I've been a bit diverted from the house recently, and find that when I am able to work I don't seem to have any real enthusiasm or perseverance. Various small jobs have been done, or have been started but are still incomplete, and I've even been doing some serious tidying such as taking the old asbestos shed roof to the tip (all nicely bagged and sealed as instructed), together with a lot of glass from the metal framed windows.
The reason for my distraction has been an unexpected health issue, which arose from one of those good ideas which people have to improve the health of the population at large. I wasn't aware of this, but when you reach 60 (as I did in February) you are then invited to participate in some screening test so that you can get an earlier (and therefore more successfully treatable) diagnosis of a particular form of cancer. As a customarily healthy person (albeit retired), I was a bit surprised to find that I was in the 2% of subjects who have an "abnormal" result. "Abnormal" indeed. Who are they calling abnormal? I've spent a good deal of my life trying to appear normal - quite clearly I have failed in that - but physically I reckon I have always been boringly normal.
It transpires that only 10% of the abnormal failures actually have cancer, but such analysis requires further investigation as an out-patient. The good thing about this is that you are fast-tracked so there's no delay. I had the failure result on a Wednesday, was seen for assessment the following Tuesday, and was booked for the (slightly unpleasant) "further investigation" on the Thursday of the week following. The result is either available at once (if no samples are taken) or within a week if there is a biopsy required, so that will make just over three weeks from start to finish, including Easter. I certainly cannot complain about the NHS!
The trouble really with this haste is that it is all-consuming, and I find that I just cannot concentrate on the things I would like to be getting on with. Mind you, the changeable weather doesn't help; I have been refurbishing a couple of ledged and braced doors which will be the new back gates and, having just started to paint the second last week, I had to bring them inside as it started to rain. I've also tackled a few small jobs like finishing the grouting in the extension and putting up some shelves but, as I said, concentration on such things is really very difficult when you are faced with even just a 10% possibility of having something life-threatening.
At the assessment last week, the only questions where I gave an "abnormal" response were "have you lost weight recently?" and "do you get tired easily?" The answer to both these was "yes, because I've been restoring a house!" I think I mentioned before how last year I was able to get into a pair of RAF trousers last worn in 1992, and I've also told (here) the story of learning to stop competing with the fit 30 year olds taking slates and lead up to the roof. As far as I am concerned, I am much fitter than I was when I started this project.
I'll mention the results of this Thursday's investigation when I get them; if I have anything of note, I expect I'll start another blog as it could then become a major preoccupation. NB I won't be publishing any photos of the procedure...
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