for going to hospital".   I was just wearing a skirt and tee shirt (oh, and my shoes were 'cute' too).

The weather in the past week has been quite cool (relatively) but it is getting hotter, teetering on triple digits tomorrow and Wednesday.   I don't ever remember, in my life, a temperature over 99 at home.

My electricity provider sends an e-mail every day telling me what the cost of the following day's electricity will be.  Last week for a few days it was down to 5 cents per kw hour between the peak period of 2 and 7pm.    I had one at 3.57 this afternoon telling me it was going to be 19cents per kw hour (during the peak period) then at 6.38 I got another one, saying 'forget that last e-mail we sent you, it is going to be 43cents per kw hour, between 3 and 6.     I've never known it as high as that.