Counting down

My dentist has now taken impressions and my implant tooth is being made.  I am back in under 3 weeks, if it fits ok and everyone is happy that will be the end of this almost 5 month process and we can think of returning to Italy.  Reading today however that the French government is about to issue survival instructions to its citizens to prepare them for invasion makes me wonder if travelling into the EU is the best idea but things are changing so quickly it’s hard to predict

My doctor has prescribed a week of medication for my tongue.  I really cannot wait for all this oral annoyance to be finished. 

We have friends coming to stay for a few days next week.  I am hoping that at times a gappy smile will be acceptable as I cannot contemplate wearing my denture all day long,  maybe if I promise not to laugh.

Still knitting from stock, a very snuggly scarf in Debbie Bliss Angel 75% super kid mohair, 24% silk.  I used double yarn, dark blue with a little sparkle and pale grey together, I used 50g of each for 1.5 m long x 0.3 m wide. 

And on the go another pair of oddments socks for MrFF, I definitely have enough yarn for the legs and heels to match, what’s inside his shoes may not.

Today is the spring equinox, equal hours of sunlight and darkness before the daylight hours start to lengthen.  It’s 14 degrees outside with a hazy sun so I shall soon go out for my walk.  I am trying to feel spring likes, new growth, new beginnings, the start of spring, and hoping that getting my tooth fixed will be just the regeneration I need.

We started off so well

I was able to check online that my second set of tests were satisfactory and expected to be called back to the surgery for the official results and further discussion.  The radiography department advised me to contact my doctor if I hadn’t heard within 7 days.  I waited a bit longer than that before I sent a message on the pro forma we now use to contact the health centre.  I received the response my test results were ok and no further action would be taken.  Of course I wasn’t able to respond so back to the pro forma, same details, same questions like what did I expect from the doctor, was I affected mentally.  I did mention it was annoying to keep doing this and not being able to continue a conversation.  I also pointed out that my dentist had referred me to the doctor because of my tongue which no one had bothered to examine. They asked for a photograph of my tongue and provided a link for a one time reply, now I have an appointment in 2.5 weeks time.  

I am grateful for all the testing I’ve had which was all quick and efficient, at the hospital in Skipton I was in and out 10 minutes before my official appointment time and parking was free.  But I do wonder why I’ve had so many tests, pleasing as it is to know they were all ok, or why the issues I raised haven’t been addressed, no examination of my tongue or weight check.  I am back at the dentist before I am back at the doctor so will have another discussion with him and decide whether to cancel my appointment.

Meantime I’ve been knitting up sock yarn oddments.  I weighed the yarn and thought I had enough to make a reasonably matched pair.  Wrong. As MrFf said they will be inside my shoe, no one will know except me.  Same with my sore tongue, i could just keep my mouth shut. 

Health ok, eyesight not so good

I have not been called back to the surgery yet but it’s possible to check ones health records and tests results online. Obviously I did that after a couple of days and happily all the results were normal or satisfactory, no further action required.  That’s a big relief, as MrFF cheerily pointed out I’d be disappointed if I had weeks to live having paid thousands of pounds to get my tooth fixed.    Remember Yorkshire values are very different to those of the rest of the world.

Of course we are no wiser as to why my tongue is sore and cracked which was the reason for my original consultation and tests.  Maybe once I have my implant things will improve, meantime I keep brushing and scraping, smug in the knowledge that I’ve passed by MOT for now.

I started knitting with the Trek sock yarn but found it impossible to do so in the evening, basically I cannot see what I am doing.  We do have a reading light beside the settee but MrFF isn’t happy to have it on in evening while we watch tv which is when I do most of my knitting.   So I’ve cast aside the Trek until we have lighter nights and knitted a pair of pink West Yorkshire Spinners socks in the same pattern, they took no time at all and were pretty much self illuminating.

Then I found a spool of 4 ply 50% wool 50% silk in the charity shop, approx 100 g for £1.99 enough for yet another necker.  The yarn is beautiful, on the spool it has a lovely sheen that doesn’t seem to transfer to the knitting but feels very soft and cosy.  I love the colour.

What’s wrong with me

At my last dental appointment I mentioned that my tongue was stained, furry, cracked and quite sore.  Martin confirmed that I didn’t have anything fungal or bacterial but that it could be an allergy to the strong mouthwash he gave me.  He then asked if he could look at my eyes and check my nails after which he suggested a blood test might be a good idea as I could be anaemic.  When I told him I’d lost almost a stone (6.3 kilos) since my front crown broke he said I should definitely get a blood test.   

It was easy to enter my symptoms online and within a couple of hours I spoke to a doctor and was given appointment next day for blood to be taken at our local surgery.  This week I went back to the health centre to discuss the results with a different doctor.  I told her about my dentist’s concern, the state of my tongue etc.  She looked at my results which were all normal but said they hadn’t tested for anaemia as the doctor had marked weight loss as the problem, so now I have to go back next week for more blood to be taken. 

Then she asked me various questions from a script one of which was had I ever smoked, which I had for a few years in my 20s but mostly socially and never regularly. She listened to my breathing and felt my abdomen which she said were fine.

Now in addition to more blood tests I have to give a urine and a poo sample and also go to Skipton for a chest x ray.  At no time did the doctor look at my tongue or ask me how much weight I have lost or what I weigh now (8.5 stone/54 kilos).  I did mention that I am quite happy to be thin and the weight loss occurred when I struggled to eat for a month with a wobbly crown before I returned to Yorkshire. Now I am eating normally and healthily, not drinking alcohol, sleeping well and exercising regularly.

I seem to have opened a can of worms and we have gone completely off piste. I am grateful to be getting such thorough testing while wondering about all the people with serious medical issues who wait months and months for treatment.  Meantime at my dentist’s suggestion I have bought a tongue cleaning brush and a scraper (he suggested a butter knife was a good alternative to the latter).  Things are much improved and I am hopeful I shall be fixed before the results are in.

Into February

So far February has gone well.  Tuesday I was back at the dentist who said normally the stitches would have dissolved but mine hadn’t so he took them out.  It was painless and he reported everything looks healthy.  Now we wait 6 weeks before impressions are taken for my implant, then another 3 weeks before it is fitted.  What an age this has taken, my mouth still feels a little sore but I am grateful to be so well looked after and hopeful of a good outcome - eventually.  Meantime I have not been very sociable because I really don’t like wearing my temporary tooth. MrFF would have liked us to take a break somewhere warm but it would have been pointless for me, I’d rather stay home with a gappy smile.

It’s lovely to have longer hours of daylight with quite a lot of sunshine.  I am walking out regularly and climbing the 3 flights of stairs back to the penthouse.  I often return through the town with a dash into one or two of our charity shops for a quick treasure hunt.

Lovely recent finds are

A Kosta Boda snowball t light holder for £4.50, it is chunky, heavy and twinkles beautifully. My lovely Danish friend in Italy has several these that are always lit when we dine outside on warm summer evenings. I have admired them for many years and now have one of my own that even in February brings to mind convivial summer nights.  

200 grams of Trekking Hand Art hand dyed sock wool £4.99, just look at those gorgeous shades. 

The yarn 75% wool, soft and squishy, it speaks to me of men’s cable socks and I cannot wait to cast on.

Nice weather, time outside, good books, lengthening days, green shoots, it’s going ok here even if the outside world is a crazy scary place.  Sometimes we have to find comfort where we can.  

End of endless January

A bright sunny end of January day.  The light coming into the kitchen this morning prompted me to dust the slats of the blinds but enough cleaning I’ll take a walk soon.  On Saturday when I returned from my usual 6 miles the power was off in the building, I had to climb the 3 floors to the penthouse via the fire escape.  It made me realise that I should use the stairs more and now after my walk that’s what I do, an extra little work out.

There are definite signs of spring, clumps of snowdrops in flower, bulbs coming up in my balcony pots and my Christmas bulbs brightening the lounge.   Yes that is blue sky.

Last week I was at the dentist for the start of my implant placement.  The post is in,  I have 7 stitches in my mouth and am back to eating cautiously. Apparently I still have about 9 weeks to go with appointments right through until April.  MrFF is getting restless to return to Italy, I just want the job done and ignore his suggestion I ask my dentist to hurry up.

I am being stoic with my pastimes. I am reading Wolf Hall, one of the books on my should read list and knitting from the stash, socks and neckware.

 
The scarf is Be Simple by Carolyn Glauz-Todrank which I knitted using 100 g of yarn and wear knotted like a necker.  

Could do better

Last week I ordered and received a cotton polo neck jumper from the John Lewis sale, a cosy wardrobe addition to wear under a cardigan or jacket. It was just right except for the label above extolling their ethical sourcing of better cotton, even though there might not be any better cotton in the garment.

A Google search for what the label is trying to tell me didn’t enlighten me at all.

Better Cotton is sourced via a chain of custody model called mass balance. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton Farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those we source.

Mass Balance is the chain of custody model that laid the foundation of the entire Better Cotton initiative, making our programme easy to scale and bringing immense value to the farmers. It was first introduced in the Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) Guidelines, the guidance document that set the requirements for organisations in the supply chain that are buying or selling Better Cotton or cotton-containing products through Mass Balance Better Cotton orders. After the introduction of the CoC Standard v1.0 in 2023, Mass Balance remained a key offering alongside physical chain of custody models. 

Any wiser?  Me neither.  I imagine the scheme makes very little difference to the cotton farmers or the environment but gives a tidy income to those who thought it up, wonderful career and travel opportunities for its board of international directors and cons the unwary purchaser.