Some Seaside Air and a Little Sun!

….So Jools and I popped down to my Parents place by the sea for a few days….

And in spite of it being a bit blustery, we have had one exquisite sunny day by the beach-watching the brave souls who, come what may, were frolicking in the sea (many in wetsuits!) The air is so clean and fresh here-we’re only 100 miles from our home in London, but it might as well have been another world! The ozone makes me sneeze almost constantly, but I have managed to practice my walking without oxygen-lots of stops and sitting down, but nonetheless, even though we didn’t make it out to California this summer, I am still determined to do some lung healing whilst we are breathing this fresh sea air.

Here are a few pictures I snapped yesterday in Bournemouth at lunchtime, and watching the boats at Sandbanks at tea time.

…..We will venture back to London this afternoon and pick up AB from Mum’s house. It has also been our first time way from her, something we clearly need to practice more than her though, for we have pined terribly but apparently she has had a ball!…..

Our Air Conditioning (aka The Big Chill!)

…..We now have fully installed and permanent air conditioning…..

And whilst I appreciate this is nothing original or life changing for my American, Canadian and Israeli readers, this is something quite out of the ordinary in a British house. But our house was a pseudo oven, and we have always found it unbearable in the summer months.

Julian and I are summer people. We both love the heat, but we also both love to come in to the cool. I grew up in Southern California, and Julian has joined me in being a desert lover, even with his red hair and pale skin. He is the guy who turns our car climate control down to 15c and sets every hotel room air con to minimum. I have never found that this differential between very hot and very cold upsets my lungs, except when rushing around the grocery store. Instead, what curses my breathing is the high humidity we suffer so much of the year in London. Florida is well off the map for me, Palm Springs and the dry, dry desert is my Mecca.

Julian works shifts and has a week of nights every 7 weeks. Even with a portable air con unit in the bedroom, which we have used for the last 6 years, it  becomes unbearable for him. And as the rest of the house heats up, it is impossible to cool the bricks down as we have green insulation, ie extra layers to save money on heating in the winter-barmy. We always wished the previous owners (15 years ago) had never had it put in.

So Julian and the Company we chose, after having 3 quotes and 3 draft plans drawn up, devised a system and a make of units which would dehumidify for me, chill, climate control like our car, and remove dust, pollen and bacteria from the air.

We therefore now have a 3.5kw unit in the lounge positioned so it will cool the whole of the downstairs, and 2 x 2.5kw units upstairs so they will cool every room, (except Julian’s office which is just a store room these days), and the cold air filters through the landing and down the staircase. It is ingenious. No pipe work is visible as every thing has been done in the loft. Poor men, in that heat up there. The large inverter is outside on the back wall and again, is silent. Incredible! We now have a bunch of redundant fans and the portable unit which I guess we will take to his Mum’s.

And above all, all the units are silent, and can be run as heaters in the winter (much more cheaply than our gas fired central heating), solo air fans, solo dehumidifiers, or air conditioning whilst dehumidifying. I’m not going to get all techy here, but we went with this company and used these units.

Let’s just say, in the light of the fact that we are home for the 3 weeks this August that we have always been in Palm Springs for, we really needed to do this, this year. So instead of our two vacations, we decided to fund plan and carry out this venture.

Incidentally, our lounge yesterday reached 26C and when we switched on the air con after half an hour we had got the whole house down to 20C. Sheer Bliss!

So here are some photos!

Bedroom 1: We like the way it chills Julian’s ‘Sunset in Palm Springs’ picture!

Bedroom 2 : This keeps any patient cool in our home hospital room!

In the Lounge (Bedroom 4):

Side of House Pipework (This goes up into the loft space):

Back of House Pipework (This enters Bedroom 2 and then the loft through the soffit board):

The Outdoor Multi Unit Inverter: (Conveniently hidden behind the French Windows)

And there you have it!

…..Anna-Bell says she needs to wear a jumper indoors!…..

Weather-Related Allergies

…..AT LAST! It’s absolutely chucking it down out there!…..

The relationship between allergies and weather is an obvious one. But, the summer pollens and air pollution ones are the greatest for myself. The cold of winter brings different lung issues but not necessarily allergy ones. Even though it is raining, my nose is still streaming, and even with a low pollen count my eyes are still itching.

These are some of the common weather related allergies that we are all a slave too:

Wind:  Wind-driven plant pollens such as tree pollens and ragweed pollens are blown into eyes, mouth, nose and lungs and cause allergic reactions. Tree pollens are high during spring and ragweed pollens are high during fall.

Mild weather: Mild winter may cause early pollination for trees and flowers. This may result in an early spring allergy season. Mild or rainy winters can increase the mold spores, which is a main allergy trigger. Pollen counts are usually high in the air during a mild spring season.

Rain: Weather allergies are usually less in rainy season. It happens as rain can damp down and can wash away pollens that may cause allergic reactions. However, an allergy to mold spores may increase during this season. Mold spores usually thrive in damp condition. Large amount of rain in the Autumn may create higher counts of tree pollens in the following spring.

Cold: Cold plays an important role in weather allergies. Sudden cold or unexpected freezerscan bring early spring and increase tree pollen productions in the air.

Heat: Dryness or irritation of the nasal passages may occur due to a sudden spike in dry summer heat. It may result in allergic reactions and allergic asthma,that so many of us have.  When humidity increases, growth of mold spores will also increases. Higher humidity is the condition in which most allergy symptoms may worsen.

Air pollution: my bug bear. Temperature inversions and smog can severely affect those of us who suffer from weather allergies and asthma. High humidity, heat and stalled weather systems during summer all can contribute to such air pollution allergies.

(click picture to see it bigger!)

…..At least today’s rain is strong enough to wash away the problems, albeit temporarily!…..

We’ve all got Hay Fever!

…..All 3 of us are sneezing, even little Anna-Bell!…..

It seems the dreaded summer allergy season has hit Tow Towers all at the same time. Julian and I have got the same symptoms and Anna-Bell keeps sneezing like you wouldn’t believe when she goes in the garden to play!

The pressure is high but we have had no rain so the pollutants and pollen have become down right nasty here. Julian and I have both got these non stop muzzy heads, and sinus pressure and aching ears, plus of course, the sneeziness and wheeziness in my case and itchiness in all our eyes, A-B’s included.

I guess it’s a case of keep on doing the old adages, close those open windows at dusk when it all comes down, wash those net curtains weekly, shower off after being outside, don’t wear outdoor clothes laying down on the bed for a nap (very guilty), and stay out of the outdoors at the worst pollen forecast times.

We are both on Nasonex and A-B is having her eyes bathed with cold water when they get really watery. It doesn’t seem to bother her, but how would she tell me if she also had The Headache?!

It’s been such a glorious summer so far, and neither of us suffer that badly although I have noticed my SATS have dropped and I am currently really feeling much more huffy puffy than I was, so my chest is a bit off it’s recent good norm. I’m almost down to baseline Pred but don’t want to do that last 5mg drop yet as every time I plan it I have a chesty attack and get reminded I probably need more. It’s just a number so I’m not going to beat myself up over one extra red tablet!

…..So I’m off to wash my eyes out again-typing this in the garden has been a challenge too!…..

Refreshed by Rain!

…..As forecast, last night we had a thunder storm…..

I am not usually a wet weather person-not that this is ‘wet’ though, the sun is already back out, heating the water droplets and creating nasty, nasty lung-hating humidity. Bleugh. This feels like Miami after a storm!

But we needed that storm-with nothing measurable for the last 2 months, it was the first decent downpour we’ve had. Our side of London is now in a rain shadow with this totally obvious climate change.

And this is why I am happy it rained:

1. I didn’t get a pollution air text last night!
2. The pollution that was so apparent is much, much less today-you can’t smell or taste it like you could in the drought.
3. The temperature has dropped for the moment (although apparently, 80F is forecast for much of the coming month!)
4. My back lawn got watered for the first time and I didn’t have to work on watering the front lawn like I have been doing daily for the past week!
5. My antsy angst filled lungs feel like they have had a temporary reprieve from the horrible heat we’ve had.
6. The whole house is cooler as I’ve flung open every window back and front and given it a total air change. Bye bye backing up CO2!
7. The pollen has been dampened. Bye bye sneezing allergies for the day!
8. The storm happened overnight so my lungs and head were not affected by the atmospherics or change in pressure. Phew!
9. The garden looks beautiful.
10. Julian has been out there with his macro and has actually seen nature in the daylight now he is off Nights!

And here are a selection of his 105 mm macro photos taken this morning after the refreshing rain.

Irises

Rose Swan Lake

Day Lily Leaves

Alchemilla

Physallis

…..Better air, and natural beauty, Truly refreshing for all eyes and lungs…..

Summer Smog!

….The nice people over at DEFRA have issued this warning for London, for Easter weekend….

”The high pressure system persisting over the UK is forecast to bring warm and still conditions to the UK over the Easter weekend. These conditions mean it is likely that the UK will experience a high pollution episode this weekend.

Elevated levels of PM₁₀ and ozone reaching high or moderate are expected from now until at least Sunday. The forecast is therefore for high pollution for PM₁₀ and ozone across England and Wales, and low for other pollutants over the weekend.

Some people are more sensitive to ozone than others and may begin to notice an effect on their breathing. People with asthma are not necessarily more sensitive but, if affected, can use their ‘reliever’ inhaler. The public are urged to take sensible precautions such as:

• avoiding exercise outdoors in the afternoon can reduce exposure to ozone; and
• avoiding making unnecessary short car journeys wherever possible can reduce the formation of ozone.”

….Please be sensible. I already have a nasty summer cold so don’t want to add smoggy lungs to the equation. Our plan is to stay in and watch some films and catch up with the house!….

Watch Out-They’re About!

….It’s that time of the Seasonal Shift again!….

The time of year when the Summer gives way to the Autumn and the EPPs (Evil Pollen Particles) disappear in favour of their cousins, the EMSs (Evil Mould Spores).

Watch Out! They’e About and they got me last night!

There are thousands of types of mould, however, only a few of them are currently available for allergy testing. It is estimated that 60% of the population may be allergic to pollens and about 20% of those may have mould sensitivity issues. If you have been tested and you know what affects you then you’ll hopefully have an action plan from your Doctors. Even if you don’t have asthma issues, these are some of the possible effects of mould irritation:

I know I need to step up my steroid tablets, (Prednisolone), and double the dose of my nasal spray, (Nasonex). The worst lung infection I have ever had was from a colony of Aspergillus which can cause pneumonia type symptoms. It thrives in damp soil-And I love to potter in my garden-this is another reason why people with a ‘wet’ lung disease, such as some types of asthma and CF, shouldn’t keep house plants. They are a breeding ground for moulds.

See these two factors below for more information and clickable links:

• Aspergillus is a common indoor and outdoor mould, also associated with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
• Moulds can also cause severe immune reactions as a result of colonizing (living in, but not causing an actual infection) the lungs (hypersensitivity pneumonitis) and the sinuses. Moulds are also well known to cause various allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma.

So if like me, you are mould sensitive and are having symptoms; (I had a full blown asthma attack that required 4 nebs to recover from at 8.30pm last night, simply because I went out into the garden to check on something random-well, my grass seed!), then see your Doctors. You may need to step up Protector/Preventer and/or Reliever type treatments or take a course of Prednisone to get you through this month.

Autumn is a time when, because the weather is changing, we may not be needing so many windows wide open, and so by shutting them, particularly, (like you should do for pollen), in the evening, you may find you can keep the EMSs out! Wash net curtains, damp dust, invest in a de-humidifier if your house is really damp. (I lived in the country, in a very old stone cottage in the mid 90s and Boy!, was I sick in the Autumn, every year-that place was dripping water from the walls it was so damp).

Oh, and if you live in the UK-listen to the Sky News weather forecast as they are giving out mould spore readings, much like the forecasters do for pollen.

….I was not at all surprised to find out that the current reading for London and the South East, is Very High for EMSs!….

Hospitals “WE” have known!

….Note the ‘WE’ and not ‘I’….

So Julian has spent the day being a patient. The long and short of it is, last Sunday, in the extreme heat of Palm Springs, my red headed, fair skinned, but sun loving partner felt a bit ‘off’. We assumed it was heat stroke, dehydration and a bit too much exertion at the previous high altitude, lugging the photographic equipment around. He felt dizzy and had a few shooting pains across his chest.

Anyway, these seem to have continued, and yesterday we took him to see the Nurse Practioner at his Surgery to have his heart and blood pressure checked. She said all was ok and sent him for routine blood tests-again-all ok.

Then Julian worked a night shift last night and felt really unwell, again, with lots of pains in his chest, and arrived home at 9.01 am this morning saying to me to please take him to A&E as he really didn’t feel well.

I suppose I didn’t have time to question anything, just grabbed the keys, and shoved a bottle of water in my bag and knew that they’d see him immediately once we arrived.

So he was ECG’d instantly-and this was repeated 4 times, half hourly. He had bloods done, ABGs done, a chest x-ray done, and was given 300mg Aspirin, Clexane and some other thrombolytic. He was tested for DVT and a HA-neither of which came back positive even though he was given the meds as a precaution.

I guess we are relieved that the pains he keeps getting across his chest have been diagnosed as nothing more sinister than intercostal muscle spasms, and that he has in fact now had a complete check up, and does not seem to fit a single criteria for somebody at risk of a HA. He is super fit- even his ‘stressed out’ resting pulse was 54-that is quite incredible, and his ABGs were so good they were off the scale!

But oh dear, the direness of the situation, watching the one you love so much lying there on a gurney and feeling so very helpless. I had to grit my teeth and be oh so strong for the both of us not to lose the plot.

My Parents were great: I was in constant text contact with them throughout the whole 4 hours, and I spoke to his office twice as the Doctor has said he now needs a good 48 hours bed rest, as clearly he has been pushing things a bit too much, as, on top of the heat of the holiday, and the altitude, and the international flight, we then came home to two days of builders mess and then he was starting a night shift….

He’s in bed asleep now. I’m about to tackle the ironing, by way of which, in writing this post, I have found a great way of procrastinating!

If you read my 365 for Today, you’ll see just how much laundry I did first thing.

But really, there’s only one thing I’m caring about….

….And that’s that my Julian soon feels better….

Our Dizzy Desert Days…

….are BACK again!….

Can you tell from my side bar SATS and Stats that we are back in Palm Springs?

After an all time O2% low in Page, Arizona, of 86% I have actually woken up this morning feeling energised with SATS of 95%-just 1% below where I should be after a night on 2L.

Our drive back here yesterday was long (530 mies). Everything in US terms is bigger. The weather has been hotter, the altitudes higher, the distances driven greater. We love this country. God Bless it. We have just driven the equivalent of  1/6th of the way across it and we are-as we say, ‘cream crackered’!

And now-safely returned to our Desert-these are the things I will instantly notice today:

• There’ll be no clouds-the sky will be an enormous, open expanse of blueness.
• There will be no humidity and no afternoon monsoon thunder showers and lightening shows
• Julian will not have an ‘altitude sickness’ headache.
• The kettle will boil at 100c and we will make decent tea!
• My emergency superglue will not explode when I open it.
• Alcohol will have less effect!!
• Susannah will breathe without sounding like a steam train.

Of course there are more things:

• Palm Trees-you should have heard us whooping for joy when we saw Palm Trees as we entered the Coachella.
• Our Mountains-Granite not red rock!
• Our underground parking lot-not having to put the windshield sunshade up many times a day!

But don’t get me wrong. We had THE BEST time in Page, AZ-which is why we went back there this year-and for longer, too-and we are planning another trip there, but maybe not for 2 or 3 years!

But we are desert rats. We come here to Heat and Eat our way through the summer.

Julian and I are are going to enjoy sifting through his 7 Gigabytes of photos (he tells me!-14 bit Raws+Jpeg Basic, HDRs Panoramas etc)….

….And today, I will be able to swim again….

12 of 12: August 2010

….So here follows my 12 photos taken during today, the 12th day of the month of August. Not quite a usual day as we are on vacation in the Californian Desert….

I’ll also do my best to not include too many swimming pool, food and margarita shots-yes-I’ll try-but I can’t guarantee it!

1) I woke up early, around 6am, but only because my Sister texted me from the UK! My morning ritual here in our hotel suite is to walk into the bathroom and switch off/disconnect E.T. my POC. As I sleep with oxygen we always put him in another room so we don’t hear the hum and click he makes. The bathroom is large, cool and a perfect distance for my 25ft long cannula!

2) I then switched the kettle on and started another morning ritual here. That of emailing the Family our daily photos and expedition jaunts. Yesterday we went to Idyllwild. You might like to read about it here on my blog and here on my 365.

Then I went out and about with my iPhone and took the following photos of local things of interest down the Palm Springs Strip.

3) This is the fountain and bronze statue of Sonny Bono, the one time Mayor of this city.

4) Another Fountain: This/these are outside the little museum downtown. We have always loved this spot. It is right opposite our favorite Mexican restaurant.

5) Whoever Miss Cornelia was, she apparently lived here in this house-now a local landmark and a living museum. Kind of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ meets Palm Springs.

6) LG’s Prime Steakhouse. My adopted big brother and our best friend, Chip, works here. Really good juicy fat American steaks! Am I sounding like an advert for the joint?!

7) Looking down the bottom end of the Strip (Palm Canyon Drive)

8 ) Elvis’s Star. It is on the pavement outside the old Palm Springs library. Did you know Elvis and Priscilla had their honeymoon in Palm Springs? You can still take a tour round the old house, in fact I think it has an open house this weekend.

9) This is the water wall in the newly renovated Hyatt Regency Suites hotel where we stay. It is behind the jacuzzi and makes a lovely backdrop especially when lit up at night.

10) Thursday night is Street Fayre night. Palm Canyon is closed off and becomes a myriad of stalls, farmers goods, musicians and food tastings. We love it and go every Thursday when we’re here. I particularly enjoy the free jerky tasters.

11) We thought this was hilarious-the temperature was still over 100F at 7.50pm and this poor stall owner was roasting his kettle corn in an enormous scalding cauldron, complete with a full face visor and leather gauntlets!

12) Dinner at the Chop House, at the end of the Strip and the  end of the Street Fayre. These were our pre-dinner drinks! Sorry-I couldn’t refuse one margarita (and beer) picture!

….Of course the noticeable difference for me this month is that my location is Palm Springs, California!

If you’d like to read other bloggers’ 12 of 12′s, go to Chad Darnell’s Blog….