Week Fourteen: 2022

Posted on Apr 11, 2022 by TanGental

Busy week this. A visit to the Tate Modern for the Lubaina Himid exhibition – a Black Feminist with a gauche style and a penchant for colour

– a street art tour around Liverpool Street

(both to be reviewed later) and an old fashioned dinner party with friends plus the usual mix of garden

dog walks

and writing.

Currently I’m in week two of a course of anti coagulation medication preparatory to a cardioversion procedure to correct an atrial fibrillation which decided to squat in my chest last summer. I have a long history of being clumsy – my gran called me heavy handed when I was about 8 and I’ve not improved with age. Consequently the family have been discussing how to protect me from myself, esp around the head area. Bicycle helmets and bubblewrap seemed to be the preferred choices until I stumbled – ha told you I was hopeless – on this puppy…

…the bump cap with a hard shell but otherwise looking like a jockey in search of a horse. It’s excellent.

Someone asked, apropos this procedure, if I’d be knocked out or aware – it involves those defibrillator pads you see on medical dramas. I wasn’t sure but a doctor friend confirmed they anaesthetise me. ‘When I worked in A&E’ he told me, ‘we had a patient we were desperately trying to resusitate but whose heart kept stopping. I was told to prepare the defib and was poised about to apply the charge. As the doctor stepped away having been applying compression I hit his chest at the same moment he came to. His eyes shot open, he sat bolt upright and glared at me, saying “fuck that hurt!’ So yes I’ll take the sleep option.

The news has, of course, been unutterably grim with the revelations in Ukraine making news programmes seem like those drive by car accidents. You don’t want to look but they draw you in. Boris joined the queue of oremiers and similar visiting Kviv, combining it with an announcement of more lethal weaponry. Rumours that this comprises a book of his speeches translated into Russian and broadcast over the Russian forces have yet to be verified…

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
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40 Responses to Week Fourteen: 2022

  2. OIKOS™- Art, Books & more says:
    Apr 11, 2022 at 10:46 am

    Thanks for the information about the exhibition and what else is going on around you. It seems the UK has changed to more southern like weather conditions (and we here got the rain and the coldness). 😉 I hope for a fast recovery of you. Be calm and stay strong! Best wishes, Michael

    Liked by 1 person

  3. willowdot21 says:
    Apr 11, 2022 at 11:08 am

    Busy week Geoff enjoy it. My brother had that proceedure . The garden looks lovely as do you even with your sore face …and fetching scaf!
    Be safe and enjoy the week 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  4. trifflepudling says:
    Apr 11, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    My boss had this procedure successfully. For some time prior to it he went on a health kick, though he was already healthy in every other respect, arrhythmia being nothing to do with diet etc. As soon as he came back to work he had a bacon sandwich every morning for a week!
    Hope all goes well and also that you don’t damage yourself or anything else beforehand!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Derrick John Knight says:
    Apr 11, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    I hope the medicine does the trick

    Liked by 1 person

  6. John W. Howell says:
    Apr 11, 2022 at 3:38 pm

    Best wishes on the procedure. I’ll say this about Boris he’s not afraid of the Russians. Can’t say the same for an unnamed weakling who has over 60% of the population of a well-known country disapprove of his conduct of anything.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. noelleg44 says:
    Apr 11, 2022 at 4:14 pm

    I’m so sorry to hear that you have Afib – my Mom had it and they cardioverted her several times – it didn’t always work but she lived into her 90s! The anticoagulants are necessary because Afib can cause clots – we need you to stay healthy. Sorry about the fall – it’s always a cause for concern, but don’t stop your walks! We enjoy going along with you and Dog.
    As for Ukraine our President is leading from behind, as usual. He should have stayed in his basement – the worst President we’ve ever had, I think because he is non compos mente a lot of the time.

    Liked by 1 person

    • TanGental says:
      Apr 12, 2022 at 12:00 am

      I can see how Boris looks when Ukraine is the issue. He speaks well and with conviction. It’s just domestically when he tries to formulate a policy that it would be better if he didn’t. Maybe he’s better suited to being a spark your weight prime minister…

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Peter's pondering says:
    Apr 11, 2022 at 9:08 pm

    Hope the cardioversion is a lasting success and that Dog stops deliberately tripping you up. See if you can manage to wake up lustily singing “Always look on the bright side of life.”

    Liked by 1 person

  9. George says:
    Apr 12, 2022 at 7:50 am

    Sorry to hear about the AF but it sounds as if it’s been caught early so with any luck the cardioversion should sort it.

    Now for the unsettling news. Depending on whether they’ve put you on warfarin or a DOAC and where it was initiated, they might be monitoring your INR result or might have assessed your suitability a DOAC using software which I had a hand n writing!

    But don’t worry, I don’t always have my head in the clouds on top of a Lakeland fell, and I can just about operate a mouse and keyboard so I’m sure you’ll be fine 🙂

    Seriously though, best of luck with the procedure, and I hope it’s a 100% success. Look forward to the reviews of the exhibition and books.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Suzanne says:
    Apr 12, 2022 at 8:16 am

    All the best with the procedure, Geoff. The Tate Gallery would’ve been a treat.

    Like

  11. Rowena says:
    Apr 12, 2022 at 11:45 am

    What? What? What? Everyone else here is much too calm!! I don’t touch base with you for a few weeks, and a bump on the head. In your usual fashion, you’ve gone your own way and instead of getting electric shocks to the brain, you’re going for the heart.
    This procedure all sounds very dramatic, but thankfully the medical folk do this day in, day out and while they’ll give you personalized care, it will be a case of “next”.
    Before I had my shunt surgery, it was huge but in hindsight, it was a straight forward procedure and perhaps not no risk but certainly not what we turned it into.
    Take care and please keep all of us blogging friends scattered around the globe informed.
    Love and best wishes,
    Ro

    Liked by 1 person

    • TanGental says:
      Apr 12, 2022 at 5:06 pm

      Yes will do. I’m not keen on making a thing of how bits atrophy, droop and fail unless I can play it for laughs. My way of coping I suppose. Thank you for the delightfully committed support.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Rowena says:
        Apr 15, 2022 at 4:22 pm

        We go back such a long way (Well, at least, in blogging terms we do). Of course, I have to cheer you on, and I totally get the need for humour at such times. My mum and dad are starting to have a few issues. Dad had a hernia repaired fortunately by keyhole last week and some skin cancers checked on his head and Mum has the start of vascular dementia. They’ve been pretty well up until now. Meanwhile, Miss has been competing with her dance and topped her classical ballet solo in the Open Section. It was so exciting. On the other hand, so stressful and we’ve shared about our coordination troubles before and I tripped over the handle on her dance bag, blacked out a bit, and had people hovering around me, asking if I needed an ambulance. Talk about humiliating. The whole thing came to a stop and I wanted the ground to swallow me up. My foot is still misbehaving too and is awkward. More awkward that usual. I might just stay inside a bubble wrap cell for a few days except it’s supposed to be sunny and there is a big second hand book sale tomorrow. I know I shouldn’t go, but we both know I couldn’t possibly stay away.
        Best wishes,
        Ro

        Like

      • TanGental says:
        Apr 16, 2022 at 8:26 pm

        Go on live and little Ro!

        Like

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