Life or something like it

2019 was a very odd year. With the Brexit debacle, taking up so much of the year, uncertainty reined and when that happens businesses become much less willing to spend money and whilst I was doing some great photography and regularly winning awards, I was unable to continue the business full time and have been working a second job for the last few month.

I was hoping 2020 would start off better. With the question of Brexit settled (for better or worse), there was some certainty and I was hoping to pick up . Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened, from a personal stand point and because of COVID-19 which again has caused a great deal of uncertainty around the globe.

The last few days of December though to the end of January for the last few years, are often not great for me. Flu season traditionally is a big issue for me, as I have asthma and when I do get flu, I will often get a severe chest infection, which will normally last a month or so and whilst not dangerous to my health, does mean I spend a very uncomfortable month.

In some ways unfortunately but in the long term fortunately. The nurse at my doctor surgery sent me for a blood test in early January. The results came back rather surprising. I was diagnosed as having erythrocytosis, which is a condition, where my body creates too many red blood cells. Currently, I am being tested to see if I have polycythaemia, which is a slight variation of erythrocytosis. This could be genetic or it could come from a secondary cause, which I am being tested for and could come from a number of things. Many of which I do seem to suffer from.

I must admit to suffering from many of the symtoms of polycythaemia, headaches, discomfort on my tummy, tinnitus, gout and high blood pressure (the most recent). The other thing that been effecting me is feeling fatigued, which has meant I just haven’t wanted to do much of what it takes to run a business.

Of course the more serious problem of suffering form erythrocytosis or polycythaemia is the increased possibility of having a blood clot, which can lead to deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. both of which can be fatal.

So I get the results back in a few weeks time, as well as the reason behind the problem. I have already started to change my lifestyle. Since mid January, I have lost almost a stone in weight, I have stopped eating, cakes and fizzy drinks. I still more than a stone to lose but it is a good start. Once the diagnosis is in. I will also start treatment, which could be as minor as taking an aspirin to thin my blood, through to visiting a hospital every 4-12 weeks and having a pint of blood being taken. This will hopefully mean that I get to lead a long healthy life and will be able to continue doing photography